Controlled Assessment Week - Evaluation of Rough Cut

1) The success of the title sequence as a whole. 

 A) Does the order of shots make sense? 
the orders of the shots make sense up until the end of the rough cut. The shots at the end of the film were in a different location.


B) Is the order the same as how you planned it?
No, the storyboard was created by another member of the group and it wasn't taken to the filming of the title sequence so a lot of the shots are improvised. Here is the updated storyboard.

  2) The quality of the camera work.

A lot of the shots taken were jittery and from bad angles. We had to go back and film the shots again using a tripod. I made sure that we used unique and interesting angles for the title sequence.


3) The variety of shot types used 

There were many abstract shots in the title sequence. For example we used a low angle to film the footsteps of the killer. This didn't reveal too much of his identity so that the suspense was built up.







4) The use of lighting

The recording took place in the forest so the shots created a dark, grim atmosphere. The colour was also edited in adobe premiere to reduce the contrast and tint the shots in a greenish tone. This helped to make the sequence fit the theme of a thriller/horror hybrid.


5) The performance of the characters 

The female protagonist was played by a member of group 23. She moved here eyes left to right showing her fear of the killer as the fact is unable to locate him. The male killer (myself) walked slowly and calmly. We see very little of his face so we don't know his intentions, but we can tell that they are bad because he is stalking the female protagonist in the woods.

6) The use of mise-en-scene with locations, settings, props and costumes

The location the recording took place was in Highgate Woods. The atmosphere was dark and grim, developing the setting of the thriller/hybrid 'Behind You'. There weren't props in the title sequence because they were left out in during recording. The killer wore a hoody and a mask to conceal his identity. The female actor wears a pair of jeans and a black jacket.

Rough-Cut (1)

Group 23 - (Rouugh Cut 1) 'Behind You'

this is our first rough cut for behind you.

5. Audience detail - Karen

A. The target audience is mainly aimed for people aged 16 and above, I would say 16 because i believe that is the right age for teenagers to watch a thriller movie and not feel affected. The reason for this is because we think that people aged 16 and above find thrillers interesting and fun to watch and they like knowing that there a cliff hanger and whats going to happen next.

The type of person to watch this is someone with dark hair blue eyes and someone dressed in dark colours for example black hoodie, jeans, and a dark top. People are like this are the types that would enjoy a thriller.

Feedback from PITCH. - Anton

Recording for the title sequence of 'Behind You' - Anton

Props that we will use (updated) - Milos

My old props that I posted about where what I had in my head when planning the shoot of the title sequence. After speaking to my teacher about it i have been directed that prop guns and knifes are not allowed to be used in the title sequence because of obvious reasons for where it could go wrong.

Props - Mask
W will still use a mask for the title sequence because it creates a spooky theme because the audience will not know what the murderers face looks like or what it is.

Props - Lighter
A lighter will be used by one of the characters to create affect of suspense and disorientation because the audience will not know what to think if one of the character sparks a lighter and just stares at it.

A lot of the props used in the title sequence will be props that can affectively create an out of the ordinary feeling to give to the audience so they know that something is not right in the title sequence. This will help them realise what type of genre the movie is.

Pitch Presentation - Anton

Title Survey

We did a survey to see which title was better for our production. It was in the form of a tally.

'Behind You' Social Media Banner - Anton

time line schedule - Milos

this is the timeline of what we will be doing during our making and filming period.

Social Media Pages - Anton

https://twitter.com/HighgateWoods

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010736644095

https://www.instagram.com/behind_you_candi_media/

Audience Research - Anton - Unfriended

Audience Research - Anton - Insidious

Insidious

9. Title Credits- Karen

Title Credits- The Pitch In the title credits we include things like the film title, actors, production ident, Distribution ident etc. Its important to have title credits so the audience know who's in the film, the name of the film and also gives clues in the title credits, for example that we know its going to be a thriller or a RomCom because of the way it looks.
      
In the film insidious some of the title credits move with the images for example one move with the camera when it turns and also the light bulb. Also the film title appears on the screen so suddenly to get the audience hyped up and ready to watch the film and also gets then a big jumpy which gets then excited and into the film quicker.

