Looking At Student Films

We were asked to look into different Student Films that have been made before. There task was to create an opening to a horror film, lasting no more than 2 minutes. Watching and analysing these will help me when I'm creating my final piece as i can learn from there mistakes and take on board the things they did well


Film 1

Strength
Good effects, sounds and transitions
There are a wide variety of camera angles


Weakness
Peephole productions, The film is called peephole
Looks like entire film, not the opening
Shots are on for to long, e.g. the tree shot takes to long, its boring
The font of the titles doesn't match, they re more army likeOverall this film was my least favourite as it had a lot of faults. The best positive was the way it used a lot of different camera angles and different shots. There were a lot of faults i just found that this film spent to much time on certain areas and not enough on what was more important. This film was more of a trailer than a opening as it told most of the story in the first 2minutes.


Film 2

Strength
Shows the characters
Font matches well
Jumps look good- the effects are interesting
Camera angles show that someones watching


Weakness
She repeats herself a lot, maybe suggests the shot is to long
The montage at the end makes it seem more trailer like




This film was the best for filming and editing techniques. It showed a wide range of skills and in the end looked really good. The very first bit of this film was the best for me as it showed the characters photos but they were in negatives. This made it seem extremely frightening but yet informative. The only downfall to this piece was the fact it was again more like a trailer rather than an opening.


Film 3

Strength
The title is shown at a really good time, makes it more prominent
Isn't a trailer, its clearly a opening
Introduces the main character well


Weakness
Doesn't make a lot of sense
The font looks to basic
The Bad Apple productions makes the film seem more animated and less of a horror
There are some continuity problems
Overall I found that Film 3 was the best as an opening even though it wasn't the best quality. It was the only film that actually met the objective of creating an opening as it didn't show the whole story but it gave enough to make you want to watch more. There were also some continuity problems. so when i film my film i will check my piece before i make the final cut.


I will keep this in mind when I'm making my opening as I don't want to make a trailer. I think that the best quality film is Film 2 as the effects used are really effective and the titles match the theme really well. In my piece i will use a variety of camera angles as it enhances the Erie theme.

Thinking About Genre

We were asked to research into how we know what genre the film will be. To do this we watched a few openings and analysed what genre we thought they were and how we knew this. To do this i collected a wide range of different film openings and analysed each of them, commenting on things like sound, setting, and titles, that help the audience know the genre.


Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels- Crime, Gangter, Thriller

The genre of this film is most like Crime as the opening starts with a man selling stolen products on the street. The titles are slightly muddled and untidy which also suggests they are a bit rough and criminals. The main character is shown to be slightly dodgy most likely from london trying to make a profit. The thing that most suggests the theme of Crime is the police near the end of the sequence. Police is closely related to crime.


Saving Private Ryan- Action, History

The genre of Saving Private Ryan is historical. This is shown by the font of the titles, The American flag that dominates the beginning and the characters introduced in the first minute. The main character is relatively old suggesting that it might go back in time. The most iconic thing about the historical genre is the graves shown nearer the end. They way they are placed and the fact they are all the same lets the audience know that they are from a war that has already taken place.


Wall-E, Family Animation

The genre of Wall-E is clearly family animation as the film is actual a animation, and its made by a popular company. This will help me as for my opening as i should include names of producers etc that relate to my film genre. The music could be seen as a juxtapostion, but this lets the audiance know its a family film as its jolly and fun.




Scott Pilgram vs. the World- Comedy, Fantasy, Action

I couldnt come up with a definate genre for this opening, as its got alot of different parts. The main signifiers came from the beggining as you can see it could be a comedy because of the comic, cartoon effects in the clip. This also shows that its going to be a fantasy film becuase it looks like it is from a comic book sequence. The action part come from the quick paced shots and the music compliments this.


Zombieland- Comedy, Adventure

This opening is clearly a comedic look on a action horror. The action and horror is shown through the blood, which signifies danger and violence, the characters are Zombies and as the film is called Zombieland this also lets the audience know its going to be a horror. The background music lets you know that the film is dark and heavy, the titles compliment this. You can see the film is going to be a comedy as some of the situations shown are out of the ordinary and are comical.


