Monday, May 9, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Convention of your chosen genre
.The conventions of an opening sequence are very important for a movie. This is because the opening sequence is where the titles appear and the logo and company name is introduced to the audience. It is very important because it also sets the mood on an audience for example a comedy movie may have fancy texts and bright colours with up beating non-digetic sound. In contrast a thriller movie may have slow titles appearing on the screen and slow background sound, with a black background, which sets the thriller mood. A opening sequence has many conventions such as
- Establishing shot to set the scene
* It must be exciting
*It must be able to draw the viewer in
* Must make the viewer want to see more
* Have good titles that draw in the viewer as soon as they start watching
* Make the viewer be curious and have questions
* Let the viewer be able to see the characters visually
* Lead the viewer into the story
* Do not give anything away
* Should be a good amount of time
* Create an atmosphere
* Good use of soundtrack that can set the tone/ mood
contact sheets to show the conventions of an opening sequence:
What does a title sequence look like?
* It must be exciting
*It must be able to draw the viewer in
* Must make the viewer want to see more
* Have good titles that draw in the viewer as soon as they start watching
* Make the viewer be curious and have questions
* Let the viewer be able to see the characters visually
* Lead the viewer into the story
* Do not give anything away
* Should be a good amount of time
* Create an atmosphere
* Good use of soundtrack that can set the tone/ mood
contact sheets to show the conventions of an opening sequence:
What does a title sequence look like?
I think that 'Dexter' is a very successful opening sequence as its quite cringe feeling when the character shaves as an audience I can actually hear the sound of it. This is called hyperbolic sound which has been used to create an atmosphere. It still uses all the connotations needed for the thriller genre, but adds everyday life activities to engage an audience and keep them interested. Red is a very prominate colour which is red and similar colours used as it expresses pain, death and anger. The contact sheet shows that each shot has been carefully thought about as it looks very artistic and presented well. Dexter has many of the above conventions, it is very good at pulling the audience in. As I watched Dexter I felt like I started to know what was happening, this character is the main character that is may be getting ready to go work. He is cooking up his food, cutting up his fruit. However the cinematography which is used shows it in a very different way, there are many close ups and extreme close ups which show the detail of each prop used in the frame.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Conventions of your chosen genre
The conventions of a title sequence are very important for a movie because this sequence sets the mood of the film. There is usually a black out first which indicates that it may be a thriller film.
These at the conventions of an opening sequence
• Variety of cinematography
• Short/long clips to build tension
• Quick shots
• Misty, dark rooms, woods, car parks, graveyard and derelict settings
• Blood and gore
• Thrilling scenes
- Dark lighting- low key lighting -shadows
- Opening sequence foreshadowing the ending of the film
- Match on action
- Psychological
- Clues throughout the film
- Twists in the plot
- use of Establishing shots and Close up/extreme close up shots- Low resonant sounding music
-Good use of special effects
- Bold, traditional font on titles, such as serif
- Use of quick, snappy cuts
-eery sound, which creates an unknown , mysterious mood with tension
-Objest/props that you don't expect to see in a carm film.
-Props to give the viewer an imagination.
-Strong colours such as red, black and dark colours.
I had chosen a series of shots from well known thriller films which are old and fairly new. I have created a contact sheet with some of the scenes in the film. I will be also discussing if I’m going to use or create something similar with my group. The first shot is taken from the film (Se7en, 1995, David Fincher, USA) this is a picture of a scilowet figure of a hand behind a piece of paper. On the paper there is writing which is unreadable, this may be because this character is writing in a type of code, because he is some sort of killer, his performance through this scene is very cringe feeling affect because of the action he does. He plays with very sharp tools like blades and cuts eyes out of pictures. In this persefic photo, the hand behind the paper indicates that he is unknown to the audience this shot also tells the audience that they won’t be able to gather out who he is and why he is doing what he is doing. The use of low-key lighting has connotations of a dark and dangerous theme within the shots. This shot in particular has shadow and low lighting, this may point out danger. As an audience they would certainly feel intrigued and anxious because they can’t figure out what is happening in the sequence. I feel very inspires from the opening sequence and title sequence for the movie’Se7en’ because of the strangeness in it , also the feeling I get when I watch it. This cringe and a fraid feeling is exactly how I want my audience to react and feel when I had finished creating my opening sequence. I believe I will be able to achieve this.
The second image is from the film (The Next Three Days, 2010, Paul Haggis, USA) this shot is very interesting because it can be seen in many ways. This still image shows happiness, a one united family who have no problems in life and are ok with the way things are at the moment. As a still image this is what can be seen by someone, due to the high key lighting and the performance on the actors in the frame. The mother seems very happy and so does the family as they are tacking a family picture with their still camera. However this atmosphere changes when it’s being played, as an audience when I am watching it feels like something wrong is going to happen. At this point the music is becoming tensed, this tenseness in the music hints that something very bad is going to happen later on the film, it hints that it may be the family splits apart from each other. This is because the female who seems to be the mother is tacking a photo very happily and joyfully, however the speed of the shot is also very quick which hints to the audience that this happiness isn’t going to last its going to change to a dis-equilibrium very soon.
