Journal - 20/12/12 Soundtrack and Editing

The website we used to choose our soundtrack was https://audionetwork.lgfl.org.uk this was to ensure we avoided copyright. Before looking at soundtracks we discussed the idea's we had on what tone, pitch and speed we would expect the soundtrack to be like; we all had a slight idea about what we wanted, such as the tempo increasing in speed to suggest a build-up in excitement and an action which may be about to happen. We felt we needed an upbeat tune which would present the characters enthuastic trait and the genre. When searching for our soundtrack we used the key word 'spy' to see what type of music fell under this category, here are some that we analysed:

City Streets: This music was of a techno style and suggested an adult nature which instantly established it wouldn't appeal to our target audience. We really liked the modern feel it had to it and expressed to us our film was set in present time, so we then understood we needed a modern sound to complement our film footage, typography and overall style.

Agent X: When listening to this soundtrack my group didn't like the heavy bass and male domination expressed. It is inappropriate for our target audience and doesn't integrate with our genre of comedy.

Alone In Love: Even though members of my group liked the romantic feeling of this soundtrack we discussed the fact it was a jazz piece mainly recognised in the 1960's era, therefore defeating our modern idea. The low toned instruments also added a sense of sadness and took away the upbeat feel we wanted.

Follow That Car: This was our favourite soundtrack as it had an upbeat feeling which expresses a sense of excitement and a positive outcome to the audience. It also works well with our target audience as we needed a childlike comical tune which would guide you with our images. A member of the group mentioned it reminded them of a couples dance in which it would represent our underlying theme of romance; the fast pace also exceeded our expectations and presented our genre well. Overall we are highly satisfied with this soundtrack and will be using it in our title sequence.

Editing

We went onto editing today because we was unable to get to the location our next shoot would be at. We began by converting all the footage and then placed them in chronological order to give us an understanding of we what had already filmed; as we were doing so we were constantly referring back to our storyboards to ensure we were being accurate. The main focus of this editing session was the speed of our clips, either speeding up or slowing down. I feel it went well because we was able to see the small progress we was making in filming all of our footage.

Below is our flash light test before editing

 

Journal - 17/12/12 Photoshop

Today we filmed our bird poo dropping on the protagonist character, however we found it diffiecult writing the lettering into the cream and so I decided to experiment on photoshop by adding the letters and then adding a dissolved effect to enable it to blend in.I don't feel we will be using this in our final outcome because it is not the same typography as our other casting; but this has given us an idea on what we are expecting the outcome to look like.

Journal - 15/12/12 Birds

Today we decided to have a fun experiment, as in our title sequence we have bird poo falling onto the protagonist's shoulder, therefore we felt it would be interesting to see if we could get a shot of a bird. This also contributed to Daisy's cinematography skills, her knowledge of angles and practising to capture smooth, fast shots with a steady movement. I feel we was successful in our experiment because we all gained knowledge of movement, continuity and the difficulties we may face when filming serious shots.
We are not going to use this shot because we fill it would create a 'jumpy' effect when going from one shot to the other; if we were to use footage of a bird we would need to have a close up, and today we proved that would be impossible.

Receiving feedback on the fonts

Above is the tally where we asked the audience their views and opinions on the fonts in which we gave them the genre and a brief description of the narrative, the results clearly give us a favourable font and my group was satisfied with the results as we all found this font suitable for our title sequence.

Choosing the font and colour

We researched a range of type fonts to see what we felt would work best, we decided to analyse each one to understand the positives and negatives of each one; this will also contribute to our decision when selecting the final font. To help us with our decision we will be taking a tally from the public to see what the preferred font will be ensuring that it is beneficial to our narrative and genre.

 

Font 1

Our group discussed this font with a range of negative comments which included; to feminine, contains swirls and to narrow. When asking the public we received comments that expressed it looked like a signature or it looks elegant and classy. We will not be using this font as it does not convey the comedy aspect of our film and would not appropriate for our  young target audience.

 

Font 2

 

Our group discussed the scratching effect of this font in which we felt it related to the genre horror not comedy. When asking the public, one person thought it was the font used in the opening title sequence Se7en, this concluded this font will not be suitable because it does not enable our narrative to come through, therefore having a negative impact on our sequence.

