Research : The Importance of Titles in Film Openings

When researching about film titles we looked at the first few minutes and opening title sequence to the Film Se7en.

In the opening sequence to the film '7even' we see that the main character is going through his usual morning routine. The pace of editing is rather slow and coherent. The reason for this is because he seems to know what he is doing and is very methodical to the point of being obsessive about it. This is apparent from the way he carefully picks up the items he needs and also picks up the smallest bit of dirt from his bed, showing he pays attention to small details.


In the next scene there is an establishing shot making use of a false jump, with a dead body. We then see Morgan Freeman next to the only source of lighting in the dark room. From this we can decipher the atmosphere as dismal, while the light signifies hope. The pace of editing is slow and controlled signalling there is nothing of out of the ordinary going on. Morgan Freeman's character trait of being particular are further established when he brings up the anomaly of whether a child was involved. He picks this up from studying the fridge in the crime scene.


In the next scene we are introduced to a new character, Detective Mills (Brad Pitt). In the scene Brad Pitts character comes across contrasting Morgan Freeman's character. He wants to be the one to solve the case with ambition of becoming the hero, almost viewing it as a game. While the detectives are walking in the street, Detective Mills appears unfocused from his mannerisms, such as how he was constantly bumping into people and looking at women. This is in stark contrast to Detective Summers, who seemed controlled and more aware of the job in hand. In change of personality Detective Summers suddenly opts to have a drink at the bar instead of continuing the investigation, and Detective Mills seem to be the one steering the pair back on track. This is clever use of the technique juxtaposition. The scene contains the atmosphere of an overwhelming city. This is conveyed with sound of the rain almost drowning out the voices the actors, used for the effect of how vast the city is and signifies the chaos within.

In the final scene we see Detective Summers setting a metronome, in order to help him sleep in the ambience of an argument behind his wall. This is done almost routinely and is also a connotation for the way he drowns out the disorder he has to endure.

Conventions in Titles

• Name of the studio.
• Name of the production.
• Producer name.
• Starring actors.                                                                      Link to  Art of the Title 
• Film title.

We then went on to Art of the title to look at how the film opening is described. The website stated, “its format has been likened to Stephen Frankfurt’s title design for Robert Mulligan’s 1963 adaptation of the courtroom thriller To Kill a Mockingbird.” There are scratched fonts used in the opening title sequence. We learned in our lesson that it was used to mirror the tone of the Se7en as a film.

These are examples of some of the scratched titles in Se7en.

Research: Storyboards

During the process of filming I assessed the importance of storyboarding, and I concluded that it greatly aided in the visualisation of our production, concerning the order of the shot and the sequences incorporated.After researching the purpose of storyboarding in professional productions I found that storyboards are essential to film directors, cinematographers to visualise their scenes and find potential problems before they occur, and save them time in the process. Furthermore it allows room for experimentation before the genuine scenes are shot.

This is an example of storyboarding being used during the planning of an animated film.









While researching, I found a video that shows some further visual representation of the history of storyboarding.

Research : Codes and Conventions of Existing Teen Horror Film Openings (Wrong Turn)

Research : Codes and Conventions of Existing Teen Horror Film Openings (Dead Mary)

Research : Codes and Conventions of Existing Teen Horror Film Openings (Dead Wood)

Research : Conventions commonly found in Horror films.

Setting
Generally, horror films place characters in in places where no-one can help them. Settings typical of this are urban environments, dark streets and narrow alleyways. The narrow alleyways give a sense of claustrophobia that is out of their control usually. This is done in order to make the audience uncomfortable, as well as the characters that are placed in these situations. Other places include abandoned houses, and isolated areas with dark histories. These places are almost always associated with darkness and unfamiliar.
Technical codes
Camera work is very important in order to convey certain themes and feelings in a film. High and low camera angles are an example of how fear can be established in a certain scene. POV can be used to show different perspectives from the characters in a film. By using this code a the audience is shown a varying angle at which to look at. Hand held shots make the camera shaky for the audience, and it makes it harder to see and creates tension because of the lack visibility, so entices the audience with the increased tension. Frame work is also effective for this utilising this technique and makes is difficult for the audience see the main threat in the film. Disturbing sounds are key and can be used sparingly for a false jump, or can be used as ambient diegetic sounds like footsteps. Extreme close ups are able to identify the audience with the feelings and mood of the character in that moment in time(and can make the audience fear more for what the character may have seen). Editing can be controlled by speed and can reflect the mood of the scene accordingly.
Icons
Colours like black and red are the most basic icons of specific themes like death, blood and danger. These can be manipulated through lighting that is expressive. Low-key lighting can be used to create dark shadows etc.
Mise en scene 
Props can be used to represent  the horror genre, such as weapons and other icons that link with other horror themes.
Themes