Orders of the title credits and also how we would expect the fonts to look and appear on screen, also having the credits indicate with the actual film, having the credit moving with the images or having them on a black screen.

Production schedule - Milos

The Pitch - Sound Design - Frankie

In relation to diegetic sound, we don't want to use a lot of it. We will be using a range of non diegetic sounds from base drones, piano keys (stringed instruments) & screams. We will be using these non diegetic sounds as they are the most suited for our genre and they will sound the best as well as going with the plot/location. We will also be using nature noises like crackling wood on a fire, birds singing and the howl of a wolf.

Here are a few soundscapes that inspired me:

i like these sounds as they fit the genre, are mysterious and will compliment the images that will be on screen for the title sequence.

Films like The Exorcist 1973 and Mama 2013 have inspired me for my opening title sequence ideas.

Final Storyboard

Institution detail- Part 2 - Karen

Ideas of distribution and what types of movies that are similar to the genre we're doing and how the distributions for example Paramount,Universal Pictures and New Line Cinema.


The original type of storyline we are going for is a type of paranormal or "The Purge" style to set a scary tone and making both movies link into one. This would be very affective because it would give us an idea of how we want to film it and how the distribution will come in and fit in with the movie and also the genre.

12 .) Risk assessment - milos

RISK ASSESSMENT

We are going to be filming at highgate wood. 

                RISK                               SOLUTION 

1.) One risk is that we could      1.) we will be aware of 

get robbed by someone                    suspicious people that 

because we will be using                 are creeping around 

expensive equipment.                      and we will not leave

                                                         equipment unattended.

2.) Breaking the camera is          2.)we will ensure that we 

another risk that could                    are very careful when 

happen.                                           using the camera and use   

                                                        the cameras safety strap.

3.) falling over in the forrest      3.)to prevent this we will 

is another risk. there are many       watch where we are walking 

sticks and twigs and rocks that      and we will wear appropriate

could get in our way.                     footwear for the terrain. 

4.) bad weather is one thing      4.) we will bring umbrellas  

that can ruin the day.                      and hoods incase it rains.

5.) the transport that take us to  5.) to ensure we are on time we 

our destination could be delayed    will leave a little earlier so we 

or could break down.                      have leeway to be late.

     

The Pitch - Mise En Scene (props, costumes & make up) - Frankie

We are going to have a lighter as we think it would be good to film a person clicking the lighter randomly (main focus is the flame). 

We will also be using a manakins head, we will be leaving it on the floor for the camera to pan past as we think it will be a creepy thing to put in. 

We haven't exactly created any costumes as a thriller is based around reality so we want everyone to be comfortable in their normal clothes. However we are going to be using a mask for an individual. 

Another aspect of Mise En Scene we have thought about is the actors, and they will be actors from our group as this is the most reliable thing to do.

The Pitch - Mise En Scene ( location & setting) - Frankie

High Gate Wood is going to be our main location for filming as there are some locations within it that are suited to our genre. 

We will use dark and light settings as thrillers are based around realistic events therefore drama can happen at any time of day and we will film in either light or dark backgrounds. 

4. Institutional detail - Karen

A. Our film I believe will be a mainstream production so having people post the trailer and getting people interested in watching the actual movie but also a short scene from it.

B. Paramount will be distributed, the reason being is because that particular making makes the film more tense in a way and having music in the background which links with the genre and the actual film fits in perfectly, Also other thriller have worked with paramount and the films have come out very successful.

C. Other distribution companies for example, New Line Cinema and Universal Studios are similar to our ones because they seem more formal and serious to watch, they fit in well with the genre and putting hovering music in the background already gives a scary atmosphere to the audience.

D. Films like Paranormal activity and Insidious are both linked to what type of movie we are planning to make, so the idea of being in a house with a family which gets the audience thinking of whats going to happen in the film. Both films have distributes that are very formal and just there in bold letters nice and clear and also have the music hovering in the background

E. The ownership could affect the type of titles and credits we have because we might not have correct or the right type of objects to create certain things and being able to put it in the film. Also not having money to make it perfect.