Dear John- Dramitc Romance

Dear John is shown to be a dramatic comedy in this opening. Its a very serious scene as the main character has been shot while he is serving for the army. The scene has no sound apart from the non-diegetic voice-over. This heightens the drama in the piece, as you focus more on what the character is saying and what he says is very emotional. You only know its a romance right at the end when he says the last thing he thought of after her got shot, was 'You' which is obviously a girl he is thinking about and speaking to.


Dawn of the Dead- Horror, Action
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF89Do8mVXs
The theme of this opening is shown well through the titles. They are extremely detailed and remind the audience of blood and terror. In the beginning instead of music, there are screams and a heartbeat in the background. this builds suspense for the rest of the film. Questions are asked about the characters in the film, the responses are limited and frightening to the audience. There is then music played, its country music and extremely jolly, this is a clear juxtaposition highlighting the fact that something is wrong in this film. The jump cuts and actions happening in this piece let the audience know that the film is full of action.

Picking Our Films

Our media class was set a task to create three different openings to films to show what skilled we had in organisation and picking key angles and shots that were effective in openings. We had to pick one film from each genre (Comedy, Thriller and Horror). Before our group decided we all went home and researched each opening and I decided to analysis each one before I chose.

The comedies to choose from were

Juno

Genre-Black Comedy
Narrative- Film about a teen girl, being alone but staying happy at the same time
Character- Single, relaxed, not a care, drinking out of a big bottle
Atmosphere- Quiet but still fun and happy. Funny
Themes- Cartoon, keeping it young and fun
Setting- Down a street, going for possibly a daily walk. Comfort in surroundings
Sound- Theme tune is used. Song about love but the music is natural feeling, young.
Titles- Look like they've been drawn, makes it feel youthful

50 First dates (to 2minutes)

Genre- Comedy
Narrative- How a certain man makes women feel. Holiday romance
Character- There are many different people shown, but they are all speaking about one character. Main character is funny, loving but shows he uses girls as there are a lot of different types of women
Atmosphere- Lust, sun and fun
Themes- Holiday romance, Ocean feel
Setting- Set in many different places, city, work place, car. Shows the women are from all over
Sound- Matches the ocean and holiday theme. Smooth Hawaiian sound, gets faster when the women are talking
Titles- Aren't many, just at the beginning. a water theme is used to connote holidays

and Superbad 

Genre- Young Comedy
Narrative- This opening doesn't give much about film, possibly dancing, being silly
Character- There are two/three dances in this but it is unclear. They show that the characters in the film can be fun and stupid and not have a care.
Atmosphere- Lively, action
Themes- Bright colours connote fun and youthfulness
Setting- No setting, plain colours are used to highlight the dancers
Sound- Song is used, very smooth, old school and lively
Titles- The main focus is the titles, they compliment the colours in the background and the font is very simple, meaning it is simple to read and take in

Out of the Comedy genre I think that Juno would be the best to film as it contained the most camera angles and had a wide range of different shots. I think that Superbad would have been a fun clip to remake but creating the scene by filming it then editing on 'IMAC' would have been to hard and taken to much time. So instead we decided that it would be easier to create Juno by using our other skills. If we were able to use Final Cut for our first project we most likely would have filmed the whole sequence normally, then edited it on Final Cut but we had to think of an alternative as we couldn't do Superbad and we didn't want to do 50 First Dates.

