Production Schedule

Hi everyone, my filming for my opening sequence will not take too long compared to editing. I will gather all of the footage needed for my opening sequence in the first week, then spend the rest of my time until the dead line, editing, evaluating and improving my sequence to make it the best it possibly can be. Here is my production schedule for filming:

Date	Scene	Location	Overview of shots	Cast
Monday 12th January	1	Bedroom	Close-ups (shaving, running water) Over the shoulder shots to conceal identity Medium shots to set scene	David Pickering
Tuesday 13th January	2	Black table	Burning photographs	Photographs -  Ellen, Mads, Eleanor and Josie.
Saturday  17th January (filming on a weekend gives me a lighter location)	3	Forrest	Shots of a dead body and the ‘burial’ of it.	David Pickering Ellen Simms

Male or Female Audiences

I have been trying to decide who should be the main protagonist of my opening sequence in order to attract the right gender to my film. I have carried out some research using www.boxofficemojo.com and I have found that typical psychological thrillers have both male and female audiences. The fast paced action of a thriller tends to attracts the male audiences, where as the psychological elements tend to sttract females. To widen my distribution and gain bigger audiences, I have decided to include the psychological elements to attract female audiences aswell as males. The protagonist (especially when they are a serial killer) is prodimantley male, and because this seems to be successful with audience (e.g. Hanibal using a male protagonist making $165,092,268 at boxoffice), I will use a male protagonist. I believe this will benefit the dominance and intensity of the sequence, as males are sterotypically seen to be more agressive and dominating over women - the serial killer with appear more frightening.

 

 

 

Music

I have been listening to loads of soundtracks from the opening sequences of horror/thriller/serial killer movies. I have a much clearer understanding of what type of music builds suspense and creates the  mysterious atmosphere that I want for my opening sequence. The murderer in my film is going to target young girls, emphasising the creepy sadistic side of the character. Because of this I decided to find some different nursery rhymes, that are sung in a mysterious and freighting way. This will create the atmosphere that I am hoping to create and link to the murders through narrative enigma. There are the soundtracks that I am thinking about:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcuRkaqxEAU - Hush Little Baby

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl7O8_kWeOc - Ring Around The Rosie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVodyoHhNto&list=PLPdOU8_F_9IL7zkJ18kF9lF3QaSUb9KWJ&index=2 - twinkle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNMeZldV-Rs - lullaby mash-up

I asked 15 people which soundtrack they thought would be the most effective for my opening sequence. I recorded my results in a pie chart...

As you can see, 8 out of the 15 people thought that I should use 'Hush Little Baby' in my opening sequence. This was also my favourite track, as i found it created suspense and tension due to the creepy tone and lyrics. Therefore, this is the non-diegetic soundtrack I will be using for my opening sequence.

As well as this track I will use dietetic sound effects such as running water and non-diegtic sound effects, such as a scratching sound as scenes change.

Breakdown of Titles

So it Christmas eve! I can't wait for tomorrow but I've still got to keep up with my media work!

When I am editing my film and inserting the titles, I want to be able to do it quickly, so it does not take up to much time. Here is the breakdown of my titles for my opening sequence:

 

 

Universal Pictures Presents

In Association With New Line Cinema

Ellen Simms

Josie Macdonald

Casting By Judith Simpson

Costume Design By Colleen Atwood

Music By Oliver Simms

Director Of Photography Darren Wesley

Edited By Amelia Pickering

David Pickering

Produced By Arnold Koperson

Written By Ailsa Peel

Directed By Amelia Pickering

 

Actors/Actresses

• David Pickering
• Ellen Simms
• Josie Smith
• Oliver Simms
• Ailsa Peel

Film Title 

'Any Last Words?'

Scenario for my Opening Sequence!

Hi everyone, so it's time to start writing my scenario for my opening sequence, so this post is going to bring all of my ideas that I have been planning together. As you know from previous posts, I am going to rely heavily on editing in my opening sequence as I want to create the distorted view and flashing frames, similar to the opening sequence of 'Se7en'. My film is going to get into the mind of a serial killer and give the audience an insight into how the killer acts, thinks and behaves. My aim in the opening sequence is to grasp the attention of the audience by showing them what is to be expected from the rest of the film, making them intrigued to know more.

