Audience and Institutions Essay - To what extent is digital distribution vital to film?

To what extent is digital distribution vital to film?

        Technology and the digital aspect of film are something we take advantage of today. We have all sorts of streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Disney+. Digital distribution is the delivery or distribution of digital media content such as audio, video, e-books, video games, and other software. Digital distribution is extremely vital to film, especially nowadays. 

         Digital distribution is a great way to earn money once a film gets out of theaters. Typically, movies do not come out on DVD until around 17 weeks after they premiere in theaters. With this comes the possibility of people pirating movies and selling or downloading them illegally. One way around this is to do a day and date release. By releasing the film in theater on the same day as DVD, conglomerates can lower the risk of illegal copies springing up. This is called shortening the distribution window and it saves huge companies hundreds of thousands of dollars per film. Companies have also begun to turn to streaming services rather than physical media. In the article “The Ins and Outs of Hollywood Film Distribution,” written by Jonathan Paul this is detailed further. Paul writes, “With each passing year, digital distribution is positioning itself to surpass disc-based media as the top home-entertainment revenue. Studios and distributors are including digital copies with psychical [sic] copies. They’re even beginning to release digital versions of films to online retailers like iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play before the disc-based option is released.” We see this example within the film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Walt Disney Pictures Motion Studios held a movie premiere and afterparty and the film hit theaters on May 05, 2017. The film made its way to streaming services before disc options were out, becoming available on Netflix and Amazon Video on August 8, 2017. It was then available on DVD and Blu-ray 2 weeks later. 

         Another way that digital distribution helps films advance in today’s consumerist economy is through music. Films nowadays tend to include original songs, created either by the same company or by another one for a small price. Black Panther is the most obvious example of this. The soundtrack for Black Panther featured many rap and hip-hop artists like Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, and SZA. (Billboard) Creating a soundtrack using some of the most popular artists of today was a smart move by Disney because they were able to appeal to an entire generation. The soundtrack was released on iTunes and Spotify with the Black Panther movie poster as the cover for the album. This caused audiences to gravitate towards that movie poster because they associate it with a song they like. This made Disney a lot of money. Another example of digital music distribution is Spider-man Homecoming. Sony released an original soundtrack with the film, similar to the deal with Black Panther. However, we know for sure that Sony produced its own music, seeing as how it is a music company as well as a film company. This tells us that they not only made up for the costs, but most likely surpassed it and gained a huge profit since they did not have to pay another company to produce the music. A personal experience that I have had with digital distribution is actually going on right now. With the global pandemic going on right now, movie theaters are closed, and we can’t go out to movies with our friends like normal. This is where the technology comes in. Most of us spend all day watching movies on Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, etc. We are spending our time on streaming services now more than ever, and companies are still profiting off of us, even in isolation. 

            Another way to use digital distribution is through regular TV. TV companies give us the options of video on demand or near videos on demand, usually the latter. But one thing that TV companies can do is collaborate with production companies to distribute and advertise for new movies. One way we see this is when Jurassic World came out in 2015. Comcast, the parent company, created slots in the movie section of their TV program in order to promote the new film. Comcast decided to show all of the previous Jurassic films and have the main characters of the new one, Jurassic World, host the screenings of these older films. This made the audience excited and appealed to older generations through nostalgia. People who grew up watching the Jurassic movies would hear the iconic theme song and feel as if they were kids again, leading them to wanting their kids to watch the movie. Also, the production company did not have to spend extra money on this specific advertisement by keeping it in the family, a very synergistic approach. Comcast is very bold when it comes to the release of films. According to a WIRED article called “How Tech Has Shaped Film Making,” by Charles Matthau, “companies seem willing to distribute films online. The 2011 film Tower Heist with Ben Stiller was almost released to Comcast customers alongside the theatrical release, but the idea was scrapped after several theaters threatened not to show the film in protest. Although digital promises an exciting new world of distribution, the business of film has yet to catch up with this idea.” While digital distribution is an up and coming achievement in the filmmaking world, people are scared that it might overpower theaters, which have been around for centuries. Some people are just not ready for that kind of advancement. However, companies can make very profitable deals with TV providers and streaming services concerning the coming out of a new film. Premiering a film on a streaming service can result in a lot of revenue for many companies. 