 

Font 3

 

When discussing this font we felt it was to child like and wouldn't appeal to our secondary audience; a member of my group felt it looked like play dough and didn't like the young feel to it. We want the font to appeal to our target audience in which they are young but not that young.

 

Font 4



This was our favourite font out of the ones previously discussed because we like the idea of it being written by our protagonist; this resembles his importance in the film and enables the audience to understand the comedic and entertaining elements involved in the characters traits. We also feel the font is smooth and accurate without it being to 'thoughtout', this contributes to the comical aspect of our film. A member of the group also felt our target audience could relate and understand the font as it represents handwriting. Overall we really like this font and when asking the audience this font received the most positive feedback and votes on our tally, therefore we will be using it in our opening title sequence.

 

Deciding on the font colour

We discussed the connotations of colour to ensure that it would give our title sequence a positive feel.



Red: The first colour we discussed was red because we felt it didn't have a direct gender associated with it, therefore appealing to our target audience. But we felt this wouldn't be a suitable font because of the connotations of blood, danger and romance, even though we do have an underlying theme of romance the colour will not represent our narrative or genre.

 

Blue: The next colour we discussed was blue, prominently associated with a masculine colour we felt it would be appropriate for our main target audience. However, the connotations of blue are depressed and loneliness which would not be suitable for a younger audience although these feelings are expressed when our protagonist loses a family member (his grandmother.)

 

Black: The final colour we discussed was black as we felt it would reinforce the handwriting font, it would also represent a modern style. The connotations of black consist heavily of negativity but we feel this will not be presented strongly and will be easily overlooked because of the font, props and soundtrack used in which a humorous atmosphere will be felt. 

Lesson Notes - 14/12/12

Typography

The aim of this  lesson was to understand what typography, design and the way in which the titles appear communicate to the audience.

Throughout the lesson I considered these connotations: Genre

                                                                        Style/ Mood

                                                                                          Possible narratives

                                                                                          Production values

                                                                                          Themes

Regular way of the order of the titles:

1. Name of studio
2. Name of production company
3. Producer name
4. Starring  - Starting with main characters
5. Featuring - Featured actors
6. Casting director
7. Composer of music
8. Production designer
9. Editor
10. Director of photography
11. Producer
12. Writer/Writers
13. Director

Now I have a good understanding in the way in which titles appear, I feel I will be able to apply this to my title sequence and consider the order of my cast and featured actors.

Analysing Typography

 

Catch Me If You Can



- Titles integrated ( Apart of the action.)

- The sequence is stylised and modern which works alongside Jazz music

- The geometric shapes, colours and lines are influenced by Saul Bass's style and             

techniques.

- Moves smoothly which makes the sequence flow with elegance; movement also suggests a sense of travelling may be involved.

- Suave and sophisticated

- Informal, representing a non serious character; it also foreshadows a humorous aspect

- High production values

- Sans Serif

- Typewriter hints the era of the film is 1960's and the significance of the object

 

I really enjoyed this title sequence and the way in which a range of things such as the genre and era can be identified through the typography used. From this sequence I have taken into consideration how important the typography is and want my title sequence to represent the protagonist and genre through the use of typography.

 

Seven

 - Distorted typography represents the characters state of mind

- Sharp lines foreshadows violence, weapons and suggested murder

- Handwritten giving the audience a sense of the character and suggests a mental illness ( Not stable.) Also gives us a theme of identity.

- Colour of typography is dull and faded looking, this foreshadows a fading character or death.

I like the typography used in this title sequence because it immediately suggests violence and the movement of it allows to identify the genre is a thriller. I really like how you are able to identify so many key/ important aspects of the film just through a simple thing such as

typography. Although now i realise it isn't as simple as I first believed it to be.

Lord Of War

- Not integrated

- Subtle

- Small scale

- Russian Military

- Square suggests not friendly

My most favourite thing about this title sequence was the camera angle, I really like the way in which the audience gets a point of view from an object; the bullet.

 

Forest Gump

- Serrif 

- Similar to Times New Roman

- Constant position, colour and font style. Suggests a continuous character trait.

