Friday 20 December 2013

Opening sequences from different genres.

Romance



Horror





Here are two opening sequences from completely different genres. In the first video, it is an opening sequence from 'The holiday' a romantic film. The lighting is quite bright which works alongside with the light hearted aural setting to create a happy and enjoyable mood. However this completely contrast with 'The exorcism of Emily Rose' which has a dark and dreary colour scheme which matches the deep music which has been adding to it, this creates an eerie feel when watching the opening which immediately gives away how the director wants you to feel throughout the film.

Monday 16 December 2013

Opening sequence changes


How opening sequences has changed over the years for Batman.


In this opening sequence it shows all the actors and producers/directors who helped in creating the film, they are shown in chronological order of importance with a dark neutral background. Their is music playing which is dark and eerie which creates an auroa for the film immediately. Because it just says there names it doesn't reveal much in terms of plot and setting for the film.




In this opening sequence unlike in the one from the 1980's, they see to have focused more on setting the scene by more location shots rather than stating the actor and producers name. However there is still the technique of playing deep, dark music so that it creates an eerie mood for the film. The overall quality of the film has improved and each image looks a lot less pixel.





In this opening sequence from 2012, the two previous batman ideas have been taken into account and have been combined to make this the most advanced one. The names of all cast and crew have been mentioned however in the background of these we see what seems to be in a lab which instantly makes us consider that the film could have reference to crimes. The overall quality here also seems to be much more high definition than the other too.

Tuesday 10 December 2013

Film Company Logos


Here is a small mood board of Company Logos, i have done this so that when it comes to designing the logo for my opening sequence i have some inspiration which i can refer back to. Company Logos are important because they are something that gives the production company some recognition and by having a logo it makes them more eye catching and there fore the name more memorable.

People know these logos of by heart as they are so well known and common, so it is important to have a good logo which is as memorable as the films that they all create.

Monday 9 December 2013

Inspirations





Me and my group found this intro to Martin Scoresese's The Wolf Of Woll Street very interesting and inspirational. Although this film does not conform to our chosen genre of a thriller; we found it's opening title sequence intriguing and thought that we could take certain elements that we could include into our opening title.

The approach of direct speech to the audience in which Leonardo DiCaprio breaks the fourth wall is highly effective. This engages the audience from the outset and allows to give a better insight on the characters personality. This technique was even more effective in this film as The Wolf Of Wall Street is a biographical film; therefore aims to portray the life of a character.


As a group we are still undecided on initial plot/characters ideas for our film opening; we do however want to take the audience on a personal journey with the chosen character and the technique of breaking the fourth wall is highly effective in doing so.



Title sequence Genre Research

Saturday 16 November 2013

Target Audience



This is a prezi which describes target audience generally and the research we carried out in order to come to a conclusion on what we would make our target audience for our film.

Target audience is vital for when it comes to marketing and advertising the film because it makes sure money is spent on the right sector of the market and the correct ways in which it should done.

Friday 15 November 2013

Inspirational Title Sequence designers

Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock is famous for the quality of not only his film production, but in particular his opening sequences. He once said:


"It must always be remembered that the primary aim of pictures is to provide entertainment. To entertain people, one must first capture their interest." -Alfred Hitchcock.

I think that this is very important because, like a book, if the audience is not captured within the first part of the storyline then they are reluctant to carry on to the end.

Some important ideas that hitchcock felt strongly about when producing his films were:

  1. Break the conventions and stereotypes when it comes to the characters.
  2. Have more than one thing happening at once in order to build up tension.
  3. Have the camera take on human characteristics.



Opening Title survey


Thursday 14 November 2013

Saul Bass

Saul Bass

Saul Bass was a graphic designer as well as a film maker, however he is known more widely for his designs of title sequences. Throughout his 40 year career he worked with some of the best film makers in hollywood such as Stanley Kubrick. During this time he invented a new type of kinetic technology for Alfred hitchcock in order to create a memorable sequence for the well known film 'Psycho' and many others.

Before Saul Bass's in the 1950's, all title sequences were generally static and seperate from the movie, it was very common for the curtains to not be raised until the actual film was starting, this meant that title sequences were just projected onto the curtain.

''Try to reach for a simple, visual phrase that tells you what the picture is all about and evokes the essence of the story'' This is how Bass described one of his main aims when making title sequences, another thing he said he aimed to do was ''make the ordinary the extraordinary''. 
url.jpgOne of my favourite title sequences by saul bass is 'Grand Prix' This is because i like the way he adds in the text as he links it in with the images, Eg. At the very start when the title appears it first seems to be in a black circle, however it then turns out to an exhaust pipe to the car which links into the film, i think this is an effective way to add in text rather than just placing it along the bottom.

url.jpg
 He also uses alot of special effects and repeats images by duplicating them, this makes it aesthetically interesting for the viewer to watch.


It also gives detail of who produced it, the actors involved and then also mentions people who played a part in making it such as costume designers etc. This is something i will be doing when it comes to making my title sequence.

