Film Openings: Genre Specific Analysis

Shank

Shank is a youth-based action film, set in a decaying future London.

The opening sequence is very effective and creates a great expectation of the type of genre and storyline the film is about.

The opening starts with some videos of crime taking place. this immediately sets the tone of violence and rebelliousness.

The diegetic music used in this opening is very eerie and sets the genre of thriller and action.
Near the beginning we also see what is known to be a main key convention which is the name of the production companies who are very important as they are the ones who have funded the film.

Then the main actors are identified and we see that `Adam Deacon` who is a star from the film `Kidulthood` is mentioned first, this gives the audience a good feeling that the film is going to be a similar genre to `Kidulthood` as it has the same actors but also because we see him holding a baseball bat which connotes that there will be violence and threats in the forthcoming film which is a very stereotypical view of this type of genre.

Also identified is `Kaya Scodelario` who is one of the main actresses from the recent series of Skins. This too gives a good sense that the film is going to be generally similar to skins which is also a typical type of programme for this genre. This is a good way to attract more viewers as these films and TV series are very popular to its target market which will attract the same kind of people to this movie.

      

 

The mise-en-scene of this film opening is very typical for this type of genre as we see a typical rundown town and buildings which are not very picturesque. We also see a picture of a smashed car, a CCTV camera and lots of barb wire and a lot of old flats. this connotes that the genre of the film is very `gangster like` as the CCTV cameras and barb wire connotes that the characters must be outrageous and have to be contained and watched by cameras. also, the smashed car gives a sense of rampage and fury. 

      

The titles of this opening scene is are very effective, they are in bold print and in capitals which make them stand out and appear powerful. There is not much colour in the title sequence, they are just black and white, this connotes simplicity which we relate to the genre of the film, it also makes it seem interesting as there seems to be no background as it is giving us no clue to the role of the characters or the setting of the following film, this makes the audience wonder about the characters and want to carry on watching the film. 

       

After the title sequence, the film opening cuts straight into a street chase; we see a young boy at the age of about sixteen running away from a boy on a motorbike who is right behind him chasing him. This is an example of Barthes` enigma code, as the audience is sent immediately into a chase that they know nothing about, they don't know who the victim is or what he has done or why he is being chased, this portrays a mystery to draw an audience in, pose questions and, as such, become intrigued in the piece and continue watching the film.