Okay, so firstly I am going to create a sense of disillusionment in my opening sequence by using three different scenes that I will merge together.

The first scene will be an extreme close up of an alarm as a hand switches it off. This scene will then flash to another scene, of a phone ringing in the woods.

The next clip will be of a man as he begins to get ready on a morning. Firstly I will use an extreme close-up of the man as he turns on a rusted tap. This will then flash distortedly to another setting of a river, linking the two scenarios together. 

This will then flash back to another extreme close-up of his razor as he shaves his face. The screen will then flash distortedly and merge into a new scene of a bloodied knife being wiped. This will then change to a edited sepia photograph of a young girl as it begins to burn. My first credit will appear at the side of this, as if to warn the viewers that the actor/actress being shown is in danger.

Again the man will appear on screen (still concealing his face, so the audience are unsure and on edge over the character) as he dries water from his face. Next a jump cut will be used here to create the fast paced feeling of a thriller, as an extreme close-up of the man is shown in the woods wiping sweat from his forehead. 

At this point the audience will be intrigued, as they will be wanting to know the identity of the man and what he is doing in the woods. This will create the feeling that the man is having flash backs and allow the audience to feel as though they are inside the mind of the killer, adding suspense and tension needed to create the chilling atmosphere for my opening sequence. 

This will again change to another photograph of a young girl, as it burns to ash and another credit appears.

Next I will have the man adjusting his cuff links, changing to the muddy, bruised hand of a young girl with a bracelet on, as it is dragged through mud and leaves. This will then change to yet another burning photograph, making the amount of victims seem endless to an audience.

The next clip will be of the man gathering a bin bag, ready to take out to the trash. Again using a distorted jump cut, the scene will change to a body wrapped up in a black bin bag, as the man pulls it along, followed by another photograph as it burns. 

At the end of my sequence I will then use an extreme close-up of the mans eyes and the young girls closed eyes which will flash together very fast. This will then stop on the mans eyes as he opens them and looks directly into the camera as the screen goes black and the title appears. 

So this is my scenario for my chilling opening sequence so far, hope you enjoyed it! Until next time :)

Genre, Representation, Audience & Institution

Genre - Thriller/Horror

The thriller genre uses suspense, tension, and excitement as its main elements, in order to create the desired 'rush' for an audience. Thrillers often change the mood of an audience, giving them a high level of anticipation, high expectations, uncertainty, anxiety and terror. Films of this genre tend to be adrenaline-rushing, surprising and fast-paced. I chose to include this genre in my opening sequence as in my opinion, it is the best at preparing the audience for a exciting film, and intriguing them.

A thriller provides the sudden rush of emotions and exhilaration that creates the atmosphere for the narrative as it keeps the audience on the "edge of their seats", as the plot builds towards it's climax. Common sub-genres are psychological thrillers (my chosen genre), crime thrillers and mystery thrillers. The horror and action genres often overlap with the thriller because they tend to be psychological, threatening and mysterious. 

Horror is a film genre that evokes a negative emotional reaction from the audience by playing on the audience's fears. Horror films often startle the audience, by using scene of gore and violence linking with the thriller genre. There are common plots within the horror genre which often involve an evil force, event, or person. I chose to base my opening sequence on a psychological horror thriller, as I am going to focus on the life serial killer where the audience will be able to see into his mind, using scenes of horror and thriller elements to crate suspense.

Representation

I will include only the protagonist in my opening sequence which will be a 50 year old man. The obvious representations of a man of this age would typically be a less able, age restricted person, due to the representations of the elderly. However, this character is going to be a serial killer which portrays him as powerful and mentally twisted. Men will be portrayed as the dominant sex due to the victims being female and the murderer being male, suggesting that men have the strength to overpower women. This will create the desired darker effect on the audience, as I want them to be unnerved by my opening sequence and emotionally connected, achieving the aims of a horror film.

Audience

In order for me to create my opening credits I have to understand who my target audience is and what they would like to see in my psychological thriller/horror movie.

