Pretty in Pink Film Analysis

Pretty in Pink Film Analysis 

Opening EGs: Pretty in Pink (Deutch, 1986) 

Image from clothing shop promo, 2013

Pretty in Pink 
Howard Deutch, 1986
Paramount Pictures (prod. AND distrib.)

Budget: $9m; US box office: $40.5m

Opening duration: 2:30/4:41*
RottenTomatoes.com 81%; IMDB 6.6 ; Roger Ebert 4*.

*Scene in house up to 2:57; title theme comes in and out 'til 4:41

SUMMARY/IDEAS I MIGHT USE:
[its useful to pick out ideas/elements you might use] An opening of contrasts: grim mise-en-scene, but straight into the rom-com love triangle narrative. Surprisingly plain sans-serif titles and downbeat title theme song. Front-loaded with titles. Interesting gender representation: is Ringwald stereotype, countertype or a complex mix of both?



SYNOPSIS:
Classic teen rom-com penned by 80s master John Hughes, with a love triangle centred on class identity; the female lead (Ringwald) is from a poor (in US cinema terms!!!) single parent household. Fiercely independent, she makes her own clothes, but is mocked by richer cheerleader types. Low budget but a sizeable hit, and continues to sell well today (long tail theory?!).

A vertically integrated conglomerate

IDENTS/TITLES:
[I use this example in the titles/idents vodcast] 
Just 1 ident: this was an example of partial vertical integration, with 'big 6' conglomerate Paramount handling production and distribution.
The titles begin with (1) Paramount Pictures presents (2) a John Hughes Production. Hughes had already made his name, and was a big draw worth emphasizing; while the auteur theory typically credits the director with authorship, this was a Hughes film, not the rather anonymous Deutch.

Hughes is the real big name here

The title might suggest a feminine, swirly (handwriting style) serif font ... but instead we get this fairly plain, sans-serif font. We can also denote the white on black background. Taken together, these choices signify realism ... which the gritty, (sub)urban mise-en-scene of the opening shots further reinforces, or anchors. However ... the font style is similar to that associated with 1920s era glamour (see Corbert font screenshot below); these conflicting connotationsarguably reflect the hybrid nature of rom-com well.

We only get these two title frames before the action begins. Further titles appear over action shots, in this order and (generally upper) case; they each fade out after about 3secs:

PRETTY IN PINK [centred]
STARRING MOLLY RINGWALD [we cut on screen to shot of her putting on tights]
HARRY DEAN STANTON [these 2 are centred; the lesser 'stars' below are bottom-right]

Roles are in reduced font size; 2 names split over 2 lines

JON CRYER 
ANNIE POTT
JAMES SPADER
AND ANDREW McCARTHY ['and' smaller font, as with DVD/poster billing block] 
CO-STARRING JIM HAYNIE
ALEXA KENIN 
KATE VERNON [its noticeable that these names fade out quicker] 
MUSIC SCORE COMPOSED BYMICHAEL GORE
CASTING BY PAULA HEROD AND MARCI LIROFF [split over 2 lines]

I googled '1920s font'; this is 1 eg: sim to titles?

COSTUME DESIGNER MARILYN VANCE
EDITED BY RICHARD MARKS
PRODUCTION DESIGNER JOHN W. CORSO
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY TAK FUJIMOTO
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS JOHN HUGHES AND MICHAEL CINICH [again, split over 2 lines]
WRITTEN BY JOHN HUGHES
PRODUCED BY LAUREN SHULER
DIRECTED BY HOWARD DEUTCH [film time: 2:57]

'Crossing the tracks': class conflict is central

If this was released today would we see quite so many credits front-loaded? Equally, we expect today to see more company credits and idents!
As the title theme fades in and out but doesn't actually end until 4:41, when we cut to a classroom, its arguable whether the end of the titles or the end of the title music denotes the end of the opening sequence.

MISE-EN-SCENE:

Not the opening image the title leads us to expect?!

