Final idea for opening sequence

This is the first shot I am planning to use for the opening as it is a technique
which makes an audience feel intimidated and within the actors state of mind. 

Title of this film: Soul harvester
Reason for title: He is a serial killer which is basically like harvesting souls a farmer harvests loads of crops and he taking so many lives.
My final idea is going to be one of my initial ideas which was my third pitch however more developed. my third pitch was about a stalker who had got into the girl he was stalking house however, I liked the idea of someone already being in the house but with the music It going to begin with seeing part of the mans face and he is blinking but looking quite stunned like he is having a flashback the music is going to follow at the same time as his blinks but as parts get more powerful it will cross dissolve into the flashback. The flashbacks are going to be of a girls arms with blood dripping down it and its going to keep going back to the mans eye with a tear falling down which later on turns to a blood tear. Then the music changes to being very tense which I am going to use for when we see an over the should shot of the man looking out of the windows through the blind at the young girl returning home. this is then when it goes to quite mellow and fluent music which i am going to use for the pan of the girl coming home and the match on action shot of her coming through the door. I am only planning to use little dialogue as possible because I think not much dialogue brings the audience to want to watch it as it is more tense and actions speak louder than words.

I think this is a really good idea and hope it works out as well as i think it will.

Preliminary task and Evaluation

this task was set out for us to develop our understanding of filming and editing. We had to produce a short sequence of a character(s) opening a door crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character. The shots we had to include in this sequence were match on action, shot reverse shot and the 180 degree rule. This task has helped me improve on my filming skills much more since my last remake of "Footloose" because I never knew these shots and by actually filming them and with my teams work I understand them much more and think I will try and include them in my final piece as I think they are quite good shots.

The match on action shot:

   This is the match on action shot where the first one we see them opening the door and then the second shot they are walking through it.
This shot is very creative and at first i found it quite difficult to understand however once using the camera and editing it, I began to understand how this technique worked and found it to be very useful and it also keeps the audience alert as it is quite a quick shot that follows onto another. we used this more than once just to be able to show that we could use this shot well and it also helped everyone understand it as it was hard to understand it with just a verbal talk. I think you had to film the shot to be able to fully get it and understand its reasoning of using this shot and when to use it as it could not be used at any point.



Shot reverse shot: 



Shot reverse shot is a shot technique usually used within two characters sharing dialogue. so for example Person A will be filmed sort of like an over the shoulder view so we assume he/she is looking and talking at person B and then when Person B begins talking the shot is then filmed over their shoulder and we are seeing from Person B's view and it keeps reversing until the it ends and we are taken to another scene.  However we used shot reverse shot quite differently we used no dialogue, and from these pictures (on the left) we used the shot where we see from Joe's point of view at what he is staring at and then used the shot of the dresses point of view and we can see joe staring at it.We as a group found this section of the sequence most appropriate to use the shot reverse shot because it emphasizes this part of the film as it gives the audience the impression that something is going to happen with the dress and Joe.




180 Degree rule: 


This is a diagram I found which describes the 180 degree rule in a very simple way:

The 180 degree rule is the line that splits a circle into half ( a semi circle) and both persons are opposite each other however the camera stays on the line and can see each others expressions however one at a time. So the camera will focus on the person speaking and then switch (but staying on the 180 degree rule) to the other person.





Our version of the 180 degree rule: 

 The 180 degree rule begins with the camera focusing on joe on the line we made as the 180 degree. He is focusing on Lauren as he talks.


 The camera then switches to Lauren giving her lines focusing on Joe however keeping the camera at the 180 degree rule it  

 

Storyboard For Preliminary task:

Script for Preliminary task:

This is the editing part of the script we then did a final typed on the computer however this was the first script we had produced. 

