Title Sequences

Next lesson we will be looking at title sequences and their significance, so here is some of my research into different title sequences;


The opening sequence for Panic Room didn't really build up any dramatic tension whilst I was watching it and it didn't really make me want to continue watching it. This might be because it didn't hint to anything about the story, other than where it was set. Although I thought the credits were done in a clever way.

>> WATCHMEN
<< I couldn't embed this video (click on the link) of the opening sequence from the film Watchmen, but I wanted to post it on my blog because I really like the effects they've used on the opening credits. Unlike Panic Room, the opening sequence gives the audience an idea of what the film is going to be about. It shows a timeline of the success'and failures of a certain group of characters. I enjoyed watching the credits and it was not boring as it established the characters' background stories and set the scene for the rest of the film. My favourite effect on it was the way it showed people having their picture taken and then in slow motion you saw the action that was occuring (at first the audience thinks it's just a snapshot). Perhaps some of the aspects of this type of opening sequence could be used in our groups film opening.

(Here is a link to a website that we are using to understand the importance of an effective title sequence)

'Zombieland'

Saw the film 'Zombieland' last night at the cinema. It was directed by Ruben Fleischer and it's a horror comedy. I went into it thinking it was just going to be a rip off of Shaun of the Dead - nothing beats Simon Pegg and Nick Frost - but by the end of the film, I was convinced that it was a completely different style of "ZomCom".
It was a very surreal film but I really liked the way it had been produced. As the story goes on, the main character narrates to the audience the rules of survival in 'Zombieland' and as he does so they appear on the screen and they move along with his movements or the action that is going on in the film.
For example, in one scene the four survivors go into a shop and begin to smash everything up and compeltely ruin it. As they are leaving, one of the lights is swinging from the ceiling and the words 'Rule #32: ENJOY THE LITTLE THINGS' come up in line with the light and they swing with the light.
I really liked this effect because it happened throughout the film and it helped me as an audience member to get inside the mind of the characters and the way they had to think in order to survive.
Another effective aspect of the production of the film was the music and lighting used together in order to build up dramatic tension and to inform the viewer that something bad is going to happen. For example, when they go into the shop checking for any zombies, the lighting is very dark, making it mysterious and extremely tense.
Also, the gory parts of the film were much more realistic than those in Shaun of the Dead which shows how much editing technology must have progressed since 2004.
Not as funny as Shaun of the Dead, but a great film all the same, watch it!

Our Script...

This is our group's script for the preliminary exercise;

Charlotte: Wanna be startin' something?
Sarah: You gotta be startin' something.
Charlotte: It's too high to get over.
Sarah: Yeah, yeah.
Charlotte: Too low to get under.
Sarah: Yeah, yeah.
Charlotte: You're stuck in the middle.
Sarah: And the pain is thunder.

Other Groups' Preliminary Tasks

In yesterday's lesson, we were observing the other groups as they filmed the different shots for their prelim. tasks. It was interesting to see the different ideas they came up with as they were filming and getting into the mindset of being behind a camera. Each group was thinking very carefully about how the shots would be seen by the audience and this prompted them to change their ideas slightly in some cases.
Some of the groups added in extra shots to enhance their film. For example, one group had a phone call in their script so they included a close up shot of the phone's screen as it was ringing.
Another two groups did a pan shot of one of their characters walking in and the last group did two point of view shots where they positioned the camera in place of both characters.
It was good to watch all this going on because it helped us to understand the range of different things we could do whilst filming.

180 Degree Rule Research

The 180° rule is a basic guideline in film making that states that two characters (or other elements) in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera passes over the imaginary axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line. The new shot, from the opposite side, is known as a reverse angle.
(http://www.wikipedia.org/)

Filming Our Preliminary Exercise

On Friday, our group was first up to film our prelim. task using the 180 degree rule. Myself and Aimie were directing it and Charlotte and Sarah were acting in it, although we all contributed ideas for every aspect of it. (We've got to get used to using phrases like 'cut', 'take 2', etc. because it makes it a lot easier to edit later, but we kept forgetting which take we were on, so next time we will be making notes as we go along.)
We started off with a two shot directly in front/in the centre of the tables that Charlotte and Sarah were sitting at. This shot helps the audience know where the girls are sitting in the room and all the other shots must match up with that, otherwise the viewer is left confused.
For example, when we did the next two camera angles (over the shoulder shots of both Charlotte and Sarah) we had to pace out the distance between the camera and the table to make sure that when we moved the camera to the other side, Sarah and Charlotte's eyeline's would match up and the angle would be the same.
We also did a long shot of Charlotte storming past the door, then angrily bursting through the door when she realises Sarah is in the room (because our script was the lyrics to Michael Jackson's song, 'Wanna be starting something'). We then thought it would be a good idea to have a close up shot of Charlotte's face appearing at the door but when we tried to do this the lighting wasn't right and the shadows stopped us from being able to see her face properly and we couldn't even pull down the blinds of turn the lights of because that would ruin the continuity of the shots.
Instead, we got a close up of Sarah's face looking terrified when she notices charlotte coming through the door.
We also changed our storyboard slightly to fit our new ideas e.g. the close ups, etc.
Now we have to edit what we've got and we can do this as soon as all the other groups have finished filming theirs.

Preliminary Exercise Preparation

In yesterdays lesson we were preparing in our groups for the filming of the prelim exercise. Our group discussed who would be "acting" in it, what they would say and how we might edit it. We decided that we might want to use song lyrics as our script but we still haven't decided what song, although we have a few hilarious ideas...! Sarah and Charlotte are going to star in our prelim exercise and myself and Aimie are going to direct the exercise.