Thursday, 12 November 2015
My Original Film Pitch
This is the presentation I gave when pitching my film opening idea to my group. My group chose a different idea, which we all came up with together, and so my idea was not used in the end. However, I was still very impressed with my idea despite it being possibly unfeasible and very hard to shoot.
Friday, 6 November 2015
Opening Title Analysis
Sin City Opening Titles
These are the most important titles in the opening sequence of Sin City. They consist of a few members of the large ensemble cast and the people who are responsible for the creation of the film, script and cast.
Title 1: This is the main title of the film. The writing is bold and graphic which follows the theme of the entire film as it is predominately black and white but features occasional pops of colour for emphasis on particular scenes and characters. The bold red of the title contrasts the black background causing it to stand out and be very prominent on screen, which is fitting for this particular title as it is the name of the film.
Time on screen: 2 seconds
Title 2: This is the same title as the previous but there is the added element of the director and writer's (Frank Miller) name above the main title (Sin City).
Time on screen: 3 seconds
Title 3: This is the first title featuring a cast member. Jessica Alba is the first name to be mentioned as being a member of the cast. The style of her title, and the theme throughout all of the cast titles, is their name in bold, graphic writing with a comic strip image as the background. The comic strip image is of their character from the graphic novel that the film is based on. This gives the viewer an idea of the character the actor is playing, and about the film overall, in that it is based on a graphic novel and is in the style of a comic book.
Time on screen: 2 seconds
Title 4: This is the second title featuring Rosario Dawson. Her name is similarly in bold red writing with an image of her character from the novel, behind.
Time on screen: 2 seconds
Title 5: This is the first male name that we see in the opening titles. Benicio Del Toro is a famous male actor and at this stage in the title sequence we begin to see a pattern in the order of which the cast members appear. All of the cast member's names appear in alphabetical order, starting with Jessica Alba. Devon Aoki, Alexis Bedel, Powers Boothe, Rosario Dawson, Benicio Del Toro etc.
Time on screen: 2 seconds
Title 6: This is the second male name that appears in this title sequence. Michael Clarke Duncan's title follows the typical style of this sequence and boldly features a profile image of his character. The image itself is dark and menacing which perfectly portrays Michael's character as the muscle for the villain in the film.
Time on screen: 2 seconds
Titles 7, 8 and 9: These three titles are of three very prominent men in this ensemble cast. The first being Mickey Rourke followed by Bruce Willis and Elijah Wood. As well as following the template of these titles and the alphabetical order they are placed in, these three titles all feature prominent images of men in powerful positions.
Time on screen: all 2 seconds
Title 10: This is one of the most important titles in the whole opening sequence. It is the first title that tells the audience who wrote the graphic novel on which the film is based. Frank Miller was a crucial member of the production process for Sin City which is perhaps why this title is only one of 3 that features for more than 2 seconds. The other two titles both feature Frank Miller's name which is perhaps why they last for more than two seconds as he is the creator of the film thus making him very important and influential.
Time on screen: 4 seconds
Title 11: Casting is a very crucial element of the film making process. A good cast can make or break a film so this may be the reason why the casting director's name appear first. These few titles, beginning with Casting Director, have a very similar style. The name of the role, be it Casting Director or Executive Producer, is written in graphic, white writing with a black background. This style of writing is mirrored in the writing commonly seen in graphic novels. The actual name of the person is written in the similar red, graphic writing that was used for the title of the film and all of the members of the cast.
Time on screen: 2 seconds
Titles 12 and 13: These two titles feature the members of the production team that were responsible for the music and the shot and cut. They are two very important roles in the making of a film and so it makes sense that they should follow one after the other. They also follow the similar style of the previous titles and change swiftly between one another thus creating a dramatic and comic book-like effect for the audience.
Time on screen: 2 seconds
Titles 14 and 15: Both of these titles feature the members of the film making process that were responsible for producing the film (Executive Producers and the Producer). The Executive Producers partly responsible for this film are Harvey Weinstein and Bob Weinstein, two huge names in the film industry.
Time on screen: 2 seconds
Title 16: The direction of a film is crucial to its individual success and overall box office success. This is probably why the directors of this film appear last in the title sequence. Quentin Tarantino has been credited as the 'Special Guest Director' on this film and appears on the second to last credit thus showing his importance and relevance to the film. This title follows the typical template of all of its counterparts.
Time on screen: 2 seconds
Title 17: This is the last title in the sequence and features the directors of the film (Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez). Frank Miller's name appears three times in this title sequence which suggests that he had a heavy hand in the creation, direction and production of this film. Also, because he wrote the graphic novels on which the film is based it translates that his name appear the most because without him the film would not exist. This title is one of the most important titles in the opening sequence as it is only one of three that features on screen for more than two seconds.
