Reflection on Preliminary Opening Sequence

After finalising and seeing how my preliminary video turned out, I was pleased with the outcome; however, if I were to do it again I would make many improvements.

I believe that the camera angles worked very well, there is a lot of variety and is non-repetitive. Here are some screen grabs of the footage showing the different camera angles we used.

 These images are taken from when the Interviewer is entering the interviewing room, we used several angles to set the scene as fast paced, there are fast paced edited jump cuts between each image showing a 360 degree view.

Once the Interviewer is seated several over the shoulder shots are used to denote power towards Michael Garrett. in addition we used side on views to connote and emphasise that Michael is uninterested.

 I believe that the scene flows well and the editing is at a good standard. I think that the retrospective flashback scenes work really well, the black and white connotes that it is a blurred memory.

Even better if:

However, if I were to recreate this task I would pay more close attention to the aspects in which we are missing. The video is missing credits, a title and also a production logo; as I have only just learned how to create this. Also, I would like to have payed more attention to the costume and make-up as it wasn't really thought through and doesn't reflect the characters and their personalities (e.g. I would have dressed the Interviewer in something more conservative and sophisticated). As for the props, I would have used more relevant props to the scene for example I should have found a voice recorder to use instead of an iPhone, I will practice more with filters and learning how to do more advanced editing.

Preliminary Opening Sequence

Here is our finished preliminary opening sequence:

Starring: 

Blake Challenger as MICHAEL GARRET

Hannah Riley as INTERVIEWER

Naya Reid as PARTNER

PRODUCED BY
Megan Lawrence, Alice Percy, Blake Challenger, Hannah Riley

Preliminary Opening Sequence - SCRIPT

Here I have taken into account the skills in which I learnt from my script-writing lesson and I have created the script for my groups preliminary opening sequence. 

Grievous Bodily Harm - Preliminary Script

Preliminary Opening Sequence - IDEA

PRELIMINARY PLANNING

For the preliminary video what is needed is to create a scene where:

• somebody enters a room
• they engage in conversation
• somebody exits the room 
• 180 degree angle shot
• shot reverse shot 

my group and I have come up with a  theme of domestic violence and an interview taking place on its behalf for our preliminary video. We want to use a wide range of camera shots and angles to see which ones work successfully. I have created a storyboard to the idea in which our group has come up with.

Story Board:





In order to create our preliminary video we need:

On screen:

• 1 Actor and 2 Actress',
• Small and dark room to be used for the interview,
• Small table lamp
• Pile of paper
• Voice recorder

Off screen:

• Tri-pod
• Camera

Practice Filming

To introduce ourselves to using the video cameras my group and I shot a practice clip. This was to familiarise ourselves with the camera and the editing. We edited the video together with 'Final Cut Express' the program in which I will be using throughout the production of my opening sequence(s).

 

How filming went:

Even though this clip is not to a great standard (it was made without planning and on the spot), I believe that the camera shots and angles worked very successfully. The clip begins with a long shot to introduce the setting to the audience; The characters and the setting. The setting is well lit with natural lighting and appears to be in a conventional contemporary high school (student lockers are visual to the right of the screen). However, the area is underpopulated with only three people ever on the screen at present, this denotes an eerie atmosphere. After the long shot, there is a close up on the antagonist's partially hidden face (his hood is pulled up connoting that he may have something to hide - and possibly himself. This is followed by a mid-shot of a female character - the mid-shot signifies that she believes that she is alone, she is not aware of her surroundings - this can forebode that something will happen to her. The still long shot that follows displays to the audience what is actually happening behind the first victim. Next, the medium into long shot which traces the other victim walking towards the stairs, the movement of the camera connotes the female is being watched through the perspective of the antagonist. To finish, we used an areal shot to show the audience what is happening from above however this could imply that both characters on scene are weak and there is something more omnipotent (possibly the audience because they have seen what has happened) than the antagonist.

How we could improve:

During the clip we didn't really pay much attention to the background noise, for example in the final shot an unexpected hand dryer switched on ruining the ending. During the final shot the camera quality was also very low, the camera was very jolty and didn't run smoothly - this was due to an issue with the tri-pod being tightened too much.  Additionally, we were not very wary of people in the background for instance when one of out P.E teachers is walking in our shot unintentionally.

