Location Shots

These are my location shots, and these are the potential locations for our groups opening sequence for a Thriller film. I feel that these locations would be excellent for the opening sequence, due to the mysteriousness that they create. The audience will wonder why a character would be in the woods that are clearly deserted. Also, if something sinister does happen to the character, they would know that this is a prime location for a body to be disposed of; and they will know where this body would be; whereas the other characters wouldn’t. These locations appeal to me, and to my audience because of the sheer eeriness of them. People have to travel through woods to get to destinations, and they are even next to park areas. Having such a normal everyday location used will really make the audience sit ‘on the edge of their seat’, and they will feel worried and this eerie atmosphere will have been created. But they will also be cautious of going through woods after seeing this location in our opening sequence, the opening sequence would could possibly have an impact on some viewers lives.

My 8 Beautifully Composed Shots

These are my 8 beautifully composed shots that could be possibly used for my opening sequence. Usually, 'Thriller' movies are shot is houses, as they create a sense of danger and an eerie atmosphere; however houses are supposed to be safe and secure environments but 'Thrillers' challenge this and make them prime locations. My photo's show a storyline, of a possible break in with the use of the glove, and the opened door. Moreover, the items scattered on the floor show a possible struggle between two people resulting in items appearing on the floor. In addiiton, the blood shows that there could be a death involved in this, and the probable murder weapon. Finally, a match is lit and items of clothing are being burnt, and this could very easily show that the murderer is burning the evidence. I believe my photo's are very successful, as they create mystery within them, and people would want to know what has happened, and why.

Conventions Of An Opening Sequence

There are also conventions for an opening sequence of a film, and this includes:

1) 'Hook' the audience.

2) Establish the setting.

3) Introduce the characters.

4) Possibly a soundtrack to set the 'atmosphere'.

5) Make the viewer have questions that they want answered.

6) They do not give anything away.

7) Must make the viewer want to 'watch on'.

8) To have successful titles.

Conventions Of Your Chosen Genre - Thriller

A Thriller has conventions to make it a successful movie and for the audience to become 'hooked'. This includes:

1) Slow paced editing

2) Low resonant sounding music
3) Props
4) Creepy location
5) Dark colours and lighting
6) Information is revealed throughout the film slowly
7) Opening sequence foreshadowing the ending of the film
8) Match on action
9) Psychological
10) Clues throughout
11) Twists in the plot
12) Special effects
13) Bold, traditional font titles
14) Quick cuts
15) Shadows
16) Obsession
17) Use of Establishing shots
18) Close up
19) Extreme close up shots

The Sixth Sense - Opening Sequence Analysis

The title of the film:
The title for this movie is 'The Sixth Sense', and this film is very well known. The titles appear on the screen after we see who the film is created by and who's starring in it; when it does appear we see the title 'The Sixth Sense'. The title is positioned in the centre of the screen surrounded by darkness, but as it appears the music becomes more menacing. This could possibly connate a sense of danger that might appear within the film.

The way the setting/location is revealed:
The setting and location is revealed in a sinister way, and the audience is very nearly forced to watch the movie, purely because they want to know what is going to happen. We first see the location of a basement in the predominant characters house; basements are merely associated within thriller films to create the fear and suspense. Afterwards we see a vast room which could raise suspicion as to what could happen in this film.

Costumes/Props used in the opening:
During the opening sequence many props are used, for instance throughout the opening sequence we see the prop of a wine glasses, followed by a wine bottle. This suggests that they are vulnerable to anything as they have been drinking, and it could also trigger strange thoughts in their minds. Followed on by the characters wealth, the characters costumes show that they are higher class members of society and they could be seen as targets for awful things to happen as that is what happens typically in Thriller movies.

Camerawork/Editing in the opening:
The opening sequence is edited using continuity editing as it shows that all of the shots flow and there is not any sign of shots cut in a unprofessional way. Also, this type of editing shows a continuous flow of an eerie atmosphere that runs throughout the film. The camerawork in the opening sequence is very basic as close-ups and mid-shots are used a lot, this could possibly be done to calm the viewer down; but to get them ready for the suspense in the rest of the movie. In addition, when the woman reaches in for the bottle of wine, it is as if we are staring at her and she will then feel uncomfortable; so it is as of something is staring at her but the audience is that ‘thing’.

The title and font style:
The titles of text are very basic, being the colour blue and they are on a dark background; the text is placed in the centre of the screen. Moreover, the text is blue and blue is seen as a calm colour so this would be done to calm the viewer and draw them in, but this is going to trick them as the film is not calm at all.