Who watches psychological horrors?

This genre of film will appeal to a mixed audience. I believe both women and men will enjoy a psychological horror as analysts say it allows us to explore and experiment with fears and emotions. Men will enjoy the more violent scenes and the women are more likely to enjoy the suspense and entertainment. 

I have done some online research on fans of psychological horrors and it appears that both rich, poor and well-educated people enjoy this genre. The audience that prefers the pure thriller, tends to be less educated as they are excited by the violence and drama rather than suspense and understanding the mind of the killer which is what i am basing my sequence on).

My film will be based around the psychology of human behaviour and how those who's minds are corrupted act out of hatred. My target audience is interested in finding out about personal identities as the film is based around human behaviour its consequences and the psychology of it. 

What certificate would my film get?

The certificate rating given to my film will be a 15. I have chosen to make it a 15 as I feel the elements of horror such as murder, will need this higher rating but it will not be an 18 as I am focusing more on the psychological elements instead of gore.

In conclusion, I have discovered a psychological horror appeals to a mixed audience. It appeals to both genders and from different backgrounds and levels of intelligence. However, it has a following of those that are 15 years old - 50 years old. It doesn't appeal to youngster as it can upset and disturb them and the elderly also find it too violent and intense, therefore my target audience is middle aged males and females who will take an interest in the psychological elements my opening sequence will include.

Institution

After my research into title sequences of horror/thriller films, I found that the institutions involved in presenting them are widely known large companies - Universal Pictures, Columbia Pictures and Warner Bros. These are big studios rather than independent so I will keep this in mind when I create my final piece. When I create my own sequence it will be presented by a big studio like the ones that presented the films I have analysed. After completing some more research I found the best distributor to use would either be Universal or New Line Cinema as they have both presented popular horror/thriller films such as Dawn of the Dead, Se7en and Sweeney Todd.

Universal Pictures is an American film studio which is one of Hollywood's 'big six' film studios. They have produced works such as 'Jaws' and 'Van Helsing' which are both horror/thriller movies. I have chosen to use Universal Pictures as my film distributor due to their involvement with many thriller/horror movies such as 'The Purge'.

Plot Outline for my Opening Sequence

After deciding that I am going to base my opening sequence on a psychological thriller, I began to plan the outline for the plot. I am going to rely heavily on editing in my opening sequence as I want to create the distorted view and flashing frames, similar to the opening sequence of 'Se7en'. My film is going to get into the mind of a serial killer and give the audience an insight into how the killer acts, thinks and behaves. My aim in the opening sequence is to grasp the attention of the audience by showing them what is to be expected from the rest of the film, making them intrigued to know more.

I am going to create a sense of disillusionment in my opening sequence by using two different scenes that I will merge together. One will be of a man in his living environment, using lots of different shots and appearing relatively normal. He will be filmed getting ready on an early morning, and certain mise en scene will link this scene with another e.g. this will be merged with the scene of a murder/burial of a body in which it appears the mans having flash backs of. I will use lots of jump cuts here to create the fast paced feeling of a thriller and the violent scenes will create the horror genre. The two scenes will be linked together as I will create the feeling that the man is having flash backs. For example the running of a tap will change to a running river at the site of a murder and the washing of his face will then change to the same shot of the man wiping sweat from his brow but at the site of the murder. This will allow the audience to feel as though they are inside the mind of the killer, adding suspense and tension needed to create the chilling atmosphere for my opening sequence. It will then end with an extreme close-up of the mans faces he looks directly into the camera as the screen goes black and the title appears. 

My film Outline

Hi everyone, this is my film outline on Prezi. Click the link to view...

http://prezi.com/k8yfdnvoxeps/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Comparison of Title Sequences

Opening Sequence Analysis – Overview

Throughout my research I looked at a range of different opening sequences directed by a variety of directors including David Fincher and Tim Burton. I was able to learn a variety of ideas relating to opening sequences, including what to include and how to set it out. I feel after researching and analysing into the genre of horror/thriller opening sequence, I now have a much clearer understanding of how to plan my final piece and what I am going to include. These are the opening sequences I looked at:

• The Walking Dead
• Se7en
• Sweeney Todd
• The Purge
• The Evil Dead
• The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

I found when researching into these title sequences that the institutions involved in presenting them are widely known large companies - Universal Pictures, Columbia Pictures and Warner Bros. Therefore when I create my own sequence it will be presented by a big studio like the ones that present the films I have analysed.

