Wednesday, 30 September 2015
RESEARCH- Post 6- Analysing 2 Film Title sequences
'Legally Blonde' (2001)
Start of the Film; The company name was visible ''Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures'' as well as a distinctive soundtrack which clearly contributes to creating the atmosphere of the film- typical american teenage girl track.
Who are we introduced to? ; Interestingly, in this title sequence the title appears at the start of the film whereas majority usually occur at the very end. The moving images of a girl brushing her blonde hair may hint us of the main character or part of the plot. There is also a set location, although the girl rides her bicycle through different parts of town and name of the actors and also incorporated into that.
Plot or story revealed at the beginning? ; The plot of the film is somewhat revealed in the start, the blonde girl riding a bike through town which continues until the end till the start of the film.
Are title credits used? ; There is a title at the beginning of the title sequence, as well as them being integrated into the moving images as the titles overlap them throughout.
Is the genre of the theme evident? ; The song along with the use of moving images- the characters, indicate to the audience that the movie is perhaps about teenagers and school. It also gives off a girly vibe further contributing to the belief of it being a 'teenage flick' set in america, which most are.
'Black Swan' (2010)
Start of the Film; The company name appears first at the start 'Fox searchlight presents', followed by the names of main actors starring. There is a classical music soundtrack which helps to create an atmosphere, which leaves the audience thinking if the plot is about ballet.
Who and what are we introduced to? ; Initially, the main actress' and actors names appear. The imagery used as well as moving images consists of a black and white filter which create a somewhat dark and dramatic mood.
Is the plot revealed at the start? ; It is, it is about dance- ballet. It is introductory to the plot, it gives us a taste of what is there to come, yet without giving too much away.
Are title credits used? ; There is an edit applied to the title sequence hinting the story and it's inevitable darkness. The title at the end is black on a white background, it looks like it was created by using ink for effect.
How do I know the genre of the film? ; It could potentially be a thriller or a horror movie. Although, because I have watched it previously I know the plot and it is difficult to categorise and movie about psychological incidents and dance combined.
RESEARCH - Post 5- Kyle Cooper on what makes a good title sequence -
Dear Reader,
In the video ''watching'' Kyle Cooper talks about what makes a good title sequence. He admitted to including a set expectation, so that the audience forgets about everything else that is happening around them or in their minds.
Moreover, he went onto talking about the movie 'Seven'' in which he discussed what is important about the fonts used, he stated that it was important to use a handwritten font as well as using typography to his advantage to set an overall tone.
In the ''Dead zone'', Cooper used simple typography as well as ''great mysterious music''. Its evident that each movie has a different typography style and what creates the overall theme, that's how each movie differentiates. He then continued into ''to Kill a Mocking Bird'' which he went onto stating that it encapsulated the main characters obsession, the marbles distorted the background which created a contrast and the typography was integrated.
The title sequences become important for the studio as they contain prolonged snippets of information, which give away some story from the overall plot.
Overall, the way the film opening can attract the audience is through typography which captivates the audiences attention as it takes up the whole of two and a half minutes of the intro. It can also attract an audience through the effective pick of a soundtrack which should contribute to the chosen genre of the movie, like Cooper stated the ''Dead zone'' had great mysterious music which added to the effect and the atmosphere was created at the very start.
-M
RESEARCH - Post 4- Attracting an Audience
- Documentary ''Watching'' - with Kyle Cooper
~Kyle Cooper is accredited with single handedly vitalising the main sequence as an art form. In 1995 for his work 'Seven' he was hailed by the New York Times magazine as one of the most important design innovations of the 90's.
~ He discussed what makes a good title sequence and he talked about setting an expectation, making the audience forget everything else and focus only on the film in front of them- getting them excited.
~The opening in the film Seven consisted of effective typography, which Cooper discussed in his interview. He used a handwritten font as the serial killer kept a journal, this sets an overall impression as well as adding overall tone to the film. Typography was a tool he used for effect.
~Cooper thought title sequences are important to film as they help the movie, help the audience understand what will inevitably unravel in front of them.
They also tell the back story- ''putting you (the audience) where you need to be at the start of the film''.
RESEARCH -Post 3- Purpose of a Title Sequence and Film Openings?
My initial thought when answering this question about the purpose of the title sequence and a film opening was ways to inform the audience of things such as the main actors and directors partaking in the making of the movie. Yet, there was much more to this.