How the opening sequence sets the story:
Seeing the basement scene where the woman comes down to get some wine sets the story, it is very calm possibly suggesting a calm life that they live together. The audience could automatically think that something would happen to the woman whilst in the basement; this is because it is very dark and creepy. It is as if something is staring at her.

How the opening suggests that it's a Thriller:

I believe that the music suggests that this opening sequence to the movie is a thriller, this is because it starts of very calm, subtle and quiet, but then the title appears on the screen, as it is very bold and ‘in your face’. The music becomes very loud and predominant, almost warning the viewer that something is going to happen but they don’t know when, and they will have to wait and see.

The characters introduced in the opening:
During the opening sequence we are introduced too two characters, firstly we see a woman and she is presented as very beautiful, wearing a formal dress and high heels. These clothes connote to the audience that she is of a higher class of society. But when we see the male character that she lives with, she automatically is safe and secure. He is also seen as a member of the higher class of society, due to the clothes he wears; along with the wine he is drinking.

Special Effects in the opening:
Special effects in the opening sequence of ‘The Sixth Sense’ are not really shown, possibly because there aren’t any used. This could be done to calm the viewer down even more, and they are just waiting to watch the rest of the movie.

Is Memento A Good Opening Sequence?

Memento proves to be a good opening sequence as it calms the audience whilst they are waiting to watch the rest of the film. The simple font title and soft music allow the audience to have time to emerge themselves in the opening and prepare for what is coming up. Once the music gains pace the audience will feel tense and anxious however this is the thrill to a thriller, if the audience experience this they will automatically be intrigued in the film. The close up is also makes it a good opening sequence as it doesn’t reveal to the audience who the person is and why they are at the murder straight away, this would cause the audience to want to watch more of the film to gain the knowledge of who the person is and why they are there.

Memento - Opening Sequence Analysis

This is the opening sequence of the movie 'Momento', directed by Christopher Nolan; created in 2002.

The title of the film:
The title of the film is shown to us near the beginning of the film opening, as the title ‘Memento’ appears in blue letters; allowing an easy viewing due to the black background. The titles fade in and out, creating an eerie and creepy atmosphere, which is what you feel for the whole duration of the movie. The actors, and various members that were included in the film are shown in the opening sequence, and this happens quite slowly. A title sequence is traditionally slow paced, which is what this opening sequence is; again an eerie atmosphere has been created due to this decision made.

Setting/Location:
The viewer is able to see the location at which this movie is set shortly after we see the ‘Memento’ title fade out, and we are shown a close up shot of a hand holding a Polaroid picture. Initially, we want to know more, why is he holding this picture and what significance is this to the movie. Also, we want to know why this image is fading, and why it appears that this clip is ‘reversed’. Traditionally, an opening sequence needs to set the scene and make the viewer want to know more, and this is exactly what ‘Memento’s’ opening sequence does. We have so many questions that we want answered, we want to know why this image is fading, and we want to know why he is situated in this place; finally we want to know why this clip has been reversed, and what significance this has.

Key props:
The opening sequence of ‘Memento’ has merely one key prop, and that is the Polaroid picture. This is due to the fact that a close up is used to show this image, merely connoting a lot of importance within the film. This image and the actual title of the film connect very cleverly, as a picture can be seen as a memento; but also the main character uses pictures to remember things as he has lost his short term memory due to an incident, therefore the Polaroid picture has great significance.

Title font, placement and style:
The opening sequence is just a black screen, but then names of significant members of the movie fade in and out, along with the title ‘Memento’. Possibly having simplistic fonts makes the viewer think that this film is going to be simplistic, yet I know that this movie isn’t, it is actually a complicated yet effective film. These titles are placed in the middle of the screen, and these titles are all a light blue colour. The colour blue is very calming, yet this film is not a calm film and again this is opposite as to what the film actually is.

Camerawork of the opening sequence:
The opening sequence doesn’t contain many camera angles used, it is only a close up of the Polaroid picture. Maybe, Christopher Nolan wanted to ‘draw the audience in’ before anything spectacular is revealed; he may have wanted to calm the audience down, and he would want the audience even more engaged. The use of just this one shot type is very effective, as the audience will want to know who is holding that image, and why they are holding it. Moreover, what significance this has to the rest of the film. They will also want to know who the person is in the picture, and by having a close up of this picture a clear implication is shown with the use of the shot.

