Monday, 11 March 2013

Opening Sequence:Boardwalk Empire

Boardwalk Empire:
  • The opening does a good job at introducing the main character (Nucky) whilst clearly trying not to give away too much about him.They do this by starting with a powerful shot from behind him confidently looking over the sea and sky which could signify power,there's then a shot of him taking out a gold plated cigarette container which continues the idea that he's a significant character in this show as gold is usually associated with wealth.
  • I believe that there's a good job done at captivating the audience's interest considering that the opening's only 1:33 and there's no dialogue.The main skill used to create interest is mystery,throughout the opening there's not much given away about who the main character is or what the show's about at all but at the same time enough is given away to raise enigma from the viewer that they know will only be answered if they continue watching.For example,the main character's standing at the end of a beach by himself on a windy,cold day looking out into the horizon as if he's looking for something or someone.There's an increasing amount of wine bottles seen being washed to shore and smashing against the pier which could either be very confusing for the audience but could also encourage them to try and give their own interpretation of what's going on.Only shots from in front of the main character towards the beach are shown until the last 5 seconds where it reveals that he man's actually in Las Vegas,this continues the use of mystery and creates even more enigma.
  • The contrast shown between the mans dull,striped suit with the close-up of the rose continues the mystery of the character but could suggest that the man purposely wants to give off the impression that he's dangerous and powerful but still wants people to know that there is another side to him where he's more merciful and understanding.This leads me to believe that this is a drama/crime film,at first I thought the man was a detective but the dark shadows that cover him in the long shot at 0:22 could suggest that the man's involved in crime because the dark clouds can be associated with danger.




  • The main characters' costume and props gives a lot away about who he is as well.He's seen wearing an old fashioned,well tailored suit with expensive shoes.This tells the viewer that the show's set somewhere in the 60's if not earlier and continues the idea that he's a dominant figure in the show.The fact that he smokes also tells us that he's very relevant to his time as smoking was very popular in the 60's and was very commercial/idolized,it's possible that he doesn't even smoke because he enjoys smoking but because the production team wants to tell the viewers that they're looking at a man who'se respected and has a bit of mystery about him which is shown by his preference of putting cigarettes in a gold container rather than using the original packaging.
  • The soundtrack is non diegetic and establishes a mood much different to what's shown as the music is non contrapuntal as it's quite up beat and exciting compared to the dark and eerie clip.This could be to tell the audience that the main character shown is supposed to be a likeable character regardless of how he makes his money.
  • The pace starts off very slowly with just one guitar being played and the man calmly looking over the beach as the waves come in peacefully,but gradually as the music starts to elevate the storm comes about and the time in between shots is shortened.
  • Most of the lighting used is shown to come off the enviroment such as lightning strikes and street lights in the background,apart from this there isn't much use of lighting.
  • The style of editing is quite basic and not very creative but rather just an attempt at making sure that a variety of shots are used such as extreme close ups on the characters eyes and wine bottles washing to shore to long shots of the entire beach and surroundings.
  • The credits are shown on top of the opening as it plays and uses a basic font style and placing without any animation.
  • The mood set is very mysterious and creates a lot of enigma as there are a lot of questions raised that aren't given any answers used to indicate to the audience that the show is mystery genre.
    My Film:
    As I'm studying specifically opening sequences here and for my film I'm only required to create an opening sequence,I can clearly see how so many simple yet specific shots when put together can create engima,establish the setting,introduce the main character and genre all at the same time when looked at in depth.I plan on using some of the same ideas shown in this opening sequence in my own film such as ensuring that I think about what I'm using for my character's costumes in great detail and making sure that I use the 3 minutes I have for my opening sequence effectively.

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