Characters in films
Sunday, November 22, 2015Characters in the opening two minutes of a film provide a high level of importance. However, characters are not always needed within this time sequence, as many openings consist of atmospheric shots of the film's setting.
Characters featuring in an opening sequence help to provide a sense of mood/genre to summarise the overall film. This is usually created through their appearance as well as their personality. For instance, if they appear to be witty/clumsy/funny, this may imply that the film is a comedy. If a character looks lifeless/gruesome, this may indicate that they are a villain and the film could be a thriller/horror/action-adventure. Characters also help to direct the movie storyline to the audience though narration or narrative, which are usually said by a fictional individual who plays a significant role in the film. Additionally, characters who are introduced within the first two minutes of a film helps the audience to know/understand them better throughout the entire duration, thus making them aware they are perhaps important.
As well as characters, setting is also a significant factor that helps to bring a film to life - these aspects are usually linked as they can both suggest significant moods as well as characteristics. Villains are typically linked with dark and desolate places, whereas heroins are usually associated with bright, happy and colourful surroundings.
Character Profiles
Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump is an extremely iconic and memorable character. This is because he faces a variety of setbacks and misfortunes, yet still has a positive outlook on life and manages to maintain a compassionate and happy attitude throughout the film. He comes across as being a very helpful and having a sentimental nature towards other people, despite his strong naivety. His gullible and childlike approach to scenarios make him a very distinctive character.
Forrest Gump is the main character in a film called 'Forrest Gump', which is about him facing challenges throughout his life. The story is mostly narrated retrospectively, but in the end it goes chronologically. It is told from a third-person view, but Forrest narrates the story. This shows that the narrative reveals the character's inner thoughts, personality and his outlooks towards situations fairly vividly. The film starts out in a comical and happy tone, but goes on to be sad further into the movie. The key theme in "Forrest Gump" is life and not to give up on it by managing the obstacles on one's path. Through this, the audience can see that Forrest faces all of these challenges but pulls himself through them as they came.
Forrest Gump is not exactly shown in the 2 minutes of the opening sequence until the very end, where a close up shot focuses on his feet, and slowly moves upwards. The dirtiness of his shoes and his stripey socks against the unmatched colour of his suit, implies that Forrest Gump is a clumsy and uncoordinated character. Despite this, the audience still does not see much of him in the first 2 minutes - this shows that a film character does not have to feature in an opening to be iconic.
Forrest Gump is not exactly shown in the 2 minutes of the opening sequence until the very end, where a close up shot focuses on his feet, and slowly moves upwards. The dirtiness of his shoes and his stripey socks against the unmatched colour of his suit, implies that Forrest Gump is a clumsy and uncoordinated character. Despite this, the audience still does not see much of him in the first 2 minutes - this shows that a film character does not have to feature in an opening to be iconic.
Katniss Everdeen
Katniss Everdeen is the main character and narrator of the Hunger Games sequel. Because of this, she is a highly iconic character, and is highly influential and significant to the people of the 12 Districts. She is portrayed as being unique from the first film of the sequel towards the finale, from volunteering and winning the 74th hunger games to being viewed as the 'Mockingjay'/leader of the revolution against the nemesis, the Capitol. She is quite quiet and keeps many of her thoughts to herself, which makes the audience feel more intrigued to know her.
Katniss Everdeen takes high control of the narrative, as the hunger games plot would abruptly and quickly conclude if she died. The plot follows after her and the precise decisions she makes, that would otherwise impact of the film's world differently if she didn't take them. For example, if she did not volunteer for the 74th Hunger Games, her sister would of conflicted and possibly die in it. It was her fate to be the Mockingjay of the rebellion, so therefore the storyline of the Hunger Games trilogy was dependent on what she did. By the end of the four films, the audience have a clear understanding of Katniss's persona in a variety of ways as well as her thoughts and emotions.
In the opening of the first Hunger Games film, the audience does not find out much about Katniss Everdeen and her importance in the film. They only discover that she is a caring person because she comforts her distressed sister from a nightmare. In the opening of the second film of the series, Catching Fire, the audience first discover that she is a hunter because she is wearing a bow and arrow. They also find out that Katniss Everdeen has a quick response to the smallest of sounds, as she quickly turns around and points her arrow at a man. Additionally, the audience can also gather that Katniss Everdeen has faced trauma in the past (first film) as she shoots her arrow at a turkey but views it as a human once the arrow struck it. In the opening sequences of Mockingjay part 1 and 2, not much can be identified about Katniss Everdeen apart from that she lies in a hospital bed in both of the opening 2 minutes. This implies that before Part 1and between Part 1 and Part 2, the character was faced with happenings that impacted on her health.
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a highly iconic character, his clothing being a factor of this. Deerstalker caps, magnifying glasses and dressing gowns & pipes are associated with the character - if he were to be seen he would be instantly recognised. What also makes Sherlock Holmes highly iconic, is his extravagant ability to solve crimes and mysteries in a way no one else can. He was described to be "the most perfect reasoning and observing machine that the world has seen". He is incredibly clever and analytical, for example he can find out a lot about a person through minuscule assets, e.g. through stains on their clothing. Sherlock is also significantly identified to be an introvert in the sense that he finds it difficult to relate to people - especially women. He is always determined to outdo his brother Mycroft.
Although there are many adaptations of Sherlock Holmes, the character adds to the narrative to a great extent. This is because all filmed variations of Sherlock Holmes follow his life - what clues he is finding, what crimes he is solving and his relationships with particular people, e.g. Watson. Sherlock Holmes take high control of the narrative, as the films/programmes would not be the same if he died, because there is not another character in the adaptations quite like him.
Because of the numerous adaptations of Sherlock Holmes, its hard to compress how much the audience finds out about Sherlock in the opening 2 minutes. This is because he is presented in different ways and scenarios in each episode of each series of the television drama. However, in the first two minutes of the Sherlock Holmes (2009) film, the audience can discover that Sherlock Holmes is an active and energetic character, as he attempts to run away from a carriage by jumping over obstacles. The men within the carriage are holding guns, which implies that they are after Sherlock Holmes to shoot him - thus suggesting to the audience that he is in trouble.
Although there are many adaptations of Sherlock Holmes, the character adds to the narrative to a great extent. This is because all filmed variations of Sherlock Holmes follow his life - what clues he is finding, what crimes he is solving and his relationships with particular people, e.g. Watson. Sherlock Holmes take high control of the narrative, as the films/programmes would not be the same if he died, because there is not another character in the adaptations quite like him.
Because of the numerous adaptations of Sherlock Holmes, its hard to compress how much the audience finds out about Sherlock in the opening 2 minutes. This is because he is presented in different ways and scenarios in each episode of each series of the television drama. However, in the first two minutes of the Sherlock Holmes (2009) film, the audience can discover that Sherlock Holmes is an active and energetic character, as he attempts to run away from a carriage by jumping over obstacles. The men within the carriage are holding guns, which implies that they are after Sherlock Holmes to shoot him - thus suggesting to the audience that he is in trouble.
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