Copernicus Project 2nd Draft Edit

For my second draft edit I have changed the entire opening into black and white. However this was only a test to see whether or not it does justice to the film. But I am going to need to re-shoot some sections as they are not up to the standards I believe are great. Once all re-shooting is complete I will use class time to compete another draft edit but this time with different footage (but I am keeping the establishing shots). By shooting and re-shooting I have learned the importance of patience, I have been getting stressed out but now I have learned that nothing comes easy. I believe this is a good mentality to have whilst making even a short film because being impatient can completely ruin an otherwise great shot.

Title Idea

I have just finished watching a film on Netflix called 'Zombies: Wicked Little Things'. Albeit wasn't a AAA title however I noticed a great, subtle technique used in the title sequence. The picture would quickly fade to black to show the names etc. I think this is a great technique to use in my own opening sequence as I am currently having issues with visibility of titles. 

17/12/2014 Double Lesson Progress

Today I have spent the double lesson planning my titles. I have made two logos in Adobe Photoshop for my two production companies. I believe they look good, however more work is needed until I cam implement them into my edit. I have learned many useful techniques for Photoshop that I will remember to aid me with my progress next lesson. The two production company logos are only a draft at the moment, however they should not need too much altering.

Draft Edit

The day has come, I have finished my draft edit for my opening sequence. While not 100% complete as of yet, I believe the quality at the moment is good. However during next weeks lesson I will be sure to imporve my edit and by the end of January 2015 I should have my final edit completed and rendered.

I have learnt many things whilst filming and part editing my opening sequence. I have learnt the importance of white balance and how not adjusting it correctly can completely throw the quality of the shot off. Also the use of a tripod has become extremely important to me. Firstly I attempted to complete my filming without a tripod but quickly learnt that my shots were too shaky and it looked too amatuer. Therefore I borrowed a tripod from college and rescheduled my shooting date and filmed again. I am pleased with my second opening as it is of a much better quality and whilst the story in my new one doesnt exactly make sense it is atleast coherent. Whereas the story in my first attempt was a complete mess.

I have uploaded my first draft of my second attempt onto YouTube which I will link in this post. Any feedback would be much appreciated. Thanks
Matt.

Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment

One risk that could incur whilst filming is:

• My main actress could get hit by a falling tripod or lighting equipment.

To counter this I will take extra care not to put my actor into this direct danger. I will double check that my equipment is securely sat on level ground where the danger of the equipment falling is kept to a minimum.

Another risk that could arise is:

•  My actress could get hypothermia due to the cold weather and the time of year. Also if the costume isnt warm and covers her whole body then she is at risk of becoming extremely cold. This may not sound like a likely risk but it is certainly possible.

The solution to this problem is clear. Make my actress wrap up warm whilst filming is not rolling. This will ensure she is warm at all times and she is available to shoot.  

•  As I live next to a water source and therefore I will be filming in close proximity of said water source, I will have to make sure any equipment (Camera, Lights, Tripods etc) do not fall into the water.

The solution to this problem is to secure any equipment to the ground, therefore eliminating any risk of equipment becoming unsteady and falling into the water. I will attach a picture of the water risk. 

•  One more risk that could arise is if I am filming outdoors and the weather suddenly decides to change and it starts raining. The equipment will be at risk of water damage.

To counteract this I will ensure I bring a waterproof jacket that could be quickly thrown over any equipment that is in danger of water damage. This should ensure all equipment works properly afterwards. However this particular risk is highly unlikely and I doubt it will happen. Although I will still bring the waterproof jacket to be extra safe.

• One last risk that could be a potential danger is the weather itself. Lightning in particular could be a risk, I have checked the weather forecast for my shooting date and there isnt any rain or lightning predicated so I should be fine. But for extra precaution I will make sure all my equipment, myself and my actress are grounded if any rain should make itself present.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming has helped me tremendously to achieve a better understanding of what I am hoping to achieve with my Thriller opening. Next up is storyboarding then I can begin to film. Unfournantley I am a day behind filming due to personal reasons but thankfully I planned ahead and my back up plan is in full swing. Therefore by the end of the day I will have storyboarded and filmed my opener ready to be edited in Wednesdays lesson. 

Filming Schedule

Filming Schedule

Filming will commence on the 6/12/2014. I am going to be shooting the film in and around my house. I am going to minimise the amount of locations I use as to add to the claustrophobic, closed off nature I am trying to put across. Update - Today is the 7th and I have not filmed yet although I am about to shortly. I have missed my scheduled filming date however this is not a problem as I have a few days until the deadline. 

Actors Needed:

The actors I need is as follows: Me as the central character. I have chosen to have me as the main character because I am working solo and therefore have no one else who can do it. Also I want full control of what the final version will be like so if I do it myself I have 100% control. My Mum is going to play the owner of the house and also the villian, although they are not supposed to be the same person. I have chosen my mum as the owner of the house because she has a trust worthy face so seeing her won't immediately put doubt into the audiences mind about whether something strange is going on. 