Other title sequences like Spring breakers, The man with the golden arm and the Seven year itch, designed by Saul Bass have all given me inspiration for how i would like to create my opening sequence.

Wednesday 13 November 2013

Animated Opening sequence



Analysis

An example film of an animated title sequence is 'Catch Me If You Can'. I think that animated sequences can aesthetically work well because the text of the actors and producers can be seen very clearly and can be adapted into fitting into the story and stands out from most films as it breaks convention. However by watching it many times i have decided i prefer title sequences that are non animated because it allows the viewer to see the actor as the character and see the setting of the film which can help the set the story before it begins.



Genre

Movie Genre

(pic)



As a form of research i created a summary sheet of what is meant by genre and then some of the main categories that branch off. I thought this would be beneficial because i looked into different films for each genre so it would help me to consider which i would like to focus on for my final product. I looked into more depth at The Holiday which is a romantic film(as seen in an earlier post) I liked the way the opening sequence was made for this genre which makes me begin to think that maybe Romance/Rom Com is the genre i would pursue into creating my own.

Harry Potter TimeLine

Analysis




(picture)





I watched the opening to Harry Potter and The Order Of The Pheonix and broke it down into a time line of what i thought the key points were. From looking at this opening sequence it has given me a clearer idea into how i would initially think about creating my own, Harry Potters opening sequence does not mention any main actors or producers who have played a part in the film, by seeing this it has helped me to decided that i would definitely include text in my sequence. Another thing i decided when watched this sequence is that i like when music is incorporated into the opening, so this is something i would think about including when i go to make mine.

The Holiday Opening Sequence





The first two things seen on the opening sequence are the logo's for Columbia and then universal, once these have faded the two companies are repeated in text form which high lights there importance. The shot then changes to a male and a female kissing with up beat happy music with a pond and nice surrounding, this connotes to the viewer that the film is likely to be a romantic film. Whilst this is happening along the bottom center, The names of production companies involved in making the film are displayed, this is in order to give them recognisiton and credit.

Then, we are introduced to our first character, Jack Black is seen working at a desk, he is shown first because it gives him recognition and also tells the audience that he is one of the main characters in this film. Whilst the camera is showing what the character is doing, in the bottom right hand corner names of actors who are in the film are shown, the first name is Cameron Diaz, this is because in the story line she is one of the main characters and also she is a very well known actress so would be put first out of everyone else in the film, it then goes on to say Kate Winslet and Jack Black etc.

Whilst all this is taking place, narration begins to happen to provide a prologue to the film, this is so that it sets the scene for the people watching the film and helps them gain a better understanding to the character that is speaking. She speaks about love and quotes shakespeares words about love which once again tells the audience that the genre of the film is romance.

The screen slides across to black as the tempo of the music picks up and then the title of the film is shown, it is done like this because when the new shot fades in, it is in a different location with different actors but it tells us that the actions taking place in both different places are happening simultaneously to one another. The next bit of text seen is the names of the people who helped with casting, music and costumes, this is further back in the sequence because they deserve recognition however they are not as important as other names shown earlier.




Friday 25 October 2013

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Opening Sequence



Analysis

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 is the 6th and final in the sequel, the first thing that is shown is the production company 'Summit Entertainment'. This is in red writing which slowly fades into white writing this is foreshadowing what will happen into the film, because people who have seen previous films or have read the book know that Bella will turn into a vampire, so the red fading into the white symbolises this, Relating to this, images of veins are shown with blood being removed from them which also helps in foreshadowing the plot of the story.

Also throughout the title sequence it the camera pans over different scenary this is in order to set the scene and its location in the film. The scenary is shown in dim colours this is in order to set the mood of the film and starts to give an insight of what to expect.

Because the film is a part of a saga it shows a black wolf which relates back to the previous films, in order to highlight that what has been seen before is expected to be shown again in this film. The end of the opening sequence finishes with showing who was the producer and involved in the film which shows that they are not seen as the most key important people but they deserve recognisition.

The final shot of the sequence is the character bella opening her eyes revealing that her eyes are red and has been turned into a vampire this gives away the man story line which would make audiences want to go and see the film because it is the key thing that has been waiting to happen from the start of the saga.

Wednesday 23 October 2013

OUR TASK

Casino Royal Opening sequence



Analysis

Casino Royale was the 2006 James Bond film, with Daniel Craig as the lead actor. The film is twenty-first in the Eon Productions.

James Bond already carries a huge following so although the storyline is not continuing into a sequel film, it still relies heavily on the audience who have already seen previous James Bond films. Another point which would increase the audience numbers is that it is Daniel Craig's first film as 007. This may entice people to see the film as they would be intrigued to see how Craig would compare and see if he would top previous Bonds. Pre sold audience.

url.jpgThe title sequence is animated which breaks convention, throughout the sequence many silouhettes of cards are shown, this symbolises to the audience that the film is probably gambling and card games, as well as this animations of guns are shown along with a silouhetted fight between two men, this highlights again that the genre of the film is action alongside with thriller.