Lord of War Opening Sequence

Lord of War opening sequence

1. How does the title sequence establish genre, character and narrative?

The opening to Lord of War demonstrates the life of a bullet from the factory all the way up to it being shot from a gun. It establishes the genre of the film as being and action/drama as the scene itself include scenes of war and suffering. As the scene represents the life of a bullet it clearly establishes that the film is about war and weapons.

2. How does the title sequence attract an audiences interest?

It is a very well shot sequence involving lots of CGI. This allows for a much more detailed story telling as the camera can be shown to be in places not possible. For example one shot shows a view as if you were inside the barrel of the gun.

3. What do you consider to be the target audience of the film and why?

The target audience would be between young adults and adults as the film contains violence, weapons and gore.

4. Describe what you think is happening in the clip. What seems to be significant about what you can see?

The clip shows the life of a bullet from the factory up until being fired from a gun. We see the whole process of how it is made and then transported to its buyers.

5. How do setting, location, props and costume choices contribute to your interpretation of the sequence? Consider what information these convey.

The scene has props such as weapons and machines, which help create realism in the scene, and help make the audience feels as if hat is being shown is really happening. Costumes include typical factory worker outfits as well as the ragged clothing of men fighting in a war.

6. How does the sound shape your responses to the sequence? Comment on dialogue, tone, incidental sound and any music you notice, exploring their impact on your emotional response to the sequence.

The soundtrack to the scene is Buffalo Springfield. Its tempo helps to set the pace of the scene. The scene also contains sound effects of bullets being made as well as the sound of guns being fired. This helps create realism in the scene.

7. How do lighting and colour affect tone and atmosphere? Explore lighting choices, including noticeable use of light and shadow, as well as considering choice of colour.

The beginning of the scene has low dark lighting as it is shot in a dirty arms factory. This creates a slow dull atmosphere, which represents that of one In a real arms factory.

8. How does camera technique contribute to the creation of meaning in this sequence? Consider the effects of camera position and angle, commenting on two or more examples. What is the effect of the handheld camerawork in the final shot?

The use of CGI allows for the scene to have amazing angles. The whole sequence is shot from the view of a bullet. This causes the audience to feel as if they are the bullet in the scene.

9. Consider the ways in which the editing affects our interpretation of what we see in this sequence. How important are pace and continuity in shaping your response to what you see?

The scene has a constant pace throughout and the editing flows. This helps to make the process of the bullet being made and then delivered feel more natural and realistic.

10. How are titles integrated into the sequence and how important are they to understanding?

The titles appear in certain areas of certain shots. Many appear seamlessly above the bullet in order to not interrupt the flow of the scene.

The Drop

The Drop Soundtrack

The Drop Cast

Franklin

Played by: Hugo Hunt

Lord

Played by: Jasper Hunt

The Drop Storyboard

The Drop Script

The Drop

INT. Saturday. The Base

Franklin enters dimly lit room

Walks across and sits in front of Lord

Lord

"This is your tracker,keep it in your jacket pocket until you get in the car, then place it into the black briefcase i'm going to give you. Do not remove it, do you understand?"

Franklin

"Ok"

Lord

"Place it behind you now"

"I'm going to give you the briefcase now"

Franklin

"Ok"

Lord

"Ok, be quick"

Franklin exits room

INT.Saturday. Afternoon

Franklin arrives in a dark Range Rover

He slowly gets out and works his way to the boot of the car

He opens the boot and puts on a bulletproof vest

He then takes the weapons case from the boot and starts walking towards the building.

Franklin enters and walks into a dark hallway

Shot List for My Preliminary Task

I use a wide range of shots throughout my preliminary task. The use of multiple shot types help to build the story and help the audience to get to know the characters.

Shot types:

• Close-up
• Wide shot
• Tracking shot
• Hand-held shot
• Establishing shot
• Long shot
• Panning shot
• Medium close-up
• Extreme close-up

Preliminary Task Questions

1. What have you learnt by doing this exercise?

Through filming my preliminary task I learnt how much planning is required in order to have an effective and productive shooting schedule. From creating a storyboard to finalising the script, all of the tasks required had to be done to as high as standard as possible in order to achieve what I wanted.

When it came to choosing what types of shots to use in a scene, for example a close-up or a wide angle I learnt which shots worked best where and in what type of environment. It was clear that establishing shots were great for setting the scene where as extreme close-ups were useful for capturing the slightest amount of emotion.

I also learnt that location plays a key part in the quality of the final product. I used several different locations whilst filming. One based in a dim lit room in London and the other in a driveway in the English countryside. Using different locations  helped me to understand what different types of equipment are needed for shooting indoors and outdoors.

2. What skills have you developed?

Through working on a preliminary task I have developed editing skills. I have learnt how the speed of shots as well as length of time a character has on screen have a large impact on the story which is told. Quicker shots tend to build more tension whereas slower ones help to give information. Giving one character a lot of screen time signifies to the audience that he is important in the film.

I also developed my shooting and lighting skills while filming as I had to light all the scenes differently as well as used a wide range of shot types including close-ups, establishing shots, wide angles and tracking shots.

3. What feedback have you received?

4. How would you improve your preliminary task?

I would improve my preliminary task by adding more detail to the script in order to create a more engaging script.

Ideas for Preliminary Task

Preliminary Exercise

Preliminary Exercise: Continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree rule.

180 Degree Rule

The 180 Degree rule is a guideline which dictates where the camera is allowed to be placed during a certain shot. It regards the spatial relationship between the characters or objects within a shot.

The axis is an imaginary line which runs through/connects the characters or objects in the scene.

The camera is not allowed to pass over the axis as this means that the first camera will no longer be frame right of the second character.

If the camera passes over the access it is known as "crossing the line".

The following diagram shows the axis in accordance the the camera and characters in the shot.

Shot Reverse Shot

Shot Reverse Shot, also known as shot/countershot, is a technique used whereby character one shown looking towards character two of whom is often off-screen and then it cuts to character 2 who is shown looking back at character one. This causes the viewer to assume they are looking at each other.

This is an example of a shot reverse shot. You can clearly tell the two characters are looking at each other.

Match On Action

Match On Action is where the editor cuts from one shot to another which matches the action in the first shot. 

Often the shots may not have been shot on the same day but Match On Action gives the impression of a continuos shot. 

The editor is creating a visual bridge for the viewer.

As the shots might not have been shot on the same day it is very important that no continuity errors occur.

The following image is an example of Match On Action. It is taken from the film Anchorman.