- Subtle and delicate

- White suggests purity and innocence

- The film is timeless

 

Journal - 10/12/12 First Shoot

Today we began our first shoot, as the location manager I was able to find a location in the school which resembled an office, this to ensure our title sequence has a sense of realism and belief. To succeed in our intended background we used the green screen, this means we will be able edit the background in, further on in the production.

 

As the props manager I decided to use classic office essentials such as pens, paper and a comical 'spinning' chair, I also decided to use not so essential office props such as a plant pot. 

To ensure our genre; action/ comedy was continuous throughout filming I made sure the costume of the actor was accurate to the protagonist's personality, job description and what it would represent to the audience. When analysing similar action, comedy films the common costume was a smart, sleek suit and so that is what we decided on.

 To achieve the smooth camera movement we used a dolly, this meant the outcome was sophisticated and successful.

Assigned Roles

In our groups we have assigned individual roles for each person these include a director, props, makeup and location manager, continuity manager and a cinematographer. My selected role is the props, makeup and location manager, this means I will have to find suitable locations for our filming; I will need to check if we need permission to shoot there and understand what we will need to film to enable a successful outcome. I will also have the responsibility of the props that will be needed at each filming session; I feel to be successful in this area I will need to be organised and know what we need  and when. Overall my role is going to contribute to a successful title sequence with appropriate locations and props.

Cinematographer
We decided to assign Daisy to the cinematography as we feel she has a good understanding of camera angles, movements and positions. She is also able to follow a storyboard ensuring the outcome is as smooth and sophisticated as we expect.

Director and Producer
We selected Nicola as the director and producer as we felt she is very organised and has good experience with creating film sequences. Her role will include ensuring everything is up to date, being aware of everything taking place and obtaining everyone is up to date.

Continuity Manager
Thomas is the continuity manager as he understands the rules of filming and will ensure we do not create any mistakes; this will provide the group with a successful outcome with no mistakes.

Brainstorming and Story Board

My group used a spider diagram to present the ideas we have for the title sequence, this gave everyone the opportunity to discuss and explain props, locations, actions etc. they would expect in our final outcome. From the discussion and diagram we came up with the themes love, friendship, family and stupidity, we will be presenting these through the use of iconography and characters personality traits, which would include bird poo for stupidity; confetti, wedding ring and a camera flash for the themes love and friendship. My group also wants to represent the genre and the spy theme of the film through the title sequence and so will be using stereotypical iconography such as a magnifying glass. I feel this group work helped everyone understand every ones opinions and ideas, this was successful because we was able to form final ideas which completed every ones expectations.

 

 

We then went onto storyboarding where we placed our ideas into an appropriate order, this enables our title sequence to flow in a continuous and sophisticated way. We also added the cinematography we will be using and the sound/ dialogue which will be included in the shot; this will help us throughout the shooting of our title sequence because we will be able to refer back to it.
 Because our target audience is aimed at younger children we decided to add humour to engage the audience and to involve them in the narrative.
We chose not to show the main characters face because we wanted to reinforce the fact he is a spy and has a hidden identity.
The storyboarding has given us an understanding of the locations and the development throughout the process of our title sequence.

 

Blog Feedback

To improve my blog from the comments I received I added screen shots into my analysis to create a visual comparison between my writing and the image. I also created a journal label where I will be weekly documenting my title sequence progress. Other than that I feel my blog is visually appealing and is regularly up to date.

Audience Profile

Kyle Cooper Presentation

Kyle cooper presentation from Nicolavickery

Film Studios 26/11/12

The aim of this lesson was to be able to indicate how films are produced and distributed. We also needed to research and decide upon the film studio's we would be using to produce and distribute our film Call Me Mr. Teddy.

We began by listing as many film studios as we could:
- Warner Brothers
- Universal
- Columbia Pictures
- Pixar
- Walt Disney
- 20th Century Fox
- Lionsgate
- Spy Glass
- Lakeshore
- Sony
- MGM
- Touchstone
- Paramount
- Happy Madison
- eone
- New line cinema

Main studios operating today:
- 20th Century Fox
- Columbia/Sony
- Paramount
- Universal
- Walt Disney
- Warner Brothers

What is a film studio and what does it do?
A film studio is a company that produces and/or distributes motion pictures.

