Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Setting - The differance in our setting for the pre-liminary task and our full product was a great influence in the overall presentation of our product. With our pre-lim task being un-gothic it was hard to create an effect through setting as we had limited time to find the right location. However with our final product we were able to travel further out to find the perfect gothic location for our fearful opening sequence. From this i have learnt the importance of setting as a key feature in our presentation.
Camera work - The camera work in our pre-liminary task was of a low standard, however as we have all progressed from then we were able to use much more complex camera angles which we have found in our research of the gothic genre. This helped us greatly as it presented an effect for the audience in which emphasized the fear they already felt because of the opening sequence.
Acting/Presentation - The progression of our acting and presentation from the pre-lim task compared to our full product was great in size. The acting was much more professional and because of this we were able to complete the filming in much smaller time but still with a high amount of quality. The overall presentation of the film was also of much greater quality, this was because the editing in our pre-lim task was poor compared to the editing in our final product, because of this our product looks much more professional.
Wednesday 4 May 2011
Question 6
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
At the beginning of this process i was unable to operate the technologies involved in making and producing a media product, after being shown and taught how to during this process i am now able to operate the hand held camera, as shown in our media product, i am also able to professionally use the editing suite to adapt our product to the way we want it to be.
Blog - From completing the blog i feel that i have learnt an awful lot in the I.T. side and also the organisational side of media, in logging all the work you have done into your blog and then presenting it in a way that you feel is perfect, i have learnt a great a lot from the technologies from using a media blog.
Production - On the production side i have also learnt a vast amount, the most important being able to functionally use the hand held camera on the jack and off the jack, and also i have learnt how to capture light, i have also learnt a great amount of editing techniques in order to present the product in the way that you intend to.
At the beginning of this process i was unable to operate the technologies involved in making and producing a media product, after being shown and taught how to during this process i am now able to operate the hand held camera, as shown in our media product, i am also able to professionally use the editing suite to adapt our product to the way we want it to be.
Blog - From completing the blog i feel that i have learnt an awful lot in the I.T. side and also the organisational side of media, in logging all the work you have done into your blog and then presenting it in a way that you feel is perfect, i have learnt a great a lot from the technologies from using a media blog.
Production - On the production side i have also learnt a vast amount, the most important being able to functionally use the hand held camera on the jack and off the jack, and also i have learnt how to capture light, i have also learnt a great amount of editing techniques in order to present the product in the way that you intend to.
Question 5
How did you attract/address your audience?
The way that we attracted our target audience was through a specific presentation of gothic in our film. It can be seen that the typical age range for a horror film is 18-24, this has been found in common research, we have opted for the 16-34 age range beause or film wil be complex enough to engage with the older audiee but at the same time it would have fear - factor and terror that the younger audience currently enjoy.
With our dark fonted credits and high tempo camera shots we are able to create a mysterious sensation for the younger audience.
Furthermore with our camera angles from behind the characters as she is running from the demon we create a sense of intensity and outrage for the girl as she is taken from by the demon.
The way that we attracted our target audience was through a specific presentation of gothic in our film. It can be seen that the typical age range for a horror film is 18-24, this has been found in common research, we have opted for the 16-34 age range beause or film wil be complex enough to engage with the older audiee but at the same time it would have fear - factor and terror that the younger audience currently enjoy.
Furthermore with our camera angles from behind the characters as she is running from the demon we create a sense of intensity and outrage for the girl as she is taken from by the demon.
Question 4
Who would be the audience for your media product?
Being a genuine gothic horror we have decided to aim our product at the age range of 16-35, we fill that this is the appropriate age range as it is the widespread group that are able to enjoy the horror genre in a specific way.
It can be seen from research of box office statistics that the most famous gothic films are the 4 Saw sequel films. These films had the same target age range as what we have and it is because of this we have given our product this target age range because we feel it is the most suitable for our particular presentation.
