Storyboards

Storyboards

Storyboards are a useful way to have a rough plan towards our opening. We figured it would be good to refer to on the actual day and have potential adaptations for things that don't work so well. The storyboards included an approximate time scale for each shot, how the shot would be taken and what shot it was. Next to each of these analysis we had an images to make a clearer guide line.

Here are the storyboards:

Symbol Investigation

Symbols for our opening sequence

Research and planning
As a group we decided to have a symbol to represent an organization within the film. We didn't really want to use something that is already out there so we decided to create an original.
We used research to find some symbols and to look at different meanings behind them. The decision came about to combine several symbols together with specific meanings that would work well for our 'organisation'.
Here are some possible ideas:

Here is our final idea:

This symbol (which we created) is called Arc Diath and has the following meaning: Ambition, determination, potential, beginning, strength, tension and uncontrolled energy.

Costume Design

Costume Plan and Outcome

Our characters need costumes. We figured we'd plan out a rough idea as to what they would be wearing. Here is the process...

Character 1 ideas:
Spy
Style- Casual
Colour scheme- Dull, plain
Clothing- Jeans, shirt, plain T-shirt, coat or jacket
Shoe style- Trainers
Make up- Not applicable

Character 2 ideas:
Assassin
Style- Mysterious and practical
Colour scheme- Black
Clothing- Hoody, leggings, vest top, long sleeved, ski mask
Shoe style- Boots, heels
Make up- Light eye make up, black, limited

Here is something we worked on as a group to go towards our planning ideas:

Here are the final outcomes:
Spy:                                                                                                   Assassin:

Screenplay Script

Screenplay:

Audience

Target Audience Research

We believe that the target audience for our film would be young adults of any gender. We think this because action/thrillers are generally fast-paced films that are more suiting to a younger audience. Generally, action films are more suited towards younger people, especially teenagers, as they prefer excitement and fast-paced action. However, thriller films are more targeted towards older people as they require more thought and often intellectually challenge the audience, therefore drawing a more mature strand of people. By having a film that is a combination of these two genres we believe that our audience will be quite diverse - it will attract the thrill-seeking younger people whilst having enough intelligence to attract older people, without having too much of either side so as to put anyone off.

An example of this would be Skyfall, a James Bond spy movie with similar themes to how ours will be. A report from Box Office Mojo stated that on the opening night 'the audience was 60 percent male and 75 percent were 25 years of age or older'. This shows that males are slightly more likely to watch this film than females, as expected. The action/thriller film attracted mostly over 25s, suggesting that the audience is more likely to be adults; however, younger people still made up 1/4 of the audience, showing that it is still enjoyed by the younger generation. Similar to this is the data for Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. Another report states that 'the audience was 61 percent male and 65 percent over the age of 25', which is similar to the Skyfall data and so further backs up our claims.

Although these films suggest that most of our audience would be 25 and over, as our rating is a 12 we can expect our audience to be a mix of people over 12. Most action/thriller films are rated either PG (Mission: Impossible, Bourne Identity) or 12 (Skyfall, Batman Begins). This shows that the minimum age for action/thriller films is quite low, suggesting that our film would be suitable for a pretty large range of people.

Action-Thriller

Action-Thriller Genre Convention

Today we chose our groups and thought of what our final genre for our opening sequence would be. Our final idea was to go with an action-thriller. In oder to create an effective opening that fits with this specific genre we had to find inspiration. We chose to look at three different opening sections to work from: Bourne Identity, Casino Royale and Mad Max; these had many similarities that we were able to notice that would become useful when it comes to creating our own.

Music and Sound

The music in the videos did tend to have a very fast, upbeat tempo that was very engaging. Other times it would be very dark and melodic giving off a haunting effect to the viewers. I liked the use of voiceovers too. To me, personally, voiceovers are so much more engaging and can give a very good backing story. It is also a really good way to introduce one or more characters.

