Hairspray opening sequence

Camera Shots/Angles:
This is the establishing shot which introduces the company that is
part of this musical, it is a mid-longshot at no particular angle but
as it has completely stuck to the usual representation of the
production name when it introduces the company it still leaves
the audience to see one of the settings that shall be used in the
musical..
Dialogue/Sound/Movement:
The dialogue in this shot is important because it introduces the
company that is part of the film letting the audience have an idea of
the type of film this will be already, however it doesn’t actually help
the audience if you're a viewer who has watched a lot of these
companies films as you would then know a range of romance,
comedies & thrillers have been produced therefore we as the audience
still don’t have any idea of what this film is about due to no setting or
characters etc have been introduced yet. No non diegetic sound is
played until the next shot at 0:11 begins.
Editing/Timing:
This is the establishing shot so it begins at 0 seconds ‘fading in’ for a
duration of 10 seconds then ‘fading out’ it takes so long as it is almost
an animation which involves quite a bit of movement of the ladders
and title (you can see in the picture below) to build up to the shot it is
in the picture as the colours change too.
Evaluation:
This establishing shot doesn’t give anything away about the film
because like I said previously in the box above a lot of genres have
been produced by this company so this doesn’t help the audience but
leave them wondering about what to expect next.

This shot is similar to the establishing one as the angles is based in
the middle at a long-mid shot. It is a very basic shot only consisting
of 2 colours; purple & black making it look very simple and it is
kept like this from the establishing shot for a duration of 30
seconds as until 0:30 only title credits of producers etc are
introduced.
This dialogue names a director which I thought was important due to
similar reasons I explained previously as it can tell the audience what
the film would consist of character wise, genre & setting however this
director also has been involved in thrillers, romance & ones that are
certified to be high e.g. 18 certificate. The big font of the name shows
the success of the director while the purple font gives a girly outlook
of this musical so far suggesting themes such as relationships to take
place and more girl characters gender wise than boys. The sound is
non diegetic which is a soundtrack called ‘Hairspray’ that is basically a
recognition/logo of this musical which represents the era it is base in
by the instruments & upbeat tune, this foreshadows quick
choreography, songs & the characters involved.
Editing/Timing:
This second shot appears 25 seconds via a ‘fade in’ from when the
opening credits start but only stays for 5 seconds (until 0:30) ‘fading
out’ but this may be because there are so many credits to give &
characters/personalities to see to help the audience understand more
of what the musical contains before it starts it needs to be skipped
through quite quickly still giving the audience time to catch up.
Evaluation:
From this directors name the one thing I did find was that a lot of his
films consisted of different time eras form when the film was actually
made & involved characters that were different that looked a high
budget was needed to get the perfect costumes etc. I also saw films
that were rated PG were linked back to this director too e.g. Mickey
Mouse suggesting a similar theme of certificate in this musical
(looking at the purple font)

This is the first shot that actually introduces us to a setting that will
be part of the musical, it is at a low angle looking upwards towards
the entrance of the building making it seem like it is a persons POV
like they’re about to enter the building. The long shot lets the
audience see the surroundings of the building to help suggest
where & what it is although it does look as if it is some sort of
studio or a school so far with an interesting name but this doesn’t
look recognisable to the viewers. We get our first bit of lighting
that is high key mainly because it is caused by the sun and I know
this as I can also see clear skies in the back due to the long shot.
In this shot it is still a non diegetic track called ‘hairspray’ which will be
played throughout this opening credits/sequence. The only dialogue
here is what looks like the name of the building or company
rearranged into a acronym, I can see this as ‘WZZT’ doesn’t make an
actual word that makes sense leaving the audience to think about
what it could possibly stand for. No camera movement is used in this
shot just a quick cut to the next shot.
Editing/Timing:
The duration of this shot is not very long at all considering it is the first
scene of a actual setting in the film you would’ve thought it would be
longer as it starts from 0:31 with a duration of one second to 0:32
leading to a quick cut, this doesn't seem like it gives the audience
enough time to get a view of the first setting however when you
actually watch it as no camera movement is used it is enough.
Evaluation:
From evaluating this shot I can already tell that the musical will be
based for a few scenes in this studio of some sort however due to the
acronym I as part of the audience cant 100% tell what the studio is for
or what the name is therefore I will then have to keep on watching to
find out (leaving mystery still) The POV makes me feel as though I'm
the person who is about to enter this studio and for this reason makes
me feel apart of the film.

