The Five Best Film Openings According to Me

1. Wild

Wild (2014) is about a women's 1,100 mile journey from the border of Mexico to Canada along the PCT trail to recover from an onslaught of personal tragedies. The film begins with Reese Witherspoon as Cheryl Strayed at one of her lowest points during the whole three month journey. Where she removes her hiking boot to reveal her sore feet. They're so sore, her toe nails are peeling off. She then proceeds to throw her boots off the cliff.

The Film opening is so memorable because it is full of suspense. Although, as an audience we have no clue what is going on, the scene still manages to capture us and keep us interested.

2. Stuck In Love

Stuck In Love (2012) starring Greg Kinnear and Jennifer Connelly and directed by Josh Boone is about a writer and his ex wife who come to terms with their complicated relationship, whilst their teenage children fall in and out of love for the first time. First we meet Rusty who begins the film with 'I remember that it hurt… Looking at her hurt.' As you delve deeper into the movie, his dad, Bill says that it would be a great first line of the book. And he was right. This line introduces us to Rusty's character and it really is a great first line! We next meet his sister, Samantha who uses her intelligence and poetry to get a guy into bed, and then we meet Bill, who is spying on his ex wife and her new Partner through a window in their house. The family then comes together for thanksgiving dinner with the song 'Home' by Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic stones blaring over the top. The film is written as a sort of book in a way, which makes sense as half the characters are writers.

3. Juno

The opening of Juno begins with the main character, Juno walking through her neighbourhood. It took over 900 coloured and printed images of Juno's Character to create the hand- animated title sequence. You can tell how much work when into it. Even though the outcome of the title sequence is slightly amateur and though the use of wide shots of the animated background it only adds to the charisma of the film as a whole and reflects Juno's childlike character.

4. Kick Ass 2

Kick Ass 2 (2013) begins with the characters Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor- Johnson) and Mindy Macready (Chloe Grace- Moretz) in a sort of wasteland where they experiment with a gun and bullet proof vests. I think this opening scene is kick ass because it's funny and it opens a window for us to see the relationship between the two characters. It begins an establishing shot of the city moves onto wide shots and several over the shoulder shots so that we can see both character's conversing. The scene uses shot- reverse- shot to show each character's response to what the other person says.

5) Forrest Gump

Love the beginning of Forrest Gump simply because it's so simple. The fact that the camera follows this feather is actually quite significant because the movie ends the same way, with a white feather. Even though there is no dialogue, the opening scene still manages to capture you. In a way the feather goes on a journey, just as we see Forrest Gump's life journey throughout the rest of the movie. I love the movie as a whole, but the opening scene sets the movie up for greatness.

Editing techniques

1) The Fault in Our Stars - Shot Reverse Shot

Shot reverse shot is used in this clip so that we can see both sides of the conversation. We can also see how each of the characters react to what the other person says. So we don't miss anything.

2) When Harry Met Sally- Split Screen

A split screen is used in this scene so that viewers can see both sides of the conversation at the same time, by splitting the screen into two, both in different locations, but at the same time. Other examples of split screens in films are 500 Days of Summer and The Virgin Suicides.

3) Parallel Editing- The Silence of The Lambs

In this clip, we can see two different sets of action unfolding at the same time. One within the house, and one outside the house. Towards the end of the clip, we can see another set of action with Clarice. We are made to feel that the police are intercepting on the house of the Cannibal, but in actual fact it is Clarice who is outside the Cannibal's house. The effect of parallel editing is that all three events are linked together and it causes tension to build.

Other examples of Parallel Editing can be found in The Godfather and Inception.

4) Montage - Big Hero 6

It's used to summarise the past, and bring the audience up to speed about what's happening. It's several clips edited together to show what happened over a long period of time.

5) Eyeline Match - Star Wars

Eyeline matches is an edit that cuts from a character to whatever the character is looking at. In this clip Princess Leia is shown looking at the Storm Troopers and then the scene cuts to them. She is then shown pulling out a gun. The scene then cuts to the storm Troopers again so that we can see who she is shooting at. Eyeline match is a continuity editing practice that creates a logical look or gaze of a character as it follows the eye's trajectory. 

Our First Group Vlog

This is our first vlog as a group. In my group is JB, Megan and of course myself...

Their blogs links are at the side.

The Kings of Summer Movie Review

The Kings of Summer released in 2013 is the story of three teenage boys: Joe, Patrick and Biaggio, who are fed up with parental control and decide to build a mansion, made up of things from skips, in the middle of the woods. It is the ultimate act of defiance. Any parent would go ballistic. The movie stars Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso and Moises Arias and is directed by Jordan Vogt- Roberts.

The movie, as a whole is raw and most of the time unscripted. It is at points in the film, the scenes of the three boys in the woods filmed on an iPhone and the rawness captured in those scenes adds to the charisma of the film. The indie film who gains a 7.2 average rating (IMDB). It is Indie at its best!

HERE IS THE TRAILER:

Although it is a Low budget film, and not a hollywood block buster, you have to accept it as it comes.

To be honest this film is any teenagers dream: to not be ruled by parents, but as joe said, "Be your own man". Joe, who despises living with his dad after his mum dies is desperate to escape his father house. After an episode with the police and a party he ran away to attend, he finds an opening in the woods with a strange boy called Biaggio. From then his dream of being self sufficient and not being controlled by anyone, he then proceeds to drag his friend, Patrick into it. Although they face obstacles ahead.

My Media Background

1. My favourite movie only recently came out in cinemas, and is called Me and Earl and The Dying Girl, which is directed by Alfonso Gomez- Rejon and starred Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler and Olivia Cooke. It is based on the book by Jesse Andrews. I love this movie because it's about young people, which is relevant to me and it deals with some heavy subjects, but it is still lighthearted and make you laugh. It is one of my favourite books, so when i found out it was being turned into a movie i was so excited. The interpretation of the book was fantastic and I was not disappointed at all.

Here is the trailer:

2. My favourite Actor is Jodie Foster because I love her in Bugsy Malone and Panic Room, and I was also named after her. My parents loved her so much that they decided to name me after her. I obviously caught onto the love. And now I love her as much as they do, if not more.

3. My Most memorable Childhood film has to be Grease because me and my sister loved to sing along to the song. We still love to sing along now. It's a classic! at home we had it on 

4. My most memorable line from a film has got to be...

"LIFE IS LIKE A BOX OF CHOCOLATES, YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GONNA GET"

- Forrest Gump

5. My favourite opening to a film has definitely got to be Moonrise Kingdom (2012), Directed by Wes Anderson and starring Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward is the story of a pair of young lovers in the late 60's who escape their New England Town. The Beginning of the movie introduces us to the main characters as we listen to Britten's Young Persons Guide to The Orchestra. The symmetrical balance of the camera gives the movie an elegant, vintage feel, and most importantly intrigues us into continuing to watch the film further.

Here is the trailer:

6. The film location I would most like to live is Bollywood, Mumbai, India because I've always wanted to to go to India. Not that I've particularly watched any Bollywood film, but I love India.