Codes and Coventions of a short film + Example of a film opening

Codes and Conventions

•  Capture the audience’s attention.

• Needs to start to reveal a character and the storyline.

• Key credits such as Production Company and Director.

• Key event needs to be shown.

•  It’s mostly made of non-diegetic sounds.

•  Not that much needs to happen as it will look too much like a short film or a trailer.

• Set up the genre.

•  Set the location of the film.

•  Simple is key and effective.

•  A Flashback is a scene that takes the narrative back in time usually to a key event sometimes for a couple of minutes or the whole movie.

• Fight or shoot out.

• Some narration.

•  In an action movie may have a chase scene.

• In comedy films there may have some animation to portray the beginning of the film in a creative way.

This an example opening to a film which matches the genre of the film that I want to make. The film is James Bond Quantum of Solace. The opening of this film is very action packed and sets the film very well. The opening starts with an establishing shot filmed from a helicopter, and is a high angle long shot getting closer to a rode on the side of a mountain. When the rode is reached the opening action sequence of the film (a car chase) is in action. This car chase involves crashes and gunshots, which are conventions associated with action films. Their is also a good use of dramatic music as the music suits the film very well and also makes the scene more dramatic and tense. The cuts in this scene are very quick which works well with the genre of the film which is action. This clip meets all the codes and conventions which make a successful opening film scene as this clip sets up the genre very well as it does this with the car chase its self and the use of weapons also shows the genre. This clip also captures the audience attention, and the clip is mostly made from non-diegetic sounds. I will try and use most of these points as the genre of the film opening that I want to make is action and from all the opening scenes I have seen have been action films and all these clips have used all these points which makes the scene work very well with the genre.