The third image is taken from another thriller movie called (Panic Room, 2002, David Fincher, USA). I very much like this shot as it is a contrast to the actual genre of the movie this still image expresses happiness, joy and so on, however the movie is actually a thriller. Therefore these shot shows that something May very bad happen and change people’s lives. The cinematography used within this shot is a long shot, but it does also look a little like Point of View shot. This is a long shot because it shows the modern skyscrapers in the background of the park, there are nice well architecture buildings. Every person in this shot seems to be really happy and the whole setting looks quite family orientated. Within the frame there is the use of high key lighting. This shot hints and tells me as an audience that something very harsh and dangerous may come across to these happy people and it may even kill them or change their lives. They may end up fighting for their lives; I feel this may happen because I know it is a thriller so I am making a hypothesis about it.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
New Storyboard SEIZED
This is my new story board for Seized, which is done by Donna,it is followed accuratley as I used it to think off perfect shots.My story board really helped me remeber what type of shot to use and when to use it.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Q7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Preliminary Task
Seized
I feel I have gained a lot more knowledge in how to use a camera properly. Using the camera tripod I made sure I adjusted the camera to the ‘shoe’ on the tripod. This is so the camera is stable. I always made sure I had experimented on the different types of cinematography for example a close up is to show the facial expressions and emotions. I progressed well because I learnt many types of rule in filming and I used the guidelines into my filming. Such as the rule of third, 180 degree rule which is very important. I have progressed even better from my preliminary because I have taken my criticisms from that task and made sure my final product did not have it. For example I had couple unstable shots, this meant I had to make sure it didn’t appear on my final piece. I also started to think carefully about the meaning a shot may give out. With this I carefully thought about the mise-en-scene. This is very important because this can also set a mood to an audience. Looking back carefully at my preliminary task and my new final product I can see a very big difference in my filming techniques. Many of my shots in my preliminary task were shaky and unstable. However a very good improvement has been made and there are no shaky moments in my opening sequence.
My shot types have greatly differed from my preliminary task to my final piece. It has changed to a variety use of cinematography. Comparing my over shoulder shot on my preliminary contact sheet the fourth image was very shaky compared to my high angle shot on my final piece of all the weapons laid out. The differences is that it’s not shaky at all, the camera was well held still, the panning was also improved from previous preliminary task.
I feel I have learnt many different techniques and the conventions of a thriller opening sequence. I have understood and learnt the use of titles, what the reasons are for them. I have improved in many ways such as understanding how a thriller opening sequence works, the way it draws the audience’s attention slowly.
The improvements from my preliminary task to my opening sequence has changed majorly, I have more knowledge about the film industry for example I am aware of what a film studio does the importance of a distributor, an example of one can be Spy Glass. I have also learnt how to put a music track into my piece of work, the track I put into my opening sequence is a copyright free sound form freesound.com.
Seized
I feel I have gained a lot more knowledge in how to use a camera properly. Using the camera tripod I made sure I adjusted the camera to the ‘shoe’ on the tripod. This is so the camera is stable. I always made sure I had experimented on the different types of cinematography for example a close up is to show the facial expressions and emotions. I progressed well because I learnt many types of rule in filming and I used the guidelines into my filming. Such as the rule of third, 180 degree rule which is very important. I have progressed even better from my preliminary because I have taken my criticisms from that task and made sure my final product did not have it. For example I had couple unstable shots, this meant I had to make sure it didn’t appear on my final piece. I also started to think carefully about the meaning a shot may give out. With this I carefully thought about the mise-en-scene. This is very important because this can also set a mood to an audience. Looking back carefully at my preliminary task and my new final product I can see a very big difference in my filming techniques. Many of my shots in my preliminary task were shaky and unstable. However a very good improvement has been made and there are no shaky moments in my opening sequence.
My shot types have greatly differed from my preliminary task to my final piece. It has changed to a variety use of cinematography. Comparing my over shoulder shot on my preliminary contact sheet the fourth image was very shaky compared to my high angle shot on my final piece of all the weapons laid out. The differences is that it’s not shaky at all, the camera was well held still, the panning was also improved from previous preliminary task.
I feel I have learnt many different techniques and the conventions of a thriller opening sequence. I have understood and learnt the use of titles, what the reasons are for them. I have improved in many ways such as understanding how a thriller opening sequence works, the way it draws the audience’s attention slowly.
The improvements from my preliminary task to my opening sequence has changed majorly, I have more knowledge about the film industry for example I am aware of what a film studio does the importance of a distributor, an example of one can be Spy Glass. I have also learnt how to put a music track into my piece of work, the track I put into my opening sequence is a copyright free sound form freesound.com.
Q6) what have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I have learnt to use many types of equipment in order to successfully create my opening sequence. I have learnt firstly how to use a tripod and a Sony HD camera properly and professionally. This was crucial for me in order for me to create the best possible outcome. I learnt how to also function the cameras and how to pan smoothly. In able for me to create a good opening sequence I had to learn to use Apple Mac computer, the IMovie and to upload footage from the camera to the computer.
Using the IMovie, I found editing my sequence very interesting I had to think carefully where I was going to use transitions and where I was going to cut a clip.
I also used the still camera to take image of the props and the location of my opening sequence. The equipment I used, I learnt how to use it by experimenting and researching on it. All the logos above are the websites I had used to complete my tasks for my opening sequence. Such as Blogger I am able to post my work on my profile.