Conventions of an Opening Sequence

Conventions of an Opening Sequence

The whole point of an opening sequence is to grab the audiences attention to make them want to watch the rest of the film, an unsuccessful opening sequence may put the audience off and cause them to lose interest. To create a good opening sequence specific characters may be introduced or by creating enigma; but never giving too much away too early on. However, it may foreshadow what is to happen later on in the film.

The film  institution/company logo will be is conventionally the first thing to appear on a film opening sequence, sometimes these logos will be edited to fit the genre of the film as shown above by DreamWorks. The film institution that is shown can give an insight to what the audience are to expect, for example anything made by Walt Disney Pictures will most likely be child friendly where as Twisted Pictures may only be suitable for adults by its use of barbed wire in its animated logo.



Establishing Shots may be used to 'set the scene' by showing long shots of a specific area to give the audience an idea as to where the film may be taking place. This may also give the audience an understanding of specific dates and times. These shots may also include an introduction of key characters from an early point, this can alter the audiences personal relationships with the characters on screen; some horror films that begin with the introduction of characters are:

• Dawn of the Dead (2004)
• 28 Days Later
• Halloween (1978)
• Evil Dead (2013)
• Insidious

Here is the opening sequence to Halloween :

Juxtaposing that, some opening sequence may start with no introduction to characters or settings and will create Roland Barthes' enigma code by beginning with something which will question the audience and create a sense of mystery, for example 'who are they', 'where are they', 'what are they doing'. This can be as equally successful because it may leave the audience on the edge of their seat. Films that do this well are:

• Sinister
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Se7en

Here is the opening sequence to Sinister:

The title can either be shown before or after the opening clip, even the title may connote to what will happen throughout the film. For example the SAW V title contains denotations and connotations of what is to happen within the film. The blood on the wall in the background denotes pain and suffering, the harshness of the V entering connotes actions within the film will be sharp and sudden and/or not leave time for decisions. In addition, the blood on the walls denote how someone (or more) will be killed or left in pain throughout.

The conventional opening credits name the people who are the most significant and important in the making of the film or the characters in it. This may signify to the audience what the film may be about - if a director for example Tim Burton's name appears it may connote to the audience that the films may be more creepy than gory because of his films Edward Scissorhands and Corpse Bride which are both horror fantasy's.
However, some films like to avoid opening credits because they want more of an unconventional and memorable opening sequence, sometimes the credits may take away from the film and it is more dramatic and sharp to leave them out. An example of an opening sequence that does this is the horror torture film Hostel.


The audio is a strong convention of an opening sequence; it may be used to build tension by using non-diagetic sounds to unease the audience. The use of familiar songs are also used to attract the audience because they may see where the scene is to go from that point. In 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' 'Immigrant Song' by Led Zeppelin  is used to introduce the film, because the opening sequence is so confusing the familiar song helps to level this. Pace is built by the use of sound effects and music if the music is fast paced it may connote that something major is about to happen. A voice over is sometimes used to introduce characters as aforementioned and create more of a personal bond between the screen and the audience.

Tzvetan Todorov believes that all films begin with an equilibrium (life is normal); in the genre of horror this statement is mostly untrue. Horror films like to throw you in at the deep end by usually beginning with a disruption to emphasise the fact that it is of the genre horror and forshadow what is to happen later. An example of this is 'You're Next'.

This is the only video I could find for You're Next opening sequence, watch up until 3.03.



I will apply the knowledge I have learned from this task to help me with my preliminary and final opening sequences.

Research Into Genre: Horror

Conventions of Horror

The genre of Horror is made up by a number of conventions and concepts; these are mainly based on the Visual, Audio and Camera. Horror as a genre is not that difficult to grasp - the main aim is to make you scared.

Here is a mood board I have created on Polyvore to signify what I think of the genre of horror.