Initial ideas for a new fiction film: Opening Sequence

1st Pitch:
My first idea as a title for an opening sequence is "Gone" this fiction film is a thriller with a twist. It's about a couple who have an argument and the girl runs off down a lane. I imagine it to start with a blank black screen with running footsteps and then you hear the girls scream and then it will switch to a scene with someone stamping on the phone. I then would like the scene to switch to the boy in a room in his house turning his head as the phone smashed like he had heard it and using the jaws effect. Then the scene would switch to him picking up the smashed phone and shouting the girls name. The camera will slowly go around the boy and increase in speed like a realisation of panick. Then he will call the police and start panicking and the script will be along the lines of "where is she? she's been taken you have to help me!" It will then cut to a scene where you see a shovel and loads of dirt which gives an idea that the girl has been murdered. Then it will cut to a scene where the girl goes to reach out at the boy and he wakes up sweating like it it was a dream. This is when the scene ends with the camera from pointing down tilting upwards to a man in a hoodie with a knife and the crushed phone in his hand down the lane where it will be all foggy the title "Gone" will appear. I plan to use an over voice of the boys voice as it will add tension aswell as with slow and scary music like a piano and violins which begins to increase in loudness getting closer to the end of the sequence. I would like to do this sequence out of school premises preferably.

This is how I imagine the ending to look with the title fading in "Gone". I will try to capture the lane in a foggy atmosphere as i think it would give an eerie look and with quite tensed music. The camera will tilt up from looking downwards to coming up as the music becomes more tensed.







2nd Pitch:
My other title sequence would be "the living graveyard" or I am thinking of calling it "Solidarity" I haven't decided which one i prefer. It begins with a couple walking through a church/graveyard to get to the park on the other side to meet with their friends however on their route they get stopped with a hand on the boys shoulder on the shoulder by the owner however he is not his usual self and as the camera moves from his feet to his face we can see that he is a zombie and tries to bite the boy however they both get away. What they don't realise is that more are surrounding them..and coming in closer.. do they fight to survive? or give in to their fears? this will be the cliffhanger at the ending of the opening sequence. I will have a script but only a little script as the actors will act like it is a normal night and eerie music. I would also like to use diegetic sounds such as breaking of branches as at one point i plan to near the beginning for the girl to hear the breaking of the branch and start to rush him out of the cemetery because she is scared. The title I plan to bring at the ending of the sequence on a blank black screen and you will hear the girls scream and the sounds of the zombie. This leaves a cliffhanger as then the audience will want to see the rest of the film.


The scene I plan to do the shooting of the pitch (if i decide to choose this one) will be in this area:



This is the exact place where i will be filming just an old painting of what it used to look like. This church/cemetery is nearby and open at all times so I could do the filming when necessary such as when I need to do filming at night it will be available. Also, the people I am thinking of using to play the zombies and the couple, live very close to the church as well so it would not be a problem for them to make their way to the church.



3rd pitch:

this is similar to how 
i would like it to finish
with the title fading in however 
it would be loads of petals
 floating down. 

My third pitch the title of the first sequence would be called "admired" a thriller about a girl who has a secret admirer however doesn't know who this admirer is which he is more of an admirer but more of a stalker and the scene will begin with her talking on the phone to her boyfriend about her parents being away for the weekend and how she can't wait to see him soon which means he is on his way over and we see a long shot of her going into the house and then a match on action of her opening the door to being in the house where we see from her point of view of the room. This then switches to a scene where you see a mans finger press play on a stereo which begins playing "every breathe you take" by the police but a remake of the version which i will record and put on a c.d. it will then go to back to the girl a medium/long shot of her and then a point of view shot of her following the rose petals and her shouting out thinking its her boyfriend. We then go back to the scene where he begins walking out of the house putting his hoodie up and shutting the door behind him. it then cuts back to the girl and her shouting out where have you gone she then finds a letter whilst following the roses saying go upstairs. she then goes upstairs and finds candles and more petals over her bed. she then goes to the window and outside the hooded man stands outside holding a sign saying "i love u" and she shouts out for her boyfriend and looks behind her then looks back out and he holds another sign up saying "he wont be coming" and she begins panicking he changes the board saying "me and u forever" she shuts the curtains and grabs her phone hides in the corner and tries to ring her boyfriend but it keeps going to voicemail she peeks out the window and the man has disappeared. she runs downstairs, locks the front door and goes to run to the back but there stands the stalker in the way where an enigma shot will be used but we never see his face which then it will cut to the title admirer with a floating petal. 


