Analysis of 'John Tucker Must Die' Opening Sequence

John Tucker Must Die (2006)

Director: Betty Thomas

Writer: Jeff Lowell

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSFXDOA8iXg up to 4:18

Sound:

the non-diagetic sounds can firstly be heard loudly with a happy up beat sound with clapping and drumming whilst the main credits are being shown including the title. I believe that they have used this type of music to resemble the comedy that you will then hear from the characters voice over. The music is quite upbeat and would be the type of music you would hear for a younger target audience type of film.  When the voice over then can be heard above the non-diagetic music, the music plays more quietly so that her voice can be heard. The voice over is of a typical teenage American girl, and sounds like what you'd expect from this type of film, as the character seems fairly down to earth and quite comical with what she is saying. Also with what she is saying, some of the audience may resemble with whats she saying. She also mentions a key part about love, indicating that this film has a romantic side to it, resembling its 'Rom-Com' genre. As the scene carries on, they use different type of music such as a 'rock and roll' type of song playing over the scene that cannot be heard within the film, until you get to the school sports hall, where you can hear the cheering and screaming from the basketball fans watching the game and the songs that can be heard from the 'school band'.

Mise-en-Scene:

The opening of this film shows different locations but is generally set within a school environment, or where a teenager would hang about, like their house. This shows that the film is do with every day lives within teenagers, and is just a film based on teenage affairs. The outfit that the main female character is wearing when we first see her, shows her to be in a larger crowd and just one of a number with no real attention on her, quite timid and childish with her hair still in pig-tails and in clothes such a dungarees or a long sleeved shirt. We also get to see from the character of 'John Tucker' how he is quite a ladies man and has all the attention within his sports hall and in the school enviroment. We also are shown three other female main characters, each with different styles and personalities, indicating the different stereotypes and the different cultures all teenagers are from.

Editing:

There is quite a bit of editing used within the opening sequence of John Tucker Must Die, such as freezes on frames jump cuts and action matches. I think these types of editing skills, like the freeze frames, emphasise with the audience and lets them get a direct feel of what the film is about. The action shot from when John Tucker puts the basketball in the net, emphasise what an impact it is meant to have on the other characters around him, and repeats the shame shot again and again in from different angles and directions to show this.

Camera:
There have been many camera angles and different shots used within the opening sequence. Many of them are mid shots to show the characters or tracking shots when John Tucker is playing basketball. The camera shots are quick and combined with editing are hard to follow. There have been many crane shots, or birds eye view shots used when the basketball is put in the net, and also when the cheerleader is dancing. I think that all the different camera shots used in the same scene shows the diversity of all the emotions that is going on and how busy it is meant to feel resembling teenage life.

Titles:
The titles that have been used are first shown right at the beginning of the scene and against a black background with a white font used that looks similar to a chalk board writing. This would implicate that perhaps the film is revolved around a school environment and has a lot to do with teenagers and gives the sense that the film the persona that it involves youth and has got a childish, unserious tone towards it. 
As the opening sequence carries on, the titles and credits are shown in the right or left hand bottom corner of the frame, still with the same font and colour, but just embedded within the scene showing the actors names etc. By having this at the beginning and within the scenes itself it is not that noticeable but still you can see it. 

Conventional Elements: 
The conventional elements that have been included in the opening sequence

• Titles 
• Opening credits
• Film companies

The locations change throughout the opening sequence but then are focused strongly around the school environment. The characters are diverse in their personalities yet all wear normal stereotypical teenage clothes.