            In my opinion, digital distribution is a necessity in order for films to succeed. Today especially, people rely on technology as a source for entertainment, and institutions rely on audiences in order to make money. Streaming services and websites are the best forms of distribution because they are easily accessible by the public. 

         

Extract Essay - 24

           The themes of these extract are rivalry and a kind of daring enterprise. The man is trying to get valuable information on how to stop a deadly explosion out of the woman. She is in custody and clearly not very cooperative. The meaning behind this extract is that lives are at stake and two separate forces must come together to prevail. The director’s vision is to create a suspenseful and urgent feeling, causing the audience to be on the edge of its seat. This extract is most likely from an action or thriller genre, and this is definitely conveyed throughout this extract. 

            The first scene begins with a fade in to a medium close up of a woman. A fade transition typically implies a passage of time. A fade with black, specifically, is used when the scene that follows is going to be dark or action-packed. The director used a black fade in specifically to show us, the audience, that the scene following it was going to have a dark feeling. Eventually, a man walks in and we see him through an over-the-shoulder shot. Over-the-shoulder shots are great for adding perspective and establishing presence. We now know the woman’s location and where she fits in in relation to the setting. We also see the man’s initial emotions when he first sees the woman sitting there. We are able to see this all through the woman’s perspective and gain an idea of the relationship between the two characters. The first scene is interesting because it contains almost no dialogue and lasts almost a minute. This allows the audience to focus more on the lighting, props, and other sounds in the scene. We notice the clock ticking, the sound of the paper against the table, and the background sound in the TV room. These are all elements that we were able to focus on in more detail, and they were all important to the storyline. The director most likely did this on purpose to draw the audience in and focus on the important, minute details. 

            There is a sense of urgency that remains throughout the extract. This is accomplished through many things such as lighting, props, costumes, and angles. The security camera that we see in the first scene tells us a lot about the characters. The woman is not only in custody, but she is dangerous as well. The camera also tells us that there are other people watching them. The situation is important enough that there need to be witnesses. We learn that this woman is the only person who can dismantle a bomb, but she has proven difficult to work with. The sense of urgency and darkness is furthered through costumes. Both of the characters are wearing dark clothes to reflect their dark emotions. This shows the seriousness of the situation. The men in the TV room are wearing suits, showing that they are people in positions of power and the situation is important. 

            Camera movements are also great for showing emotion. The pan movement following the man’s entrance into the room shows us that the two characters have some sort of history. One thing that was different about this specific pan movement was that it followed a stack of papers. This definitely shows us that those papers are very important. So, through one pan movement, we can see that the stack of papers will play a prominent role later and that the two main characters know each other from a previous meeting. Scene 1 ends with a shot of the men in the TV room. We know that the two characters are being watched by them for some reason, but we don’t know exactly why. We hear a lot of background, ambient noise coming through in this shot. We know that there are many people involved in this interrogation, and we can infer that they are under the direction of the government. By the end of scene 1 we can see that the conversation between the two characters is not friendly and is being monitored by a powerful group of people. 

            Scene 2 begins when the man and the woman start talking. This is where we learn about their backgrounds and how they ended up in this position. After a while, the man becomes fed up with the woman. He throws the table between them out of pure frustration. By doing this he makes a loud, shocking noise. This is meant to slightly startle the audience, considering it is a random outburst if violence. This is a great addition of fear in the midst of a calm moment, really connecting to the thriller genre. The situation escalates and the man begins to attack the woma. Scene 2 ends with him pushing her against the wall and threatening her. Scene 3 begins with the woman telling the man that he will lose his job if he lays a hand on her. The tension is beginning to rise. The people in the TV room watch this go down and decide to intervene. The screen splits and we can see both inside the room and out, where the people are trying to get a hold of the two in the room. This split screen effect shows us many emotions all at once: the woman is fierce, but she knows she is in trouble, the man is furious, and the people from the TV room are fearful of what the man will do. This all plays into the suspense and darkness that has been building up. 

            Throughout this extract, we can see that the director used camera shots, angles, movements, and compositions, as well as editing, sound, and mis-en-scene to create a suspenseful and urgent feeling. The director has accomplished this in many ways and was very successful in his endeavor to create meaning through these physical elements. 

