The Hangover - opening sequence.

The opening scene in the hangover has alot of convensions of a good movie opening, the first 2 minutes and 10 seconds. I will be analysing the movie opening using M.E.L.C.S.
M-mise on scene

• Analysing mise en scene with C.L.A.M.P.S will help.
• C- Costume- There is alot of wedding people setrting up they are all wearing the same costumes symbolising that they are working and helping sort out the wedding. The bride to be is wearing a white dressing gown this shows us that she is being either pampered because of the woman stood next to her sorting out her hair in the mirror. This tells us that she is the woman being married. The older woman is wearing casual clothes but not so casual that she doesnt stand out. The man sat on the sofa reading the magazine is wearing shorts and quite casual clothes for his daughter's big day. Then you have the man stood in the desert on the phone to the bride to be is wearing a tatty shirt and looks rough so we assume that the the other people in the shot next to the car are very simular to how he looks because we dont see them in the opening scene.
• L- Lighting- Included in M.E.L.C.S.
• A- Actors- The actors in the opening scene seem quite disstressed apart from the wedding workers in the scene they seem quite chilled and ready to work. Whereas the bride to be seems distressed when we first see her we see a beautifulk woman then we see her talking to her mother and father and is worried about where her fiance is after the bacholour party. The father of the woman is also chilled as he makes a joke about where and why they are missing, 'There probably on a heater, and you never walk away from a table when your on a heater'. By this we see that the film is going to be humorous. The men at the car are not chilled because we find out they have lost the fiance on the bacholour party in LA this means that the film is going to be a funny, and fast paced film. The actor that plays Phil is also a conotation of a funny actor because people associate him with funny films.
• M- Make up- There is not alot of make up in the first scene apart from the woman getting married she has a little make up on to show her natural beauty and phil when he is on the end of the phone call to tracy (bride to be) he has make up on to highlight the blood on his face also the blood and brusing and the dirty look is make up.
• P- Props- The is alot of props in the first scene the florist van and the flowers symbolising that it is a speical day this is backed up by the fact that there is a wedding cake and a dress and the wedding set-up. Also there is the car in the desert which symbolises loss when someone is lost or missing.
• S- Setting- the main setting of the first scene is the wedding venue, the chairs and alter and the preparation room where the bride to be is being pampered also there is the desert.

E- editing

• There is alot of dissolve shots in the pening scene to show that the images of the wedding set up are emphasised. There is a fade into the wedding cake.

L- lighting

• The lighting in the first scene is mostly high key to set the mood of the scene so that the movie will be funny, also it shows that there is a speical occasion ready to happen.

C- camera

• In the opening scene there is alot of different camera shots for example there are mid establishing shots to show the wedding venue and set the scene. There are close ups on the wedding props for example: the cake, the dress and the chairs. 

S- sound

• There are two types of sound starting of Non Diagetic sound- The music is kind of chilled and not knowing what will happen alos the voicemail when we see the wedding venue thay emphasise the voicemail so that the viewer knows that there is no answer. The diagetic sound we hear is the actors talking.

Convensions of a good film opening that this opening meets

• We are introduced to the main characters.
• There are credits so that we know that there are good actors and we know and find out the producers names.
• It sets the tone and the mood of the film.
• The setting is made clear.
• It creates enigma's.

Enigma's that are created

• Where is doug?
• What has happened?
• What did they do the night before?

Also check out my power point on the opening scene of hangover:

The hangover[1]

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