Comparing Two Constrasting Film Openings

'Over Her Dead Body'
The film starts off with a shot viewing photographs of a couple. This suggests these two people could be main characters in the film.The last part of the shot is of their wedding invitation, which is going to take place. There is a romantic and calming piece of music playing in the background.It then shows a casting 'New line Cinema and Gold Cinde Film' present'. Suddenly the whole mood changes. Lively, merry music starts playing in the background. It is the big day. The wedding. Preparation is going on for the wedding, such as the tables,flowers, food etc. The first person to talk, is a female character. This suggests she is one of the main characters, as she is also the only one wearing coloured clothing. Our first impressions of the character, is that she is quite well off, bossy and fussy. We are also quickly introduced to the groom, which suggests he must be another main character.

There are a wide range of shots used in the opening of the film. Close-ups to introduce the main characters to the audience. There have also been a use of long shots and wide shots, to show the other characters that are involved in the scene. Tracking has also been used to follow one of the main characters around, so that the audience are able to get a sense of her surroundings.

From the second part of the clip, where the female character is bossy the workers around, the audience are made to think she is domineering and controlling. She seems to be taking control of the whole wedding and she likes things her own way. She has status, as the other people in the scene do not speak up to her.
The groom appears to be quite a laid back and calm character, as he is not helping with setting anything up. He does not appear in much of the first scene. He does not appear to be too stressed about the day, which may suggest he is not too bothered about image and setting of the wedding,
The workers in the background show signs of irritation.

The Eye (2008)
We meet the main character, straight in, as the film starts. The audience quickly come to learn that the character is blind, as she has a stick in her hand, and is wearing sun glasses. The music in the background is very soft and relaxing. The first part of the opening scene has been made in slow motion. It allows the audience to focus on the female character. The second character is quickly introduced. The boy on the skateboard. He is near the blind lady. It creates an ominous feeling. Suddenly the mood changes as a bus drives past. The blind women saves the boy on the skateboard by pulling him back. The first piece of speech starts. Narration also begins. She tells us that she lost her sight at the age of 5. The woman's tone of voice is quite eerie, and the fact that you can't see her eyes is a little mysterious. She walks on her own.

The film starts off with a mid long shot of the female character walking towards the camera. It then becomes a close-up. Low-angles have also been used. This made the female character look taller than everyone else increasing her importance. Long shots were used to show the surrounding of the main character. Point of View shots have also been used allowing the audience to experience being a character, in the world of the story.

The female character is blind. She enjoys playing the violin and is very good at it. She lives in an apartment on her own, and is able to do everyday life things, with her disability. She has an operation on her eyes, and she is able to see again.

Thriller Image

The genre I chose to do was thriller/horror. It is a close up, point of view shot of a knife, with 'blood' splatter and shadow hovering over. The photo is quite dark and shadowy, which emphasises to the mood of the image being eerie and mysterious.It is as though the hand is going to grab the knife. Blood is dripping down the knife, which may suggest that there has been a murder. The hand looks quite tense, which adds to suspicion. 

To create a bold shadow, I shone a light above my hand, so that the reflection would appear on the white sheet. I used Adobe Photoshop and changed the 'vibrance' of the image to -100. As a result it turned the image more black and white. It also added a slight glow to the image, to convey the thriller genre. To create the blood splatter, I got red ink and dribbled it down the knife. I then splatted the ink around the knife. Here I have also created a 'point of view' shot. I did this deliberately to allow the viewer to experience the position of the person. 

I am quite pleased with my shot and feel it is quite successful as it shows the genre clearly. The shadow and ink splatter has really emphasized the typical conventions of my desired genres. 

If I was to re-create the shot I would have maybe added the hand, or a shadow of a face. I would have also tried to have taken the shot more closely, so that the viewer is able to focus on the more on the objects.