Sound Reseach

In drama genre films sound is usually used to create suspense or tension and set the mood and tone of the scenes. The sound could be music or natural sounds, such as animal noises, human talking or sounds of things like storms and rain. 

    In the film, 'Oldboy', the sound mix is made by Dolby Digital. The title sequence (http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/oldboy/) starts off with the sound of diegetic rain and you can hear the sound of a man talking in a phone box. Once he leaves, another man starts shouting for him and a police siren sounds, almost in the distance. The sound of people talking and walking can be heard and then violin music starts playing, slowly at first but gradually building to a faster pace and louder tone as the shot changes to that of a timer and a clock. Once there is the image of the clock, ticking can be heard, as well as an alarm ringing and grandfather clock chiming. More violins overlap the first creating suspense and giving the scene a dramatic, tense feel. For our film opening we intend to create this suspenseful feeling and leave the audience with some unease.

    In our film we intend to use creepy non-diegetic music that plays in the background through the opening. We hope that this will create suspense in our scenes and give it an eerie feel, even though some of the shots are more happy and friendly. We also intend to include some diegetic sounds in a few of our scene. These will be, the sound of background chatter, glasses clinking and laughter to give the opening a sense of tension.

Targets for sound research

1) Add more to the sound research, find a range of films from drama genre to analyse. Focus on instruments, match it to visuals, discuss pitch, how does it make the audience feel. What have I learnt? (What will be used in our film?)
2) Explore freesound.org for free sounds we can use in our own.

7 frame moodboard

We are making our short film in the drama genre so are looking at screen caps of films from the same genre.

1. The film title:

This film is called 'Gone Girl'. It is in the genre of drama and also mystery, which are the genres we are making our film. The title of the film suggests that there has been a disappearance of a girl and no one is quite sure where she has gone and what has happened to her and suggests that the film will be centred on finding her and discovering the truth. The title is small, central and in a bold, block font. It is white against a darker background so it can be read easily. 

2. Setting/locations:

This film is called '10 Cloverfield Lane'. It is again relating to our film genres, with mystery and drama. It is set in a bunker, the place where the characters live and have to stay due to an apocalyptic event which is a widespread chemical attack. One of the rooms is small and bare with one singular mattress against one wall. It is dark and un-homely. It would be similar to where we would have the shots of the dead girl, to give it a creepy and neglected feel.

3. Costume/props:
These costumes are from 'Harry Potter and the deathly hallows part 2'. This film again relates to our chosen genre and uses modern but casual costumes to make the characters appear to be regular teenagers in their normal clothes. This would be similar to the kinds of things our characters would wear, so that the audience could get a feel of how old they are and what kind of people they are.



4. Title font and style:
This film is 'Se7en'. It relates to our film genre and uses the font of the title to show this. The font is bold, central and takes up most of the screen. It is white and stands out against the black background and looks unusual in the way that it style it has been written in. A sense of mystery is created and it leaves the audience with questions, which is what we hope to do with our film title.

5. A key point for the opening and how it creates the story:
This film is 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'. These shots show key points from the opening sequence that hint to the narrative. The first shot shows ink running through the keys of a keyboard, which hints to the ink used in tattoos, suggesting the dragon tattoo on the female lead character. The keyboard suggests her hacking skills on the computer as she uses them to aid the main character in an investigation.

The second shot shows a figure made out of wires and cables, with more computer cables coming towards it. This again references the girl with the dragon tattoo's skill with computers and her ability to hack into them. Which out film opening we hope to use the shots to hint to different parts of the narrative and build up the drama and suspense.

6. How the opening suggests the genre:
This film is 'Oldboy'. It is a drama and mystery genre film and the opening shows this in the first shot, since it is dark and is raining. It is set in what appears to be a sidestreet or a road with a small lit telephone box on the side. It creates suspense and starts to make the audience think about what will happen in the narrative.

 The second shot is a close up of a clock face with loads of different numbers on it and the hands tick round. It is slightly blurred round the edge and out of focus, creating more suspense and leaving the audience questioning why the clock is involved. We hope to have this effect on our audience as well.