Time on screen: 4 seconds
These are the most important titles in the opening sequence of Sin City. They consist of a few members of the large ensemble cast and the people who are responsible for the creation of the film, script and cast.
Title 1: This is the main title of the film. The writing is bold and graphic which follows the theme of the entire film as it is predominately black and white but features occasional pops of colour for emphasis on particular scenes and characters. The bold red of the title contrasts the black background causing it to stand out and be very prominent on screen, which is fitting for this particular title as it is the name of the film.
Time on screen: 2 seconds
Title 2: This is the same title as the previous but there is the added element of the director and writer's (Frank Miller) name above the main title (Sin City).
Time on screen: 3 seconds
Title 3: This is the first title featuring a cast member. Jessica Alba is the first name to be mentioned as being a member of the cast. The style of her title, and the theme throughout all of the cast titles, is their name in bold, graphic writing with a comic strip image as the background. The comic strip image is of their character from the graphic novel that the film is based on. This gives the viewer an idea of the character the actor is playing, and about the film overall, in that it is based on a graphic novel and is in the style of a comic book.
Time on screen: 2 seconds
Title 4: This is the second title featuring Rosario Dawson. Her name is similarly in bold red writing with an image of her character from the novel, behind.
Time on screen: 2 seconds
Title 5: This is the first male name that we see in the opening titles. Benicio Del Toro is a famous male actor and at this stage in the title sequence we begin to see a pattern in the order of which the cast members appear. All of the cast member's names appear in alphabetical order, starting with Jessica Alba. Devon Aoki, Alexis Bedel, Powers Boothe, Rosario Dawson, Benicio Del Toro etc.
Time on screen: 2 seconds
Title 6: This is the second male name that appears in this title sequence. Michael Clarke Duncan's title follows the typical style of this sequence and boldly features a profile image of his character. The image itself is dark and menacing which perfectly portrays Michael's character as the muscle for the villain in the film.
Time on screen: 2 seconds
Titles 7, 8 and 9: These three titles are of three very prominent men in this ensemble cast. The first being Mickey Rourke followed by Bruce Willis and Elijah Wood. As well as following the template of these titles and the alphabetical order they are placed in, these three titles all feature prominent images of men in powerful positions.
Time on screen: all 2 seconds
Title 10: This is one of the most important titles in the whole opening sequence. It is the first title that tells the audience who wrote the graphic novel on which the film is based. Frank Miller was a crucial member of the production process for Sin City which is perhaps why this title is only one of 3 that features for more than 2 seconds. The other two titles both feature Frank Miller's name which is perhaps why they last for more than two seconds as he is the creator of the film thus making him very important and influential.
Time on screen: 4 seconds
Title 11: Casting is a very crucial element of the film making process. A good cast can make or break a film so this may be the reason why the casting director's name appear first. These few titles, beginning with Casting Director, have a very similar style. The name of the role, be it Casting Director or Executive Producer, is written in graphic, white writing with a black background. This style of writing is mirrored in the writing commonly seen in graphic novels. The actual name of the person is written in the similar red, graphic writing that was used for the title of the film and all of the members of the cast.
Time on screen: 2 seconds
Titles 12 and 13: These two titles feature the members of the production team that were responsible for the music and the shot and cut. They are two very important roles in the making of a film and so it makes sense that they should follow one after the other. They also follow the similar style of the previous titles and change swiftly between one another thus creating a dramatic and comic book-like effect for the audience.
Time on screen: 2 seconds
Titles 14 and 15: Both of these titles feature the members of the film making process that were responsible for producing the film (Executive Producers and the Producer). The Executive Producers partly responsible for this film are Harvey Weinstein and Bob Weinstein, two huge names in the film industry.
Time on screen: 2 seconds
Title 16: The direction of a film is crucial to its individual success and overall box office success. This is probably why the directors of this film appear last in the title sequence. Quentin Tarantino has been credited as the 'Special Guest Director' on this film and appears on the second to last credit thus showing his importance and relevance to the film. This title follows the typical template of all of its counterparts.
Time on screen: 2 seconds
Title 17: This is the last title in the sequence and features the directors of the film (Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez). Frank Miller's name appears three times in this title sequence which suggests that he had a heavy hand in the creation, direction and production of this film. Also, because he wrote the graphic novels on which the film is based it translates that his name appear the most because without him the film would not exist. This title is one of the most important titles in the opening sequence as it is only one of three that features on screen for more than two seconds.