Shot types and camera movements

Interestingly enough, many of the camera shots were used with a handheld camera. This really surprised me because I was expecting them to be very formal and neatly packed together. I think I was expecting this because I have seen many other movies such as horrors that have a handheld where they're recording themselves to make a scene. It was very effective to use the handheld because it would follow a character as if you were seeking around and creating intimacy and an automatic link/connection.

Editing

One thing I did notice was a lot of back-to-back scenes. It would have one scene cut to another and then link them together. There is an example within the videos below. Not only were there back-to-back scenes but there were some very quick-cut scenes. It would have us follow what a character was doing and not show us a face. Much of the lighting is made dark and the shots are usually very simplistic. Even with the simplest shots many of them can be very hectic, theres a lot going on and sometimes, not enough. Another brilliant thing is the use of flashbacks. I really liked how these were put in as it created such a great effect.

Locations

It had several settings. I think the good thing with an action-thriller is that it can be set most anywhere and still have such a good effect. However, the majority of them are set in small dark rooms, empty fields etc. I found that any of these types of movies began with a lot of extreme weather, e.g. deserts or sea storms.

Titles and colour schemes

I found that many of the fonts were just standard and straight forward. these wwre probably used to show formality and style. The colours consists of red, blacks, creams. They're not all very strcking coulours but when put together it creates a very nice contrast. You'll find that the majority of the opening sequence scenes had a font colour similar to the ones occurring through the opening credits. Sometimes the credits aren't even put on until after a scene has even played which I found really effective because it was a nice build up.

Bourne Identity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw9DhUhUCeU&feature=player_embedded
Casino Royale: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5OTSW4DRcx0
Mad Max: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-IJ8_Jf891k

Ratings

Analysis of BBFC Ratings

The BBFC stands for the British Board of Film Classification. They are an organisation that gives films age ratings to allow people to know whether a film is suitable or not. There are several age ratings, and the content of the movie determines its rating. However, the guidelines are not especially strict, and are generally only enforced in cinema viewings and DVD sales. The movies someone watches is entirely up to them or their parents/guardians. Here are the guidelines for age rating movies:

     U

U stands for Universal, and can be watched by all. Most films with a 'U' rating are made for young children, generally under 4 years old. It may include:

• VERY mild language (such as damn)
• VERY mild sexual behaviour (such as kissing or hugging)
• VERY mild violence and threats, and a good outcome is always assured
• No dangerous or anti-social behaviour that a child might copy
• Rarely any reference to drugs

     PG

PG stands for Parental Guidance. This means that most people should be able to watch it, but some scenes my be unsuitable for young children. It suggests that parents should review the content of the film before showing younger children. Although the films are generally suitable for children, they may not have been expressly made for children. A PG film may include:

• Mild language, although generally infrequently, and with little or no aggression - it depends on context
• Mild sexual reference/behaviour, if any at all - again, it depends on context
• Mild violence or threat
• Some dangerous or anti-social behaviour may be shown (for example bullying) providing it is portrayed as wrong or unpleasant, and not glamorized
• There may be references to drugs, although these are not focused on, and are portrayed as negative

     12 and 12A

12 and 12A are very similar, but are used for different reasons. Both mean that the content should be suitable for people aged 12 and over. 12's are used for DVD ratings, and only people over 12 can buy them. 12A is used for cinema releases, and means that under 12s can enter if accompanied by an adult. A 12/12A film may include:

• A pleasant tone, as if a film includes the things needed for a 12, but has a dark or unpleasant tone, then it may be given a higher rating
• Strong language, although like the PG rating, it depends on context and frequency. Mild/moderate language may be used and is generally more acceptable
• Sex, nudity, and sexual behaviour may be allowed if it is used briefly and discreetly
• Moderate violence is allowed, although details of violence (such as gore) should be minimal.Occasional strong violence may be permitted if it can be justified and makes sense in the context
• Some dangerous or anti-social behaviour may be shown, providing there are no/few details, and they are presented in a way that children are unlikely to imitate. Discrimination should not be shown unless it is clearly condemned
• Drugs may be used, but they should not be glamorized or shown in a way that instructs the viewer on how to use them