The opening sequence in relation to rest of the film:
Ultimately, the beginning of the movie is the ending of the movie; therefore the ending is shown at the beginning. This will then make the viewer want to know more, and know why these activities have occurred. Also, the opening sequence contains the Polaroid picture, which in relation to the movie is closely linked. Throughout the movie, the main character uses Polaroid pictures to keep as‘documentation’ for what has recently happened in his life, because he has lost his short term memory.

In addition to this, the music in the opening sequence starts off slowed paced, just as an opening sequence should be. I believe this will ‘draw the view in’, and make them want to watch on. Also, the music creates this creepy atmosphere that is needed within a 'Thriller' and this makes the viewer a little on edge as they are unsure of what to expect from the movie. They know something sinister is going to occur, but they just don’t know when this will happen.

The Final Destination - Opening Sequence Analysis

Cinematography:
During the opening sequence, there are close ups that are used to exaggerate the ‘gore’ that would be used within this movie. Within in a couple of seconds there is a vast amount of death and blood that is shown to the audience, which instantly gives you as insight as to what this film is going to be about. The shots are quite quick when changing, which usually is not what you would expect from an opening sequence, as usually the pace would be much slower to grab the audience’s attention. However, the opening sequence for ‘The Final Destination’ is quite fast paced, which is not the usual approach to an opening sequence but it is still effective and grabs the audience’s attention.

Mise-en-scene:
Within the opening sequence of ‘The Final Destination’, the viewer is not able to see any props that might be used within the film, as the opening sequence doesn’t really show much. Also, the characters that are involved are not shown at all, merely skeletons of people that are computerised.

Editing:
The opening sequence is constructed of various clips which portray the same theme of death along with the use of skeletons, and many objects however these are edited to be made to look negative. Majority of the objects are in negative, however the text is in white and the blood is red, which is very bold and it clearly stands out. Every object looks ‘cartoon’ like and they look like x-rays, because of the editing that has been involved in this opening sequence. I feel that this editing is very clever, and sometimes the text ‘crashes’ into pieces because of a collision with an object which alliterates that this film is going to be very ‘gory’. I feel that this will certainly grab the viewer’s attention, as they will want to know more about what is going to happen in the movie.

Sound:
Sound plays a key part within this opening sequence of ‘The Final Destination’. There is a very fast paced rock music playing as the soundtrack to help create a dramatic effect, but usually the soundtrack may be quite slow; creating suspense. However, this opening sequence has it’s soundtrack being played at a fast paced, yet this still connotes an atmosphere and it makes the audience want to watch on and know what happens, which is crucial within an opening sequence.

Twister - Opening Sequence Analysis

Cinematography:
During the opening sequence of ‘Twister’, establishing shots are used to show various locations to create an eerie atmosphere and to set what the movie is possibly about. Also, the first part of the opening sequence shows what happened to one of the main characters as a child, and within this part of the movie close ups are used of her, and her families face. This is done to see their worry, and to show how scared they really are, due to the fact that the ‘twister’ is there. The fear of being sucked up by it is used within this shot used. The scene is set using these shots, and you want to know what is going to happen next, therefore the audience is drawn in and they are engaged. When watching this, I want to watch on and know what is going to happen next.

Mise-en-scene:
There isn’t much of a setting in the opening sequence, only various locations that don’t necessarily link to the characters, however they link to the plot of the tornados, and where they could possibly hit, just to create suspense. The opening sequence also shows the characters in the present time, and ‘Jo’ is dressed quite informally which shows quite a bit about her personality, whereas ‘Bill’s new wife ‘Melissa’ is seen as wearing quite formal cloths. Therefore, the opening sequence shows vaguely the personality of the characters, just by the way they dress. Also, the wreckage of the house in the opening sequence just shows the damage that tornados can do, and this then makes the audience want to know more about the family’s life, and what is going to happen to them after the tragic incident.

Editing:
During the opening sequence of ‘Twister’, there are what appear to be clouds, along with the titles over them. But also gusts of wind, and then the title ‘Twister’ get destroyed by a tornado. The editing in this part of the opening sequence is very clever, and I feel it really engages the audience. I want to know more, and I believe that it is a very unique opening sequence.

Sound:
The soundtrack is quite slow paced, along with the beginning clips, and this creates the eerie atmosphere that I believe was intended. The tone is helped set with the use of this soundtrack, but also after the catastrophe the music is ‘happy’ quick paced music, which I believe suits the shots because it shows that the characters have got on with their lives. This could make the viewer happy, but also they will want to know more about what is going to happen in the movie.