My inspirations for my films:


When creating my first intial idea the inspiration I had was from a lane that i live quite near by called "cotton lane" at night it is very eerie and throughout the lane there are odd cottages on their own and from hearing stories about girls walking down alleyways on their own and being serverly injured or mudered gave me the idea to create a film using this lane using a lot of build up of tension throughout where it will cut off not knowing whether she had been killed or not. This was an odd inspiration but the ideas I used mainly my imagination to bring it all together.

My second initial idea i used the inspiration of the zombie film "shaun of the dead" however it not being comical but the idea of everyone being dead except from this couple gave me an eerie thought. Also the image that i have put alongside my description of intial idea 2 is the actual place where i would film. also another inspiration was the music video "thriller" by michael jackson. Where all the zombies come out of the grave and follow the couple however the difference mine would be is that they wouldn't be coming out of the grave because it would be quite hard typically impossible to do so they would already be out of the grave and it would be left on a cliffhanger with the girls scream whether they made it alive out of the graveyard or not.


This is the music video "thriller" which gave me main inspiration for this idea.






My third initial idea inspiration was from a film called "prom night" which is based on a teacher who falls inlove with a student and starts stalking her and ends up becoming a muderer by killing her whole family. it inspired me to make a film about a stalker or a serial killer however i went with the idea of a stalker because it seemed to fit in with the title i had liked. Also a programme i watched called ghost whisperer had an episode about a stalker who somehow got into her house and made it into a romantic scene however not leaving her alone. These were all very good films and programmes that had given me ideas for my third idea.


This is the trailer of the film "Prom Night" which shows what the film is basically based around however if I am to go forward with this idea then i would keep the idea just in my house and not have anyone murdered as I will only use two actors (one as the girl and the other as the stalker.) as I would like it to end on a cliff hanger so noone knows what happens and wants to watch it furthermore.

Story board for Footloose Remake

Story board for Preliminary task

The story board consists of images of the shots we were planning to use in our preliminary task. We followed the shots quite well with very little changes as it would have made it very confusing. We added a few more shots with the two girls walking to the door and then them opening the door with a tilt. This just emphasized the film as it was another shot to use. 

Title sequence remake of footloose- Evaluation

Evaluation:


For this task we had to do a remake of an opening sequence Remaking the opening of "Footloose" was an experience which I thoroughly enjoyed and learned a lot from it. It was very time consuming however the finishing piece was really well made and was worth the time. My partner I worked with Debbie and I had a lot of things we had to take care of to make sure we got the filming as good as possible. We had to focus on Costumes, props, getting changed, finding the right people to work in the film and making sure they came to filming on time, make sure the filming was at right angles and it was all carried out professionally like it is our real piece. I had also learned how to cooperate with teamworkers which were debbie and one other Lauren as she appeared in one shot. This is each subject we focused on in more detail and what I learned from it all:


Filming
Costumes/Props:


Costumes was one of our most important aspects because the film uses over 24 pairs of shoes so we had to communicate with each other and bring as many shoes that would fit in with the filming progress. If forgetting one pair that we needed to use for filming would have jeopardize the whole filming as it would have taken a lot more time so we made sure we brought them all in for filming dates. We also had to get different clothing as some clothing required to go with a different sets of shoes. e.g. the mens shoes had to go with either a pair of jeans or black trousers. The film would not have made sense if we put the men shoes with a skirt so we also had to think of the different types of clothing.We didn't use any props for the filming so this wasn't something we had to worry about. I think we worked well together in bringing in the amount of shoes and clothing we could however if I could do this project again I would have rather done it one another's home as then I would not have worried about forgetting something. I enjoyed using the different costumes and shoes and thought it was an enjoyable project.


