Preliminary Task

Final Opening Sequence

Key Stills of My Opening Sequence ...

This is an extreme close-up showing the eye of the victim, this does not reveal too much of what she looks like so leaves an impression of mystery and uncertainty with the viewer.

This is a shot of the murderer, he has just walked out his house and past his soon to be victim. At this point he has no idea about his schizophrenia or the murder he is about to commit.

The shot also shows the type of surroundings which look like a normal everyday neighborhood.

This is a close-up of the victims face just after she has been found by the policeman. It shows she is laying on the ground in leaves which suggests she is not meant to be here.

This is a low angle shot of the victims boots as she is walking along a footpath, it is effective as to not let the viewer see too much of the woman at once and shows us the distinctive boots from a previous shot in the opening.

This shows the victims boot as she is laying on the ground and lets us know that she is the same woman as we see later in the film.

Evaluation ...

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My media product represents and adult social group, it focus's on a middle aged police officer and a young adult woman. It also focus's on the ilness schizophrenia.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

The type of media institution who may distribute the product are film companies such as paramount or universal pictures. This is becasue they are well known and would make sure the film got the neccessary advertising and media attenetion.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The audience for my media product would be a fiarly wide variety of people aged between around 16-40. the audience will have to be fairly clever to work out and understand the plot and anmy twists that take place along the way. I think the audience would have to be over 16 as the themes portrayed in our sequence are violent such as murder, anyone under 16 may not fully understand the themes and take them the wrong way.


How did you attract/address your audience?

There are many ways in which we have tried to attract our audience to the film. We had to make sure we created tension so that the viewers dont get bored whilst watching the sequence. We also make them question the film by not giving them too much information at once and seperating each clip with transitions.


What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

I have learnt about how to use cameras efficiently and take effective shots using light and other factors. We have also learnt to use the macs for editing our film and how to add transitions and titles, we know how to inport media from the tape to the macs and then edit it and add or remove sounds.


Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

I have learnt how to use camera angles more effectivly and how important it is to stick to the storyboard. I have also learnt that the setting is important for the mood of the film, and it helps captivate the audience.

Main company
Presents
A *** Production
A film by ***
Actors ***
Title
Casting by ***
Costume design
Music by***
Edited by***
Production designer***
Director of photography***
Executive producer***
Produced by***
Written and directed by**

Shooting schedule ...

Editing 2 ...

The second lesson of editing was an important lesson - i needed to add music to the film and make final changes to titles and transitions. I got the music off free-sounds.org and i thought it suited my film very well. To make the sequence slightly longer i needed to add more transitions, this also created more tension and gave the information to the viewers slowly. by the end of the lesson i had made all the final changes i felt i needed to make and my film was finished.

Editing 1 ...

Last lesson we edited the footage we had filmed. This was the first lesson where we had all our clips filmed so we could start to see how the final product would look, some of the clips we had filmed were not what we had planned and we would have to re-film them another time. Adding certain transitions made the film look alot smoother and created more atmosphere. Titles were also another very important thing and they created breaks between clips and didn't let the audience take in too much information at once.

Costume ...

The sequence is set in winter so the costumes have to suit that time frame - this will mean that they have too be warm clothes such as jumpers and maybe even coats. I plan to wear a jumper for the filming which will let the audience know its cold which will suit the surroundings. Todd will also wear clothes which will suggest that its cold but they will have to be similar/the same becasue we are playing the same character just in 2 seperate mindsets

Casting ...

Policeman at start – Todd – can look like a professional policeman.

Policeman at end – James – can look professional but can make himself look more mentally unstable.

Dead person – Clarissa – she is a girl and she agreed to do it. Girls seem to be used more as someone who has been murdered in thriller films. (For example, Brick)

Sound Effects ....

www.freesounds.com

Spygame sneeking

Bass 2

Gong 2

Title Sequence Analysis...

The title sequences of a film are very important as they are the first thing a viewer will see when watching a film. They are the perfect way to set the mood for the opening scene. For example, if it is a fast paced action film then the opening titles are going to be quick and loud and if it is a slow paced thriller film then the titles will be slow and make the viewer ask questions.

Our Plot Synopsis

A young boy suffered from schizophrenia when he was young. He loved pretending to be a policeman; but when he switched he was a horrible boy and hurt and bullied other children. After his 18th birthday he felt that he suffered less and didn't switch as much. He didn't seem to suffer at all by the time he was 24, so he joined the police force. Strange murders of people who live down his street started to occur more and more regularly. He was put in charge of the murders as they police thought he was the best man for the job. He noticed a correlation leading towards his house and started to worry about his family. The murders slowly point towards him as the murderer. He tries to get rid of some evidence so people don't suspect him of doing something he didn't do; not realising he actually did it. He takes his family to a remote house to protect them. When he next returned to the house he found his wife dead and his son crying in the wardrobe. He convinces himself that he was the murderer and so goes to hand himself in to the police. On the way there, his son appears behind him in his car. As he appears the dad has flashbacks of all the murders with the son standing almost out of shot looking at him. The policemen realises this, sees his son behind him, and drives his car into a tree killing them both.

