Planning: Open Scene Narration - Miss Begum

What is an opening scene narration? Why is it important?

An opening scene narration is a written story that follows events chronologically therefore it gives meaning to it.

Scene Narration:

     The scene begins with an extreme close up of many bits of paper torn into pieces and being left on the floor creating a chaotic atmosphere for the audience. Then a crane shot reveals more cut outs which form the very first opening credit, the production name. The image cross-cuts into the front cover of Elle magazine, the model on the front cover has been beheaded which already concerns the audience and triggers their fear because it is an unusual and barbaric act. The screen crosses back to the messy pieces of paper, displaying a close up of another acknowledgment, the director’s name. Quick shot of a double page spread with more beheaded models is accompanied by an eerie sound, making the audience feel much more worried and inquisitive because this is such a sadistic idea. As the scene develops, a cross cut shows a close up of a hand drawing a ‘W’ with a red lipstick, thus creating a sense of violence because red connotes blood; making the audience scared. Back to the floor, there is more opening credits, this time it’s the main casts in the film written on the newspaper cut outs. This is accompanied by continued eerie non-diegetic sound which is enhanced by the change of pace, tone and volume in order to have a bigger effect and be more recognizable by the viewer. By the third cast member, a medium close up displays a red bra which is grabbed in a sharp movement by an anonymous hand. This already makes the viewer assume that someone must be in a hurry or stress because they are rushing, thus making the audience feel tense too because very little is explained to them.

     In the middle of the sequence a zoom in on the mannequin makes the viewer place their full attention on this iconography, hence infer that this will be a significant part of the scene. This short frame cross-cuts back into the opening credits, now acknowledging the editor. Because of this short edits the audience cannot form a clear structure therefore making them feel insecure and ambiguous. The camera quickly cuts back to a close up of the mirror, this time an ‘S’ is drawn on with the red lipstick which is confusing to the audience as the sentence is not fully revealed; making them curious. Another straight cut presents a medium close up of more magazine covers with female underwear on the floor which is grabbed off the screen by a hand. This is accompanied by eerie non-diegetic sound, thus making the viewer feel uncomfortable because this is quite uncommon and seems to be something the character is ashamed of because of the quick movements. Moreover the audience is displayed to an unknown figure with a close up. They seem to be putting on tights and the jump cut with under lighting make the scene look distorted and threatening which is a conventional trait of a thriller. Another extreme close up shows someone putting on a red lipstick and another, of a person putting on a handbag. This is still accompanied by the under lighting, which yet again seems mysterious and unclear for the audience who are still baffled about what is going on. These short edits then flash to a medium shot of the mannequin and a posture trying to fit a dress on it. The back lighting will allow to keep the character anonymous and create more build up and tension towards the climax.

      Towards the end of the sequence there are much sharper edits from one shot to another which yet again reinforces that the climax is soon to come and the audience will have a chance to see the mysterious character. A close up takes the audience back to the mirror where the red lipstick was used to write the letter ‘T’. This can be quite frustrating for the viewer who is still aggravated and eager to find out what is written and who is this mysterious character. A double page spread is additionally shown with more beheaded women. The top lighting proposes that they are innocent and vulnerable which makes the audience feel pity towards them. The frame crosses to a medium shot of a dress which is now violently taken off the mannequin and the character starts to dress themselves. The audience can see that the dress doesn’t fit at all and it takes this character a lot of effort to try and look good and feel satisfied with themselves. This dissolves into a long shot with a low angle of a muscular body. Because of the under light it is hard for the viewer to tell exactly who this is but there is sense of superiority created by the low angle. The viewer can feel threaten. The slow tilt shot fully reveals the character who in fact is a middle aged man. This is likely to shock the audience because this is not so common for a male to cross-dress. This reaction is conventional because many thriller opening have an element of surprise and a twist to it.

      At the end of the sequence the male character walks towards a wall and we can see from over his shoulder another cover of a fashion magazine with a head of a model which has been scribbled on. His face is truly frustrated and full of rage which is caused by jealousy and the thought that he has been deprived of such beauty. In anger he smudges all the make up on his face and the under lighting helps to exaggerate this distortion creating fear for the viewer. Aggravated, the character walks out and the back lighting helps the audience to infer that he is up to no good. This slowly dissolves into a zoom in of the mirror and the viewer finally gets to see what was written on there. It reads ‘Who is that Woman?’ which is in fact the title of the film. This title would make the audience intrigued because they are unsure who this is about and will keep questioning themselves whether the male character meant himself, a model or completely someone else.

Theory that can be applied:

Barthes's theory can be applied because of the semiology and cultural understanding. For example the use of mise en scene will create meaning and response to the audience drawing upon emotions. For example the use of the red lipstick as iconography, connote femininity, however the red colour connote blood and passion which will make the audience feel confuse and threatened. Another example could be the mannequin which will connote fashion and the female gender to make the audience insecure about their body and make them curious who is the character and his actions.

Aristotle's theory can also be applied as it evoke meaning from the audience through the use of different themes. The theme of hatred and obsession will be demonstrated when the character has an obsession towards make-up, fashion magazine, dresses and a mannequin. This will create a feeling of fear and and insecurity as the frame will be presented with the use of low key lighting connoting danger. In addition, the theme of morality will be shown throughout the opening, where the viewers will be able to questions the actions of the character whether is right or wrong, to reflect on their own decision in their life. 

Conclusion:

In conclusion, creating an opening scene narration was a beneficial idea because this allowed me to understand the narrative in much more detail of what we are looking to achieve. It has also helped us to know exactly what is the audience response that we are hoping to receive form the viewers. This is because openings often determine whether the spectator is interested or not. Moreover from the narrative description it we will create a good story board which will help in the production and allow us to know exactly what each shot will look like.