  

32. Which institution/ studio will

1. INCIDIOUS

• Released on Friday 13th - Links with bad luck day, already links with the genre of the film 
• Film district released the teaser trailer and also worked with Blastr 
• Soundtrack played by Tiny Tim - Courtesy of Warner Bros
• Soundtrack also played by Ludovico Einaudi
• Tiny Tim also done a track for the TV show 'Pretty Little Liars'

2. UNFRIENDED

• Teaser trailer released in July 2014
• Teaser trailer shows the original title of the film which at the time was cybernatural - On January 12th 2015
• The films first original trailer with the title unfriended was released shortly after - Feb 6th 2015
• Film was screened at Playlist Live 
• Popular convention for internet celebrities from Vine and Youtube 
• March 2015 - day the film officially premiered on SXSW
• on Feb 13 2015 - Campaign launched with Kik Messengers  

29. Sound Design - Anton

3. What Genre (or sub-genre) of Film is it? - Anton

A) The genre we have chosen is a thriller/horror hybrid. There are a large range of shots we can experiment with, little scripting, and sound editing.

B) 'Insidious'


This title sequence has long panning shots inside a house. the music creates an eerie mood and the audience feels a sudden shock when they see the face of a demon. We then see titles on still images after the title of the movie.
'Stepfather'

The title sequences uses bass drones to create a tone of a thriller movie. we plan on using simlar editing techniques.

2. What type of title sequence is it? - Anton

A) Do you intend to have a discrete, stylised, narrative or animated title sequence?
we intend to have a discrete title sequence of a panning camera. This will make the shots looks like killer is lurking around and hovering around the scene before the film begins. These long, panning shots will create tension and set a tone for the audience.

B) What real title sequences have influenced you?
'The Shinning' uses tracking shots to follows a car. The wide tracking shots gives a bird on prey and gives the feel that the car is being chased.
'Se7en'  makes good use of overlaying shots and we plan on using this technique in out opening sequence.

C) Do you intend to stick close to or challenge the social conventions? 
We plan to conform to some of the conventions seen in thrillers because we want our audience to associate the title sequence with the genre.

1. The film - Anton

A) What is the title of your film?
The title of our film is called 'Behind You'. The genre is a horror/thriller hybrid genre. This title suits the genre as the title evokes anticipation and suspense, which suits thrillers. Also there will be gore in the movie and this relates to the horror genre.
B) What's the treatment?
The movie is a horror/thriller which explores the protagonist's experience in a forest as a series of explicit events occur. After realising that there is a murderer, John must try to escape from the killer. The title sequence shows the post events of his experience. There are titles upon moving images in the title sequence.

Task 2 - creating your own production company - Anton and Frankie - Distribution company name; design a logo IDENT.

Name of Company: AFMK Productions

IDENT

Task 1 - Researching into existing distribution companies - Anton - Who distributes it; The marketing tools.

Researching into the distribution companies of two films in thriller genre.
Insidious                                        Unfriended
       

Who distributes it?

Insidious
Filmdistrict



Unfriended
Universal

The marketing tools 

Insidious
the Poster.









Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/InsidiousMovie/

Twitter:https://twitter.com/InsidiousMovie

Instagram:https://instagram.com/insidiousmovie/?hl=en
Marketing campaign: The movie was released on Friday the 13th.

Unfriended

Marketing campaign: LAURA BARNS KILL URSELF


Instagram: https://instagram.com/unfriendedmovie/?hl=en
Twitter: https://twitter.com/unfriendedmovie
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/UnfriendedMovie/

25. 'Head on' activity

24. Blog your own individual idea

Title sequence of 'The Stepfather'

- The ident

- The ident on the moving image

- Name of the film company and the production company

- The title of the film

- The actors names (they individually come up 12 times)

- The casting crew 

- The costume designer 

- The music supervisor 

- Who the music was by

- Who it was edited by

- The production designer 

- The director of photography 

- The executive producers 

- The director 

This title sequence was mainly affected by the amount of money used for production, as this way of presenting the title sequence is one of the most basic and standard ways of doing a title sequence. It is also one of the cheapest title sequences to make. As there are no big actors in the film the title of the film is shown before any of the names of the actors as there reputation will be based on the name of the film. Each of the titles roughly stay up for three seconds. The size is moderately small and easily understandable also, the font used is very crystal clear and not complex.