Lighting experimentations

We had a target to take some still shots using different lighting. We walked around the school and took some pictures in different places to see which lighting worked best for that particular shot.

    First we took some experimental shots of the girl on the floor, with her killer standing over her. Sian used a light from her phone as a spotlight and took the picture as if from her character's point of view. This is similar to the lighting we will need to use when we film this shot, although it needs to be slightly darker and more in shade.



We then experimented, taking this shot in a range of different places to see where the best place would be to film in terms of lighting. For this shot we only used the light from the phone, again it would need to be in more of a spotlight so the edges of the shot would be darker.

For this shot we were in a lighter area, so didn't need as bright of a light. We just used the flash from the camera and this gave a lighter image and made the shot appear more yellow.

For this shot we were in another light area. No extra light was used, just the light from the window opposite where I was sat. When we film this particular shot would have to be in a darker area.

For this shot we changed the camera setting to the sunset mode and it made the image look duller and more yellow than before. When we film it would still have to be slightly darker and more shaded.

For this shot we used both the light from the phone and the flash and it made the while image appear really bright, rather than just the body, so when we film we will need to use lighting that would appear as a spotlight on the body

                                    .

Captain America: the winter solider title sequence

The whole title sequence is very minimalistic and simple. All of the images in the background are done as silhouettes. 
Credit 1: The first credit in the title sequence is the names of the directors, which is displayed at 2 seconds. The font is central and white which stands out against the plain black background.

Credit 2: The second credit is who wrote the screenplay, which appears at 5 seconds. The font is central and black against a plain white background.
Credit 3: The third credit is the producer. This is shown at 8 seconds and the font is central and white against a black background. In this shot there are two white stars either side of the name and they are at different heights and of different sizes.
Credit 4: The fourth credit is the executive producer. This appears at 12 seconds. The font is black on a white background and to the left hand side. There are three black stripes in the background with captain America stating in between two of them. It's very simplistic and looks like black and white silhouettes. There is also an accent of red on the star on the shield.

Credit 5: The fifth credit is another executive producer, which appears at 16 seconds. The font is black and on the left hand side. It is on a white background, but the right half of the shot is black and has a white logo on it that looks like an eagle.

Credit 6: The sixth credit is a third executive producer and is shown at 19 seconds. The job title is on the left hand side in black on a white background, whereas the name of the person is just below the job title and in white on a black background.On the white background is a black silhouette of a man next to the same logo as before, on the black background is a white silhouette that looks like a mirror to the other man. Next to the white figure is a different logo that looks like an octopus.

Credit 7: The seventh credit is a fourth executive producer and is shown at 22 seconds. It is the same screen as before but the name of the executive producer has changed. more of both silhouettes can be seen and some landscape can be seen behind them.

Credit 8: The eighth credit is the final executive producer which 24 seconds. It is again the same screen with a different name. More of the landscape in the background has appeared.

Credit 9: The ninth credit is the co-producer, shown at 27 seconds. The font is slightly to the left of the centre and in white font against a black background. The background is white with a black silhouette of the underside of a plane with a trail coming from it, this is where the writing is placed.

Credit 10: The tenth credit is the director of photography which appears at 30 seconds. The white font is central and on a black stripe in between two white stripes in the background.

Credit 11: The eleventh credit is the production designer which is displayed at 34 seconds. The font is to the right of the centre and in black on a white background. To the left of the title are three black silhouettes of planes with the vapour trails.

Credit 12: The twelfth credit is the editors which appears at 37 seconds. The font is black and just off centre to the left on a white background that looks like two giant cogs next to each other.

Credit 13: The thirteenth credit is the costume designer that is in white font near the upper left hand corner. It appears at 39 seconds on a black background, with the white silhouette of cogs turning.

Credit 14: The fourteenth credit is the visual effects supervisor, that is shown at 45 seconds. The white font is on a black background slightly left of the centre. Next to it is the octopus logo which provides an accent of red into the shot, symbolising the villains of the film.

Credit 15: The fifthteenth credit is the visual effects producer at 49 seconds. The black font is near the upper left hand corner and is on a now red background, showing a drastic change from the previous white or black backgrounds. This could show a change in the plot and suggests danger or evil. To the right of the screen is the black silhouette of captain America mid-run and surrounded by shapes that resemble an optical illusion, suggesting confusion or disorientation.