I used Google to research on the different types of thriller opening sequence and the types of conventions an opening sequence contains. This is the search engine I used to find out important information about the different types of thriller institutions such as Spy Glass and New Line Cinema. I have learnt how to use the different Apple software’s such as Final cut, I had no idea on how to navigate the programme, and however I have learnt a lot from trying to use it. After filming with the Sony HD camera’s I have learnt how to keep it stable and film properly with the tripod, the right way to pan without shaking and the rules of filming like the 180 degree rule. The technologies were very interesting to use because it was my very first time to experiment and get a real feeling of how professionals film and edit their sequence’s.
using the props annotated
Q5) How did you attract/address your audience?
A video audience feedback of my target audience, video was created by me
I attracted my audience simply by applying as many thriller conventions as possible to keep them interested and entertained. Such as the slow title appearing on the black dark background. This reinforces the genre of the film which is Thriller and also helps the audience to keep focus. As the title appears slow music starts play this creates a creepy, thrilling scene. With this the different shots appear slowly the transitions are slow and fade into one another, watching this builds a feeling of depress due to the performance in the frame which is the killer planning out how to kill the victim. The extreme close ups are very important because these shots emphasise the expression and indicate the types of mood a character may be in.
I uploaded my opening sequence on my Facebook wall; this was one way off how I attracted my audience. The age group who watched my opening sequence varied from 15-24 this is the perfect audience for my sequence. Many of my niche audience liked and made comments on the video.
The other way I attracted my audience was telling people to watch my opening sequence and give some feedback on how they felt as an audience watching it. If they liked or disliked the sequence and the reasons for this. I published my opening sequence on You tube and informed my friends and family to watch it. This was a way I informed my audience, I also asked my class mates to watch the sequence and give an honest feedback. Above is a video which I created on specifically for the audience feedback. It is class mates giving back feedback after watching my opening sequence, they are the right audience for my opening sequence.
How I attracted my audience to watch my sequence was I made sure people were aware of my sequence on my face book profile. From their I received many comments on how they enjoyed the sequence and many people ‘like’ the opening sequence. Not just this I also receive constructive criticisms on how I could improve my opening sequence it was mainly on the clarity of the drawing and so on. In the close ups the audience wasn’t too sure on what it was due to some of the unclear footage. I feel it was a very good idea to post my sequence on my wall because it attracted my perfect audience and also I received good feedback which I can defiantly use for my next project or film making.
print screen of seized on fb
Above is my print screens of the audience feedback on my opening sequence which I posted on my Facebook, I have made anotation on my feedback and shown understanding on the constructive criticisms I recieved.
Sound
I also used well composed sound that matches with my genre to attract the audience, keep them interested, the sound straight away hints that the opening sequence is a clip leading to a thriller.
I came up with what sound to put into my opening sequence, I felt that I was able to take an advantage of this responsibility by making lots of research in the different types of non digetic music being used in thrillers. I carefully listened to the opening sequence of Se7en as I was inspired from the opening sequence. On my journey finding the right music to fit the purpose of the opening sequence I felt I wanted the audience to get a cringe feeling and to start feeling anxious when they started to watch the opening sequence, with the music. This was my very big target I really wanted the audience to feel the way I felt when I was watching Seven, and the opening sequence of ‘Sins’ which is also a very big inspiration for me. Sins is previous down on my blogger this opening sequence has changed my perspective of what I want to achieve in my opening sequence. The sound is very scratchy and eerie this feeling is not a nice feeling with the entire close ups of the blades and sharp tools.
I have found very similar music to the opening sequence of seven and Sins, this is because I want my audience to feel afraid of what is happening. The sound is very important for me because this source is what creates and tenses the feeling as the audience are watching the opening sequence.
A site that was used to get this music that we have for our opening sequence is called free sound. Here is a link:
http://www.freesound.org/
http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=105044
voice over
Above is a voice over; of me and my group annotating and making connotations on our final piece we discuss many topics such as what the meaning of a shot is for example the medium shot of the knife sharpening the pencil. This is the hint to the audience that this person who is performing this is unstable and could be very dangerous. As the lighting is very low key and is dark, this was chosen because I wanted it to be setting a uncomfortable atmosphere whilst the audience watch it.
I attracted my audience simply by applying as many thriller conventions as possible to keep them interested and entertained. Such as the slow title appearing on the black dark background. This reinforces the genre of the film which is Thriller and also helps the audience to keep focus. As the title appears slow music starts play this creates a creepy, thrilling scene. With this the different shots appear slowly the transitions are slow and fade into one another, watching this builds a feeling of depress due to the performance in the frame which is the killer planning out how to kill the victim. The extreme close ups are very important because these shots emphasise the expression and indicate the types of mood a character may be in.
I uploaded my opening sequence on my Facebook wall; this was one way off how I attracted my audience. The age group who watched my opening sequence varied from 15-24 this is the perfect audience for my sequence. Many of my niche audience liked and made comments on the video.
The other way I attracted my audience was telling people to watch my opening sequence and give some feedback on how they felt as an audience watching it. If they liked or disliked the sequence and the reasons for this. I published my opening sequence on You tube and informed my friends and family to watch it. This was a way I informed my audience, I also asked my class mates to watch the sequence and give an honest feedback. Above is a video which I created on specifically for the audience feedback. It is class mates giving back feedback after watching my opening sequence, they are the right audience for my opening sequence.
