Questionare (Version 2) Analysis

We created this secondary questionare to follow up and get elaboration on our previous questionare.

We asked this question so that the sub genre of thriller that we chose wouldn't be too common at the moment and therefore would stand out in todays film market. 

Initial Ideas for our Opening Sequence

Over the past few weeks we have been researching and developing an understanding of the thriller genre so we can either use the set codes and conventions or challenge them to create something slightly more original.

From the sequences that have been analyzed we have come to the conclusion that depending on the sub-genre of thriller the conventions applied can vary because different sub-genres have different objectives that need to be fore-filled so that the audience don't come out the movie unsatisfied or disappointed media that has been created. Due to the sub-genres being create by mixing two or more genres together we really wanted to play around with new ideas instead of just going for the obvious psychological thriller etc. 

Georges idea (helped by me) is a war time thriller based in WW2 because this is a always a topic easy to relate to. Furthermore from our research everyone wanted a psychological thriller however because we don't want to follow this typical idea of thrillers but could still include psychological damage within the opening sequence, which would have something recognizable to the audience. However this is just the opening two minutes so we may not be able to to get this point across.
My initial thoughts include a tracking shot following a single soldier while hes being shot at with the non diegetic music in the background which at the moment I'm thinking would be an up beat WW2 song like this "Run Rabbit Run".  I would like to use this idea because the two contrast each other however this may not build enough tension so it the music may fade with gun fire etc taking over, this could create an interesting mix of non-diegetic and diegetic sounds. 

My individual ideas included a spy thriller an intense conversation between an adult male sniper and the leader of the group such as M.I.5. head or leader of a gangster group. The sniper would continue to tell whoever was on the other end of the phone about their little sister. Then the sister would take out the group therefore challenging the conventions. The soundtrack could include heartbeat and Bourne Identity style music.

Katy's ideas include Asylum within maybe set in a WW2 concentration camp focussing on the struggle of survival of the protagonist or maybe the decay of the characters humanity.

My Doctor Who Gender Essay

Gender Portrayal in the 2009 OCR Doctor Who Clip

In this extract from Doctor Who, the primary protagonists of the Doctor, the Master, and Martha are used to portray perceptions of gender in the media. The extract can be broken down into five sections, the opening shots of the clip, when Martha is told to kneel, “any last words”, “the resistance knew”, and Countdown finale. In each of these key parts of the scene I will be analysing the camera angles, editing, sound, and the general mise en scene.

The clip starts with Martha being forced to walk up to the bottom of some stairs, which the master is standing on top of. This use the dolly shot follows Martha around. Making the audience feel empathy for Martha as it puts them in her shoes. Because Martha is at the bottom of the stairs she has to look up to see the Master, and he looks down on her. This is before she even has to kneel. This demonstrates how he looks down on her while  she is forced to physically look up at him. In terms of editing, there are a lot of eye line matches and cut away shots to Martha’s loved ones. In amongst this the Doctor has the most screen time, telling the audience that he is the most important and dominate character in the scene. Throughout the clip Martha defies the convention that all women present themselves as girly and feminine in that she is wearing a black body suit and her hair is pinned up off her shoulders. The ambience music in the beginning is a choir singing, giving off the feeling of lost hope. It also foreshadows later in the scene where people around the world echo the word “Doctor”, in order to free him.

When the Master tells Martha to kneel there are a mixture of close up shots and wide shots. The wide shots are to help establish the scene since it still is quite early in. The wide shots help the audience see emotion, which is a stereotype of women that they are very emotional beings. The sound is important in this part of the scene, in terms of gender. The machines that are obeying the master’s command have a female voice, because they are seen as the evolutionary weaker sex. The Master also uses a deeper voice when addressing Martha, trying to impress and scare her. Having a deeper voice is thought of as a male trait.

