Film Opening & Audiences

 FILM OPENING 

The purpose of a film opening is quite similar to a title sequence as credits and some titles are included. However, an opening normally sets a scene of the film with an establishing shot, this also helps the audience of knowing what genre it is. The film opening also gives us an insight to the film and what it could be about and the type of character they expect to see. 

THE STORY/THE FILM OPENING 

An establishing shot also helps to tell the audience where and how the story is starting and what the genre could be. The film opening can also establish the main character through the film opening with sequence of long shots, mid shot, and close up shots which can attract the audience to find out who the characters are.

HYPODERMIC NEEDLE THEORY

The Hypodermic Needle Theory is a linear communication theory which suggests that media messages are injected directly into the brains of a passive audience. It suggests that we’re all the same and we all respond to media messages in the same way. 

The theory suggests that media is absorbed by the general public, however opinion leaders are the ones that pass on their own thoughts and ideas about the media that they just absorbed. The theory assumes that the majority of the audience is passive, and therefore simply listens to what they’re told and believe in whatever they see or hear in the media. The Minority of the audience is active and take their time to reach their own opinion on the media, and therefore pass it on. The image above gives a visual representation of the idea.

MALE GAZE THEORY 

The Male Gaze, developed by feminist, Laura Mulvey describes how the audience, or viewer, is put into the perspective of a heterosexual male. Mulvey believes that women should enjoy the attention of attracting the gaze, and put themselves in positions to be looked at. The concept of ‘the gaze’ is one that deals with how an audience views the people/person presented. Mulvey states that in film women are typically the objects, rather than the possessors, of gaze because the control of the camera (and thus the gaze) comes from factors such as the as the assumption of heterosexual men as the default target audience for most film genres.

TARGET AUDIENCE QUESTIONNAIRE

Inglourious Basterd

In inglorious basterd, the director chose not to display any titles in his film opening. The reason for this was because he wanted the story to start without giving the audience any time to predict what to expect in the film. The director did this because he wanted the audience to get a clear view of where the first scene is taking place and how one thing leads on to a disaster leaving the audience traumatised.