In class we have discussed and analysed three different film openings from three different genres. The first film opening I analysed was ''Hackers'' made in 1995, which consisted of the company behind the making - ''United Artist Pictures''. It also included the main actor names,editors and producers which were chosen to be recognised in the opening. Moving onto the other two, same applies, all of the film openings had the main movie title revealed at the end in bold and edited for effect. There were many similarities for example; main title at the end, actor names, credits to producers and the main creative s, soundtrack and landscape scenery images or short clips. The film openings will establish the genre of the whole movie and what atmosphere it creates. A film's opening sequence may also feature idents which are mini graphic pre-film videos - promotional sequence, it's a critical part of a TV stations brand identity. A film may also consist of an opening quote which has to do with the movie and perhaps its meaning, it sets the mood. I have also learnt that not all film sequences have to introduce the main title at the end, for example-''The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'' movie has included its title at the start of the film opening.
Interestingly, not all film openings contain moving video shots that hint us what the film is about, like the ''Legally Blonde'' movie consists of a blonde haired girl riding a bike through town continuing into the plot of the story, whereas in other film openings they do not reveal the plot. The purpose of the Title sequence and a Film opening is first and foremost crediting and showcasing the crew and cast involved in the production. In a way it promotes the cast, consequently developing a positive association with a particular genre or company. It can also be a sign of status.
There are also logos incorporated into the film opening showing the companies involved. Perhaps this advertises the company and can establish expectation in an audience.
-M
In class we have discussed and analysed three different film openings from three different genres. The first film opening I analysed was ''Hackers'' made in 1995, which consisted of the company behind the making - ''United Artist Pictures''. It also included the main actor names,editors and producers which were chosen to be recognised in the opening. Moving onto the other two, same applies, all of the film openings had the main movie title revealed at the end in bold and edited for effect. There were many similarities for example; main title at the end, actor names, credits to producers and the main creative s, soundtrack and landscape scenery images or short clips. The film openings will establish the genre of the whole movie and what atmosphere it creates. A film's opening sequence may also feature idents which are mini graphic pre-film videos - promotional sequence, it's a critical part of a TV stations brand identity. A film may also consist of an opening quote which has to do with the movie and perhaps its meaning, it sets the mood. I have also learnt that not all film sequences have to introduce the main title at the end, for example-''The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'' movie has included its title at the start of the film opening.
Interestingly, not all film openings contain moving video shots that hint us what the film is about, like the ''Legally Blonde'' movie consists of a blonde haired girl riding a bike through town continuing into the plot of the story, whereas in other film openings they do not reveal the plot. The purpose of the Title sequence and a Film opening is first and foremost crediting and showcasing the crew and cast involved in the production. In a way it promotes the cast, consequently developing a positive association with a particular genre or company. It can also be a sign of status.
There are also logos incorporated into the film opening showing the companies involved. Perhaps this advertises the company and can establish expectation in an audience.
-M
Tuesday, 29 September 2015
RESEARCH Blog Post 3 - Beatricse Lazar - Porpuse of a Title Sequence and Film Opening
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A TITLE SEQUENCE AND FILM OPENING?
Titles are often used to showcase the cast and crew involved in the production.
They are also incorporate the logo of the institutions involved in the production, finance and distribution of the film. For advertising the company, establishes expectations in an audience or can be used as a symbolic code for the genre.
Examples:
- 20th Century Fox
- Evolution
- Paramount
- Regency
- Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Monday, 28 September 2015
Blog Post 2 - Beatricse Lazar - Prelim Evaluation
PRELIM EVOLUTION
Good skills:
- I enjoyed to plan the Storyboard because it was interesting to think about the camera angles and the actors' positions.
- I had to do acting in the prelim wich I did not really like because I like be behind the camera to make sure that everything goes well. I feel like, I am not in control if I am acting. However the short film worked well compare to this fact. (haha)
- I easiely understood the way the camera works
- The camera angles and key-terms were simple to memorise and I also foud them pretty easy to involve in the storyboard and our film
Things I would develop:
- When we done our shootings, We did not pay attention on the rule of thirds when the subject's head needs to be in the 2/3 and so we shoted from a too low angle.
- Other "mistake" was in the editing beacuse when Jessica walks into the seen, when we did the cuts, we did not check which leg (right or left) she steps on. It was a bit bothering to the eye.
- Last thing I would say is that maybe our film was a bit too short, about 24 seconds.
I liked to work with the others, everyone had great ideas and we could
use nearly all of them. We sticked to the storyboard as much as we could
however we made some change through the shooting. The shooting took max
2 hours which was pretty fast compare to the fact that this was the
first time us working together. With the editing, we shared the work,
and we managed to finish it in 30 mins.