How I attracted my audience to watch my sequence was I made sure people were aware of my sequence on my face book profile. From their I received many comments on how they enjoyed the sequence and many people ‘like’ the opening sequence. Not just this I also receive constructive criticisms on how I could improve my opening sequence it was mainly on the clarity of the drawing and so on. In the close ups the audience wasn’t too sure on what it was due to some of the unclear footage. I feel it was a very good idea to post my sequence on my wall because it attracted my perfect audience and also I received good feedback which I can defiantly use for my next project or film making.
print screen of seized on fb
Above is my print screens of the audience feedback on my opening sequence which I posted on my Facebook, I have made anotation on my feedback and shown understanding on the constructive criticisms I recieved.
Sound
I also used well composed sound that matches with my genre to attract the audience, keep them interested, the sound straight away hints that the opening sequence is a clip leading to a thriller.
I came up with what sound to put into my opening sequence, I felt that I was able to take an advantage of this responsibility by making lots of research in the different types of non digetic music being used in thrillers. I carefully listened to the opening sequence of Se7en as I was inspired from the opening sequence. On my journey finding the right music to fit the purpose of the opening sequence I felt I wanted the audience to get a cringe feeling and to start feeling anxious when they started to watch the opening sequence, with the music. This was my very big target I really wanted the audience to feel the way I felt when I was watching Seven, and the opening sequence of ‘Sins’ which is also a very big inspiration for me. Sins is previous down on my blogger this opening sequence has changed my perspective of what I want to achieve in my opening sequence. The sound is very scratchy and eerie this feeling is not a nice feeling with the entire close ups of the blades and sharp tools.
I have found very similar music to the opening sequence of seven and Sins, this is because I want my audience to feel afraid of what is happening. The sound is very important for me because this source is what creates and tenses the feeling as the audience are watching the opening sequence.
A site that was used to get this music that we have for our opening sequence is called free sound. Here is a link:
http://www.freesound.org/
http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=105044
voice over
Above is a voice over; of me and my group annotating and making connotations on our final piece we discuss many topics such as what the meaning of a shot is for example the medium shot of the knife sharpening the pencil. This is the hint to the audience that this person who is performing this is unstable and could be very dangerous. As the lighting is very low key and is dark, this was chosen because I wanted it to be setting a uncomfortable atmosphere whilst the audience watch it.
Q4) who would be the audience for your Media Product?
My perfect audience would be the person above he is a student called Isaac Kegema who is currently at collage, the picture above is a print screen of his facebook mobile upload of his bio and about him, and couple pictures of him. I found this very interesting because his personalities and interests match what I’m aiming my opening sequence at.
He is currently 16 turning 17 he is a male, who loves his ‘lads’ stuff. He loves his socialising and is a hard worker as he is very keen on going university after collage.
He enjoys eating junk food, his interests in movies is right on target because he states that he watches thriller/horror and has watched the movie Seven which he rates good, with this he also states the movie Fast and Furious which is not a thriller however shows his variety of interests. If he very much like the movie Seven, I am more than guaranteed this opening sequence would be ideal for him because he is interested into thriller and horror. My opening sequence is a thriller and has many similar conventions as the movie Seven.He is into his sports such as boxing and running, he is the type people may stereotype him to be unsocial and being a rude young teenager. However he is the opposite he has much love for his friends and family. In one of his photos he is in his prom suit and in a chauffer car that he came to the prom with. He really has an interest in cars, his dream would be to pass and have a car.
In general the perfect audience for my opening sequence is generally aimed at 15+ this is due to the content in my sequence the materialism which is being shown, such as knifes, very sharp dangerous objects that generally are used in killing someone or attacking someone. My opening sequence was shown to a range of audience such as 15- 21 year olds. The reaction was exactly how I wanted it to be, the feedback I received from my audience was that they felt that the opening sequence slowly led them into the film, they felt very interested. And many said it felt very scary and as an audience they really seem to get straight into the film because it was slow and the sound that was used made it even more mysterious. These conventions being used in an opening sequence helps attract the audience’s minds.
The suitability for my opening sequence is the age of 15+ this is due to the stereotype of the type of people who watched the movie Se7en. It is aimed at 18 and over, however my opening sequence does not contain as much glore and explicit language.
This is another potential audience for my opening sequence which is a type of person who is keen in watching action, thriller, and horror movies. She is a type of person who loves companionship, is outgoing friendly the opposite to what the media would describe an average teenager. This is another potential audience for my opening sequence which is a type of person who is keen in watching action, thriller, and horror movies. She is a type of person who loves companionship, is outgoing friendly the opposite to what the media would describe an average teenager. She is a type of person who likes to study hard and achieve the very best. She is as an audience would be ideal for my film / opening sequence because if there was an ending which was unclear, she would make sure she knows what the reason was for that particular ending. Why? It had ended like that. This is very good because she would therefore be persuaded and keen to watch the next franchise of the film.
Q3 What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
I have chosen to create a logo for Shemol Studio’s this is a moving logo. It has an image of a blue globe spinning. The colour I used is blue and white this is because many production companies and distributors have the colour blue used in there logo. For example Spy Glass and New line cinema have blue and white, they are distributors of thriller movies. This is why I chose to use the some conventions as real distributors. Shemol’s Studio was chosen because there is an alliteration in the name and it is also my other name, my group were happy with this name to be used.