The reasons for us aiming our product at this age range is because we feel that is it the most suitable for what we are trying to present, which is a gothic/horror opening sequence that brings ultimate fear upon the selected audience through the usage of a dark setting, horrific camera angles and a demonic creature.
However there is possible chance that an older age group will audience our film, this all depends on their taste in film and if they feel our film has potential quality.
Being a genuine gothic horror we have decided to aim our product at the age range of 16-35, we fill that this is the appropriate age range as it is the widespread group that are able to enjoy the horror genre in a specific way.
It can be seen from research of box office statistics that the most famous gothic films are the 4 Saw sequel films. These films had the same target age range as what we have and it is because of this we have given our product this target age range because we feel it is the most suitable for our particular presentation.
 |
| These two teenagers are 18/19 years old, they are our most suitable age range as they are most interested in the horror genre and fear is a rush of adrenaline for them. |
The reasons for us aiming our product at this age range is because we feel that is it the most suitable for what we are trying to present, which is a gothic/horror opening sequence that brings ultimate fear upon the selected audience through the usage of a dark setting, horrific camera angles and a demonic creature.
However there is possible chance that an older age group will audience our film, this all depends on their taste in film and if they feel our film has potential quality.
Tuesday 3 May 2011
Question 3
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
The kind of media institution that would distribute our media product would be one willing to take a risk aiming the material at new target age group and target market.
Being a gothic horror genre, our opening sequence will effectively create a sense of fear for the audience with the high pitched tones, darkness of the forest and also the eeriness of the terrifying ending. The type of production company that would distribute our film would be small as we are very small producers, they would take the film from the beginning all the way through to final product, this is because we have no experience but we do have a fantastic opening sequence. The funding could potentially come from a loan or money already involved within the business; this will be paid back in time as long as the film is successful.
Product distribution is one of the four elements of the marketing mix. It is where an organization or set of organizations involved in the process of making a product or service available for use or consumption by a consumer or business user. The company will take on your film after being produced and allow the target market the opportunity to view it in a number of different ways.
Furthermore, the production company that we will need to distribute our product would have to be an english producer as it is a low budget, English horror film, it can be seen that this would not be successful as it has not been seen before but we feel that this gap in the market can be broken into to show what the UK market has to deliver in the gothic genre.
The reason that producers want an institution to distribute their film is so that it gets into the market globally, the films distribution allows the audience and target market to view the film by purchasing it, a percent of that price goes back to the producers. The reason producers want strong distribution is so that they can make the greatest profit possible from their production.
The kind of media institution that would distribute our media product would be one willing to take a risk aiming the material at new target age group and target market.
Being a gothic horror genre, our opening sequence will effectively create a sense of fear for the audience with the high pitched tones, darkness of the forest and also the eeriness of the terrifying ending. The type of production company that would distribute our film would be small as we are very small producers, they would take the film from the beginning all the way through to final product, this is because we have no experience but we do have a fantastic opening sequence. The funding could potentially come from a loan or money already involved within the business; this will be paid back in time as long as the film is successful.
Product distribution is one of the four elements of the marketing mix. It is where an organization or set of organizations involved in the process of making a product or service available for use or consumption by a consumer or business user. The company will take on your film after being produced and allow the target market the opportunity to view it in a number of different ways.
Furthermore, the production company that we will need to distribute our product would have to be an english producer as it is a low budget, English horror film, it can be seen that this would not be successful as it has not been seen before but we feel that this gap in the market can be broken into to show what the UK market has to deliver in the gothic genre.
The reason that producers want an institution to distribute their film is so that it gets into the market globally, the films distribution allows the audience and target market to view the film by purchasing it, a percent of that price goes back to the producers. The reason producers want strong distribution is so that they can make the greatest profit possible from their production.
