Summary of Codes and Conventions found in openings for my Foundation Portfolio for AS Level Media.

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Summary of Findings
Sound is one of the most important parts of connoting certain ideas to an audience.
The use of non-diegetic music is to create a significant mood because it can spring certain
emotions inside the viewer. For example in Fargo the music is seemingly calmand gentle
which means that contrapuntal sound has been used because the plot/genre of the film
would connote that the characters are at risk - this could create a greater effect in the
audience because they will not be expecting danger. The use of slow music generally
signifies that the environment is creepy and mysterious and therefore sets this as the mood
for the rest of the film for example in Silence of the Lambs. The use of diegetic sound helps
to portray the specific elements of the film which are core to the narrative such as the
jangling chain in Fargo. The diegetic dialogue used is generally slow and creepy and is able
to create enigmas about the rest of the filmand help to portray the narrative; the dialogue
is also generally quite creepy to help the audience begin to understand who is a goodie and
who is a baddie. Sound bridges were used in Now You See Me to accompany cross cuts in
linking the character’s scenes together. Parallel and contrapuntal sounds were used in
scenes which require the sound to fit in with or contrast the scene for example parallel
scream sounds in Now You See Me as they screamonscreen and contrapuntal non-diegetic
music in Fargo because the music is calmwhen the story is about death.
Cross cuts have been used throughout all openings to connote to the audience that
all of the characters are linked in some way or another, the most prominent example of this
is in Now You See Me when cross cuts are used to accompany sound bridges and show the
audience that the characters live similar lives or are working together. Straight cuts and
continuity edits have been used to connote realism to the audience in all of the extracts I
have analysed and therefore creating the idea that the stories could be/are true and are
therefore relatable. Many of the edits are jump cuts which have been used to create a fast
pace and connote to the audience that danger is just around the corner, for example in Now
You See Me the jump cuts work with the music to create a fast paced opening. A montage
edit was used in Fargo to connote to the audience that the life of the character is haphazard
and out of place because the scenes are combined together with the opening text credits.
Camera shots are fundamental to the portrayal of the characters because they are
the eye through which the audience watches the action unfold. A number of close-ups have
been used to connote intimacy and tension and to help make the audience feel
uncomfortable - possibly paralleling the feelings of the characters - for example in Now You
See Me, the close-ups have been used to make the audience feel involved in the magic tricks
and therefore uncomfortable about the magic itself. Close-ups have also been used to only
show certain aspects of the filmand therefore create an enigma as to what the characters
are missing. Long shots are used to establish the scene which is happening, such as in
Silence of the Lambs: the long shot connotes to the audience that she is alone. However the

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opposite effect has been used in Se7en because a long shot has not been used to show the
audience where he is and therefore an enigma has been created.
Tracking camera movements have been used frequently to connote to the audience
who is the most important character and therefore allow them to be the main character, for
example in Silence of the Lambs a tracking movement has been used to connote that the
woman is a key character. Pan movements have also been used frequently to either
connote importance or to show that the character has turned their life around (seen in
Silence of the Lamb after she climbs over the frame). A number of static camera movements
have been used to connote to the audience that the characters have one point of focus and
are very determined to reach that point for example in Fargo when the car is travelling
down the road towards the camera. Arc camera movements have been used so as not to
break the rhythm and flow created by the non-diegetic music, for example in The Silence of
the Lambs.
Costume is generally the easiest way to read a character and whether or not they are
a goodie or a baddie. The characters in all of these filmopenings are seen as wearing dark
clothes which creates a link between the character and their inner dark side/danger. Suits
have been used to signify ideas about success and therefore connote ideas about power and
their status, for example in Now You See Me the man is wearing a suit in the first scene and
could be inferred as holding the control of his audience. In Silence of the Lambs, the woman
is wearing clothes which would not typically be seen as women’s clothes which create
juxtaposition between the characters.
A number of the props which have been used are used simply to help portray the
storyline such as the cards, spoons and chains in Now You See Me. However you could infer
that these props also relate to the darker side of these characters because they can relate to
the idea of magic. Props can also be used to create an enigma because they can only show a
small part of their relationship with the storyline and therefore leave the audience
wondering where they fit into the storyline. Things such as the bare trees in Silence of the
Lambs help to connote to the audience that the woman was isolated and alone and
therefore that she was possibly lonely.
The movements & gesture are generally used to simply portray the actions of the
characters and help to tell the story. For example in Now You See Me the characters use
their gestures to get inside the audience’s head and therefore relate to the idea that they
are very dark. In Silence of the Lambs, the woman is running away from something and
therefore an enigma is created as to what she is running from and why. Robots are often
linked to the dark side because they are used as objects to undertake orders, this is
replicated in Se7en and connotes a link between the dark side and the character because his
actions are almost robotic and form a routine.

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The majority of lighting used is low key to create a mysterious and creepy mood, it is
generally foreshadowing a significant amount of danger and therefore can create an enigma
as to what is going to happen. The most obvious use of low key lighting is in Se7en in his
apartment which could create a link between the man and his association with the dark
side. If high key lighting has been used it is generally for chiaroscuro effect such as in Fargo
with the brilliant white background and the use of black text on top of this to create a
juxtaposition. Small amounts of ambient lighting have also been used to connote realism
and tell the audience that the storyline is relatable.
The majority of the settings are isolated which connotes to the audience that the
character who is present is the main character and therefore is the hero/villain/victim
because they are solitary, for example the car is driving through isolated roads in Fargo
which connotes that they may be going to experience danger. Woods are a typical thriller
opening setting and therefore connote to the audience that the genre of the filmis going to
be a thriller, this is shown in Silence of the Lambs when the woman is running through a vast
open woods.
Todorov’s theory is present in a number of these openings because they are
generally all showing the equilibrium before it has been disrupted because they are the
openings of films. For example in Now You See Me, the characters are all performing what
could be to them their daily routine which has not yet been disrupted. Propp’s theory is also
present because although you are initially unable to tell which character is specifically good
or bad, you are able to begin to create a picture as to what sort of character they are and
therefore begin to understand their motives for doing certain actions.