Film Opening Research #2 - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

 How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film? 

- 4 + The entire cast: The first is United Artists Presents. The next is the film producer, Alberto Grimaldi. Then Clint Eastwood. Next, the title is shown, "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly." After this, the entire cast was listed.

What images are prioritized in the opening sequence? 

- The images prioritized in the opening scene are black and white close ups of the main actors. They all have a disturbed or angry look on their face. Their is also an image of people at war and horse carriages. The outline of a person riding a horse is also portrayed throughout the opening sequence. The final image is the cannon during the title.

What connotations do the images carry? 

- The images create a very negative connotation. None of them look happy or joyful, and they all are in black and white. There is also guns and fighting shown, which leads us to think that the movie is violent and negative. 

How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset? 

- The genre is reinforced through the images in the west. There are horse carriages, guns, wooden buildings, horses, cacti, and arid land shown throughout the opening sequence. This establishes the western theme that takes place in the wild west, just like other western movies. The music is fast paced and contains desert animal noises, such as the owl. There are also gun shots all throughout the opening sequence. These are all sounds that reinforce the genre.

How does the film establish an enigma from the outset? 

- The film establishes enigma since the audience is wondering why there is so much conflict. They want to know where the gun shots are coming from and what started the war shown in the opening sequence. It also leads us to wonder why everyone looks so serious. This encourages people to keep watching to find the answers to each of these questions. 

What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience? 

- The film appeals to the target the audience by establishing the western theme in the introduction of the film. This suspension and symbols that establish the genre and enigma is how the film appeals to the audience. It all keeps the audience interested and ready for the wild plot of this dramatic western movie.

How has technology been used effectively? You might want to consider camera angles, transitions and editing techniques. 

- The close up shots of the faces show the anger and unforgiving looks on their faces. This effectively establishes the mood of the characters in a war scenario in western movies. The transitions are unique and are painted like a picture; this makes the audience excited to see what image will be painted next. The music also has non-diegetic sounds, such as gun shots and music, which makes the audience wonder where it is coming from.