Task 1: Famous Opening Sequences

Ferris Buellers Day Off

Typography

words that first appear on the screen:

•  Paramount pictures presents
• A John Hughes film
• Mathew Broderick in
•  Ferris Beullers Day Off
• Starring Alan Ruck
• Mia Sara
• Jeffery Jones
• Jenifer Grey
• Co-starring Cindy Picket, Lyman Ward and Edie Mclurg
• Music score by Ira Newborn
• Casting by Janet Hirshenson and Jane Jenkins
• Costume designer Marilyn Vance
• Edited by Paul Hirsh
• Production designer John Wicorso
• Director of photography Tak Fujmoto
• Executive producer Michael Chinich
• Produced by John Hughes and Tom Jacobson
• Written and directed by John Hughes 

The words and typography are written blue. The colour and the thick curved font gives the audience a feel for the films playful nature. The words move around round screen so they stay out of the way of what is happening in the film.

Sound

The film starts with a radio broadcast which gives the audience the knowledge that the film is set in the American state of Chicago.

There is dialogue between the protagonists parents describing how ill they think their son is whilst this conversation is taking place a dog barking can be heard from outside.

A young girl also enters who the audience assumes is Ferris' sister and joins the conversation.

Towards the end of the opening  when the other characters are leaving some calm peaceful music starts paying.

At the end of the opening there is silence as the protagonist speaks.

Camera

The screen fades from black into a shot of a living room with is assumed to be part of the Bueller's household.

Close up of protagonist's (Ferris Bueller) face.

Low angle shot looking up at the protagonists parents.

Another close up of Ferris Bueller's face and then back to low angle shot of parents.

Close up of protagonist which then changes into a shot of his bedroom.

The camera then goes to another close up of Ferris Bueller then changes back to a shot of the parents.

When the girl walks in there is first a high angle shot of her feet then extreme close up of her waist.

Close up of girl's face

The camera then changes between close ups of different characters faces transitioning from the mother to the protagonist then to the sister and back to the protagonist.

There is a blurred wide shot of sister which then focuses and goes back to a close up of protagonist's face.

There are quick changes between protagonist and sister then parents and sister.

Wide shot of the room as the sister exits.

The camera then changes between close up of Ferris Bueller and low angle shot of parents.

There is a wide shot as parents leave the room then close up of protagonist sat up in bed.

View

The opening of this film is good because it gives the audience an idea of the type of relationship all the characters have between each other. It also hints at what the film is going to be about without giving away the whole plot. Although the film was made in 1985 it doesn't look or feel outdated and the opening still makes it seem like classic feel good film. 

Juno

         

Typography

• Fox searchlight pictures presents
• A mandate pictures, Mr. Mudd production
• A Jason Reitman Film 
• Juno
• Ellen Page
• Michael Cera
• Jennifer Garner 
• Jason Bateman
• Allison Janney 
•  J.K Simmons 
• Olivia Thirlby 
• Casting by Mindy Marin, c.s.a Kara Lipson 
• Costume Designer Monique Prudhomme 
• Music By Mateo Massina, Songs By Kimya Dawson 
• Music Supervisors Peter Afterman and Margaret Yen 
• Co-producers Jim Miller, Kelli Konop, Brad Van Arragon 
• Film Editor Dana E. Glauberman 
• Production designer Steve Saklad
• Director of photography Eric Steelberg 
• Executive Producers Joe Drake, Nathan Kahane, Daniel Dubiecki
• Produced By Lianne Halfon, John Malkovich, Mason Novick, Russel Smith
• Written By Diablo Cody 
•  Directed by Jason Reitman 

The typography is written in a childish font and changes between colours throughout the opening. The font childlike like font could hint at what the film is about by planting the idea of young children in the audience's head early on in the film. The words appear behind and alongside Juno as she walks around a drawn/cartoon like town.

Sound 

There is no dialogue in this opening sequence. In the 'real life' sections of the film there is no music however in the cartoon section of the opening sequence there is a country type song playing throughout. The song is called 'All i want is you' by Barry Louis Polisar it"s got a country feel to it and the cute lyrics suggest more about the film to the audience and what the relationships in the film may be like.

Camera

Opening starts with shot of the protagonist (Juno) drinking 'Sunny D'

Wide shot of Juno walking

The camera shot then transitions into a drawn/cartoon version of the town.

Wide shot of the back of the protagonist drinking.

Close up of feet.

Zooms in behind close up and changes into a shot of more feet walking.

Wide shot with a front view of Juno walking towards the camera.

Camera the moves to low angle shot of a telephone wire.

Close up of protagonist.