All of the sequences I analysed followed a similar structure in that they introduced key aspects of the film in order to entice an audience and create an effective opening to an exciting horror/thriller movie. Each sequence followed a small journey, either through character or iconography, which indicated the genre and informed the audience about the enthralling film they are about to watch. Two sequences that did this similarly are ‘Sweeney Todd’ and ‘The Evil Dead’, as both used long frames to track a trail of blood down into the basement of an old house. The use of mise en scene in both sequences was similar in the use of rotting wood and fire, both connoting violence and death. Other sequences such as ‘The Purge’ and ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ also rely heavily on mise en scene as they create the chilling atmosphere that creates the desired mood for a horror/thriller. While ‘The Purge’ uses violent murder scenes using weapons such as guns and axes, ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ relies heavily on the black oozing ink (similar to blood) that covers the faces and suffocates people in the opening sequence. These four sequence all use violence and connotations of death though mise en scene to achieve the chilling atmosphere for a horror movie. However, the other two sequences I looked at were ‘Se7en’ and ‘The Walking Dead’, which both use mise en scene in a different way in order to evoke the sense of unease from an audience. ‘Se7en’ is effective at creating the mood of a psychological thriller through the unique directing from David Fincher, as he does not use scenes of violence but scenes of a more sadistic, psychotic nature. For example the scrapbook making of the victims of John Doe follows a very personal view, using close-ups and point of view shots, which allow the audience to get into the mind of the character. ‘The Walking Dead’ is similar in that we do not see characters involved in scenes of violence, but the sequence relies heavily on setting, as this shows the audience the isolation and abandonment of the characters, connecting them on an emotional level. All of the sequences I looked at used mise en scene effectively, as they all created the desired atmosphere that the directors wanted for their films. After looking at two of David Fincher’s opening sequences, ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ and ‘Se7en’, I feel I want to focus my mise en scene more on a psychological horror/thriller, as I feel this will have the biggest effect on an audience due to the popularity of the films and the director.

The two sequences that involved a variety of editing techniques and altered frames were ‘Se7en’ and ‘The Purge’, which added to the overall effect on the audience and helped the main aim of their opening sequences. In ‘se7en’ the use of flashing frames and dissolving transitions, creates the feeling of the psychopathic killer, who is only shown in extreme close-ups. The editing creates the sense of disillusionment and immediately puts an audience on edge while intriguing them. ‘The Purge’ is similar in that the brightness and contrast of frames are altered to create the feeling of the CCTV footage, emphasising the murders, as it would appear they were actually happening in real time. This sequence also uses lots of jump frames, which again creates disillusionment, adding to the overall total effect on the audience and how they are going to perceive the film. If I am going to base my sequence on a psychological thriller I will spend lots of time on editing, to create similar effects to these sequences, as I feel this will create the best effect for an audience. As I am basing it on a psychological thriller I feel my target audience will be aimed at male and female adults between the ages of 20-50. As I am not focusing on the gory side of horror, and more the psychological side, this is an appropriate audience. This can be seen because of the audience of 'Se7en' which is similar to this according to IMBD.

There was a range of different music choices in the opening sequences I analysed ranging from Led Zeppelin used in 'The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo' to a classical French song called Clair de Lune used in 'The Purge'. Most of the sequences aimed to build suspense and tension through the non-diegetic soundtrack in the opening sequence by including a crescendo of musical instruments. Those were ‘Sweeney Todd’, ‘The Evil Dead’ and ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’.  Where as others used sharp, high-pitched notes, which were randomly placed creating the sense of disillusionment. This can be seen in ‘se7ev and ‘The Walking Dead’ and is effective when focusing more on the psychological thriller instead of a violent gory horror. The music I found most effective was the soundtrack used in the opening sequence of ‘The Purge’. This used contrapuntal music (music that does not fit with what is showing on scree) – we listen to calming French classical music while watching brutal murders committed in cold blood. This creates the most shocking effect on the reader and engages them, as what they are seeing is out of the ordinary and intriguing. In my opening sequence I will use something similar to contrapuntal music but I will also include elements of the crescendo, so as to build suspense and tension to create my horror/thriller.

