Godfather title sequence

The Godfather’s titles consist of just name strips which appear over police records of mug shots, or as a autograph on the back of pictures as they come onto the screen. All of the titles are in white upon a black background, other than the autographs. These titles are very small and slightly draw just as much attention to them as needed. The shots may display “dramatic irony”, by showing mug shots, which are also used in prison. They may also show a gang, or gang culture and crime, as they are shown one after the other, the colour used is shown to display older times that link to the old family pictures, the lack of colour may be used to show a darker side to these men shown. As the titles come and go, the pictures change and notes come up, this may show a sense of family and being linked. The screen then fades to black and the last title, the name comes up.

Soprano’s Title

The Sopranos title sequence,  a first person view is used all of the time, and this is used to show the audience what the driver, is seeing, this may be a main character as the audience sees him in the shots sometimes.  Different parts of New Jersey are shown, these may be later shooting locations and to show what is to come, different views are used and this may set a delightful mood on the audience. This links to the music, which is also upbeat and happy. This may be used to trick the audience, for what is later to come.

Action Carried Out	Risk	How this can be prevented or changed
Filming the first shot of the opening scene.	The weather being different than forecast (snow) or a reflection in the windows which shows the film crew in the background from the windows.	Check the weather consistently and if the weather was to change, we can sweep any snow away out of the shot or break and remove any ice. We also shall angle the camera away from the door so there is not a direct reflection of the camera.
Lighting up the inside of the restaurant.	Wires on the floor causing health and safety risks. The angles of the lights may be difficult to produce and also in some cases depending on what is in the restaurant	Using proper ladders and stand if needed for the lighting and tape the wires to the floor to insure that there are no hazards of people tripping and injuring themselves.
Props and Clothing	All props and clothing may not match the theme and this would ruin the atmosphere. The clothes may also make the characters hard to see in the light because of the colours used.	All clothing and props must be decided on and if this problem occurs the colours must be changed.
Glass Breaking in the shooting of the gun shot	Breaking glass would be really dangerous and this would be a health and safety hazard as someone could be cut or seriously injured.	There will be no real glass used in this shot but sugar glass alternative to resemble the smashing of real glass but with no hazard to anyone who is taking part in this scene.
Shooting of a gun inside a restaurant	The public outside of the restaurant maybe able to see into the scene while the shooting is occurring and may be distressed to see  gun being shot even though it is not a real one but a look alike. This could cause problems as a member of the public may do the correct thing and call the police although they are un knowing of what is going on. This could get our whole shot into alot of trouble	As we are in a private place we should have no problems gaining permission to use guns on set although with this issue we will need to tell the authorities of the area of the restaurant that we are going to be using a look alike firearm to insure that there are no miss under standings and that no one is forced to waste their time.

Codes And Conventions

Opening
This is the first few minutes of a film which is placed so that the audience watching the film know what the plot is, as the plot of the movie is in these first few minutes. If these few minutes are not good than these can make the audience feel confused and lost when the rest of the film is playing.


Gangster Movies
Motifs of The Gangster Genre

1. The hero is an immigrant who dislikes his low status in life and wants more.

2. Unlike the Western, this story takes place in the big city. The wide open plains have been traded in for the seedy alleyways and wharves of the urban jungle.

3. The gangster can only gain power by taking it. It is survival of the fittest, and the only law is the law of the jungle.

4. The only loyalty the gangster feels is for his own immigrant roots.

5. Success is measured in material goods - flashy cars, expensive clothes, and mansions. Women are measures of success as well.

6. The hero's antagonist is society, and the enforcers of the law. The police, the FBI, the CIA represent the enforcers of societal status quo.

7. The end justifies the means.