Finally some colour! Mise-en-scene binary/juxtaposition 

The opening shot is surprising, given the title: a road-sweeping vehicle, tracked along a cracked road where weeds grow along the edge of the paving, the gardens are overgrown, and the cars that eventually come into view are old (even for the time of release), all providing connotations of this as a working-class neighbourhood. This reading is backed up by the 2nd shot (which we cross-fade into): opening on a chain-link fence around a tarmac backlot (again overgrown with weeds, also barb-wire topped), we cross tracks (a common cliche itself for class divides, as we'll see in this narrative).
The one dash of colour we get is the pink car, finally revealed as the roadsweeper trundles out of frame.
The girl's bedroom is signified by a series of abstracted shots of clothing, jewellry etc.
The father's bedroom is untidy, and we enter this with the curtains closed, both successfully connoting his frame of mind. His unruly hair and not-quite clean-shaven reinforce this impression. A particular nice touch is what appears to be a framed photo of the absent mother on the bedside drawers.
Once we cut to the high school, we get simple but crucial props for verismilitude: the high school sign itself is visible; we see both the classic yellow school bus and scooters denoting older students parked up outside; we track Ringwald as she approaches her school locker, another classic signifier of school.
Clothing codes quickly emerge as important plot points: Ringwald is set up in binary opposition to welathier cheerleader types who explicitly mock her clothing, while Ducky's outrageous ensemble also forms a binary with his suave, 'posh' love rival who wears more mature 'country club' clothing. 

Nice hats...their binary opposites wear 'mature' clothing.

REPRESENTATIONS:
The absences are fairly routine, but still worth highlighting: homosexual or disabled characters, with the main cast all caucasian. Remember, the constant repetition of 'able-bodied', caucasian, heterosexual etc creates a normative effect, though we do get an interesting mix of stereotypes and countertypes here, not least with the unusual single-parent family.
Representations of age, gender and social class are all notable.

Like his female counterpart, preppy/country club style

AGE: Ducky is a classic stereotype of teens: loud and brash in manner as well as in clothing. However, his love rival dresses in a mature, even 'fogeyish' style. Ducky's rolled-up sleeves and badges could be read as a deconstruction of this, so perhaps not such a basic steretype after all? Similarly Ringwald and her cheerleader-type social rival form a binary, with Ringwald's costume bright and garish, flower-patterned black waistcoat over a pink blouse with a thick woolly pink cardigan while the tokenistic wealthy blonde rival has a smart lemon dress (and big 80s hairsprayed hair!).

Cynical male gaze?

Who the adult is in the Ringwald/father relationship is questionable: its she that tries to get him up and motivated in the morning! 

SOCIAL CLASS: Ducky and Ringwald are from one side of the tracks, while we got the wealthy opposites. Clothing codes, with the working-class characters more easily associated with youth, are key, but the opening quickly established that the working-class characters are outsiders.

GENDER: Again we see basic stereotypes which are revealed as a little more nuanced upon examination. Ringwald is revealed in a series of abstracted shots revealing body parts and her picking out clothing and jewellry - male gaze, right? This is no bimbo, however; fiercely independent and intelligent, her clothes are self-made, and her intelligence is signified by the simple prop of specs (which she puts on in the classroom)! 
Would this movie pass the Bechdel test?!

NARRATIVE, GENRE, EXPOSITION:

An unexpected role reversal (BUT gender stereotype?)

We find out about Ringwald's single-parent, working-class family background, her close relationship with Ducky - and their mutual low standing in the high school social circles. Their older-teen age is well 

Ducky gets handbagged + ends up ridiculed on the floor

established. We learn little about the two wealthier characters who will emerge as central, bar their fakeness and high social standing. McCarthy's lingering look after Ringwald (we get an eyeline match) clearly connotes the central disruption of the narrative, their on-off romance, disrupting the equilibrium of her/Ducky's relationship, with a 4th character (the sarky blonde) signified as an additional element to this love triangle.

Rom-coms typically feature a humiliated, emasculated male as part of a love triangle, and Ducky fits that role, ending up on the floor having been handbagged. As is most commonly the case, the character we literally follow and thus are encouraged to identify with is female.
The gritty mise-en-scene and the downbeat title track are countertypical, however, signalling that this might be a cut above the standard rom-com.
In the space of 4mins the basis of the film is well established.

SOUNDTRACK:

To funk: Enter the Ducky...who ain't gonna get lucky!

A little bit unsual: the title theme comes in from the 1st shot, but fades in and out, eventually ending nearly 5mins later. The initial fade out is nicely edited to emphasize Ringwald's diegetic calling out for her father - her voice rising as she tries for a response.
When Ducky 1st appears we get a short burst of an 80s funk track, with a low bass sound ... swiftly fading out as the response to him hardly anchors a reading of Ducky as cool, macho man!


