Analysis of Sound - The Dark Knight Rises

• The sequence starts with a loud bang, which signals the film is about to start. 
• As the non-diegetic music continues in the background it gradually starts to get quicker and louder which starts to build tension as the audience anticipates what's about to happen. 
• The music is accompanied by an unexpected sound of glass smashing which is done to scare them audience slightly. 
• The non-diegetic sound at this point is a lot quieter, giving the audience time to absorb everything they've just seen and try to make sense of it. 
• The scene then cuts to visuals of a busy street which is accompanied by diegetic sound, such as a car screeching. This is done to confirm the location ( a busy street).
• The tyre screeching from the car is soon accompanied by a rise in sound. This is done to keep the audience alert.
• Later on in the sequence there is a lot of gunfire and screaming which are typical conventions from a film of this genre. 
• The sounds in this sequence are used to create tension and build suspense. Most of the dramatic sounds are very sudden. I think the producer choose to do this sdo that the audience is constantly alert. 

Analysis of Sound - Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

• The sound at the beginning starts of peaceful but slowly the tempo starts to rise creating tension.
• Then the noise of a typewriter appears (diegetic sound) followed by visuals of what appear to look like letters and then we see a man sat at a desk typing.
• Over the music comes a monologue of the man's thoughts. The man does not move his mouth to speak but we can hear his thoughts. This is done so that the audience knows what he is thinking and writing and also to stop him from appearing like a madman who talks to himself.
• There are several sound bridges in this sequence. The monologue continues but the visuals change.
• The feeling you get while someone tells you a story is recreated in these few seconds of films. This is done to engage with the audience and make them feel a deeper connection with the 'storyteller'.
• The calm of the monologue is quickly brought to a halt by the sound of an explosion which alerts the audience and creates a sense of fear among the audience. 

Analysis of Sound - Star Trek Into Darkness

• A the start there is a rise in the tempo of the sound, and then it comes to a halt, which suggests something is about to happen.
• The stop in music is soon followed by sounds of birds chattering (ambient sound) followed by shouting. The masked figure in the scene then starts running which cues the music to begin again.
• This time the music is quicker and of a deeper tone it a lot more hasty and dramatic. It causes tension to rise among the audience as they anticipate what happens next. 
• This music is specifically used to show the person is in danger which creates a suspenseful atmosphere.

Opening Sequences Research - Skyfall

Skyfall Opening Sequence

This is the opening sequence for James Bond- Skyfall. The film opens with a chase sequence, filled with guns, explosions and car chases. This is a huge indicator that the genre of the film is action and immediately sets the tone for the rest of the film. A chase sequence is typical for an action film, it shows either the protagonist being chased by someone that tells us he is in danger or the protagonist is in pursuit of someone else indicating they might be the villain. The fast paced music is also a key indicator as to the genre of the film. Fast paced and tense music is used to emphasise a chase or danger. 

The protagonist "James Bond" is shot and you see him falling into the water off a bridge then down a waterfall. This suggests his line of work is very dangerous and potentially life threatening. As soon as he enters the water the music soundtrack beings to play which commences the start of the title sequence. Firstly the Production company is introduced "EON PRODUCTIONS LTD" and then name of the main character followed by the title of the film, then the rest of the characters are introduced in order of importance. The title sequence features animations that are huge indicators towards the genre, examples of this are; the sea of blood, and the graveyard also the common recurrence of guns. 

The colours that are most frequently used are blacks, greys, blues and reds and oranges, each of which represent significant elements of the film. The dark colours connote a dark storyline, and the deep rich reds connote blood and the oranges connote fire and danger. The font of the writing in the title sequence is simple, basic and the same throughout the entire sequence, which makes it look sophisticated and elegant, connoting it may be for an older audience. 

Opening Sequence Research - Spiderman 2

Spiderman 2 Opening Sequence

This is the opening sequence for Spiderman 2. The film opens by introducing the production and distribution studio "COLUMBIA PICTURES INDUSTRIES, INC" and then "MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT" as they are the founders and publishers of this comic turned film. The name of the film is intoduced "SPIDERMAN 2" followed by actor names. A web effect is used to relate with the title of the film as the film has a clear link with spiders. Animation is used to show the characters and scenes from them film to give the audience an early insight into the film and plot. 

Because the story was written by Marvel this suggests that the primary audience for the film are young children and comic book fans and the secondary audience are parents who take their children to see the movie and teenagers.The music used is very fast paced and dramatic. A feel of suspense and danger is created with the constant rising and lowering of tempo. The music suggests it is an action film, as it is not calm rather keeps us on edge and constantly thinking. 

The fonts used are the same throughout the entire opening sequence to create a sense of continuity and equality among the actors. The main colours used are reds, blues, blacks and whites. These are simple colours that don't have a certain meaning but create a sense of continuity leading on from the previous Spiderman film where the colours of his costume were reds, blues blacks and whites. This is done so that the audience can form a sense of recognition with with film.

What I have learnt from my research is that the colours and fonts used in my opening sequence have to be representative of the storyline and genre so that it is easier for the audience to identify with the film. When writing the titles there is an order in which they appear:

1. Name of Studio 
2. Name of Production company 
3. (Producer Name) Production
4. Film By (Director Name)
5. Starring
6. Film's title 
7. Featuring 
8. Casting Director (Casting/Casting By) 
9. Composer of Music (Music/Music Composed By/Original Score By)
10. Production Designer (Production Design) 
11. Editor (Edited By)
12. Director of Photography 
13. Producer (Produced By/Executive Producer)
14. Based on the Characters By (Based On The Characters Created By) OR
15. Story (Story By) 
16. Screenplay (Writers/Written By)
17. Director (Directed By)

I have also learnt that sound plays a crucially important role in opening sequences. Sound is used to create emotions before the film has even started, the right sounds can get the audience in the right mindset to view the film. 

Opening Sequence Research - Wall-E

Wall-E Opening Sequence 

This is the opening sequence for Wall-E. The film opens with the name of the production studio "PIXAR", this suggests the film is animated, as Pixar is the most renowned animation studio in the world. Because the film is animated it creates a link to the audience; such as young children and also adults who may take their children to go see the film. The production company is then introduced; "WALT DISNEY PICTURES" which is also a signifier as to the audience for the film. Because it is set in space it tell us the genre is Sci-Fi

The soundtrack soon starts playing, it is very joyful and sound like something typical of a 1950's film, this is soon seen to be very misleading as the film continues. The film is set on Earth, but not the Earth we know it. The whole place is covered in metal and junk, and looks very gloomy and miserable. Creating a sense of irony through the contrasting joyful audio and depressing visuals. The music then fades away and your left with an eerie noise that creates the sense of desolation and isolation, no longer happy and joyful. 

There are a range of colours used in this sequence. At the beginning when the galaxies and planets are being show the colours are bright and bold. This changes when the audience are given a closer look at Earth, the colours are no longer bright and bold rather dull and rustic creating a worn out polluted feel. There aren't many titles in this sequence as this is an animation not many actors would have been used.

I have learnt that sound plays a critical part in the conveyance of emotion and atmosphere in a film. It can either allow the viewer to feel a certain way only in greater depth or it can be used to mislead the viewer and create a sense of irony (as shown in the sequence above), but if used incorrectly it can destroy a perfect piece of film.