Time on screen: 4 seconds
Tuesday, 3 November 2015
Sound Analysis
Sin City Film Opening
Ambient Sound- Car horns, sirens in the distance and the general bustle of the big city create a soundscape for the location the scene is set in.
Synchronous Sound- seeing her walk and hearing the sound of her heels on the concrete. Him walking towards her and hearing his footsteps. The lighter and the sound of a flame lighting. The gun shot with silencer, then seeing the gun. The rain and the sound of rain falling on the concrete.
Symphonic music- the sound of saxophones and other horn instruments.
Voiceover- the male character in the film narrates his thoughts on the scene that is unfolding on screen. Adds to the ambiance and helps the audience understand the storyline a little more, as you get insight into the character and his questionable actions in this opening.
Asynchronous Sounds- the sirens and the noise from the streets below.
Diegetic
Or
Non-Diegetic
The music is subtle enough that you hear it, but it does not distract or compete for your attention with the dialogue and voiceover. The voiceover helps establish the narrative and the character further, thus aiding the audience in understanding the genre of the film.
The soundscape created of the city aids the audience in gauging the atmosphere of the opening scene. The car horns, the sirens and the bustle of the streets below amount to the overall soundscape of a busy city in America, somewhere like New York or Chicago.
Tuesday, 20 October 2015
Final Evaluation
My Personal Feedback and Task Evaluation
Having viewed our film for the final time I have come to notice several key faults with it. The sound and editing are both serious issues with the film as their bad quality effects the overall feel of the film. I really struggled with the editing as it was the first important video I had ever had to edit and so I became very stressed and worn down by it all. This was one of my main issues with the whole task because I spent several days editing for hours just to make it look presentable and in the end I didn't really achieve my aim. So when it came to watching them all I struggled to sit and watch it because I kept on seeing the video's flaws and in turn the flaws in my editing.
I did feel like there were a few positives with the overall film like the storyline which I loved as it had a twist and wasn't completely obvious to the viewer until the end. I enjoyed working on the film and working in a group but when it comes to my final task I will ensure to delegate tasks more efficiently so that one person isn't left doing the majority of the work.
This experience has been invaluable to me as I have learnt a lot about media and what it takes to be successful. The lessons I have learnt throughout this process I will put to use in our next task after half term.
Having viewed our film for the final time I have come to notice several key faults with it. The sound and editing are both serious issues with the film as their bad quality effects the overall feel of the film. I really struggled with the editing as it was the first important video I had ever had to edit and so I became very stressed and worn down by it all. This was one of my main issues with the whole task because I spent several days editing for hours just to make it look presentable and in the end I didn't really achieve my aim. So when it came to watching them all I struggled to sit and watch it because I kept on seeing the video's flaws and in turn the flaws in my editing.
I did feel like there were a few positives with the overall film like the storyline which I loved as it had a twist and wasn't completely obvious to the viewer until the end. I enjoyed working on the film and working in a group but when it comes to my final task I will ensure to delegate tasks more efficiently so that one person isn't left doing the majority of the work.
This experience has been invaluable to me as I have learnt a lot about media and what it takes to be successful. The lessons I have learnt throughout this process I will put to use in our next task after half term.
Wednesday, 14 October 2015
Genre Conventions
Horror is a very broad genre as it can be split into several subgenres:
Setting
- The Monster Scare
- Psychological Thriller
- Slasher Pics
- Zombie Films
All of these horror films have specific conventions that make them easily recognisable to an audience. These conventions include:
Isolated towns or small communities. Small farmhouses or cabins in the woods are common settings for horror films. As well as this, cities and dark alleyways are becoming more frequent in modern horror films.
Often settings include a "dark" or "haunting" history such as abandoned cabins or asylums.
Horror films that feature these settings: Misery (1990), The Shining (1980), The Amityville Horror (1979), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), The Others (2001), Grave Encounters (2011).
Sound/Music
Horror films often feature a large amount of non-diegetic sound in order to set the mood. Some of the best film scores have come from horror films as they can perfectly capture the atmosphere and emotions of the characters,
Sound/Music
Horror films often feature a large amount of non-diegetic sound in order to set the mood. Some of the best film scores have come from horror films as they can perfectly capture the atmosphere and emotions of the characters,
For example: the famous shower scene in Psycho has become so infamous as the classic horror film score.
Characters
Every horror film has a typical set of characters because these types of people create an emotion in the viewer when they are suddenly killed off. For example, in every horror film there is the female victim.
In the first Scream film the opening scene is of Drew Barrymore, the teenage girl alone at home, being harassed on the phone and then killed.
There is also the common theme of the promiscuous girl who gets killed off, usually in the beginning of the film or programme.
