BLOG 11: EVALUATING OPENING SHOTS

BLOG 11: EVALUATING OPENING SHOTS

Hey, sunshine, welcome back to my blog! 

    Today's blog will be exclusively about past works from AICE Media Studies 9607. I will examine 5 film opening videos, then CAREFULLY analyze each strengths and weaknesses as well as any improvements that can be made (because there is always room for improvement😉). With that being said, let's HEAD straight to today's content!!

Roll Call

    The first film opening in this list goes to Roll Call. Truthfully, I got quite IMPRESSED by the strong visuals; the group did a great job in introducing the characters (it was CREATIVE). The mood was set to PERFECTION; they effectively corporate the music and sound effects to further enhance the mood, thus helping draw the viewers in. However, there might be areas where the pacing is TOO SLOW🐌 and where the story isn't immediately clear. Additionally, the film opening lacks high-quality effects or, I might say, professional-grade cinematography. I do understand that they might not be able to afford the equipment (since they're high schoolers), but to make it feel more like a Hollywood movie opener (yes, this is my goal too🥹), they could improve the lighting and camera work. Beside that, introduce the conflict or main plot sooner to create a cliffhanger that would HOOK the audience quickly.

New Everything

    Second on the list is New Everything. First of all, let's all give the person who chose the setting a round of applause👏🏻👏🏻. The choice of setting PERFECTLY highlights the contrast between the world and the main character's state of mind. I'm in LOVE with the innovative ideas and the fresh perspective. Plus, the CREATIVE use of camera angles definitely ties the story as a whole. Despite that, there are some issues with the sound quality; improving the audio quality will for sure help them earn a few more points. Likewise, although the idea was unique, they weren't able to interpret it well; the transitions between scenes weren't smooth, resulting in a bad, interrupted overall flow. Adding dynamic scene transitions to ensure each shot contributes meaning to the narrative can ELEVATE the watching experience.

Dreamland

    Next is Dreamland; its fantastical and imaginative setting DID ITS JOB. Their unique concept made a HUGE contribution to its ability to capture the audience's interest. Its visual is also a MUST; the visuals are extremely vibrant and engaging (it kept me up doing this blog🤣). Now move on to its weaknesses. The storyline is a bit confusing in my opinion (the slow- pace is KILLING me). The group obviously relied too much on the visual effect without spending the same effort in the character development stage. However, by strengthening the narrative as well as the pacing, this will ensure that the characters are well-developed and more relatable, which would make this opening feel more like a Hollywood production.

Dear Lover

    Follow after Dreamland is Dear Lover, unlike the others, this film opening is categorized as a desperate romantic trope, which contains LOTS of emotional. The character interactions were well executed, which helped create an engaging and heartfelt opening. Furthermore, the dialogues were EXTREMELY relatable and natural, which help attracts more audiences who're going through the same experience. Nonetheless, the film obviously struggles with production quality; it CONSTANTLY illustrates inconsistencies in acting. Similarly, the pace was too slow, making it harder for viewers to invest in the story. To fix these, the team can consider enhancing the production values and ensuring consistent acting, plus a clearer exposition and a more defined plot in the opening scenes can make it feel more PROFESSIONAL (Hollywood-like😉).

Dare To Thrill

    Last but not least, Dare to Thrill, which is my ABSOLUTE favorite among the five film openers. The film idea was unexpectedly unique (it for sure caught me by surprise😤); the chosen genre helped create a thrilling mood. I can feel the excitement and the adrenaline running up my head through the action-packed sequences and a fast-paced storyline. Yet, the character development was a bit lacking, or maybe the plot is just too predictable🤷🏻‍♀️. The simplest way to fix this is to add more depth to the characters, which can be done by adding more 'personality' to the characters; also, by introducing more plot twists, it can helps keep the audience engaged. On top of that, there were some issues with the special effects (NO big deal😁). The team can improve their editing skills in a short period through online videos, hence ensuring high-quality special effects and seamless editing that will contribute to a more Hollywood-like feel.