Shameless opening sequence analysis

To analyse opening sequences i chose the opening to Shameless series 3 as i feel it follows many of the conventions you would expect to see.
Firstly, within the opening sequence you will discover the main character that is going to be in the program. This main character is quite obviously Frank Gallagher, as he is doing the commentary to introduce you to his family and friends. From the opening sequence, you can tell this character and the majority of the people he has gone through and named are going to be important in the program, and going to play a vital role, without even watching the program itself.
Secondly, mise-en-scene is used to exaggerate the genre of the drama and make it clear to the audience what should be expected. For example, when Karl, Franks son, is shown you see him holding a condom. From this prop you can presume that the program is maybe going to be a bit rude and explicit, but also quite humerous at the same time. Furthermore, you see Debbie in daylight stealing something. The way its shown in daylight automatically shows she is not bothered about getting caught and is going to be quite mischevious - this is then followed when she gets stopped by the police in full uniform and doesnt seem to phased by the fact she has been caught. Similarly, at the end of the sequence you see a lot of people with a police car, this use of props and costume implies that the drama is going to contain a lot of crime and maybe some violence.
In most opening sequences, you tend to also get a recap of the previous episode. However, as this is the opening to a brand new series it is slightly different but still following a similar convention. As some people may of forgot what happened in the previous series, Frank is running through what each character is doing at the moment and 'where they stand' within the program. This is useful as it helps people put the characters into perspective and to remind them of what is going in within the story line to help welcome them into the new series.
Also, there is a theme tune, which is common within all TV Dramas. This makes the audience automatically know that the programme is about to start, or if you were in another room it would be an interpellation - therefore grabbing our attention. However, it is not as distinct in this opening as Frank is doing a voice over, but it is still there and would be recognisable to any Shameless watcher.
And, as with near enough all TV dramas the name of the programme is shown within the opening titles. SHAMELESS is in big letters at the very end with the name of the creater underneath - which is another common convention. Normally, there would be some directors, producers or actors/actresses names, but that may be because there's been a lot of talking and a lot to take in from the opening credits, so they have kept it simply by just using the creators name to finalise the titles.

Shameless opening sequence

Analysing the Hollyoaks scene

Characters
- Warren - in this clip, as he is the one stuck in the fire the audience is made to feel sorry for him. However, if you are a regular viewer you would know that he is actually the 'bad guy' and therefore fans of Hollyoaks would not feel sympathy for Warren in that situation. He is a key character throughout Hollyoaks with his 'badboy' image, so him being in a fire like this was a very random shocking storyline.
- Hannah - She is also a key character in Hollyoaks, so when we see her lying on the floor here we feel great concern for her. She has always had a troubled roll in Hollyoaks, playing the struggling anorexic, so to see her so vulnerable and ill isnt nice.
- Sasha - As she loves Warren, it is clear she would be panicked and distressed to find out her lover is stuck inside the fire. She blames Justin for what has happened, even though it actually has nothing to do with him. Yet because they do not like eachother, he seems like an easy target.
- Justin - Getting blamed for starting the fire yet actually didnt have anything to do with starting it.

Stories
- The main story line within this particular scene is the death of Warren. As he has been tied up with no escape out of this fire that has took over 'The Loft' we know that unles a miracle happens, that the character is going to die. Yet, we as the audience know that Louise, Warrens evil ex business partner, started the fire... But as she has now got herself trapped inside, Justin is getting the blame for Warren being stuck. Hannah has been dragged out the fire, so now this also reflects bad on Justic as it now makes him look like he nearlly killed his girlfriend and his boss (Warren). The storyline is set in the traditional well known Hollyoaks village, which any Hollyoaks viewer would recognise easily with the stairs, the beauty salon, the casual shop and where the fire is - The Loft.

Camerawork
- Low Angle Shot - This is used within the first 15secs of the clip to make Justin seem confused and dazed. He is shot from below not to show power, but so you can see him moving around and paniking.
- Close Up - At 14seconds a close up of Hannah is used to show the horrendous state she is in. Mise-en-scene is used here as she has all the proper medical equiptment over her face etc to make it look like she is genuinely really suffering.
- Establishing Shot / Birds Eye View- As this is not a clip from the start of the episode, this establishing shot lets you see exactly what is happening without watching from the very start. The high angle shot gives a birds - eye view of what is happening - the ambulance being there, the fire, the crowd building and Hannah on the floor.
- Panning and Tilt Shots - Between 20-50 seconds, lots of little short shots of Warren in the fire are shot. These are all took from different angles, changing the perspective for the viewer. The way all the shots are so short and scattered reflects how Warren is confused, struggling to concentrate and paniking.

Dialogue
- There is little dialogue within this 2 minute clip, this is because as there is so much action going on, there is little need for dialogue to confirm exactly what is going on. As the audience, you are so interested to watch whats going on and to see whats going to happen next with the fire, you tend to want to focus more on the filming itself with the non diagetic music, rather than listen out for lots of dialogue.

Music
- Non Diagetic - At the start of the clip there is very slow music, this slows the pace of the scene down and contrasts with the paniky atmosphere. Its also quite sad music, which therefore gives you a clue that something even worse is about to happen - like Warrens death. Yet when we go back to seeing Warren, the music speeds back up, implying that more action is about to commense, speeding up the pace of the clip and making things more exciting and adding to the tesion.
-Diagetic- The use of the noise of the fire is very effective in this scene as you can hear it crackling etc, this makes it sound more furocious and makes you as the audience more worried as you can hear the fire getting closer to Warren.

Hollyoaks - a teenage soap
In this particular clip, there is nothing to really emphasise the sub genre this program belongs to. However normally, the teens are all in their school uniforms, you can see the local shops and restaurants that come up in most scenes and the pub would be shot, as this is a main location that is used in Hollyoaks.

Hollyoaks scene

Distribution

What is distribution?

Distribution (the pig-in-the-middle) is about releasing and sustaining films in the market place. In the UK, distribution is very much focused on marketing and sustaining a global product in local markets. This process is where films are brought to life and connected with an audience in the most profitable and global way possible.


Licensing
This is where the distributor gets the legal rights to exploit the film that has been made. It can take place on 2 levels -

International distribution -
Ensures the film makes it to the 90+ territories around the world.
They might get a sales agent to set up a stall at film markets that run throughout the year - this person will understand the value of the film in many different markets

Local distribution -
Involves the distributor getting the rights to exploit the film in a particular country.
The distributor will pay the licensor a fee to exploit the film, and then the distributor will then be offered the rights to to distribute the film in different ways (eg on TV, in theatres, in cinemas)

Marketing
A film will near enough always be released on a Friday, and will be released at a time when there is no other films that are similar to it being released. Also, they will pick a period of time to show the film when there isnt many releases, therefore giving them more space in newspapers to be reviewed and increasing the chance of people chosing to see that particular film.

Prints/Advertising
Fewer than 10 prints will be sent to independant cinemas - but around 200 will be sent around the UK to all the major towns and cities.
The main way to advertise the film is -
Have press reviews, have trailers broadcasted, use magazines and newspapers, have a press campaign, use the actors/directors to promote the film and the distributor will consider having advanced public screenings to create 'word of mouth'.

Logistics
This is getting the film from place to place - physically distributing the film around the UK in lorries/vans.
The film will be on many 35mm print and each print costs £1000.
Each reel will run for about 20minutes at 24 frames a second.
So a physical film will normally be on 5-6 reels.