Getting changed:


From the amount of clothing and shoes we had, we had a lot of clothing to get changed into which was not a problem. this is because we done our filming in the photography room of the building in our school where no-one can see through the window so we had no worry of keep going to the toilets going to get changed and coming back because that would have taken more time and would have wasted valuable filming that could have been done. It only took between 2-3 minutes to change into the costumes and shoes so this did not take up much time to film.


Finding the right people to work in the film and making sure they came to filming on time: 


This was not a difficult position we were put in because there was two of us so we cooperated together and took in turns as we both had shoes that fitted us properly so we just took it in turns to perform with the shoes we brought in. However for one shoot we used Lauren a media studies student to because she had the right socks on for the day but she was availiable so it was fine and it did not take more than 3 shoots for her to get the right movements right. This was very simple and straightforward as we only relied on each other for nearly every shoot we were also always on time as we did the film during media lessons so we were partners in making this remake and were together so we had no worry of each other not being there. We both turned up to each lesson of filming and editing so we had no problem of making sure everything worked out.


Filmings on the right angles:


We filmed in the same angle and direction throughout the filming  where the camera sat under a few books to give it a bit of height and for the certain angle we wanted. We were trying to achieve a similar look as the remake however we did have to do the filming in different places so the background and the closeness the camera is, is slightly different. however we tried our best to keep it the same. Making this angle was not difficult as we did not have to change into other filming angles we only had to record in this one angle. Footloose is quite a simple remake when it comes to the angles however it is the timing of the music and the editing that made it most difficult.

Importance of acting skills:


Acting skills was very important during this production as we could not muck around because it would have made the production look flat and not professional. We did not have to worry about facial expressions because it only focused on the feet. We had to make sure that we understood the dance technique was almost the same as the actual make. Timing was very crucial and this could only be done if the dancing routines were perfect so this meant no messing around. I think we personally pulled it off well as we did not muck around and kept ourself under control. We also made sure we thoroughly knew the dance routines for them to only be taken in a 1/2 shots.


Value of patience:


Patience during this remake was needed because if a shot needed taking more than twice or one of us could not understand how to do a certain dance routine we had to take time out to help one another. I think Debbie and I had a lot of patience during the filming and helped each other out all the way through the filming which I think was the most important part of filming. This is because without cooperation and communication and having arguments could have caused many issues and the filming could have been produced very unprofessional.

Editing:


When editing I had learned a lot of new skills. From transferring all clips to the project,to cutting and unlinking unwanted sounds. It was very difficult to put together however very rewarding as I think we had made a very good remake of the opening sequence.

Film opening of footloose with comparison

Footloose-Final Opening

Lesson of 11/10/10

In this lesson Debbie and I focused on editing and putting together my opening scene of "footloose". We had finished filming the scenes however we had to import them onto the software of Premiere Pro. By doing this, we had to link the camera to the computer and capture the different scenes by pressing the recording button so it recorded the specific scene and we had to press stop for when each scene ended at the time we wanted it to. They then automatically went on the side of the premiere pro and we could drag them onto the part where we could edit and cut parts down for the only clips we needed. This was very simple as we knew where to cut the clips and whether it was in time with the music. We then had to add titles to the right clip and made sure that the effect used to fade out the titles on the clips were at the right time for the next clip to begin. The effect we used was additive dissolve. I enjoyed putting this clip together and think I have learned a lot with the different tools on Premiere Pro and how to use a camera and tripod properly. This has given me a good head start on my actual video piece that we start after the holidays.