Keywords:
Niche - A small group of people with a particularly shared interest.
Synergy-The interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects - this saves money.

                                                                   Production System                                             

 What does a distributor do?

The distributor company is in charge of getting the film out to audiences, this involves organising for the film to receive an age certificate by regulation bodies, such as the BBFC and MPAA; arranging exhibition outlets globally and DVD/television rights; arranging for prints of the film, marketing and gaining publicity, and the promotion of the film.

Film Studio Research

Film Studio research task on Prezi

Saul Bass Presentation

Foley Sound Fight Sequence

This task involved editing and filming a title sequence, once this stage was completed we muted the sound to add Foley sound; this would emphasis the sound created and form a sense of realism for the audience. This task involved editing and filming a title sequence, once this stage was completed we muted the sound to add Foley sound; this would emphasis the sound created and form a sense of realism for the audience. We began by brainstorming potential ideas, after every ones contributions we narrowed it down and then chose our favourite story. We then used a storyboard to plan and layout our idea; I really like using this technique because it presents our idea in a visual form and gives us accurate information we may need whilst filming. After completing this stage we went onto to filming our sequence and then edited it to form a clear storyline involving a long shot, close up and a point of view. Once completed we proceeded to watching the clip several times to understand what sound we needed, we then went onto creating the Foley sound; we did this by using carrots and celery for the crushing of bones, walnuts for the walking stick, creaky door, light switch, phone beep etc. In order to have our sounds in sync with the movement in the sequence we watched and created the sound at the same pace as on screen; I found this quite difficult at first because it was hard to form the sound at the right time, but after some practise it became easier. Once satisfied with the sound outcomes it was time to involve it in the sequence, we did this on final cut pro which made it simple to sync the sound in the right places. Overall this task helped me understand the importance of Foley sound, to emphasis key points and create a sense of realism. I learnt how to create suitable/believable sounds using everyday objects, and this task will help me when creating my title sequence because I now have the knowledge to form, edit and create an effective outcome involving sound.

Genre 19/11/12

The aim of this lesson was to understand how we recognised genre, we began by watching a film titled 'The Game'; we watched it several times - this allowed us to identify key aspects E.g. Setting, themes etc.
To help me discover the main points I used the technique known as 'STINCS', which I had learnt in my previous lesson. 

Setting - 1960's, big house (country house), birthday party.

Theme - Friendship, Family, Love, Loneliness, Neglect, Identity (Father Figure), Childhood, Age and Physiological.

Iconography - Black clothing of a child may represent he is evil as he pushes another child into a pool, this juxtaposes with another child in white which connotes purity - these suggest a positive and negative tone/ personality.
The child is then left standing on his own as the father walks away - this shows how the father wants to be seen as a loving family; as he stood next to his son for a capturing of a photo. However the family is truly broken underneath.

Narrative - The film is about a man who appears to be depressed with negative thoughts, he is trying to escape from his life because he doesn't know who his true identity is. He then makes a decision which changes his life dramatically, in which the results may not be positive. So does the outcome contain a happy ending? - this sets off an enigma to the audience.

Style -Puzzles falling apart is in sync with the film's name, and may foreshadow how something breaks down in the film; whether it be of a person/character we are yet to know. Old style - E.g. the film reel could represent the characters past, maybe regret?
Orange tone - Represents the ageing of something but could also foreshadow a fire.
Music is calm and elegant, this builds up tension and sets off an enigma, the use of a piano is significant because this intrument is created for only one person which reinforces the theme loneliness and could show he is left to play on his own because his father walked away.

How can we tell 'The Game' is a thriller? 
Colours involve mainly black and white, which is dark.
Lighting is also dark and mysterious.
Hint of sinister - child pushes other child in pool.
Child being left on his own.
Splashing of water over face.
Orange toned.

Sound Design - 5/11/12

The aim of this lesson was to be able to indicate what the three different types of sound design are.

What is sound design?
Sound design is the creation and layering of dialogue, background noise and other sound effects to create a sophisticated and aural enivronment.
What does it involves?