At the next significant point in the scene, continuing on with the importance of sound, the Master continues to talk down to Martha. To which she continues to say nothing back to, until she snaps and laughs at him. This is a very unconventional thing for her to do, even forgetting gender stereotypes, defying and mocking the person who has threatened her life and made her kneel in front of them. Before this though when he asks her if she has any last words his sonic screwdriver makes the noise of a sword slicing through the air. This again is a very masculine noise, as executioners in the past would only have been men. This reinforces the idea that as the man, he has the power.

Later on after Martha laughs at him, she explains how she got where she is, using flashbacks. These flashbacks have a slight echo on them, they are colourised to be bluer, and have vinaigrette around the edges, to make it clear to the audience that they are flashbacks. During these flashbacks Martha talks about how she crossed continents “all on my own”, therefore emphasising her individual bravery to travel by herself, without the companionship of anyone,  which is more commonly done by men than it is by women in their mid-twenties. This relatively masculine approach changes when she explains the reason why she did it. “Because I love him” (talking about the doctor), confessions of love are seen as a more feminine thing to do, which contrasts with her masculine side. This also gives Martha more screen time, affirming to the audience that she is a very important character. While she is saying this, in the flashback, she is sitting on some stairs, half way up. While this would not normally seem significant, however, stairs have many added connotations in this scene, providing powerful symbolism to the power struggle between genders. So in this flashback, while Martha is in her own comfortable environment, it may seem strange that she isn’t sitting at the top of the stairs (where the power is). However the director is simply making a point that in today’s society women can’t sit at the top, because of their gender.

After this, the Master moves half way down the stairs, this indicates that he is aware that he is losing power, and therefore his movement are replicating the power struggle between himself and Martha. Martha, also sending this shift in power, stands up. As she stands her face moves into a white light connoting her as being pure, innocent, and in the right. When it cuts back to the Master’s face, you see that he has a red sort of shadow cast across his face, eluding to his dark evil side.  When the Doctor is freed he has a white glow surrounding his whole body, this not only presents him as good and pure, but also a god like, as he starts to levitate. This again relates back to the power struggle in the scene as he rises above the Master and forces him down the stairs.

To conclude, the character Martha breaks many gender conventions and stereotypes in the scene, yet also complies with others. The characters of Master and Doctor, however, both completely fit with typical male gender conventions.  

Mark Scheme For the Film Opening

Video

Level 1 0–23 marks

The work for the main task is possibly incomplete. There is minimal evidence in the work of the

creative use of any relevant technical skills such as:

• holding a shot steady, where appropriate.

• framing a shot, including and excluding elements as appropriate.

• using a variety of shot distances as appropriate

• shooting material appropriate to the task set.

• selecting mise-en-scène including colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting;

• editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer.

• using varied shot transitions and other effects selectively and appropriately for the task set.

• using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set.

• using titles appropriately.

Level 2 24–35 marks

There is evidence of a basic level of ability in the creative use of some of the following technical

skills:

• holding a shot steady, where appropriate.

• framing a shot, including and excluding elements as appropriate.

• using a variety of shot distances as appropriate.

• shooting material appropriate to the task set.

• selecting mise-en-scène including colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting.

• editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer.

• using varied shot transitions and other effects selectively and appropriately for the task set.

• using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set.

• using titles appropriately.

Level 3 36–47 marks

There is evidence of proficiency in the creative use of many of the following technical skills:

• holding a shot steady, where appropriate.

• framing a shot, including and excluding elements as appropriate.

• using a variety of shot distances as appropriate.

• shooting material appropriate to the task set.

• selecting mise-en-scène including colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting.

• editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer.

• using varied shot transitions and other effects selectively and appropriately for the task set.

• using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set.

• using titles appropriately.

Level 4 48–60 marks

There is evidence of excellence in the creative use of most of the following technical skills:

• holding a shot steady, where appropriate.

• framing a shot, including and excluding elements as appropriate.

• using a variety of shot distances as appropriate.

• shooting material appropriate to the task set.

• selecting mise-en-scène including colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting.

• editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer.

• using varied shot transitions and other effects selectively and appropriately for the task set.