Question 2
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
The unconventional characters in our opening sequence do not represent their social class a great way, the dialogue in which they use is informal as they are having conversation, their actions, i.e. running and laughing are stereotypical of young school girls. It was very hard to find a gothic film which involves young school children, this is because it is a tough task to grasp and succeed in doing so, however we feel that it is very effective in the way we have used it in our characters.
The reason for our setting representing a particular social group is because we feel that teenagers the most suitable group for playing around in a forest, this is because they feel that it is exciting and also at the same time it gives of a high adrenaline rush.
A screen grab of the two female characters involved in our opening sequence.
An image of how we want our character to be portrayed is similar to the child horror character in the film 'Orphan'.
Evaluation Introduction/Question 1
In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
The way in which our opening sequence uses, challenges and even develops forms and conventions of real media make it the gothic product in which we were trying to create for the audience.
Our demonic opening sequence uses a vast amount of gothic and horror conventions, for example the structure is very snappy, there are no blank screens, action and/or dialogue are continuous throughout to keep a high intensity for the audience. The style in which we used to present our credits and also the style in which we filmed was conventional, this is because we based our film on a gothic genre. Even though the genre of gothic can be seen as cliché the way in which we filmed the genre and the selected setting make the opening sequence conventional but also makes it mysterious and eerie for the audience. Furthermore the sound effect and music we used throughout the film are substantially gothic and used purely to create a sense of terror for the audience. The editing and special effects that we used were slightly of gothic conventions, we used fast cuts to increase intensity and also the darkness and eeriness.
The camera work can be seen as both conventional and also un-conventional, the handled camera shots make the audience build fear but at the same time the dialogue shots are un-conventional for the gothic genre, we have done this to challenge the genre and show the audience an unfolding incident.
However our introduction of characters is far from gothic conventions, it is a sudden cut into dialogue of the two characters in which find themselves in great fear further on in the sequence.
Friday 29 April 2011
Evaluation - Audience Feedback
At the top is our rough cut product, tis is with none of our editing or soun effects.
These are our feedback videos in which were helpful as they old us what they thougt would be good, it is also helpful as they are o target age range givig us evidance of hat they want in a gothic genre product.
Thursday 28 April 2011
Friday 8 April 2011
Production Report
As a group we made the majoprity of our decisions together, the key decisions in which we made when editing the film where;
- We chose to use fast editing to increase the tempo of the film, it was evident from our research of the 'horror' genre that the clips where short with fast editing in order to create tension for the audience.
- Another group decision in which we made was to play the titles over a a setting the scene clip, our rotary clip of the forest at the beggining allows us to hit 2 birds with one stone, we are able t acreate the scene in a terryifyinf way and also we are abvle to role the credits. The font we used was decided as a group, the orator 90 font suited our genre best as it was simple but effective.
- The final group decision in which was crucial to our final product was the music that we used, we found out form our reseacrh that music is what makes the audience most fearful, a high pitched note creates fear as it comes as a shock to the audience. The track 'bump in the night' was perfect for our setting as it was not to dramatic but gave us the high pitched tones in whihc we was looking for.
Tuesday 22 February 2011
Pre-Production Documentation
Sypnosis of whole film - A scout group go on a trip to an unknown forest for a weekend of survival skills, they do not know that the forest has some very strange attributes, and that it is haunted by an angry demon in which killed a young school girl, the scout group are unaware of this happening as it happened many years ago.
The story continues and the scout trip is going fine, until the 3rd day when one of the children go missing, this brings tension to the camp so the leaders hunt the woodsday and night until the boy or a clue os found, none of the 4 leaders return. luckily one of the scouts phoned their parents because of suspicion and all of the remaing scouts left from unbearable fear.
Shot List -
Character Movement:
Script :
The story continues and the scout trip is going fine, until the 3rd day when one of the children go missing, this brings tension to the camp so the leaders hunt the woodsday and night until the boy or a clue os found, none of the 4 leaders return. luckily one of the scouts phoned their parents because of suspicion and all of the remaing scouts left from unbearable fear.