Source: http://asmediafilmopening.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/opening-egs-pretty-in-pink-deutch-1986.html

If you want to see for yourself, here's a montage someone put together:

A ropey VHS transfer of the 1st 40secs:

The trailer:

Opening Credits of Burn after Reading

Burn After Reading

Directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Budget  $37,000,000 (estimated)

The opening credits for Burn after Reading consists of 12 titles not including company idents, these are:

• Focus Features (presents) They used the word 'presents' this denotes the distributor 
• Studio canal and relativity media (in association with) They use of the words 'in association with' usually suggests that they the production companies.
• Working title (production)
• George Clooney
• Frances Mcdormand
• John Malkovich
• Tilda Swinton 
• Richard Jenkins 
• Elizabeth Marvel and David Rasche
• Jk Simmons Jeffrey Demunn
• Brad Pitt
• Burn after Reading (movie title)

The font is white, san serif and in all caps. This suggests that the film is quite serious and definitely not a comedy. It connotes seriousness. For the main part of a title the font size is twice as large as the other text, this is usual in titles and makes the main part stand out more. Where the text is placed on the screen changes around. This is to makes sure that the title scene is not boring for the viewer.

The first company ident (focus) lasts for 14 seconds.

Final Cut Screenshots 1

When using final cut i used final cut i used the Trim option so that i could shorten and adjust individual clips.

This is the zoom in tool. I lets you zoom into the timeline. This is helpful because it means that i can focus on editing specific parts of the movie and edit them parts in detail.

I learnt how to navigate round the timeline. How to trim clips and move clips around.

I learnt you can upload your edit straight to youtube from final cut. You have to make sure that the resolution is correct, that the compression is 'better quality', the video is 'public'. Uploading straight from final cut saves lots of time.

This is the text tool. There are lots of different types of text that you can you use. I used the text tool when editing the prelim task. I used it to give the edit a title so people watching can understand what it is.

This is the sound effect tool. I used this when editing the prelim task. I used effects such as a door opening and closing. 

This is how to create a new event. When creating a new event it is best to set video properties as 'custom' because otherwise if the first clip isn't the best possible quality then this will effect all the other clips by making their quality equal to the first one.

What to look out for/note/discuss

You could simplify this to the 4 technical areas you have to consider.

1. cinematography (camera work, shot types, angles, framing, movement)
2. editing (including transitions, SFX; linear or non-linear; (dis)continuity etc)
3. sound ((non-)diegetic; use of music [often signifies core target audience + genre - can also be clumsy and overused; say so if you think so]; audio bridge; voiceover etc)
4. mise-en-scene (includes props, locations, costume, makeup - verisimilitude?)

• intertextuality (links/references to existing texts)
• genre conventions observed ... or broken (very useful to note so you can find examples to look back on when designing your own work. you could also note hybridity here, where you see signifiers of 2 or more genres [to help widen audience appeal])
• how the opening concludes and the main movie resumes (the final shot of your opening is incredibly important, so its worth carefully noting these)
• particularly useful shots/details - if you see something you think is well done and you might want to take influence from its worth highlighting

• IDENTS: How long are they typically, how high-tech/complex; how many do we see; where do they appear
• TITLES: This is a key part of your overall coursework task, so detailed notes are important. Which roles/companies are noted; what specific language is used; do any names/companies appear more than once; what font (serif/sans-serif; colour; case) is used; note the positioning (does this differ between titles) and any animation; any graphic element to the titles; is there a gap between titles or do they continuously appear (eg company names - A Warp Films Production - a gap then individual credits?) Position
• OPENING SHOT: always worth noting. Any audio bridge linking it with idents? Most common shot is the extreme long shot. 
• RUNNING TIME OF OPENING: How long is the self-contained opening sequence? Is it clear where this ends?
• CLOSING SHOT OF OPENING + TRANSITION TO MAIN BODY OF FILM: Always note the final shot too. Do you get a fade-out or other transition or a straight cut? Are titles used to reinforce a change of location/time immediately after the opening ends? 
• EDITING: any transitions to signify ellipsis; any SFX; continuity editing style or any hallmarks of discontinuity?
• LENGTH OF TAKES + EDITING PACE: looooong takes or fast-paced editing with short takes? much variation in this? Simply by following one character/keeping referring back to them also suggests to the audience that they are a central character.
• SHOT VARIETY: ask yourself as you watch these whether you think further shots should be inserted - is there sufficient shot variety? This and the above point are linked. Look for simple things too like two-shots used to signify personal relationships.
• MISE-EN-SCENE: This links to the above point: what does the mise-en-scene communicate to the audience (providing exposition on location, time period, genre etc)? Is verisimilitudeachieved (can you see evidence of costuming, set-dressing, props etc)?
• SETUPS/SCENES: Each time you leave a room or other part of a location you have to work to setup the next scene: how many setups or scenes are involved?
• FLASHBACKS/MAJOR ELLIPSIS: Halloween is one of many that opens with events and then gives a title stating x years later so we know we're now in the present.
• NARRATIVE ENIGMA V EXPOSITION: What do we learn about setting, time period, narrative, characters, genre - and what is intentionally withheld? Do we appear to meet antagonist or protagonist/s? You could also comment here on plot, cliffhangers etc
• SOUND + MUSIC: Note use of diegetic (if its coming from the world on screen) and non-diegetic sound. Specifically, how is music used, if at all - is it continuous; are multiple music tracks used; does the volume level rise? Does the music genre seem to hint at the target audience and/or genre?
• GENRE SIGNIFIERS: Do you see anything which seems to point towards a particular genre?
• INTERTEXTUALITY: Are there references to existing texts?
• REPRESENTATIONS: Of Age and Gender. Use of stereotypes, countertypes, a mix of both? When looking at horror openings, be alert for stock characters like scream queens, masked killer, jock, nerd, final girl, ineffective adult/authority figure etc
• GENRE/BUDGET/ERA SPECIFIC? You'll find that conventions have changed over time and also vary with budget and genre.
• MEMORABLE ASPECTS: Quite simply, anything you thought was particularly interesting or noteworthy. Especially as you begin to work on horror openings, you should note where you see useful examples of costume, dialogue, editing etc which you may well take direct inspiration from.