Diegetic Sound: Sound which exists in the world of the film.

Non-digetic: Sound which does not exist in the world of the film.

Incidental sound/ music: Music added to enhance the feeling/ mood of a scene.

Contrapuntal sound/music: Music which doesn't seem to 'fit' the scene.

Sound bridge: Music/ sound effects which create a transition between two scenes.

Dialogue: Characters speaking.

Voice over: Non-digetic - usually the voice of a character- narrator or their thoughts.

Foley: Enhancement of sounds carried out in editing.

Three main styles
Realism: Natural sounds which are realistic to the viewer.
Hyper-realism: Exaggeration of sounds
Unrealism/Surrealism: Sound which wouldn't normally be heard; doesn't 'fit' the scene (unrealistic)

Key Points
Dialogue track: Dialogue recorded separately
Wild track: Audio which is recorded but is not in sync with the footage E.g. Rainforest background noises.
Foley track: The use of additional sound.
Soundtrack: Adding music

Johnny English Reborn Title Sequence

For this task my group had to choose a similar film to our one, in which we would analyse the title sequence. We chose this film because it met many of our expectations for our film and also included one of the actors we will be using to play a similar role to the one presented here.

The title sequence opens with a split screen, one containing a man and the other a computer like system, this represents a sense of organisation because both screens are symmetrical to one another. His deep red clothing can foreshadow blood and violence but this juxtaposes with the style of the clothing as it appears to resemble a traditional Buddhist Chivara (Robe) which resembles a sign of peace. The typeface resembles a keyboard font in which the letters appear as if you are typing them; this technique involves the audience by making them feel a part of the action. The fact the letters are appearing at a fast pace may foreshadow the life of the agent and how everything is always happening so quickly. The font is also presented in capital letters which gives the sense of urgency and importance and the white colour of the font connotes purity but this conflicts with the black background which suggests an evil side – this gives the audience an insight to personality traits we may see throughout the film. We only see the last name of the character which can show he has a hidden identity, this is a key aspect in most action films – this also creates an enigma because you want to find out who this character really is. The photo then breaks away into an image of an earth which may foreshadow how earth breaks the character up, this suggests conflict and defeat. We can clearly understand that this character is on a plane because of the text, this gives the hint of travelling which is another key aspect to the genre, and the futuristic image suggests hi- technology will be featured in the film. The movement of the line can show the travel of the character but the fact the line is red connotes blood and violence which can show how his journeys will not be peaceful.

We then see an image of an explosion with a man in a smart suit walking through it but his face is not shown which conceals his identity, the movement is slow which emphasises the character is undefeatable but this juxtaposes with the other image; the explosion has completely hidden the name which suggests the fire has beaten him. However a silhouette of a gun is then shown among the explosion which foreshadows the agent fighting back, this could also show how he has caused this dramatic event; the faded circular image around the gun reminds me of a dial you would see in a car which suggests speed and action. The orange toned fire is an opposition to the blue earth, this also suggest violence and conflict.

The actors name then slides in, this is at a slant which is evidence of the speed related to this character, the fact there is a bright light reflecting off of the font shows how the actor will be playing the protagonist, because light is seen as a sign of hope.  

He is wearing a smart suit with a bow tie which suggests wealth and pride; it also shows the audience it will be a modern film. And then 8 seconds into the title sequence we get our first glimpse of the agents face, but the quick shot does not reveal who he really is. However it does suggest a comedic side to the film as the character is seen to be blowing the smoke away from his gun; this is often seen as a humorous action and foreshadows the agent winning his battle – which also gives you an insight to the outcome of the film.

The continuous use of split screen gives a slight sense of confusion which could portray the character’s personality which creates a sub-genre to this film: comedy. We then see a shot of the character but he has his back to the audience as a poker chip roles onto the screen, he quickly turns around and shoots it; this suggests gambling will be a part of the film and the fact the chip is seen to be of a larger scale of the character may suggest how gambling may overcome him and be a problem. However he then shoots the chip which shows he will not be beaten by anything, the circular shape suggests how the agent’s life is never ending and the rolling movement resembles how he is always moving. This could also be representation of a car wheel because it reminded me of Casino Royale which involves action iconography; this reference creates another hint of comedy because the protagonist is a well-known actor known for his funny roles. The small red hearts on the chip could also foreshadow romance, but the smaller scale of them shows how it is less important than his work. As the chip is shot, it spinning towards the audience which involves them into the action, it also suggests how he is protecting everyone from bad deeds/harm because he has destroyed a gold poker chip. The gold colour connotes wealth which suggests the character’s class.