Plot of opening sequence – Two schoolgirls are walking home from school through when they see a strange path leading to the forest, they stupidly go and explore and then strange things begin to happen.
One of the girls disappears and the other girl starts to panic and as she begins to run out of the forest she trips over a log and then the demon drags her back into the depths of the forest and then it blacks out.
One of the girls disappears and the other girl starts to panic and as she begins to run out of the forest she trips over a log and then the demon drags her back into the depths of the forest and then it blacks out.
Treatment -
Shot List -
Location | Scene Number | Shot Number | Description |
Forest | 1 | 1 | Setting the scene. Establishing the shot of surroundings. |
Alley | 2 | 2 | Introduction to the two girls. They are walking towards the camera talking. Long shot. |
3 | Medium shot of both the girls talking. Then one of them encourages the other to explore the forest. They walk in. | ||
Forest | 3 | 4 | The girls come to a shed and explore, the camera pans with their movements |
5 | The camera cuts to a medium long shot as they move away from the shed and enter the depths of the forest. | ||
4 | 6 | When in the forest, the camera shows the GIRLS running through the forest at a long shot | |
7 | The footage is filmed at different angles to create a sense of confusion for the viewer. | ||
8 | “” | ||
9 | Medium shot of GIRL A as she loses GIRL B. showing the confusion on her face. | ||
10 | Medium long shot as she slows down and begins to search | ||
11 | Close up of her face as she realizes the other girl has vanished and she hears a twig snap behind her | ||
12 | The camera is behind her running and is almost as if it is chasing her as she is running scared. | ||
13 | Medium long shot of the girl falling down to the floor. | ||
14 | Close up of the girls face and upper body as she begins to crawl and pick herself up. Her face then turns pale as she feels something grab her leg, she is pulled back suddenly. End |
Risk Assesment - As the setting is in a forest location the health and safety is very important, there is a barb wire fence surrounding the path, we will have to be careful when filming near the path to ensure that the actors do not collide.
There are large logs on the floor in the deep forest so we will also have to watch when the actors are running so that there is not an accident.
We need a risk assessment so that we can see what risks there are during the filming and how we can avoid any injuries.
Shooting Schedule - Our shooting was organised in a lesson and we decided as a group that we would start shooting on the Thursday 10th March during the school term. The location was organised previously and we convised that the forest was the best location for our horror genre.
Mise-en-Scene -
Lighting:
The lighting in the forest is very mild as we are filming in a night-time enviroment the only light being provided will be that of the moon, we hope to film on an evening where the moon is bright to ensure there is enough to capably see the characters.
Props:
We will only be using a small number of natural props which are in the forest, the first being the log that the character trips over in the opening sequence. The other prop will be a small rotted cabin, this will be used for effect in emphasizing our horror genre.
Costume:
GIRL A- School trousers and white shirt, in school uniform with shoes.
GIRL B - School trousers and white shirt, in school uniform with shoes.
DEMON - It will be wearing dark clothes to camoflage its appearance to the girls.
With these costumes it fits the theme of the characters and makes the sequence more authentic and realistic.
Hair and Make-Up:
GIRL A - Hair will be messy, face will look excited as she enters the forest but sharply changing, this is to represent that she is a school girl and also she is young and excited..
GIRL B - Hair will be curly, maybe glasses to emphasize character that she entails which is a young school girl.
DEMON - hair will be unseen due to hood to make the audience see that he is a dark demon.
Set Design:
The room is spacious and sets a good atmosphere for a horror dark forest. The bright light coming from the moon will give the set a futuristic look but at the same time it will b dark and evil. We will film by the rotted cabin to emphasize the gothic genre we have given the film. The path will also be used which will lead the girls to the forest.