23. Initial creative ideas

Our group was given two pieces of paper. One had a location and the other had a prop. The location we got was Germany and our prop was a hat.

Our initial idea was to make the main location a school as a hat is usual something young people wear. 

We then storyboarded our ideas, the rough idea was that a boy in a school finds a hat that will have some form of significance to him.

There where two films that influenced us on our storyline/plot, Schindler's list (1993) and Fateless (2005).

22. Blogging health check 1 - post the feedback and targets set by your teacher (screenshot from pro-monitor)

21. Practical remake activity - evaluate the success of your practical activity - include images to support your comments

The making of the remake of the title sequence se7en was successful in some ways and slightly unsuccessful in others.

The Planning
We had to make a storyboard for the opening shots of Se7en. However, there were way too many shots. We decided to use photo bucket, and screenshot all of the shots. This was helpful because the shots used are hard to draw and we could visually see what colours were used. An issue we had was that the shots were not in order in the slideshow, and we ended up watching the video, pausing each shot instead.



The Filming
During the filming we had a dark room that we could use to replicate the shots of the title sequence. Se7en had a few props that we didn't have. We managed to improvise and use other props that fit the shots.

20. Practical Remake Activity - post evidence of your editing and your final cut of your remake.

19. Post evidence of your filming

18. Practical Remake Activity - Post your planning decisions and storyboard

As a group we decided we are going to remake the title sequence of the movie ''Se7en'. We found it difficult to draw a storyboard, as there were too many shots, so we decided to use the youtube video for each shot.

17. Genre shortlist - list no more than 3 genres that you may choose from to produce your own title sequence.

Thriller
Thrillers are a great genre to make a title sequence with because there are lots of shots that you can experiment with. For example there are normally wide shots, establishing shots and close ups/extreme close ups. Thrillers also don't require a lot of effort scripting. There is a lot of sound editing used in this type of genre e.g foley sound and bass drone.

Horror
Similarly, horrors use a range of camera angles, but there would be a bit more work scripting and possibly setting up costumes. Quite a large sum of foley sound would be requires.

Action
Actions are intense and require lots of shots to fill the 1-3 shot length. This is a great way of experimenting with match-cutting and also the music. Music is very important to action movies/shows as I have learned of Magnum P.I.

16. Create a director's commentary or an animated Camtasia video analysing the use of sound in one film opening in your chosen genre.

15. Why is sound so important in film?

Sound is important in films because it uses all the sound, foley sound, sound effects to create a soundscape. This is just as important as the footage in setting the tone of the movie. A great example of this was in class. We were shown the title sequence of 'The Shinning', but, without the sound we were unable to understand a tracking shot of a car in the road, country side was a thriller, as the bass drone sets most of the genre. People in the class thought it was a documentary or adventure film because we didn't think anything bad was going to happen. The sound was good at suspending disbelief; more senses are being used with sound. The title sequence was also more interesting with the music. When we did a test, listening to only the sound of the title sequences of movies, we were able to identify genre better than watching a moving image, and we guessed the movie correctly.

14. Summarise your findings of the genre conventions in film openings from your chosen genre.

Thrillers tend to have dark lighting, creepy music, low angles, and wide or long shots. The establishing shots set location and tone of the movie this builds tension and suspense to the audience, from their experience of thriller movies. In the movie 'Stepfather', the title sequences shows a range of props. These props are useful to identifying the character. for example the razors lined up in the movie, 'Stepfather', and created suspense with a bass drone. Normally thriller films use tracking and panning shots in the beginning of the movie to make you feel like the person is not alone, and someone else is present. This is a great way of suspending disbelief, as the tone is being set by the anonymity.