• using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set.

• using titles appropriately.

Audio 

Level 1 0–23 marks

The work for the main task is possibly incomplete. There is minimal evidence in the work of the

creative use of any relevant technical skills such as:

• recording voice(s) clearly in studio/confined setting.

• recording voice(s) clearly in location/outdoor interviews/presentations.

• accurately using language and register.

• integrating recorded material, as appropriate.

• editing and mixing sounds appropriately.

• editing to create continuity and meaning.

• integrating jingles, music, location sounds and sound effects, where appropriate.

Level 2 24–35 marks

There is evidence of a basic level of ability in the creative use of some of the following technical

skills:

• recording voice(s) clearly in studio/confined setting.

• recording voice(s) clearly in location/outdoor interviews/presentations.

• accurately using language and register.

• integrating recorded material, as appropriate.

• editing and mixing sounds appropriately.

• editing to create continuity and meaning.

• integrating jingles, music, location sounds and sound effects, where appropriate.

Level 3 36–47 marks

There is evidence of proficiency in the creative use of many of the following technical skills:

• recording voice(s) clearly in studio/confined setting.

• recording voice(s) clearly in location/outdoor interviews/presentations.

• accurately using language and register.

• integrating recorded material, as appropriate.

• editing and mixing sounds appropriately.

• editing to create continuity and meaning.

• integrating jingles, music, location sounds and sound effects, where appropriate.

Level 4 48–60 marks

There is evidence of excellence in the creative use of most of the following technical skills:

• recording voice(s) clearly in studio/confined setting.

• recording voice(s) clearly in location/outdoor interviews/presentations.

• accurately using language and register.

• integrating recorded material, as appropriate.

• editing and mixing sounds appropriately.

• editing to create continuity and meaning.

• integrating jingles, music, location sounds and sound effects, where appropriate.

Typography Rules

1. The four most im­por­tant ty­po­graphic choices you make in any doc­u­ment are point size, line spac­ing, line length, and font (pas­sim), be­cause those choices de­ter­mine how the body text looks.
2. point size should be 10–12 points in printed doc­u­ments, 15-25 pix­els on the web.
3. line spac­ing should be 120–145% of the point size.
4. The av­er­age line length should be 45–90 char­ac­ters (in­clud­ingspaces).
5. The eas­i­est and most vis­i­ble im­prove­ment you can make to your ty­pog­ra­phy is to use a pro­fes­sional font, like those found in font rec­om­men­da­tions.
6. Avoid goofy fonts, mono­spaced fonts, and sys­tem fonts, es­pe­cially times new ro­man and Arial.
7. Use curly quo­ta­tion marks, not straight ones (see straight and curly quotes).
8. Put only one space be­tween sen­tences.
9. Don’t use mul­ti­ple word spaces or other white-space char­ac­ters in a row.
10. Never use un­der­lin­ing, un­less it’s a hyperlink.
11. Use cen­tered text sparingly.
12. Use bold or italic as lit­tle as possible.
13. all caps are fine for less than one line of text.
14. If you don’t have real small caps, don’t use them at all.
15. Use 5–12% ex­tra let­terspac­ing with all caps and small caps.
16. kern­ing should al­ways be turned on.
17. Use first-line in­dents that are one to four times the point size of the text, or use 4–10 points of space be­tween para­graphs. But don’t use both.
18. If you use jus­ti­fied text, also turn on hy­phen­ation.
19. Don’t con­fuse hy­phens and dashes, and don’t use mul­ti­ple hy­phens as a dash.
20. Use am­per­sands spar­ingly, un­less in­cluded in a proper name.
21. In a doc­u­ment longer than three pages, one ex­cla­ma­tion point is plenty (see ques­tion marks and ex­cla­ma­tion points).
22. Use proper trade­mark and copy­right sym­bols—not al­pha­beticapproximations.
23. Put a non­break­ing space af­ter para­graph and sec­tion marks.
24. Make el­lipses us­ing the proper char­ac­ter, not pe­ri­ods andspaces.
25. Make sure apos­tro­phes point downward.
26. Make sure foot and inch marks are straight, not curly.