Analysis Film Openings

The three films I am going to look at in detail of their use of shots and editing are:
- Dexter

-When a stranger calls

-Bridget Jones Diary- the edge of reason

Dexter:

Dexter is a very well known American TV drama series which can also be watched in several countries which I am as well a fan of the series. The opening sequence of this series is very unique and unusual which can make people slightly squeamish as it made me feel quite uncomfortable watching it for the first time. within every new shot is a new title.The opening scene opens with an extreme close up shot of a mosquito on someone's arm as we can't see the person's face we do not know who it is where we see it piercing into somebody's skin drinking their blood. The theme music in the background of this scene is very upbeat but in its own ways it sounds quite eerie as it uses a variety of instruments such as a guitar to give you that crazy sense that the person is not normal. The shot then pans out of the extreme close up and is in a close up shot of the arm and we see the persons face as he kills the mosquito and he smiles. the shot then changes to the title of the series "Dexter" which is written in the use of blood like colour,  the letters one at a time are being filled with a much more blood like colour. Also the splatter and smudges of the blood also gives us as the audience the impression that the title is this mans name and that the blood means he is not a normal person. It then goes straight to another shot where we are at a medium close up shot where we see the back of the mans head however we see his point of view at the same time of himself looking in the mirror but his face is out of focus which makes it a mystery of who he is. It then cuts to an extreme close up shot of fingers brushing down against his face which looks like sweat on the face and we can see a lot of details e.g. the bristles. The shot then cuts out to a close up of a man shaving which then he cuts himself. The shot then becomes an overhead shot of a drain which may be the sink he is shaving over which then as the blood drips into the sink the shots become zooming in closer and closer as it drips. It then cuts back out to a close up of the blood dripping however the man using tissue to soak it up this is when it instantly goes to a a very extreme close up of just tissue soaking up the blood and soaks up the title with it. It then goes to the next shot of a close up of a knife cutting into meat which looks like it has been opened from its packaging. It is undeciding whether it is animal meat or human meat as it is quite unusual. Then it goes to a close up shot of a sizzling pan and the meat being fried the shot then cuts to the man eating the meat quite animal like which gives us the impression that he could be cannibal but it is undeciding. This shot is extremely eerie and leaves the audience wanting to ask a load of questions. The shot then goes to a close up of someone cracking and egg and then an overhead of the egg sizzling in the pan. It then goes into quick shots over and over of knife cutting the egg and splatters of ketchup which almost looks like a messy massacre. It then goes to an overhead shot of coffee beans being grinded and then cuts to another shot of a close up of a hand pushing down on a lever thing which looks like it is to make the coffee and we see it dripping almost like blood. It then cuts to a close up on an orange with a knife cutting in it with the juice squirting out like the way blood does and cuts to another shot of it but extreme close up of it cutting down the orange. Orange skin is ironic to human skin and when it cuts to the shot of it being juiced the pips are falling out which looks like humans insides being pushed out. It then goes to a steady close shot of the orange after it had been juiced. It then goes to a close up of floss being wrapped tightly around the fingers and then going to an over head shot of the sink and the hand pulling against the floss and the cutting to the next shot of seeing his neck with the camera tilting upwards towards the man finishing flossing his teeth. It then cuts to another shot overhead of fists holding tightly on laces which could be like rope (ironic). It then goes to a shot where we see the laces going through the eye holes with the shoes being tanned it looks like nostrils and then it cuts to a medium close up of him pulling the t shirt over his face but making it look like a suffocation. We then see his face and it cuts to a shot of him taking his key out of the door. It then goes to a pan of Dexter walking across the balcony with an evil smile on his face looking at the camera then him looking forward. Most shots used in this opening scene are mainly extreme close ups. My favourite shot in this film was the extreme close up of the cutting up of the breakfast as it linked in so well with what the programme is about.