A simple outline of a target is then shown which suggests how the character is always aware of the antagonist and is always prepared to take action with accurate outcomes. The use of the image of the agent’s hand holding a gun shows how he is independent and is able to work on his own but produce good outcomes – as the audience we know having five hands is abnormal which symbolises this character isn’t normal and can work as if it was many people working together. This action also reminded me of a five star rating which shows he has outstanding expectations. The fact he is seen next to this image doing some ‘kung fu’ action moves yet again suggests comedy, because these actions are not seen as serious which shows how the violence will not be as serious as we first thought towards the beginning of the sequence. This also suggests the target audience of this film will be children because the agent uses childlike movements to portray his character.

The circular image is then changed to a roulette table which reinforces the gambling aspect of the film; this shows how the gambling will play an important role in the action because the previous image was of a gun. This could also present an antagonist to the character because even though he thought he had previously destroyed it, it came back.

Another character is then shown; it is a silhouette of a woman, this shot appears to be slower than the previous fast paced ones, this emphasises the femininity of the character and the elegance she with holds. The shape of her body is emphasised as she slightly moves which contributes to the male gaze, this could also imply a romance as her hand reaches out, this may foreshadow she is reaching out for the agent; the fact she is shown in front of fire also shows she is undefeatable which presents how she has a similar personality to the agent creating a ‘perfect’ love story throughout the narrative.

A close up of the protagonist is then shown, he is facing forward in the foreground showing he is superior compared to the small scale woman dancing in the background. Her movements emphasise her body shape which yet again shows the target audience to consist of men because of the male gaze. The fact the woman is duplicated three times suggests the agent is irresistible and attracts many people. The protagonist in the foreground shoots one of the names shown, this may give the audience an insight to who may be playing the role of the antagonist, the font is silvery, metallic which shows strength, and the way in which the agent looks at the audience as he is shooting shows another sense of humour; it could also show his confidence in himself because there was no need for him to aim at his target. The slight raise of an eyebrow makes the audience feel more involved as it is like he is in front of you, and shows how you should be impressed with his skills – like you were not expecting the action.

Images of a target then reveal the location of the film which is London, this setting would be accepted by the audience as many action films have been shot there, and it is sync with the title of the film Johnny English.

The split screen then stops and puts the main focus on a taxi travelling at high speeds, the red bus is a typical icon of London and the traffic cones in the back ground could foreshadow this action coming to an unexpected halt!

The music throughout the sequence is of a fast pace and upbeat suggesting a joyful mood but this suddenly pauses when a shot of the protagonist is shown, he has he legs crossed in silence; this refers back to the beginning of the sequence and his Buddhist clothing. This could be an indication of his faith but the setting of a taxi shows how this is not to be taken seriously. As the audience we are facing the character which shows how we will have an involvement in the film, but the fact the driver is not shown suggests a hidden identity and gives the audience an enigma to why the driver is being kept in secrecy when he is a huge part of the action?

Overall I feel this title sequence analysis has expanded my knowledge on action, comedy films because it has presented several ways in which I can present my title sequence to involve my genre and sub-genre.

22/10/12

This lesson consisted of the title sequence 'Se7en', we each got given a question on a micro feature which we had to analyse and complete. I was given "What is the effect of the music throughout the title sequence?"

The opening sequence begins with a loud, explosion like sound; this gave the effect of my heart beaten fast as it put me on edge from the very beginning. I feel this impact of the opening creates a foreshadowing of conflict and violence. The repetitive sieve sound reminded me of a slight metal sound and may express violence, the squeaky door then gave a creepy feeling, as if someone is trying not to be seen - opens the door slowly. A constant scratching sound creates a mysterious setting with an uncomfortable feeling. The music could foreshadow the destructive consequence of the film, and the reparative beat may represent the heartbeat of the character, as it doesn't change pace which gives us an insight to the character's personality- not fazed by anything/ use to the things he is doing.

