I'm going to start by looking at Happy Go Lucky which is about a primary school teacher called Poppy who has a very happy go lucky attitude towards life. Throughout the film we see how she takes driving lessons, flamenco lessons and sorts out a student's aggressive behaviour with help of a social worker who she goes on to date. The film generally just looks at how she deals with situations and always looks for the good in things rather than focusing on the bad.
This film has a completely different order in which the titles are presented, in comparrison to Horror films where the titles and film are clearly sepperated.
This film begins by showing the production and distribution companies.
Followed on by the beginning of the film. This is where it differs from Horror films because at the same time the lead actors are also put up on the screen along side the image.
Aswell as the director...
and then followed by the title...
and then all of the people that have helped in the production...
Titles-
As you can see, the title is very simpistic against the black background which is something that I think is fairly common in all films. It's the font that I think reflects the film and sets the tone. There is something quirky about this font that possiby reflects the lead characters attitude, while the colour chosen is warm and inviting and tells the audience that the story isn't going to be based on the typical drugs and bullying. Perhaps the pink could also steriotypically tell the audience that the main character is female.
Editing-
The editing hasn't been done in the usual way as none of the shots in the opening sequence cut into the next. Instead the shots come from the sides of the screen in to the centre so that half of the screen has titles while the other half has the film/action on. This has allowed the film to be broken up asthough she has travelled further on her journey from one shot to the next, although it still flows really well.
While the shots are moving on and off the screen the titles are fading in and out so that visually nothing is stationary and there is a constant flow that reflects the characters ease and care free attitude.
I think that the way the shots have been edited, has also ensured that the audience don't get bored because the action on screen isn't actually that engaging and doesn't give away much information to the audience until the shot widens and takes up the whole screen, after the director's name has appeared for the last time .I'm not really sure if I like this technique or not...
Enigma codes-
As the narrative doesn't give much away in the opening sequenec it creates enigma codes.
♦ Who is the lady on the bike?
♦ Is she the main character?
♦ Where is she going?
♦Why is she so happy?
♦ What is the narratve going to be about?
Mise-en-scene-
Again the setting doesn't really give much of the narrative away either. All of the shots in the first two minutes show her cycling along streets though a town/city; you don't actually see her arrive any where until after these two minutes. The setting is a normal every day place which is typical of the genre as it has to reflect every day issues that people go through.
Lighting-
Natural day light with good weather. the sun is shining although it's not an overly sunny day. It's just enough to put across to the audience the tone of the film and to match her happy mood. If it were to be an overcaste day it would probably put across a depressed, dismal mood to the audience and wouldn't coincide with the narrative.
There's not really thay much more for me to comment on as not artificial light has been used. It's all very real as is expected of a social realist film
Cinematography-
The vast majority of the shots are either medium close-ups, medium shots or long shots. There are no extreme long shots or extreme close-ups. The narative is presented at distances where you can either see what she is doing as well as her surroundings,
or close enough that you can see her expression of happiness throughout.
The screen is never taken up by her whole face.
Sound-
Throughout the whole two minute opening sequence there is an instrumental playing. Unlike Horror where the instrumental score is used to cteate an eerie mood, in this film, it's used to create a happy mood by consisting of upbeat, loud and soulful music. Again reflecting her attitude and setting the tone for the film. The music is only playing while she's on her bike; once she enters the book shop after the opening sequence the music stops and the music is purely diegetic.
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