Sound

This classic and very well known ringtone will be used while the mobile phone is ringing during one of the shots, this will be adding in editing instead of using diegetic sound in this shot, so that we can make this sound hyper-bolic, this will show its significance to the audience of the incoming call.



I believe that this music will go very well in the background of the opening sequence due to the mix of low and high tones, instruments and pace. It also suits our chosen genre and story we have set for our film, this is because of the high notes which come in at 0:16. This all makes it sound a bit mysterious, this is the effect we want on the audience due to the genre, this is because of the mystery of the murderer we have chosen to place in our film. It also has a feel of hope during the first 16 seconds of it, this is good for our plot we decided on.

Synopsis of our film

Synopsis of our film by 07murrayl on GoAnimate

Animation Software - Powered by GoAnimate.

Location Research

Location research

This first location would be a good idea as it very nearby and accessible, as well as being very dark at night times which suits our choice of genre perfectly. It is out of the way of the public, quite and not many people go down here which would be great when we are shooting the opening sequence. There are also spaces where people can hide and not be scene clearly, this will be good for hiding the body or murderer.

This next place is of a foot path, it gets quite dark down here with little lighting which will make the shooting of scenes easy without creating any light so that the audience can see objects and props used, there are also places in which people can be hidden. The place is narrow which would give the effect of isolation on the audience and would be an easy place to set up the camera and have different camera shots and angles.

This final area would be very idea for our thriller because it is very practical, allows enough space for all of the shots and angles we would like to include, easy to access, they will have cars in here and concrete pillars which will enable us to hide and not be seen when filming or used to deliberately hide a murderer or clue into the death our story will be based upon. Furthermore the metal railings on the outside of the windows could give the isolated effect on the audience.

Research Sheets

Vox Pops

Research

Se7en and Silence of the lambs opening sequence

Se7en and Silence of the lambs opening sequence

Se7en:

Mise en scene
The distributing company logo appears and then the production logo. After that we see the titles of well known actor; “Brad Pitt” and “Morgan Freeman”. These are the more established actors and are more than likely going to have the main parts in the film. The Font in which these are written is not conventional as such; the titles seem to be scraped into the wall or the screen which we are shown. This put a scary thought in our mind on what this film is going to be about, perhaps someone that is in prison or is out of their mind.
We are also shown someone scarping the skin off of their fingers, this backs up the thought about him losing his mind. This character might also be taking his finger prints off so that he can’t be recognised, as he may be planning something.
The low key lighting in these shots may have been used to show the dark side of this character and the place he stays in, a dark, untrustworthy and scary place; these could be showing the audience the personality of the man. This is also done like this to hind the identity of the man so that the audience must keep guessing who the man is throughout the film. While these are being shown the rest of the titles are appearing.

Sound
The non-diegetic music in this opening sequence is fast paced, there are also creaking sounds mixing into the music which builds tension and suspense. After, at the end there is a loud beat and the music cuts out. The audience is now shocked and unaware of what is happening; this scares the audience into thinking that something awful and terrible will happen all of a sudden.

Cinematography
All of the shots used are close ups, normally they aren’t very interesting, but they have been used to hide the setting and the identity of the character. This is to disorientate the audience and make them unaware of where they are. The director has used these very well, as the audience keeps guessing where they are. As well as the hidden identity the close ups make the audience focus on the props the man is using and ask questions about what he could be building and why.

Editing
The cuts are extremely fast, this add to the effect of this film and doesn’t allow the audience to pick up of props in great detail, this will keep them guessing. As well as this, it will give the effect that everything is being done at a fast pace, this gets the anxiety of the audience.

Silence of the lambs

Mise en scene

This opening sequence is very long to start and appears with the main character on a run, this is while all of the titles (Actors names and etc.) appear. From the font and colour/dullness of the titles we are told that this is a very serious, murderous film and the audience can now acknowledge that and now know what the film is going to be about.

At the beginning of the opening sequence we are shown with a strong and determined young woman. This is very refreshing to see this and to be shown in this way because this film is not sticking to the stereotypical thought of a young woman.

