Sunday 13 February 2011

Risk Assessment


  1. The strangling of the mother needs to be careful so I don’t get hurt, and we have to make sure there is no water around the wire.
  2. Similarly, in the fights scene the father actor has to be to careful when attacking the mother actor.
  3.  The child in the cupboard is an area that we have to watch so no harm is caused.

Music Composition

The music is important factor of the production because it will help to convey the genre and theme. It has to be appropriate, if any lyrics are used they have to resemble the plot or the characters, if they don’t it will mislead the audience and will not attract them to watch the rest of the film. The main uses for music in a title sequence is to create mood and atmosphere, for example the music in “Jaws” every time the shark appears, the music is now iconic and every time it was used in the film, tension grew as the audience were aware the shark would attack. Music is used for signals about time and place, in “The Talented Mr Ripley” we know the film is set in the 60’s because jazz music is used and that was of a time when it was very popular and fashionable- especially as the jazz music was American, we know the setting is in America.  Whereas in “300” we hear Arab sounding flutes which brings up images of the Middle East. The final use of music is to introduce the character. “James Bond” is known for being sexy and exciting because the music that is associated with him is suave and smooth. The music of the characters creates atmosphere, for example “Indiana Jones” has adventurous sounding music whereas the “Rocky” theme song is inspirational.

Examples from Previous Student.

Watching previous productions in order to prepare for filming ensured that we do not make the same mistakes that they did and it helped to give ideas we could use for our pieces.

PIECE ONE- This production used close up shots well (similar to the title sequence of the TV drama “Dexter”) so the audience are forced to watch the main female character and focus on her specific actions which gives information about the plot. I liked the way in which the title of the film appeared, it was very blunt and simply flashed on the screen “Dead Revenge,” and this could mimic her blunt personality. There was good mis-en-scene used, through the close up shots we could tell she was a woman and she was applying lipstick and by what she wore, establishing character well. However, the text was not constant because the font changed halfway through the sequence and so didn’t establish genre properly.

PIECE TWO- Genre was well established as music was used which emotive, it was a slow paced song with violins and when shown with the visual piece we knew the film will be an emotional thriller. Although it was effective, it could have been more mysterious because it was too slow which made it seem like a drama. Camera was used well, especially the point of view shot when the character was opening the door portraying a disturbed mind frame. We will use this camera shot in our title sequence to portray the father’s drunken state. Nevertheless the camera shots could have varied in the park as only long shots were used. They could have used a close up, medium, high angle, low angle, or wide shots. In editing, there was good cross-cutting between the voodoo doll and the character denoting there was a relationship between the two. However the overall title sequence was too much like a trailer as it showed the best bits of the film, instead of wetting the audience’s appetite, it exposed the storyline in 2 minutes.  Another improvement was the tacky transitions which were overused and false. It made the sequence jarring and didn’t convey the horror genre well and is didn’t suspend the audiences disbelief.

Revisiting the Preliminary Task.

Now that it has been a couple weeks since we filmed our preliminary task, I can now revisit it and see what specifically went well and what needs to be improved so I don’t make the same mistakes for my final productions. I think the mis-en-scene was particularly effective as it was an area we focused on strongly. Our location conveyed the plot successfully because it had naturally occurring mis-en-scene elements that helped to convey themes, for example we filmed near garages so there was graffiti on the doors of the garage which denoted a rough environment. Therefore, we are filming our final production in an environment that the character would actually live in: a family home. In addition to this mis-en-scene would already be established to create verisimilitude, the only other props we would have to include would be ones used in the plot line and ones which give information about character. However, my use of jump cuts was not relevant to the story and therefore it was not used successfully. Furthering this, to avoid it happening again we will film more scenes and use cut on action. Also, I didn’t use music in my title sequence when it could have been used to emphasise genre and themes. So to avoid this, I will experiment with music on the software “Garage Band.” Lighting was not a factor that I focused on and this weakened my preliminary task, to include it in the title sequence I will film at specific times of the day and use extra artificial light when needed. The task had bad composition and so to avoid this I will follow the storyboard accurately.

Friday 11 February 2011

Storyboards- edited from shots 25 to end





 
 

Trouble Shooting

We faced some problems with various parts of the title sequence project. The first was naming the film, we originally thought of titles such as “Watch,” “See,” “Observe,” or “Witness” because whole film was based on the main character witnessing his mothers death. However, after receiving audience feedback it was suggested that we name the film after events in the plot line and so we brainstormed with “Runaway,” “Hostage” and “Escape.” We settled for “Escape” as we felt it was most appropriate. Another problem we faced was the transition between the young child’s eyes the older characters eyes. However we decided to use make up on both sets of eyes creating a birthmark so we can recognise that both characters are the same. Ambient sound was another problem we would have faced from the sounds in the alley way. We avoided this problem when our shorted our sequence, therefore our problem was fixed.

