The document provides an analysis of the visual, audio, narrative, and technical codes used in the openings of three romantic films: The Holiday, Confessions of a Shopaholic, and The Vow. For each film opening, the analysis describes the codes used to establish settings, characters, relationships, and introduce narrative elements or mysteries to engage the audience. The openings set up the genres, seasons, and central themes or relationships that will be explored in each film through their use of shots, music, narration, facial expressions, and story details.

1. Codal Analysis
Danielle Fletcher

2. Film Opening 1 – The Holiday
O https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGrS
RXL7mYc

3. Visual Codes:
O The film begins with a romantic scene of a couple kissing, this zooms out
into one of the main characters home offices – not only does this establish
the genre, it also allows the audience to discover his occupation.
O Though the windows, plants can be seen dancing along with the wind. This
implies that the film has been set in a colder season.
O Towards the end of the opening, the outside is shown, displaying
Christmas lights along the streets – this confirms the film being set during
the Christmas season.
O The costumes are not clearly visible, however they appear quite casual but
smart.
O Through the characters facial expressions, two different relationships are
illustrated. Displaying the first couple, eye-line match shots convey the
couple glazing into one another’s eyes. Their smiles imply how happy they
are together. Whereas the second couple are shown in side angle, when
their eyes met, the male appears to sigh while looking down towards his
lap. The shot cuts into the car driving off, some tension is displayed
through these two characters.

4. Audio Code:
O Instantly, a slow Christmassy, romantic song plays through
the company logos and into the film itself. The camera
movement zooms out and pans over a male character
playing the keyboard in time with the song – becoming
synchronous background music.
O Just over half way through the film opening, a female
narrators voice is heard. She plays no part in the scene,
however her words fit the characters actions within that
particular scene. No dialogue is spoken from the
characters, allowing the audience to purely focus on the
narrators words.
O When the transition emerges into another scene, the music
speeds up, displaying the change of scene. While the
narrator speaks for the second time, the music becomes
quieter, then returns to its original volume when the
narrator has finished.

5. Narrative Code:
O The character of Miles is introduced by the film immediately
opening with a scene playing from his trailer being created
and zooming out into his office – therefore establishing the
characters occupation.
O The absence of the characters voices are replaced with a
narrator, explaining the meaning of ‘love’, therefore suiting the
genre of the film.
O The narrator in fact allows the audience to understand the
relationships between the characters displayed on the screen.
Close-ups and reaction shot of the first couple are narrated
with the meaning of ‘love’, implying they have a healthy
relationship. In comparison to the next couple, who are
present in two shots, the narrator says “love fades”. This
informs the audience that their relationship has issues, and in
order to find out what they are, they are left continuing to
watch the film.

6. Technical Code:
O There are many shot types employed within the first two
minutes of the film, however the most used appears to close-
up shots of the characters. A close-up shot is used to convey
the male character kissing a woman’s hand, this shot
reinforces the genre of the film. Both pan and tilt shots are
often used to display the setting, especially of the characters
office area.
O The editing throughout the opening appears slow, which in
fact fits in with the diegetic background music.
O A long pan shot is very effective in transitioning one scene to
another rather than cutting straight into the next scene.

7. Enigma Code:
O Firstly, mainly characters have been displayed and the
narrators voice has been heard. However, they have not
actually been introduced to the audience. The audience are
left in anticipation of who these characters are and why one
couple are portrayed as being disappointed with one
another.
O The film opening comes to an end, and the car drives off
into the traffic as the film begins. A lack of information has
been revealed in the first two minutes, and therefore the
audience result in continuing to watch the film.

8. Film Opening 2 –
Confessions of a Shopaholic
O https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3pvtAKCi_E

9. Visual Code:
O Visually, the genre isn’t clear in the first two minutes
as no ‘genre conventions’ have been included,
however a ‘chick flick’? Certainly. The many boxes of
shoes fill the pan shot, the colours are bright pinks
and yellows.
O Having a child taking up the screen time establishes
the main character, and after the title of the film is
displayed, an older woman is walking down the street.
Rebecca Bloomfield; the child all grown up.
O The film opening consists of many shops, along with
the title, this implies that shopping will be a main
theme throughout the movie.
O Close up shots of the ‘magic card’, along with reaction
shots of the little girl, also implies that this will be
significant within the film.

