Conventions of Motorsport Openings: Days of Thunder

Film Name: Days of Thunder
Director: Tony Scott
Year of Film: 1990
Total Awards: 1 Oscar nomination
Box Office: $82,670,733 (USA)

Overview:

The clip shows the testing of an ex-open wheel racing driver in a stock car, they use this time to see how fast he can go on laps before considering signing him.

Camera angles and their preferred reading:

• Shaking LS of the car - This instantly connotes a racing film that will be high octane. The use of shaky camera is to connote to the audience that the car is travelling fast around this track.
• MS of the crew in the pits - This is to start introducing us to the characters that will be in the film. It also shows their faces waiting anxiously to see how well he does.
• CU of driver - This is to show the concentration of the driver as well as show the costume he is wearing. The costume connotes professional racing as he is in full protective gear.
• SRS between crew and driver - These shots are used to show the audience the facial expressions of key characters in the pit lane, while contrasting their anxiety of the driver with CU of him concentrating and in full control.
• MS of two drivers speaking - They use a SRS here also to show the tension that is rising between the driver and his new rival due to him being faster than he is.

All the sound is diegetic in this clip. It mainly has loud engine noises no screeching rubber, all icons of Motorsport.

The costumes of the drivers also connote Motorsport as they are all in protective clothing of race suits and helmets.

There is a faster pace of editing to further emphasis the speed of the movie and the Motorsport genre.