The repetitive sounds also builds up tension, the audience is waiting for something to happen, it could also represent how the narrative is quite repetitive and the actions never ending E.g. Slicing layers of skin off thumb is shown several times. The sound then begins to slightly increase its pace which could foreshadow something is getting closer; this contributes to the audiences enigma because they are yet to discover what it is. Towards the ending of the sequence the only words spoken are "You’re getting closer to God", these emphasises the seven sins and shows how death may be near.

Overall I feel this lesson contributed to my knowledge of the use of sound and showed how sounds can have a deeper meaning than what’s seen on the surface E.g. Scratch sounds may be a representation of violence.

Analysing the title sequence Splice to discover genre

Colour: The constant use of green connotes organic and nature, at first I felt it looked like a close up of a leaf but then I came to the conclusion the colour was representing a scientific aspect which gave us an insight to the genre.

Camera: The camera moves in a smooth, floaty way; this suggests it is free to move which we later discover it is how the creature in the womb moves.

Music: The use of a piano connotes a peaceful environment but is disturbed by the stringed instruments, this juxtaposition could foreshadow conflict.

Personal Notes: Microbe/ bacteria - disease?
                          Scales - sea creature?
                          Alien - science fiction
                          Circular light - birth.. Connects the start and end of life.

Setting: Where/ when the film is set
Theme: Overall mood and tone, what it is really about E.g. Love, jealousy, voyeurism.
Iconography: Costume, Props, Makeup etc - relevant to genre.
Narrative: What the story is about.
Characters: Who are they? What are they like - Protagonist, Antagonist
Style: Cinematography,Sound,Editing.What the film will look like/feel like throughout the film.

I feel 'STINCS' will be very helpful when analysing title sequences in the future because it breaks down each section i need to look at and identify.

 

The Art Of Film Title Design Throughtout Cinema History

Titles in silent film –I chose this topic because I really like how it involves a technique which is rarely used in today’s film productions. I find it interesting how the titles would not present the narrative or genre through what they say or the typography used. The limit use of colour – black and white also meant the story, emotion and tone were unidentified. I find this interesting because when comparing these designs to modern ones it seems unbelievable that films attracted so many people; but I appreciate this technique was the first of its kind and would have been quite astonishing when the world didn’t have the constant access to films or the creation of coloured screens. I couldn’t imagine how I would feel about a film if the title sequence consisted of a black screen presenting white words, I don’t feel I would be interested because of the lack of knowledge I would have about the film. Modern title sequences are very important as it consists of the genre, themes, some character and personalities etc. and the typography represents so much detail and impact the film may have within itself E.g. Sharp, vivid edges to a letters would represent anger and violence compared to a curved letter which would show elegance and would set a calm mood.

I found the similarities of The Man With The Golden Arm and Monsters Inc titles sequence very interesting because they were created years apart, one in a classical time period and the other in the recent modern times but they both almost mirrored each other in there visual and audio contributions. I really like this idea because it shows how older designs are being used to inspire the title sequences of today. The use of geometric shapes are simple but effective and this is presented through both sequences. The similarities in the audio was shocking because they both present different genres and themes – The Man With The Golden Arm is an American drama which involves a heroin addict and Monsters Inc a fantasy, adventure film created for young children and families, it is fun filled and humorous.

Another part of the movement in film studies included a breakthrough in which typography interacted with metaphorical imagery to create its own world; the designers of this technique included Saul Bass and Pablo   Ferro. I really like this milestone in the film industry because it not only made me appreciate the design of film titles and the imagination needed to create such dynamic imagery, but it also made me feel as if it is more of an art form because it needs creativity and enthusiasm to present these moving images to an audience in which they had to understand the detail and ideas behind the directors/designers intentions. I also appreciated the creations because of limited technology back then compared to the hi- tech tools we have today; I really found it interesting learning that the designer Maurice Binder worked on the 007 gun- barrel sequence which has now become an iconic aspect to the agent and has been seen by millions. – This shows how the simple design is so effective.