The thrillers were

Vertigo

Genre- Thriller
Narrative- Looking deep into someones life, messing with whats inside there mind 
Character- Only a face is shown in this sequence, could be the main character but nothing is given away
Atmosphere- Eerie, looking into
Themes- Emotions
Setting- No settings, black screens and facial features are most prominent
Sound- Compliments the atmosphere, makes it creepy. Sound is heightened when a name is on screen. Catches attention
Titles- Mostly centred in the screen, shown for a long pause of time, meaning its the main focus and easy to read


Memento (to 2minutes)

Genre- Psychological Thriller
Narrative- A murderer that maybe messes with peoples minds. The film is shown to be in reverse
Character- The murderer- evil and sinister
Atmosphere- Eerie, quiet odd. lets the audience know something is wrong
Themes- Death, murder, mind games
Setting- Hidden somewhere, big clear sheets possibly a warehouse. Not much information is given
Sound- Very quiet, no music is played after gunshot. The loss of sound is more effective than any music
Titles- Nice font, makes the film seem it has high intelligences


The Shining

Genre- Thriller
Narrative- Traveling to somewhere far away, dutch angles showing the oddity of the film
Character- No one is shown, only a simple car suggesting the person driving it could be simple as well and they seem they are in a rush
Atmosphere- Being followed, eerie, quiet and smooth
Themes- Getting away, smooth. Middle of no where
Setting- Lonesome and country road, near the coast, cannot get away, Big house at the end.
Sound- Quiet to start, gets quicker through the piece, compliments the atmosphere well
Titles- Scroll up the screen, kept simple and smooth

I thought that for the Thriller theme Vertigo would have been the most effective and achievable clip we could recreate. The shining was a second choice but as I thought we could already use a different type of filming, using a toy car and made up setting would have been a lot more effort to make something that didn't work that well and looked similar to our comedy piece. Memento was to complicated for our group and a lot of the equipment needed we didn't have, so to be more prepared and organised we thought best to do Vertigo. This would be easy to organise as its quiet simple.

And the horrors were
Halloween

Genre- Horror
Narrative- None really shown, keeps the mind open for what may come
Character- There are no characters shown which could connote a lonesome film, or a film about the supernatural
Atmosphere- Dark, small light of hope
Themes- Halloween, sleek, orange and black
Setting- dark room, thought of where the pumpkin is
Sound- High pitched, fast paced. Big booms in some places, scares the audience
Titles- Extremely plain, flashes on and dims off connoting the thought of hope, being taken away, Main focus a lot of information


The Strangers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWp14gtZ-u0
Genre- Horror
Narrative- Following someone. Watching people and there houses
Character- No people are shown but there are two characters introduced through the information shown. We know nothing about them
Atmosphere- Quiet, deadly, creepy. Makes you feel like you are unsafe
Themes- Watching houses, taking life away- shown by the fade in and outs of black screens
Setting- American styled living, your own personal home
Sound- Voice over, rough and deep
Titles- Plain, not much about the actual film and the actors etc but titles are used to explain the film. these words are small and not very readable but attention is shown towards them as it is odd to have words shown on a film


Se7en

Genre- Horror
Narrative- Being watched, stalked over, being followed until you are captured and killed
Character- No one is really shown in this sequence
Atmosphere- Deadly, being watched. Creepy, research. Personal
Themes- Personality, jumpy, researching, Revenge
Setting- Somewhere that is secretive, a lot of equipment and information that should be kept quiet
Sound- High tech, different, eerie. Not really a soundtrack used, just made up of different sounds that could be related to the film
Titles- They look like they are handwritten, showing that is a personal connection. Se7en is in typeface connoting this is the biggest secret.

For the Horror theme I would have chosen to create Halloween as I found it the most effective and we could focus more on the titles instead of the filming. Although saying this it doesn't have a lot of camera angles as its such a simple opening. If I were to pick a different opening I would chose The Strangers as it is also extremely effective and although there isn't much skill to be shown through the titles, there are a lot of them and there is more filming to be done. Which means our group can show all of our skills. I think if we were to film Halloween we wouldn't use a pumpkin as it is hard to find them at the begging of the year, so instead we could paint someones face or use a basketball instead.

