Tuesday 30 November 2010

Journal Post 26/11/2010



Today we had to present a pitch of our film to the class in our groups, pretending that they were an independent film maker and we were trying to secure funding from a Production Company. Our group (me, Emily and Sonal) chose to do a Teen Fantasy film that included vampires as we were interested in it and it would be a popular choice with our target audience especially as it would have had the young male actor 'Zac Efron' that appeals to young teenage girls but also older women. Overall, I think it was a success and that our film would have been given the money to have been produced. As part of our feedback, we were told to look at the film 'The Lost Boys' and to look at the title sequences of films directed by Tim Burton.

Sunday 28 November 2010

LOVEBITE pitch

What are the conventions of Opening Title Sequences?

Class analysis essay of Se7en

Mise-en-scene

A title sequence is the first thing the audience sees when the film starts, this being that it is very important that it gives of a first good impression. Within the film Se7en there are many things to consider in its title sequence, one of which being the mise-en-scene. Throughout this truly chilling title sequence there is no exterior or landscape shown which automatically leaves the audience with lots of questions in relation to the background information; the basic facts an average audience member would expect to know. We see a constant close up of the characters hands, never their face or body. Although we can see clearly sharp objects being used and there movement is very much the focus when they are involved in the frame. There are many different props used throughout the sequence which include: sharp objects, pen, paper, needle and thread and many old photos. Throughout the entire sequence the colour remains desaturated which we can only interpret as it having some relation to the forth coming events about to take place later on in the movie. The whole title sequence is film in a dark light setting, this suggests that the life is being drained out of the film this is also linked to how the character treats his victims. The final thing that sticks out in the sequence is that various things are highlighted in the props such as “homosexual” and “Transsexual” as well as cutting out the name “GOD” out of a clipping, to perhaps show the theme of religious belief and the connection to the person in the sequence; also the precision the person in the sequence has cold possibly be giving the audience an insight into the characters personality.

Purpose and character

From the close-ups we can’t tell what or where the location is, but we can guess that it is in a confined room. The reason why I think this is because the person who is making this book doesn't want anybody to know about it. I thought that the location was very secretive, and because the shots were so close to his hands and almost zoomed in on everything it makes you feel almost claustrophobic; which I think helped to make it feel eerie and scary. I also thought that the person was a man from the look of his hands. From this title sequence I think that he was trying to get rid of his identity by scraping off his finger prints, which made me feel really uncomfortable because it was an image I really didn't like. This suggests that he could be a serial killer and has planned things through to not get caught also this person seems to know what they are doing. There are images of dead people and it looks like he is creating a scrapbook which he has put the picture in but we aren't sure what the scrapbook is of. I also thought that he would have been a perfectionist because everything was done with his own hands and it clearly showed that he took time and care with his work and it was obviously thoroughly planned, I could tell this from the way everything seemed so precise, he seems to document his work very obsessively, but with patience. I thought that the person was religious, because they cut out a piece of a dollar bill that had the word ‘God’ written on it and also at the end of the title sequence the song ended with ‘gonna get me closer to God’, this made me think that they are killing people for their deadly sins and that they were killing for God. He crosses out words such as "transsexual" which also makes me think that he is religious. I got the idea that it was the seven deadly sins because there are two 'sevens' in the title and because the first shot after the title sequence says 'monday' which could explain one of the sevens.

