Unit 22 - A1 - Open Vs Closed Endings

Unit 22 - Assignment 1 - Task 3

Narrative Endings

Open ending: An open ending is a film which has a cliff hanger and questions aren't quite answered and they tend to leave the audience guessing what's going to happen next.

Closed ending: A closed ending is a film which has an ending and every question is answered and the audience understands everything that's happened.

Existing Open endings:

• Fifty Shades Of Grey
• The Hunger Games Catching Fire
• The Dark Knight Rises
• Avatar

Existing Closed endings:

• Southpaw
• Scarface
• Rocky
• The Godfather

Avatar

Advantages to open endings: 

• There are many perks to open ending films. The advantages to the open ending's are limitless. One of the advantages to open endings is that it allows the viewer to create their own ending. Sometimes the viewer isn't too pleased with the director's ending so with open ending's it allows you to make up your own ending with your own imagination which allows you to feel good about yourself. An example of a film that was successful from an open ending would be Avatar. This film everyone believed there would be a sequel but it never happened. People made their own endings and this is why it became successful. 

• Another advantage to open ending films is that it allows you to have discussions with your peers over what you have seen. You can discuss what scenes that you liked and which scenes that you didn't like.You can also have a debate about how you believe the film should of ended so you are able to share your opinions. This is a huge advantage of open ending films because it gives you something to talk about. 

• I believe that the target audience for avatar is from 12+. This is because it is a quite a gruesome film which is more appropriate for people over the age of 12. It isn't for the younger generations' eyes.

The Dark Knight Rises

• The Dark Knight Rises was a film which followed a linear structure throughout the whole film and the audience believed that at the end he died. However the final scene showed Alfred staring at Bruce Wayne who was supposedly dead in a café. The advantage of this is that it keeps the audience guessing and it makes them wonder what's next. 

Scarface

Advantages to closed endings:

• One of the advantages to closed endings is that it gives the audience closure. Sometimes when a film doesn't have an ending and it's left at a cliff-hanger it can play with the viewers mind. However if there is a closed ending you receive closure from the film and this stops you from losing your mind from trying to figure out what could of happened. An example would be Scarface, At the end of the film he gets shot in the back and this gives the audience closure because if he survives the audience will start to wonder what's next for him, 

• Another advantage to closed endings is that the audience don't have to wait for another part to come out. Films that have open endings always leave the viewers wanting to see the rest but sometimes they don't even produce another film which leaves the viewers frustrated.

Southpaw

• Southpaw follows the story of a professional boxer who is unbeaten in 43 professional fights. There is one guy that wants to fight him but that fight doesn't seem like it's going to happen. At a ceremony his wife dies and this guy had something to do with it. The boxer was forced  back into the ring and he lost his first fight. He loses his mind and drives into a tree. He loses custody of his daughter and he also loses his mansion. He has to prove that he can take care of his daughter. He begins to go to a gym where the trainer had a boxer that defeated him but he paid of the judges. This trainers begins to train him and he gets a fight to avenge the death of his wife with the guy that had something to do with the death of his wife. He wins the fight and wins his world title back. The advantage of the close ending here on the audience is that they get closure and they get happy at the outcome in the end.

• I believe that the target audience for this film is 12+. I also believe that the gender that there is so specific gender that this film is aimed at. Due to it's aggressive nature it may not be influential for younger children to view.