25/01/11 Filming

Our grouped had to finish the three storyboards and the three shot lists. The storyboards had to include simple drawings of each shot in the clip. The shot lists we made had to including things like scenes, shots, description (how the names appeared) actors, makeup, locations and equipment needed.
After finishing these we were able to have a camera and start filming straight away. As our group were organised enough we finished the storyboards and shot lists before the lesson. Our group have chosen to do these three films:                 Juno, The Strangers and Vertigo
Out of our group I was responsible for making the Storyboards for Juno and The Strangers. the lesson before filming, our group decided together that we would spilt up into twos, Scott Collins and myself would film Juno. The girls would film Vertigo and we would film The Strangers together. This is why i made the storyboards for Juno and the strangers, as i would need to know Juno well enough to film it from scratch.
                   This is my storyboard for Juno
                   This is my storyboard for The Strangers
In the first lesson of filming, we teamed up as a whole group, this went against our plan as we were going to film The Strangers as a group but the weather stopped us from doing so as it was extremely cold and wet. As we were well prepared we were able to film Juno there and then. We used the whiteboard to attach our scenes to and each person had a certain job to do. I am glad we ended up doing Juno together as even though it doesn't look the best, it was most enjoyable and we were able to work well as a group and we were all able to comment on the Juno opening sequence and see what was the best thing to do. I'm also glad we filmed together first as we were able to get into our comfort zones with each other. this made me confidant in my group for the rest of our films.


I feel we were very prepared in making our first film, as we brought in all the right equipment including Barbie dolls, for our cartoon Juno and runners. And we created backgrounds, with A3 paper and thick black pen. By simply copying the backgrounds,. we were able to focus more on the camera angles and the editing this way. This was made the weekend before so none of us were worried about the lesson and we were ready to film. This enabled us to finish our filming in less than two hours we were given. Letting us then go onto start editing before anyone else.

Research

In one of my frees, my group which includes Charlotte Morrison, Scott Collins and Devon Dalton, decided to look into different openings of films. We searched the top film openings and found sites like
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/12/19/30-unforgettable-movie-title-sequences/
and
http://sirandytaylor.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/top-5-film-openings/
We were all very interested in film openings like 'Train-spotting', 'Snatch' and 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'
These films have a Gangster theme and the genre is mostly Crime and Action. For our final project we want to create something that gives a insight to all of the characters and shows a clear theme of the film while introducing the audience to what is going on.

Extra Research- Analysis of Openings

Reservoir Dogs
Genre- Crime and Gangster
Narrative-
Atmosphere- Smooth, fun but serious as there in a group. Violence
Titles- only actors names and title. Very simple
Sound- Soundtrack, fun, fast
Character- lots of different people in a group. Each has a personality. Suits equal importance, smoking
Themes- Mafia and gangster
Setting- Down a street, 'gangsta' coming out into the world
Incongruousness Music
Simplistic, everything is simple but it becomes complex due to the music, juxtaposition

In this opening it is clear that the genre and theme of the film is crime and gangster. This is shown by different signifiers in the clip, including its sound, setting etc. The narrative in this clip is an example of open narrative as there is no ending. This opening is slightly different to most openings as the characters normally introduced follow Vladimir Propp's theory, by having seven different types of characters. However in this scene all of the characters included are very similar. This opening doesn't follow any other narrative theories as it’s a very simple piece. As the piece is so simple it creates a smooth and serious atmosphere. The music in the piece is juxtaposition as it changes the atmosphere to seem slightly more fun and exciting.

The titles in the piece are very simple and easy to compliment the rest of the clip. The titles are spaced evenly and it only shows Actors names, and the film’s title. There is a soundtrack used in this piece, it’s extremely upbeat and fast, this is juxtaposition to the rest of the opening. There are several different actors in this opening but they are all very similar, there are two major characters that stand out as they are wearing different costumes ( one in a bright blue hoodie and an older man in a less formal suit) Although saying this they are all each there individual character. The setting of the opening is of a lit street, the characters walk down it and at the end of the opening they reach a bigger road. This could connote the fact they are coming out into the world. It also shows the Mafia/Gangster side to the film as its stereotypical for gangsters to be down alleyways and side streets.