Bridget Jones's Diary

Bridget Jones's Diary

Genre: 
Rom-Com
Romantic Comedy...


The Players:
Richard Curtis- Wrote the original book of which the film was based upon, Andrew Davies adapted that to create the film.

Production Budget:
According to box office mojo, the procession budget was: 
$25 Million

Production Companies

The first few shots taken from Bridget Jones's Diary are the production companies involved in making of Bridget Jones's Diary.

'Working Title' are a major film company, and attract the biggest stars, typically American, and if British, white and southern, this is because, from a marketing point of view, this sells more copies, therefore, more income for Working Title, which is the primary focus of the company.

-4 company idents:

-Universal Studios // 20 seconds

-Studio Canal // 16 seconds
-Miramax Films // 14 seconds

-Working Title // 10 seconds
Altogether 60 seconds

The 1st Shot:

• In BJD, the opening shot contains the main character, with a medium close up shot. Rarely do you see the main characters face immediately, however due to the nature of the film, it is logical with reference to the non-diegetic sound of her thoughts, therefore we can see who's voice it is, helping the viewer follow the plot. 

• Female main character, this could suggest it relates to girls more than guys, potentially making it a romantic film, or 'chick flick'. Uses cross fade for transition between shots. The mise en scene has only a small level of importance, however, it is key in determining the time of year and what this could denote it is Christmas/winter due to the weather (snow).

• The film opening lasts 11 minutes and 54 seconds.

• The opening sequence begins at 60 seconds / 1 minute.

Titles

• Main Title is in bold, and a larger font than the subtitles





Non Serif.
Positioned left side of the screen.
They include names of directors and procures etc
Each last the same length of time and fade in and out
each are the same size apart from the main title
The size of the sub titles don't change, signifying each person has contrubted the same to the overall production and making of the film
The job of which each person named is smaller and thinner, whereas the name is a bigger font and in bold.
the colour stays the same throughout
there is no animation to the titles 
 

Subtitles before main title...

• These subtitles come before the main title... 'Bridget Jones's Diary', the subtitles are a lot thinner in comparison, this could denote that every person involved in production adds up to something much bigger, 
• Signified by the font // Serif font.
• All positioned on the left and in the same font and size.
• 19 subtitles in total before main title
• Each title has a 9-10 second gap between each one and last for 4 seconds each
• Overall the subtitles last 1 minute and 40 seconds after 1 minute of company idents.

Sound, Music:

• The opening sequence has non diegetic and diegetic sound.

• Non diegetic is in the opening shot, we hear 'Bridget Jones's' thoughts over watching her go to her mums for Christmas denoted by the heavy snow, which leads to verisimilitude.
• 
  

• All By Myself, as linked at the top - https://youtu.be/t8iTZm8-mbA

Characters:

The opening scene follows the main character, and uses non diagetic speach from her, from this we get to know the character and can see things from her perspective. There is also binary opposition between 'Bridget', and a 'divorced single man' who her mother tries unsuccessfully to set her up with to begin with.


Shot Variety:
The shot type varies throughout the opening sequence, including and establishing shot in the opening scene. Along with a close up which brings power to the scene.

Source: http://shottype.blogspot.co.uk