Blog Post 2 - Prelim Evaluation - Marzena Kubicka
Reflecting on the skill that I have developed
Strengths/Weaknesses:
The skills I was particularly good at were communicating and planning as I carefully planned out the story line and did separate actions for it. Followed by camera techniques underneath. Moreover, the shot-reverse-shot was also used well as I made sure to keep the 180 degrees rule when doing so (over the shoulder technique used simultaneously). The 180 degree rule was used well where I had to imagine there was an invisible axis and keep on one side of it so that the positions of the individuals made sense to the viewer. The skills I was less good at was not taking individual shots, instead it was a continuous shot which was difficult to edit at the final stage. In addition, making sure the movement was continuous, as It was shot just focusing on one action instead of thinking of it as a whole and considering the match on action.
Success of Film?
The aspects of the completed film that worked were the skills applied for example taking the 180 degree rule into consideration as well as shot-reverse-shot. Some of the shots that I experimented with like having extreme long shot and medium close shot worked well, although It would be useful to consider using individual shots for each action so no zooming in or out is evident just keeping the camera still and focusing on the individual performing the action and making the shots go together as one movement when editing. The less successful aspects of the completed film were definitely not taking separate shots into consideration which ruined the aspect of the continuous movement. Next time I will make sure the movement of the focal point moves continuously and several shots will be taken at different at different angles.I have learned that it is crucial to plan and create story boards to stay focused and on task, it is there to demonstrate what sort of action and shot the actor and film maker is suppose to take. The storyboard as a whole is a foundation to making a film come to life, as well as the shooting and editing.
Blog Post 2 - Prelim Evaluation
I think the skill that I developed most was my planning skills. I've already had done editing and filming so they came easy to me. The planning was also easy but it was the writing it down which I developed as I'm so use you just remembering it in my head that I don't need to actually write it down. I also developed my skill in planning dialogue as I'm so use to improvising as the scene happens.
I think my best skill is editing. I am a perfectionist when it come to editing so I always try to make it the best I can, even through in the prelim there are some Tibet mistakes if I had more time they would be gone. I am less good at planning. I tend to go by memory because that's just the way I am it also means I can add things on when I get an idea. This can be bad as I may forget things and planning did help with the prelim.
I was very successful with capturing all the shots needed (e.g. walking through the door, sitting down and conversation). We also used a wide range of shot angles and shot types. We wanted to get a variety to show what we could do. We also made sure to get shots from different places and match them together so that even though it was 5 shots, it looked like one flawless movement (match cut). We also used shot reverse shot to capture the conversation. So one person would be captured doing there whole dialogue then we would film the other. Then we edited it all together into the places they should be.
All the aspects of the prelim were good except for two parts. The dialogue quality and the framing. The framing was not right in a few scenes. There's on shot where the characters head should be in the top right third when in fact it's in the middle right third so that was wrong. The dialogue is also hard to hear and not good content which could be improved on. They were the major issues that were wrong with the prelim.
I would change the dialogue in the sequence defiantly. It wasn't of a high enough slandered for my liking. It also wasn't true to the scene like it didn't feel right. I would also change the framing slightly just so the head was in the right place,so it didn't look so wrong. Other then that I actually like the prelim.
Storyboards. They are important, they really are they help you keep on top of what you've shot and not shot. It gives you direction and helps if you forget anything. It's also not strick, like while shorting you can add something in that wasn't there but you would think would make the scene better. It could always be added to the story board after, it's only there to show you your basic idea and help everyone understand what's being shot.
I think my best skill is editing. I am a perfectionist when it come to editing so I always try to make it the best I can, even through in the prelim there are some Tibet mistakes if I had more time they would be gone. I am less good at planning. I tend to go by memory because that's just the way I am it also means I can add things on when I get an idea. This can be bad as I may forget things and planning did help with the prelim.
I was very successful with capturing all the shots needed (e.g. walking through the door, sitting down and conversation). We also used a wide range of shot angles and shot types. We wanted to get a variety to show what we could do. We also made sure to get shots from different places and match them together so that even though it was 5 shots, it looked like one flawless movement (match cut). We also used shot reverse shot to capture the conversation. So one person would be captured doing there whole dialogue then we would film the other. Then we edited it all together into the places they should be.
All the aspects of the prelim were good except for two parts. The dialogue quality and the framing. The framing was not right in a few scenes. There's on shot where the characters head should be in the top right third when in fact it's in the middle right third so that was wrong. The dialogue is also hard to hear and not good content which could be improved on. They were the major issues that were wrong with the prelim.
I would change the dialogue in the sequence defiantly. It wasn't of a high enough slandered for my liking. It also wasn't true to the scene like it didn't feel right. I would also change the framing slightly just so the head was in the right place,so it didn't look so wrong. Other then that I actually like the prelim.
Storyboards. They are important, they really are they help you keep on top of what you've shot and not shot. It gives you direction and helps if you forget anything. It's also not strick, like while shorting you can add something in that wasn't there but you would think would make the scene better. It could always be added to the story board after, it's only there to show you your basic idea and help everyone understand what's being shot.
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