Stills From My Storyboard

Storyboarding my ideas has proved very useful. I now have a very clear idea of which shots come first and how they are going to look. Storyboarding is essential to planning a movie and it has helped me tremendously to gain an insight into what the final version may potentially look like. 

Equipment Needed:

I am opting to not use a camera that my college can provide as I am more comfortable using my brothers camera as I have expereience with it before and I can easily work the interface. This should therefore save me time of learning the learning curve of a new camera I have not used before. I am also borrowing my brothers camera stabiliser to make the shots more steady and professional. 

• Camera. 
• Tri-Pod. 
• Sources of light (i.e. lamps etc). 
• Costumes. 
• Camera stabiliser. 

Weather Requirements:

 Ideally I need the weather to be dry but slightly damp. The area in which I live is in close proximity of a canal and therefore the mornings can be very foggy. If on the morning of the 6th of December it is foggy then I will sieze the oppurtunity to film some outdoor shots I will need to create atmosphere and a sense of dread. Although the majority of my opening will not be set outdoors.

Second Backup Plan:

If on the day I plan to film the weather is torrential rain or someother weather type that prevents me from filming then I will still have 3 days to film until the deadline. That will be plently of time to swap my schedule. I have also made sure I will be available during the 6th to the 10th because I could be tied down by other responsibilities but I have swapped things around and I am free to reschedule if needs must.

Internet Audience Research

Audiences Targeted By Thrillers

Most thriller films target an audience of adults, 18+, because they tend to include alot of heavy violence and dark subject matters that are essential to progress the story. This is the nature of thriller movies and they dont include violence and swearing for the sake of things, for the most part anyway. Therefore they are inappropraite for small children and anyone sensitive to violence. Most DVDs say on the reserve cover why they are rated 18+. Disaster films fall under the catergory of 'Disaster' however in the case of 'The Day After Tomorrow' as soon as the destruction begins it is clear that it has tranformed into a thriller film, with intense sequences that put you on the edge of your seat. This just goes to show that you can begin your film as lets say a Horror, and end it being a comedy. However that example would be tough to acheive.

Another source says that Thrillers are aimed at an audience who enjoy the mystery and intrigue of a good story with high levels of anticipation. Pyschological Thrillers allow the audience to almost become the detective within the movie and enable them to slove the case with the characters. Some aspects within a pyschological thriller may be distrubing for a younger audience yet these tend to be mental and emotional distraint rather than full blown blood and guts.

My Target Audience

I am going to target an audience of 15+ as I believe this is the perfect balance to make an effective thriller film yet have it available to largest audience, without it being too soft. Also I want to target mainly a male audience because all my characters are male and possibly they will have an easier time connecting with my characters. Although it is entirely possible that females can enjoy my film just as much.

I am also going to target my film to a more mature audience who can wholly appreciate the subject nature. Furthermore my film will be dark with subtle hints of violence, without fully showing it.

Bibliography

Some of my resourses I used are blogs other A-Level students have written, which will help me because they are in the same situation as me and reading about their successes can motivate me and inspire me to do well. Also their expereinces can help me make my Thriller opening better because I have first hand experience of previous students. However I have not copied any ideas and everything I produce will be original and completely from my own mind. I have only used other A-Level students as guidance and used them for their experiences in the same situations. 

http://40thriller2013.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/target-audience-expectations/
http://billiepearsonportfolio.weebly.com/target-audience.html

Questionnaire

I completed a questionnaire and handed it out to my close friends and family for compeletion so I could gather as much infomation as possible about what to include to make my Thriller opening as effective and professional as is within my skill range.I recieved all of my questionnaires back and collected all the data up, unfourtanatley I do not own a photocopier so I am unable to upload a picture however I can type up all the infomation I gathered.

Q1: What is your favourite Thriller film from the list stated?

Pulp Fiction: 4
The Silence of the Lambs: 2
Taken: 1
Usual Suspects: 2
Se7en: 1

From this question I have learnt that the majority of people I asked enjoyed Pulp Fiction more than any other on the list which means I can take conventions and ideas from Pulp Fiction and implement them into my film to make it more effective.

Q2: What is the most effective convention of Thriller films in your opinion?

Quick Cuts: 2
Low Key Lighting: 5
Tense Music: 2
Diegetic Sound of Breathing: 0
Acting: 1

From these results I have learnt that to make an effective and creepy thriller opening I should implement dark shadows and low key lighting.

Q3: Should my opening sequence contain more than one character?

Yes: 4
No: 6

This result did not surprise me as I believe an opening sequence with one character is more effective because the audience feel alone just as the character in the film does. However I will consider using more than one character but it may not be viable as it was hard finding one person to act, nevermind two.

