Institution

Twisted Pictures
Twisted pictures is an American production company.  This company mainly creates films which are horror as there main genre. The company was founded in 2004 by Evolution Entertainments. Twisted pictures are mainly know best for producing the Saw film series.




Twisted pictures may be a good institution to pick for our film as a main feature in our opening sequence is that the killer is known for having a white mask placed over the victims face and twisted pictures are mainly known for the film Saw which has also an iconic mask throughout all sequels. Twisted pictures could also be good as they are mainly known for the genre of horror.



Revolver Entertainment
Revolver is one of the UK most leading distribution and production companies Over the past 10 years Revolver has been awarded with 18 of the industry's top awards for marketing excellence.  Revolver is well known for producing Kidulthood, Shank and recently The Imposter.


Revolver could be a good institution to pick for our film as they do a lot of movies within the genre we are doing, they also have produced films which I think would fit in with our film as our film is a thriller film but with a twist with why the victims are being killed.

Universal Studios

Universal Studios is a hugely known American company and is one of the six major movie studios. They were founded in 1912 and have became huge since then.

Universal is known for doing so many famous films such as Side effects, Shrek, Jurassic park, Harry potter and many more.As Universal is such a big Institution company I don't think that it would be suitable for my film as I think it would be better to be a UK company as its only going to be a small budget.I also think that Universal has such a wide range of genre films which they have produced so I think with my film it would be best to have a company which was more based on the genre thriller to fit my film.

Opening sequences

Shutter Island
Shutter Island is all about a man who believes that he is a policeman detectuve to find out information about a psychiatric ward although the spin is that he actually is a patient about the ward and halucinates about the whole thing.
 
The opening sequence begins with a fade into a dark wet dungeon. The use of colour of the darkness of the scene and the use of mise en scene of the dungeon type place this indicates already to the audience the genre of what the film may be. The shot goes quickly into a spin shot of a stair case which makes it seem as if  you are spinning and makes it a little confusing, this also fits in well with the actual storyline as its all about a man stuck in an illness believeing he is someone else so he is confused. The titles are flashing throughout the opening sequence and are in bold red and the colour red is associated with blood and death which also helps the audience know what type of film this may be and the genre. The suspense music which builds up until the scene is in the day really creates a lot of tension and I think it is a really good way of opening a sequence. There is fire used in the opening sequence and lighting of a match which also can show the events which may occur and fire can mean danger so this creates even more tension in this opening sequence. The titles are going throughout the film which is common in thriller films.

Opening sequences Se7en

Se7en
The film se7en is all about a serial killer who kills people who have done one of the 7 sins and detectives are on a hunt to try chase the serial killer.

Straight away with this opening sequence you can tell the genre and what the film may entail. Immediately by the use of mise en scene using all of the sharp objects and weird tools and through the use colour and darkness you can tell that the film is either going to be a thriller or horror film. The quick edits going from one clip to the other and the use of fade really brings the effect of the weird scary atmosphere.  Whilst the opening sequence is playing the titles are appearing throughout with this rough drawn writing also gives the view of the genre of the film.The music throughout is building a lot of tension and it sounds like a banging or a heart beat which implies that someone may die or get hurt in the film.

Opening sequences research

Opening sequences help present the narrative and help set a plot for a film. In a lot of opening sequences they introduce the main characters, they establish the setting and genre through the use of mise en scene. This can be done by establishing shots of areas or cities.

Thriller opening sequences examples:


The Hitcher





The film Hitcher is about a young boy who escapes being killed by a hitch-hiker but then gets stalked by the hitch-hiker to then kill as he got away.

 Hitchers opening sequence starts with you automatically knowing something is not right. It starts with a young man in a dark road in the middle of nowhere smoking a cigarette in the pitch black, this follows by a pan of the car going around this long road which builds up the tension to what's going to happen. The use of darkness in this opening scene already is implying someone horrible is about to happen. There is also a thunderstorm which also can show the bad side to the film. As soon as the opening sequence starts you hear music which is very mysterious and builds up tension until the hitch-hiker gets into the car.  The credits are all coloured in red which could indicate blood and dying which also creates the audience with the idea that someone is going to die which gives away the genre of the film instantly. The first piece of dialogue in this film is when the boy opens the door and says 'my mum said never to do this' this also creates tension knowing that something is clearly going to go wrong. The hitch-hiker immediately seems strange and we can see all of his odd facial expressions due to a lot of close up shots of his face. This opening sequence really creates the feel of the genre of the film and tells the audience the basis of the film and to what can come. I think this is a good opening scene as it is very clear of the storyline and has created the tension which is needed.