My film would be distributed either by Newline Cinema or Spy Glass entertainment. There are many reasons for this due to both distributors, distributing the similar thriller movies such as Newline cinema distributed the film ‘Se7en’ in 1995 and the film ‘Sixth Sense’ was distributed by Spy Glass. Both these movies are thrillers and have a very similar audience type like mine. Not just this I have an image below of New Line Cinema logo, there are many comments and people have ‘like’ the video which I found on You tube. This shows many people like the institution and it also fits the purpose for my thriller, therefore I would use them as my distributors. My opening sequence has greatly been inspired by the opening sequence of ‘Se7en’, this would very much make sense if I used the same distributors who distributed Seven for my opening sequence. This also means New Line cinema have much experience in reaching the target audience because they have already distributed other similar movies to the similar type of audience to my opening sequence.
Above is the New Line Cinema, a company who distributes films. I feel this would be the perfect company for my opening sequence because they have distributed many other thriller genre films in the past. Therefore the audience for this has been created; it would be a lot easier for me to attract the audience to watch the opening sequence. This is because many people already know and are aware of this distributing company.
Q2)How does your media product represent particular social groups?
My media product represents a particular social group, which is the stereotype of killers who are generally a male, dressed in black so they are unable to be identified. My group and me haven’t really tried to challenge any sort of stereotype. My opening sequence hints these stereotypes, for example in the whole sequence there are shots where the killer is unidentified. There are no camera shots of his face or body features except from his arms and hands. However with this, the audience would be unable to recognize or identify the character. It is mostly the arms and hands of the killer that is visible in the frame. This indicates with the stereotype that killers are clever and creative in the way of trying to escape from being recognized. This is clearly shown in one of the frames below. I have used general stereotype of killers, which is they would wear blacked out clothing so they cannot be seen. I have put all these stereotypes together, because I want my audience to recognize what is happening, also the stereotypes being used means the audience will be aware of who the character is. I didn’t name the character as he is unknown all the way through the opening, therefore there is no point loosing the excitement and questions in the audiences heads.
This character that is unknown is starred by me; I am very much like Michael Myers because I am a killer who is very much like a psycho. Like Myers I have previously killed people and still on a hunt. The character I play is a very evil person who aims at hurting, being evil to innocent people. This has many reasons because the attacker hasn’t had much of a social life; he hasn’t learnt the norms and values of society. This character hasn’t been bought up by parents, therefore he has been neglected whilst he was a young boy, and he has experienced abuse by his dad at a young age. Also his mum had burnt him with a blow torch. His baby sister has been killed innocently. This may be why this character is very psycho typed and has no feelings or fears due to his horrific past history.
So I have chosen not to name the character in my sequence as it is more effective if he is unknown, because the audience would have many questions in their head, which they would like to be answered, for example who is this dodgy, dangerous man? I personally chose my character to be like Myers because I wanted the audience to straight away know what is happening because Myers is a typical serial killer who is dressed in black and has his weapon which is the knife. This is why I used this stereotype of a murderer its someone killing with a sharp knife. The link between my character and Myers is that they both have compassion with the knife.
The shot of the weapons-
This shot is very important for the opening sequence this is because it shows how serious this evil character is, it’s not just being a psycho and sketching a girl. This panning shot expresses the danger of the killer as he is preparing his weapons that he may use to kill the girl. In this shot the weapons are a drill, saws, hammers, needles, scissors, screw drivers and many other serious, dangerous weapons.
Evaluation on Seized.Q1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media product ?
Contacts sheet 3) 
contacts sheet 2)
contact sheet 1)
Contact sheet 1) shows the types of cinematography I used for some part of my opening sequence. There are many extreme close ups and point of view shots to indicate that it is a thriller. These close ups and POV shots also send an adrenalin to the audience because they fear for the victim. The 1st contact sheet is of my opening sequence, the second one is of Seven, 3rd one is the opening sequence of Sins. My contact sheet shows that I have used many thriller conventions, this is because the other contact sheets are very similar to mine. I tried my best to make each shot a artistic and well composed like Seven and Sins.
My media product uses many conventions a thriller opening should have, these conventions being used helps the opening sequence be more like a thriller, the conventions are non digetic sound, hyperbolic sound, close ups different types of cinematography, the mise-en–scene. Me and my group have been influenced by many different thriller opening sequence, I was mainly influenced on one main opening sequence which was ‘Se7en’ I really liked the use of cinematography which was extreme close ups and close ups of a evil character carrying out his horrific actions, such as cutting paper with a blade poking someone’s eye which is a printed face on a paper. I really was inspired by the use of angels with the cinematography because I feel that as an audience I elt afraid and felt a little cringed. Due to the sharp tools because the close ups really enhanced the details of the sharpness. The mise –en-scene in my opening sequence was really well thought about because I wanted it to be very similar to Se7en and the opening Sequence of Sins. I used a black matt on a table, worked on top of that. The reason for me using a black mat was so the scene was dark. This connotes danger and unknown; at this point the audience would feel very suspicious and confused with what is happening because it sets a mysterious feeling. They would think why is it all blacked out? After the opening sequence continues they would realise its because this is a character who is planning to kill and is a crazy, psycho.
I used many low-key lighting in many of my shots this was to enhance the mysterious, danger feeling. The way I used the camera to film was very delicately because I needed many extreme close ups and close ups. This was very important for my opening sequence because the killer wasn’t shown however the audiences are only able to see his arms and hands. This made them want to find out what really happens and who is this killer, is it a psycho man or a friend?