Hitch
Genre- Romantic Comedy

Narrative- Main character= god, Hitch=title, sets men with girls

Atmosphere- Loving, relationship, hopeful and happy

Titles- before any action, uneasy to see, out of the way

Sound-Happy music, speaking to camera- monologue, only words from main character show its meaningful

Character- speaks to camera/audience, shows he cares there is only one character shown, most important

Themes- love and creation, people together

Setting- Bedrooms, public areas, work, city

In the opening for Hitch the genre is clearly Romantic comedy as the clip simply shows people in love and different scene about love, and it also makes you laugh. The narrative of this opening is the way the main character Will Smith is shown as a God of love. The storyline is also shown through the title 'Hitch' implying people are going to married or two people will be paired together. The atmosphere created in the opening is extremely hopeful and very happy. The most important atmosphere the opening creates is love and relationships as this is what the whole film is based on. There aren't many titles included in this clip; the few that are used are hard to see as they are very faint and not overly big. The titles for producers etc. are shown before any action is taking place and only two-three actors’ names are shown after this and they are placed out of the way, instead of the usual openings where the titles are centred and the main focus. The music in this opening is very cheerful and makes the film seem more bright and fun. The only dialogue in the piece is when Will Smith speaks to the audience; this is known as a monologue. As the only dialogue is from him it makes him seem a lot more important. This links to the characters in the opening. As he is speaking to the audience this makes us think he cares about us and is attached to us. Also he is the only one that speaks which highlights the fact he is the main character. The themes in the opening are linked to the atmosphere it creates and the genre the film is there is a sense of love and creation. A theme of people joining together and becoming a couple in love. There are many different settings in this opening starting in the bedroom, and going through many different public places, including work places and homes. This connotes that love is all around us, making the audience feel loved and ready for the film.

Big Fish

Genre-

Narrative- tells parts of the story, why these places

Atmosphere- homely, odd and different but loving and inviting at the same time

Titles- production etc then actors are main focus, one will come on then the next, three on a page at once, screenplay/music not as important. The main title is the only thing in the shot

Sound- mixed with the titles, starts loud and shaky, natural instruments

Character- no characters are shown, lonesome film

Themes. odd homely/village community

Setting- circus, haunted house, village, fields- why these places?

I could not decide a definite genre for this film as its so odd, this is interesting as its most likely intentional. The opening may suggest that the film is confusing and you have to make your own decision on it. The narrative of this piece is an example of closed narrative, as it’s a short synopsis of the whole film. Meaning it has a begging middle and end. It could also be an open narrative, as it’s simply just the opening scene to the film therefore making it continuous. This opening sequence creates a homely atmosphere, it reminds you of love and relationships, which makes it very inviting. Although saying this is creates a very odd and different atmosphere, slightly abnormal. This connects to the themes in the opening, they have a homely and village feel. Creating a sense of love and community but in an odd way. The titles in the opening are very simple, there easy to read and are reasonably bold. The producers and directors are shown first. Then a serious of actors are shown, these are the main focus as they are on-screen for the longest. There are three actors’ names shown on each shot, the first one sweeps onto the screen then the second and third. This makes the audience pay more attention to their names. At the end of the opening the main 'Big Fish' title is shown, it is the only title that is alone in the shot. This emphasises the name of the film. The sound in this piece matches with the titles in the clip. As well as the volume starting loud then slowly getting quieter, the instruments in the piece sound like they are very natural instruments complimenting the films themes. No characters are shown in this opening, this suggests the film may be very lonesome and whoever the character is they may be the only one in the film. There are a lot of different settings in this piece including a circus, a haunted house, a small village and some fields. This connotes there may be a journey that involves a wide range of places. This makes the audience interested as they want to know why these settings are chosen, as some are quite abnormal.

Differences of Trailers and Openings

To highlight the differences between OPENINGS and TRAILERS I watched clips of openings and trailers from the same film. I took notes on the original eight areas for each clip, this then helped me to compare them as i could compare each area then compare them overall.