This long shot at a higher angle lets the audience see the setting at
a full view which is a set & this links to the previous shot from
outside when I spoke about it being some type of studio,
suggesting by the cameras it looks like some sort of television
studio. The shot is a POV either from a person or possibly a
camera because of the camera movements that take place. The
mash potato dance was starting to be presented by some of the
characters & this is not usually seen in this era suggesting it was
set back into the 1960’s when a move like this was done all the
time & very popular, as the characters start dancing it suggests the
moves the characters will do and if it is a dancing programme.
No dialogue is in this shot but there are a couple of different camera
movements now as from 0:33-43 it is a trucking movement to the left
while at the same time from 0:33 to 0:41 the camera is dollying
outwards as the characters exit from the other room and come out in
a big group walking towards the set making the camera follow so the
audience can see what the characters are doing, the dollying outwards
also makes the shot wider and we as the audience can see the set
more & costumes. The lighting is part of the set therefore it is
expressive & high key however we can see low key lighting surrounding
the set which shows the audience more that this lighting isn't real. (I
couldn’t fit lighting in the box on the left)
Editing/Timing:
So far this is the longest shot I have looked at starting from 0:32 until
0:46 and during this time no edits are used but the long duration lets
the characters in scene enter what looks like a set (we can get to grips
with the characters clothes etc) and by the end we get to see what
they are actually doing which is dancing. So already we see some
choreography and that dancing will be a key part in this musical.
Evaluation:
This is the most important shot so far in my opinion as it gives the
audience the most clues to the type of characters & era it is based in.
What I mean by the characters is that from what I see so far all of
them seem to look glamourous & quite slim with the colour of their
skin being white and if you think back to the time it is set in the 1960’s
black people couldn’t be apart of the programmes or dance with
white people as they had a ‘different’ style of dance it almost became
a division between the two.

This is a wide shot that lets the audience realise & understand it is
a set the characters are in on a TV show (which you can see is on a
board in the background-the name) but because you can see there
is a camera it suggests this could be a POV of a camera because of
the camera movements that took place previously on shot 4 but it
is a slightly higher angle than what we have had on previous shots
so far.
There is still a continuous non diegetic soundtrack in the background
that becomes more important when it is appeared to be in sync when
the title appears, but the soundtrack will be played throughout the
whole opening credits. You would of thought when you watch the
video you could hear the diegetic sound of shouting and chatter from
the characters but you don’t, this makes you focus on the track/title.
No camera movements take place in this shot as they’re previously
done in shot number 4. The dialogue is in a big bright font which
suggests things of the musical, that the costumes will be bright
coloured & include characters with different and crazy personalities.
Editing/Timing:
From when the title fades in at 0:46 it stays on the screen in the same
position for 8 seconds until 0:54 then fading back out again, after the
title appears 2 seconds later it cuts to the next shot. What I noticed
about the entrance of the title was it appeared in sync to the song
when the lyric ‘Hairspray’ was said too, because of this the audience
will then start to notice some relevance of the word Hairspray as it is
constantly repeated and wondering if it is about the object or
something else.
Evaluation:
Like I explained in the ‘Editing/Timing’ after this shot this does leave
thoughts to the audience on how the word ‘Hairspray’ is significant in
this musical as we mainly relate it to just being an object making you
wonder if it has something to do with the narrative or characters or
possibly we’re just over thinking it? As we can now see the name of
the TV show I now realise that it is based on performing (dancing) as
when the characters entered the set all of them were dancing either
by themselves or with partner which now suggests some idea of a
storyline/narrative.