Sound
They have used slow paced non-diegetic music in the opening sequence, as well as even hearing a diegetic sound of a bird singing. This along with the editing is trying to calm and relax the audience into a more focused state for the rest of the film.

Cinematography
Due to the amount of cuts there are not many different camera angles and shots types, the main one used would be the tracking, the camera follows her where ever she goes.

Editing
It is very slow paced without many cuts at all. The reason for this may be to give the audience a false impression, as well as to calm them down and to focus on what is being shown.

The conventions of a thriller

The conventions of a thriller

Mise en scene
Low key lighting. This will be a dimly lit scene with lots of shadows. Often used to make a location or character seem shady or untrustworthy. The use of dark settings make the audience unaware of where they are.

The costumes used in a thriller for the killer will be very dark colours such as black. These will be used because they create an negative atmosphere and they are harder to see, this makes the audience feel nervy about trusting this actor. The victim will normally wear casual daily clothes; this will connect to the audience and add to the thoughts that the character was taken or killed on a normal day. Lastly the detective will wear a high status costume such as a smart suit.

A thriller will use a variety of different props which will add to the scene and tell us as an audience a story which the detective discover.

Characters
In a thriller there is normally always three main characters; these will be a criminal, a victim and finally a detective.
The criminal will normally be a strong, young looking male. This is to show the the higher status of the victim and dominating figure.
The victim is typically played by a young female. This is because it shows the innocence of the victim and typically thought of as a weak figure.

Research of Titles

Research of Titles on Prezi

Action Adventure (Spiderwick chronicles)

Action Adventure (Spiderwick chronicles)

Sound:

At the beginning, there is non diegetic music playing in the background while the jars and creatures are reviled to the audience, this had a magical, big and grand sound to it; this makes the audience seem small and feel helpless towards what even might appear from the shadows. But when we see the man burst in to the room; along with the shortened durations of shots, the pace of the music gets faster dramatically. This gives the audience the feeling that he s in a rush and hasn’t got any time to waste, this is backed up by the quick cuts and the quick movements from the actor.

Another sound appeared when the man stamped down the book, this had the music building up to this shot. This made a massive loud roar which made the audience feel worried, this makes the audience curious and make them ask questions about the book and the roar.

Cinematography:
This used a lot of close ups throughout this scene. When showing the props, it was careful to hide the detail of the room because it will build suspense for the audience. These close ups of props make us feel that he is an eccentric man due to the amount of creatures he seems to have as it is unusual to have so many. A blue tint was put on, to tell the audience that this man is very lonely and he has no companions, with no one to rely on, maybe because of that creature we heard of when it roared might have captured or killed his wife/partner/friends.
A dolly shot was used when shooting a shoot of the man’s face after he had stamped down the book. This showed his shock to the roar and shockwave that occurred. An establishing shot was only used at the ending, which is very unusual because it is normally placed at the beginning of the opening sequence. They hidden the setting through extreme close ups, they made sure that we couldn’t see the man’s face until the end and the setting.

Editing:
There is a use of cross dissolve, this is to let the audience establish that a period of time has passed, we know this because text appears at the bottom of the screen telling us this (80 years later). The scene now looks isolated, more than ever due to the surrounding of trees. Fade in and outs were used quite a lot during the revealing of the jars with creatures in them. This could have been used to let the props be show slowly and gradually to the audience, so that they have enough time to second guess what it could be and why it is there.

Mise En Scene:
During the beginning of this opening sequence, we see loads of props of weird and different creatures. This makes the audience believe that the rest of the film will be concentrating on a scientist; this is due to all the extreme close ups/close ups of the jars filled with little creatures and gives us a feel that all these props would be found in an old fashioned laboratory. Then our minds change to the thought of magic; this occurred when we was shown the little green pixie in the magnifying glass. This idea about the magic is also backed up when the title of the film appears; there is pixie dust/magic dust when it fades in.
Low key lighting was used in this opening sequence to set the scene of mystical, untrustworthy and uncertainty with lots of shadows. The car which later comes into the scene, with the headlights on, brings a lot of light to this dim and dark setting, which seems enclosed with the trees. This could symbolise the hope for the man living here and something with a good sprit to get rid of the evil creatures lurking within these shadows.