13. Analyse three title sequences of your chosen genre

Se7en (1995) — Art of the Title - Thriller

Macro: The storyline in the title sequence shows a man scheming some sort of evil plan. We initially see the killer, but not his face. We are also unable to see his social class, but we presume he is of a higher education from all the intelligent plotting he is doing. There are themes of ambiguity in the title sequence, possibly creating questions to engage the audience.

Micro: Close ups, overlapping film, cut to black, screeching noises, and pulsating beat, Handwritten font, Books, pictures, news articles

Order of title credits: Idents, company producers, film producer, famous actors, movie title, actors, casting, music, costumes designer, editors, production designer, director of photography, co-producers, co-executive producers, executive producers, writer, producer, director.

Magnum, P.I. (1980) — Art of the Title - Action

Macro: The storyline is shows Magnum, a hero, who saves the day. We see the character fighting bad people (crime) in Hawaii. The theme is crime.

Micro: Panning (establishing shots), Words enlarge transition, upbeat music, quick cuts, guns, cars, fire, explosions

Order of title credits: Title, Main actors

Back to the Future (1985) — Art of the Title - Action

Macro: The storyline shows a theft of plutonium in the news, and we find out from the boy who enters the room that the guy that stole it is called doc.

Micro: long shots, close ups panning, ticking sound, clocks, mechanical inventions, skateboard

Order of title credits: Director, film maker, title, main actors, casting, music, editors, production designer, director of photography, executive producers, writers, producers, director.

12. Post your target audience research homework

Task 1

What is an audience?

An audience is an individual or group of people who read or consume and media text.

How do we define target audience?

- Where your target audience is located
- Are they female, male or both?
- What is there average age?
- What are their common interests?
- What is their income range?
- What common values do they share?

Why is it useful for a film to have a target audience?

Knowing your target audience can help to save money and is always the start of any advertising campaign.

Which audiences do you think different genres appeal to? 

An example of a genre that appeals to a certain target audience are newspapers. They are aimed at working class, middle aged people.
Task 2

Coming soon...

Task 3

Coming soon...

11. Post your answers to the BFI Statistics yearbook

GENRE – Chapter 4

The three most popular movie genres in 2013, in order, were animation, action, and comedy, according to UK box office. On the other end of the scale, we have the least successful genres. These were: romance, documentaries and war. Comedy released the most titles at 153 releases in 2013; drama had 141, and documentaries, 89. Despite being the most popular genres, animation only released 33 titles, and action released 47. This information tells me that small numbers of high grossing releases are the what affects the top genres of movies, as a larger audience are watching this genre.

AUDIENCES – Chapter 15 

The most common film audience in 2013 were 15-24 years old. The most successful movie for this age group was 'The Hangover III'. 'Quartet' was the most common movie for 55+ cinema-goers. Action, comedies and thrillers were the most popular genres with men. Women had a large range of genres witch they watched. The UK films applied to all demographic groups, but a particular appeal to those 45+. 7-14 year old demographic top three most popular movies were 'Wreck-it Ralph', 'Despicable Me 2' and 'Monsters University'. Their preferred genre was animation. The three films most popular with the 35-44 age group were 'Frozen', 'The Croods' and 'Jack and the Giant Slayer'. This makes sense as, in context, parents would take their children to the cinema. 25-34 had a strong appeal to action movies and their top movies were 'Django Unchained', followed by 'Fast & Furious 6', and 'Rush and Trance'. Social class, C1, top three movies were 'Rush' 'Captain Phillips' and 'Gravity'. Social class, C2, top three movies were 'Oz the Great and Powerful' 'Fast & Furious 6' and 'Despicable Me 2'. Scotland's most popular films were: 'Sunshine on Leith', 'Filth' and 'Star Treck Into Darkness'. London's top three movies were 'Django Unchained', 'Fast and Furious 6', and 'Gravity'. London's audience prefers action movies whereas Scotland prefers more relaxed films.