Horror mood board media by mmeganlawrence featuring halloween home decor

Codes & Conventions 

Setting: Horror films are usually set in uneasy, underpopulated and/or eerie areas. This can vary from somewhere extremely dirty to somewhere immaculately clean. Some examples of this can be the house in The Human Centipede (on the left) in comparison to The Human Centipede 2 (on the right). However conventional horror films can even be filmed in a family home- this is very common; examples of this are Scream, Insidious, Paranormal Activity and Sinister. This makes can draw the audience in more because it is more of a familiar atmosphere than an abandoned hospital etc. 

The scarier the film (usually) the
 more uncomfortable setting. It takes the audience out of their comfort zone.

Props: Conventional props used in horror films are usually weapons such as knives or guns and these are usually associated with the antagonist in the film and the weapons are used to inflict pain on others. Within the genre horror there is even a sub-genre named 'Slasher' which is named after horror films that include knives as a main prop. The 'form finding itself' film  Psycho was the beginning of Slasher movies, the antagonist used the knife as his 'signature weapon' throughout and killed off the big name Janet Leigh in the first 5 minutes in the iconic shower scene. Some conventional horror film props can even be household items like kitchen knives and forks.

Colours: In the genre horror the colours most associated are black and red. This is because of the colours denotations; the colour black denotes death, evil and hate whilst red denotes blood, war, fire - these are all negative which is what horror wants to capture. These colours may be used in the costume to represent what type of person they are, the colour of the font used, the colour of the lighting used to create atmosphere.

Characters: In horror films there are usually certain stereotypical characters that are in near to every horror film. A female victim character is in most horror films, this is because when the genre was made there was a lot of sexism towards women; they were seen as weak, annoying and dumb so they are an easy target by the evil antagonist. The female victim is almost always killed off however this doesn't occur straight away because it causes tension and suspense for the story line, she will usually scream at the wrong time and end up getting the others in trouble. They are usually white, blonde and young adult. Another conventional character is the Evil Antagonist and tend to kill. They are usually masked to create enigma and make the audience really uneasy. An example of this is Jason Voorhees in Friday 13th. They are usually male figures because males are seen to be more dominant and stronger. In less detail - in some horror films some 'creepy looking' young girls in night dresses. Clowns are used in many horror films because many people have a fear of them. Ghosts/Demons are used in horror films to create extra suspense because you cannot actually see them so their actions are completely random.


Production Companies:
Just as there are multiple film genres, there are multiple film producers that specialise in them. The genre horror in particular has many of its own film companies. One of the most famous being Jason Blums, Blumhouse Productions - which have made films such as Insidious, Sinister, Paranormal Activity, The Purge etc. These films have all done incredibly well for themselves and have all made massive profits, especially Paranormal Activity with 4 sequels this is a company to really look out for. Another successful company is Michael Bay's, Platinum Dunes; This company has made
 iconic films such as Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massicre etc. most of the companies profit has been made from horror remakes. Twisted Pictures is also a major production company which has produced the likes of Saw and all its sequels.


Actors: There are some specific actors/actresses that are associated with Horror films, the people who come to my immediate mind are Johnny Depp in Sweeny Todd, Jack Nicholson in The Shining, Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween (not to mention she was the fist female 'survivor'). However big

screen names are not usually associated with the horror genre because they can find that it may harm their career as opposed to a thriller action or even comedy. Many of the most famous horror actors are from decades ago when the genre first made its proper appearance on screen.
A more up-to-date actor on the Horror scene is Patrick Wilson - he is known for numerous roles in films such as Insidious (I, II and III), The Conjuring and 18. Most horror actors in 2014 are just 'one hit wonders' and are not usually seen again. I feel that this is because the horror genre likes to create a lot of enigma, if the main characters were all big screen names the audience would not really be able to envision them as, for example, a victim or a normal person- they may feel a connection to them already which may make the film less 'scary'.

Audio: In horror especially the film producers really like to play with the music and sound effects to make the audience feel uneasy and to build up suspense, without the audio it would take away from the whole atmosphere created. In paranormal films especially a piano usually starts playing by itself to scare the characters, alarms may go off randomly (for example in Insidious). In most horror films sharp loud repetitive music is played for only the audience to hear just the loud noise may scare the audience. Hyperbolic sounds are used to over exaggerate certain situations, for example a babies laugh, this can be deemed as creepy.