Character Movement:
The two girl characters will be walking towards the camera whilst in dialogue, one of the girls then goes and explores the forest, the girls continue walking and they come to a shed, they then move away from the cabin and move deeper into the forest. The girls are then seen running through the forest, one og the girls begins to slow down as she realises she has lost her friend, she then begins to run again and falls over the log on the floor she is then dragged back by the demon.
Story Board :
Location Recce :
Story Board :
Location Recce :
 |
| Our chosen location is in Chipperfield, and being a natural exterior enviroment we have nothing to manipulate. We will be using the area of the forest we have phtographed for the ain shoot alonfg with the shown abandomed shed. Also we will be using a path which is along from the shed, unforunatly this could not be seen when taking the pictures. |
Script – Into the Darkness
SCENE 2 EXT ALLEY AFTERNOON
The two GIRLS are walking home from school down the ALLEY.
GIRL B turns to the forest
I hate walking past here look how spooky it looks? It looks like something from one of those horror movies.
GIRL A looks at the forest with a slightly worried expression. They slowly come to a stop
GIRL A
That looks more fun than creepy. I dare you to run in there.
GIRL B
I would, but not on my own. You come with me!
GIRL A panics and comes up with an excuse
GIRL A
Erm, I’m wearing my new boots…
GIRL B
So? Just do it! I can tell you’re scared
GIRL A
I’m so not, I just seriously don’t want to get muddy… but it would be pretty fun I guess
SCENE 3 EXT FOREST AFTERNOON
GIRL B wanders closer to the forest and spots a shed
GIRL B
Hey, look at that. It must be ancient… I bet a tramp lives in there or something
GIRL A
Yeah, it actually reeks. Hey c’mon I’m getting bored now…
GIRL B
Quickly then! Let’s go.
GIRL B runs into the forest also dragging GIRL A in by the hand.
SCENE 4 EXT FOREST AFTERNOON
GIRL B
I told you this would be fun!
GIRL A starts to ease up and begins to enjoy it. They both start running around the forest chasing one another and making loud screams. She loses GIRL B and starts to worry.
GIRL A
Hey! Where’ve you gone?
Oi, where are you hiding? I can hear you! The twigs don’t snap by them self!
GIRL A slowly creeps round behind a tree she suspects GIRL B is hiding, she tries to surprise her but she isn’t there.
Her face shows great confusion as she pans the forest with her eyes looking for her friend
Where the have you gone? Seriously, come out now, I’m getting worried!
Come out now!
As she searches, she hears twigs snapping behind her and as she turns she sees something that causes her to run. After being chased she falls to the ground as she trips over a branch on the floor and is dragged back
Tuesday 8 February 2011
History of Horror
Horror is an ancient art form. We have tried to terrify each other with tales which trigger the less logical parts of our imaginations for as long as we've told stories. From the ballads of the ancient world to modern urban myths, audiences willingly offer themselves up to sadistic storytellers to be scared witless, and they are happy to pay for the privilege.
Theories abound as to why this is so; do we derive basic thrills from triggering the rush of adrenalin which fear brings, or do horror stories serve a wider moral purpose, reinforcing the rules and taboos of our society and showing the macabre fate of those who transgress?
Horror movies have long served both purposes. They deliver thrills by the hearseload, as well as telling us stories of the dark, forbidden side of life (and death) - cautionary tales for grown ups. They also provide a revealing mirror image of the anxieties of their time. Nosferatu (1922) is not simply a tale of vampirism, but offers heart-rending images of a town beleaguered by premature and random deaths, echoes of the Great War and the Great Flu Epidemic fatalities. At the other end of the century Blade (1998) is not just a tale of vampirism either, but reflects a fear of the powerful yet irresponsible elements in society, echoes down the corridor indeed of the seemingly impunitive behaviour of those at the top.