     15

15 films are made for 15 year olds and higher. They include things that are not suitable for children or younger teens. 15 films may include:

• Strong language, as frequently as desired, and occasional uses of the strongest language. However, aggressive or frequent uses of the strongest language may not be permitted
• Sexual behaviour and nudity is allowed, although details are not to be shown, and especially crude references may not be allowed
• Strong violence can be shown, although there are still some very strong violent acts that are not permitted
• Dangerous behaviour may be shown, although details should not be dwelt on
• Drugs can be shown, although they should not promote drug-taking. More accessible substances (eg. legal highs) should not be shown

     18

18 films can only be seen by adults. They are not suitable for children or teenagers in any way. They may include:

• Any language - there are no limits whatsoever
• Sexual behaviour is permitted as long as the film is not a sex work (a film whose purpose is to arouse). There are a few things that are not allowed
• There can be as much violence and gore as desired
• Although most things are allowed, extreme dangerous behaviour that may have a negative effect may not be allowed
• Drugs can be shown providing the whole film does not encourage drug misuse

Photo Composition

Photo Composition

Man-Made Framing:

This focuses you on the main subject by blocking out the surrounding. Though your eyes can see what is surrounding the subject you're drawn immediately to the subject (in this case the character and then a sculpture). Man-made framing can be used with buildings, fences, stair frames etc.

Natural framing:

This is very similar to man-made framing except it uses nature. Here we are drawn to a character standing in the distance. Natural framing can be used with tree blanches, plants etc. 

Rule of thirds:
Rule of thirds is used to create a nice image/scene. The red circles are called hotspots; this is a very common place for a subject to be put. The is usually a limited amount of things within the shot created several different effects. Below we have a person as the subject for the hotspot and the second one we have a very clear top, bottom and sides, another useful effect. It creates a sense of emptiness until we see the center which has a lot going on. 

Leading lines:Leading lines draw your eyes to a specific point. In this images we can follow the bins to the subjects in the background (the two people talking). We can also see lines within the tiles on the ground that lead to them. 

All three:Here we have the lockers framing the subjects on the bench, the shape of the wall also works well for this. We have pillars leading the way and also floor tiles as reading lines. Rule of thirds is also used in this image. We can see this from the clear sides. Little is happing on the right and left of the image and the ceiling and floor is empty.

Todorov

Todorov's Narrative Theory

Equilibrium:
1. State of equilibrium
2. Disruption to that equilibrium
3. Recognition that disorder has occurred
4. Attempt (or attempts) to resolve the situation
5. Return to equilibrium or establishment of a new one

Movie that contains this theory:
"Taken"- 2008
1. Divorced parents to 17 year old daughter, mother has a new partner, father leaves CIA to be close to his daughter (who lives with mother and partner).
2. The daughter wishes to go abroad (to France) with a friend and the father doesn't want her to due to his old job but lets her go anyway.
3. Daughter calls her father from France because they are being attacked. She is taken whilst on phone to her father.
4. The father goes to France in attempt to find her using evidence from the call finding out she was taken by traffickers.
5. He finds his daughter and stops that group of traffickers. Once they return home the parents are more at peace with each other.

Movie that doesn't contain this theory:
"momento"- 20001. A man is shot, but in reverse... this is neither a positive start to a movie nor a representation of an ordinary lifestyle.
2. There is no equilibrium to being with, it starts from this state.
3. The guy is in constant awareness of his disruption.
4. The whole movie is of him trying to get to the beginning therefore there are continuously different moments of disorder following resolution.
5. It just goes back to the beginning which means nothing has really been resolved.