Questionare (Version 2) Link

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9CYCQWZ

Non Stop - Opening Analysis

(http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1ydny7_non-stop-2014-opening-sequence-trailer-addict_shortfilms)

In the opening sequence of Non Stop the opening shot is a close up however within the editing it has been blurred or  put out of focus not revealing the character sat in the car. The mystery in this shot immediately builds tension for the audience because of the questions raised. Questions are raised like: "Who is this character?" and "Where is this scene taking place?". These questions are raised because the audience aren't provided with an establishing shot straight away instead they have a blurred title revealing no information on the scene. This could connote that the protagonist doesn't know what's about to happen to him and is distorted due to his alcohol problem soon to be discovered by the audience. As the scene progresses eye line match is used between his drink and him to show this characters weaknesses. This is different to the conventions in most thrillers because the audience need confidence in the character and by presenting his weaknesses first the audience may not have the same confidence in the protagonist because they want to know that he has the correct skill set for the plot ahead. This could foretell the trust issue later in the plot between the people the protagonist is trying to save and himself because he is accused of being the antagonist by his own agency.

The use of slow motion exaggerates this weakness and pushes the idea that the protagonist doesn't want to get on the plane at all, this is further supported by the real time diegetic air traffic control mixed with the radio which contrasts to the slow motion. This is therefore creating a sense of slow releasing panic because the audio sounds much faster, when in fact is at normal speed. In addition to this build up of sound there is a constant diegetic sound of a planes flying overhead giving the audience information on where the scene is taking place. The following close up reveals a little girl that the audience can link to being his daughter which gives the protagonist something to fight for and the audience something to fear him losing adding to the tension built up by the music. I would like to include this in opening because it keeps an audience gripped due to them being able to relate to the protagonists feelings.

The use of rain in thrillers seems vital to setting the tone because it allows for more overlapping sound for building tension and further adds to the blue colour correction providing the film with the on edge blockbuster feel. In addition this film used blur to make the protagonist stand out but it may also link in with the protagonists drinking problem again showing his weakness. The use of extras to show the protagonists feelings is used near the beginning so that the audience know he has suffered heartbreak and is most probably alone therefore leaving him free to see other women adding yet another set of questions into the audience's mind. This idea is pushed forward when the protagonist ignores another character because he is distracted by these thoughts and the editing uses muffled voices to achieve this.

In these thrillers the power is never balanced its always shifting and this is one of the reasons its so tense because sometimes the protagonist is in control other times its the antagonist.

The Bourne Identity - Opening Analysis

In the opening scene of the film Bourne Identity the films starts with the non-diegetic sound of wind and rain suggesting danger for the protagonist. This is use of danger is used throughout the thriller genre to ensure that there is tension in the film to keep the audience gripped.  However in most cases the protagonist is given the skills to deal with the danger given to him/her in the film but in this case the character is left helpless, which defies the conventions and is what I would want to include in my opening because it upsets the equilibrium without any major changes to the narrative.

Then opening then straight cuts to wide low angle shot of Jason Bourne in the sea. This shot is interesting because low angles are usually used to present the character as powerful however in opening Jason Bourne is helpless to the ocean and overwhelmed by its power because of how wide the shot is this means he requires help this could connote that although he may seem helpless he is infact always in control, which is an idea associated with secret agents. The shot further connotes that he is infact an agent because of the mystery behind him. This is because the shot doesn't show his face presenting this idea of mystery which is another convention in thrillers that can be used to create tension.

When the shot pans down into the boat the lighting is much brighter connoting safety for the protagonist. The characters in the boat are filmed with the camera shaking from above which could be a sign that they are at mercie to the sea and their lives are unstable also backed up by the fact they are playing cards which is a sign for luck. These characters contrast to Jason Bourne which means the audience has no idea what will happen if they come into contact. It is this uncertainty that adds to the tension.