Wide shot of legs walking the shot then scrolls up to Juno's upper body.

Protagonist walks out of view the camera then zooms in over her shoulder and moves ahead to a wide shot of the street ahead.

Camera slides left into a wide shot of street corner and protagonist enters shot fro the right.

Camera zooms in behind Juno then transitions into a new location with protagonist walking towards camera.

Close up of protagonist unscrewing a bottle of 'Sunny D' to the right of the screen then close up of protagonist drinking from the bottom to the left of the screen.

Overhead shot giving a birds eye view of the protagonist walking.

Wide shot of protagonist walking across the view of the camera.

Shot of the back of the protagonist.

High angle close up of feet walking then camera lifts up to a wide shot of Juno.

Close up of protagonist's face.

High angle shot then back to close up of protagonist.

Extreme close of feet scrolling up Juno's body to a close up of her face.

Wide shot of the protagonist walking and the scene then transitions back to real life from the cartoon version.

View 

This opening sequence is very original and unique in how it transforms from real life into a cartoon version. The cartoon doesn't look out of place and works well making the end effect very good. 

Legally Blonde

Typography

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures presents
• A Marc Platt production
• Legally Blonde
• Reese Witherspoon
• Luke Wilson
• Selma Blair
• Mathew Davis 
• Victor Garber
• Jennifer Coolidge
• Holland Taylor
• Ali Larter
• Jessica Cauffiel, Alanna Ubach
• Oz Perkins, Linda Cardellini 
• Bruce Thomas, Meredith Scott Lynn
• Special appearance by Raquel Welch
• Casting by Joseph Middleton c.s.a.
• Co producers David Nicksay, Christian Mclaughlin
• Music by Rolfe Kent 
• Music supervisor Anita Camarata
• Costumes designed by Sophie De Rackoff Cabonell
• Edited by Anita Brandt Burgoyne a.c.e. , Garth craven
• Production designer Melissa Stewart 
• Director of photography Anthony B. Richmond a.s.c./b.s.c
• Based on the book by Amanda Brown
• Produced by Marc Platt, Ric Kidney
• Screenplay by Karen McCullah Lutz, Kirsten Smith

The writing in this opening sequence is bright pink and written in a curly font implying that the film is girly and fun. The words move around the screen and names are highlighted by being in a slightly bolder of bigger font to show their importance to the audience.

Sound

Throughout the opening the song 'Perfect Day' by Hoku is playing which gives the audience more of an insight into the life of the Protagonist and reinforces the idea the the film is fun and girly. In the background different sounds can be heard. There is giggles and cheers and the sound of a bike wheel spinning can be heard. The boys cheer as the girl cycles past and in the house lots of chatter can be heard. There is no dialogue but phrases such as "Elle's gonna love it" can be heard. At the end of the opening the music stops and the protagonist is speaking on the phone.

Camera 

The opening starts with a blurred extreme close up of swaying blonde hair.

Camera then focus into an extreme close up of blonde hair being brushed.

Close up of a basket on the front of a bike containing a pink envelope with the word 'Elle' written on it

Extreme close up of blonde hair being brushed.

Wide shot of girl cycling past a busy fountain on a bike.

Close up of a leg being shaved.

Shot of two girls playing frisbee then back to wide shot of girl riding bike. 

Shot of two girls walking then moves to group of boys.

Extreme close up of protagonists neck putting a Tiffany necklace on.

Wide shot of girl on bike then wide shot of sign.

Close up of protagonist painting her nails transitioning to a close of a sign saying 'Elle Woods President'

Shot of to girls exchanging the pink 'Elle' envelope with the girl turning in slightly slow motion.

Wide shot of girl walking past bouquet of flowers.

Close up of girly things on a desk (flowers, books, nail varnish and teddies)

Wide shot of a girls gym session.

Close up of some pink photo frames then back to the busy gym shot.

Close up of a powder brush scanning up to a close of a sign saying 'Homecoming Queen'

Wide shot of girl walking the a close up of people signing a card the back to the girl walking.

The camera zooms in on some people's waists and arms after they sign the card.

Extreme close up of the Protagonist spraying perfume on her wrist.

High angle close up of protagonist putting shoes on.

Shot of girls laughing then an overhead shot of a girl walking through a grand hallway and the up the stairs.

Wide shot of girls bathroom then close up of girls stomach.

Shot of two girls walking.

Wide shot of girly bedroom and dog picking up letter.

View

The opening sequence to this film has light hearted girly feel but is clever not to give the plot away. The quick changes between close ups of the protagonist and wide shots of other characters have been well timed and give the open a good effect.

