Film Openings Research - Part 5

Here is my final film analysis, The Hunger Games, which I am using as my final detailed analysis.



Mise-en-scene:

• At the beginning of the film, they provide the audience with a couple of slides that include information about an event that happens called the Hunger Games and how a girl and boy between the ages of 12-18 are nominated from each district and are put into the battle arena to fight to the death until there is only one victor. This information is put in white text against a black background which makes it more distinct and easier to read, making it seem essential to do so. This is effective as it gives the viewer an insight into what is going to happen within the film and also allows them to understand it more.

• A specially lit studio is used as the background for an interview taking place on what would appear to be a chat show. The lighting effect of the room and the way that the characters are dressed, produces a futuristic effect. This is because the interviewer has blue hair and blue eyebrows and the interviewee has black molded hair and a futuristic styled beard which is not as you would have nowadays and suggests that it is in a different time period.

• When the shot jumps to an establishing shot of what is described as District 12, you see a very run down looking place, which suggests that the people there are possibly very poor and in a very different situation to that of the men in the previous shot, as they look like they have a decent wealth and easier life.

• The frame then shows a view inside a house where there are two girls in what appears to be very cheap clothing. The interior of the house is bare and wooden, which again suggests that the place is very run down as they don't have nice furniture or wall insulation. The inside of the house is also very dark, which is very effective editing from the director as it shows the colour and tone being dark and gives you a sense of sadness and hardship within the community, which links to it being dark. This is a use of low key lighting and creates a very dark generic effect.

Camera shots:

• Over the shoulder shot is displayed during the interview which is a distinctive shot used during a conversation and also leads into the action of a shot/reverse shot between the characters as well, which is effective because you can see both characters expressions to what they are saying.

• Medium close up is used during shot reverse shot to show the characters movements and expressions towards the others dialogue.

• The 180 degree rule is demonstrated within the interview. This can be seen because no matter what shot was displayed, the interviewer was on the left hand side to the audiences view and the interviewee was on the right, meaning the camera had stayed on one side of them.
• They show an establishing shot of the District 12.
• Once the scene changed to the two girls in their house, they show a big close up of one of them which is effective as it shows their facial expression.

• There is a two shot of the girls hugging as one of them is crying and this is also shown as a side shot. This is effective as you can see both girls expressions and emotions, making the viewer able to connect more with the situation.

• There is also a low angle shot of the older sister looking down at her younger sister, which is effective because you see the younger girls point of view.

Editing: 

• Within the opening credits, the studio name and production company merge into each other, as can be seen below, which is effective because its different.

• The text fades in and out without overlap which is effective as you're able to read it all well.

• Smooth cut to interview from text.
• Quick cut from interview to scene showing District 12.

Sound:

• Diegetic:
• The dialogue within the interview is diegetic as you can see the people speaking within the frame.The tone of this was very formal as it was an interview and was also very kind.
• When one of the sisters sings to the other, you can see the event taking place on the screen and is therefore diegetic.
• The dialogue between the girls can also be seen.
• Non-diegetic:
• There is background music behind the text being shown at the beginning which is the sound of a stringed instrument. This creates a mysterious and chilling effect and lasts for the first 58 seconds of the film.
• You start to hear the interview taking place before you see the characters on the screen, which signifies non-diegetic sound. The dialogue starts while 'The Hunger Games' is displayed on the screen which creates a sense of suspense.
• Clapping and cheering from a crowd is heard but is not within the frame.
• A scream is heard when the establishing shot of District 12 is shown which almost reinforces your initial thought of the establishing shot and that is that it is not a very nice place to be in.
• There is no music in the background once the dialogue starts at 58secs and there is also no voice-over which makes it appear to be more realistic and life like.
• Sound and visual techniques are used to convey a very deep story unwinding within the film. These include the low lighting and narrative.

Opening credits order:

The film maker doesn't complete the opening credits, but in fact saves them mainly until the end of the film. They only include the following:

1. The name of the studio
2. The name of the production company
3. Title

Code and Conventions:


The conventions of an adventure film are that the main role can be a male or female lead, however within an adventure film, it would seem normal for a man to take the lead and that he would have all of the hunting skills and the woman would do the helping work. However, in the Hunger Games there is a role reversal within this thought process, as Katniss is able to fight for herself, be independent and has the best hunting skills, however Peeta is more about the labour work and helping Katniss when she needs it, instead of taking that leading role. This goes against the codes and conventions of an adventure film, which is appealing to the audience, as it shows a different side to the story.
Although, there are codes and convention which do link to adventure films which is included within the Hunger Games and this includes

• The characters being believable and not like a cartoon character would be. They live a normal everyday life and are nothing out of the ordinary.
• The time period is in a fictional world.
• The characters are hit with mortal danger of having to think of plans to kill off the rest of the tributes.

These codes and conventions also link to Propp's Narrative Theory, as he proposed that there were 7 set character types within a piece of media. In the Hunger Games, these are as follows:

1. The Villain (creates the narrative disruption) - Crane
2. The Hero (usually male, the agent who restores the narrative equilibrium) - Katniss
3. The Donor (gives the hero something, eg. advice) - Haymitch and Cinna
4. The Helper (aids the hero) - Peeta
5. The Princess (character most threatened by the villain) - Katniss and Peeta
6. The Father (who rewards the hero) - President Snow
7. The Dispatcher (sends the hero on their task) - Haymitch
8. The False Hero (appears to be good, but is revealed to be bad) - President Snow

Representation:

The people being represented in the text are those who live in the different districts. The different districts are very varied in opinion, wealth and ways of living, which makes it more interesting to watch. This is done to give the audience a greater understanding of the context and is done by the writer of the film.

Genre:

The genre of this film is science fiction adventure, which can be seen in the opening two minutes by the text introducing what happens within the film. The text describes a situation where the world is split into 12 different districts, ranging from rich to poor and within these districts, they must have a girl and boy from ages 12-18yrs chosen from each district and they must go to battle to the death, until only one survives. This portrays a science fiction adventure film because in real life that doesn't happen, we have wars but this 'competition' they hold is televised for people's amusement and would not ever be socially acceptable in the real world. It can also be seen very much as an adventure from the opening two minutes because they're described to be put in a dome and this means that they will have to obtain camouflage skills and its an adventure within itself that they face 23 other people to the death. This also meets its target audience of around 13+ as the film has a rating of PG-13 which means a motion-picture rating advising parents that some material in the film may be unsuitable for children under the age of 13, which is because of the scenes where you see people being murdered.

Narrative:

You can see that specific narrative has been used within the opening two minutes so that the viewer can immediately relate to what is going on in the story, otherwise they could be left clueless and would make the story very hard to understand. They only introduce 4 characters in the opening two minutes, which makes it interesting for the viewer, as they are not particularly aware of the relevance of these characters, but just that there is an interview taking place about the Hunger Games and then that a girl has awoken in her sleep with a nightmare because she thought that she would be the next tribute for District 12.



Ideology:

There are messages being perpetuated within the opening that the film is going to be the genre adventure, when the viewer is informed about the Hunger Games taking place and what it entails. This can be seen through the thought of fighting and death as they battle it out to win and stay alive.