Presentation on VANISHED (opening sequence)

Vanished Script

Vanish Script

EXT.(on Chelsea Park Gardens)
Jenny has just picked up her daughter Carolina from school and they are walking home.

POLINA

Jenny?

JENNY

What a coincidence, are you still living in France

POLINA

I am, im just here for the weekend to visit my sister

INT.(car)

Three kidnappers are waiting for Carolina to gain enough distance from her mum so that they can take and put her in the car.

KIDNAPPER 1
You ready lads 

KIDNAPPER 2

Ye lets make this quick

KIDNAPPER 1

Make this real fast

EXT. 

Carolina is screaming whilst the two of the three kidnappers put her in the trunk of the car.

History of film titles

History of Film titles

A Title Sequence is the method whereby a film and or television programme present their title, key production and cast members, using visuals and sound. It is usually followed by opening credits (Opening Sequences), which are generally nothing more than a series of superimposed text. 

At the time when cinematography was invented, simple title cards were used to top and tail silent films. This was used to identify both the film and the production company involved, and act as a signal that the film has started or finished.

Batman in the past:

Batman in the present: 

The Birth of the Title Sequence

Breakthrough ideas in titling, such as timing the typography to interact with imagery. People such as Saul Bass arrived on the scene in the 1950's, at a time when the studios were starting to struggle in their fight with the growing popularity of television. At the time, independent filmmakers made headway by doing things differently; giving utterly fresh ideas to title sequences. This is the era in which the discipline of film title sequence design was born. 



HUNGER GAMES OPENING TITLES:

Equipment needed of opening sequence

Preparation equipment for Opening Sequence

Vanished Story Board

Vanish Story Board

For my opening sequence I did my storyboard through a website called www.storyboardthat.com.

I used this website to do my storyboard over others because they had many significant animations for my opening sequence. For example they had a wide range of mask for my kidnappers. This would look better than my own storyboard as i am not a talented drawer. The website had a various amount of scenes and i found a perfect one for my opening sequence unlike the other storyboard websites that l looked at.

Vanished Powerpoint

Vanish from Maxfrankel

Gladiator opening sequence analysis

GLADIATOR (2000)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvTT29cavKo

Gladiator is a historical epic movie which stars Russel Crowe who is known for being a hero figure like in robin hood.

During the first scene there is a black screen with text fade-transitioning in to explain the basic plot of the movie. This scene quickly cuts to a close up-shot of a man’s hand running his fingers through a field of corn, and the man’s hand is in focus although the field is not.

This scene cuts directly to an establishing shot of a group of soldiers, some on horses, others travelling, which diverges from the almost gentle way the scenes were shot before. There all of a sudden is a lot more cutting, and much shorter camera shots than before, this is probably done to show that there is more action than before in this scene.

The opening logos are tinted yellow and gold. Gold is usually signified as a luxurious and grand colour as well as an uplifting and mystical colour. Gold is also closely linked to the roman days as Cesar who was the emperor at the time wore a gold crown and wore a lot of gold which also signified wealth.

The opening scene is mostly black with gold writing, which ties into the gold colour used in the logos. There is little else happening in this scene except for the occasional wisp of brown and yellow smoke across the screen, which could be so that the audience is fixed on what the text across the screen says as it explains part of the plot of the movie. It makes the colour gold stand out and therefore makes it clearer to read which could be because it is important and significant.

The next scene is of a man running his hand through a yellow/gold cornfield (Russel Crowe), continuing the gold theme. The man is also wearing a gold wedding band to signify that he is married. The colours appear very warm and sensual. At the bottom of the cornfield you can see a mother and son which could be the mans.

The following scene is a stark contrast to the preceding ones, as the colour has de-saturated and the scene has taken a blue tone.

The first music you hear, during the logos and the opening scene, is non-diegetic, which is very sensual and subtle, with an array of unusual instruments such as the flute. The music is reminiscent of ancient times in the way that the instruments are played almost mystically. This also gives you a vivid image of ancient rom. Intermingled with these instruments are female vocals which sound almost numinous with the rest of the soundtrack.

The scene afterwards introduces diegetic sound – horses neighing, hooves against the floor, people shouting indistinctly, the sound of wheels running across the ground and the jangling of metal reins. This is a direct contrast to the subtle, sensual music of the aforementioned scenes, which is an effective tool to make the audience jump to attention. This gives the audience a sense of authority of the main character and makes them realise a battle is immanent now.

The Shining opening sequence analysis

The shining (1980)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Cb3ik6zP2I

The shining is an American film which was released in 1980, it is a psychological horror film which is about ghosts telling Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) to "correct his family" The film is directed by Stanley Kubrick who is a very famous director who has filmed A Clockwork Orange and Full Metal Jacket. The shining features three main characters which are Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall and Danny lloyd.