Final Task - Catfished Film and CCR

My final task was by far the most complicated project I've done. It was also the one I was most proud of. I think that the entire process throughout the year was to lead me to this point right now and I am very proud of myself. My movie is about a guy who gets kidnapped by his crazy ex-girlfriend. She pretends to be someone else online in order to trick him into trusting her. They plan to go on a date and she knocks him out and brings him to her garage. She keeps him there and tells him her story. I edited my film to show a flashback at the beginning. It then goes back to real time and shows a timeline of the events leading up to, during, and after his abduction. 

Music Video - Big Time Rush Video and CCR

For my music video, I wanted it to be very simple and fun. I got 4 friends who have great chemistry to jump round and have fun. I think this gave  a very realistic and authentic vibe to the video. This was a lot easier to film than the commercial. I think my skills had progressed a little at this point. I was really excited for this video because the band was a big part of my childhood and I knew that recreating their song would bring back memories. This was my favorite filming experience because it was so fun.

Commercial - Dunkin Donuts Video and CCR

This is my commercial I did for Dunkin' Donuts. It was really fun to film, but not my best work seeing as it was my first project. My partner and I were very confused on what exactly to do and how to film, but we figured it out, and it was a great learning experience. Our commercial shows two different people doing things like sports and homework. We showed ourselves being tired and running out of energy. Then after we have our Dunkin Donuts, we get our energy and get back to work.

Re-editing blog: Re-editing Any New Footage Filmed

I finally finished editing my video. I finalized my script for my voiceover and timed it so that it would start right after the title sequence and end when the trunk closes. The voiceover definitely solved any issues with timing and the different sounds I am supposed to include in my film. The new clips I filmed were also inserted at this time. Since there were only a few this was very simple. As I was editing, I realized that I did not have the required shots and angles I needed. Because I am missing just a few, I think I will do another day of re filming my movie. I want to make sure it is truly perfect and meets all requirements. I think I will have Mario, the other actor in the film, peer review my film. I was at a disadvantage because the person who was supposed to peer review my film did not show up. I am very proud of my editing so far. I think I have come a long way since our commercial as far as using the software. This is good because I can apply this to real life. There are a lot of things I can use these skills for, even if I am not making films. Using software like iMovie  can help me use other softwares like PowerPoint. I have progressed by learning through my errors. The difference between my editing now and before is immense. My film now is very clean. My edits are smooth and make sense. It looks a lot more professional and well done than my other works. I think my film is going very well and I’m getting close to finishing!

Re-Shoot blog: Re-shooting My Film

I have not been able to re-shoot some parts of my film. Because of how busy I have been, and my actor, we haven't been able to find a time. On Tuesday, we have a day off of school. I plan on re-shooting the kidnapping scenes using my camera instead of my phone this time. The quality on my phone camera was not very good because of how dark it was outside. This time I plan on filming during the day now that I know how to turn down the brightness. Hopefully this won't take long as I only have a few shots to film. The first one I have to re-shoot is the scene where I kidnap "Mateo". Because I filmed it on my phone, it came out vertical, but the rest of my film was on my camera and those shots are all horizontal. The next one is where I'm dragging him to the car. This part was really shaky because my 7 year old brother was holding my phone to film. The last thing to re-shot is me putting him in the trunk. This was also shaky and dark. Additionally, I will have my acting partner peer review my film to see if I am missing anything in my film. Based on this, I will see if I have to add any more shots and angles as well. If I am missing anything, I will have to re-shot again. Once I am done re-shooting is when I will do my voiceover. I wrote out a script for it and timed it well enough that it will fit the timing of the film without going over the title sequence. I will do this later on next week, around Wednesday or Friday. After that, I will be completely done with my film.

Peer Review: Watching Another Group’s Film

One thing I liked about the other group’s film was the storyline. The film is about a guy who gets robbed and has to find a way to get back all the money he lost in the robbery. I think it is a good idea for a movie and could be good as a mystery or comedy film. Their film was not finished, so I only got to see the second half. Because of this I feel like I can’t accurately judge their film fully. That being said, from what I can see, I think it would be beneficial to add some background music because right now with just dialogue, it sounds dry. My biggest suggestion would be to work on the editing more. In one scene, the main character is filming a pov but when he looks at the mirror you can see him holding the camera. I don't think this was intentional considering it isn't supposed to be a documentary where that would be a normal sight. Also another big issue is that of the titles. I realize that I only watched the second half of their film, but working on the titles would definitely be beneficial. Another concern of mine is that their second part is about 48 seconds. I worry that they may not be able to reach the 2 minute mark. Overall, I think the acting was not bad. It was a little stiff, but none of us are professional actors so I can't be too harsh on that. They also did not meet around five of the required shots and angles, but maybe they will include these in the other half. On the bright side, the transitions are clean, not choppy or immature looking. Also the lighting and sound were very good. The lighting matched the tone of the film and we are able to see everything clearly. The sound is great, you can hear everything clearly. However, there was only dialogue in what I saw, so no background music had been out in yet.