Group Decided Prop List

·        Recycle bins (outside the house for verisimilitude),
·        Pictures drawn like a Childs.
·        Cans on the floor
·        Keys
·        Children’s toys
·        Shoes of each character (in the hallway).
·        Coats (on the banister)
·        Hairdryer
·        Dressing table
·        Big cupboard

Shooting Schedule

11:00 am- 12:00 pm - meeting on the corner of Chartar Avenue and walk to my house. Then set up and preparation for filming, establishing the mis-en-scene and camera.

12:00- 1:00 pm – shots 1-20 completed

1:00- 2:00 pm – shots 21-31 completed.

2:00- 3:00 pm – shots 32 – end.

Sunday 6 February 2011

Peer Chosen Title Sequences

Name of the film: “The Dark Night”
The joker is standing at the bottom of a building where criminals enter with their faces covered by clown masks, similar to The Joker. They rob a mafia bank and certain characters are ordered by the joker to kill their fellow gang during the robbery. Smoke emerges to fill the shot, darker shades of the smoke combine to create a bat shape. We associate the iconic bat shape with Batman; it acts as the title so we are aware this will be a Batman film even though it’s named “The Dark Night.” It sets the expectations of a superhero film so we want to see action, criminals and a good morale Batman who saves the day. A medium shot shows The Joker’s painted face as clown. Other criminals wear a clown mask. It sends the message The Joker is a mentally disturbed character as he takes the idea of a children’s entertainer and uses it to mask his identity. He is influential on other criminals as the clown masks denote they are working for The Joker. It creates the enigma: where is Batman? Ideas that I could use from my own title sequence is the establishing shot of the building that zooms in to the action, it establishes both time and location, we know it is set it New York in the present day (2000’s). The use of extreme close ups to hide the face of the criminal creates mystery.

Name of film: “Saw IV”
In summary the film start with a dead man on table, it seems as if a post-mortem is taking place, however we soon find the “doctor” is specifically searching for something. After graphically cutting open his body and gorily revealing the inside he find a tape in his stomach, when played there is a message from someone telling the “the games have just begun.” In the next shot, two men are tied together by a chain, one has their eyes sewn and the other has their lips sewn. They fight to receive a key however are unaware how or why they are there, the chain that hold the two men pulls them in to a machine that has rotating blades that will kill them. Harsh beats in the music with underlying woodwind instruments; a mixture of high pitched notes explains how it is clear that the film is a horror and not a thriller. It creates confusion rather then mystery. Music from the thriller genre would attempt to create emotional engagement, whereas the harsh beats in this specific opening shock and scare the audience. We can also tell it holds the horror genre due to mis-en-scene, close up of knives and blood conveys pain and suffering. A long shot of a dead mans body creates enigmas, who is he? Why is he dead? Diagetic dialogue from the tape recorder “my work will continue” makes the audience think what his “work” is.  I like the idea of using graphic sequences by special effects as it creates a reaction from the audience however it would be irrelevant to our thriller genre and we do not have enough experience or technology to do so. I think this title sequence sets a well establishes plot but we can not follow this as we have restrictions to keep our sequences under 2 minutes. Close ups of the dead body and the knives denotes there is a relationship between him and tools.

Name of film: “Snatch”
The title sequence consists of a group of religious Jewish men entering an office building whilst we watch them on a surveillance camera. When they enter the office they reveal guns and attack the workers to receive a valuable stone. All the character credits are introduced and connected through the passing of the stone and showing how it creates money, we see who is involved in the process. They talk about bible religion and are dressed a Jewish Scholars. It creates enigmas, as the characters are clearly religious people why are they being watched? This also creates humour suggesting although it is an action film there are elements of comedy incorporated in to the plot. In addition, we know this as the character subvert stereotypes making the audience laugh at them. The transition shots in the opening credits that introduce the characters as they exchange the stone in to money informs us the aim of the characters life in the film is to make money. I would like to use transitions to introduce each character to convey their relationship and plot


Name of film: “300”
Interestingly, this title sequence is made up of animation of a war from the roman era. We know that the film will have a gory plot that will revolve around war. Through a long/ medium shot silhouettes are identifiable of weapons and soldiers in armour, bright splats of blood appear through the fighting are emphasised due to the black shadows. Furthering this, the silhouettes connote that the characters are mysterious. We know the film is historical and action-packed by the mis-en-scene and sound. We identity with the weapons, with music from the Middle East and can make out Greek costume with helmets. The plot presents war as a spectacle, not a normal horror film but presents was as an art, the slow motion suspends the tension and allows the audience to admire the skill and beauty of war. Enigmas created: what does the number “300” represent? Who’s fighting? Why?

Name of film: “A Series of Unfortunate Events”
This title sequence was also animated where we see three young children adventurously escaping from an overpowering man. There is a clear difference between villains to other characters as a spooky face emerges from the darkness whereas the three other characters stay in the light. The colour scheme of only black and white and grey in the animation conveys a spooky, almost gothic-like atmosphere. The character are brave and able to keep up with what’s thrown at them, they’re not intimidated at other older characters. This is because the children constantly run and keep up to stay safe in interesting inventive way for example a boat, a hot air balloon, informing us that the film is aimed at children who want to be entertained imaginatively.

