Film Openings:

I have been researching film openings and have attached some of my favourites that I found most effective:

 PLANET TERROR (Robert Rodriguez) Genre: Horror


I chose this intro as it is a good example of how music in a film is effective, and it really sets the seedy Grindhouse tone of the movie, whilst also introducing the main character, Cherry.  Also, it is made so the film looks dilberatly aged and scuzzy.

 NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (Joel and Ethan Coen)- Genre: Modern Western/ Thriller


This Intro is effective, as it shows the back drop of the movie, the setting: Texas.  This is an integral part of how the characters behave and speak and the Coen brothers have suggested that the film's plot cold have only happened in a place like Texas.  Also the voice-over (provided by Tommy Lee Jones) is representative of the character of the Sherrif, an old man lost in an immoral modern world, and the fact that this speech is delivered against pure silence makes it all the more hopeless-sounding.  It is also an opening that reflects it's genre, or rather the warped version of the Western genre portrayed in the film.

RUSHMORE (Wes Anderson) Genre: Comedy (?)


The third opening I have picked is from Wes Anderson's Rushmore.  I like Wes Anderson's style as a director because he has a unique vision, and is very precise in his filming and arranging of actors and set.  His films really are like "moving pictures."The Intro to "Rushmore" is good because we can see two different sides of the main character, Max (Jason Shwartzman), the dream sequence version of him, the version he would prefer to be and the reality of him, a loser, asleep in a school service.

 NAPOLEON DYNAMITE (Jared Hess) Genre: Alt. Comedy



This is another succseful combination of music an images.  We see the daily meals of Napoleon and the acoustic stylings of the White Stripe's "We Are Going To Be Friends" really suits the mood of the text, it is an indie song in an indie film and both feature strong themes of friendship and school.  It also prepares the audience to meet napoloen, to "befriend" him.  We also see some of Napoloen's quirky drawings.


In thinking about my own film opening the styles of Wes Anderson and the Coen Brothers appeal to me in particular, as I am fans of their films, and enjoy films that blend genres and have a precise look and feel to them, where the director's vision is strongly evident.