Credit 16: The sixteenth credit is who the music was by and this is at 52 seconds. The font is in black on the red background and is on the left hand side. To the right is the black silhouette of captain America using his shield to break through several walls or divides.

Credit 17: The seventeenth credit is the music supervisor, appearing at 54 seconds. The font is white on a black background on the right hand side. To the left is silhouetted captain America throwing his shield.

Credit 18: The eighteenth credit is the associate producers, which are displayed at 58 seconds. The black font in on a white background again and is towards the bottom right hand corner. The left side of the shot looks like is it smashed glass and a star is visible amongst it.

Credit 19: The nineteenth credit is who casted the film, this is shown at 1 minute. The screen appears more smashed than before, making the star more visible and the right side has fallen off, leaving behind the white font on a black background.

All of the actors names are displayed next to silhouettes of their character to show the audience who was playing which character.
Credit 20: The twentieth credit is Chris Evans, an actor. This appears at 1 minute 7 seconds. There is a white background with black font slightly to the left of the centre and to the right of it is the black silhouette of Captain America with white details on his costume.

Credit 21: The twenty first credit is Scarlett Johansson, and actor. Her name is shown at 1 minute 10 seconds and is in white font on a black background just below the centre. Her white silhouette is just to the right of her name.

Credit 22: The twenty second credit is Sebastian Stan, an actor. His name is displayed at 1 minute 12 seconds. His name is in black font on a white background near the bottom right hand corner. His black silhouette is central and has an accent of red on the star on his shoulder, showing that he was associated with the villains. He also appears to be running.

Credit 23: The twenty third credit is Anthony Mackie, an actor. His name is at 1 minute 16 seconds and is in black on a white background and is to the right of the centre. His black silhouette is to the left and has wings, seemingly in mid-flight.

Credit 24: The twenty fourth credit is Cobie Smulders, an actor. Her name appears at 1 minute 20 seconds and is to the left of the centre and also her black silhouette where she is holding a gun up in front of her. The font is black on a white background.

Credit 25: The twenty fifth credit is Frank Grillo, an actor. His name is shown at 1 minute 23 seconds. The black font is near the top left hand corner on a white background. His black silhouette is repeated three times at the bottom right hand corner of the screen.

Credit 26: The twenty sixth credit is Emily Vancamp, an actor whose name is shown at 1 minute 26 seconds. The font is to the left and slightly below the centre and is black against the white background. The black silhouette is holding a gun in front of her .

Credit 27: The twenty seventh credit is Hayley Atwell, an actor whose name appears at 1 minute 28 seconds. The font is black and to the right of the centre on a white background. In the centre is her silhouette, only this time her silhouetted face is in the top half of a compass. The compass symbols are in the bottom half in white.

Credit 28: The twenty eighth credit is Toby Jones, an actor whose name is displayed at 1 minute 33 seconds. The black font is black on a white background just above the centre. Beneath it is five black silhouettes of computer servers.

Credit 29: The twenty ninth credit is Jenny Agutter, an actor whose name is at 1 minute 38 seconds. The font is on the left hand side on a black background with white as the font colour. On the right is four sections of white that look like spotlights. In the one nearest the front is the black silhouette of the woman. In the other three sections are office chairs with a shadow of the world map above them.

Credit 30: The thirtieth credit is two more actors names in white font on a black background. This is shown at 1 minute 40 seconds and is to the right of the centre. In the background is several white line and shapes.

 Credit 31: The thirty first credit is another four actors whose names appear at 1 minute 43 seconds. The font is central and black on a white background. In the background is several black lines.

Credit 32: The thirty second credit is Robert Redford, an actor. His name appears at 1 minute 50 seconds in a black font on a white background towards the bottom left hand corner. Again his black silhouette is in the background with part of the American flag above him and the eagle logo. There is an accent of red on the left hand side that looks like a computer part or chip.