Cinematography

'Seven' title sequence uses a lot of extreme close ups, this is used to create tension for the audience as it makes you feel very uncomfortable and it puts you in discomfort. Also all of these shots are still, we are only able to see the movement of the peoples body features and some of the objects. Due to the fact of these extreme close ups being still we are unable to see the surroundings and where everything is set, this is to create a big mystery which people may want to reveal by watching the whole film. Most of the lighting in this title sequence is dull; this is to create a scary and an unpleasant atmosphere. Not only the lighting is dull but also the colours included are rather dark such as brown, black, dark blue, grey. These colours give the whole title sequence a very unpleasant effect. Rays of light have been used for the main features and objects to stand out. Some of the photographs are very shaky as well as lightning has been added to them, this is to create a more unpleasant effect towards the audience, as this type of effect may reflect a scary storm at night. Fast pace has been also included to flick through a lot of things creating excitement towards the movie, leaving the audience wanting more. This title sequence also includes flashes of red which create an effect of danger. Layering is one of the things that has been used but not so much, it shows photographs fading out onto other photographs. The letters and numbers are hardly visible as a flash has been added to them which creates a mysterious side of the film. Looking at just cinematography you are able to get an idea of what the film may be about and the uses of cinematography are very strong as they create different emotions towards the audience leaving them wanting to see more, and that is the main aim of the title sequence.

Sound

The sound of the title sequence creates a disturbing feel. At the beginning it shows the character preparing to sleep, a clicking sound is used as the background which could be connoting a ticking clock counting down, showing that it is a countdown for something that is going to happen. In the sequence the character is crossing out words and pictures, every time he crosses something out you hear a scratchy screechy sound. This could be implying that the things he is crossing out are his next victims, as the screeching sound could be the person screaming and the scratchy sound could be the way they are killed. By putting this disturbing sound track in the background of the sequence with the close up images it creates a sense of confusion, as the audience has to take in the creepy sound and the glimpses of images together trying to make sense of them both at the same time.

Saturday 20 November 2010

James Bond Title Sequences Contemporary vs. Old

Dr No. Title Sequence




Casino Royale Title Sequence





Both title sequences started with the well-known gun barrel shot but you could tell that the one in Casino Royale had been modernised, for example, the blood looked much more realistic which could suggest to the audience that this will contain more violence. Both of them use very bold colours, for example in Dr. No the use of the dots that all flash up in different colours and in Casino Royale the colours are bright because it's representing the colours in a poker game and a casino. In Dr. No it is unlcear of its real theme because it doesn't give much away apart from that there were women and men dancing, and the only time that James Bond appears on it is at the start. Whereas, in Casino Royale the main theme is to do with a poker game that is going to take place during the film and it is obviously going to be important, James Bond is shown more or less throughout this sequence either shooting a gun or in an action fight.

Key elements of a James Bond title sequence:
  • Dancing Women
  • Guns and Bullets
  • The Gun barrel
  • Silhouettes
  • James Bond
  • Hands
  • Smashing glass
  • Explosions
  • Music
  • Choreography
  • 007 logo
Maurice Binder made most of the title sequences.

Tuesday 16 November 2010

Se7en Title Sequence: Purpose and Character

From the close-ups we can’t tell what or where the location is, but we can guess that it is in a confined room. The reason why I think this is because the person who is making this book doesn't want anybody to know about it. I thought that the location was very secretive, and because the shots were so close to his hands and almost zoomed in on everything it makes you feel almost claustrophobic; which I think helped to make it feel eerie and scary. I also thought that the person was a man from the look of his hands. From this title sequence I think that he was trying to get rid of his identity by scraping off his finger prints, which made me feel really uncomfortable because it was an image I really didn't like. This suggests that he could be a serial killer and has planned things through to not get caught also this person seems to know what they are doing. There are images of dead people and it looks like he is creating a scrapbook which he has put the picture in but we aren't sure what the scrapbook is of. I also thought that he would have been a perfectionist because everything was done with his own hands and it clearly showed that he took time and care with his work and it was obviously thoroughly planned, I could tell this from the way everything seemed so precise, he seems to document his work very obsessively, but with patience. I thought that the person was religious, because they cut out a piece of a dollar bill that had the word ‘God’ written on it and also at the end of the title sequence the song ended with ‘gonna get me closer to God’, this made me think that they are killing people for their deadly sins and that they were killing for God. He crosses out words such as "transsexual" which also makes me think that he is religious. I got the idea that it was the seven deadly sins because there are two 'sevens' in the title and because the first shot after the title sequence says 'monday' which could explain one of the sevens.

