Film Opening Analysis - "Full Metal Jacket"
Genre: War/Drama
Summary of Sequence
The opening scene for the film begins with old-fashioned war-related music playing in the background - showing that it is set in the past, with a fade into the logo of the producers of the film - Warner Brothers, and then continues to the title sequence - first, text stating the producer's name, and then in larger text, the name of the film. This then cuts to the close up of a sad looking man in his early twenties having all of his hair shaved off in what appears to be a small barbers, and then cuts to many more close ups of men having their hair shaved off, looking miserable, before ending with the shot of a pile of hair on the floor, with the music fading out.
Events & significance in narrative
The introductory music is relevant to the story as the lyrics describe how many American men are having to join the army to fight in a war in Vietnam, suggesting that this is what the film will be about. Furthermore, the fact that many different men are all having their hair cut off at the same time reinforces the idea of joining the army, with the focus on their negative facial expressions suggesting that they do not really want to have their hair cut or join the army. All the events link together and are in the same short time frame therefore we can establish that the film will follow the characters through the war.
Characters
In the opening scene, many characters are introduced, however they are all adult males of the same age group, and we see them all getting their hair cut at the same time, suggesting that they are together, and will be part of the same group in the army. The fact that it does not focus on any specific one of the characters suggests that there may not just be one main protagonist, and that we will see what they are all like and their relationships with each other.It is not clear as to the role of each character, leaving the audience wanting to find out more about them.
Information Revealed
From the scene, there is some specific information about the film which we can gather - for example, the soundtrack makes it clear that the film is set in the past, and that the film is either set in America, or the characters are American. Also, the way that we follow all of the men getting their hair shaved suggests that they are joining the army, and they all look pretty reluctant, so we know that they do not have a choice as to what they are doing.The lyrics of the song also suggest that the characters will be sent to Vietnam to fight in the war for their country.However, it does not reveal who the characters are and what their personalities are like, or whether they know each other, therefore the audience are left wanting to find out more.
What I need to show in my film
I believe that in order for my own opening sequence to be successful, I must use an establishing shot to introduce the setting of the narrative, and then introduce the protagonist(s), however not reveal much about them, to give the viewers the ability to construct their own ideas to what the film could be about. I was also use the soundtrack of the film to allude to what it is about, and include a couple of close-up shots of objects relevant to the story line (eg. a murder weapon or bloody cloth). I will probably end the sequence with titles, firstly showing the director, and concluding with the name of the film in bold to grasp the viewers attention and suspend their disbelief.
Characters
In the opening scene, many characters are introduced, however they are all adult males of the same age group, and we see them all getting their hair cut at the same time, suggesting that they are together, and will be part of the same group in the army. The fact that it does not focus on any specific one of the characters suggests that there may not just be one main protagonist, and that we will see what they are all like and their relationships with each other.It is not clear as to the role of each character, leaving the audience wanting to find out more about them.
Information Revealed
From the scene, there is some specific information about the film which we can gather - for example, the soundtrack makes it clear that the film is set in the past, and that the film is either set in America, or the characters are American. Also, the way that we follow all of the men getting their hair shaved suggests that they are joining the army, and they all look pretty reluctant, so we know that they do not have a choice as to what they are doing.The lyrics of the song also suggest that the characters will be sent to Vietnam to fight in the war for their country.However, it does not reveal who the characters are and what their personalities are like, or whether they know each other, therefore the audience are left wanting to find out more.
What I need to show in my film
I believe that in order for my own opening sequence to be successful, I must use an establishing shot to introduce the setting of the narrative, and then introduce the protagonist(s), however not reveal much about them, to give the viewers the ability to construct their own ideas to what the film could be about. I was also use the soundtrack of the film to allude to what it is about, and include a couple of close-up shots of objects relevant to the story line (eg. a murder weapon or bloody cloth). I will probably end the sequence with titles, firstly showing the director, and concluding with the name of the film in bold to grasp the viewers attention and suspend their disbelief.
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