Titles:
When the titles appear, it fades in slowly with magic dust floating away from it, as if it has just been created from it. This shows the audience that it will be about magical and mystical things/objects. Also one of the letters is shaped like a tree; this likes with the appearance of the titles when they seem to appear from within the brunches of the tree; it could link to a special feature about this tree as it could come to life or have a special power during the  rest of the film.

Romantic comedy (Bridget Jones Diary)

Romantic comedy (Bridget Jones Diary, 2001, UK, Sharon Maguire)

Sound:
This short scene used almost no diegetic sound, apart from the non diegetic music which turned into diegetic due to her dancing and mining to it (playing air drums), this was done to show the audience her loneliness. This shows the audience how positive she still is even when she is on her own at Christmas. Another affect used in this scene is a non diegetic voice over, this is used to give the audience greater detail on Bridget’s life, she tells us how she is feeling through her voice and the ways she wants to change her life.

One more affect that was clearly noticeable was breaking the fourth wall (Direct Address) this is when the actor looks directly towards the camera and speaks to the audience. The affect of using this so that the audience emphasises that character as someone we should be siding or trusting. Due to this, it makes Bridget’s story connect more with the audience and making them feel more emotion for her.


Cinematography:
Tracking was used at the begging of this clip to follow Bridget walk pass other characters without having much said. The use of tracking showed us exactly where she was, on her own, and who she was talking to. From this shot we were shown that she was interacting with, no one, due to her talking to herself, this reinforces the loneliness of the character.
They then use an establishing shot to give the audience the knowledge of where this film will be set, the outside shot and the inside shot of the building. This lets the audience ask questions and guess where they are? In the outside establishing shot it tilts upwards to show the tall building where Bridget lives in, this could be symbolising the ‘mountain’ she has to climb every day, as well as how small she might feel compared to the rest of the world and others.

Editing:
This clip uses mainly cross dissolves, these are used to show time passing by, this is used very well in this genre because it can show time passing and show small changes in the scene such as Bridget moving around on the sofa, this gives and effect that time is moving on slowly. The long durations of the shots also support the effect of time passing slowly, this is because the shots seem dragged out. It also connects with Bridget’s feelings, being unhappy, depressed and down, this then makes the audience feel more sorry for her and can connect better with her and her emotions.

Mise en scene:
The costume of Bridget, pyjamas, normally refers to being depressed and feeling down, the costumes show the audience how she is feeling in a visual way. Also the colour red can represent the anger she could have inside of her at herself for being lonely on Christmas.
Low key lighting has been used throughout this clip, this refers back to the feelings of Bridget, feeling dull, and makes the audience feel sorry for her and makes them want to find out what changes she might make in her life to change it for the better.
There is a shot of a Christmas party hat, this is a good use of props. The party hat seems smash and broken, this could represent how Bridget is feeling at the moment. As well as it being damaged it is also all alone on the pole, away from everything else.

Titles:
These titles are look like someone’s hand writing, this links back to the title of the film ‘Diary’. This lets the audience know that this is her personal view of her life.

The clip has used rule of thirds for most of the shots, this allows space for the titles to appear while the clip is playing in the background, without interfering with the clip.

Wallander (Firewall, 7th December 2008, BBC1)

Wallander (Firewall, 7^th December 2008, BBC1)

Sound:

Many different sound effects were used to add and create suspense with the shots. A sting was used because there was a sharp noise which increased in volume rapidly to add emphasis to the part when the girl dropped the knife, this was used to tell the story and to show the audience and make them ask questions about the significance of the knife? This way of not showing the whole story about the girls lets the audience piece together what's happened. During this piece I noticed another sound effect used, this is a hyperbolic sound when the two girls were walking away from the cab, you can hear their footsteps on the ground. This would be hyperbolic because the noise made would not be heard if you were actually there, the use of this makes the audience believe that they are in the middle of no-where because it is quite enough to even hear their footsteps.

