Film openings

Blue Velvet (1986) opening scene:

The film's opening displays a representation of the strive for the perfect yet unrealistic middle class life in America. It begins with a downwards tilt of the camera, showing a white picket fence, a bright blue sky and a row of red flowers. The objects in the shot all connote the idea of the realisation of the American dream through a perfect suburban home though the bright colours used, which connote peace and contentment, seem artificial, foreshadowing the reveal of corruption. The image fades into the next, signifying the gentle quality of the setting. There is a series of long shots and medium shots, displaying a seemingly idyllic neighbourhood and its peaceful occupants, while the static nature of the shots signifies the stability of their lives. The non-diegetic 1950s pop song ‘Blue Velvet’ plays over the opening, emphasising the picturesque and nostalgic quality of the images. However, as a man in his garden suffers a stroke, there is an extreme close up of the grass and the camera tracks forward, displaying the sinister image of insects fighting in the undergrowth. When juxtaposed with the previous ideal imagery and the use of positively connoted colours, the visually and thematically dark imagery and disturbing diegetic sound signify the artificial and constructed nature of the perfect neighbourhood and model suburban life. This symbolism foreshadows the later content of the film, as the protagonist discovers a criminal underworld taking place around him.

The film had the relatively low budget of $6,000,000 and was not put out by one of the most major studios. This would have affected the marketing of the film, causing only a fairly small profit to be made. This could have been also due to the niche demographic of the film as it was 18 certificate due to violent and sexual content and the dark themes throughout, and the fact that it was neo-noir, drawing from noir films of the 1940s. This style had decreased in popularity, leaving a smaller target audience.

Manhattan (1979) opening scene:

Manhattan was directed by Woody Allen who commonly uses New York as a setting for his films. The budget is not likely to have been large, as the production was minimal due to the understated character based story, using no special effects. The widescreen aspect ratio allows the frequent use of scenery to be fully displayed and have a greater impact on the viewer.

A male author narrates a montage of black and white shots of New York City in the 1970s, describing a character’s love for the place. Non-diegetic jazz music by George Gershwin plays while he speaks. His representation is that of a citizen of New York, more than his identity through his gender or age group. He is portrayed as humorous as he comments on his own writing as he speaks, though his affection and pride for the city is clear as it is implied that the character that he is writing for is based on himself. The pride over his regional identity displayed in the opening monologue is represented as being nostalgic and sentimental due to the juxtaposition of the black and white images and the old fashioned jazz music, which signifies the character’s longing for the past and his youth. This contrasts with the expected style of a film of that time period, as colour and more modern features were common, causing the audience to infer the importance of regional history to the character and people living in New York. The character also mentions his dislike of contemporary culture, supporting the idea of the character’s over sentimentalised perception of the place in which he lives.

The genre of Manhattan is romantic comedy, though while most films of this genre are targeted at women and use marketing techniques designed to interest them, the setting of this film rather than the content was used to market it. The poster for Manhattan features a significant shot from the film of two characters sitting by the Queensboro Bridge, using a minimalist black and white design in keeping with the film. The audience, therefore, was likely to be those that could relate to the protagonist’s enthusiasm for the city and nostalgia for culture from the past, so could have been an older demographic.

Vera Drake opening scene:

Vera Drake (2004) was directed by Mike Leigh with a budget of $11 million. It is plot driven film, meaning that high production values were not necessary as there was no need for features such as special effects.

The titles sequence opens with yellow coloured credits in a formal font over a black screen. Old fashioned, mournful non-diegetic music plays, creating a sense of nostalgia in the audience and connotes a 1950s time period. The opening medium long shot displays a middle aged woman, who the camera tracks alongside, signifying her importance, while the connotation of the mise-en-scene further establishes the setting and time. The camera focuses on her shoes before she enters the house, displaying the type and quality of clothes she wears, from which the audience can infer her class and social position. The setting also establishes the context of the film: the style of the house and the wallpaper used are old fashioned and associated with the 1950s. A medium shot of two characters in the house emphasise their representation as working class, as it highlights the cramped living conditions. Much of the content of the mise-en-scene is brown, connoting simplicity and nature, rather than colours such as blue and gold which would indicate wealth and a higher social class. The character, who speaks with a working class London accent, is shown over enthusiastically tending to a sick man, implying that life in this social class is difficult for them.

The audience of Vera Drake was likely to have had a wide range, as it is a historical drama, which is a popular drama. However, it was also heavily marketed to emphasise the crime story aspect of the film, as this would draw in a large and varied audience. The tagline ‘Wife. Mother. Criminal.’ was possibly used to attract the interest of a younger demographic that might not normally see this film.