The props used was very carefully thought about, I wanted each prop to show meaning, each prop was carefully thought about what its purpose is. Straight at the beginning of my opening sequence, there is a close up of a red candle, which is lit up. The camera zooms out this red candle represents evil, which is present with this character, and he is not by him self, he has his devil with him to help him. Also the flame of the candle represents hell. Usually peoples thoughts and hypothesis of hell is burning fire, which is the punishment of bad people, this is what the candle represents.
The knife indicates killing, the knife is purposely used to sharp the pencil because it shows how unusual this person is, also shows that he is very much messed up in his head because he isn’t using a sharpener like a normal person would. The conventions of a thriller are used carefully at this point where I had experimented with the camera. I made sure I did not use just one shot to show the knife, I used a point of view, with this an extreme close up and close ups to portray the dangerous knife. Being influenced by Seven and Sins I made sure I used similar shot types. This was because the Se7en is clearly telling the audience that their movie is a thriller with the use of light and props.
I used the pins because; pins are usually used to pierce through a paper so it keeps it stable against something for example a wall. However the pins in my opening sequence shows how dangerous this character is, the motion of the pins indicate to the audience that this character has already played with a knife and he is very much capable to stab someone. The movement of the hand and knife represents slow killing. The character does his movements slowly which indicates that he knows what he is doing and he has it all planned, therefore he slowly kills her.
Also being influenced by ‘Brick and Double Idemnity’ I was carefully thinking about the framing in my opening sequence. The type of rules such as 180 degree was used in Brick and Double Idemnity. I made sure I had some of the conventions such as the non-digetic sound. In both opening sequence it had a purpose, it wasn’t just placed there. The sound in my opening sequence was carefully thought, I really liked the sound in the opening sequence of ‘Sins’, which was used. It was very eerie and made me cringe; this feeling matches the performance on the frame. Sins is also very much similar to Se7en, it use very similar conventions and cinematography.
My final Media piece called Seized.
Preliminary Task
contacts sheet 2)
contact sheet 1)
Contact sheet 1) shows the types of cinematography I used for some part of my opening sequence. There are many extreme close ups and point of view shots to indicate that it is a thriller. These close ups and POV shots also send an adrenalin to the audience because they fear for the victim. The 1st contact sheet is of my opening sequence, the second one is of Seven, 3rd one is the opening sequence of Sins. My contact sheet shows that I have used many thriller conventions, this is because the other contact sheets are very similar to mine. I tried my best to make each shot a artistic and well composed like Seven and Sins.
My media product uses many conventions a thriller opening should have, these conventions being used helps the opening sequence be more like a thriller, the conventions are non digetic sound, hyperbolic sound, close ups different types of cinematography, the mise-en–scene. Me and my group have been influenced by many different thriller opening sequence, I was mainly influenced on one main opening sequence which was ‘Se7en’ I really liked the use of cinematography which was extreme close ups and close ups of a evil character carrying out his horrific actions, such as cutting paper with a blade poking someone’s eye which is a printed face on a paper. I really was inspired by the use of angels with the cinematography because I feel that as an audience I elt afraid and felt a little cringed. Due to the sharp tools because the close ups really enhanced the details of the sharpness. The mise –en-scene in my opening sequence was really well thought about because I wanted it to be very similar to Se7en and the opening Sequence of Sins. I used a black matt on a table, worked on top of that. The reason for me using a black mat was so the scene was dark. This connotes danger and unknown; at this point the audience would feel very suspicious and confused with what is happening because it sets a mysterious feeling. They would think why is it all blacked out? After the opening sequence continues they would realise its because this is a character who is planning to kill and is a crazy, psycho.
I used many low-key lighting in many of my shots this was to enhance the mysterious, danger feeling. The way I used the camera to film was very delicately because I needed many extreme close ups and close ups. This was very important for my opening sequence because the killer wasn’t shown however the audiences are only able to see his arms and hands. This made them want to find out what really happens and who is this killer, is it a psycho man or a friend?
The props used was very carefully thought about, I wanted each prop to show meaning, each prop was carefully thought about what its purpose is. Straight at the beginning of my opening sequence, there is a close up of a red candle, which is lit up. The camera zooms out this red candle represents evil, which is present with this character, and he is not by him self, he has his devil with him to help him. Also the flame of the candle represents hell. Usually peoples thoughts and hypothesis of hell is burning fire, which is the punishment of bad people, this is what the candle represents.
The knife indicates killing, the knife is purposely used to sharp the pencil because it shows how unusual this person is, also shows that he is very much messed up in his head because he isn’t using a sharpener like a normal person would. The conventions of a thriller are used carefully at this point where I had experimented with the camera. I made sure I did not use just one shot to show the knife, I used a point of view, with this an extreme close up and close ups to portray the dangerous knife. Being influenced by Seven and Sins I made sure I used similar shot types. This was because the Se7en is clearly telling the audience that their movie is a thriller with the use of light and props.
I used the pins because; pins are usually used to pierce through a paper so it keeps it stable against something for example a wall. However the pins in my opening sequence shows how dangerous this character is, the motion of the pins indicate to the audience that this character has already played with a knife and he is very much capable to stab someone. The movement of the hand and knife represents slow killing. The character does his movements slowly which indicates that he knows what he is doing and he has it all planned, therefore he slowly kills her.