Cinematography:

Many different camera shots and camera movements are used to help the audience aware of what's happening with each scene. One camera shot used was the helicopter shot, when the camera tracked into the shot of the minicab from the sea, this was used so that the audience could notice and know that they were in the middle of the country side where no-one was around. This would lead the audience in asking many questions such as, why has the passenger asked to go here and how are they? Another use of cinematography/camerawork which made the scene more dramatic and added tension would be the over the shoulder shot, this showed that the two girls wasn’t talking which made us as an audience believe that they have committed or done something possibly dreadful, this left the audience asking more questions about what may have done.

Editing:

The most common editing technique used was quick cutting. This was used when showing the cabdrivers possessions, this is to show the audience some background information about the driver and the innocence of him; the key ring with the two boys looking happy on it, gave the impression that the cabdriver was a loving and caring father. This was also used when cutting between the two girls walking away from the cab and the driver. This told the audience and gave them a link that the two girls both had something to do with the death of the driver.

Mise en scene:

From the way the girls are dressed it shows the audience that they weren't meant to end up were they are now, they are dressed in normal clothes, they look out of place in the rural area and look like they have just come from a city or town. The girls dress sense reflects on stereotypes of being a punk/rebel trying push and break the boundaries, the red highlights in the girl’s hair might have been an indication of what was going to be reviled. The audience know this because she is wearing a leather jacket, has pink/red and has an old razor blade or dog tags around her neck. The most noticeable use of mise en scene used was the knife in her hand, this was covered in blood as well as blood splatters on her face, this told the audience that she most defiantly committed the murder due to the lack of people around shown in the first helicopter shot and them walking away from the cab breathing heavily.

Brick (Johnson, 2005, US)

Brick (Johnson, 2005, US)

Cinematography
The use of low shots make it hard for us to gain great detail, this includes hiding the face of the man during the beginning, this makes the audience ask questions, who is he? What has he done and why can’t we see his face?

A focus pull has been used. As well as an establishing shot, which still hides the man’s face, after all the other close ups, this is not normal because this will normally be in the beginning before any shots to show you where the actors are and where they are all placed. This makes us ask questions about what don’t they want us to see?

There is a use of crabbing and tracking, crabbing was used while focusing on the man’s shoes, tracking was used when focusing on the girls bands, this showed us that these bands will be important during the rest of the film because the bands are a way to identify that character.

Sound
The non-diegetic music at the start makes the audience feel hope, sadness and realisation due to the high pitched guitars and bells ringing. They have also used diegetic sounds of footsteps when at the school/collage.

Editing
The durations of the sequence are quite long which gives the audience enough time to take in all the details as well as ask some questions about the actors.

The sixth sense (Shyamalan, 1999, US)

The sixth sense (Shyamalan, 1999, US)

Sound

The clip music starts off slow and cold like, with uncertainty, this makes the audience on edge and worried for what they may see next. But then a piano starts to play which makes us have a feeling of hope, this could be telling us the story through the music, an uncertain start with a hopeful ending. The hyper-bolic sound of the light bulb coming on, this tells us the importance of the bulb because the bulb is old which means that no one goes down there. This could be because of something which is down there e.g. a ghost. Another hyper-bolic sound of her footsteps when she is walking down the stairs makes us realise that she is isolated and on her own.

Cinematography
They use a track in which moves the camera further towards the actor; this is to get a closer look of her facial expressions as well as showing the sense of realisation that someone is watching her. A crane shot is used as well, this follows her looking at the different wines, this is another indication that someone is watching and following her every move.

Editing
A ghost shadow goes across the title of the sixth sense; this gives the audience something to think about and tells them what the movie will be about. After this they use a long duration shot of the old light bulb; this lets the audience have time to ask questions. There was a sound breach during the beginning, when the light bulb was turning on and the door opening. They have used match on action, first shot showing her starting to turn around and the next shot she continued to turn, whilst applying to the rule of thirds. The duration of the shot start off slow but then suddenly get faster when she here the sound behind her, this gives the audience visual actions of the fear the woman is feeling.