Q4: Do you think Vertigo Pictures and Green Apple Studios are believable names for production companies?

Yes: 8
No: 2

I was surprised by these results as these names to be sound possibly too fake and cheesy. However I am now more drawn to using them as I am failing to think of a better alternative.

Q5: Do you think 'Unanswered' is an effective and overall good title for a Thriller film?

Yes: 5
No: 5

I was also surprised by the answers to this question as I thought Unaswered was a great name. I will consider changing it however I am not sure because I am already changed it from 'The Copernicus Project' which is terrible and I only used it in my draft edit as I could not think of a better alternative.

Research Into The Industry/Genre

 Thrillers

Thrillers are a genre of film that contain various conventions and techniques, these include: excitement, suspense and tension. Thrillers tend to stimulate the viewer, forcing adreneline around their body to hook them into what is happening on screen. Films of this genre tend to be intense, gritty and fast paced.
I can use this knowledge to further help me with my production because I can implement some of these aspects to solidy my film into the genre of thriller.

Subgenres   

Whilst thriller is a broad concept they can be narrowed down into specific sub genres. Some of these include psychological thrillers, crime thrillers, erotic thrillers and mystery thrillers. Another common subgenre of thriller is the spy genre.

What would it take for my film to be recognised by a production company?

I have found a video prodcution company that help younger directors get recognition as larger companies, like Warner Bros. or MGM, would not be interested in small budget, independant movies. The video production company I have found is called 'Agile Films' and they are located in London. On their webstie there is a 'Contact' section that outlines what needs to be done in order to contact the right person so you can get your film noticed by a wider audience. This is an exact quote from their website:
"If you're a director looking for representation, or you want to discuss an idea with our development team, please contact Kristian Brodie."

Bibliography

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_%28genre%29
http://www.agilefilms.com/

Catch Me If You Can - Opening Sequence Analysis

 Catch Me If You Can - Opening Sequence Analysis

The cartoonish style is evident from this screenshot.

Catch Me If You Can sports an impressive title sequence full of beautiful animations that wholly capture the imagination and theme of the movie. What really makes this title sequence memorable is the way its subtly suggests some of the films key themes without making it obvious. 

The fonts used for the title cards are simple yet effective. They are soft and smooth and the animated characters are exaggerated and over-the-top. However, like most films, the positioning of the names and the order in which they appear, suggest greatly the importance of said person.

From analysing Catch Me If You Can’s title sequence I have learned that I can make my title sequence cartoonish and, if I do it well, I can still capture and maintain what makes a thiller title sequence. 

However I am not going to implement much of the conventions used in this title sequence into mine but I believe looking at this title sequence has still been beneficial to me as I am more familiar with different title sequences in the genre of thriller.

Also the cost of producing such a title sequence would be exponential as the amount of hours necessary to animate such a breath-taking piece of animation would be ridiculous. But I maintain the belief that an animated title sequence can be just as effective of showcasing a thriller movie as, lets say, the opening to Fight Club or Se7en.

                                                     

Camera:

The camera used in this opening sequence does not exist in our physical world, the camera is within a computer animation software, however both work similarly. Many techniques are used to effectively transition from one shot to the next but the ones I noticed that are used more frequently are standard zoom and pan. These are used to show the simplistic nature which is clearly trying to be put across by Steven Spielberg in this opening title sequence.

Sound:

The opening portion to the opening sequence contains light hearted and soft instruments. Such as slow guitar riffs and soft piano notes. These are effective at calming the audience which could be argued is not the intention of Thriller films. However this is how Catch Me If You Can is different to most thriller films, it does not rely on dark lighting or scary music to be an effective thriller.

Then as the opening begins to come to an end the music changes to a more dark and ominous tone. The change is subtle and effective and completely changes the atmosphere. Perhaps the director chose to change the tone of the music to remind the audience they are about to watch a thriller film and not an upbear childrens comedy.

Editing:

Editing is used throughout the duration of the opening sequence to suggest urgency through the use of quick cuts. It could be argued that the director chose to do this because the urgent nature in which the shots are put together is a key convention throughout the film as the main theme is fraud.

Mise-En-Scene:

There are two prominent main colours used throughout the opening sequence, these are blue and black. It could be said that these two colours suggest different themes that are used in the film. Blue could represent the light hearted nature in the film and black could represent the subject nature of crime and fraud.

List of Titles (In Order):

Dreamworks Pictues Presents

A Parkes/MacDonald Production

A Steven Spielberg Film

Leonardo DiCaprio

Tom Hanks

Catch Me If You Can

Christopher Walken

Martin Sheen

Nathalie Baye

Amy Adams

James Brolin

Brian Howe

Frank John Hughes

Steven Eastin

Chris Ellis

John Finn

Casting By Debra Zane, CSA

Co-Producer Devorah Moos-Hankin

Based Upon The Book By Frank W. Abagnale With Stan Redding

Titles By Kuntzel Deygas

Music By John Williams

Costume Designer Mary Zophres

Film Editor Michael Kahn, A.C.E.

