3 Opening Scenes
15:15
The three opening scenes I have chosen to analyse and compare are from: Dexter, American Horror story and Friends. I am going to explore the camera angles and their connotations and the effects of the opening scenes and make a comparison between the videos.
In my opinion, this opening scene is done in an incredibly clever way. One of the reasons for this is because of the use of close ups and extreme close ups. This whole opening is literally just Dexters “morning routine” although, the props are portrayed in a way which makes us relate it to the disgusting things his character does in the series.
Close ups and extreme close ups are used effectively here as they almost force the audience to use their imagination and focus on his every move, they also might make the audience feel like they're uncomfortably close to something which is normally unusual and doesn't tend to be a nice experience. An example of where this happens is when his hands and a knife saw through the chunk of raw meat which makes the audience immediately make a relation between the meat and human flesh- this makes the part where he eats the meat almost discomforting, you could also link the ketchup to blood. The close ups and extreme close ups show each and every detail on the objects included in the frames. At the end of the scene, a mid shot is used; this gives us the first proper view of the character and is used effectively as you can see the details, facial expressions, his posture and the way he moves. When looking at the angles used, at the start, there is a slight tilt of the camera. Throughout the video, the camera is mainly still however, at some points the camera shakes as if its hand held. This tilt and shaking of the camera gives a sense of uneasiness. At one point, there is an over the shoulder shot- this making the audience feel as if there are there with the character. Overall i think the whole opening scene would make the audience assume that this character is going to make some gory/ discomforting actions at some point in the series. It also implies that the character is not effected by blood or anything of that sort (which is proven when he cuts himself whilst shaving and it doesn't bother him) This scene shows this characters significance in the series as the focus is all about what he is doing due to the close ups.
American Horror Story
Unlike in the Dexter opening (which focuses on mainly close ups), a wide variety of shots are used. Extreme long shots, mid long shots, long shots, close ups and extreme close ups are all used a number of times in quick shots. The whole video is fast moving and the footage shown is out of the ordinary and weird. I think that is reflected with the use of so many shots because the idea that the video is so fast moving might make the audience feel like they're not used to it- usually in videos scenes are quite slow so all the information can sink in whereas here it is the complete opposite.
Friends
In friends, the main camera angles used are mid long shots and mid shots. The mid shots are effective because the focus is on one character and it shows the details of their costume, their facial and expressions and the way they move, this is effective because the audience gets to know the character better and gives the impression of what kind of personality they have. The mid-long shot includes two or more characters and is used effectively because it leads us to believe the characters have a close bond as you can see that they're proxemics are close and they appear to be enjoying themselves.
They also show details of costumes and facial expressions, likewise to a mid shot, this emphasising the reactions and relationships between the characters. In my opinion the extreme long shots used show us a sense of unity between the characters as their placement is all very close together on a sofa. The sofa and lamp suggest that they live together or a just very close friends which therefore is used effectively because furniture like that is never normally seen outside. I think the strangeness and the colourful props used tells us that their friendship is fun and different to others. All the characters are featured evening throughout the opening scene, this telling us that not one character is of more significance in this series and they are all important- without each other it wouldn't be the same. In this video, you can see the spread of happiness between the characters because of the mid shots and mid long shots- this showing us they feel as if they belong and are comfortable with each other. The whole video focuses on the bond between the characters and their happiness.
The footage alongside the music (which lyrics include “i’ll be there for you”) clearly shows that they work together and help one another out. The camera movement in this video is generally still but there is also some tracking used which is effective as it follows the movement and keeps the focus on whats happening, similarly this effect is created when the camera pans. I love the extreme long shot which finishes this scene because you can relate the friendship to any normal one as they're doing everyday things- like turning off the lamp. This brings back a sense of normality to the scene and the audience can relate to it forming a positive connection with the characters.
When comparing the opening scenes, you can tell the clear genres of each and the difference between them just on the basis of which camera angles are used and how. In dexter the movements are very slow and mainly the camera angle is close up- making us feel uncomfortable and this is used in a similar way in the American horror story opening video. However, in this video, this effect is also created by the sped up movement and cutting of frames to portray the unusualness. The fact that the audience feels like they are there in the video is effective because they are most likely to feel slightly scared, even before the programme has started. Friends of the other hand is mainly in mid- long or mid shots showing more than one character and their bond. This being completely different to the isolation feel of the other videos. Friends brings an immediate happiness and the characters seem nice and look like they're enjoying themselves, which makes the audience connect with the characters and feel as though they might even want to join in.
