Thursday, 29 September 2016

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Film Opening Analysis

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Director: Tim Burton
Year: 2005
Production Co: Warner Bros. Village    Roadshow Pictures    Plan B Entertainment
Distributor: Warner Bros    FilmFlex
Budget: $150 million
Box Office: $475 million

This imaginative and comedic 2005 film is based on the popular Roald Dahl tale of a young boy named Charlie Bucket. His fortunes change when he wins a ticket for a tour around the most magnificent chocolate factory in the world, and during, meets the most unusual chocolate maker. I will now analyse the films opening and the impression it gives onto the rest of the film.




Film Productions




Warner Bros. Ident : 6 seconds


Village Roadshow Pictures : 6 seconds


Unlike many films, where the company idents are put in before the opening of the film starts, these idents are integrated within the start of the film, followed by the titles (which I will analyse later). I chose to mention this and I think that putting the idents, fading in and out between the snow and sky at the beginning of the opening, brings the audience immediately into the mysterious setting in which the director wishes to portray.


Opening shots


The first shot that the viewers see contain, what we guess is, the chimneys of the chocolate factory. It is a long shot that travels through the snow and the clouds, until it discovers the chimneys; this is effective as it continues with the same environment and establishing shot that the company idents appear in. The tall chimneys, that climb into the air from what we assume is a large, industrialised factory contrast marginally with the birds eye shot that we see right at the end of the film opening which shows that this extravagant factory is surrounded by small terrace houses, showing connotations of the poverty that surrounds the factory.







The camera then, in the same continuous shot, zooms closer into the central chimney before climbing to the top where it enters. This shot is effective as it makes the reader feel like they are part of the journey, and they are about to enter the factory and witness what the characters will witness later in the film.



Titles












This film, like many others, uses its opening title sequence to reel the audience in at the beginning of the film. This style of titles is called 'hook'. As well as the words being in a simple, clear font - supporting the target audience of younger people watching the film, the titles compliment the film very well. The colour choice of the text, is golden, giving representations of the golden ticket and the exciting, rare opportunity that will be given in the film to witness the inside of the factory, just as the viewers are witnessing first.

The titles in the opening follow the journey of the chocolate being made in the factory, being packaged up and finally but in vans to be distributed to shops. This is an effective way of incorporating the titles, as instead of titles on a blank, uninteresting screen, failing to grab the viewers attention, the viewers experience an insight into the factory, the making of the chocolate, and the golden tickets, before anyone else. They even have a glimpse of a mysterious, unknown hand, that we guess is the usual character 'Willy Wonka'. This is a use of narrative enigma to reel the audience in and start to tell a story.




















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