Frame By Frame Analysis

I wanted to find a scene from a film which was similar to at least one aspect of my idea for my chick flick opening. I found a video of a scene from 'The Devil Wears Prada'. In this clip, you see someone coming for a job interview. The place she has come to get a job is in a fashion office. It's a very modern office, buzzing with people. The environment is very similar to what I wish my office scene to be set in.



I have selected frames which use camera shots and miss en scene which I think I can use in my film opening.

Frame One

This is the first frame of the clip above. It shows the main character, Andrea, entering the 'Runway' magazine office, which is very modern and very elegant. This is the type of office I would like to film for my opening.

Frame Two

In the background of this frame you see two 'Runway' magazine covers framed on the wall. This is similar to my idea of having 'Vogue' covers around the office.

Frame Three

This shows Emily (the boss' PA) leading Andrea through the busy office. To the right you can see a clothes rail, I want a clothes rail to feature in my film opening too because it would create verisimilitude giving the impression of a conventional fashion magazine office.

Frame Four

Here we see two people who already work for 'Runway' wearing black. Throughout the whole of the office scene everyone is wearing black. This is a very mature and elegant colour to wear, especially in such a modern establishment like Runway. However Andrea's costume contradicts the ambience of the environment as she is dressed in brown, purple and white. Her outfit is later commented on by the boss saying that Andrea isn't very fashionable and as a fashion magazine, it is important for the workers to wear on-trend clothing.

Frame Five

This is a close up shot of the boss' foot as she gets out the car. This can be seen as a power shot as she has elegant shoes on and is getting out of a fancy car. This is also a cut away shot, however, as the scene quickly cuts from the chaos in the office to the calmness of her getting out the car. For my idea, I want to have a close up shot of the girl's shoes.

Frame Six

A tracking shot is used to film the boss calmly walking into the office, which contradicts what's happening in the office. She walks in a very confident and self assured manner. This is how I will ask my character to walk into the office to deceive the viewer.

Frame Seven

This is a good stereotypical close up shot that is commonly used in chick flicks. Often, a close up of a designer handbag is used. I want to use a close up of an  object similar to a handbag in my opening.

Frame Eight

This is where the boss comes through the lift doors and into the main office. When the doors open, you see her standing there with a stern look on her face and she is clutching a copy of 'Runway" magazine under her arm. When the protagonist is at the train station in my opening, I want her holding Vogue covers.

Frame Nine

This frame finally shows the boss' identity after the frantic build up to her appearance in the office. She is placed in the centre of the frame which is quite an unusual shot to be used. However, it connotes her importance and authority within the narrative. I would ask my actor to pull a similar face when she enters the office to lead the viewer to believe she is of more importance.

Frame 10

In this frame, the boss handed Emily papers and books and we see her struggling to carry them. A frame like this in my opening would be the first time the viewer realises that she isn't as important to the business as we originally thought.

Frame Eleven

This is the first time we see the boss' office. It is a big modern room with simplistic furniture and the main colour used is white. I want the boss' main office in my opening to look like this in my opening.

Frame Twelve

The clip ends with the film title coming across the screen. The black background has a simple elegance and creates synergy with the costumes which are used in the office scene. The word 'devil' is in the colour red, which is usually associated with the devil and evil.  Also, no capital letters are used which gives the impression of informality and it's obvious this isn't a horror film. In my film opening I need to think how the title reflects the film genre. 

Inspirational Film Openings

I have researched chick flick film openings and continuing to look for a similar opening to the one I wish to film myself. One common feature which appears in most chick flick openings is a cut away shot between two narratives which builds up suspense.

Here is the Legally Blonde film opening:



The opening cuts between two different main people; Elle and her best friend. It starts with Elle brushing her hair in her very pink bed room. From the moment the clip starts you know it's a chick flick due to the pink girly environment. The upbeat song which is used in the background has inspired me to use one similar for my opening. I also like how you can hear the characters talking over the music.

Top Camera Shots Used in Chick Flicks

I have researched the most common camera shots used when filming chick flicks, they are:

1. Aerial shot/ Establishing shot - Often used in the opening of the film. This type of shot sets the scene and tells the viewer what type of area it is set e/g the country or city. An example of this is in 'Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging', the film starts off by panning around the area, for this film it is set near the sea. 
2. Close Up Shot - This is used for showing characters emotions. Particularly useful in chick flicks as they tend to be films full of emotion, often tears are present - whether it's due to happiness or sadness. 
3. High Angle Shot - Used to isolate a character in the frame - could represent sadness and loneliness, as chick flicks are usually to do with love and relationships. Would be good to use if the character is going through a break up. 
4. Shot-Reverse Shot - Used for when two or more people are having a conversation. The camera flips between characters but has to stay in the line with the person's eye so it feels like you, as a viewer, are part of the conversation too. Good for chick flicks as there is often conversations between the main character and others. 
5. Panning Shot - In chick flicks a 'pan' shot can be used to pan across the main character's bedroom, for example. 
6. Point Of View (POV) Shot - Can be used to film the character reading a text message/email/letter that they have received. This is when the viewer sees something as they character would. 
7. Tilt Shot - Where the camera tilts either up or down, usually this type of shot ends the film. Can point up to the sky or to the ground. 
8. Tracking Shot - Used to follow a character when walking. Helpful when they are walking through busy environment. 
9. Zoom Shot - When the camera quickly or slowly zooms into a characters face. Often used quickly when the character has realised something or found out something and the viewer needs to see their shocked face.

Chick Flick Film Conventions

I have created a Prezi to show all the typical chick flick film conventions.

Film Openings

Using this blogpost http://whatculture.com/film/the-importance-of-film-openings.php I have analysed the film openings to Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Adventures of Babysitting (1987).

These are the clips I analysed:






In Saturday Night Fever, the film starts with a panning shot of of Brooklyn, America and then jumps to a close shot of a train passing on the tracks. According to the blogpost written about film openings, this train represents John Travolta's emotional journey throughout the film. Travolta's character wishes to succeed in life and become well known, the only way he thinks he can do this is by winning a disco dance competition. By the end of the film he won first prize in the dance competition and has achieved his dream. The train symbolises his need to escape his dead-end life.

In the Adventures of Babysitting opening, it shows a young girl dancing in a stereotypical teenage girls bedroom (pink and floral) and lip syncing to a an upbeat song. The song used is called 'Then he kissed me' by the Crystals the lyrics of the song go well with the film and with her getting ready for her date.

The idea of the train has inspired my own chick flick film opening. I had the idea of having a girl in her early twenties, waiting at the train station for her usual commute into London to work at the 'Vogue Magazine' offices. I would have her holding lots of important folders and papers and dressed in smart fashionable clothing, to give off the impression that she has a very important job role. As she is sitting and waiting for her train I would use a point of  view shot (POV) of her flicking through a portfolio full of modelling shots. When she gets to London, I would film her walking into a modern office with lots of people around measuring models, clothes rails scattered around the room and Vogue magazine covers on the walls. I want to pan across the office so the viewer gets a feel of the ambience and I would also use a tracking shot to follow her walking over to the sofa with her papers. I would then have her strut through in a confident manner to make herself look important. However the twist would be that she is of no importance to the company, she is just an unpaid intern who runs around after the boss. But her dream is to be the boss of this company, a bit like John Travolta . Throughout this opening scene I would use a tune of an upbeat  catchy tune and then have it come to an abrupt end when the boss shouts something like "Where's my coffee?" The use of an upbeat piece of music was inspired by the opening scene of Adventures to Babysitting.