Napoleon Dynamite

Typography

• MTV music television films 
• Fox searchlight pictures
• And Paramount pictures present
• In association with MTV Films 
• Starring Jon Heder
• As Napoleon Dynamite
• Jon Gries
• Aaron Ruell
• Efron Ramirez
• Tina Majorino
• With Diedrich Badar 
• Casting by Joy Weitz
• Music by John Swihart
• Edited by Jeremy Coon
• Production designer Cory Lawrenzer
• Director of photography Munn Powell 
• Executive producer Joy Weitz 
• Produced by Jeremy Coon, Chris Wyatt, Sean Covel 
• Written by Jared Hess and Jekusha Hess
• Directed by Jared Hess

The typography in this film is all written on food or basic objects such as ID cards and pencils. The font changes regularly some parts are curly and come more square all in different medias for example, pen, pencil and food sauces. All the words are presented on plain backgrounds such as carpet. This is an interesting way to present the opening credits and shows the audience that the film is quirky and different. 

Sound

At the start of the opening there is no sound when the first three plates are set down. Music starts playing when the wallet is being opened which has a country feel to it. The song 'We're going to be friends' by The White Stripes then plays throughout the opening. The song is easy to listen to and has a steady pace which matches the film.

Camera

Overhead shot of hand putting a plate on red carpet, different plate on pale grey background then another plate on blue background. 

Blurred close up of hands opening a brown wallet. 

Camera focuses on close up of ID card then focuses on another ID card from wallet. 

Overhead shot of hand putting a plate on green background the a different plate on a woven yellow background. 

Shot of tray on pale green background followed by a pack lunch on pale yellow background.

Blurred close up of silver star the in focus extreme close up of reverse side of star. 

Overhead shot of notebooks on a pale blue background followed by an extreme close up of lined note paper. Back to the shot of books then a second extreme close up of lined paper. 

High angle close of a small box.

Blurred close up of a lip balm then a focused extreme close up of the lip balm.

Close up of a drawing on lined paper followed by a close up of carpet the another close up of a drawing.

Close ups of different backgrounds then overhead shot of some stationary.

High angle shot of a plate of burger and chips on a light blue background.

View

The opening is very unique and different by presenting the opening credits on plates of food and stationary items such as pencils. It suits the film well as its quirky but gives nothing of the plot away to the audience.

Back To The Future 

Typography

• Steven Spielberg presents 
• A Robert Zemeckis film 
• Back To The Future
• Starring Michael J. Fox 
• Christopher Lloyd 
• Lea Thompson 
• Crispin Glover
• Thomas F. Wilson 
• Casting by Mike Fenton- Jane Feinberg, Judy Taylor C.S.A. 
• "The Power Of Love" performed by Huey Lewis and The News 
• Music by Alan Silvestri 
• Edited by Arthur Schmidt, Harry Ceramics
• Production designed by Lawrence G. Paull
• Director of Photography Dean Cindy
• Executive Producers Steven Spielberg, Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy
• Written by Robert Zemeckis & Bob Gale
• Produced by Bob Gale & Neil Canton
• Directed by Robert Zemeckis

The typography is written in a plain white font this could be to stop the audience from being distracted from what is going on in the film. For example the TV news report mentions some "stolen plutonium" which is the shown in the room. 

Sound

At the very start of the opening before the picture is shown there is different types of ticking from  different types of clocks. They then continue when the picture comes on screen and there also could be cogs turning. There is then a radio broadcast played over the ticking and other noises like a 'ding' and the sound water running. A TV news report which gives interesting information about the film and could hint at the plot. There is a loud noise then the sound of a machine whirring followed by clicks of a can being opened. As the machine works there is a louder whirring sound then the sound of dog food dropping and hitting the bowl then back to whirring and the clang of the can as it is thrown away. The protagonist enters with the words "Hey Doc" and then continues to speak over the ticking. Other sounds like a key dropping and the skateboard rolling can also be heard over the cogs and ticking. The cogs can no longer be heard when the switches are being pushed and the dials are being clicked round but and amplifier is beginning to make a noise. The amplifier gets louder and the is a loud bang as the speaker explodes. The opening ends with crashes as things fall on the protagonist. 

Camera

Wide shot of clocks.

Close up of old newspaper article. 

High angle shot of blanket and drinks. 

Shot of clocks and other machines. 

Close up of TV. 

Wide shot of toaster and other machines in the room. 

Shot of feet walking the wide shot of skateboard. 

Close up of a hand putting a key being put in the machine. 

Close up of switches being pushed and turned. 