Genre

Previous research on opening stalking scenes

I found a previous example of a stalking opening sequence done by pupils in a previous year. This gave me some guidance to what looks and good and what doesn't when doing a stalker film. I do not think in this opening sequence that the music fits in well enough and it does not create tension. So this has given me a lot of advice to make sure that I work really hard on creating the right music to fit in with my opening sequence. I also think that there needed to be a lot more detail of what the stalker has been doing for example having photos of her stalker and information, this could have made the opening scene more interesting. I did like the end of the opening sequence when the stalker is about to kill the girlfriend and she is holding a hammer. This opening sequence has made me think of the little details I will need to include in order to make my opening sequence storyline clear and interesting.

Previous opening scenes

1. Abduction 12 C6
I choose Abduction as my top ranking of the previous opening sequences. I think that the sound really helped create the tension throughout the opening sequence, the use of high pitched and weird tones really helped create the effect. I think the details which they used really helped the audience understand clearly what was going on. For example the details of the stalkers photos and pin board and secret camera.

2. The Deception 12 E8
I think that this was a very interesting opening sequence and it really catched my eye. The use of camera shots when the different girls were being attacked really build up the tension. The use of suspense music added to the audience being scared and feeling as if something was going to happen.

3. It swings in roundabouts 12C7
This storyline was very interesting and unusual. I think the use of editing really made the film effective, when the little girl is walking towards the house the flashes really help build the tension and feel as if she is coming at you. The editing with the girl at the park really gave the footage a look as if it was an old video which the woman was picturing in her mind.

4. Snakes and Ladders 12B2
What I  liked about this opening sequence was the contrasting shots between the girl getting read and the boy getting ready, the use of MES really helped convey the scene by the specific details of the girl putting her make up on and doing her hair. I think the use of camera angles really helped clear the storyline and worked really effectively.

5. The Slayer 12ED
 The use of specific detail really helped the audience have a clear image of what was going on in the film for example the office with the document being printed out made the story very clear.However I do think that the music did not work as it did not help build tension throughout the opening sequence.

6. Graves 12C7
I really like the narrator at the beginning of this opening sequence as it gives information out to the audience and makes the storyline more clear. However, I do think there needs to be more scenes which build more tension throughout to give more understanding to why the boy gets stabbed.

7.The Rundown 12E7
Although I think the storyline to this opening sequence is unclear I do think what worked well with this is the use of different camera angles which made the running sequence a lot more appealing to watch. I think that they could have used different music to create more tension as well.

8. Bacterium 12B6
I think what worked well with this opening scene was the specific details which they included in order for the audience to understand the genre and storyline for example the test tubes and briefcase. However, I do not really think the use of sound fitted in with the opening scene as it was mainly the same throughout and did not build enough tension.

9. Resistance 12B6
 The beginning of this is very effective and is building a lot of tension. The match on match action when the girls were talking are done very well. However, at the end of the scene there is a loss of tension and it ruins the audience from feeling scared.

10. Chroniker 12A2
I think that the storyline for this opening scene is very unclear and I was very confused when watching so this made me not understand the point of the film. I also think that they overused the split effect and could have used other ways to make the scene more interesting.

11. 1962 12E9
Throughout the film the music did not match the scene and did not build any tension as it was very flat although, the music box sound used near the end really made me feel the tension. I do think that they need to make it more interesting and use a more broad use of camera angles.

What I have learnt:
By looking at different previous students opening sequences has really made me look at what works and what doesn't. It has taught me that the music has to be perfect in order to create the right mood and scene. I have also learnt to make sure all camera shots match and are done carefully. Editing is very important to spend a lot of time on in order to create a really good opening sequence and make it effective.