When these characters first come into contact a shot reverse shot is used along with eyeline match between the protagonist in the water and the fishermen. This is used to show that the protagonist is about to receive help which is further shown in the fishermens clothes which contrast to the dark windy storm and the black clothing of Jason Bourne, which may connote hope. In addition to this the non-diegetic sound increases in volume to tell the audience that something is going to happen. The music then reaches it's peak and the next shot focuses on Jason Bourne showing his military clothing before cutting to the titles.

The titles used came in muddled up before organising themselves which connotes military or C.I.A training further supporting the fact that the protagonist is an agent. The title being mixed up could further show that the plot or the characters fate is yet unknown creating more mystery. Lastly the font is military showing that the film is based around this concept.

Credit to George

Death Note - (Japanese film) Opening Analysis

(The video above is the whole film because I could not find just the opening sequence online, I'm counting the opening as 00:00 to 01:54)

1. Many many production companys.

2. Credits in the centre of a black screen in a white font.

3. Dark clouds, camera appears to fall through them. clouds are symbolic of mystery and forthcoming darkness.

4. Thunder storm- prophetic fallacy (typical thriller convention)

5. The city of tokyo from above at night, low key lighting, darkness, mystery.

6. Low angle tilt up to a tall building, colour red symbolises danger

7. High angle shot of a book falling onto pavement, camera zooms into book, the words "death note" fade onto the book.

This opening has no real narrative, and does not introduce the main protagonists.

This opening, however, is really good because it is highly ambiguous, and mysterious, keeping the audience hooked on the film as they want to find out what is happening.

The Dark Knight - Opening Analysis

The use of Ice within the sequence begins to build the movie up to be dark and mysterious and keeps a high level of ambiguity. As it is a psychological thriller they use the codes and conventions in the style of Cooper's work. There is also use of macro footage, jump cuts, and flickering of the camera to build suspense.

The use of dark colours within this shot shows the mystery within the whole scene as the colours of the scene are set to only black and white. This shot is very mysterious as is the whole scene as it is quite hard to predict what is about to happen and decipher what is actually happening.  Therefore the convention of being highly mysterious has been kept too, and henceforth  added suspense throughout the narrative in this scene.

Within this clip shown, the glass has been broken or partly destroyed showing that there is a disturbance within the equilibrium. This could be giving the audience an insight into what is about to happen as well as they word 'warns' been magnified by the ice as well as the word 'Gotham'  which is the city Batman protects therefore leaving the audience in suspense that something has happened within the city. This further disrupts the equlibrium, setting the film up to repair order in the form of creating a new equilibrium. 

Casino Royale - Opening Analysis

Analysis:

Events in the opening sequence in chronological order

1. Black and white scene bath room scene - starts with high verisimilitude, starts with the minimal colours theme that continues throughout.

2. Barrel of gun - (the rest of the sequence is animated) in the centre the main protagonist bond stands strong. The audience knows right away that he is the main character. This idea is reinforced throughout as he is the only life-like (non monochrome) person in the whole opening.

3. Blood - after the gun shot, tells the audience that the main protagonist has won the fight.

4. Red black and white card symbols appear on top of the now red background. this links the opening to the title of the film ("casino") .

5. Some symbols form into circle type shapes, which look like flowers. this gives the opening a feminine touch, and ensures the opening animation appeals to all.

6. Strings of symbols look like blood vessels

7. Main protagonist appears in very low key lighting (B+W) sitting in a relaxed position. He is in control of the situation.

8. Introduction of guns. Lots of contrasting colours.

9.Fight scenes in three colours. Main protagonist always in black and white. Bad guy always in red/ yellow + green.

10. Protagonist always keeps showing up either in low key black and white or on posterised black and white.

11. Playing cards, flutter and fall as if they have been thrown into the air.

12. Gun shoot two holes before a 7 (of hearts) forming 007 (protagonists code name).

13. This changes into the screen off a computer with the number 007 on it.

14. Black and white posterised protagonist moves forward and comes into light, changing to lifelike form, re establishing verisimilitude, however it still has vey low key lighting, The image has had most of the saturation taken out of it, giving it an eerie look.