Hostage - Opening Sequence

The opening sequence to this movie, Hostage is very effective and it draws the audience in. The opening sequence is slow paced, and it leads the audience into the story. The slow paced clips create an atmosphere, and a ‘mood’, accompanied by the slow paced soundtrack. A setting is created, but with the use of a ‘cartoon like’ image. This part shows all of the titles, such as the characters and crew. The mood for the movie is created here as we, the audience, know what the movie is based on yet we don’t know what is going to happen and why. Viewers will feel anxious and engaged, as they will want to know what happens in the movie, and they want to know why.

Hostage - Trailer

This is the trailer for the movie, ‘Hostage’. It is clear that this is the trailer for this movie, due to the fact that it is very fast paced, and this will most defiantly grab the audience’s attention. Also, montage editing has been used; therefore the audience can clearly see that this is the trailer. Action scenes are mainly used within this clip, and they are fast paced. The main characters are shown throughout the scenes within this clip, therefore demonstrating that this is the trailer. Furthermore, the plot is shown very vaguely, and the ending has not been revealed, therefore the audience will want to go and see the film. The audience would have been drawn in, and their attention will have been caught.

Understanding The Difference Between An Opening Sequence and A Trailer

There is a very clear difference between an opening sequence of a film, and its trailer; below I am going to explain these differences.

Movie Trailer:
A movie trailer is quite a short piece of footage from a film, and this involves a fast paced montage of scenes; this gives the audience an ‘overview’ of the plot and storyline. The idea of a film trailer is to grab the audience’s attention, and it engages them to encourage them to see the actual film. The trailer mainly features the good action clips within the film, but not all of them. Furthermore, a voice over is very common as this will give the audience an idea about the film, along with which actors are starring in the film. The ending is never given away, due to the fact that no one would go and see the film if it did. Fast paced editing is used within a trailer, and this can be composed of about 70 plus shots. Fundamentally, the whole purpose of a trailer is to make the audience go and watch that movie when it is released.
Opening Sequence:
The opening sequence to a movie is very different to its trailer. The intention of the opening sequence is to engage and grab the audience’s attention; along with establishing the setting and familiarise the audience with the setting. These clips are editing, to give the opening sequence a much slower pace than the movie trailer; even sometimes leading to the narrative. Also, there are shots of the characters so the audience knows who the main characters are, in company with the titles. Sometimes the viewer is able to establish the ‘mood’ or ‘tone’ of the movie, to create an ‘atmosphere’. A soundtrack is sometimes used to assist with creating the ‘mood’ and ‘tone’ of the film. The audience will need to feel curious and anxious, making them want their questions answered, therefore wanting to watch on and discover what happens.

The Sixth Sense - Opening Sequence

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44VRhcFxFF4

The opening sequence for 'The Sixth Sense' is very slow paced, which is the conventional approach for an opening sequence. This assists with creating the mood for the audience, and it makes them 'on edge'. Suspense has been created with the slow pace of the opening sequence, automatically knowing that this film is a Thriller.

The Sixth Sense - Trailer

The trailer for 'The Sixth Sense' goes straight into the action of the film, and immediately grabs the audiences attention. However, they only give away a minimalistic amount of the film; allowing the audience to enjoy the surprises within the movie. Bruce Willis, whom is the main character, is the narrator throughout the trailer and he gives the basic idea of the plot. The audience is engaged and they will want to go and watch the movie to gain the surprise within this movie.

Se7en - Opening Sequence

This opening sequence of 'Se7en' has parts if the trailer within it. The attention of the viewer is grabbed instantly, and this will help them want to know more about the plot. The opening sequence uses montage editing, however this is at a slow pace compared to fast paced editing which is the conventional pace for montage editing.

Se7en - Trailer

This is the trailer for the movie 'Se7en'. I believe this trailer is very effective, due to the fact that it is very fast paced; just as a trailer should be. Also, there is a vast amount of action, yet not giving any indication of the plot. The actors that are involved are shown to us, yet not showing any key information. Moreover, the voice over gives an indication about the film, and assists the viewer about the movie.

What Titles?

In an opening sequence of a film, there are many titles involved. Usually, the initial title that appears is the producers of the film. For example, 'Universal' is one of the producers for films, and the logo for this company will appear.

Moreover, the directors of the film will appear, followed by the editors and director; then lastly the name of the film. The way that the titles appear can associate with the genre of the movie, for example an action movie will have quick and sharp titles, whereas a Thriller would have slow and 'eerie' titles.

The titles of a film can also set the 'mood' and 'atmosphere' created, and again this can be done with genre of film it is, for example bold, and 'sharp' font could be associated with a Thriller movie, because it gives off those connotations.

