How effective are these opening sequences?
The first film clip we watched was Salaam Bombay. Something I found interesting about the opening to this film was the soundtrack that played in the background as we watched the circus pack up, as it seemed to fit a show or exhibition. This set the scene quite well, and hinted to the fact that we were watching circus folk. A similar use of sound is in 8 1/2, where a repeated eerie beat that plays in the background, which gives an unsettling atmosphere. Sound is also interestingly used in Ali, where the diagetic onscreen dialogue of the man singing carries onto other shots and becomes a soundtrack, which also reflects the mood of what we are watching. The editing in Ali is also very interesting, as are the perspectives and viewpoints portrayed in the camera. The whole opening montage is able to tell the story of the characters and give us insight even though thee is not much expository dialogue.Salaam Bombay used many long shots and wide angled shots, which give us a better view of the setting and in my opinion, gives an impression of how small the main character is in comparison to his surroundings. 8 1/2 also uses interesting angles as a good portion of the scene is shot from behind the main character- so we can feel every intimate to him, and see everything he sees from his viewpoint- but it also makes us feel paranoid. This interesting use of technical areas makes these films very engaging and unique.
From the opening of Ali, I was able to know the time period the film was set in and also some of the things that were going on in the society while it takes place- such as the racial disputes. This makes the opening very successful as it gives us a great impression of context, which makes the film seem much more real- which is important, since it's a biographical film. We also learn some things about the main character- that he's a boxer from a religious family, and is very dedicated, which we can see from the multiple shots of him obsessively training. Similarly, character traits can be picked up on in the opening of Salaam Bombay. We learn the main character is a bit of a trickster, and also working for a "Boss" who he apparently fears, since we see him rushing off to run an errand for his Boss. From Mise en Scene, we learn it's a circus the young boy works for and from dialogue, we learnt the circus is packing up. In 8 1/2 we don't actually learn a lot about the surroundings or the character at first, which is the point- the whole sequence is supposed to be very surreal and uncomfortable. Only after looking into it more do we get an impression of what is going on- as it's a dream sequence, we can take it as a look into the main chracater's subconscious. All the people staring at him imply he may be very paranoid and feels insecure. Furthermore, the way they don't do anything to help him suffocating suggest he feels alone and alienated. The last few scenes in the clip show him floating into the air, which would represent him feeling that he lost track of his life. Each of these films give us enough information to understand the basic plot so we can be interested in the story, which is crucial for an effective film opening.
Even though these films do give away plot information, they also create a sense of mystery. in 8 1/2, the viewer is constantly asking "what is going on?" because of the surrealistic nature of the events onscreen. Similarly, the anachronistic order of the montage in Ali makes viewers wonder about the character, asking questions about who this man is, what relation he has to the other boxer shown and what are his motives. However, with Salaam Bombay, we are handed a lot of setting and character information- which allows us to be quite intimate with the character of young boy, as we can understand where he comes from and what his role is. However, the twist at the end of the clip makes us wonder what he will do and whether the circus left him behind on purpose. While 8 1/2 and Ali make us wonder about characters, Salaam Bombay makes us ask questions about the deeper plot of the film and why things happened as they did in the sequence. These are both very effective methods, as the first makes audiences want to watch more to find out what happens, while the second makes people empathize with the character more and want them to succeed.
In conclusion, these are all very effective ways to open a film. They grab an audiences attention by making us sympathize with characters and immersing us into their stories.
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