Mise en scene
Dark, dusty and dull room tells us that no one has used that room for ages and that there could be anything down there which on one will know about. The costumes tell amounts of detail; she is dressed for dinner and expecting company, this is also to make her stand out while down in the room, the purple dress stands out from the dull walls and other surroundings.

Memento (Nolan, 2000, US)

Memento (Nolan, 2000, US)

At the start of the opening sequence we are shown the titles which is played along with some music, the titles faded in fast in a pale blue and then turned to a dark blue when fading out. This gave the audience a cold and death like approach towards the next scene. The titles also fade in and out in timing of the music which creates a calming atmosphere effect, but the use of serif font shows the audience the seriousness of the coming scenes.

During the beginning of the opening sequence of Memento, the music playing in the background gave us as an audience a great insight of what the film was going to be about and gave us a idea of what we would expect when the picture arrived on screen. The music playing was very slow paced and dragged out which set the mood for the viewers, a sad and depressed place where a feeling of death is upon us. In our heads the music gives us a thought of death or someone dying due to the slow rhythm, which would later be revealed, when the man gets shot in reverse (the film seemed to be rewound, so we saw the ending instead of the beginning).

This then leads to the scene being non-linear, this scene starts off with the ending and showing us the story in reverse to what actually happened, we notice this in the first long duration shot where the character is looking down at the photo he has just taken and the ink disappearing.

This photo he has just taken gives us a clue of what has just occurred and what is about to be shown, the image fades out very slowly giving the audience enough time to realise what is in the photo, ask questions, guess what has happened and to connect to the character; from the camera angle being an close up, over the shoulder which makes us believe that we are seeing through the characters eyes.

Then we are introduced to the hyperbolic sounds used in the killing scene, the exaggerated sound of the bullet casing rolling across the floor back into his gun. The diegetic sound of this has been increased, this tells us that the place/area they are in is very quiet and has no one around, and this leads the audience in asking even more questions. Where are they?

In memento, they have used a vast range of different shot types and angles just during the opening sequence. These include close ups and extreme close ups which show the audience the importance of the object/action shown, they also show the facial expression of the actors. Low angle shots this emphasis the amount of power/hierarchy the character actually has, The first/main character is shot with the low angle shot to show the power and authority he has over the other man, as well as him being on the floor. High angle shot which is the opposite to the low angle shot, which show the lack of power and authority. Also, the mid shot which just shows the whole character so that you don’t miss anything and you can clearly see what they are doing and what’s going on.

By the end of this opening sequence we/the audience are asking many question like who is he? Where are they? Why did he kill him? What has happened to lead to this? The last question is the main/important one, so that you continue watching the film in order to answer it.

Comparing a trailer and an opening sequence

Trailer

A trailer is a montage of clips from the film, showing the key points within the film. Trailers never show or tell us as an audience the plot or twists during the film but instead tell us the genre of the film. Trailers normally don't last very long compared to a opening sequence.
A trailer encourages and makes you want to watch the film, unlike an open sequence where that gives us just a little sneak peak into what the film is about.

Opening sequence

An opening sequence of a film always uses continuity editing and includes text introducing either the date, characters or the setting. It also normally has the production logos, this shows us who is resonsible to bring us this film.
This will give us a great insight on what the film is going to be about and gives us an idea of what could happen.

Task Brief

Preliminary Task

WWW: We managed to effectively use basic techniques of continuity editing throughout the scenes, for example we used 180 degree rule and shot reverse shot as well as others.


EBI: We should have left enough time for the door to close behind me instead of having to cut the shot and make the clip look wrong and doesn't flow as much as it would have. We could have made the clip longer and said a bit more within the room while we was sitting down at the table because it seemed to be a bit too short and rushed, as well as this, the editing could have been more accurate.

Mc tone love rap

Screen Captures

My screencast o matic

Adding labels

adding labels



           

First blog

Hello this is my first blog