This film is a horror film which requires there to be gore and fright. The opening sequence establishes a sense of chill and remoteness which gives the impression that something horrible is going to happen. Also if you know Jack Nicholson he is very often associated in movies with craziness or more frequently used term; "the baddy".

The opening for this film starts with low, brass music, taking us across a lake in which there is a tiny island. The scene is magnificent and unconvential for a thriller film, what with the calm, clear lake, attractive surroundings, bright sky and beautiful mountain view. The camera sweeps across the lake, in a straight line, until it reaches the island, at what point it takes a quick change in direction. This could be symbolic in terms of the rest of the film; everything going well until something as small as the island sets it all off and causes everything to change. The soundtrack to this opening scene does not fit in with the beauty of the landscape which immediately suggests something in un certain and not right. 

As the car keeps on driving further and further into the mountains, the music begins to suggest that things will change for the people travelling inside the car, and not necessarily in a good and happy way. Due to the scary music.

The font used for the credits are an unusual choice due to their bright hue and sans serif font. They look like credits from a happy or comic movie such as Anchorman. The cyan tone certainly stands out over the various different backgrounds, but it is so bright that it makes the viewers question themselves as to why this specific choice was made. It is a startling colour and contrasts deeply to the scene it is played over. This could be understood as portraying a startling change which is likely to occur and that the unexpected will happen.

The shots include; an extreme long shot when the car finally arrives at it's destination, an isolated hotel in the middle of a harsh looking winter, manage to capture how truly alone and isolated the characters are.

Anchorman opening sequence analysis

ANCHORMAN THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY(2004)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip6GolC7Mk0

Anchorman is an American film based on a news reporter team and how women were starting to gain respect and authority, it is a comic and was release on 9th of July 2004. It is directed by Adam Mckay who has filmed The Other Guys, Step Brothers (which are both with Will Ferrell) and it stars Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Christina Applegate e.t.c.

The film is a comic film which requires the film to be funny and entertaining. The opening sequence establishes genre of comedy this is because you can see Will Ferrell who you associate with comedy who is the biggest earning comic actor at the moment. The style of humour is farce. This therefore means that the audience is someone who likes comedies and Will Ferrell in general , has a sense of humour and can tolerate ridiculousness, this mainly is teenagers of the age 0f 14-18.

The film starts of with an establishing shot of a city. Soft non diegetic music is played in the background, as well as non diegetic sound of a narrator speaking. A helicopter appears in the scene. A high angle shot of the helicopter is shown; the helicopter has San Diego written across it. This tells the audience that the film is based in the city of San Diego. The narrator then says “This was an age when ugly men were allowed to read the news.” The following shot is a mid shot of the helicopter landing right in the middle of a busy road. This along with what the narrator said gives away the genre immediately; which is a comedy.

A close up of Ron Burgundy’s (Will Ferrell) foot coming out of the helicopter is shown, as soon as his foot touches the ground, the soft non diegetic music changes into more lively non diegetic music, the narrator is still continuing his speech. Natural lighting is used when they are filming on location.
The following several shots are filmed on set. Backlit lighting is used when filming on set.

A close up of Ron Burgundy’s wedding finger is shown , his wedding ring is a ring with a logo of his news channel on it. Whilst this shot is running the narrator says, “He was like a god walking amongst mere mortals.” The next shot is a close up of his belt, which looks like it’s made from diamond and stone. This tells the audience that Ron Burgundy is a strange character as normal people wouldn’t have wedding rings of the company they work for. As this shot is running the narrator says “He had a voice that could make a wolverine purr.” The following shot is an over the shoulder shot of Ron Burgundy putting his blazer on. The narrator says “And suits so fine, they made Sinatra look like a hobo.” The next shot is an over the shoulder shot/close up of Ron Burgundy combing his side burns. The narrator’s last words are “In other words, Ron Burgundy was the balls.” The same shot is used but not in focus of his side burns, it’s a reflection of him in a mirror. He looks at himself in the mirror and says “Ummmm, 

I look good. I mean really good.” He then shouts “Hey everyone, come see good I look.”

Simple editing is used throughout the clip.

By looking at the first opening scene I can tell that most of the comedy will come from the use of innuendos and satire, some slapstick may be used as Ron Burgundy is a strange character.

Analysis of Preliminary task

Whilst editing my Preliminary Task I learnt that using i-movie which was too basic and when uploading it onto Youtube as quality wasn't very the best. To overcome this problem I downloaded Final Cut Pro for my opening sequence which is more professional and helpful and when uploading onto Youtube will give hd quality Another problem with i-movie was I couldn't advance technically and it didn't look as professional as others who used Final Cut Pro. I also learnt that I needed to have a more detailed story board so I knew exactly what shots to use for every frame.