Production Designer Jeannine Oppewall

Director Of Photography Janusz Kaminski, ASC

Co-Executive Producer Daniel Lupi

Executive Producers Barry Kemp, Laurie MacDonald

Executuve Producers Michel Shane, Tony Romano

Produced By Steven Spielberg, Walter F. Parkes
Screenplay By Jeff Nathanson

Directed By Steven Speilberg

Sweeney Todd - Opening Sequence Analysis

Sweeney Todd - Opening Sequence Analysis

The title sequence to Sweeney Todd is excellently made and exquisitely directed. From the cartoonish blood to the dramatic music everything screams Tim Burton. This sequence really nails the bloody nature of the film yet the cartoonish style in which everything is presented. This is, in my opinion, one of the more well-made opening sequence to a thriller in recent years.

The font used for the titles is simplistic yet edgy and stands out. The titles do not move or fly onto the screen they simply fade in and fade out. The speed at which the titles appear on the screen increases as it nears the end and the position of the titles depends on the importance. For example Tim Burton's directorial credit appears largely in the center of the screen whilst someone arguable less important, like Director Of Photography Dariusz Wolski, ASC, appears to the left of the screen.

I believe watching and analyzing this opening sequence has helped me understand what I need to include in mine because I now have a better knowledge of what credits to include to make mine more authentic and believable. 

 

Camera:

The camera pans through the streets of London, the image is slightly cartoonish which suggests an element of fantasy. From this we can gather that the film doesn’t take its self too seriously, yet suggesting the dark subject nature and violent themes. Tim Burton has decided to do this because it is his niche, it also works very well with the story of Sweeney Todd.

The camera looks through a window at the infamous Sweeney Todd chair when a drop of blood falls onto the window. Suggests violence and also gives the chair negative connotations as we instantly associate the chair with blood. However you could intrepet this particular scene as the blood representing Sweeney Todds blood, perphaps giving the audience an insight into the finale of the film before the credits have even ended.

Sound:

During the opening sequence the distinct sound of an organ can be heard throughout the majority of the sequence. Whilst an organ is typical of the era in which the film is set, it also has a timeless, eerie sound that chills most people to the bones, therefore perfectly suitable for such a violent thriller.

Towards the ending of the opening sequence the music begins to intensify. It quickly picks up pace and becomes louder, quicker and scarier before rounding off for an imense finale. The intention of this technique is to get the audience of the edge of their seats before they have even started the main portion of the film.

Editing:

There is a shot of a river that clearly appears to be flowing completely with blood. Editing has been used in this shot to make the blood to appear cartoonish, yet whilst making the surroundings seem lifelike. However it is clear to the audience that the surroundings are not physical sets either, rather computer animation. Yet they have deliberatley decided to make the flowing river of blood look more fake than anything else in the shot.

Mise-En-Scene:

Black shadows are a prodominant feature throughout the opening sequence. Tim Burton has decided to dominate the whole portion of the opening sequence with dark, eerie shadows. These have a negative effect on the audience, in terms of mental state. They fill the audiences mind with dread and tension so the fact he has used this technique straight away from the beginning shows us this is something he wants intends to happen.

Red is also a dominant colour, like black, that fills the entirty of the opening seuqence with fear. The main use for the colour red is for blood, which creates negative connatations for anything related to the colour red and also creates fear in the audience as most people do not like to see violence in movies. However is Tim Burtons case he can make the blood look fake which helps him keep the film not too disturbing.

List of titles used (in order):

Dreamworks Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures Presents

A Parkes/MacDonald Production

A Zanuck Company Production

A Tim Burton Film

Johnny Depp

Helena Bonham Carter

Alan Rickman

Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street

Timothy Spall

And Sacha Baron Cohen

Casting By Susie Figgis

Music And Lyrics By Stephen Sondheim

Based On The Musical By Stephen Sondheim And Hugh Wheeler

Originally Staged By Harold Prince

From An Adaptation By Christopher Bond                                    

Music Supervised And Conducted By Paul Gemignani

Orchestrated By Jonathan Tunick

Music Producer Mike Highim

Co-Producer Katterli Frauenfelder

Costume Designer Colleen Atwood

Edited By Chris Lebenzon, A.C.E

Production Designed By Dante Ferretti

Director Of Photography Dariusz Wolski, ASC

Executive Producer Patrick McCormick

Produced By Walter Parkes, Laurie MacDonald, John Logan

Produced By Richard D. Zanuck

Screenplay By John Logan

Directed By Tim Burton