Each generation gets the horror films it deserves, and one of the more fascinating aspects of the study of the genre is the changing nature of the monsters who present a threat. In the early 1940s, a world living under the shadow of Hitler's predatory tendencies identified a part-man, part-wolf as their boogeyman, whose bestial nature caused him to tear apart those who crossed his path. In the 1990s however, there was no need for a part wolf component: Jonathan Doe (Se7en 1994) and Hannibal Lecter (Manhunter 1986, Silence of the Lambs 1991, Hannibal 2001) were entirely human in their calculated and stylised killing methods. As we move on into the twenty first century, the ghosts and zombies are back in vogue as Eastern and Western superstitions converge, and once more we yearn for an evil that is beyond human. In an era of war and waterboarding, supernatural terror is more palatable than the fear inherent in news headlines.
Theories abound as to why this is so; do we derive basic thrills from triggering the rush of adrenalin which fear brings, or do horror stories serve a wider moral purpose, reinforcing the rules and taboos of our society and showing the macabre fate of those who transgress?
Horror movies have long served both purposes. They deliver thrills by the hearseload, as well as telling us stories of the dark, forbidden side of life (and death) - cautionary tales for grown ups. They also provide a revealing mirror image of the anxieties of their time. Nosferatu (1922) is not simply a tale of vampirism, but offers heart-rending images of a town beleaguered by premature and random deaths, echoes of the Great War and the Great Flu Epidemic fatalities. At the other end of the century Blade (1998) is not just a tale of vampirism either, but reflects a fear of the powerful yet irresponsible elements in society, echoes down the corridor indeed of the seemingly impunitive behaviour of those at the top.
Each generation gets the horror films it deserves, and one of the more fascinating aspects of the study of the genre is the changing nature of the monsters who present a threat. In the early 1940s, a world living under the shadow of Hitler's predatory tendencies identified a part-man, part-wolf as their boogeyman, whose bestial nature caused him to tear apart those who crossed his path. In the 1990s however, there was no need for a part wolf component: Jonathan Doe (Se7en 1994) and Hannibal Lecter (Manhunter 1986, Silence of the Lambs 1991, Hannibal 2001) were entirely human in their calculated and stylised killing methods. As we move on into the twenty first century, the ghosts and zombies are back in vogue as Eastern and Western superstitions converge, and once more we yearn for an evil that is beyond human. In an era of war and waterboarding, supernatural terror is more palatable than the fear inherent in news headlines.
Title Timeline
For my title timeline i chose to do it on a well-known film of mine, Wrong Turn is a revolutionary Horror in which Six people find themselves trapped in the woods of West Virginia, hunted down by "cannibalistic mountain men grossly disfigured through generations of in-breeding'. From looking at this opening sequence i was able to see when the credits where introduced and how they were being introduced, the horror genre was shown very well which is what our group want to put across to the target audiences.
Wednesday 26 January 2011
Group Meeting
Group meeting
Genre of opening sequence – Horror
Plot of Film – Scout group go on a trip to an unknown forest for a weekend of survival skills, they do not know that the forest has some very strange attributes, and that it is haunted by an angry demon in which killed a young school girl recently.
Plot of opening sequence – two schoolgirls are walking home from school through when they see a strange path leading to the forest, they stupidly go and explore and then strange things begin to happen. One of the girls disappears and the other girl starts to panic and as she begins to run out of the forest she trips over a log and then the demon drags her back into the depths of the forest and then it blacks out.
Liam – Liam thought of the idea of using the woods as a gothic symbol, the forest is a good effect as it is dark inside to create a haunted and intense feeling for the target audience. Liam also thought of the idea of the scouts going on a weekend trip there, this will make the audience want to see the film as they will want to know what happens in the production.
Lucy – Lucy thought of the idea of having the demon as an evil character, the demon will be portrayed as an unknown character that attacks victims from behind, this is so that he is not seen by the audience creating suspense for the viewers. Lucy thought of the idea of having another character in the production, this was to create more tension as it is the other character that disappears to create tension for the audience.
