Commercial

Cinema
AS Research Task #2

What is Commercial Cinema?

Commercial cinema is a form of cinema which is produced
with the intent of creating a profit. These are usually the films
which you would view in the cinema or be able to buy at any
general movie retailer.
The opposite, non-commercial cinema or art films, are films
not intended for profit. These would commonly be seen at
places such as film festivals and many amateur directors find
themselves making these.

Why is the opening so important?

The opening of a film just like a speech or a book is essential for
capturing the audiences attention and also establishes; genre, style
and mood if done effectively.
Additionally key plot details are introduced as well as characters.
Cast and crew will sometimes be shown through opening credits.
The opening scene of a film typically lasts from around 3-5 minutes.
If not executed properly the audience is extremely likely to miss
major plot points, character development and even if the film is
good, if the introduction does not grab their attention it is likely to
be a carried out effect through the rest of the film, drastically
taking away from the experience.

Opening Credits
Opening credits are more than simple words placed upon a
screen. The opening credits have many deeper implications
from things such as fonts, colours and graphics. Although a
large number of modern films have adapted to minimalistic
opening credits it is still viewed as a vital part of a film
introduction. Directors such as Stanley Kubrick and Alfred
Hitchcock are famous for their opening credit sequences in
their films.

Music
Music is extremely essential and can have different impacts
on different genres. In a comedy an upbeat song can make
the audience feel at ease and prepare them to laugh. In a
Thriller a piece of music can make the audience feel a true
moment of suspense.

Setting
In the opening of a film there will usually be a large amount of
setting shown to expose the audience as to where the film is
talking place and explains more about the characters of the
film.

Plot and Characters

In the opening sequence of a film characters will usually be
introduced and the director will try portray as much of the
characters traits as possible through other elements such as
costume design. Additionally, plot details and the set up are
usually established within the opening of a commercial film.

Production Logos
The companies which assisted in the production of films will
feature their logos at the start of the film to recognise their
contribution. Distributers of the film will also feature their
logos at the start of the film. These are purely to recognise
those who helped make the project possible.
In the picture is Newmarket Films, a US company which
distributed the film, Whale Rider.

New Zealand Film Industry

The New Zealand film industry has gained mass publicity over
the past century and has released very popular films which
have been viewed all over the world and made mass profits.
This makes the New Zealand film industry a good example to
study films on from its success.

Analysis- Boy
Another New Zealand film, Boy also directed by Taika Waititi
follows the story of a Maori boy who lives on the east coast of
New Zealand.
The introduction of boy is perfectly executed. The titles which
show a handwritten like font with lots of colours establish
early on that the film will be heavily involved with child
characters. The character breaks the fourth wall and speaks
directly to the audience and this is clear to show key things
such as setting and character and hints at the rest of the plot
to come.
Full video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k97JM3Msew

Here the childish like themes are shown

through the colours and font. The colours
also hint at the strong Maori influence as
the Maori colours are; black, red and white.

In this shot the character is speaking to the

audience and revealing key aspects of the
story to the audience. Also things such as mis
en scene reveal more about his character. His
faded clothes suggests he is somewhat poor.

Here a sense of location is established and the

writing in the Maori language on the sign
clearly indicates the strong cultural themes but
also that it is a true New Zealand film.

Analysis- What We Do In The

Shadows
In the opening of, What We Do In The Shadows by Taika
Waititi and Jemaine Clement is a mockumentary comedy
horror following lives of the vampires.
In the opening sequence it is very clear from the beginning
that the film is adopting the style of a documentary with the
title card reading information about the vampires much like a
regular styled documentary.
It is quickly established that this is in fact a comedy with the
quirky dialogue and the introduction of a humorous character.
Full video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2w3H_oLSIU

So much is revealed by this simple sentence of text. A

sense of purpose and mystery is established with the
reference of the Unholy Masquerade as the audience
is curious to know what this is. It establishes that the
setting is New Zealand. It also hints at its
mockumentary style as information is usually
presented in this manor at the start of documentary's.
This leads up to creating

In this shot it is more clear to the

audience the living conditions of the
characters and hints at the characters
personality with the strong costuming at
the start of the film. The acting is comedic
and hooks the audience in the film.

The music which plays at the start

during the title sequence clearly shows
the themes of the film with the
repetition of the word, dead. The song
is also jumpy which references the

Bibliography
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k97JM3Msew
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2w3H_oLSIU
Conventions of film openings- http://
www.slideshare.net/megamargy/conventions-of-film-openings
-9663052
Conventions of film opening- http://
www.slideshare.net/jazzyprince/conventions-of-film-openings
-15724131
Cinema of New Zealand- http://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_New_Zealand
Imdb- http://www.imdb.com/?ref_=nv_home