Credit 33: The thirty third credit is Samuel L. Jackson, an actor. His name is in white on top of the black silhouette of his character near the bottom right hand corner. His name appears at 1 minute 52 seconds and in the shot is another accent of red near the top, again looking like computer parts. His name is last, as he is a well known actor but doesn't necessarily have a main role.

Credit 34: The thirty fourth credit is Marvel studios presents at 1 minute 54 seconds. The font is white and central against a black background.

Credit 35: The final credit is the title screen at 1 minute 56 seconds. The font is bold black writing the has an outline of white. In the background is a black and white image of captain America's shield.

The Lego Movie title sequence

Throughout the title sequence the font is written using a label maker with different coloured tape which is stuck onto the Lego bricks. This means that it is easy to read for children and adults alike. It could also give a homemade feel to it and be suggestive of the way children write.

Credit 1: The first thing in the title sequence is the title reading 'the end' that appears at 5 seconds. It is in the centre of the screen, in large white font against a black background and appears as if it is on a screen in a theatre. 

Credit 2: The first credit in the title sequence is the name of the directors which appears at 8 seconds. It is again in the centre in what looks like a theatre screen and is in a smaller white font.

Credit 3: The second credit is who wrote the screenplay. This appears at 14 seconds in the centre in a small white font on green tape on a yellow background.

Credit 4: The third credit is who the story is by. This is at 17 seconds and is slightly off centre to the left and down. The writings again in small white font on green tape that is in front of a white Lego rocket ship.

Credit 5: The fourth credit is the producers and this is at 20 seconds. This time it is small white font on red tape with another view of the Lego rocket ship in the background. The writing is off centre to the left and down a little.

Credit 6: The fifth credit is the executive producers and this is at 27 seconds. The white font is on black tape, off centre to the left and up slightly. It is on black tape in front of a Lego train passing silhouetted buildings.

Credit 7: The sixth credit is three more executive producers which appears at 30 seconds on black tape, off centre to the right and up slightly. In the background is silhouettes of buildings which a telescope in the foreground.

Credit 8: The seventh credit is another three executive producers whose names appear on grey tape that's on a Lego wall with sliding doors. In the background are more silhouettes buildings. The font writing appears at 36 seconds and is slightly to the left of the centre.

Credit 9: The eighth credit is a couple of other executive producers who are mentioned at 41 seconds. The white font is on blue/grey tape stuck onto Lego clouds, just below the centre. In the background is a rocket ship flying past in space.

Credit 10: The ninth credit is two more executive producers and are mentioned at 44 Seconds. The font is on green tape on the side of a Lego lorry collecting items off of a conveyor belt in a storage warehouse. The lorry is in the middle towards the right hand side.

Credit 11:  The tenth credit is the animation supervisor whose name is central and appears at 48 seconds. It is on a grey background with cogs and fans surrounding it in a green box.

Credit 12: The eleventh credit is what the movie is based on, which is show at 54 seconds. It is just above the centre in white font on green tape. In the background is boxes being moved about in the storage warehouse.

Credit 13: The twelfth credit is who the cinematography was by at 59 seconds. The White font is on green tape on a green background near the top right hand corner. In front is a Lego robot destroying buildings and fire is being spread through the city.

Credit 14: The thirteenth credit is displayed at 1 minute 3 seconds and is the production designer. The font is on green tape on a green background in the centre and in the shot a Lego owl is flying through.

Credit 15: The fourteenth credit is the editors at 1 minute 6 seconds. The White font is on black tape on a set of colourful DJ decks. The writing is just below the centre.

Credit 16: The fifteenth credit is who the music was by and this is at 1 minute 7 seconds. The White font is just below the centre on black tape on a final record that spins once on the DJ decks.

Credit 17: The sixteenth credit is who the feature animation was by and that is at 1 minute 14 seconds. The font is on orange tape in the centre, looking like it is in the fire that a dragon just breathes out. In the background are some trees and hills and a castle.

Credit 18: The seventeenth credit is the co-producer at 1 minute 18 seconds. It is written on grey tape in the centre on the rocks on which the Lego castle stands. In the background is the hills with a waterfall running down them and in the foreground is a forest of trees that appear to be on fire due to the dragon.