The representations in the opening sequences were limited due to the genre I have chosen. I found that the camera work used included a lot of extreme close-ups in order to conceal the identity of the character to create suspicion, like in ‘Se7ev’. Therefore I will also include this in my own sequence and other shots of setting in order to meet marking criteria.

After analysing all six of the opening sequences I have a much clearer understanding of what to include in my own sequence and how to plan in order to achieve the best possible opening I can create. 

Until next time :)

Christmas Schedule

The Christmas holidays are here and it's time to think about the planning for my final piece. I need to ensure I plan though rally, so when it comes down to filming, I know exactly what I am going to do and how to do it. So I have created a list of all the things that I need to complete in order to be ready to shoot:

• Outline of the plot for film
• Posts about genre, representation, audience and institution as relating to your film
• Script/ scenario for your opening sequence
• Breakdown of titles
• Music
• Storyboards/ sketches
• Location scouting/ photos/ videos
• Production schedule
• Shot lists
• Call sheets
• Test/ preliminary footage
• Animatics
• Mood boards 
• Props lists 

I plan to have this list completed by the time I return to school on Monday 5th of January - best get started!

Opening Sequence Analysis - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Clip Link:        http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo/

Target Audience Questionnaire

I have created a questionnaire to gain a wider understanding of my target audience and who I will be aiming my opening sequence towards. Here is the questionnaire:
 

Questionnaire – Target Audience

1. How old are you?     …………….
2. How often do you watch movies?

 

Every day         Weekly            Every Two Weeks        Other

3. What is your favourite genre of film?   ………………………………
4. Do you enjoy watching psychological thrillers?

Yes              No              Sometimes

5. If you answered yes, what do you like about them?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

6. Would you go to the cinema to watch a thriller?

Yes              No               Unsure

7. Do you enjoy films that include gore or violence?

Yes              No              Sometimes

8. Can you name any successful thriller movies?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Thank You for participating in my questionnaire.



Opening sequence analysis - The Purge

Clip Link:     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0lcdgDCytA

'Evil Dead' opening sequence analysis

Clip link:  http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/evil-dead/#.VIyQRHiw_O8.blogger

 

Opening Sequence Analysis - Sweeney Todd

Clip: http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/sweeney-todd-the-demon-barber-of-fleet-street/

Opening Sequence Analysis - Se7en

Opening Sequence Clip: http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/se7en/

Se7en opening sequence - two new from Millie Pickering

Opening Sequence Analysis - The Walking Dead

Opening Sequence Clip:  http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/the-walking-dead-season-3/


So one of the first opening sequences I looked at was walking dead. Despite it not being a film, it still fit all of the conventions of an opening sequences, and fit with my genre well.

Walking dead presentation from Millie Pickering

So many Genres …

So I have to pick a genre for my final piece and start planning ideas for what I want to base my opening sequence on! I have so many interests in many different genres so it's really difficult for me to choose. I think I'm going to go down a horror/thriller road, as I can probably get the most out of that type of genre and it is one of my favourites. I have struggled with dialogue in the past, but with this genre i feel i don't have to include speech because in order to create a tense setting for an audience, dialogue isn't necessary. So from now on I'm going to start researching title sequences from horror/thriller films, and gather my research from there.

The conventions of an opening title sequence

 Hi everyone!

So we were asked to research into the conventions of opening title sequences, so I decided to create a PowerPoint presentation including information on this. I included everything I found out about an opening title sequence and also included screen shots I had taken from film openings I had watched, which fit the conventions I was identifying. Here is my PowerPoint presentation :)

I feel I now know lots more about opening title sequences and I can begin to decide what genre I want to focus my final piece on.

Until next time :)