Some opening frames from my film
These shots are my example of the main bulk of my title sequence, such as the example of Se7en; shown in www.theartofthetitle.com
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I feel that I have learnt how to use different transitions to create different effects on the audience in a piece of media. One thing I learnt from my opening sequence that I did not know when doing my preliminary task was merging two sounds; by fading one out while fading the other in; I did this to extend the footsteps at the end to carry them on into the next shots.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I have learnt how to download different soundtracks from MyFreeSounds.org. I used this to download the spygame2.wav. I was already familiar with iMovie from GSCE but I learned two clear things since then; that the cross-fade could be used to carry a title from one shot to another so it continues from a black screen to a moving clip, and that I can fade out one sound while fading in another to make it sound continuous. I recapped on how to use a camera and import footage. I have become aware of how to use Blogger and post text, images, videos and scan in work that I had done.
How did you attract/address your audience?
The target audience for my film opening sequence would be older teenagers. It isn’t aimed at younger teenagers, such as 15 year olds, as thriller films tend to me more complex and require a more sophisticated level of thinking to understand and enjoy. Horror films are generally aimed at the younger audience as they are simpler as what is shown on screen is all that happens and there are no hidden messages to work out.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
The target audience for my film opening sequence would be older teenagers. It isn’t aimed at younger teenagers, such as 15 year olds, as thriller films tend to me more complex and require a more sophisticated level of thinking to understand and enjoy. Horror films are generally aimed at the younger audience as they are simpler as what is shown on screen is all that happens and there are no hidden messages to work out.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
My opening film sequence would be distributed by cinemas and in trailers before other thriller and horror films. It would be advertised before similar films so that the right target audience is delivered the information they need. Magazines, such as film and game magazines, would advertise this as the target audience would read these. Though my film said Universal Studios at the start, it wouldn’t make much sense for them to be distributing a small British film.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
My opening film sequence represents policemen in a negative light. It shows him as what seems to be a killer when policemen should enforce and follow the law. My film is could be seen as stereotypical and exaggerative of schizophrenics. My film may suggest that all people with schizophrenia do drastically bad things such as kill people, when in real life this is not true. If I had more people that we could have worked with to make my film then it would have been easier to steer away from the cliché of the dead girl. I would have liked to challenge the stereotype that females are weak and so are the victims with having the police officer as a woman and the victim a man.
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
My opening film sequence uses conventions of real media products such as the slow eerie titles that appear at the start of the sixth sense. I decided not to have all the titles together at the start as I decided that after a while they start to lose the atmosphere and the audience find them tedious to watch. I used quiet music so the audience has to really get in the atmosphere and would quieten the audience in the cinema so everyone is settled for the start. I chose to use three different soundtracks rather than sticking to the same one because my opening sequence was essentially split into three, the section in the forest, the section when we change, and the section outside the house; this challenges some media products because they only have one or two different sections; such as in Brick when the guy is sitting next to the body, and then it’s in the school.
Refilming a Scene
We then started to upload the work we had. While watching the clips we could decide which ones would be best to use in the final edit.
Revised Title Sequence
A Team Todd Production
A Film By Todd Carter
James Simpson
Todd Carter
Clarissa Baker
RED RUM
Casting By Todd Carter
Costume Design Todd Carter
Music By MyFreeSounds
Edited By Todd Carter
Production Designer Todd Carter
Director of Photography Todd Carter
Executive Producer Todd Carter
Produced By Todd Carter
Written and Directed By Todd Carter
Policeman Desciption
Age – 35
Gender – male
Occupation – policeman
Looks – 6ft, blondy-browny hair, wears shoes and trousers, high-visibility jacket.
Our Title
Font РEngravers MT Рthis font is good as it is normal but slightly strange. It steers away from the common clich̩ use of Chiller.
Order of Titles –
A ... Production
A film by ...
Todd and James as PC Alex Johnson
Written by Todd
RED RUM
The titles will slowly fade in and appear in different places in the frames so the audience can feel like they are looking around like a policeman would for clues.
Casting
Policeman at start – Todd – can look like a professional policeman.
Policeman at end – James – can look professional but can make himself look more mentally unstable.
Dead person – Clarissa – she is a girl and she agreed to do it. Girls seem to be used more as someone who has been murdered in thriller films. (For example, Brick)
Music and Sound Effects
www.freesounds.com
Spygame sneeking http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=22311
ambience03 http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=33796
Gong 2 http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=23581
Script, Locations, Props, Costumes
Script, Props and Costumes
Filming Locations
-The first picture is trying to show a voyuers perspective. it makes the audience feel as though they are up in the tree watching down on the action that is taking place. The branches in the way of the camera make the audience feel hidden, as though they shouldn't be there.
-The second picture shows more normailty, it would be used in the equilibrium stage of the film. It looks like an ordinary road, because it is. The hill helps us when filming as it makes it easier to get the close up of the girl with the policeman in the background;the second picture of my last post.
-The third is of the woods. This is a good location for a thriller as it is more isolated and darkened. All the trees in the background have to possibility to be hiding something; this is useful as thrillers are often hiding information from the audience.
Shot List
Our Plot Synopsis
Further Title Research - Rough Generic Sequence
... Presents
A ... Production
A film by...
Actors...
Title
Casting by...
Costume design
Music by...
Edited by...
Production designer...
Director of photography...
Executive producer...
Produced by...
Written and directed by...
Looking at Titles
Using this information I made my own generic title sequence that could have different actors or companies or producers etc.
I then used my generic title sequence and filled in the appropriate names for my film; mainly my name.
