The Notebook has a very emotive mood setting opening scene with several establishing shots, panning camera angles and specific lighting choices. The director will have specifically chosen these features of the film so the audience can establish the main theme of the film – an emotional and moving film.
The sequence starts off with a high angle establishing shot. This makes the viewer’s perspective when watching the scene higher up as though they are in the air looking down on the setting, seeming larger than life and as though they are there - a bird above the lake (which is cleverly directed and crafted due to the fact that birds are shown later in slow motion, emphasising the free and calm feeling that the viewer will have when watching this film). As the viewer is in a high angle shot above the lake the sun sets on it lowly, casting a sparkling beam across it. This has connotations of tranquillity and peace due to the fact that the river will be flowing slowly and calmly at the end of the day – this slow pace of the river reflects on the viewer’s mood.
The entire opening is also completely made up of still or slow panning camera shots. This mimics the flowing of the river and also comes back to the director wanting to get the viewer in a specific mood and mind-set before viewing the actual story.
Lastly, the red filter throughout the opening sequence is a very soft red - despite red having connotations of things such as blood, danger or violence, it does not fit in with the pragmatics of the film. This is because this film is a romance/rom-com, therefore there would be no need to suggest elements of the horror genre, therefore the red could have connotations of love - a burning love with a fiery passion. When this soft red filter is combined with the glimmering light settling on the lake in the scene, the setting becomes very visually appealing to the viewer as it suggests many positive things such as serenity, love and being clam.
Conclusion:
Despite this film opening not being the same genre(s) of what my film opening will be, I thought that analysing different genres of film openings would help give me a broad understanding of what to do and what not to do in my opening sequence. For example, from analysing this romance films opening sequence I now know that I must keep my footage fast paced and up beat so that the viewer remains on the edge of excitement - making it slow paced like this film opening could send out a completely different meaning to the film, and i do not want that, I as a director want to have complete control in making clear representations about drama and plot. Also, i must ensure that the colour filters that i add in editing are pragmatically correct to the genre of my film and its plot.
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