PLANNING: OPENING SCENE NARRATION - MISS BEGUM

What is an opening scene narration? Why is it important?

An opening scene narration is a written story that follows events chronologically and is told in real time, as if writing a book. Opening scene narration needs to have fluency to it, therefore it can be read easily and the reader will understand it fully. In this case the opening scene narration will be the detailed story of our opening thriller and what is the intended story/ plot. Having a detailed narration is important because not only it will make the plot seem clearer but can also be used to create a storyboard around it and clearly think about the microelements that should be used at each stage.

 

Scene Narration:

·         The scene begins with an extreme close up of many bits of paper torn into pieces and being left on the floor creating a chaotic atmosphere for the audience. Crane shot reveals more cut outs which form the very first opening credit, the production name. The image cross-cuts into the front cover of Elle magazine, the model on the front cover has been beheaded which already concerns the audience and triggers their fear because it is an unusual and barbaric act. The screen crosses back to the messy pieces of paper, displaying a close up of another acknowledgment, the director’s name. Quick shot of a double page spread with more beheaded models is accompanied by an eerie sound, making the audience feel much more worried and inquisitive because this is such a sadistic idea. As the scene develops, a cross cut shows a close up of a hand drawing a ‘W’ with a red lipstick, thus creating a sense of violence because red connotes blood; making the audience scared. Back to the floor, there is more opening credits, this time it’s the main casts in the film written on the newspaper cut outs. This is accompanied by continued eerie non-diegetic sound which is enhanced by the change of pace, tone and volume in order to have a bigger effect and be more recognizable by the viewer. By the third cast member, a medium close up displays a red bra which is grabbed in a sharp movement by an anonymous hand. This already makes the viewer assume that someone must be in a hurry or stress because they are rushing, thus making the audience feel tense too because very little is explained to them.

·         In the middle of the sequence a zoom in on the mannequin makes the viewer place their full attention on this iconography, hence infer that this will be a significant part of the scene. This short frame cross-cuts back into the opening credits, now acknowledging the editor. Because of this short edits the audience cannot form a clear structure therefore making them feel insecure and ambiguous. The camera quickly cuts back to a close up of the mirror, this time an ‘S’ is drawn on with the red lipstick which is confusing to the audience as the sentence is not fully revealed; making them curious. Another straight cut presents a medium close up of more magazine covers with female underwear on the floor which is grabbed off the screen by a hand. This is accompanied by eerie non-diegetic sound, thus making the viewer feel uncomfortable because this is quite uncommon and seems to be something the character is ashamed of because of the quick movements. Moreover the audience is displayed to an unknown figure with a close up. They seem to be putting on tights and the jump cut with under lighting make the scene look distorted and threatening which is a conventional trait of a thriller. Another extreme close up shows someone putting on a red lipstick and another, of a person putting on a handbag. This is still accompanied by the under lighting, which yet again seems mysterious and unclear for the audience who are still baffled about what is going on. These short edits then flash to a medium shot of the mannequin and a posture trying to fit a dress on it. The back lighting will allow to keep the character anonymous and create more build up and tension towards the climax.

·         Towards the end of the sequence there are much sharper edits from one shot to another which yet again reinforces that the climax is soon to come and the audience will have a chance to see the mysterious character. A close up takes the audience back to the mirror where the red lipstick was used to write the letter ‘T’. This can be quite frustrating for the viewer who is still aggravated and eager to find out what is written and who is this mysterious character. A double page spread is additionally shown with more beheaded women. The top lighting proposes that they are innocent and vulnerable which makes the audience feel pity towards them. The frame crosses to a medium shot of a dress which is now violently taken off the mannequin and the character starts to dress themselves. The audience can see that the dress doesn’t fit at all and it takes this character a lot of effort to try and look good and feel satisfied with themselves. This dissolves into a long shot with a low angle of a muscular body. Because of the under light it is hard for the viewer to tell exactly who this is but there is sense of superiority created by the low angle. The viewer can feel threaten. The slow tilt shot fully reveals the character who in fact is a middle aged man. This is likely to shock the audience because this is not so common for a male to cross-dress. This reaction is conventional because many thriller opening have an element of surprise and a twist to it.

·         At the end of the sequence the male character walks towards a wall and we can see from over his shoulder another cover of a fashion magazine with a head of a model which has been scribbled on. His face is truly frustrated and full of rage which is caused by jealousy and the thought that he has been deprived of such beauty. In anger he smudges all the make up on his face and the under lighting helps to exaggerate this distortion creating fear for the viewer. Aggravated, the character walks out and the back lighting helps the audience to infer that he is up to no good. This slowly dissolves into a zoom in of the mirror and the viewer finally gets to see what was written on there. It reads ‘Who is that Woman?’ which is in fact the title of the film. This title would make the audience intrigued because they are unsure who this is about and will keep questioning themselves whether the male character meant himself, a model or completely someone else.

 Key Theory and Themes:

• Barthes's theory of Semiology and Cultural Understanding- the mise en scene we intend to use will have different connotations that will create meaning to the audience and draw upon emotions. The iconography of red lipstick will alert the viewer of danger as red has connotations of threat and blood. On the other hand it shows femininity because stereotypically it is the female gender that uses make-up tools, thus misleading the viewer who will assume the character is a female. Another significant denotation would be the mannequin which has connotations of fashion but also promotes the idea of ideal body shape which is essentially what our character is longing for. The mannequin could make the viewer feel insecure about their own body but at the same time will connote fashion and female gender.
• Alvarado's theory of evoking emotions through the use of themes- the theme of morality will be present throughout the opening where the audience will be able to question the characters actions and observe whether what he is doing is right or wrong, thus reflecting on their own mistakes and life. Another theme will be obsession, evident by the way the character is madly consumed by fashion and females, thus evoking the feeling of fear and insecurity as they are aware that this is someone who will do anything to reach his goal which will make the viewer feel insecure as they assume that he is dangerous and out of control.
• Propp's theory of characters- which will be shown by the antagonist who plays the villain. This follows the theory as Propp stated that there are eight characters that often reoccur in every story. These are: Hero, Villain, Donor, Dispatcher, False Hero, Helper, Princess and Princesses' Father. By displaying a villain in my opening I have followed the theory of characters and allowed the audience to feel familiar with the individual, as they expect to have an antagonist in a sequence.
• Todorov's narrative structure- in  my opening my group and I have decided on a simple narrative of start, middle and end. The equilibrium, being the few opening shots of credits and mannequin which then turns red and some beheaded women are shown, which is the disequilibrium. The new equilibrium begins when the character is revealed and we realise that this is a man. I think that this simple narrative structure is effective as it will be easy for the viewer to follow the sequence as well as understand it.

Key Themes 

• Morality; the viewer will question the antagonist's actions and ask themselves whether this is right or wrong.
• Hatred,which is evident in the brutal act of beheading women and will make the viewer feel disgust towards the character.
• Mystery. The audience will not know who the character is until the end of the sequence. This will keep the element of surprise, conventional of a thriller.
• Obsession. This will be portrayed in the way that the antagonist is fixated on fashion band females, thus making the viewer feel scared seeing that he is a threat.

Conclusion:

Creating an opening scene narration was a beneficial idea because this will help me to understand our narrative in much more depth and detail of what we are looking to achieve. It has also helped us to know exactly what is the audience response that we are hoping to receive form the viewers which is important because if an opening doesn’t evoke any emotions then the audience will not feel like this is worth their while and will stop the viewing, thinking that the film is bad. This is because openings often determine whether the spectator is interested or not. Moreover from such a detailed description it will be helpful to create a good story board which will also help in the production and allow us to know exactly what each shot will look like.