Editing blog: Finalizing My Editing

I've been running into a few issues with my film. My biggest issue is the time. My movie is currently about 3 minutes long, which is almost a minute over the cutoff. However, I can't find anything to get rid off without botching the storyline. I was considering getting rid of the scenes in the garage, but I feel like the movie will lose structure if I do this. There are some clips here and there that I might be able to cut, but the movie won't make a lot of sense. One idea I came up with was doing a voiceover for the movie and getting rid of the garage scene. If I do this, I can establish the "catfishing" plot and go into even more detail. This is, however, going to mess up my timeline and maybe put me behind schedule. I may be able to get it done by this Thursday, but most likely Friday or Saturday. In order to do this I would also have to come up with a script and take into consideration music, which I have also not done. The next few days will be focused on the different sounds I'll incorporate into my film. I have to work on adding my diegetic, non-diegetic, and ambient sound in addition to my voiceover. I'm beginning to worry about my film. Hopefully I can figure out the voiceover and time issue. My plan, once I'm done, is to do some peer review and see how else I can improve my film. I think that with a few more weeks work I can my film to where I really need it to be. Today I will work on finalizing my editing as much as I can. My biggest concern at this point is keeping my storyline and finding a way to to show the viewer what's happening. I might turn my speech in the garage into the voiceover and change the words.

These are the clips I am thinking about getting rid of.

Editing blog: Fixing Any Mistakes

Today I started wrapping up my editing. I had some issues with my title sequence. For one, I could not figure out how to move the text, so I was not able to display more than one title at a time. Another issue was that I could not make them any longer than 2 seconds each, even though I wanted to. I think that because of this it looks rushed. I was also thinking about getting rid of the portion in my film where they are in the garage after she kidnaps him. I feel like because of how short our films are supposed to be, I can't develop the story well enough to add the garage scene. I need more specifics when it comes to the parts leading up to his kidnapping. I'm not entirely sure yet if I will delete this part or not. I'm going to finish editing completely, watch it over a few times, and decide at that point if I should get rid of the footage. I began to clean up the editing more today. I had cut a lot of unnecessary footage yesterday and spent my time today going into detail of where clips start and end. I started adding some transitions like fades and crosses. I wanted to keep transitions to a minimum though. I feel like it looks more raw and authentic with hard cuts than the other transitions. I also worked on my action match. This was more difficult than I thought because I had to time it perfectly so that it looked smooth and cohesive. I also got rid of a few clips that seemed random and unorganized. One of them was just a clip of me driving in the dark, but I had another one and I felt that two would be overkill and boring. Another was in my room where I am moving to the other side of my bed. To me this looked sloppy so I scrapped it. The third was a close up of the bag that I put over his head with a dumbbell in it. I got rid of this because I felt it was, again, unnecessary and I also decided to not use a weapon to knock him out, so it would not make sense to show a weapon.

Editing blog: Getting My Footage Ready

Today I took all of the footage from my camera and my phone and dumped it onto my computer. I created a folder specifically for the footage and managed to transfer it all with no difficulty. I opened iMovie and I began creating my film. I went through each clip I had and arranged them in the correct order. Because I filmed out of order, this was pretty difficult and time consuming. I then decided to tackle any lighting issues I had. I was able to make the scenes I filmed on my phone brighter. Now we can actually see what's happening. I also made the garage scenes darker. This was great because I feel like it would not have felt scary without it. I also made up my title sequence. In my storyboard, I had it so that each title would have its own screen and would be on their own. However, because my film was already over 6 minutes once I dumped, I decided to go with my original idea. I had the first 5 titles on their own with a black background. After the title of the movie appeared, I put a fade into the first shot. I then added each additional 6 titles one by one, after each other. They each last about 2 seconds and have half a second in between. As my original plan directed, as one title faded out, a new one would fade in. I really like how my title sequence is looking. I think it gives off a very professional feeling and I hope when I add more effects and music, it will only get better.