The music is an original high energy piece of non dietetic music.

Thriller Questionare (Version 1) Analysis

From this survey I found out that the main audience for thriller films are 16-21 year olds. The percentage of males to females was bigger however the amount of people who did the survey was odd so therefore the percentage of males may be bigger because of that. I found out the Psychological thriller was the main interest to my audience, so therefore we have decided to make a psychological thriller so that we can get the biggest audience, and a high percentage of audience satisfaction can. The Antagonist is the favourite character within the research of my survey so therefore I need to give the Antagonist the most amount of screen time so that i can keep the audience interested into the film. 

The Male Gaze Theory

The male gaze theory was introduced by Laura Mulvey, the concept of "The male gaze" is to do with how the audience reacts to what is presented on screen. Her theory is that the audience views certain characters from the perspective of a heterosexual male, in that the gaze clearly shows interest in the women that are being portrayed. For this audience reaction to happen the camera angle focuses on the "attractive" parts of a women's body (according to a heterosexual man).
Her ideology focuses on three different things.

• How men look at women
• How women look and portray themselves
• How women look and treat other women

Questionare (Version 1) Link

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QH758DX

Sound and Lighting

There are two types of lighting

1. Low key lighting
2. High key lighting

Low key lighting 

• Slighting silhouetted
• Creates mystery/ draws attention
• Created using only key and back light
• Produces sharp contrast of light and dark areas
• Deep distinct shadows/ silhouettes
• Used in darker films (e.g. horror films)

High key lighting

• More filler lights are used
• Very bright shots
• Creates realistic and natural daylight
• Produces brightly lit sets/ sunny days
• High verisimilitude 
• Used in lighter films (e.g. romcoms)

There are two types of sounds in film

1. Non diegetic 
2. Diegetic

Non diegetic sound

• Sound whose source is not visible
• Often but not always unnatural sounds
• Includes - Narrators commentary
•             -  Sound effects (for dramatic effect)
•             - Atmospheric music

Diegetic sound

• Sound whose source is visible
• Often natural sounds
• High verisimilitude
• Includes - Voices of characters (who are on screen)
•              - Sounds made by objects in frame in the story

Verisimilitude is the appearance of being true or real. Tv shows and films add realism in the there lighting and sound (as well as in other areas) to get verisimilitude. 

Titanic Essay - Improved version

This is the second version of my essay, which improved on the comments my teachers gave me. The highlighted green text signify the parts that are new / I have improved upon.

Discuss the ways in which Cameron has used binary opposites to create meaning in Titanic.

In this extract from Titanic, the director James Cameron presents the primary protagonists Jack and Rose as binary opposites. The extract can be broken down into five sections, the opening shots of the Titanic ship, Rose’s arrival, Rose boarding the ship, Jack’s introduction, and Jack’s race to get on board.

In these establishing, introductory shots Cameron has still used binary opposites to convey his ideas, despite the lack of the film’s primary characters.  The very first thing you see is the shipwrecked titanic laying at the bottom of the ocean, rotting and covered in seaweed. This picture then transforms into the spotless, shining ship at the dock. It is clearly new, and covered in myriads of people. This stark contrast in just the beginning shot shows the audience that not only the rest of opening but also the rest of the film is going to be filled with symbolic binary opposites.

Meaning is also conveyed through Rose’s arrival. Through the crowd on deck we see two cars; the camera zooms into the cars and makes it apparent that the cars are covered in gold, which is an ostentatious show of  wealth.  This juxtaposes Jack as he has no transport; he travels on foot as we see later on in the opening. The car is clearly a very old one, which helps the audience see that the film is set in the past. The car door is opened and out steps the female protagonist ‘Rose’. The first you see of Rose is her hand, which you see from above.  This could connote that Rose feels looked down on and is unhappy. Similarly when Rose turns to face the ship the light shines on her face, this could suggest to the audience the impressiveness of the Titanic. Almost like the boat itself is shining brightly like a beacon. However it quickly becomes apparent by her lack of facial expression that the ship does not impress her at all. This is in contrast to Jack, as he laughs, jokes, and cheers, showing lots of facial expression at his delight of boarding the ship.