When a Stranger Calls:

When a Stranger Calls is a 2006 American horror film which was a big hit. The opening scene is very eerie and makes you feel quite uncomfortable because it is very tense as soon as it begins. It begins with a black screen with title fading in and out slowly. A dial tone in the background and then we hear the person pick up the phone and they both start having a conversation with the girl sounding quite frightened and the man putting on a deep dark voice. In the background quiet music but loud enough to hear makes it more tense as it gets louder. Then a tilted medium shot of a house fades in mainly focused on the one bedroom with the light on the man on the other end is no longer speaking and the girl keeps saying hello. As this is happening we are zooming out of the view of the house very slowly and begins panning out towards more of the scenery, which is of a fairground near the house. It then cuts to a scene of a medium shot of two children running through the fairground however like the camera is following them. it then cuts to two different shots one at first of a shot titled downwards a medium shot of someone's whole body except their face then quickly goes to a close up of shot of their face then it pulls out to a mid-long shot of their whole body and it moves down slightly to the shot of the dog and then quickly goes to close up of their face. We then can see where they have cut the shots as i think at this point it is mean to have this effect where it is a close up of a girl going around of the merry go round then it cuts and pulls out into a medium shot and then it cuts to a close up of the window that it was focused on earlier that is close to the fairground. It then cuts back out into a long shot of the window and we can see the girl going around on the merry go round. The camera is not steady and it is moving around slightly from a long shot of the window which then suddenly it cuts into lots of shot zooming in and out of the window. I think the effect this has on the audience is keeping them alert and also builds up more on the tension. it also gives the audience the understanding that the voice over of the girl on the phone is coming from the main focus the house. these quick shots are all focused on the house as this is where everything is happening. This opening sequence is very well planned out as it fits well within the genre it aims at which is horror. it keep the audience on edge and is very alerting.

Bridget Jones Diary: The Edge of Reason

Bridget Jones Diary is a 2004 British film which falls under the genre category romantic comedy. The film is a follow on to "Bridget Jones Diary" which was a 2001 film and the opening sequence opens similar to the first sequel of this film. It opens on a black screen with colourful text the music in the background is quite orchastral. The text fades out and the black background opens up to a journal and more text fades onto the screen. Then a voice over of the main character comes up and the orchastral music quietens down. it then cross fades to a long shot of a car driving down a snowy road which then cuts to a view where we are seen looking at the side of the car. It then cuts to a birds eye view shot of the car and then it cuts to a long shot of a woman walking up to a house. It then cuts to a medium shot of two women greeting eachother which looks like mother and daughter. The voice over is still continuing however when there is dialogue there is no voice over. the shots are very rapid and cut quickly. we go to a medium shot of the woman entering a room filled with people and from the expressions from her face she looks nervous and quite anxious. The voice over continues as we see from her point of view the people she is staring and she describes them on how she thinks of them and it is quite humorous. It continues like this throughout until it cuts to the next scene. This movie is very humorous compared to the other opening sequences I have spoken about, it is a happy film with the two are dark and ominous.



City scape sequence

 

Evaluation on the opening sequence of cityscape:

For this project we had to use a software called adobe premiere pro to make an opening sequence about London's cityscape. This software I had never used before so it was very new to me and I had learned how to use a completely different software. i learned many new techniques and found it to be very useful and quite easy once putting it all together. when putting my clips together and finished it all off, I decided to call my opening sequence "Lost in London" because it is meant to look like an action sequence. However, to get it all collaborated and made into a sequence i had to use specific tools which i had to learn to use. the main tool i used was the cutting of the clip. the cutting tool allowed me to cut clips so it fitted with the music. I also learned how to make a title which i found quite difficult but found it to be very useful. you could change the colour and the type of font and could cut it to stay in one clip. i also learned how to make effects on the videos example: black and white clip, twirling the clip, etc. to make the clips fit the screen i had to click on motion and drag it out so it become wider even though it looked a bit blurry. I enjoyed making this sequence and found it very helpful for when it comes to the actual project.

trainspotting moodboard

For this project, I had to look at the opening of a film either trainspotting or goodfellas and then had to take the key elements of the film and place these pictures into a moodboard. I decided to look at the opening of trainspotting and chose pictures which related to the film and what may have had influence on the making of it. 

every picture tells a story

we had to take six pictures which made a sequence to tell a story. I decided to make a story with my six pictures about a girl walking into a library and choosing a book to read at a table. we had to use a variety of angle shots and had to make sure it showed the story within the sequence.