Also being influenced by ‘Brick and Double Idemnity’ I was carefully thinking about the framing in my opening sequence. The type of rules such as 180 degree was used in Brick and Double Idemnity. I made sure I had some of the conventions such as the non-digetic sound. In both opening sequence it had a purpose, it wasn’t just placed there. The sound in my opening sequence was carefully thought, I really liked the sound in the opening sequence of ‘Sins’, which was used. It was very eerie and made me cringe; this feeling matches the performance on the frame. Sins is also very much similar to Se7en, it use very similar conventions and cinematography.
My final Media piece called Seized.
Preliminary Task
Friday, February 25, 2011
Props used
This is the pins I used in my opening sequence.
This is the camera I used to film my opening sequence.Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Feedback on Research and Planning
Shehabur, I can see that you have made some effort to come back to your blog posts and make improvements. There is still work to be done in the 'Research' section - please go back through all of my comments on your blog and address these. Make use of the feedback sheet I gave you also.
Final marks for Research & Planning will be from Feb 8th.
SJA Feb 2nd
Pictures of the group in action
These images are of me and my group in action, where we were filming. We carefully looked at the scene to make sure it was the right setting. We made sure that we filmed by following our plans and storyboard. In some cases we made a few changes where some of the shots did not come out as good as we thought it may. The spontaneous camera angle which I came up with were very good because I used many close ups and extreme close ups which emphasised the feelings of the characters and emphasised their facial expression in our opening sequence. As a group we decided which shot worked very well and which was not too great, the filming was a great opportunity for me to make some choice of the different types of cinematography, where I in my group careful thought about the mise-en-scene and I made sure each of the shot I filmed was a piece of art. I made sure I thought about the lighting, the angle and the type of shot I used because these very small things make a very big difference to the overall outcome.
The Location for My Thriller (Morden Park)
My opening sequence is located in Morden Park, as a group we have chose this because we are aware that there are forest typesetting there. There are trees, bushes and allot of greenery which is very ideal for us to film, we carefully thought about it and we feel the way the TV film ‘Wallander’ is set in the middle of nowhere is a good affect. We very similarly inspired from this and thought we can expand it a little more by using jungle type setting. This makes it more affective because, it will condone that the character is alone in this dark, gloomy forest. This very much means anything could happen to her.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Examples of the type of font for my Title
Here are example's of the type's of font I would like to use for my title sequence.Font type for my titles
I have chosen to use the titles above because I feel the texture of the titles express the genre which is thriller. The black and white could hint to the audience unstableness, danger many other serious thoughts. As an audience, they would feel anxious, nervous as soon as they see the title because the name itself seized represents someone grapping something or someone. This is the link with the killer in the opening sequence who plans to kill people as he is a psycho. The sketch affect on the font resembles and links with the killer who is drawing the girl on paper. The roughness of the font expresses the instability of this unknown killer who seems to be not a normal person. The sharpness in the title represents what is going to happen later on the movie.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Titles
Titles in the opening Sequence of Sixth Sense
As the opening sequence started, the blue titles appeared against the black background this has a very big affect on the audience, this hints that a thriller movie is going to start also the black can show danger and many other unstable, dodgy feelings. The type of titles that appear on the screen are
• Hollywood Pictures, the production company and studio
• The name of the film
• Casting by
• Director of photography
• Executive Producer
• Produced by
• Written and Directed by
Here are example's of the type's of font I would like to use for my title sequence.
Font type for my titles
I have chosen to use the titles above because I feel the texture of the titles express the genre which is thriller. The black and white could hint to the audience unstableness, danger many other serious thoughts. As an audience, they would feel anxious, nervous as soon as they see the title because the name itself seized represents someone grapping something or someone. This is the link with the killer in the opening sequence who plans to kill people as he is a psycho. The sketch affect on the font resembles and links with the killer who is drawing the girl on paper. The roughness of the font expresses the instability of this unknown killer who seems to be not a normal person. The sharpness in the title represents what is going to happen later on the movie.
As the opening sequence started, the blue titles appeared against the black background this has a very big affect on the audience, this hints that a thriller movie is going to start also the black can show danger and many other unstable, dodgy feelings. The type of titles that appear on the screen are
• Hollywood Pictures, the production company and studio
• The name of the film
• Casting by
• Director of photography
• Executive Producer
• Produced by
• Written and Directed by
Titles
In this lesson we came up with the relevant titles that will appear on screen at the beginning of our opening sequence.
Name of Studio
Shemol Studio’s
Name of Production Company
Million Productions
Director Name
A Film by Donna Ellis
Starring
Donna Ellis
Featuring
Sophie Hardy
Alisha Salas
Shehabur Rahman
Casting by
Sophie Hardy
Music composed by
Alisha Salas
Here are example's of the type's of font I would like to use for my title sequence.Font type for my titles
I have chosen to use the titles above because I feel the texture of the titles express the genre which is thriller. The black and white could hint to the audience unstableness, danger many other serious thoughts. As an audience, they would feel anxious, nervous as soon as they see the title because the name itself seized represents someone grapping something or someone. This is the link with the killer in the opening sequence who plans to kill people as he is a psycho. The sketch affect on the font resembles and links with the killer who is drawing the girl on paper. The roughness of the font expresses the instability of this unknown killer who seems to be not a normal person. The sharpness in the title represents what is going to happen later on the movie.