This shot is a mid-close up with the camera positioned at a lower
angle looking up towards the character which makes him the main
focus in this shot. As we are quite close up to the character we can
see by his face that he is one of the older characters suggesting he
could be the presenter of the show also by the way he is reading a
card (wrote down what to say?) The lighting is a bit darker on this
shot but still high key, it forms a shadow against this character but
reflects towards the board of ‘Top 10 Hits’ then attracting the
audiences attention to it and this shows part of what the show is
about which is also music as it suggests the presenter goes through
the songs each month.
No camera movements took place as the lower angle was perfect so
we could see the character and the props behind him while the
soundtrack is still continuously playing. A bit of dialogue appears when
it cuts to this shot introducing the names of the characters but the font
& colour is still kept the same throughout as we would want to keep a
theme and some consistency going (It wouldn’t make sense to change
it) However you can see the font of the credits & font of the title on
the board is very similar so it matches and suits the ‘wacky’ style of the
1960’s that is trying to be presented (thinking about my previous
explanation of the ‘Hairspray’ title.
Editing/Timing:
This shot starts at 0:57 at which previously the title just disappears
from shot number 5, this shot then lasts until 1:04 as this character is
doing a bit of messing about with the card he is holding. The long
length of this shots is useful as it lets the audience see part of the set
in more detail and what is involved in this TV show. I think there is a
transition of a ‘Lock off’ after he throws away the card he looks at
something to then which there is a cut to what he sees (this happens
at 1:03 when the character looks at someone)
Evaluation:
So far this shot is the one that interests me the most as it now gives
you more of an insight to what the TV show includes and because of
the mid-close when you look at the type of songs on the board you
notice that they’re classic 1960’s music therefore reminding the
audience of this different time period this musical has tried to set
itself in.

It is at a higher angle I would say from quite a further distance at a
mid shot but the way this shot has been positioned makes me
think of a POV from another character looking down at her from a
distance. This shot lets the audience have an insight on what the
characters do off the show & how they act, which at the moment
isn't to great as this characters body language is slightly slouched
like she cant be bothered, she also isn't talking to anyone which
suggests that there is some bitchiness & a sense of being
competitive in this show.
No dialogue or camera movement is seen in this clip with no
difference in the soundtrack (like I previously said this will be
continuous) and no diegetic sound from eating crisps etc.
Editing/Timing:
From shot 6 we now skip a couple of shots to focus on this one which
starts at 1:20 until 1:26 and it is quite a long shot which is unusual due
to the fact within this time we only see her putting hairspray in her hair
continuously while eating crisps., at the end of this shot it then cuts to
a man dancing showing the sides of unproductive & then productive
characters.
Evaluation:
From analysing the shot there is a sense of competitiveness from the
characters and having a front on the camera to how the characters
actually are behind the scenes, this can be possibly then produced
into a story of characters trying the ‘steal’ the limelight suggesting this
to be part of the story.

The reflection in the mirror makes this shot look like it is over the
shoulder and a near enough POV too from her perspective while
we can see a different setting that seems to be the changing room.
This is a good shot as it shows a side of characters which I'm sure
occurs in many of the females and that is the pressures of looking
good for TV or in general and the self image some girls saw in
themselves as quite negative, but we can relate to this in real life
as it is actually a big issue in society. The lighting is more low key in
this shot & dimmed, this may be for the characters benefit as some
people find particular lighting ‘unflattering’
The dialogue here is just some more credits of characters and this is
the same styled font like I said previously as you want to keep the
same style theme. No camera movement or change in sound took
place.
Editing/Timing:
There are once again a couple off different shots between shot 7 & 8
before it does show this one, at which this starts at 1:36 until 1:50 as
it then cuts to tend to another girl doing her makeup, this clip is a
duration of 14 seconds as we the audience can see what this character
is doing and that is stuffing what looks like tights into her costume
which is quite baggy up top and she stuffs it so it looks like she is more
‘heavy’ chested.
Evaluation:
This is an important shot as the mirror reflection lets me see the
characters expressions & what her actions are but now more of the
characters attitudes (especially female) towards themselves that are
negative it seems and is an important example of what happens due
to TV but some people in real life can relate to this on how they see
themselves generally not just to TV.