Monday 15 November 2010

The Art Of Film Title Design Throughout Cinema History Article

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/10/04/the-art-of-the-film-title-throughout-cinema-history/

"Words and lettering played an enormous role in films of the silent era." I found this really interesting because I never thought about title sequences being in a Silent Film and I always thought that the fonts were always the same for each film.


"Thus, blackletter fonts in the opening credits were used to evoke horror, ribbons and flowery lettering suggested love, and typography that would have been used on “Wanted” posters connoted a western flick." I thought this was interesting because it is just the same now as it was when they first started to make films so these stereotypes have always stuck within the film Industry.

"The concept of score visualization first conceived by Oskar Fischinger in his film “Studies” anticipates the effects created by Saul Bass in “The Man With the Golden Arm” (1955) and later by Susan Bradley in “Monsters, Inc” (2001)." I thought this was interesting because of how similar the two title sequences were and yet 'Monsters, Inc' still seemed modernised.


"Saul Bass often approached the lettering of a main title as he would a logo, making it function as the core element in a full marketing campaign." I thought this was interesting because I never used to think that a Title Sequence was this important and how it could make or break a film.


"A consequence of this digital era seems to be that modern title design will forever rely on progressive technologies." I thought this was interesting because I never thought of it that way, however some title designers still think it's important to sometimes include older technologies as it can create a different effect.

Wednesday 10 November 2010

Title Sequences

  • True Blood
I am going to look at the title sequence for ‘True Blood’ as this TV show appeals to me. It appeals to me because I am interested in the fantasy genre and genuinely like programmes and films to do with vampires. The title sequence does not change because it doesn’t need to as it doesn’t show the characters in it. It tells us what the setting is by using subtle hints for example; a man in dungarees swaying in a rocking chair makes us think of the Southern States in America which is exactly where it is set. The music is a very big contrast to some of the shots in the sequence as the main lyrics are, “I wanna do bad things with you,” and some of the other shots are to do with God and religion so there is a big contrast between sex and God. There is also a sign saying, “God hates fangs,” which also makes you think of the setting as a place that isn’t very friendly towards the vampires that have recently let society know they exist, which makes you think of the South as those States in America aren’t very tolerant to Black people and Gay people. The text is always white, which usually connotes to purity and God which could be showing a contrast to the entire programme. I think the text does fit with the overall look of the sequence because it’s a strange font which matches the images seen, as you don’t know quite what to make of them they seem almost random. However, the images aren’t random because they’ve been specifically chosen to show life and death and the destruction of life. 
  • 90210
The title sequence for ‘90210’ also appeals to me because I do have quite an interest in Teen Dramas. The music in this sequence is very upbeat and cheerful just like the images we see in the clip. Each main character is on the screen at least once and they are either smiling a lot or laughing which suggests that their lives are perfect, and yet just from seeing this you know that their lives aren’t perfect and that they are just pretending. We know the setting straight away from the very first shot as there is a sign saying ‘Beverly Hills’ so we know it’s going to be about the richer children in LA. As this title sequence contains the characters it means they would have to change it if any of the main characters were to leave which is exactly what they had to do for season 2. Each shot has a hazy edging which suggests that their happiness won’t last for long. The only text that is added on after is the title of the programme and the font looks quite glamorous but adolescent. I think the text does fit in with the overall look of the sequence because it’s all about teenager’s lives and the images are of teenagers having fun. The text of the title is positioned in the centre.

Monday 8 November 2010

Continuity Sequence

For this we had to involve filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/ reverse shot and the 180 degree rule. I think our film contained all of these requirements. Our film was about a girl going to meet their friend because their friend wants to tell them something important, which in this case was, "I'm in love with you," at first the girl thinks it's weird because her friend is a girl but then her friend says, "No it's alright I'm a man." There was only something slightly wrong with ours which we realised when we were editing and that was that the eyeline of each character during the conversation didn't match up so it wasn't keeping to a Point of View shot. We then had to reshoot the conversation and add it in to what we had already edited. Other than that I think our video was quite good and worked well.