Sunday, 16 November 2008

Analysis of Ugly Betty Opening Sequence x





The opening sequence of Ugly Betty when it first started. The scenes shows Betty's enterence to the drama series as she sits and waits to be called as she applys for the job to work for the successful magazine company 'MODE' owned by the Meade family. When the man calls her the way she walks up the stairs and when she falls shows that she is a clumsy character.

The costume she wears tells the audience she has a lack of style as she sits next to a well dressed stylish lady and tries to compare where she got her poncho from. However does not succeed as the stylish lady wears up market branded clothing such as D&G. This tells us that Betty is a normal ordinary lady who does not know much about fashion however wants to work for a well known clothing magazine company. It also tells the audience that she has no colour cordination as the colours she is wearing do not go. Also when she smiles in the beggining you see her braces which have blue on them which tells you about her character that she is like a child.

The lighting through out the whole of the opening sequence is bright lighting and looks un-natural. The use of the bight light tells us that it is a bubbly uplifting series and the audience feel the same and want to watch and get sucked into the series.

The camera angles in the opening sequence of Ugly Betty is that it starts of at a slightly low angle to show the person behind and to get the two characters int he shot. Also the use of the low angle is that it is at a eye to eye level so it could seem as if someone is sitting opposite them watching them.

Mis-en-scene and everything in the shot is there for a purpose such as the poncho she wears to work. It is worn purposly for people in the workbase to take the mick out of her and her clothing as that is what she wears nomally and is comfortable in it. Also int eh scene wear she has to dress and be in the photo shoot everything there int eh back is put there to be in the shot like the ladies and the background for the photoshoot.

The props such as the 'MODE' magazine is used as an action code. It is on the table and she flicks through it saying that all she ever wanted was to work for the magazine company and if she worked for the magazine it could take her places and she could work for anything in the company. This then progresses as they show us a series of action codes such as her working in the company for Daniel Meade.

The opening sequence of Ugly Betty that i am analysing has many settings in it. One setting is of her home. They use this setting to show that Betty does not have a social life and is a homey person who loves her family. Also it shows her background of her being spanish as at home her sister and father speak spanish and also through what we see in the scene the mis-en-scene. Another setting is at work they show the setting of her being at work because then the audience can see the different sides she has to juggle of being at work and at home, it also shows how she copes when at work being a new, clumsy, lack of style and clothing knowledge assisstant. They also set it outside (the real world) of the home and workplace as they want to show how it really is out there its not just a fantasy and what life like for Betty is going to end up like which is why they set it making the audience think ahead and think things however change around what the audience maybe thinking will happen to Betty.

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