Credit 19: The eighteenth credit is the associate producers at 1 minute 20 seconds. It is written on grey tape in the centre on a plain background. In the foreground appears to be some types of mechanical devices.

Credit 20: The nineteenth credit is central in white font on green tape. It is who the casting was by. It is on the front of a taco that is surrounded by machines. This appears at 1 minute 25 seconds.

All of the actors names appear in scenes that reflect the character that they are playing.

Credit 21: The twentieth credit is Chris Pratt who is the actor of the main character. This is at 1 minute 29 seconds. It is central on the side of a yellow crane, written on yellow tape. In the background is a couple of tall buildings, suggesting him to be a construction worker.

Credit 22: The twenty first credit is will Ferrell, another actor. His name is displayed at 1 minute 33 seconds and is central. White font is on blue tape and appears as if it is on a billboard, suggesting someone important.

Credit 23: The twenty second credit is Elizabeth banks, an actor. Her name is central on purple tape on the side of a spray paint can with graffiti in the background, suggesting an artist or creative person. This appears at 1 minute 38 seconds.

Credit 24: The twenty third credit is Will Arnett, an actor. His name is shown at 1 minute 45 seconds and is central on blue tape. The background is blue and there are bats hanging from the ceiling. The bat signal also appears next to the name, showing that he is batman.

Credit 25: The twenty fourth credit is Nice Offerman, an actor. His name appears at 1 minute 47 seconds and is near the bottom right on blue tape on an iceberg. To the left is a big ship on water, suggesting he's a pirate.

Credit 26: The twenty fifth credit is Alison Brie, an actor. Her name is just above the centre on blue tape and on a blue background. It is just above a rainbow and the turrets of a castle, suggesting someone Royal or mythical. This is at 1 minute 51 seconds.

Credit 27: The twenty sixth credit is Charlie Day, an actor. His name is at 2 minutes 4 seconds and is on black tape on a black background that resembles space. The name is near the top right and just above a spaceship, suggesting an astronaut.

Credit 28: The twenty seventh credit is Liam Neeson, an actor. His name is central and appears at 2 minutes 12 seconds. His name is on grey tape on a road in between buildings.

Credit 29: The twenty eighth credit is Morgan Freeman, an actor. His name is displayed at 2 minutes 19 seconds and is central and on brown tape, appearing to be on a large rock in the desert. In the foreground is a cactus, a scorpion and a cow skull, lighting struck in the background, suggesting a powerful and independent character.

Credit 30: The twenty ninth credit is to Warner bros pictures, the production company. This is central and on orange tape with an orange background behind it and appearing at 2 minutes 22 seconds.

Credit 31: The thirtieth credit is who it's in association with and this is shown at 2 minutes 29 seconds. It is central and on grey tape on a colourful machine.

Credit 32: The next credit is another company that is in association with it. This appears at 2 minutes 33 seconds on brown tape and on the side of a hot dog bun that is passing under a mustard dispenser in the centre.

Credit 33: The next credit is the last in association with and appears at 2 minutes 38 seconds. It is central on brown tape and again on a hot dog bun.

Credit 34: The last credit is Vertigo entertainment/Lin pictures production, shown at 2 minutes 42 seconds. It is central on red tape and is brought in by a Lego plane. There are clouds in the foreground and the background is pink.

Credit 35: Lastly is the title of the movie, displayed at 2 minutes 53 seconds. The title is made out of Lego and is stood in amongst a pile of Legos in the centre and around it is all of the Lego scenes that made up the whole title sequence.

Feedback MGS

1. Include credits by production company, distribution company, director, editor and title
2. Include more sound effects
3. Include transitions
4. Lighting experimentation
5. Take still shots from storyboard


