Genre Research

 Sunset Boulevard (1950) is a film I looked at in researching for my final intro. 

To begin the film the camera work is kept simple. The camera begins with the side walk in frame and then moves in a slow pan downward for a moment, to pause on the curb reading " Sunset Blvd." The pan then continues moving downward traveling over the street. Nothing specific is framed in these moments of the shot. The road in the frame is littered with cracks and oil stains suggesting it has a public road and often used. The film takes the time to use this extended shot of the road to introduce its title cards. Once the plot begins the first shots are of a fleet of cops with their sirens on. The camera work utilizes fades and tracking more than it does hard cuts. This techniques creates a more smooth feeling while following the cops suggesting there is still composure being held and the situation is not to bad yet.

The biggest editing technique used in the intro of the film is the monologuing. Once the film intro credits end, as the music starts to fade out the monologuing begins. For a short moment the fade out of the music and monologuing overlap, creating a smooth transition to just the speaker himself. The sound of the piano creates a suspense. The microphone has a static-like noise that I am not sure is due to quality or editing.

The film is in black and white which helps contribute to the old style of the movie. The intro of the movie is not to technical, limited camera work and no excessive sounds involved aside from the monologue out of sync with the characters in the film. These elements help create the mood and build drama at the start of the movie. Makes the viewer ask why the character was murdered?