Name of film: “Animal Kingdom”
In this title sequence a teenage boy calls for an ambulance as his mother just died due to drugs and he calls his grandmother to help look after him. We are then are shown shots of a robbery from a CCTV angle, creating the enigma how does that relate to Josh’s life? In the background the all the people in the game show on the television have Australian accents which denotes the film is set in Australia. The sequence juxtaposes the roles of character between the grandmother and Josh by cross-cutting between the grandmother energetically walking up the stairs to a lifeless Josh. The genre will be an emotional drama because of the still images of an armed robbery through the CCTV camera with orchestral music at a slow cutaway rate. Inspired by this film we will use a close up of the child watching his mother showing no emotion conveying he is depressed and traumatised. Also, the cross cutting between josh and his grandmother is relevant to our title sequence as they have difference personalities and so do our character (the drunken father and abused mother).

Storyboards
















Audience feedback.

After explaining our concept to an audience we found they like to see why the character becomes a criminal. It makes the audience see the error of his ways and because the plot is from the killers point of view is makes them sympathetic towards him so there is emotional engagement, furthermore the audience are more attracted to the story. It creates suspense whilst creating enigmas: will he kill others too? There were areas which the audience disliked. For example, they found there was no reality to the plot and there was no effect from the outside world. It was controversial that it didn’t incorporate the rest of the world and that it didn’t “fit it.” To solve this, we will include more external factors in to the plot such as perhaps another character coming to save the victim or generally more characters involved.

Group Blocked Plan

  • Dad knocks on door.
  • Mum opens the door and they argue.
  • Dad barges in, goes upstairs, mum follows.
  • They have an intense argument.
  • Dad kills mum.
  • Son comes out from the cupboard.
  • Man drinks in the alley, looks at the picture of the mother.
  • Victim walks down the alley way.
  • Drunken man bags the victims head.
  • Victim wakes up in a dark room and attacker is staring at him.

My Own Blocked Plan

  • Starts in a dark scene, lights fade on then the main characters face appears close up of his intense emotions. Music and transition (not sure what type yet) to next shot.
  • Dark surrounding, silent one man walking (main character). Multiple shot of him walking by himself in a dark alley way- isolated.
  • Long shot, we see the end of the alley way, a woman walking down the alley way. Isolated apart from these two characters.
  • Main character punches her violently until unconscious then puts a bag over her head (via jump cuts). Jump cuts show unsettling
  • Flash back- 3 seconds- a couple arguing. This creates an enigma- who are these characters?
  • Victim wakes up in a dark garage.
  • Flash back- 3 seconds- man strangling woman in house.
  • Medium shot of her hand hanging out of the chair and in the background we see the main character watching her, drinking alcohol. This tells us he is mentally unstable, probably due to alcohol.
  • Victim wakes up.
  • Titles.

Todorov’s Narrative Structure

  1. Equilibrium- normal family life to the main character is that he lives in a family with an alcoholic father who killed his mother which has corrupted him mind and now he is a killer.
  2. Disruption- criminal captures a woman on the street and kidnaps her.
  3. Recognition- she regains consciousness in a garage, he commits violence towards her.
  4. Repair- Victim and criminal interact. She fights back by violence and tries to escape (Similarities: hard Candy only includes two characters and is based around a girl trying to escape from a man’s house).
  5. Return- She kills criminal and victim escapes.

Comparing Trailers to Title Sequences.

To ensure we don’t create a trailer instead of a title sequence I decided to research the difference. After looking at “Hard Candy” to explore the concept, it is obvious that the trailer summarises the plot line with out exploiting the ending. It shows the best part of the film that conveys the genre best, for example “Hard Candy” shows the parts of the film with where there is most action and heighted emotions of fear and danger, whereas a comedy would preview the funniest elements of the film. Contrastingly, a title sequence (although draws in audience similar to a trailer) establishes character, plot, genre, location and setting and most importantly creates enigma’s.

What will I use from “The Talented Mr Ripley” title sequence?

The talented Mr Ripley title sequence had a lot of features which we could use in our own final production to successfully convey information whist attracting the audience. When we are first introduced to the film, along with music we hear a voiceover from Mr Ripley in addition to close up shots of intense, sorrowful emotions that change with the use of transitions. This builds strong messages about the character- it establishes they they’re the main character and it portrays the type of genre it will be (thriller). The genre is also conveyed by music, we hear airy yet delicate vocal notes of a woman singing so we know this won’t be a light hearted film. Mis-en-scene is shown through a wide shot including the character. Therefore we can establish time and location. One idea which I quite liked was the transitions that stubbly connoted Ripley’s broken personality.