by Friday 4th November

Storyboard of the film opening

Shot 1: This first shot is the title screen. The title is central and surrounded by darkness, so it has beams of light coming off from it to help it stand out and show a great contrast to the background. The camera will slowly zoom in on the title to create a mysterious tone. In the background creepy non-diegetic music will be played throughout some of the shots to set the scene and give a feel to what is happening in the scenes. This shot will fade into the next.
Shot 2: This is a medium close-up shot of a girl laying dead on the floor. We see half of her body on screen, the other half is out if the frame. We see this from a Birdseye view, with her surrounded by darkness with a single spotlight on her. Again the creepy non-diegetic music will be playing, to show a sinister scene. This is in the present and would also appear at the very end of the film. The girl will be very pale to show that she is either dead or only just alive. At the top of the shot will be two subtitles. This shot will again fade into the next.
Shot 3: This is another medium close-up of the girl. In this shot we see only see he girls hands, alongside someone's feet, facing towards the body. We see this in a Birdseye view, which makes it appear that audience are watching the girl with the mysterious person. The feet and hands will be the only things visible in the shot, as the rest of the shot will be in darkness. The music continues to play in the background, helping to show the dark nature of these shots. Also a non-diegetic sound of a girl screaming will be added in over the top of this shot, in order to add more suspense and almost show an echo from the recent past. Another subtitle will be added between the person and the girl. This is another shot in the present, after this shot, the rest of the film is a flashback. This shot fades into the next.
Shot 4: This shot is a close-up of two people holding hands, which indicates they are quite close to one another. There is light around the hands, showing that is it a happy, friendly shot, which is a big contrast to the first few shots. However the music is still being played in the background, creating a sense of unease. A subtitle will again be added near the top of the shot. The camera then zooms out.
Shot 5: This is a long shot of the two friends holding hands. We can now see the whole of the two girls who are still holding hands. The girls are surrounded by light, creating a contrast to the black background. This allows the audience to get a first proper look into the characters of this film. The music continues to be played. This shot is then cut to the next.
Shot 6: This is a long shot of the drama room, which will be made to look like an apartment. The camera pans so that the whole setting where the shots will take place is visible. The music is again playing in the background, giving the apartment and eerie, deserted feel. This shot will fade into the next.
Shot 7: This is a medium long shot of the two girls sat at a table drinking together, laughing and having a good time. There will be a spotlight on the girls, while the background is again in darkness. This music continues to play. The sound of diegetic chatter in the background and clinking glasses will also be heard, to set the scene and give the audience a feel of the characters surroundings. The camera then zooms in.
Shot 8: This is a close-up shot of one of the girls laughing at something the other said. Light will be directed towards her, allowing her face to be clearly seen, which shows that she is an important character. For the first time the music stops During this shot and instead diegetic laughing can be heard from the girl, which still gives a creepy feel to the scene. This shot is then cut to the next.
Shot 9: This is a close-up of one of the wine glasses in one of the girl's hands, with some wine still remaining in the glass. The creepy non-diegetic music returns, this time louder, so tension is built up more. Diegetic laughing, chatter and glass clinking can again be heard. Light is directed onto the wine glass so it stands out against the black background. This shot will fade into the next.
Shot 10: This is a medium long shot of the two girls mid argument. They are in a spotlight, while the rest of the shot is in darkness. One of the girls is pointing at the other who has her back turned and armed crossed. The music continues to play, getting louder still, showing that something important is happening. The shot is then cut into the next.
Shot 11: This is a shot in complete darkness. No light can be seen and no sound is heard. The music has stopped, giving the impression that something drastic has happened and the tension levels have been raised. This will create suspense and give the audience questions, as they will want to know what is going on.
Shot 12: The shot is still in complete darkness, but now white lettering has appeared on the screen. It reads, "We used to be best friends..." This leaves the audience tense and in suspense, as it suggests that something bad has happened and now gives a clue to the dead body seen at the very start of the opening. In the background non-diegetic beeping resembling a heart monitor will be heard to build suspense further.

Gone Girl Fan Made Title Sequence

Cinematography
Near the beginning of the title sequence for 'gone girl' it has a cross-cut shot of a woman's hand writing in a notebook from different angles. One of the shots is an extreme close-up of the words that are being written from a high angle, the other shot is a close-up from a high angle of the notebook as the woman writes. There are several other cross-cutting shots which are featured in the opening sequence, showing that there are many small details that the producers don't want the audience to miss. The scene cuts to big close-up of the woman's shoulders which then tilts downwards to show her arms resting on the table. In the middle of the opening scene the camera pans across pens scattered over the tabletop in an extreme close-up. Alongside the other shots, this could suggest that the writing is an important part to the narrative and may be some clue to the plot.

