Analysis of Film Openings - Dazed and Confused

I have chosen to analyse the opening to Dazed and Confused because it could be considered to be a part of the coming of age drama genre, which is the genre which I am hoping to establish within the film opening which I am going to make.  

Universal title card connotes mainstream film -
everything else in the opening makes it
seem like an independent 

The first notable thing about this film opening is the Universal title card at the beginning. This connotes that the film has been made by a mainstream company, so is likely to be targeting a mainstream audience. However, as the opening continues and the audience sees many teenagers taking drugs, the idea of the film being targeted at a mainstream audience seems to then become questionable, as such ideas are usually aimed towards niche audiences. This could mean that the film is one of very few made by Universal to target a niche audience, which connotes the sense of freedom and rule-breaking which is a theme throughout the coming of age genre. 

The characters are seen to be teenagers, and committing
activities which wouldn't usually be associated with them,
for example taking drugs. This connotes both a comedy
and a coming of age film.

The main signifier that the genre of the film is going to a coming-of-age drama/comedy is the age of every single character who is seen in the opening. None of them look to be any older than 16 or 17, which connotes that they are still yet to undertake the transition from being a teenager to being an adult - this suggests to the audience that the film will show how these characters grow up. However, it could also be debated that the opening of the film shows that it is going to be a comedy - surreal situations such as teenagers doing drugs, and the upbeat music, both connote that the film is going to be a comedy, as they suggest a sense of recklessness within the film. However, there are also elements of a drama within this opening, as it is set in a realistic location - a high school. Because everybody in the audience would have been to school at some point, this means that there are high levels of verisimilitude within the opening, which is a key signifier of a drama film. Because of this, the genre would appear to be a coming of age comedy. This is quite similar to the precise genre of film which I wish to make, although I would rather that my film contained some serious aspects as well. 

In terms of narrative, little is actually discovered, although the film opening shows the potential for lots to happen. All of the students appear to be standing together in small groups - these groups could end up coming together or feuding together. Because of this, it seems that the writers have decided that revealing as little of the narrative as possible is the best way for the opening of the film to serve its purpose, which is to keep the audience interested enough to enjoy the rest of the film.

The girl rolling a cigarette suggests what the representation
of women in the rest of the clip may be

Little is revealed about each of the characters, although the activities which they are each doing connotes a rebellious spirit in some form. The highly modified car which two characters are seen in connotes a disregard for safety, with them more interested in looking good to their peers. This is typical of a coming of age film, especially in the opening, as it hooks the audience in as they want to find out what happens to the characters due to their decisions. This idea of the characters trying to rebel against something is continued in the next shot, which shows a girl rolling up a cigarette. Smoking is usually associated with males within the media, so this could connote that she is trying to break out of the typical boundaries of femininity, which again shows the rebellion within the mindset of the characters. Finally, showing the graffiti across lockers connotes the overall rebellious spirit of everybody within the film - the words say "seniors '76", which suggests that it is more than just individual characters who are going to be going against something within the film.

The atmosphere within the opening is one of unity. The technical aspect which shows this is the use of high key lighting almost throughout - it connotes that the characters are all bound together by being the same age, being at the same school, or perhaps something which cannot immediately be noticed. However, a contrasting atmosphere within the opening is one of absent morals. Whilst the idea of teenagers smoking in schools is commonplace within the media of today, when this film was made 20 years ago it would have probably been more shocking, which would have presented the characters in a bad light. This connotes that the atmosphere is only one of unity because the

characters are ignoring the things which should be stoping them from being unified.

The film is shown to be set in a high school through
this and a variety of other visual iconography

There are lots of both visual and audio iconography throughout the opening which show the audience the setting. The styling of the cars in the opening shot shows that the film is set pre-1980s, as these shapes began to become unpopular around this time period. Another piece of visual iconography which shows the time period the film is set in is the font of the titles. It is the rounded font which was seen on the cover of lots of 1970s rock album covers - it suggests that the film is set some time in the 1970s. This then links in with the audio which can be heard behind the action, as the song is by Aerosmith, a band who's most popular phase was in the 1970s. Finally, the most notable visual iconography of the time period is that almost every character is wearing flairs. These were the piece of fashion which were associated with the 1970s more than anything else, so this all but confirms the decade it was set in. Whilst the setting of the time period is fairly noticeable, it is the location setting which is a bit harder to spot. It is clearly in a high school, as connoted by large amount of teenagers within the clip. Due to the fact some of them are driving, it is likely that it is set in America, because there are much more lenient rules about teenagers driving in America than they are in the UK. In addition to this, the background song is by an American band, which further connotes that it is set in America. Despite all of these visual and audio clues about the setting, the

exactly location and date are told to the audience at the end of the opening.

There is very little diegetic sound within the opening, as whilst it is seen that characters are talking, the audience cannot hear what they are saying. This adds a sense of mystery about them, which connotes that maybe the film is going to be darker than the initial feeling of the film, which is one of comedy. Because of this, the main sound in this opening is the non-diegetic song in the background. This song completely sums up the mood of the characters in the piece - its fast tempo connotes their recklessness and disregard, and its instrumentation and lyrics immediately connote summer, which is the first hint that the film may show the characters on their summer break from school.

This font connotes the setting of the film as being
in the 1970s due to the shape of the letters

Finally, the titles within the opening tell the audience a lot about the rest of the film. As I previously mentioned, the "bell-bottomed" font of the titles connotes the setting of the film as being sometime in the 1970s. Even more interestingly, the titles only list the names of the crew who worked on the film, there is no mention of the cast within the titles. This could suggest that there are no notable actors appearing in the film, which seems ironic considering the Universal title card which the film opened with. Not listing any of the actors could also suggest that there is no real star within the film - this again goes back to the theme of unity which I previously mentioned. However, despite most of the things about the titles being fairly unusual, the titles of the cast do run in the order which is seen in almost every film, as they start with jobs like casting and camera, and run through to director.  

Studying the opening to this film has shown me the importance of establishing scene and setting within the opening of my film. Almost everything which is on screen in this opening has been done in order to establish the setting, and with culture being at the foundation of a coming of age film, it is likely that the success of my film opening will depend on how quickly it establishes a certain setting, and culture within that setting.