10. Audio Code:
O Lively, upbeat music sets the tone of this feel-good
movie. It remains as a consistent volume throughout;
even when the narrator begins speaking.
O The narrator explains why the young girl looks rather
upset; it’s because her mother would not let her have
what the other girls had.
O “But when I looked into shop windows..” the narrator
says while the young child looks into a shop window,
implies that this could be the narrator as a child.
O As the child walks into the shop, the music has a
slight twinkle to it, as in the child has just walked into
her dream place.

11. Narrative Code:
O A narrator has been employed throughout the film
opening, in order to explain to the audience why these
childhood scenes are being displayed. A pan of glittery,
sparklingly shoes ends at a pair of horrible brown ones.
This has been done to portray what all the other girls
have, and what the main character is stuck with.
O The camera movements are slow while looking into the
shop window, displaying the young girl dreaming of
owning a pair of those shoes. Even the narrators words
have pauses between them, as if she’s dreaming
herself.
O All these narrative codes explain as to why the main
character has become a ‘shopaholic’ as an adult –
without this opening of her childhood, this would be left
unexplained.

12. Technical Code:
O There are many shot types employed within the first two
minutes of the film. A long pan shot of 20 seconds immediately
opens the film cutting into a low angle shot, displaying the main
character alongside her mother and grandmother. This is
followed by two reaction shots, one of girls giggling, and the
other of the main character upset. Cutting into a tracking shot,
the camera movement slowly turns to face the window, just like
the child. The close up shot of the shoes cuts into a reaction
shot of the characters excitement of what she is seeing. Shot
reverse shot displays the child admiring what the woman are
wearing. A high angle shot displays what all three characters
shown are doing. As the ‘magic card’ is being handed over to
the woman, a close up shot is used to portray that this card is
significant, and as the card is pulling away, a reaction shot
displays the child's overwhelming feeling. A shopping bag
transitions the previous reaction shot, onto a long shot of a
woman walking down the street.

13. Enigma Code:
O The only enigma code within the film opening is to who this
young girl is and as to why she has been given the most on
screen time. However, right at the end, the audience find
out that ‘Rebecca Bloomfield’ is the main character and
narrator who shares her childhood at the begining.

14. Film Opening 3 – The Vow
O https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yvr7sLV8gc
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15. Visual Code:
O A couple is instantly illustrated in high-angled and mid-
shots, walking out from a movie theatre, arm-in-arm. This
immediately establishes the genre of romance.
O A pan shot displays the street covered in snow – implying
that the film has been set during the Christmas season.
O The couple are seen getting into a car, the snow is being
scrapped of the car in a close-up shot, again with the
Winter/ Christmas theme.
O The pairs facial expressions display their affection for one
another throughout the close-up shots, reinforcing the
genre of romance.

16. Audio Code:
O The non-digetic background music is very slow and subtle,
allowing the audience to hear the characters speaking.
O When the characters drive off, the background music
disappears and is replaced by the music playing through
the radio in the car. This becomes synchronous music as a
close-up shot displays the character turning on the radio.
You can also hear the character singing along to the music
although the woman says he “doesn’t even like this song”.
O They’re constantly laughing throughout, conveying the
relationship between the couple.
O At two minutes in, the male character begins narrating, just
before the car accident.

17. Narrative Code:
O A long shot displays the outside of a movie theatre, and a
couple exiting it. The mid-shot shows them walking arm-in-
arm, establishing the characters relationship. The snow in
the background implies that this film is set around the
Winter time. The male character kisses her on the head,
implying that the pair are more than friends and are
perhaps on a date.
O After clearing snow from the car, they both get inside, a
close up shot displays him turning on the radio. While he
sings along reaction shots convey the female character
laughing away. They finally drive off into the distance and
unexpectedly stop, resulting in a car accident. This is
displayed through slow motion.

18. Technical Code:
O A tilting shot is immediately used in order to set the scene
of the film – night time, at the movies . This is followed by
a pan of the streets covered in snow – implying that the
film has been set during the Christmas season.
O A long shot has been employed on the car, this implies
how the car will be significant soon in the film.
O The close-up of the female character undoing her seat
belt is employed to display that this is in fact the reason
as to why she went through the windscreen of the car
during the crash.
O The editing of the film opening is slow, to fit in with the
gentle background music – this is often used in romance
movies to establish the genre.

19. Enigma Code:
O A long shot has been employed on the couple’s car; this
implies that the car may be significant soon in the film,
therefore they will continue watching to discover what will
happen. The clip actually lasts over 3 minutes, however I
only focused on the first couple of minutes. Shortly after
the clip, the car is involved in an accident, displaying that
the car with in fact significant as the rest of the film is
based on what happens during the accident.