Camera Shots

Camera Shots

Extreme Close-Up (ECU)

Extreme close-up is exactly what is says, it is an extremely close capture of a certain feature, e.g. a section of the face such as an eye. This shot can be used to create a sense of intimacy with a character. With an object it may give the sense of some significance. The use of an ECU is rather wide though it may not show much, it can give emotions, a sense of intimacy, show slight or sudden reactions and create a sense of drama. Great genres for this sort of shot could be: horror- to create tension or a specific detail to a character/object, romance- to create a sense of intimacy or emotion to a character. As you can see, it has many effective uses. However, this shot must not be over used, it is a very important shot and is easily misused. If it is placed in too many places it can lose any effect it is trying to portray.

Close Up

A close up would be another helpful use to show an emotion of a character. It can contain the shoulders, head and a little bit of room above the head. From this shot we can see more of the character and part of the way the hold themselves, Because we can see more we are likely to feel more towards the character than the ECU would give of. This is probably due to the fact we can see more and it is more trusting. Useful genres for this shot would be: romance- again for intimacy reasons... In fact, this shot is so widely used it fits into most anything. However, if this shot is over used we miss out on a lot, especially the story, because we would get much of the surrounding and we wouldn't see what it is the character is doing.

Mid-Shot

This shot gives a much greater sense of the character but still not enough. From this we can see a characters head, shoulders and waist/hip area. This shot shows us more of a character, In some cases we are able to see more of a background but not too much, we may just about be able to work out what kind of atmosphere they are in but not where exactly it is. This shot is very effective in many genres such as: fantasy- to create a sense of mystery, action- to show what the character is doing and creating intimacy. This shot is very good, however it still doesn't give off enough information about the character or surroundings.

Long Shot

A long shot. Finally we are able to see all of our character from head to toe. We are given a bit more of a sense as to what their surroundings are but not too much. From this we are able to read the character much more clearly; we can see what they are wearing, if they've been shopping, how the are presented and more. This shot can be used in genres such as: comedy- we can see if the character has something interesting on, action- we can see if they're holding a weapon and what its uses are. If this shot is used too much we can lose a connection with a character and though we see how they hold themselves it can be much harder to read facial expressions.


Mid-Long Shot

This shot is great at giving a sense of atmosphere, we can now see all of the person and more of the background. The setting is very visible and we can associate the character to their surroundings easier and link dialogue to the images making an easier flow to the story. Genres this can be seen in are: thriller- where a character is running, comedy- to show where a character is and their reactions. This is a very nice shot to use as we can see what the character is doing but we lose a sense of connection. 

Extreme Long Shot

This shot gives a much greater sense of the surrounding and is normally more focused on what the setting is than what the character is actually doing. (A lot of the time an extreme long shot is more aimed at background and multiple characters rather than just one- though having one character is still very effective. This shot can give us relations between characters and give us a very large impact of the atmosphere. Very good genres for this could be: comedy- to show an impact of something that has happened, romance- to maybe show a whole wedding, action- to show a battlefield. This shot can be very widely used. However, if it is used to much we can lose a sense of intimacy with the characters and also get confused if it is too far back.

Camera Movements

Camera Movements

Tilt

A tiled shot is a camera movement best used on a tripod. It is
very good at capturing things such as big buildings or even to reveal a character. When using a tripod, tilt would be used to either move up to down or most commonly from bottom to top. Tilt can be really effective when using it so show the height of something as it really emphasises how big it really is. When revealing a character is can really create tension.


Panning

Panning is another movement that would work really well on a tripod. It is very good at following a movement very smoothly. The difference between tracking and panning is that the camera just pivots when panning, whereas the camera in tracking is actually following an object.


Handheld

A handheld camera has many benefits to film making. It is much cheaper to use and can allow some free movements that a tripod couldn't. People also believe that handheld cameras are better at collecting natural surround sounds whereas microphones may be used in other cases and pic up individual sounds.
For people with low budgets a handheld camera is much more efficient  and can still do a decent job.


Zoom

With zoom there is no actual camera movements.  The only thing that actually changes is the focal length. It is very clear on a phone... you don't see the phone stretch forward or change, it is only the lens. The zoom adds a better focus on things within certain distances depending on the quality of the camera.