Close of dial being turned then extreme close up of second dial being turned and extreme close up of the word 'Overdrive'

Close ups of different metres. 

Extreme close ups of a hand plugging things in. 

Zooming out shot of protagonist preparing a guitar. 

Wide shot of room. 

Close up of guitar pick. 

Wide shot of speaker exploding then of protagonist being thrown across the room. 

High angle shot of protagonist covered in paper.

View

The opening to this film is clever because the typography doesn't distract from what is happening in the film. The opening hints at the plot and that the film is going to be scientific because of all the different inventions and machines shown.

The Breakfast Club 

Typography 

• An A&M Films Channel Production
• A John Hughes Film 
• The Breakfast Club
• Starring (In alphabetical order) Emilio Estevez
• Paul Gleason
• Anthony Michael Hall
• John Kapelos
• Judd Nelson
• Molly Ringwald
• Ally Sheedy
• Casting by Jackie Burch
• Costume designer Marilyn Vance 
• Production supervisor Richard Hashimoto
• Executive producers Gil Friesen and Andrew Meyer
• Music composed and supervised by Keith Forsey
• Edited by Dede Allan A.C.E.
• Production designer John W. Corso
• Production of photography Thomas Del Ruth 
• Co produced by Michelle Manning 
• Produced by Ned Tanen and John Hughes
• Written and directed by John Hughes

•  "And these children that you spit on as they try to change their worlds are immune to your consultations. They're quite aware of what they're going through..." - David Bowie

The typography is written bright orange/yellow writing on a black background. The words contrast with the background making them stand out. This could have been used to reflect what the film is about for example it is a coming of age film and where all the young people in it are trying to stand out and are coming into their own. This opening is interesting as at the end of the opening credits before the actual film starts there is a quote by David Bowie about teenagers who are coming of age which hints more at what the film is about. 

Sound

The sound to this film starts when the opening credits start and the song "Do't You (Forget About Me) "  By Simple Minds plays throughout the opening sequence. At the very end of the sequence there is the sound of smashing glass then the film begins. 

Camera

There are no camera shots through most of this opening sequence as the words appear on a black background. 

At the very end of the opening the quote and background explode into fragmented glass and fly towards the camera and audience. 

This reveals a wide shot of a school.

View 

This opening sequence is good because its ending of the broken glass effect is different to other openings. It's also unique because there is a added at the end of the credits which fits with the plot of the film.

Grease



Typography

• Paramount pictures presents 
• Grease 
• Grease, A Robert Stigwood/ Allan Carr production
• John Travolta as Danny
• Olivia Newton-John as Sandy 
• Stockard Channing as Rizzo
• Jeff Conaway as Kenickie 
• T-Birds alphabetically Barry Pearl | doody, Michael Tucci | Sunny, Kelly Ward | Putzie
•  Pink Ladies alphabetically Didi Conn | Frenchy, Jamie Donnelly | Jan, Dinah Manoff | Marty 
• Dances & Music sequences staged & choreographed by Patricia Birch 
• Music supervision Bill Oakes 
• "Grease" music & lyric by Barry Gibb 
• Associate producer Neil A. Machlis 
• Produced on the board way stage by Kenneth Waissman & Maxine Fox, In association with Anthony D'Amato 
• Edited by John E. Burnett A.C.E.
• Production designed by Phil Jefferies 
• Director of photography Bill Butler A.S.C. 
• Based one the original musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey 
• Screenplay by Bronte Woodward, Adaptation by Allan Carr
• Produced by Robert Stigwood and Allan Carr 
• Directed by Randal Kleiser

 The typography is all written in a curvy font in different colours and on different backgrounds. The names of the biggest actors in the film are accompanied by a picture. Also the word "Grease" is written in grease which adds to the effect of the opening. 

Sound 

The sound start with a radio broadcast introducing the song "Grease" which then plays throughout the opening. The song is by Frankie Valli and fits really well with the film as it has the same title and watches the theme of the film. 

Camera

Most of the opening is in cartoon however the shot at the very end of the opening is very effective as the cartoon fades away into a wide shot of the school. 

View

Grease is one of my favourite films and i think the opening sequence is cool and unique like the film was when it first came out in 1978. Despite being an old film Grease is a classic coming of age film and the opening is very clever how the cartoon fades into real life when the film begins. 

Learning Comment:

Through doing this task have learned that nearly all opening credits start with who made the film for example "A John Hughes Film". I have also noticed that the words jump around the screen so they do not interrupt the action taking place and all the biggest and most famous actors names appear first on screen. I have also notice that sound is key in an opening sequence as non of the above have been silent this could be because the opening is used to hook the viewer.