Shot Lists
Shot 1
Shot List for Media Studies[1]
This will be a mid-shot of the title which will be shown in a black screen to make it more effective. We have chosen a mid-shot because it does not fill up the screen too much and the everyone in the audience will be able to see the title clearly.
Shot 2
This will also be a mid-shot as this is of a picture of Jessica, she does not know that this picture has been taken of her and also the picture of Jessica fades into the background of the title and so a mid-shot would be ideal for this because once again the title does not take up to much of the film and the picture of Jessica in the background would be good as a mid-shot because it is not standing out too much to the audience but it is still there for the audience to see.
Shot 3
This will be a mid-shot of developing the pictures in the dark room and we have chosen to make this a mid-shot because it shows most of the room and does not fill up the screen too much.
Shot 4
This will be a close-up of a hand with a glove on developing the picture, we decided to make this a close-up because it shows something sinister going on here and we also want to see what this person is developing.
Shot 5
This is going to be a panning and establishing shot and we decided this because we wanted to show the objects around the room as the room looks quite sinister. We decided on an establishing shot because this shows most of the room.
Shot 6
This will be many close-ups of difference weapons going along, we decided on this because we wanted the show the weapons in detail and we wanted to show all of the different types of tools that this killer could be using.
Shot 7
This is yet again another close-up and this will be of papers and missing posters, we want to show this using a close-up because we want to show the pictures on these posters and papers and perhaps some of the print.
Shot 8
This is going to be an over the shoulder shot of the killer and this will be in black and white because this is showing memories of the killer and his past killings. We have decided to use an over the shoulder shot because we are showing the killer's next victim.
Shot 9
This will be a medium shot and this will be seeing the killer drug the girl and put her in the boot. We have decided on this type of shot because it shows quite a bit of what is going on and it is not to close and not to far away.
Shot 10
This will be another medium shot of seeing and girl get drugged by the killer and we have chosen this kind of shot because once again it is showing everything.
Shot 11
This will be a wide mid-shot of one of the killer's victims lying on the back seat of the car and we have chosen this because it shows a lot of what is going on and this is what the viewers are going to want to see.
Shot 12
We will be showing the next shot as a moving subject walking into space and this will be of Jessica walking through the forest at night. We chose this particular shot because we wanted to let the audience feel as if they are involved because it feels as if you are walking with Jessica.
Shot 13
This will be a close-up of the killer's feet and we wanted to show this in a close-up because we wanted to show the audience that Jessica is being followed and because we are not going to see killer's face we wanted to show some part of the killer following Jessica.
Shot 14
This will be a side mid-shot of Jessica hearing the killer's footsteps and this is also where she stops and looks around to the killer. We wanted to show this in a mid-shot because we wanted to show most of Jessica's body language when she sees the killer.
Shot 15
This will be a mid-shot of the titles when they appear on this screen.
Shot List for Media Studies[1]
Storyboard
This is a storyboard of our film, some of the pictures are not finished as it was difficult to know what to draw on the storyboard. What is written on the storyboard is quite detailed, detailed enough for our group to know exactly what we are doing in our film and who has what role.
Morden Park -Location
Here are the shots of my actual scene where I will be filming my opening sequence, it is perfect for my sequence becasue it represents danger and straight away as an audience will be prepared for something to go wrong. The trees and the lighting will also help make it feel mysterious.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Props, Costume, Location & Script
using the props annotated
In today’s lesson we decided to plan what props we are going to use, what costumes each character is going to wear and why (what the costume represents and how it reflects the character’s personality) as well as planning our location, script, shooting schedule and character description for our opening description.
Props & Costumes
Props
Car – We will be using this prop for the sound effect of a car boot slamming and as a car itself.
Knives – We are using this prop to represent one of the pieces of weaponry that the killer is planning on using
Photographs – We will be using many photographs to show how many people the killer has killed.
Posters – We are using posters to show the people that have gone missing.
Costumes
Donna (Jessica) – Will be wearing light colors to represent her innocence.
Alisha & Sophie – Will be wearing a red top to represent death
Shehabur – Will be wearing black to represent an evil and sinister demeanor.
Location
Morden Park – We will be using this location when someone driving his or her car sees the victim and when she is running away from her potential killer.
PDH/DH3 – This location will be used when the killer is laying out and planning what weaponry to use to carry out the killing of the protagonist.
Photography Dark Room – This location will be used to show the killer developing a photograph of the victim (protagonist) that he is potentially going to kill.
Script
Although there is going to be no dialogue in our opening sequence we felt it was necessary to devise a script to show what sound effects and music we will be using.
Footsteps – To represent the killer following the victim in the park
Heavy Breathing – To represent the victim’s feelings of being frightened and scared.
Car Boot Slam – To represent the killer slamming down the boot of the car but the audience not knowing why he did it and what is in the boot.
Loud Scream – This will be used at the beginning of the opening sequence
Devised Piece of Music – We will be using a personally created piece of music so that it is original and has not been used before in previous thriller films.
Although there is going to be no dialogue in our opening sequence we felt it was necessary to devise a script to show what sound effects and music we will be using.
Sound of cutting with a knife and the killer drawing a picture of the main character in our film. This will be used in our film to make it more real and gripping to watch.
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