The film Green Street opens with shots of a West Ham football firm walking through a London tube station and exchanging mocking insults with a Tottenham firm across the platform. This leads to a fight breaking out between the two groups. The film then cuts to America, showing the main character Matt packing as he has been expelled from Harvard. Locations throughout the film include various football stadiums around England as the West Ham firm follows their team. The target audience is intended to be males aged 15-25 familiar with football hooliganism.

1. Analysis of a professional Film OpeningGreen Street

2. The film is called Green Street and it was released on the 9th September 2005. Since then there has been a follow on from it which was released straight to DVD in 2009. The director of Green Street was Lexi Alexander.

3. I would say the genre of Green Street is a crime and drama film. I say this because is includes a lot of crime related activities yet it still has a drama feel to it with its plot.

4. In the first 2-5 minutes of the film, the main boys from the west ham firm are walking up to a platform for a tube station, having a laugh with each otherand kicking can’s around. When they get to the top of the platform they look across to see some of the Tottenham firms members, they mock each other across the platform for a bit, then a train pulls in between the two fans so they cannot see each other. It then switches shots to the two firms fighting each other in the street. After that the film goes to America where it shows Matt Buckner(the American Harvard student) packing up his personal belongings as he has been expelled from Harvard university for having drugs on him, however he believes strongly that it was his room mates stash of cocaine.

5. LocationsThe locations used in the opening of Green Street is an underground tube station in England however throughout the film there are quite a few destinations around England, because of the football matches that the West Ham firm go too. Also America because it shows Matt before he comes over to England.

6. CharactersMarc Warren as Steve DunhamElijah Wood as Matt BucknerCharlie Hunnam as Pete DunhamDavid Alexander as NigelOliver Allison as Ben DunhamJames Allison as Ben DunhamGeoff Bell as Tommy HatcherJoel Beckett as TerryKieran Bew as IkeDavid Carr as CliveClaire Forlani as Shannon DunhamHenry Goodman as Carl BucknerTerence Jay as Jeremy Van Holden

7. Enigma codesThe enigma codes in the first opening 2-5 minutes are because of the fight early on it makes you think will there be another meeting between these two firms.Also you wonder what the American student has got to do with the film as it is a football hooligan film.You also think to yourself why are they fighting?And Does this happen a lot in the film?You also think to yourself Who is “the general” that they speak of?You also want to know what was the outcome of the fight was.

8. Camerawork and the effectsThe camera work used are shots such as extreme long shot to show what they are wearing and most importantly their background and surrounding. This gives the audience a good idea of where there are. Over the shoulder shot is also used when the camera is behind the West Ham firm and pointing towards the Tottenham firm, this could be so it makes the West Ham fans look bigger and more powerful. Shot reverse shot is also used whilst exchanging dialogue and mocking each other from across the platformMedium close up is also used when the Tottenham fans are talking which is peculiar because when the West Ham fans are talking they use a long shot which fits in most of the main people from the firm. This could be used to show dominance by the West Ham fans and to try and get the point across that they mean more ‘business’ than the Tottenham fans.

9. Editing techniquesThere are mainly cuts used in the opening few minutes, as it is a fight scene relatively right from the beginning . In fight scenes, they use fast cuts to match the pace of the action. Using fades and dissolves would not fit a fast paced fight scene.

10. SoundThere is a continuing sound in the background of trains, this is expected from the viewers as they are situated in a tube station.Steve Dunham is also kicking a can on the floor so you can hear the rattling of this also. Dialogue is also exchanged which you can hear.The background music also changes when the two firms confront each other to high tempo drum noises to fit the tension between them. During the fight scene you can also hear sound affects like punching and head butting, this is to match what is happening on screen. The last noise you hear is glass smashing, this puts many thoughts into your heads to what just happened as it is black.

11. Genre characteristicsThe viewers see a fight happen in a location which would be familiar to a lot of people who live in London. Their accents are regional and there is very harsh, but typical and expected football banter between the two firms. These things could signify to audiences that this film is Social Realist, supposed to highlight violence due to something so trivial as to which football team you support.

12. The titles are not properly presented until after the first 5 or 6 minutes. The only titles that are shown before this is the director and who the film was produced with, this is done with a white normal font on a black background with train noises in the background.

13. Target audienceThe intended audience would be males who are familiar with the football world and who enjoy films about football hooliganism. The age range I would say is a tough one as it is rated 18 which is trying to give the impression it is a bit grown up for people under the age on 18 however many teenagers down to the age of around 13 have seen the film and enjoy it so I would say the intended audience would be males aged from 15-25.

14. Ideas for me to transferThe ideas I could transfer to our own opening sequence would be the language used, by this I mean very Londoner accents but obviously with less swearing. I also feel we could use the tube station as a setting for our film as it signifies match day and the place where they visit often to go all around the country to see their team play football and to fight for what they believe in.