Based on the picture below it seems the camera has been
positioned into a higher angle looking down to focus on the mid
shot of the couple. As the camera is quite close we can now see
the connection between the characters by the body language of
them both and it makes us expect more scenes like this , but it
hints that the musical could be quite cringey too with lovey
couples involved.
This section has been quite repetitive but does need to still be
explained.. When this shot is played you can not hear diegetic sound
during the conversation between the two or the hairspray but only the
continuous Hairspray soundtrack. The camera in this shot is still in
position.
Editing/Timing:
From 1:58 until 2:13 which is when it starts & ends we see a
connection between 2 characters and the reappearance of the
‘Hairspray’ prop showing a real significance towards it as this has now
reoccurred for the 2nd/3rd time now. No special edit has been used
only a cut to the next shot.
Evaluation:
Another part of the storyline is suggested by this shot of some
relationships that can occur for example following two characters
journey when they first meet and see if they do end up together or
not. The reoccurrence of the prop leads the audience to think more
about why it is included so much and why it is important.

This shot is quite far out but still a long-mid shot however it looks
like a POV from a camera man who is stood behind or next to the
camera looking at the other protagonist. This angle is at eyelevel of
the camera but looks higher because of the position as it seems
quite far out, because of this angle we can now see the name of
the company that has now reoccurred from shot 3 just to remind
the audience of who the show is owned by. This long-mid shot also
lets us see the set in more detail such as the musical instruments
hanging from the curtains still giving this musical aspect to the
show.
I have noticed a lot of these images are very still with no movement as
the producer really wants the audience to focus on the type of
different characters there are but also because the characters them
selves aren't moving location from where they were each originally
presented. No dialogue apart from the signatures (which makes the set
look more real & suggest it has been here for a long time by how many
there are) was in this part with a continuous sound track.
Editing/Timing:
This 10th shot appears 2:14 inwards for a long time of 11 seconds
(2:25) then cutting to the next shot but within the duration of this time
some credits are presented but we only have a view of the protagonist
looking at himself checking his appearance is ok.
Evaluation:
Another character suggestion is perceived from this shot of vain
personalities as by the time we see this already there have been ¾
different characters that have been looking into mirrors checking their
hair, clothes and makeup which links back to this self image I
mentioned previously in shot number 8.

Another board is now presented giving another concept of the TV
show away as it is a mid-long shot we can see clearly it is a bar
chart with names on like there is a game the show have to keep
score of. We can also see the year it is set in which clarifies to the
audience more specifically what year it was. The lighting is similar
to shot 6 with a reflecting shadow onto the board due to the
position of the stage lighting which is high key but the shadow
gives a low key concept. This long shot demonstrates her body
language is quite tense proving the actions she is doing she
actually shouldn’t be.
The dialogue here is just some more credits of characters and still a
continuous same styled font especially from the board too like I said
previously due to keeping within the theme of the 1960’s for this
musical. No camera movement or change in sound took place again.
Editing/Timing:
This starts from 2:40 until 2:51, again this is a long duration as we
have to watch carefully what the intentions are of this character as we
don’t understand what she is doing at first, once the protagonist
finishes what she intended on doing it then cuts to the next shot.
Evaluation:
The actions of this new character shows the competitive aspect of
the musical again by possibly doing some nasty things or cheating and
trying to be the golden girl/better than the rest, this makes a fun TV
show sound like a game introducing some mean characters (possible
storyline)

This is a establishing shot now introducing a new setting as the
audience now knows the musical is starting to begin, as it is a wide
shot we can see clearly it is no where near the studio but a row
houses that will introduce new characters as they exit the bus, the
audience can identify the type of people living here to as possibly
not middle class (like the ones involved on the show) but working
class by the presentation of the houses being quite small like flats.
No particular angle is identified here due to a wide shot that was
used.
There is still no camera movements as this is a wide shot so the
audience has a full view of the new setting , because of this new
setting the non diegetic soundtrack ends at 3:15 and we now hear real
diegetic sound of the bus engine and students speaking, this hints to
the audience the credits have now finished.
Editing/Timing:
No edits have been identified and explained in a lot of the shots
because there wasn’t many it was mainly just cuts at different lengths
from shots to shots. This is a short shot starting from 3:13 to 3:18 as
we only see the bus entering as an entrance (thinking of this as the
edit) at which then when the bus has parked up it finishes, as it
finishes like this it is sort of a cliff hanger to the audience as the actual
musical now begins but the clip I used ends.
Evaluation:
The school bus that was introduced suggests more characters that are
younger than the ones presented in the opening credits, these young
characters is what makes this musical now more typical of the genre
too.

Hairspray opening sequence

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