Mise-en-scene
Throughout the whole opening the colours are fairly muted, such as greys, whites, blacks, pale blues, dark blues and a slight accent of yellow, this could suggest that the narrative is sad natured or slightly dark. One notebook is used alongside many ballpoint or biro pens in the start to show key information about the narrative, however later in the scene a wash cloth and glass of wine are also used. In a few of the shots the location is shown. There is a large lake lined with trees and grass in a presumed countryside area. The long shot of the lake suggests that it could play a significant part of the narrative and could represent sadness or isolation, but also calm and peacefulness. This leads the audience to believe that the lake will somehow become involved with the girl that is shown in the rest of the opening sequence.

Sound
During the entire title sequence guitar music is playing, accompanied by a female singer who is singing at the same volume as the backing music. The music is quite upbeat but could also be interpreted with a hint of sadness.

The Notebook (Opening Scene)

Cinematography
This film title sequence includes very little examples of camera movement, other than still shots. However it starts with a fade into an extreme long shot of a lake shadowed in the sunset's light. In the middle of the opening there is a medium long shot of a man in a canoe on the lake, he stays central as the camera pans very slowly to the right, this shows that he is an important character in the film. At the end of the opening there is a tracking medium long shot of the same man in a canoe, reinforcing that he is an important character in the narrative.

Mise-en-scene
Throughout the whole film opening the only colours that are used are reds, oranges, yellows and blacks, though there is a slight accent of purple. It is set in a remote location, it has a large lake with grassy banks on the side and a scattering of trees. The two women that appear in the opening are both wearing long dresses.

Sound
Over the top of the video, piano music plays throughout. This sets a calm, relaxing mood and tone to the scene and alongside the colours could suggest a romance in the narrative.

Film opening inspiration

We got the inspiration for our short film, that we will be making, from various films. We did some research to find out about films that already exist which begin with a clip form the end of the narrative and film. We did some research and gained inspiration from films such as: Pan's Labyrinth; Sunset Boulevard; Citizen Kane and Saving Private Ryan. These examples of films are ones in which begin with scenes from the very end, so that the rest of the film is a kind of flashback and we will refer to these when making our film opening.


    We decided to make a film in the drama genre, because those are the types of films that we both enjoy watching and have had experience acting out. They are also fun to experiment with when filming.


    We decided to go with our first idea which had the film starting with a shot from the end of the whole film, where a girl is lying dead on the floor, almost as a precognition, enabling the audience to get a glimpse into the future and to see how the film will end but not yet knowing hoe the narrative will get to that point. Then the rest of the opening from the short film is going to be a flashback, or will be present tense, showing two friends that are happy in each others company most of the time, but argue a lot, with arguments then becoming more and more escalated, allowing the audience to make guesses about the rest of the narrative and start to work out what is happening.


    During the lesson we walked around the school looking for rooms or places that would be suitable to film in and we took pictures of these locations to get an idea of where we would set our film opening. Some of the locations, inspired us to include some extra shots or alter where we were going to film a few of our shots originally.

Next steps for the short film opening

Step 1: Choose a narrative and develop the ideas further.


Step 2: Take pictures of the drama room and picture where we could place the props to make the room appear to be an apartment or an office. Possibly film some experimental shots.


Step 3: Gathering props together and setting them up in a fake scene to let us get an idea of our set and any other props we need to add.

Ideas for an opening of a short film

Idea 1:
Working Title-A Dead Friendship/ The shadow puppet/ shadow of friendship/ the power of shadows
Genre-Drama
Narrative-It starts with a shot from the end of the whole film (one friend lays dead on the floor, the other stands looking at them), but cuts back to the start of the narrative, where the two friends are happy but argue on a regular basis.
Location-It is set in the drama room at school, that we will make to look like a cosy home.
Props-A gun for the start; blankets, cushions and rugs to make the drama room look homely; a phone; sofa like chairs.
Sound- Diegetic sound (talking on the phone); creepy music to put the audience on edge; dialogue.
Actors-Sian and I will play the main characters, we will need one extra for the phone call.
Audience hook-A question is posed about what happened that led to the death of one friend.