Moreover the use of colours on Rose reinforces to the audience her limitless wealth. Rose is wearing a large vibrant purple hat that symbolizes wealth and royalty. She also wears white gloves; this is to avoid direct physical contact with the lower class people helping her out of the car etc. The binary opposite to this is the less wealthy people, as they do not wear colourful clothes, because they cannot afford them. Jack especially cannot buy these clothes, as colourful clothes were a lot more expensive then dull clothes at the time, and as we see slightly later in the opening, Jack is extremely poor.  They wear dull colours, which shows the contrast and divide between rich and poor passengers. This idea is again reinforced whenever Rose is on screen as there is always a lot of light, and bright colours everywhere, not just on clothing. But of course in opposition whenever Jack is on screen the colours are very monotonous, dull, and dark. These colours are in contrast to how the characters feel. Rose is sad and unimpressed, and Jack (the binary opposite) is ecstatic and overwhelmed with happiness. This is not what you might connote from the colours that surround them as characters, but the fact that Cameron has used deception like this could suggest that the Titanic itself is not as it first seems.

When Rose and her family board the ship they are escorted on, helped even. When Jack tries to get on the boat, however, he has to overcome obstacles, like jumping a small gap, and answering questions before he could get on. Rose’s family also skip all of the queues, do not carry their own luggage and they do not get checked for lice, all because they are rich enough to having things done for them, and to bribe others into hushing things up for them. This is how their luggage got on board, as they certainly wouldn’t have carried it themselves. They also walk up to the top of the boat to get on, this is symbolic as it signifies how much more important they are, as they can now physically and metaphorically look down upon the poorer people. In addition to this, the top half of the boat is also coloured white, connoting cleanliness, purity, and another distinct divide between the different classes, as the bottom half of the boat is black. This is where the poorer people get on and where their rooms are. The boats white to black exterior could connote danger, and a foreshadowing for the disaster that is to come.

Jack’s introduction is very different from Rose’s. The actress, who portrayed the character of Rose, at the time was of a much higher status then the actor who played Jack. People going to see the film came to see her, this meant that she had to be prioritised, and therefore be on screen first, and have a more superior  introduction then Jacks.  The first you see of him is through a dirty murky window, which symbolises the divide between him and the outside rich people’s world. The picture inside is of a group of young men who are smoking and gambling on their game of cards. This kind of activity is more associated with the lower classes of people, and immediately tells the audience that these people are much poorer than Rose and her family. The battered cards in their hands tell the audience that they are used a lot, while they also connote that Jacks life is all down to chance, just like betting on a card game.

Furthermore in the centre of the table, there are the coins and possessions that the men are betting on. There are no notes on the table; these men don’t have that kind of money. The presence of items that are not money on table, signify that these men have run out of money, they have put all that they can on the table. This is a stark binary opposite to Rose, and her depth of wealth, as it is vast and is concealed behind her extravagant clothing and indifferent facial expressions.

When Jack and his friend win their tickets to board the Titanic, they have a mad rush to get on before it departs. This in itself is different to Rose’s experience of boarding the ship as she leisurely strolls aboard, he has to run as fast as he can to get around people who don’t move for him.

The editing techniques are even different for the two boarding the ship.  Rose has very slow paced editing, there is a lot of time between changing shots, and she has a lot of long tracking shots. Jack, on the other hand, has very fast paced editing, sharp quick jump cuts between angles. This further opposition communicates with the audience how different Jack and Rose are, and not just because of their class.

To conclude, Cameron has used multiple different signifiers to connote binary opposition between Jack and Rose and their separate classes throughout the opening of Titanic.  

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