10. What is Genre?

Genre is the type/category of film. For example Romance. There are certain genre tropes to that genre. Genre tropes include: characters, props, lighting, location, shot types. Movies can also have more than one genre. A sub-genre is two genres in a movie, Rom-Com, and a hybrid genre is three or more genres, British-Romantic-Comedy.

9. What are the 4 different types of film openings?

4 different types of film openings. 

1. Titles on a blank screen
2. Titles on still images
3. Titles on moving images
4. Titles using animation or motion

My favourite type of opening is titles using animation.


                                       

I find the animations do a good job at portraying the concepts of the movies.

8. Pick a favourite film, analyse the type of title sequence it uses, and order the credits are in

Django Unchained (Opening Credits)                                  

Django Unchained uses a moving images title sequence. The font is red and has a western theme to it. It firstly introduces the production company, then the movie maker 'Quentin Tarantino', followed by the main actors. In the middle of the title sequence we see the title of the movie Django, and then we see some more names and at the end, we see the producer titles.

7. what conclusions can you make about titles used in title sequences?

The font of the titles are important for creating the tone of the movie and can make the reader feel a relation between the title and the moving image. For example in Se7en, the handwritten font blends into the sequence. We get the attitude that the movie is a thriller because the font looks like the serial killer's handwriting.





Titles introduce the most important people at the beginning or at the end of the title sequence. Title sequences use a colour that separates from the background colour.

6. Analyse two film title sequences

Raging Bull (1980) — Art of the Title

To Kill A Mockingbird (1962) — Art of the Title

5. What makes a good title sequence according to Kyle Cooper?

4. How can a film opening attract an audience

The documentary 'Watching' explores the ways in which a movie opening and title sequence can attract an audience. We can see there are many different opinions on how the film opening can attract an audience.

The opening isn't just establishing story, character. It's establishing tone! The audience is making a very early adjustment to the movie. The viewer questions am I supposed to: laugh, cry, take it seriously, what's the nature of this, how engaged am I going to be? You're establishing many things at once.

What makes a film opening attract an audience is the fact you don't know everything and you want to know everything. Film makers question themselves. How can I wake them up, capture their attention, and put them on alert?





The movie instructs on how we should watch the film that follows. The movie makers want the audience to get onto their wave length in the beginning of the movie. The wave length that the picture is operating from.

3. What is the purpose of a title sequence and film opening?

We learnt that a title sequence/film opening has a key purpose in setting the scene of a film.

 This helps to suspend disbelief to the audience, making them think that what they are watching is real. the genre, atmosphere, location and main character are all integrated in the opening title sequence.

The music and credits used serve to further reinforce the atmosphere of the film, as the opening is a key foreshadowing element of the film.






At the start of most title sequences
there is and ident. This ident shows the audience who the production company and distributers are.

2. Prelim Evaluation

My group and worked together to create a thirty second scene. We used planning to create the storyboard, the camera angles, the order, and the script, which made match cutting work in our thirty second scene.

Before planning the prelim we were given a context. We were told that the setting was a train. I set up chairs in rows to look like train seats. We were also given a prop to use - a badminton racket.


Milos, Karen and Frankie were the actors in the prelim. I was the camera man and it was a big responsibility for me to ensure that all the shots were steady and taken with the right settings. There was one problem which I figured out and that was the ND filter on the camera. This stopped blocked some light from getting into the camera and made the footage grainier. Luckily, there was a large amount of natural lighting, which balanced out the filter. I turned the filter off later in filming.

I learned skills editing on software like Adobe Premiere. We were able to edit my recordings and create smooth match cuts. Editing was one of my strengths because I studied a lot of editing on adobe at home. Recording with  expensive equipment is quite new to me and I am learning about the the hardware.

I see this project as a success. We managed to communicate very well with each other and as a result we came out completed the project. To improve next time I will check the camera settings and plan to fit the time constraint, so that I don't miss out any shots.

2. Prelim

21. PRELIM Frankie Milos Anton Karen from 283goswell on Vimeo.
">283goswell on Vimeo.

1. Our Group