Editing meeting 4

We tried to change the lighting in some of the shots in our sequence as it differed. To do so, we used the effects on final cut. To do so, we grabbed the effect and placed it on the shot we wanted to change and finally we had to play around with the saturation etc. to create the correct balance. We managed to do so successfully and were happy with the results.

Editing meeting 3

After editing the shots, I began constructing the soundtrack for the film. When we were editing our sound, we experimented with many different styles. We thought about doing contrapuntal sound, but after trying this we realized it detracted from the mysterious ominous feeling of the film. We then went about producing a more eerie soundtrack, which was more thriller-like and we felt it fit well with our sequence.  We put a twist onto our film by using a non- diegetic urban soundtrack produced by one of the members of our group to add the feel of a ‘street’ film. This is because we wanted our target audience, younger people, to be able to familiarise with it.  

Editing meeting 2

Trying to create continuity editing with our shots was very difficult because we failed to film a variety of shots, thus it caused difficulty when we tried to make interesting shots whilst editing. We overcame this problem by cutting the shots so that they matched accurately. We tried to do this so that we could meet the brief of creating continuity editing.

Editing meeting 1

Myself and Billie's first editing session involved us getting rid of all the un wanted footage and cutting our sequence down to our favourite camera angles and shots. This took some time as we didnt know what we wanted to lose or keep. We then begun constructing a timeline of what happens in the sequence. We did this on final cut, it was considerably hard because we had lost some of our footage, so we had to work with what we had. Although we had these problems we managed to build up a timeline of the sequence and we were then set to get started on the cutting and the editing the lighting etc 

Intial Ideas

These were a few initial ideas my group came up with. We thought about how we wanted to create the shots, how we would display the credits, who our characters would be etc. We eventually decided to go for a chase/kidnap storyline. We also wanted to build on this story plot by having most of the film shot in a point of view perspective. This is so that the audience could feel like they were part of the action. We'd hoped that this would also create enigma.    

Feedback

After receiving the feedback from our peers, we decided that we had to change all of  the sound as we had originally unawarely used a copyright track, so we were thankful that we had peer assessments. This enabled us to change it. Also it helped us to understand how people took to the sequence, whether or not they liked the plot .  

Feedback

Question 3 and 4

Questions 3 & 4 on Prezi

Question 2

Evaluation on Prezi

Question 1

Evaluation 4

Intial Ideas.

We established that our film lacked substance with the kidnap scene because there wasn't enough narrative for us to be able to convey and meet our brief. Therefore we came up with a 'kitchen scene' that we would add to our kidnap sequence so that our film would have a much stronger narrative. This would also create enigma and prolong the suspense that would build up the scene to create our genre that is thriller.

Evaluation on Prezi

Evaluation on Prezi

Evaluation on Prezi

Final Opening Sequence.

Group Meeting 2

In the second group meeting, we began thinking about locations and what props we wanted to use. We decided that we wanted to film our sequence somewhere dark, on a street somewhere. This was essential in making sure that we conform with the genre of thriller. In this meeting we started to construct a storyboard and also set up a a shooting schedule for when we began to film.

Analysis of title credits.

The Incredibles title credits start off by showing the main characters. The sequence links the credits to the person responsible for the job. Different credits appear in different colours, different fonts etc., this is significant as it corresponds with the idea that the film is animated. These credits have nothing to do with the thriller genre; it's just research to see we can create interesting credits with animation and creativity.

Group meeting 1

In the first group meeting we were told the task. We decided to start brainstorming ideas of what we wanted our sequence to be about. Firstly we discussed what we wanted the genre to be and who we wanted the target audience to be. After talking about it we decided that thriller would be a really good genre to create. We decided to do thriller because it has many elements that give us the chance to be creative.

Intial response to brief.