Jack – Jack thought of the idea of how the credits and the music is entered into the production, the credits will appear slowly one by one in scrappy font, the music will be of a gothic high pitched tone to create an eerie feeling for the audience. It was Jacks idea to have the other character to disappear to create tension, this allows the demon to take lucys character which leads to her death.
Research Into Opening Sequence Design
Kyle Cooper Interview Part 1
Kyle Cooper Interview Part 2
Kyle Cooper Interview Part 2
From watching this interview with Kyle Cooper i have learnt that a great title sequence sets the adaptation for the rest of the film, it makes the audience engaged to the screen and endears them to want to watch the rest of the film with great concentration. The hand written font in se73n is used to create effect for the rest of the film, the specific font is used to create a clever pun for the audience as it links to what happens in the film, the hand written titles are linked to the way that the main character in the film keeps a journal in which is a huge symbol in the film. From this I have learnt that it is essential to link the opening sequence to what happens in the actual film, I have also learnt that trying new ideas on camera is always good because if it does not work then you can re-shoot by Cooper believes that if trying new things usually creates the best shoot. The way that Kyle Cooper tries new ideas such as glass in front of the camera to create an effect has given my group a few ideas in which we could try to use in our opening sequence. Another thing from what I have learnt from this is that you can mix digital production with film production to create the best effects.
The simple typography can be seen as the most effective, an example of this is the dead zone, the dark music in it makes it very mysterious, Cooper says that his three most favourite which are graphic design, film and typography can come together to create the best ever opening sequence. Some of his favourite opening sequences encapsulate the main characters obsessions; this is done in ‘to kill a mockingbird’. From this I have learnt that the main characters feelings and possessions should be shown in the opening sequence to make it as effective as possible. Another thing in which i have learnt from this i that if there is a clip that can’t be used because the audience do not understand it then it can be used as short clips elsewhere in the film, this is to save the wasted budget of the producers of the film. I also learnt from this that the audience prefer the dark deathly ending compared to the happy ending for a horror genre film, this has emphasized our opinion to create a dark opening sequence to kick start the horror genre film.
Further Look At Opening Sequence
Another opening sequence in which we looked at as a group was Se7en, this helped us a great amount as it gave us a great idea on how to present our credits and also the sort of music theme we was thinking of using in our opening sequence.Se7en opening sequence.
Here are my detailed notes on the Opening Sequence, these are why i feel the techniques in the sequence are used.
From Start to End.
Here are my detailed notes on the Opening Sequence, these are why i feel the techniques in the sequence are used.
From Start to End.
- Blurry credits to create tension for the reader.
- Extreme close up of a book in flickering motion - dark image, the pages moved by a blurred hand very slowly, this is to create fear for the reader.
- The 'new line cinema' is in a hand written, scratchy and juttery font like the majority of the credits throughout.
- The Cuts of the credits are fast and hard throughout to increase the pace of the opening.
- The drawing of the old greyscale hands bring back history for the audience as they are so realistic. This alsoemphasizes darkness, the shadows flickering over the hands link to the juttering credits, create fear.
- The main actors in the film have a much clearer credit font, this is emphasize their power in the film, the horror is still kept with the dark background.
From looking at this opening sequence we found that the gothic genre is huge, this is because if done correctly and successfully it can bring great fear upon the audience, another example of a horror genre opening sequence is Wrong Turn, the opening sequence of this film has some characteristics in which our group found highly effective and looked really good on screen, one of these is the way that they have set the film in a forest, we feel that this is the most effective setting for our opening sequence as it brings the greatest amount of fear upon the audience. Wrong Turn Opening Sequence. Below is a timeline of the films opening sequence. Although this opening sequence had no sound/music inserted into it, it still allowed our group to look at the sequence and get a rough idea on how horror genered films presented their credits through their opening sequences.
Friday 21 January 2011
Independant Work Towards Targets
For improving our team organisation we have been have regular meetings in which we discuss what we are going to base our opening sequence on, the topics we have been reseacrching and talking about are ;
- The genre of the opening sequence.