This is the film OPENING from Casino Royale

Genre- Gambling, Action and fighting
Narrative- Musical, no words
Character- many people die, one is always alive. Woman is Queen material. Cartoons- smooth and slow. Becomes human at the end shows authority
Atmosphere- Erie, death and sneaky
Themes- cards, games gambling action with guns
Setting- Casino, on cards shows the feeling of the casino.
Sound- soundtrack, it’s fast and mysterious
Titles- Plain white, stands out, Singular names.

Overall this shows the film to be mainly about Gambling and playing games. Whether there gambling life or money. Or playing games with love, each other or again for money. The opening makes the audience think the film will be based on money.
This is the film TRAILER for Casino Royale

Genre- action, fast paced.
Narrative- tells audience Bond is clever and needed. It’s a win lose situation involves money and love
Character- Bond is authoritative and bright. Evil man- has a misshapen face, he’s mean and sinister. Women young and glamorous
Atmosphere- Sneaky, secretive fast, destructive
Themes- Money, women, winning, violence
Setting- Warm, night abandoned, casino, airplanes- moving around
Sound- bond theme tune, loud flashy and strong bass line
Titles- all in the same font, link together by different transitions.

The trailer for the film makes the audiance think the film is fast paced and full of action. The soundtrack and the editing enhance this as it makesit seem faster. The trailer introduces the charecters so the audiance then has more to take on board, including money, gambaling and women.



The differences between the opening and the trailer are that genres aren’t always shown in the opening as trailer is action, but the opening is based more on money and only slightly action. The trailer contains more information about the hole film and so does the opening but the opening is in a lot less detail and only gives you ideas whereas the trailer shows bits of the film. In the trailer the characters are shown fully, the audience can start to decide there feelings on each person as the trailer show us some of there personality. Whereas in the opening you are shown the storyline and characters are shown but you don’t know anything about them. There are similarities in this trailer and opening, one of them being that they both create the same atmosphere and the same themes. This is used for most openings and trailers as they want the audience to see the same things they will see in the film. In a trailer most settings are shown, they make the film seem based more on action, rather than gambling. Whereas in the opening its based more on gambling, suggesting that trailers should show all settings in the film to grab interest. Whereas the openings should simply welcome the audience. The sounds in the trailer are very different to sound sin the opening. The opening sound is literally a soundtrack, whereas the trailer has a lot more dialogue, which helps to explain the narrative. Another big difference between the trailer and the opening are the titles. In the trailer there aren’t any titles until the ending, where only a few are used. the font of these are very detailed and compliment the film. However in the opening there are a lot of titles, including names of actors, producers and companies. They are a lot simpler and are on the screen for less time.

G321 Initial Notes

We were thought about the differences between OPENINGS and TRAILERS.

I then went onto analyse two openings of films, looking into different areas such as Genre, Narrative, Character, Atmosphere, Themes, Setting, Sound and Titles.

This is the opening to the film 'Catch Me If You Can' (2002)

First we were asked to make notes on only one area. Mine was Setting, these are the notes I collected on this area.

Erie

Fast life- Airplanes, leaving and running away

Smooth

City- Big city dreams. Most likely New York/America due to the yellow cabs

Beaches- sunny holidays, getting away

Dark room- the character has been caught, in a police type room.

I then went on to take a few notes on all of the areas-

Genre- Action/ Fast paced- Light touch

Narrative-Tells story of whole film. Iconography

Character- Sneaky- one is running, one is catching

Atmosphere- Chase, excitement

Themes- Wealth, chase, identity, disguise

Setting- Past/retro, american, airport

Sound- Retro, upbeat/fast

Titles- EARLY, range of jobs and cast, specific order

This is the opening of a film called 'My Best Friends Wedding' (1997)

These were the notes I took on this clip

Genre- Romantic Comedy

Narrative- Wedding- will go wrong, hints are in the song

Character- Main woman- Bride, best friends, groom

Atmosphere- Funny, girlie, loving

Themes- Friendship, wedding, happiness, men, iconography

Setting- will be a wedding, churches. Studio, enough information, funny 1950s musical

Sound- Song, do it or bad. Dietetic- keeping man

Titles- Smooth font, handwritten. Early JULIA ROBERTS