Idea 2:
Working Title-2 Detectives, 1 Case.
Genre-Crime/Detective
Narrative-Starts with a shot of a poser that says about a missing girl, cuts to two detectives viewing the poster, getting ready to take on the case to find the missing girl before a specific time or risk the girl dying. Shots are included with the mysterious kidnapper/murderer.
Location-Drama room in school, make to look like an office, but also dark alleyways.
Props-Tables; chairs; paper; trench coat and hat.
Sound-Mystery/crime theme tune from a TV show; dialogue; creepy music in the background.
Actors-Sian and I will play the main characters, we will need a couple of actors to play civilians, the missing girl and the kidnapper
Audience hook-The poster will pose questions about how she went missing and why.

I Miss You | Short Film

Cinematography
This short film includes a range of different shots and incorporates various camera angles. It starts with a medium close-up shot with the camera pointing at an open doorway. The people in the background of the frame are blurred and it's only just clear that the setting is a party. One man walks into the foreground of the frame and becomes clear, showing that he is the main character in the narrative and suggests that it is him who is talking. It then cuts to shot that's at a high angle looking at the cieling, then the camera titls downwards slowly and the main characters of the narrative come into the frame in a medium close-up. It then cuts again to a close-up of the characters interlinked hands, showing that the narrative's main focus is on their relationship. The film ends on a medium shot from a high angle of the main character sat at a desk on a computer. The shot slowly zooms out from the character, which could suggest his upset and lonliness at reliving the story of his break up

Mise-en-scene
The locations and the outfits of the characters change a lot throughout, since the video is composed of short clips of the couple from different points in time of their relationship. However the colours are mostly quite bright throughout, but is toned down slightly when the narrative gets to the point of the couple's break up.

Sound
The only sound that can be heard is the main charcter's voice-over, which is narrating the video and telling the story of his break up.

Break Free - Ruby Rose

Cinematography
This short film includes a range of different shots and incorporates various camera angles. It starts with a tilt shot from a high angle looking at her shoes in a big-close up. Then it cuts to a close-up shot of a handbag. Together these show an important part the narrative, as they are a symbolism of feminity. The shot cuts to a tilt from a low angle which shows the character's face and shoulders as they cut their hair with a pair of scissors. The way it is angled could show a sense of new-found empowerment as the character takes away the things that makes them appear feminine.  The short film ends on a medium close-up of the character, now looking more masculine, showing their face to be happier now than they were at the beginning.

Mise-en-scene
The location of the whole film is a white bathroom in a house, as it shows the character's transition from a woman to a man. They start off wearing a tight fitting dress, with high heeled boots, but by the end they are wearing a blazer, suit shirt, trousers and boots; these are modern stereotypical clothing items for females and males. The only props used were a pair of scissors at the start and a cigarette at the end.

Sound
Over the top of the video is a song where a woman is singing faintly. The singing is accompanied by a piano and occasionally the faint sound of drums can be heard. There is no other sound effects or sound from the actual video, only the music.

Evaluation

I found the both the actual filming part and the editing process fun to do, because i learnt about editing techniques, such as how to shorten clips or how to cut the shots together. I think out group worked well together, which also helped to make filming the opening scene of a film enjoyable.

    I think that the filming of all of the shots went well, seeing as we took loads of shots from different angles or with different framing of the characters. However we did have to reshoot some scenes as when we came to edit they didn't quite fit together with others that well. Unfortunately this meant that we were wearing different clothes than before, so looks unusual in the final film opener. If we could do it again then we would have to make sure to wear the same outfit or check to see if any shots need to be filmed again during the same day, so that the shots don't look out of place.

    When we cut the shots together it looked and sounded quite good and I like the way it turned out, although it would've been even better if a couple of the shots didn't cut as fast, since sometimes it wasn't clear why or how we had go to that point.

Insprirational Video

I choose this video, because it is inspriring to me. It shows that people can do amazing things if they set their mind to it and work very hard to achieve their goals. It also shows that nothing is impossible no matter what it and targets can be reached if lots of effort, determination, dedication and time is put into it.