Filming blog: Filming My Movie- Second Day

Today I filmed the second part of my movie. This time I filmed the parts that only I was in. I was able to do this on my own because my camera has a tripod, so I did not need anyone to hold it. My process was fairly easy. I only filmed for about 30 to 45 minutes and finished all the scenes left in my storyboard. There were some parts that were difficult to set up. For example, my over the shoulder shot was a hit or miss, and I had to redo it a few times. Also, I realized that when I was filming on Sunday, I forgot to film the other half of my action match: the car door closing. I did it today, even though it was still light out, and I hope I can make it look a little darker. I am definitely worried about the lighting in my film. The issues with the garage lighting may make the movie less creepy if I cannot fix it, as well as the lighting for the action match. Another difficulty I faced was that my family was home. I think they were quiet enough that I should not have to detach the audio when I'm editing. I should be able to just play over it. These were pretty minor issues and nothing I couldn't easily overcome. Luckily, I was able to film everything at home and didn't have to go anywhere. This saved a lot of time and energy. I actually really enjoyed my filming process today. It was definitely easier than Sunday, when I started filming my own movie after being in another movie for almost 5 hours. Based on how today went, I feel pretty confident in the other aspects of my film. Once I add background music and edit, I think it will be a really good horror/thriller film.

This is one insert I am going to put in the movie to make the conversation between the two characters easier to read. These were fabricated for the film specifically. 

Filming blog: Filming My Movie- First day

Due to timing conflict, I have to film my movie on two separate days. The other actor was unable to film on Saturday and cannot film during the week. We decided to film his parts yesterday, the 23rd. We began at 5 PM and finished around 7:15 PM. The reason we started so late was my actor had to film his movie first. I was also a part of his movie, and we decided that it would be smart to film both of our movies in my house. We filmed his movie for about 4 hours and we had to recharge my camera a few times. It wasn't dark outside yet, so we decided to film the inside portion of my film first. The part that we filmed first was the main male character getting ready for his date with "Amber". I used elements like pan, close up, over the shoulder, and many more. I wanted the viewers to feel like they were in the room with him and could feel his nervousness. I also wanted to create a fun, upbeat montage of him getting ready because I feel like it will add depth to the movie and show that it is not just a scary movie. After this we moved into the garage. Here we filmed the part that showed him after he was kidnapped and being held. Here there was an issue with light. I could not turn off the lights in the garage completely because the camera would not be able to pick anything up; it was pitch black. I decided to leave the lights on, and hopefully I can fix the lighting in editing to make it darker. This part was also very easy, except that my camera's battery died right when we finished. Because of this we had to film the outside portion with my phone. For the outside part, it showed me creeping up on him, knocking him out, and putting him in my trunk. This part was difficult to figure out because of lighting and we didn't know whether or not we should use the flash. We decided to not use the flash, and again I hope I can fix it in editing.

^ Screenshot of me closing the trunk using a low angle, point of view shot from what would be the victim's perspective.

Filming blog: Why I Didn't Film

This past weekend I was very busy and I could not film; I was very upset. I went out of town for our 4-day break and was unable to bring any equipment or actors. Also, I did not have my settings or props seeing as how I was not home. I plan on filming next weekend. Hopefully I can finish all of it in one day. I wish I could have filmed this weekend because I am now worried that I am behind. I created a schedule for myself that will hopefully let me manage my time so that I am not behind. If I do not get all of my filming done next weekend, I will have to continue during the week. I hope I can pull this off because I do have school this week. It will be difficult and time consuming but I think I can manage. If I do finish all of my filming in time, I can begin my editing process earlier than scheduled. The hardest week for me will be next week. I plan to write a blog every day. I also have to edit my film every day and/or film anything additional. After I finished my story board, I made some minor changes. During my title sequence, I had the titles coming in through a black screen. When going over this sequence, I realized that if I do it this way, I will go over my time limit. Because of this, I decided that I am going to have my titles going in and out of the screen after my movie has started. This will save me almost 30 seconds of film and I can make my film even better by adding more footage. This was my original plan that I changed, but I have now reverted back to.

