LES BLEUS DE RAMVILLE

The television series, Les Bleus de Ramville, is a Canadian programme, about the fans of a local hockey club team. This show also won an awards for its opening sequence and I am going to analyse the use of the different camera angles and techniques so that I am able to include these techniques in my own opening sequence.

The opening shot constraints the frame, making the eye focus on the hockey player's pre-match preparations. The mid-shot from inside the locker starts off as a dark black background, however when the player removes his t-shirt the shot manages to give the viewer a sensation of freedom, as the dark environment turns into a bright one as we are able to see colour and lighting. By using this mid-shot we as an audience are able to feel his nervousness and power of this player as he prepares to go onto the ice and fight to win the match. I think that this shot would be a very useful one to duplicate as it would be a very influential opening. 

Here, we can see a low-angle, close up shot of someones  foot as they are going up the stairs to get to their seat. This shot makes the viewer feel closer to the characters and their deep emotions. There are also sparkles of light that appear quiet frequently, this creates a sensation of hope and where there is darker lighting it suggests that this hope is cut off. This therefore builds up the mounting tension as the game is about to start and people are taking their seats to watch the match. I will try and include the use of the close up shot as it adds tension in the opening sequence. 

In this scene there is a use of a tracking shot and as the camera moves across we see a helmet and and title credits appear. The camera slowly moves from left to right in order to let the audience see the mask.  Also the contrast of colours work very effectively together as the theme is black and white, where the white credits are made very legible as the background is black, and therefore making the credits stand out more boldly. The white credits also ties in with the white helmet, therefore connecting the two together. I would like to use this tracking shot as it is simple yet very effective and it easily builds up the tension for the opening of the film. I also want to make sure that the credits are legible and are well placed.

In this tilt-pan shot we see bright lights that shows the time ticking down. As the camera moves down the scoreboard we see that the number changes from 14 to 13 and the background music ties in with this shot perfectly as we can hear the sound of a ticking clock aswell. Therefore the countdown and the ticking sound in the music match up together perfectly, making this shot a very powerful one. 

Here, we see a mid-shot of a man's face and the mis-en-scene shows split beer and popcorn flying about in the air. The prop of the liquid is used in such a way that allows us to see the rush of excitement and thrilling sensation that goes through his body as a player scores a goal. The expression of his face also shows the audience the joy and exultation that he feels in that moment. The use of the slow motion allows us to absorb the atmosphere more, created by the people watching the match. I would like to include this in my opening sequence as it gives the audience a feel for the atmosphere they find themselves in.

Another shot that they've used here is an over the shoulder shot. This contributes to the wide variety used in their opening sequence. Again, the credits are placed in an appropriate place, as it doesn't overcrowd the shot or distract the viewers attention. In this shot we see a row of men marching onto the ice, this creates a sense of formidability as the team players are almost seen as warriors and fighters, ready to beat their enemy, this also creates tension as they're presented as intimidating and daunting. I would like to use an over-the-shoulder shot as it can be very effective in many different ways.

The music soundtrack in this opening sequence is simple and elegant and therefore it changes the typical stereotype of hockey as the music is normally more hectic, loud,violent, frantic and faster. I like the different action shots that take place in this sequence such as; people playing hockey, calendars, masks and the scoreboard. All of this imagery works well together as it helps create the atmosphere of being a fan and a hockey player and also it is all associated with the same thing, hockey.