Conventions: Back To The Future

Title sequence begins with white writing on a black background which is a good contrast to enable the writing to be visible and distinctive. the title sequence introduces the director, the renowned Steven Spielberg, which then leads to the main title which is in a bigger font, different style font which is a logo font, and is again on the black background, these factors make the title visible and distinct.

the title "Back To The Future" is introduced with the sound of ticking clocks which relates to the theme of time, which is the key concept of the film. the scene then opens to live action where the camera focuses on a number of different clocks with the background noise, the ambient, of ticking clocks, continuing, which again relates to the theme of the title, time, which you could assume reflects the plot of the film involving time. The opening credits are still appearing on screen over the live action of the camera sweeping slowly across the room which then aids in establishing setting, which is of a room or home. The credits list the actors who star in the film which helps, in a way, introduce the characters. the room has a lot of clocks in it which continues to add to the ambience, the background noise, where the camera then shows newspaper cuttings on the wall headlined as "Brown Mansion Destroyed" as well as black and white framed pictures who may later indicate are scientists or inventors as we see gadgets are triggered when the alarm clock goes off. The main feature that helps to establish plot is the radio and television. The clocks the radio and the television are examples of digetic sound which means that it is heard within the world of the film and so characters on screen can also hear it and not just the audience.

The radio establishes the setting as being located in an area called "Hill Valley" and the television turns on to the morning news where a news anchor reports that plutonium has been stolen from a nuclear power plant, and as the camera sweeps slowly towards the door you notice the gadgets are set off on a daily routine however we, the audience, may notice that the owner of the house is absent and has been for a while as you notice the toaster produces bread that is beyond burned and the electronic arm opens a can of dog food into an already overflowing bowl. The bowl is labelled "Einstein" after the scientist, and with this in mind and the previous pictures framed on the wall and the gadgets you may assume that the home belongs to a scientist/inventor which adds to the plot.

The main character enters via the door where we have a low shot of the door opening which reveals a person wearing trainers jeans and has a skateboard. the character puts the key back under the mat and enters closing the door behind him. he calls out for "doc" which then indicates that this is not his home however he knows the homeowner. he then rolls his skateboard across the floor where it bumps into a big yellow crate under the bed which was out of sight and labelled "Plutonium handle with care" again establishes the plot as the owner of the home was related to the plutonium theft mentioned on the news.

The character is then better introduced when we see him pressing a number of dials which appears to be an oversized amp which is connected to his guitar, this establishes the character as being "cool" because what we have already learned he skateboards, and can play the guitar. this is re-enforced when we see his whole body where he is dressed contempary to the time (1980's) and wearing the tinted aviator glasses. he plays a chord on the guitar which ends badly for the character as he is propelled across the room and into a shelf where its contents fall on top of him. The phone then rings and he hastily gets up and answers it. the phone call comes from a distressed "doc" who asks to meet the character, "Marty", if he could meet him because he has fallen upon a "breakthrough" (which now justifies that Doc is an inventor/scientist and so the character is established apart from the fact we don’t know what he looks like yet) and he needs Marty's assistance. the conversation develops to establish that the clicks in the house ring at 8:00 and are now 25 minutes behind where then Marty then exclaims that he is late for school and hangs up and gathers his belongings and heads for the door where an upbeat song is then heard which is non-digetic and it is for the purpose of the audience and the character in the film cannot hear it.