Characters
Every horror film has a typical set of characters because these types of people create an emotion in the viewer when they are suddenly killed off. For example, in every horror film there is the female victim.
In the first Scream film the opening scene is of Drew Barrymore, the teenage girl alone at home, being harassed on the phone and then killed.
There is also the common theme of the promiscuous girl who gets killed off, usually in the beginning of the film or programme.
Student Film Openings
I have chosen this opening as one of my three to analyse, and score out of 60, because I loved the premise and the editing.
Using the G321 Mark Scheme I gave this film opening a Level 4 with a mark of 58.
This is because there is clear evidence of excellence from the outset and throughout this opening. From the opening shot I was aware that the genre was a horror/action film with the target audience being young adults because it has a rating of 15 meaning it is not for young children and you see a man tied up covered in blood.
The titles are used appropriately as they flicker and move in jagged movements which is common of titles in horror films and they are an appropriate length so that they can be read but do not linger on screen and distract from the opening.
The use of sound within this clip is to an excellent standard as well because all of the sounds are appropriately incorporated and work together to help create an eerie atmosphere. There are examples of synchronous sounds- the sound of the blood dripping and seeing it fall into the puddle below, the sound of the CCTV monitor cutting off and seeing the image disappear. There are also examples of music being used as there is atonal music used throughout that establishes the horror/action genre with its increasing volume.
Controlled use of camera is clearly displayed here as the camera work is accurate and precise as well as varied with the use of close up shots, high angle and tracking shots. Not to mention the effortless transitions between shots and the excellent editing throughout.
Overall this film opening scores a 58 for me because there were elements of the narrative that I felt could have been improved. I did not understand the relevance of the women with the doll and why she had a doll in the first place so this was something that could have been improved. However, this film opening is extremely professional, well-executed and of an excellent standard.
This is the second film opening I have decided to analyse as I found the titles creative and fitting of the genre as well as the plot line interesting and well thought through. I score this opening 51 marks out of 60 because it displays excellent understanding of genre conventions but lacks some varied shots.
The genre was clearly established by the symphonic music throughout it as well as the added scratch/popping noise in the background. The opening also displays appropriate material for the target audience of twenty-somethings who enjoy horror/thriller films.
The moving and flickering titles that appear, and disappear rapidly, convey the horror genre and they also have an appropriate length on screen and are placed in order thus obeying institutional conventions.
The sound throughout this clip is appropriate for the film's genre and adds to the suspense created by the visual. The camera work is good and steady but the opening could do with more varied shots and angles as you only see a few different shots throughout- shot/reverse shot etc. Also the mise-en-scene of the girl's bedroom is very detailed as you can see pictures of her and her friends on the walls making it seem like it is actually her bedroom.
The editing throughout is well thought through and fluent and it aids the audience in understanding the film's storyline. The flashes between the famous women's pictures tell us a lot about the girl/killer's personality and why she does what she does. The title of the film 'Blink Murder' also appears on screen when we see the girl blink thus conveying to the audience the reason for the title.
However, there are elements of this opening that could have been improved such as the use of more varied camera shots and more diegetic sound when the girl is opening the drawer and picking up the knife.
Overall I give this film opening 51 marks, as it features effective titles and clearly establishes genre however, fails to deliver some diegetic sound and varied camera shots.
This is the last of the three film openings I have chosen to analyse. I liked this opening because it was a different genre to the others I have seen and analysed. The genre is clearly shown to be a teenager/romantic film and overall I give this opening 48 marks out of 60.
The material throughout this opening is relatively appropriate for its target audience as you can see that there is going to be a romance between these two young people which is fitting of a romantic film. However, there is swearing featured in this opening which suggests that this film's rating must be above a 15 as it is inappropriate for viewers below that age to watch due to explicit language.
The titles in this opening are the one element that significantly needs improvement as they were not all in order with traditional institutional conventions. They began with the cast as appose to what production company and institution the film is associated with. The title 'in association with Film Four' should have appeared first as appose to at the end of the opening.
The use of sound in this clip could have also done with improvement because the diegetic sound of the wind, at times, overpowers the dialogue and makes it difficult to hear. On the other hand, the diegetic sound of the skateboard is very effective in adding to the atmosphere and works well with visual. Good use of synchronous sound.
The camera shots are steady, varied and the shot on board the skateboard is inventive, creative and well executed. The visual editing is impressive however the sound editing needs improving as the diegetic sound is too loud during the conversation scenes.
Overall this film scores a 48 out of 60 because of its bad sound quality during the conversation scenes and its careless placement of the titles.
Tuesday, 13 October 2015
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