I really enjoyed the power of minimalism because in today’s film industry title sequences often involve many imageries and a dramatic typography which is effective but often not simple. It was interesting to see the simple title sequences such as ‘Alien’ (1979) because I found it truly expressive even though it had little detail. I really like the typography used because it creates and enigma to its audience because we want to know why it is presented with that appearance. The limited colour also creates an effective idea because the black and white form conflict between each other which could foreshadow the conflict in the film.

 

Overall I really enjoyed learning about the developments in the film industry because each one I have previously mentioned has created such a large impact on how title sequences are created today; they include all the movements such as typography – which was a huge leap in title sequences because the typography used back then still inspires modern designs. I find it truly amazing to see how quickly the film industry has developed and wonder how much more the industry will move on.

Feedback

The feedback we received for our presentation included positive and negative aspects, I feel this feedback will help us with the future of our film Mr.Teddy because it presented to us our good ideas and the improvements we need to make, whether that be with our themes, casting, budget etc.

The negative feedback included the budget and how it may be to large and ambitious, but  fortunately my group did a wide range of research to form our budget getting figures from films similar to ours, including; Get Smart and Johnny English. We also considered the budget of the actors playing the main roles E.g. Eddie Murphy in which we looked into their average income for each film. Overall we did not feel the need to improve our budget as we felt it was a good estimate, giving all the research we had previously done and the accuracy presented through it.

Another negative feedback was what our film consisted of, people felt it was to predictable and had been done before, however my group was happy with our idea and the narrative as we wanted to follow a traditional story in the genre we had chosen. We understand that we need a selling point and this is within the cast we have chosen; although the cast was another negative point in which people didn't feel it was right to include to main comedians, playing two main roles; they thought it just wouldn't work. But our main idea for selecting these actors was to have a 'dumb and dumber' feel, this would create twice the humorous atmosphere with both characters bringing there own personality, while presenting the characters in which we want them to portray; therefore we did not feel there was a major reason to redevelop our cast list and felt happy with our decisions, we are hoping they will bring double the smiles and laughter.

The negative comment referring to 'too many underlying themes' was gladly appreciated because when looking over our PowerPoint we could understand the point, we felt it would be quite difficult to present all these themes in one film because it would create confusion about the whole atmosphere/tone of our nuclear family film; to improve this aspect we are going to narrow our themes down and limit the ones we represent to create a well structured film in which everyone will enjoy and understand.

The positive feedback was absorbed well as it reinforced our idea's and inspired us to consider improvements, it also gave us confidence in our future film.

Presentation

The presenting of our film was a scary thought, having to explain the idea and getting them to understand it without overcrowding our thoughts and opinions on it appeared quite difficult to begin with. When presenting I was quite nervous but found the whole experience quite exciting because it is going to help the progress within our film and title sequence and made me appreciate the aspects of presenting; because it not only gave me confidence in our idea but also showed us the areas we need to improve on.

 

 

 

 

Saul Bass - The Man With The Golden Arm

The title sequence opens with a simple vertical line, the colours black and white create a sense of conflict which could foreshadow disruption. The colour white connotes purity and innocence and the black evil and death.

The coming together of three lines could represent teamwork or support. However, the fact the lines are of different lengths could show how someone is more superior to others and how equality doesn't exist.

These four lines may foreshadow the sense of conflict and collision, but it could also show the a equality within the film because each line is symmetrical to the other.

The movement of several lines creates a sense of distortion and foreshadows a weak sense of mind; the fact they are randomly moving suggests no control.

The image of a hand is very significant because it is positioned in the centre of the shot, making it the main focus. It also has a larger scale than previous lines which shows it's superior and has a sense of strength. The 'wonky' arm suggests an uncomfortable lifestyle or harm.

 The fact the arm fades out into darkness suggests the arm will eventually end 'something' - this creates an enigma to why the arm is so important.

 Overall I really liked the use of simple shapes and colours to create a underlying meaning, I feel this will help me when creating my title sequence because it has shown how a title sequence doesn't have to be over complicated in order for it to be effective and successful.