Project Planning

Wallander Notes...

- Mysterious, Eerie black screen - uncomfortable, nervous, unsure, uneasy feelings

- Eerie music - creates tension for the audience before they see any pictures

- You may have to picture what is happening in your head

- Location - Cold, foggy - Where is it ? (establishing Shot)

- Dark sea - mysterious, deathly

- Lonely, empty landscape makes the sea seem alive

- 2 people walking on their own down

an empty path

- High Pitched sound suggests danger (may be related with 2 people) uneasiness

- Who are the girls?

- Where are they going?

- Why are the 2 girls the only ones out?

- The camera follows the 2 girls which makes us feel as if the 2 hirls are being followed by something

- Man dead in a car - who killed him? why ? when? was it the girls?

- Why did the 2 girls kill him? retaliation?

- The girls are wearing dark clothes which suggests danger - also one of the girls hair is red which can also suggest danger or maybe blood.

- Hyperbolic breathing suggests the girls are scared or are out of breath for some reason - why are they out of breath?

How Sixth Sense is a Thriller...

There are many things within the opening sequence of the sixth sense which tell us that the film is a part of the thriller genre very early in the film. The opening sequence contains many of the conventions of a typical thriller i will describe a few examples of these:

The use of the eerie music at the beginning of this opening sequence sets the unsure and scary atmosphere which is typical of thrillers. The effect this has on viewers is that they are asking questions as to what is going to happen next and whether something scary may happen when the music comes to an end. The music lasts through the whole of the titles and is over a minute long - this keeps the audience in suspense and may put them in a mindset of discomfort and calmness so they may be easily shocked at what may happen next.

Another thing which leads us to believe this is a thriller film is the types of shots used. There are a few shots used in the opening sequence, but not too many - this may be to keep the viewer in the dark about the setting or to keep their attention on 1 thing and not complicate things. An example of a good shot used in the clip is where the woman is standing against a wall after hearing a noise of unknown origins. Her shadow is in the centre of the frame and she is to the left - this may give the impressions that someone else is in the room with her and she is not on her own. The shots are also very voyeuristic which also gives the feeling that someone else is in the room watching her.

A final way we are made to know this is a thriller is teh mise en scene. The location of the opening sequence is very mysterious and closed up. This leaves a lot to the imagination and anything could be lurking in the celler with the woman - there is also an eerie open door which makes you believe something may come out of.

The Sixth Sense

The Sixth Sense is a thriller for many different reasons. There are many different elements which give it a thriller feel and the audience knows its a thriller. The eerie music at the start of the film lets the viewer know that something is going to happen which may be scary, this is accompanied by a long sequence of titles which slowly eases the viewer into the film. The titles are simple and slow which draws any viewers in.
The shots in teh opening are also framed very well any can add too the thriller theme. Shadows are used in the opening scene and this make

Brick Opening Sequence ...

Their are many conventions within the sequence which let us know it is an opening to the film. For example there are allot of close ups used. The use of close ups leaves allot of the sequence unknown to the audience and will therefore make them ask questions, it makes us wonder what is out of the frame but also gives us the key facts we need to know.

The Sequence also starts within a dead person - this is also typical for a thriller as it leaves many questions to be answered, for example we want to know whop the girl is, did the man murder her, and why isn't he helping her?.

The story also does not have a linear time line - the first few seconds of the sequence is played and then we are taken to the past before the girl is dead, we see her place a note in teh mans locker and later on he goes to the directions on the note.

What I Learnt Last Lesson ...

Last lesson i learnt many new things.
The first of these things was the Brief,
'The titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of 2 minutes'
This is what we have to do in order to full marks in our project.

We all were given a mark scheme showing us what criteria we need to meet in order to get certain marks - i am aiming to get level 4's as this will ensure my target grade is met. It is a group project but we will all be marked individually.

I learnt many conventions of thriller films during the lesson and the opening of the film 'Memento'(Nolan, 2000, U.S.). Some examples of these are:
- Shock Tactics - Sophisticated
- Tension - Ask Questions
- Suspense - Jumpy
- Night Time - Fog
- Mist - Cliff Hangers
- Complex Crime - Eerie Music

We were also taught the differences between a horror and a thriller - as many people were getting the 2 mixed up. In a horror film you tend to see lots of violence and this is what attracts the viewers, but in a thriller you have to imagine what happens yourself and things are left to your imagination.
Thrillers are typically for a more sophisticated and adult audience due to their complex story lines and twists.

Shot Reverse Shot ...

An over the shoulder shot is where the camera is positioned over the shoulder of one character, and in full view is the other character. This gives the feel of a conversation and it lets you know who is speaking.