Research

The Other Boleyn girl

I chose to research this film because it is a film set in the same time period as the film opening we are making. The mise en scene could be quite similar although the content of the film may not be. Another good thing that could come from watching this film is how to establish the relationship between two sisters who are both in love with the same man. This is very similar to our story although we are dealing with cousins not sisters. Also this film was made around a historical event; our story is fictional based around a poem written by a person who would have been alive just after this film was set, this means that the costume and set would be very similar. The film shows themes of betrayal between two relations just like our opening, and so by looking how the scene is set, what mise en scene is used and how they incorporate the titles should give some clear ideas that we can adapt and put in our sequence.

The opening sequence started by showing different idents including BBC films, Columbia pictures and Universal. When the film starts a title is shown on a black background establishing which companies have funded and produced the film. The titles are very simple; they are in plain white writing in a normal font which is very plain, but establishes everything very clearly. After the first title it shows a shot of some corn and the title of the film is then shown. As the titles role displaying actors names and other people involved in the production. Some music is playing softly and slowly crescendos. There are some nice low angle shots through the corn to really ascertain where we are. We had already decided that the beginning was going to start with two girls running through a field and much to my amazement it happened in this opening sequence. The girls (and boy) are laughing and shouting. As the girls are running there is a conversation over the top of their parents talking about how they should marry the children off. I think this idea is good but I think that it distracts focus from what the girls are doing. After this, going from a very colourful shot in the country we are taken to a town which looks very grim and a church bell is heard ringing this in a way shows how time as passed as we then see one of the girls getting dressed. We know it is her because they had just been talking about her wedding and she is wearing a wedding dress. The same as we had decided the girls would then grow up and we would have some shots showing them in different places. At this point in our sequence we want to show a real class difference so it won’t be the same in that they are both together and both wearing nice clothes.

The mise en scene is perfect for the time we are studying in our film and I think it would be really good if we can use their mise en scene ideas in our opening. I think the at the beginning the dresses they are wearing are perfect for our opening and I think it would be very good if we could get some similar dresses. The actors are expensively gowned in red and green fabric which suggests royal, formal wear. I think they should be similar to this but not as extreme as they are just girls who will grow to be maidens married off to lords. I also really like the setting of the place when they grow up. It is a rustic castle that would be perfect. Because we haven’t got a budget for this film we won’t be able to be as accurate as this film but we will try to make it as believable as possible.

The film has some really good ideas and it will help us massively when we come to plan and film our sequence.