The titles that are used within an opening sequence show who the characters are within the movie that the audience is about to watch. Another role is who the ‘Casting’ is by, and who the ‘Costume Designer’ us. Also, we are shown who the ‘music’ is by and who the ‘Editor’ is. In addition, we are shown who the ‘Production Designer’ is, and the ‘Director of Photography’ is in the film. We then see the ‘Executive Producer’ is, and then who it is ‘Produced’ by. Then, we lastly see who the film was ‘Written’ and ‘Directed’ by.

The Brief

The brief is to create the titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes.

Peer Feedback For Preliminary Task

I found out that my peers thought my groups work was very good and original. They thought this, because of the use of very good continuity editing as well as the CCTV shot being 'original' and innovative. In addition to this, I was told that the use of various shots used were very good, such as high shot and low shot. Furthermore, our piece had a good use of 'match on action', eye line match and overall very good continuity editing. It was recommended by our peers , that we had a master shot before the dialogue to give the audience an insight as to what was going to happen, yet without spoiling it.

How will I use this in my next piece of film?

By receiving this feedback, I am now able to take this on board when creating my next film. I now know from my peers, that I could use a master shot just to give the audience an insight of what the film would be about. This will make my skills even better next time when creating a film, due to the peer feedback.

Preliminary Film

The Priliminary Task

In groups which consisted on three, we had to show that we understood and could demonstrate continuity editing, but also to perfect our skills with this vital element. I was in a group with Ryan Clark and Tom Sullivan, and we had to film one of us walking into a classroom, sitting down and then having a conversation with someone. We created a storyboard, showing our ideas as to what will happen in each shot; the shot types, and angles that will be used. We used 'over the sholder' shots, 'high angle' shots and 'shot reverse shot' and remembering continuity editing and the 180 degree rule; we then filmed the piece. 'Shot reverse shot' is a good technique to use when two people are having a conversation, as you can clearly see what the person is saying, bu also you are able to distinguish the other person's reaction. Our piece consisted of Ryan walking down a corridor, walking into a classroom, and then having a conversation with me. I believe this task went very well, because the continuity editing was very precise, and you could not notice any 'jults' between shots. Also, when Ryan and I were having a conversation the use of 'shot reverse shot' was very effective, and it was very clear that we were having a conversation, and we were able to see one another's emotion and reaction. On the otherhand, this task did have one very minor difficulty. This was when ryan was to pierce a whole in his drink carton with his straw, and then having a close up of him drinking his drink. The difficulty was that he couldn't pierce the whole in his drink, and we tried this so many times, eventually after several attempts he finally pierced the whole in his drink; as i said this was our only very minor difficulty.

Induction Tasks - EBI

The task that i feel was not very successful, was creating the 'Jobsite' advert. I feel this didn't go so well, because i wasn't very fimiliar with using the equipment. Also, when editiing, the Mac did freeze quite a few times, and this didn't give us as much time to edit the clips as we would have wanted, therefore i didn't feel that this task went so well. But since this task, my skills with using the equipment have improved, along with using the Mac and iMovie.

Induction Tasks - WWW

I have been doing a number of tasks from the induction pack, and the activity that i feel went well, and was the best was re-creating the scene from 'Donnie Darko'. I enjoyed the task, as i feel this one was the most successful, and i was fully confident with using all of the equipment; such as the camera and iMovie. The task was focusing on continuity editing, and i feel that my group did very well with continuity editing. such as remembering the 180 degree rule, and shot reverese shot, whilst creating the scene. I didn't know this on the first set of induction tasks, therefore this clip would have looked the most successful; and quite professional.

How I Personalise My Blog

-Firstly i logged onto my blog, and then i clicked on the tab 'Design'.
-I then clicked on where it says 'Template Designer' to personalise my blog.
-I was able to see what design my blog would have, so i then chose the template called 'Awesome Inc'.
-Next i clicked 'Advanced', and then i changed the background colour.
-I then changed the colour of the text.
-This was all i wanted to change, so i then clicked 'apply to blog' and my blog was then personalised.

How I Personalised My Blog

-Once i logged onto my blog, i clicked on the tab saying 'Template Design'. It then showed me various templates, so i chose the one called 'Awsome Inc'.

-I then clicked on the tab called 'Advanced', and i then selected the colours of the background that i wanted, as well as the text.

-This was all i changed on my blog, as i didn't feel it was necessary to change anymore because

My first blog practice

How i uploaded this image:

1) Clicked the 'Add Image' buttom.

2) Clicked 'Browse'.

3) I then selected the image that i wanted.

4) I pressed 'Open'.