In class we watched Episode 1, Season 1 of the Apple TV Show ‘Severance’. This show is classified as a thriller and follows the narrative of a man named Mark who have just began to work for a company called Lumons, where employees have to undergo a procedure that divide their memories between work and their personal life. Mark woke up confused, he learns about his new job in another division since a co worker had quit. The episode introduces a new character Helly who is new to the company and is struggling to adjust. She tries to escape but finds herself trapped in the Lumons office.
In this episode we see key typical thriller conventions of mystery, different realities, and isolation these are shown through confusion around the severance procedure and the overall sercretive Lumons environment, the indentites of the employee’s ‘innie’ and ‘outie’ life can create physiological tension which can be seen when Mark’s innie self have no idea he is grieving his outie life, also the Lumons employees are all trapped in the office which can be seen when Helly tries to escape. In our coursework we will have the option of producing a thriller film opening, therefore we are researching the genre to help us with our decision.
Film Opening Conventions
Although there are many different ways in which to start a film, film openings often include a set of typical conventions for specific purposes such as:
Production Logo and Film Title
The production logo is shown which company have execuated the production. A film name and the way it is presented is chosen to represent and decipt the mood of the film. It is usually clear and readbale to visually apeal to the viewers, the title will also fit the genre the film is in.
Establishing the genre
It is important to establish the genre of the film right at the start so that targeted the specific audience will realise that this is a genre they might like and continue watching.
Character Introduction
During the opening, The main character can be introduced which shows the audience the significance they have to the plot, However in some films the main character aren’t introduced at teh start to create some mystery around the person or group.
Topic/Theme
The Topic and Theme is introduced at the start in the opening in order to give the audience a sense of what the film is likely to be about but without giving away to much infomation. This could be done using various mircro elements.
In class we have analyzed a range of film openings to consider their conventions and how the film opening works to engage the audience. Here are my film opening analysis sheets.
The Logo begins with fast flipping pages of the Marvel comic book. This shows Marvel’s origin in printing and reminds the audience of its long legacy. In the newer version of the Marvel production logo, instead of the comic pages, the flipping transition turns into live-action clips of MCU heroes, linking the comics to film. The colour red dominates the palette, connoting energy and power; it is very eye-catching for the audience, and it is seen as very consistent across Marvel branding. The font is a large, blocky sans-serif text that conveys strength. The white letters against the red background also contrast greatly with each other. The sound of the page flipping can create authenticity, keeping the brand with its comic book roots.
The Sony logo shows a series of rising bars in a vertical way, resembling an abstracted film strip or beams of light. The design also uses a sharp contrast between black and white, giving it a more modern, professional look. The gradient could look like the vertical bars are moving, bring the logo to life. The font chosen for “Song Pictures” are very bold and clean which reinforces Sony’s identity as a big professional production company.
This is the planning my group had for our production Logo