Camera & Effects: Many different angles and shots are used in the making of horror films. Extreme Close Ups can be used to denote fear of a certain character, weakness or confusion. Whereas, Canted shots connote sickness and again confusions to where they are or what they are doing.

Opening Sequence Analysis: Trainspotting

Trainspotting (1996) Opening Sequence

Starring: Ewan McGregor Ewan Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller.

Trainspotting Poster.Audio

Audio

Music:

To begin the opening sequence a fast paced, upbeat, enthusiastic song starts, which really sets the scene. The backing music may connote to be the heartbeat of Renton (the main character) throughout, whilst the music is fast paced so are Renton's movements, when the music slows down Renton is very still.

Voice Over:

Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suit on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourselves. Choose your future. Choose life... But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin' else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?...                                                                                                                         (from IMDb)

..Is exactly what Renton (Ewan McGregor) says to start off the entire film. This voice over is what draws the audiences attention inwards, without the dialogue the scene would be interpreted very differently. What the voice over contains is a complete juxtaposition to the Mis-en-scene.
 
 Hyperbolic Sounds are used to really emphasise how reckless Renton as a character is. When Renton is running away from the security guards a car pulls out directly in front of him, the brakes are extremely emphasised - this could signify how close Renton was to a fatality. Again, his laugh immediately after is made a lot louder than it really is, this could connote how he is counting his blessings and hardly believes that he got away again.

Camera

Multiple camera angles and shots are used throughout the opening sequence, this allows it to stay fast paced. The scene begins with a low angle shot from behind to then cut to a close up and that is followed by a Mid shot. Again, this connotes recklessness because the cuts between each picture are all so unorganised. On some occasions Renton looks directly into the camera, this breaks the fourth wall making a more direct connection to the audience, which would entice them to carry on watching.

Visual/ Mis-en-Scene

Location- When the sequence begins it is set on a fairly expensive road with big chained retail shops, clearly lit and highly populated - it denotes normality. As he is running further and further away the location quick;y changes from a conventional city to the scummy side roads. This connotes that Renton may be pushing his life further and further into poverty with every bad move he makes.

Costume- Renton and his friends are all wearing worn out, cheap and dirty clothes throughout, coloured dark browns and blues. This juxtaposes the majority of the people shown in the sequence as they are all dressed quite conservatively and look clean whereas Renton and his friends appear grimy and scummy.  The costume choices allows the main characters to stand out.

Props- The first props to be used are the numerous items that fall from both Renton and his friend's jumpers, they appear to be cheap household goods; this connotes that Renton is extremely poor and unemployed because he has to steal just to get the most basic household items.
 After, Renton begins to smoke heroin - this denotes that Renton is a drug user and connotes that he may be seriously addicted, which may be a factor into why he is so socially low.

Colour- Throughout many dark and 'dirty' colours are used to represent Renton and to signify the film, the particular colours used in his clothing are browns; brown denotes excretion leading it to connote that how literally s**t his life is.

Setting/Colour- In the room where Renton smokes heroin, it is decorated in a red/orange colour again with brown stains on the walls. The red and orange walls can denote hell because these are the conventional colours associated with the devil (fire, war, pain, blood). This connotes how the drugs he uses has taken him to (theoretically) hell, how he is living a life of sin and how he is trapped in it because he is surrounded by the redness. In the right corner of the room there are yellow hand prints on the wall, this connotes that Renton and the other drug users are trapped in this life and they can't get out - they try but they have just given up.

Editing

The editor of Trainspotting uses a lot of fast paced editing to set the scene - which is also, fast paced. This fast paced editing creates enigma because you're never too sure on what is really going on in detail. This makes the audience want to carry on watching so they can get grip of what actually is happening but in more depth. S/he shortly pauses the visual several times but keeps the music still playing, the editor pauses the scene whenever a character is shown. this really draws your attention to the main characters, this introduces the characters from an early stage and lets the audience know what they are like. The font used is bold and white- this could represent all of the characters identities - they are all white and have strange but big personalities however, they are extremely simple.