Se7en opening sequence

The opening credits of se7ven begin with all of the actions/images such as books turning, drawings and razors in a dull shade of colour. This is significant straight away because it's a plot give away of the film. The visuals connote the film as a dark, ominous and chilling thriller. The images used begin to introduce the idea of the genre and are provoking to the audience, for example the newspaper cut outs and the picture of the little boy’s eyes being blanked out. As the sequence goes on, the visuals become increasingly sinister; for example when we see a pair of dirty hands performing disturbing actions. The hands are likely to belong to a central character of the film, so the audience have already been introduced to perhaps a threatening character. The actions in the sequence also appear not to be shown in chronological order, and often 'double vision', they flicker across each other. As well as having this, there are flashing lights at erratic moments, often coinciding with the screen titles changing. This is an indication that the film is jumpy, and is likely to be unpredictable and scary. It also creates enigma for the audience. As the title credits begin to appear, they seem to be in a child-like handwriting, this is chilling because when the audience thinks of a child and their innocence they don’t think about grime actions that are being shown along with the credits. The music follows the action on screen, as it starts off quite slow, then when the hands seem to be creating a plan, the music picks up pace. The soundtrack also seems mismatched and this further connotes the fact that this film will be a thriller of some sort.

Halloween Opening sequence

 

 

The opening sequence of 'Halloween' starts off with a blank screen with the sound of children chanting a Halloween song. As this shot continues to be shown, the credits appear. They are in white writing which create a ghostly feel. All of these elements begin to conform to the idea that the film is a thriller.

A subjective point of view shot is used throughout the opening sequence of this film. The camera moves in POV around a house. This creates enigma in the audience because we are curious as to who is behind the shots. There is no sound at all except for crickets in the night time, this is significant because it creates a sense of mystery and leaves the audience feeling on edge. I've realised that the use of enigma is very significant in most opening sequences. I think this is because directors what to keep the audience's attention. This means the audience will be forced to watch and try to figure out what is happening. The use of POV is also so that the audience feel like they are behind the eyes of the 'killer'. It's also significant to show the journey of the character, we feel as though we are there with the characters. We see two teenagers in the house being looked at. The introduction of these characters is significant because we are introduced to the storyline. When the boy leaves, the audience's expectations are conformed. A young girl being preyed on, on Halloween means that there will definitely be a killing.

The camera moves into the house, this is where we see the 'killer' pick up a knife. He then starts walking up the stairs. The diegetic sound of the girl humming upstairs creates a tense atmosphere.

when a stranger calls opening sequence

The opening sequence of 'When a stranger calls' starts off with a blank screen. This creates a sense of mystery and also conforms to the genre of the film, thriller. We hear the diegetic sound of a phone conversation. It's between a man and a Teenage girl, we hear the voices but we can't see the characters. This is significant because it creates enigma. This makes the audience want to keep watching to find out what is going on. The man seems quite mysterious and dangerous. The audience expectation after seeing the first few shots is that there is going to be a chase to catch the 'killer' or the 'caller' and we expect for there to be a few killings.

Typically like any other opening sequence the credits appear to show case the industry. In this case it is ' A Davis entertainment production'. The colour of the font is white and it fades in and out of the shot. This is very ghostly and mirrors the tone of the film; it also indicates the genre very clearly.

There is an establishing shot of a house and the camera slowly pulls away to a fair ground nearby. Through the use of a montage we see various shots of families, children playing, lights and we hear laughing and people having a good time. Although this is taking place we still hear the sound of a teenager getting mysterious phone calls. This introduces the story line of what the film will probably be about. The montage is also probably used to speed up time here and also to frighten the audience. An example is when the camera shows a shot of some silver spoons dangling down and blowing in the wind, it quickly changes with the sound of someone screaming back to the fair ground.

There is a non-diegetic soundtrack that sounds very eerie as though something bad is about to happen. At one point the camera goes into a point of view shot of a character. This character appears to be the 'killer', he watches the woman carefully and we hear heavy breathing. This really mirrors the genre of a thriller. It’s generic to have a 'killer' spying on their victim before they kill them.

    

I Am Legend opening Sequence

I Am Legend is a Thriller and its opening sequence establishes this very well. At the beginning we are presented with a black screen and we hear a narrator (The Survivor). This creates enigma because the audience are curious and want to know what is going on. 