Opening Credits Analysis

Opening Credits Analysis

Genre:
chick flick/comedy
Confessions Of A Shopaholic

The sound in this starts off with a bit of a fast tempo piece of music that has a bit of bounce to it that is quietly being played behind a character talking about how she feels towards shopping and how it makes her who she is. The music and voice combination is almost "rebellious" and creates a sense of humour and this instantly sets the mod of the film. The visuals are also rather effective as we are made to follow the same lady of the voice into numerous stores as she's shopping and carrying loads of bags. It leads right into the first scene with an instant transition. There's a lot of pinks and oranges that give more of an idea to it being a very girly movie. The fonts used are just two diffent styles. One is itaic and that states the proffensin the persn had in orer to make the movie and the other is the standard font and states the person who has the particular profession. The font is all done in a pale pink which also exaggerates the idea of it being a very feminine film. The text comes on screen one at a time and is put randomly over the screen. I think this is a very successful opening credit sequence as it does portray a humour that can relate to several other women. The use of the dialogue is very engaging and makes it even more interesting.

Genre:
action
Fast and Furious 6

The very beginning of the credits is one of the main characters saying a quote from within the film and then the music is bout right in and it shows the importance of that character. As soon as this quote is said we are introduced to a rap which is very fast tempo and gives the sense of relations to streets which can link with the visuals nicely. The visuals are little snapped videos lasting for seconds long taken from the actual film creating an insight as to what the film is about. There are lots of cars and men with woman. These images create a very rushed thought of what the actual film will be like, where it’s set, who is in it and what some of their roles are. It is definitely a very intense opening sequence. The font is a metallic grey/white and reflect the imagery of cars. Another way it does this is by making the text rush on and off screen going to the sides. The font is very bold and capitalised creating a sense of significance. These opening credits are very effective and really do give a deep insight to the film so I would say they are very successful at showing what genre it is. 

 

Genre:
comedy/action
The Hangover

The sound is of numerous voicemails and dialling tones. There’s little music being played in the background and these create the image of either a lazy character or an overly busy character due to the fact they are missing all of these phone calls. The music in the background reminds me very much of café music or something that would be played in a fancy restaurant, it has a very blues feel to it. The tempo is very calm which adds to the blues atmosphere. We are shown weddings preparation images e.g. a floral van, people getting flowers, a wedding cake, dresses etc. after this we are introduced to the bride getting ready and then the dialogue comes in. The font is plain white and looks handwritten. This creates the sense of romance which is also seen to link with the visual effects. I don't think the opening credits worked very well with the film genre because it was a very soothing sequence where as the film is a comedy. However, as son as the credits have finished we're rushed into the first scene which gives a sense of irony and contrasts with the opening credits which then make it funny.

Genre:  
thriller/drama/crime
Silence of the Lambs

There’s a very orchestral piece of music, it is very calm with a constant steady tempo. It brings a sense of tension which is really good for the genre of the film and is very effective in the sense it is it very mystical; it creates a sense of edginess and discomfort. There is a very blank screen, plain black background. The words are off to the side of the screen and an occasional moth comes fluttering through onto the screen which is yellow, cream, orange and brown. Though those sound like bright colours, combined they are really dull but compared to the background much attention is drawn to the moth. The font is very simplistic, it is pain white making it stand out against the contrasting background. The actual title itself is made much larger than the other credits. The text fades off and on screen but stays in one place. This is nice and calming but due to the haunting music it is very taunting. I think this is a very successful piece of opening credits, they work so well with the genre of the movie especially since the taunting effect is kept constant through out. It is very simple yet very effective. 