 Theories

Tsvetan Todorov - This opening sequence actually challenges Todorov's theory of narrative structure that 'every film begins with an equilibrium' when in fact Trainspotting begins with a disruption of Renton running from the away to try any get himself out of trouble.

Claude Levi Strauss: Strauss' theory of Binary Opposites is apparent with Renton and his friends compared to the rest of society. For example when the men are playing a football match they are unorganised, tacky and violent whilst the opposing team are organised, sophisticated and polite.

Ideologies

The character Renton and his friend's attitudes towards life are that the only way to live is to use heroin. This contradicts normality because surely heroin is a route to decay and death? They believe that a conventionally 'normal' life does nothing for you - you don't gain experiences you don't really have fun. Even though Renton is faced with a problem right at the beginning he ends up smiling as if it was a thrill. Everyone dies one day they might as well make the most of their life. The value of friendship and drugs to them is more than having a family, getting a job, watching 'mind crushing game shows' like everybody else. It is a massive rebellion against society and consumerism; it signifies how you don't need a fancy car and you don't need the latest fashion items to be happy with your life. Renton and his group of friends find normality in what is really a complete juxtaposition to what it normality really is. They have their own family and they do their own recreational activities just like anyone else, just not in the way we the audience would perceive as 'normal'.

Group Presentation

In our media lesson we had to create a short presentation to show to the rest of the class; the one we created was also on the analysis of the opening sequence of Trainspotting (1996). 

Opening Scene2 2

Trainspotting opening sequence:

Lighting Experiment

LIGHTING

The lighting in any movie/television show/advert etc. can really effect the mood of the image portrayed. An image of a landscape could look a completely different depending on even adding red or blue tones - if a red tone were to be added the landscape could appear to be either spring/summer however,if the tones were blue it could be represented as autumn/winter. Additionally the brightness of the image may connote differing things; lighter (whites) colours are thought to be conventionally 'good', angelic, pure, innocent and clean. Whereas darker colours (blacks) represent 'bad', evil, impurity, guilt and death.

Here are some of my own examples using lighting: 

In this picture I have added no lighting except a single flame of fire. In fact, I have blocked out the light to create darkness in addition to dressing the model in all black. The black background and costume denotes: evil, mystery and death. Also, the single red/orange flame gives denotations of hell, burning and sins. The black and orange together can possibly connote that the figure is satanic, this is because they are the stereotypical colours associated with hell. The way in which the red light hits the bottom of his face shows that he is hidden creating enigma.

Juxtaposing, in this image I have chosen to use very white bright lighting, mostly being natural. The white costume adds to the angelic atmosphere. The White surroundings  and natural lighting denote: cleanliness and purity. The image connotes that the figure predominantly 'good' because the light is all over and nothing is hidden. The figure may be seen as aspirational and heroic.

 COLOUR REPRESENTATIONS

Red - Love, Romance, War, Blood, Hate, Fire, Heat, Anger, Stress

Orange - Energy, Warmth, Attention, Citrus

Yellow - Joy, Happiness, Optimism, Cheap, Illness, Danger, Sun, Vulnerability

Green - Envy, Money, Life, Generosity, Nature, Health, Fertility

Blue - Sky, Water, Cold, Calm, Tranquil, Winter, Ice, Night, Technology

Purple - Royalty, Wisdom, Spirituality, Hierarchy

White - Purity, Birth, Simplicity, Cleanliness, Peace, Innocence, Youth, Winter, Snow, Goodness Marriage, Cold

Black - Evil, Darkness, Death, Underground, Power, Mourning, Austerity

LIGHTING EXPERIMENT FOR AN OPENING SEQUENCE

To experiment further with lighting, I have created a short storyboard for the opening sequence of the aforementioned 'Mistaken Identity' . Within the storyboard the images used I have edited on Pixelmator, to edit the images I adjusted the brightness, contrast, saturation and the tones of red, blue and green used. 

Story Board Opening Sequence 1

In this excersise I have gained the following skills/knowledge:

• Understanding how lighting and colour can affect the entire mood/atmosphere of the type of media
• How to use Pixelmator
• Learning conventions of specific colours

I will apply this further on in my coursework when editing my opening sequence as the lighting is EXTREMELY important.