Prelim Evaluation

 By doing my prelim this has helped me learn a lot about filming and the problems which may occur. The strength on my prelim sequence is the match on match action which we used when opening the door as it worked well and was done effectively. I think that when we tried to zoom in the eye to go into a coffee needs to be improved by using a camera with a better zoom as this would make the shots look a hole lot better. I think our conversation shots were ok but could have used more shots in order to make the scene a bit more interesting.  I think some of the shots would need to be redone if I was going to use for my opening sequence as there are some which jump a bit and are a bit unsteady. By doing this prelim task it has taught me a lot about filming and how you need to take a lot of shots for just one part of the scene in order to make it look real and to interest the audience. This task helped me learn a lot about editing and when doing my opening sequence I will use all of the skills I learnt in this task to help such as the transitions we can use and how one frame can really make the difference overall in the scene. We did not include any music in our prelim and you really realise how effective music is in a scene when there is none there therefore, when doing my opening sequence I am going to think very carefully about the type of music and sounds I use to help the audience to understand the scene.

Mise en scene example

Mise en scene
Mise en scene is the arrangement of scenery and the different properties which represent were the scene is set and shows were the place the shot is, these can be shown to set the mise en scene by the stage settings, props in the scene, use of colour, lighting and characters. 

This is a clip of Harry Potter and the deathly Hallows part 2. I choose this as I think it has used the mise en scene perfect to set the scene and to show the audience what exactly is happening. The movie starts by showing the warner Brows sign and is very dark with spooky music in the background which then goes into a shot of showing all of the scary creatures outside the school of hogwarts, at this point all of the colours used are greys and black which gives the impression that something very dark has happened. It then goes into a shot of a teacher who is facing towards the rest of the dark school, his facial expression is very blank and looks worried which also gives the impression of the negativity in the shot. The mise en scene through the shots of darkness, the background music and people looking worried has given the audience the impression of the negativity which is to come in the film.

Secrets and lies

Secrets and lies

Children of men

Children of Men

Just as the opening sequence starts of Children Of Men it strangely starts with no sound and just the image of the Universal sign, this gives the opening scene a really effective way of grabbing the audience’s attention as this is unusual to start off with so the audience will think something is wrong however it is done to just draw their attention. Shortly after the universal sign disappears a voice over(VO) bridges into the film however there is no image whatsoever on the screen it is just a black screen, this is also used to draw attention to the audience as they will be paying more attention to what the voice over is saying. The VO at this point has not been distracted by any visuals therefore they are talking about a key message which is talking about all the dystopia which has been happening. After this there is now a scene in a London cafe where everyone is watching the news on the TV, there is also a TV behind them which shows the viewers a clear image of what news they are looking at. All of the tones in this scene are tones of grey/ green which are very dull and represent darkness and negativity; this could be implying that something bad is going to happen later on in the film. After a few seconds of looking at them in the cafe a man begins to work through the crowd oblivious to the news, he then is in centre frame of the shot which could indicate that he is important and this creates enigma as the audience will be thinking who is this actor and what importance is he going to have to the film. The man orders a drink and then walks out, whilst he walks out the camera follows behind him swiftly as if the camera is someone following him. This also gives a feeling that this man has a high importance to the film for someone to actually follow them.  There’s then a pan shot of the city so that the audience can see the area and then begins to follow the man down the road again. The man begins to then drink which could indicate that there’s nothing better to as there’s so much tragedy going on at the moment and it may  be helping him deal with the  circumstances. The camera then goes round the man to face the other side of the street suddenly at this point a large explosion happens coming out of a shop the man jumps back but the camera then moves in but juddering, this is  done to give the audience a better look to see what has happened. A woman comes running out screaming with a high pitch and holding one of her arms in the other hand, the screaming leaves a ring in your ear and this is done on purpose to then give the audience an idea of how you would feel to be in the actual scene yourself.

Film Production

The steps of production

1.     The preproduction

The first step in production is looking for inspiration using books, newspapers; they then pitch the idea to each other and talk to the producer about the film ideas, look at finances to see the cost.

2.     Development Finance

Next you present the pitch, then approach the film production and apply for a grant either public or private.

3.     Script Development

This is the production part, you need to produce a synopsis, write a draft to send to the finances and do the final draft.

4.     The next step is to look for actors to fit the specific roles for the film and then you need to find the actual cost of the film to see if it is affordable.

5.     Travel to look for investments on the film, you need to draw up contracts for the film so that all the deals are sealed and you need to make sure that all of the findings are done.