- Will there be dialogue in the film?
- How many characters will be involved?
- Why we have chosen that genre?
Choosing Your Genre
All-Time Worldwide Box Office
From this table it is evident that top genres for a box office hit are Adventure and Action. It can be seen that it is not the genre in which makes the film a box-office hit but its down to how well the film is created and produced.
Whereas in this table it shows that comedy has the greatest market share by a significant amount, with adventure in second place and action down the ranks in 4th. This research shows that even though the top films of all time are Action/Adventure, Comedy still has the biggest reaction to the past and current audience, this is backed up by the amount of movies in which are catergorised as comedy and also the market share in which it holds. Other information that can retained from this research is what genres to stay away from because of their week attraction to recent audiences, these are genres such as Thriller, Documentary and Musical.
As a group we put together a questionnaire in which we handed out to find out what genre audiences wanted and why they wanted them, the questions asked were;
1. What is your favourite film genre and why?
2. What is your favourite film and what genre what you catergorise it under?
3. What do you expect to see in an opening sequence?
4. Is there a genre you would like to see more of?
5. What makes you interested in a film?
| Rank | Title | Worldwide Box Office |
| 1. | Avatar (2009) - | $2,781,505,847 |
| 2. | Titanic (1997) | $1,835,300,000 |
| 3. | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) | $1,129,219,252 |
| 4. | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) | $1,065,896,541 |
| 5. | Toy Story 3 (2010) | $1,062,984,497 |
| 6. | Alice in Wonderland (2010) | $1,023,285,206 |
| 7. | The Dark Knight (2008) | $1,001,921,825 |
| 8. | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) | $968,657,891 |
| 9. | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) | $958,404,152 |
| 10. | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) | $937,000,866 |
From this table it is evident that top genres for a box office hit are Adventure and Action. It can be seen that it is not the genre in which makes the film a box-office hit but its down to how well the film is created and produced.
Top-Grossing Genres 1995 to 2010
| Movies | Total Gross | Average Gross | Market Share | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Comedy | 1,612 | $42,813,948,427 | $26,559,521 | 24.15% |
| 2 | Adventure | 454 | $34,688,763,042 | $76,406,967 | 19.57% |
| 3 | Drama | 2,795 | $31,890,090,423 | $11,409,692 | 17.99% |
| 4 | Action | 508 | $30,052,075,103 | $59,157,628 | 16.95% |
| 5 | Thriller/Suspense | 475 | $13,201,944,104 | $27,793,567 | 7.45% |
| 6 | Romantic Comedy | 359 | $10,469,385,103 | $29,162,633 | 5.91% |
| 7 | Horror | 292 | $8,566,863,507 | $29,338,574 | 4.83% |
| 8 | Documentary | 879 | $1,957,283,447 | $2,226,716 | 1.10% |
| 9 | Musical | 104 | $1,692,747,789 | $16,276,421 | 0.95% |
| 10 | Black Comedy | 72 | $741,364,700 | $10,296,732 | 0.42% |
Whereas in this table it shows that comedy has the greatest market share by a significant amount, with adventure in second place and action down the ranks in 4th. This research shows that even though the top films of all time are Action/Adventure, Comedy still has the biggest reaction to the past and current audience, this is backed up by the amount of movies in which are catergorised as comedy and also the market share in which it holds. Other information that can retained from this research is what genres to stay away from because of their week attraction to recent audiences, these are genres such as Thriller, Documentary and Musical.
As a group we put together a questionnaire in which we handed out to find out what genre audiences wanted and why they wanted them, the questions asked were;
1. What is your favourite film genre and why?
2. What is your favourite film and what genre what you catergorise it under?
3. What do you expect to see in an opening sequence?
4. Is there a genre you would like to see more of?
5. What makes you interested in a film?
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