Opening Sequence Analysis

This Is England - Opening sequence analysis. 

The opening sequence of the 2006 film This is England does not introduce to any of the characters and instead lists the various production companies and introduces us to some of the cast's names as well as the director's. Alternatively we are immediately introduced to the setting of the film: Britain in the early 1980's. It involves multiple video footage of key events, all images with British background, from the time the film is set giving the audience an insight to the current happenings in England at the time which offers foreshadowing of events for the audience as well as contextual knowledge. The opening scene could've been delivered to the audience this way so they had more of a circumstantial grasp of the film before any plot is seen. It also raises enigmas, a theory from Barthes, for the audience of why are we being shown these images? How do they relate to the plot of the film? This encourages the audience to continue watching as they want to be provided with the answers these questions which will be given if they pursue their viewing. 

The initial 39 seconds of the film consist only of the logos of the production companies. The first thing the audience sees is a red fire-engine which has been set alight the vehicle being the main focus of the screen as it is central and over a black background, the image is soon intensely zoomed in on to reveal the FilmFour logo. This may have been done to show how violence will be a prominent theme in the film or how this film company is most influential for the film as well as hinting towards the darker nature of the film. This sets the film up as a British film straight from the outset. 

A total of 5 production companies logo's appear in the first 39 seconds, all of which are British. This shows how the film is already potentially categorized as part of the gritty realism genre as it is a British genre solely carried out by British film companies. These logos are frequently in a white font on a plain black background which could've been done to show the importance of the British companies and make them appear more protuberant and important. This could be an early indication of the theme of nationalism within This is England. Furthermore the drastic difference of the font and background colors could point towards racial tension within in the film and the fact that the titles are more prominent over the black background could suggest how characters may potentially feel they as Britons are superior to any others.

The initial opening sequence does not follow Todorov's narrative theory as no narrative is shown within the first 2 minutes, instead it presents the audience with a number of clips promoting British behaviour at the time the film is set. After the logos are shown a black screen is shown which quickly jump cuts to seemingly old video footage of an animal puppet, which may be a popular television character at its time, begins speaking saying "testing, testing, 123. Is it working Kev?" in a British accent. This is the first real film footage the audience sees and the fact of it being a British puppet on television suggests a strong sense of British pride within the film. As well as this, the character is likely to be from a children's Televison show which may have been the producer's way of introducing the audience to the prospect that a child or young person may be a strong feature or character/s within the film. By having this clip of the puppet played first and it being the initial footage the audience is introduced to could have connotations to the audience that children, or a child, is the most significant part of the film and is the character we will be Introduced to first. Music soon starts, a non-diegetic soundtrack begins to play a song called '54-46 was my number' by Toots and the Maytals as the image changes to a short video of the ex-prime minister Margaret Thatcher who was a controversial figure who held very right wing views. The close up video footage of her face may have been chosen to show the significance she had over people at the time and how she may be a large feature in the films. As well as this the song used in the opening sequence is a reggae song often associated with the group Rastafarian. Editors may have used this music to signify that a particular group or cult of people similar to 'Rastafarians' may be featured within This Is England. 

As this footage fades numerous clips begin to be shown with actors, the director and producer of the film. These are shown as a white font which has the effect of scratched or flaked paint. This particular font may have been chosen to show the disadvantaged living situation for the characters within the film as they live in a deprived area which could potentially be government provided housing. White is used as the colour for the font whenever it is used which could hint towards potential racial tension and views of white and British supremacy in the film. Furthermore, the text also features rolling numbers in the same font beneath the names which could potentially be the numbers of a group or the population number in Britain at the time. Shane Meadows' name is displayed during this opening sequence, who is the director of this film. His name being shown indicates towards the gritty realism genre as he is a very popular director for other gritty realism films such as 'Once Upon a Time In The Midlands', 'Somers Town' and 'Twenty Four Seven'.  

18 seconds of the initial opening sequence is taken over by various videos full of patriotic sentiment, prominently seen in the mise en scene of the clips. The event these clips are from are the main focus of the 2 minutes opening sequence as it has the vastest time scale based on one event. This event is the marriage of Prince Charles to Diana which took place in 1981. This event was very consequential as it inspired nationalists and patriots throughout Britain, which is evident as the expository shot used in one of the footages shows a huge crowd in front of Buckingham palace many of which who wave the Union jack and are wearing Union Jack memorabilia. After this, a long shot of the couple and members of the Royal family are on the balcony is shown where the iconic balcony kiss is shown which started off a new tradition in the Royal family. Editors may have shown clips of this event for the longest amount of time because it shows true patriotism and gives clues to the audience that this is what the film will be about. 

Overall the opening sequence of this is England does not introduce the audience to any characters. However, it does introduce the audience to key themes that will feature throughout the entirety of the film, such as patriotism, childhood and violence. Furthermore it also sets the time scale and setting of the film, Britain in the 1980's. 

Once Upon A Time In The Midlands - Opening sequence analysis.