Another thing I learnt from my Preliminary task were the skills that I picked up while filming and editing it. For example I learnt that when my character is walking I shouldn't let them walk off the frame as this makes the film disjointed I also learnt to get lots of different angles then when editing them together so that I have a huge variety of shots to make my preliminary task as good as possible. This keeps the pace moving and can include more interesting shots. I also learnt, while filming, that I always had to make sure that my actor, when filming the same scene again and again, should always walk or be on the same side and use the same movements so when I come to editing it doesn't confuse the viewer.They also had to speak and say exactly the same words so that the preliminary task can match. 

For my real Opening Sequence I should spend longer looking for better music that compliment what is happening better. I think this would add to the effectiveness of my video and trigger the correct emotion in the viewer. I would also use Final Cut Pro. This would give me more options when editing and looks more professional when I finish my task. Also on my Opening Sequence I will spend more time going through my music choices so it really fits with the piece and adds to it instead of taking away from it.

Social networking is a very useful way to get feedback on my preliminary task as people comment truthfully and you can learn what went well, what they liked or didm/t like and what they would recommend what you could change. All the comments could be used to make my opening sequence as good as it can be and not make the same mistakes that the viewers didn't like or do some of the same things that they did like.

Preliminary Task Video

Preliminary task storyboard

Before I start to film my preliminary task I decided to do a storyboard. This helped me as it gave me a visual idea of what my preliminary task would look like. It also helped me keep myself on the right track when filming. I created my story board on a websites called "storyboardthat"

Comments on preliminary task

I received some feed back for my preliminary task which looked very positive and promising. 

Preliminary task script

PRELIMINARY TASK SCRIPT

EXT- Road- Daytime

Mike is waiting for John on a bench in a park. Tension is building and you can clearly see that Mike is Nervous and is eagerly waiting for John. John Appears.

John (sits down on the bench and high fives Mike)

Hey man how you been.

Mike ( puts hands in his pockets)

not bad man i have an essay to do. Its called hear and you've left me waiting out here.

John

I got stuck in traffic, sorry about that, you know that central London  is bad

Mike

how you been though

John

not too bad works good, families good, everything is pretty good what about you?

Mike

Ye it alright but I'm looking forward to this camping trip not gonna lie

John 

ye its gonna be pretty relaxed and chill, get up to date because we haven't hanged out in quite a while

Mike 

ye i know what you mean man


                                John

why did you sound so desperate on the phone to speak to me

Mike

well i just wanted to talk to you, you know what ill tell you at the camping trip

John

just go we go time, I'm not in a hurry

Mike (squinting a bit)

i don't know how I'm gonna say this but we started off as just friends but as time has passed by the way i have started to feel about you is a bit different, its not just friends now

John (laughing slightly in a awkward manner)

what do you mean I'm kind of confused

Mike (looking down a bit)

i mean that the way that i like you is different, i have a feeling that I'm a gay.

Music for Preliminary task

I chose the song Intro by The XX because it had the best rhythm and beat to go along with my preliminary task. The tune really went along with the way in which my characters met, what they were saying and the way in which it was shot and Intro was the best match for me.

Location of filming for Preliminary task

Location of filming

For my preliminary task i am going to use a slightly quiet road as the topic is sensitive and needs a remote road.

Characters for Preliminary Task

Chrisian Ozbek as Mike

Mike is not so popular at school and gets mocked often.
He is 16 years old and and loves rugby and karate. Mike is a hard worker.

Alberto Verme as John

John is Mikes best friend.

John is a good student and plays a lot of tennis. He is very social and loves going out and socializing.

Initial Ideas for Preliminary Task

Preliminary task idea

Continuity Editing Rule 3: Shot reverse shot

SHOT REVERSE SHOT:

Shot reverse shot is another technique used in camera work. This is when one character looks at another often whilst they are off screen, for example the camera is over their shoulder, then the same shot is shot from the other side over the other characters shoulder.


Example:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLkUHZ1qips

Continuity Editing Rule 2: 180 degree rule

THE 180 DEGREES RULE:

A rule stating that a camera should be placed somewhere inside 180 degrees on a particular side of the invisible line of a shot containing two people filmed in sequence. If the camera crosses the line, confusion results for the film viewers, because it makes it look like the people are switching places as one watches the film.

Example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVbiej7jckI

Continuity Editing Rule 1: Match on action

MATCH ON ACTION:

Match on action is a technique of filming used in many sorts of films. It consists of connecting 2 shots together in which a character finishes off an action in the second shot that was started in the first one, for example a clip of a character walking through a door in which he opens the door being filmed from behind, then the clip cuts to him walking through from the other one.

Example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv93covb53w

Brief

VIDEO

Preliminary Task:

Continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule.

Mai Task: The titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes.

All video and audio material must be original, produced by the candidates with the exception of music or audio effects from a copyright-free source. Both preliminary and main tasks may be done individually or as a group. Maximum four members to a group.