6.     Make sure all actors have been found and that the full cast have been hired, detailed preparation for the shots have been done.

7.     The next step you need to make sure that everything is kept to schedule with acting, camera, lighting, sound and effects are done so that you don’t run out of time and rush the making.

8.     Post Production

By this stage you need a rough cut of the film has to be done, you need to begin looking at the sounds, effects, titles, then final cut is done.

9.     You need to then sell the product, make and release and trailer and if there is enough money in the budget to then do a high profile screening.

10.  You then need to do a press and media coverage and you need to advertise to selling the film to cinemas.

11.  Distribution

This is the final step where you release a premiere date and then finally release the actual film.

Questionaire

questions	Julia	Lucy	Joei	Niro	Shaan
What is your favourite film?	Intouchables	Picture Perfect	Hunger games	Fast Furious 6	Harry Potter deathly hallows part 2
How often months do you go to the cinema?	3 times a month	2 times a month	3 times a month	1 time a month	2 times a month
What is your favourite genre?	Drama	Comedy	Romcom	Action	Action
How much money do you spend on a film?	£7	£7	£7	£6/7	£7
Do you stream films?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
What are your thoughts on piracy?	Don’t think it is very good but still use it.	Don’t care I use it.	I use it I like it.	I don’t care I use it.	It’s good.

 

I did a survey on my class to see what differences of the same target market were and how often they go to the cinema, how much they roughly spend, do they stream films, thoughts on piracy and there favourite genre.By doing this survey on people in my class I found that a lot of people in the target market age between 16-18 most popular genres are action and that a lot of people my age go to the cinema often with up to 3 times a month.  I also found that a lot of my target market do stream films and think that it is ok to do so and don’t really see any negative points about it.

Camera Movement - Zoom

This a example of a zooming shot. Zooming is used to either focus or  get closer so something or someone. Zooming is used usually with a still camera but can be used with a moving one.

Tracking Shots

Tracking shots are mainly used in Hollywood as they are expensive to use however, with a little money it is easily done and you can easily do the shots.  Tracking shots are when there is a camera behind a character and they slowly follow the character this makes the audience feel as if they are in the scene. A tracking shot can be filmed by a hand held but mostly done by dollies.

Tilt Shot

The tilt shot is similar to the pan shot, but its a little different as tilt shot moves vertically instead of horizontally. The tilt shot you also can use a tripod to give more support. A tilt shot is used to be able to see the full view as when there is just a medium shot you will not be able to see the full view which could be important so the tilt shot makes sure that the audience can see the full view.

Camera Movement - Panning

This is an example of a pan shot,Panning is a camera movement technique which involves moving the camera horizontally to the right or left. With this technique you can look at an object or follow any type of movement.Panning is mainly done using a hand held using a tripod as well so that it is not jumpy.Panning is used to establish a location or a landscape.  

Framing & Shots - Example TOWIE

The framing in this sequence is of a small but effective variety. The Frames used in this are a Long Shot (LS) a Medium Shot (MS) Close Ups (CL) and Over The Shoulder Shots (OTS). And then at the end there is a Low angle shot which follows the girl as she exits the park. These shots are essential for filming a conversation as they follow each person speaking and they show who is leading the conversation and who is speaking. They follow the conversation so that you get to see each persons reaction when they are spoken too.

The sheet below is a sheet that shows most of the camera frames. Later on on my blog i will post videos that show examples of all of these shots.

Close up shots are to give detail to the persons face and concentrates on there face specifically. A close up shot does not give any detail of the surroundings so it makes the audience purely concentrate on there face. There are different types of close ups extreme close up, close up,medium close.

Medium and long shots show the main person in the piece of film in the middle of the screen, the reason of a MS is to show that the character is specifically important and the middle of the screen is directly were the audience looks automatically. There are different types of MS such as normal MS, MLS, LS and VLS.

There are other shots such as two shot which shows two people next to each other in one shot, this could been shown to show the relationship between the two characters. Another shot is over the shoulder shot and this is done by the camera filming over somebodys shoulder, this shows the view from that person.

Low angle shots and high angle shots are other types of shots. The low angle shot is done by being filmed underneath somebody, this is done to show that the person has a lot of power, however a high angle shot is shot above a person to give the impression that they are small and have less power.

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