The non-diegetic soundtrack is parallel to the footage being played because it’s very slow and quite ominous. The diegetic sound during the first few shots is calm and can be seen as positive because we hear birds tweeting. However this may also represent death in this immense emptiness of this city. 

The introduction of Will Smith's character mirrors that the film will be a thriller or an action of some sorts. This is because he represents a typically fit, handsome protagonist. He is also shown with a gun. The gun is symbolic as it portrays the genre of this film and also may symbolise that there is a sense of danger, there is a threat after the people of New York. This idea is reinforced further when the camera moves to a broken down bill board that says ‘God still loves us’ this portrays something sinister, something bad is going to happen.     

 

Legally Blonde opening sequence

The opening of Legally Blonde is introduced to us through the use of a montage. A montage is different images assembled to build up an impression. In this case it’s used to compress time, so that we see events that would take place within a day in just a few minutes. An example of this is when we see 'Elle' getting ready; she's done within a few seconds. This is used to retain the audience's attention; we are shown enough to keep us interested. Another thing that grabs our attention is that we don’t see the main character’s face but only what she is doing. This creates enigma, leaving us curious as to who this 'homecoming queen' is. The use of the colour pink connotes the femininity of the main character (Reese Witherspoon) and the other girls at the campus. It also sets the genre of the film which is a romantic comedy. The credits are in a swirly girlish white writing which again reiterates the film as being a romcom. The non - diegetic soundtrack of the pop song 'Perfect day' suggests that 'Elle', perhaps has a 'perfect' life as there is various clues that she does. For example, the homecoming queen banner, the fact that she seems popular, because all the girls at the sorority are signing her birthday card. The track could also imply that everything is 'perfect' at that moment in time but there will be something that will come along to ruin the day.

The opening sequence of 'Legally Blonde' is very stereotypical. In the first few shots we assume that Elle is a 'typical dumb blonde'. She brushes her hair, paints her nails and shaves her legs. This portrays her as really feminine and as a stereotypical blonde. There is continuity editing which is invisible and you do not actually realise that the scenes are changing as it is so smooth. 

 

Preliminary Sequence 'Feed The Fish'

Our preliminary Sequence of 'Feed the Fish' had its difficulties but I also really enjoyed filming and editing it. I had to work in a group of four with Asante Duhar, Billie Cobb & Shaq. This was difficult to begin with because we all seemed to have different timetables. In the end we had to make sure that the filming was done as quickly and promptly as possible during lesson time. However this posed as another problem because it meant that our group was under immense pressure to film and complete out sequence on time along with the other groups.

The plot of our sequence was to have a 'boss' who was violent and very aggressive towards his 'worker'. The worker had to 'Feed the Fish' and we played with this idea connoting it to be something to do with a murder, or something deviate with the intensions of a criminal act. Having created this idea, we then had to think about planning, location, mise en scene, and actors. Finding a location proved to be very problematic for our group because we all had different timetables; therefore shooting somewhere far away from school would have been difficult. Instead we decided to shoot on school grounds. Although this isn’t where we initially wanted to film we had to work with what we had. Shooting went well and I played the role of the 'Director'. This included me making sure Billie was getting all the right shots, the actors (Asante & Shaq) knew what to do and how to behave. I really enjoyed this role as it meant I had the power to overlook everything before it was done and I was in charge of planning etc. I also enjoyed this role because it meant that I became more independent as an individual and had to take responsibility for others in my group.

After shooting, Billie & I took on the role of Editors. I particularly enjoyed this task the most because I enjoyed seeing how everything worked for example being able to cut shots, change lighting and add different soundtracks. Being able to edit helped me understand why it is so important to take lots of shots of the same thing but in different angles. For example we were able to cut footage very easily and still have it look clean and fluent. An example of this is when Asante opens the door then we cut and she enters inside. It looked clean and professional.

As a group I felt we could have improved on our planning. This is because we were unsure of filming days and we didn’t really know what location we wanted to use etc.

Overall I think we worked really hard as a group. I felt very proud of our finished sequence. I really enjoyed directing and filming too and I realised that I could be really independent and take charge if I wanted to.