Planning Blog: Storyboard

This week, I worked on my storyboard. Storyboards are the written version of your shooting and sound scripts combined. Here we can see the story coming into shape. When I began drawing my storyboard, I realized that I wanted to have my titles on their own, not playing in the background of the shot. I am still not fully sure if this is how I want it to stay forever, but once I get to editing my footage, I will figure it out. An issue I ran into was that when I finished my storyboard, I realized I missed a lot of details that I shouldn't have. To solve this, I decided to label each box with a number. My titles and my footage are separate so one goes from 1 to 12 while the other goes from 1 to 48. I did this because I wanted to get the full effect and show the potential I believe my film has. The numbers are a little scattered, but they are all together so it should not be hard to follow.

Planning Blog: Title Design

This presentation will explain my titles for my film. The first slide is about font to set tone. I decided to use a creepy font in order to make the film look scary. Next was about color. I decided to use a black background with white writing. The next slide was about spacing. I decided to do one space in between letters and two in between words. My working title is "catfished." I also spoke about my editing and how the titles will come in and out. My last slide is about how long the titles will stay in screen. Typically, titles last 2-3 seconds, so I decided the working title will last 3 seconds and the rest of them will last 2.

Planning Blog: Schedule, location, participation, and health and safety

In this presentation I am outlining these 4 aspects of planning. The first few slides contain my timeline. These are subject to change as nothing can be set in place this far back. The next few contain my locations. These are also subject to change because there may be an unpredictable occurrence to prevent us from filming there. Next is participation. For my film I only have two actors but three characters. The main female character is posing as another girl online but she only appears in pictures. As for health and safety, I only had two major concerns, which I explained in the slide. The purpose of this presentation is to prepare myself and plan accordingly.

Planning Blog: Sound Script

This is my sound script. This is how I will convey the other elements of my film. These include diegetic sound, non-diegetic sound, score, dialogue, and ambient sound. This part is extremely important. A thriller movie must have elements of sound, seeing as how sound is what scares the viewers. Creepy tones can show the viewer who the "bad guy" is. More upbeat, calm tones can show the viewer who the main character, and usually victim, is. I found that this was much easier to write than the shooting script. The dialogue in the last few scenes is very important, especially since there was none until scene 10. I feel like my dialogue can really help keep viewers on the edge of their seats, creating the want for more of the movie.

Planning Blog: Shooting Script

This is my shooting script. I created this as a way to see camera angles, shots, and movements at the same time as the storyline. This could be interpreted as the written version of my storyboard. I plan to create my storyboard based off of the details I described here. My script has a total of 13 scenes. Hopefully this will be enough to reach the threshold of 2 minutes for the opening of my movie. I wanted my movie to be dramatic. I decided to go more towards the thriller side of horror than the gore side. This means my film will be psychologically twisted, with a lot of shocking elements. The colors i will include in the opening title sequence will be black and white.

Title Research: Get Out (2017)

How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film? 

Thirty. 

What images are prioritized in the opening sequence? 

We first see a man getting into a car and driving off. We then see a view of a forest as a car speeds by. We then see a few black and white photographs and the interior of the main character's apartment. The clips cut between the man in his apartment and a woman in a bakery. The last image we see is the woman showing up to the man's apartment and we see that they are love interests. 

What connotations do the images carry? 
When we see the first scene, we are left to wonder about the context of it, as it seems random and isolated from the rest of the scenes. We do not know yet what this means. The forest shot leads us to believe that a lot of the story takes place there. The two characters we see are clearly love interests. 

How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset? 
In the outset, there is not much to link it back to the horror genre. The only thing that can come close is the opening car scene and the view of the forest, as the forest is often a setting in horror movies. 

How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?
We wonder what the car scene means. We also wonder what takes place in the forest in the second shot. 

What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience? 

We see a couple who seem very happy, but since we know this is a horror movie, it is apparent that one or both will die. This makes the viewer interested in who dies, how they die, and what else happens. 

How has technology been used effectively? You want to consider camera angles, transitions, and editing techniques. 
Because this was an opening sequence with the titles playing over the clips, there was more attention paid to the clips themselves and their actors. The transitions between clips were blunt, except for from the car scene to the forest. The transition between the titles were fades. There was cross-cutting when it went between the bakery and the lead's apartment.