Genre:
action/thriller/spy
Skyfall

The song is called 'Skyfall' from Adele and was purposely made for this particular movie. The mood is very intense as the whole song follows the same slow tempo but starts off very quietly which draws attention to the images. Some actions and sounds are made in sync which emphasises the genre and is even more enhancing. The whole thing is made to fit. The whole thing fades and dissolves transitions that merge together and some images create new scenes which is very interesting. There is lots of grey, white, black and red, deep red. The can show how graphic the film is. The whole thing has a flow in body movements too, it is very symbolic and reflective of the film. The font is very straight forward, simple, it creates the idea of the movie being quite serious. The font is in white showing bit is very plain and again, serious. This can reflect the genre of the film. It is very blocky meaning it has sharp cut corner, suggesting formality and style. I think this is one of the most successful opening credits I have seen (along with Silence of the Lambs) because it just gets such a grasp on the genre of the film and how it will turn out. The visuals are just incredible and wok so well with the music and the fact the song was made for the film made it all the more better.

Preliminary Task and Production Notes

Preliminary Task and Production Notes

Panning notes:

In order to plan for the preliminary we created a story board which had a time scale and images of shots we would have like to include into the final piece. The story board contained our ideas for each shot, how they would look, what dialogue would be included and who would be filming. We needed to plan a time and place to film that would work well for the whole group and knew it would have to be done in our own spare time.

Ideas:

Our first initial idea was a drug dealer handing in the drugs to his boss and getting paid a large deal. The boss tells the dealer someone is threatening their business and then kills the dealer because he had supposedly told the police. This wasn't chosen because it seemed a bit too extreme for a task like this and didn't suit everyone in the group and was therefore changed.

The last idea was a man of pride walking into his bank to take out ALL is money. When the assistant takes his money out we discover he actually has very little and the man still leaves in pride... except a little more proud than in the beginning.

Filming:

For the main filming we had to use a tripod to balance the camera and to add different types of movement to add a greater effect. I was rather please with the amount of input the group put in. There were multiple cut decisions, many shot suggestions and we all decided on how we chose it together. In order for all of us to be satisfied we played around with shot types and took the same scene but at multiple angles; we chose our favorite altogether.

Editing:

In order to edit the clips I used Final X-cut Pro. With this I could cut the clips I found appropriate to use and used certain effects to change the atmosphere of each individual moment. The lighting I used was changed, I tried to get a more neutral look and turned up the tones of yellows, blues and greens, whilst taking the red down a tint. Transitions were used to make the scenes run smoother and follow a better and more structured story line, I feel these ran successfully. Titles were another thing that was rather helpful; I chose mine to be 'Prelim Task' just because I found it was most appropriate.

 Team Work:

I was in a group with two other people, James and Frank. I personally didn't feel like there was much cooperation going on in the group and felt it could have been improved greatly. However, I think the idea of keeping a small group kept us more on task and it made things easier for me to handle. James was very good at picking out multiple camera shots whereas Frank was more open to ideas. I really enjoyed working with the camera and felt I learnt new things quickly, like how to use the tripod efficiently for the uses of camera movements.

Here is my final edit:

   

Key Concepts

Key Concepts 


180 degree rule:

The 180 degree rule is used mostly in conversation. They are based on an imaginary straight line that is portrayed by the camera movements and angles. The image below shows that the camera must stay on one side of the imaginary line. Reasons for this consist of the audiences views, if the camera was to flip sides the whole conversation would too- this means the people look as though they have changed sides causing confusion to the audience.

Shot reverse shot:

This technique is very much like the 180 degree rule except it shows a person looking at something, then what a person is looking at and is finally followed by a similar image of them again usually the reaction the person makes. This shot can be used to show conversation, the placement of an object and many other things. A very good time for this to be used is during an 'over shoulder shot' that is best used in conversation.

Match on action:

This is used to show a gentle flow of movement and is in fact continuous showing one shot leading to another to give a clearer view on what is happening. They can use several camera angles and shots to show continuity. This skill can be used for many things such as: conversations, movements and many things more. If this goes wrong there can be a lot less flow in a story and the viewer may assume things just turn up at random or that events happen without actual knowledge.