Further Title Research - Memento
"New Market Presents"
"In Association With Summit Entertainment"
"A Team Todd Production"
"A Film By Christopher Nolan"
"Guy Pearce"
"Corrie Anne Moss"
"Joe Pantoliano"
"Memento"
Further Title Research - Double Idemnity
A Paramount Picture
“Fred Mac Murray” “Barbara Stanwick” “Edward G. Robinson” “in”
“Double Indemnity”
“With (lots of people)”
“Screenplay By” “and” “From the Novel By”
“Music Score” “Director of Photography” “Editorial Supervision”
“Art Direction” “Process Photography” “Costumes By” “Make-up Artist” “Sound Recording By” “Set Decoration” (logos)
“Directed By”
Further Title Research - The Sixth Sense
Spyglass Entertainment
“Hollywood Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment Present”
“A Kennedy/Marshall/Barry Mendel Production”
“Bruce Willis”
“The Sixth Sense”
“Toni Coilette”
“Olivia Williams”
“Haley Joel Osment”
“Donnie Wahlberg”
“Glenn Fitzgerald” “Mischa Barton”
“Trevor Morgan” “Bruce Norris”
“Casting By” “Avy Kaufman”
“Costme Design” “Joanna Johnston”
“Music By” “James Newton Howard”
“Edited By” “Andrew Manshein”
“Production Designer” “Larry Fulton”
“Director of Photography” “Tak Fuyimoto, A.S.C”
“Executive Producer” “Sam Mercer”
“Produced By” “Frank Marshell” “Kathleen Kennedy” “and” “Barry Mendel”
“Written and Directed By” “M. Night Shyamalan”
What Titles should include...
Double Idemnity
Silhouette of man hides his identity, leaves audience wondering who he is. Questions are used in thriller films. Looks like the person is on crutches; audience want to know what happened to him. He’s walking towards the camera so the audience want to know where he is coming from and where he is going. The car is going fast and not stopping at the light; shows crime, suggests the person driving is the main character. Only see the back of the man, who is he? See a glimpse of his face, half covered by his hat, small clue that audience want more of.
Cape Fear
Who is that man?
Where is he going?
Why does he act like that?
What makes him important?
What is he goingto do?
1991
Why has he got that tattoo?
Why is he in jail?
Who is he?
What makes him important?
What is he going to do now?
Conventions of thriller -
Dramatic music throughout the opening
Creates the questions listed above
Portrays crime
Dull mise en scene of the grey sky
Close up of the man
There's a close up of the man at the end to threaten the audience as it feels as though he is invading their personal space.
There is a lot of long shots to create a distance between the man and the audience.
The Sixth Sense
The Sixth Sense links to the genre of a thriller as it makes us ask questions; such as, “who is she?” and “what is going on?” Creating questions is a good thing for a thriller as it leaves the reader constantly guess also makes the audience feel vulnerable because they are not in control of what is happening. The audience will always want these questions answered and so this is an effective opening to create them because it will make he audience continue to watch the film.
The Sixth Sense fits the thriller genre through the non-diegetic music. The music during the titles is very eerie. Thrillers use this to set the atmosphere and almost force people to feel like they should be ready to ask themselves a lot of questions. The low level music gets louder and louder, forcing the audience to be more and more on-edge. The diegetic music contrasts the non-diegetic music that is being played while the titles appear; this lets the audience know that something isn’t right or won’t be right.
The mise en scene is controversial as well. The woman is dressed up all nice and posh and shows clearly that she has come from a party. This contrasts the basement because it is all dark, gloomy and grey; this tells the audience that she isout of place and so something is wrong. Thrillers like to constantly give the impression that something is wrong.
Kiss Me Deadly
Audience immediately worried for the woman because it looks like. What is she running from? Where is she going? Who is she? Close up of legs running; why hasn’t she got shoes? Is he important? Dramatic music. Sound of woman crying during opening titles.
Brick (Johnson,2005,US)
- It doesn’t start at the beginning; the first thing that’s shown is 2 days after the events shown in the film. This fits the non-linear/chronological storyline that a typical thriller follows.
- The audience are only given hints and clues that they have to piece together themselves; this is shown in Brick by the girl’s wristbands and the boy’s shoes letting the audience know that they were linked before the scene shown.
- Questions are generated by the opening scene; such as, “what happened?” “Who are they?” “Did he kill her?” “How do they know each other” and “Why didn’t he approach her?” Thrillers are designed to make the audience continuously ask questions.
- There is a barrier between the character and the audience; we never see the whole of the boy in one shot, he’s always partly hidden; this also causes questions.
- The location of the start of the film is very dirty; the girl was lying on the ground with her hair in the water. The mise-en-scene of thrillers can be quite dirty and horrible to make the audience feel uncomfortable.
- The titles are white and on a black background; the lack of colour creates eeriness which thriller genres like to invoke.
Memento (Nolan, 2000, US)
We learnt the difference between a Horror and a Thriller:
Horror: The audience see the murder onscreen; the audience are scared of whats happening; the audience don't have to work very hard to understand what's going on; aimed at a younger audience.
Thriller: The audience don't see the acutal murder taking place or any gore; it's not what's happening that scares the audience, it's the threat of what might happen; the audience has to work harder to understand a thriller; thrillers are aimed at a more mature audience.
The film we are watching is Memento (Nolan, 2000, U.S.).
It constantly makes the audience ask question like "who's that?", "why did he do that?" and "what is going on?"
Some other conventions are; crime, non-linear narrative, violence, murder and the things that happen are not obvious.