Analysis of opening sequence titles - P.S I Love You

P.S I Love You (2007)-

P.S I love you is an American drama about a young window who discovers 10 messages left by her husband to help her through the pain and to start a new life. The movie is directed by Richard LaGravenese.

The movie starts with the film credits to introduce who the movie is directed by. Throughout the opening sequence the song 'I love you t'il the end' by 'The Pogues' is played in the background to emphasise the                                                               main theme of the movie; Love.

The movie begins with a tilt shot from the sky to the street below. This is an establishing shot. The establishing shot is used to set the scene of the film. We can see that the film is set in a busy street of a night time.

There is then a pan shot from left to right to show the detail of the street. We can then see one of the main characters (Holly) walking up the stairs of an underpass with a man hurrying behind, trying to catch up with her (Gerry). The shot speeds up to make the audience feel like they are someone on the street watching.

There are then medium shots and long shots of the characters rushing along the street towards their apartment. This enables the audience to see more of the surrounding setting.

Then, there is a long shot of the characters walking through a long corridor, showing the female ahead and the male walking behind, conveying the authority of the female.

 We can then see the male (Gerry) looking up towards the female (Holly) which can show that the woman is looking down on him, making him look inferior.

This is another establishing shot of the stairs to depict to the audience how far the characters have to go to reach their room. This is done by a high up camera, looking down onto the stairs. This can show the audience the full view of both characters.

 At the end of the opening sequence there is then a black background and a black and white picture of the actor/actress who plays the part with their name in a white font. The font that is used is as if someone has written it to                                                             represent the letters written throughout
                                                      the movie

 The names of the film makers are shown on different backgrounds, all that represent different parts of the film.

The last shot is an establishing shot of the pub. This shows the audience where the first scene is set. At the bottom left there is the word 'Winter' written. This tells the audience the time of year and the season it is. This then fades into the pub of where the characters are all wearing black, highlighting that it is a funeral.

The opening sequence of P.S I love you is effective as it allows the audience to have an insight into the character's lives and helps to introduce the plot and set the scene. This makes the movie more realistic, enabling the audience to feel like they are with the characters which is often used in the romantic genre.
The close up shots of the characters are used to introduce the characters to the audience and to display the emotions. This allows the audience to learn about their relationship and the characters themselves. This lets the audience create their opinions of the characters.

The pace of the editing is the same throughout the opening scene to enforce realism. The editing pace is slow even throughout an argument or fight to make it seem like a real life situation where the audience can relate. The sense of realism and slow editing of the film attracts the female audience as it is assumed that they are more likely to enjoy romantic situations.

The music in the background of 'I Love You 'Til The End' by the Pogues, relates to the genre and helps to reveal the plot. An important aspect of the romance genre is the use of mise en scene. The dialogue is important to reveal the plot and allows the audience to engage with the characters. In the opening of 'P.S I Love You' the characters are having pointless, insignificant arguments because they are so in love. This clearly highlights the genre of romance.

The lighting displays the mood of the characters by having darker lighting to represent upset and brighter lighting to represent happiness. However to preserve the sense of realism, the lighting must be natural and must never be exaggerated. Similarly, the clothing of the characters are casual to suit their role such as work clothing in a work environment so that the audience can relate to the character and see themselves in their position.

The location is of a busy city however it is made homely like the other parts of the mise en scene which is to represent realism and to allow the audience to relate.

Link to movie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRbo9VsKKRk