• Good vs evil
• Revenge
• Nightmares
• Insanity
• Lust 
• Envy
• Madness 
• Self consciousness 

The History of Horror Films : A Journey Through Time

1970's

Horror movies of the 1970s reflect the grim mood of the decade. After the optimism of the 1960s, with its sexual and cultural revolutions, and the moon landings, the seventies were something of a disappointment. By 1970, the Beatles split, Janis and Jimi died, and in many senses it was downhill all the way from there: Nixon, Nam, oil strikes, glam rock, feather haircuts, medallions. The 1970s marked a return to the big budget, respectable horror film, dealing with contemporary societal issues, addressing genuine psychological fears.

One consistent fear apparent in the horror films of the 1970s is the fear of children, and the fear of the messy, painful and often fatal process of childbirth. David J Skal, in "The Monster Show", identifies this fear as stemming from the introduction of the contraceptive pill, and from the birth defect horrors forced on the western world by thalidomide. Once sex and conception have been separated, and sexual activity becomes primarily a pleasure, the by-products (i.e children) become monstrous aberrations.
 When the '70s arrived, the full impacts of the movements of the previous decade were beginning to be felt. Between the Pill, the free love movement, the Summer of Love and the rumble of the Vietnam War causing deep splits within families as young men were drafted against their will, hysteria about the demise of the family grew ever-louder and more compelling. Somehow, in horror, this twisted to reveal a new monster raising its head - one that was smaller, cuter, and yet somehow more terrifying than any that had came before. It was the era of the children horror. 

The seventies were about deep-seated paranoia, and the fear that the moral shift of the 1960s had created a culture of monsters. There is little humour in 1970s horror films. Here is a list of some of the films that establish the pinnacle of horror films in the 1970's.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)                   
The Exorcist (1973)
The Wicker Man (1973)
Shivers (1975)
Carrie (1976)
The Omen (1976)
Suspiria (1977)
Dawn of The Dead (1978)
Phantasm (1979)
Alien (1979)

The Exorcist (1973)

This film was turning the concept of childhood innocence on its head. It was also said to be designed to put the fear of God back into people at the time, because it played on the idea anything can be bad.

















 

The Omen (1976)

The Omen shared the same uncomfortable premise of a child cursed with evil. The Omen made memorable use of its soundtrack, in this case a disconcerting blast of Latin chant composed by Jerry Goldsmith. Omen differs from the Exorcist in its refusal to grant audiences a get-out clause in its protagonist's evil. It is not as original or as intelligent as the exorcist, because it uses follows more usual conventions.

Carrie (1973)

Carrie was a great success because it was, tapping in to teenage fears about what happens when you don't fit in. It then used this idea to create a literal fear and stigma attached to those who are not with the crowd. It also links in with how horror films were made in order to play on the fears at the time.

 

 

 

Preliminary Task Evaluation

The set brief evaluation
In the preliminary task we were asked to produce a continuity task involving the filming and editing of a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom he or she then exchanged some dialogue. In order to do this we needed to use  This task needed to demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule, long Shot, mid shot, close up, extreme close up, level shot, POV shot, establishing shot and the over the shoulder shot. On my storyboard, we are shown to have used an establishing shot, match on action, the 180 degree rule, the long shot, mid shot, shot/reverse shot and the over the shoulder shot.

Here is are some reasons as to why some of these techniques were chosen.

The 180 degree rule was used to show the action on one side of the actors face and was useful for expanding the frame.
The match on action shot allowed our cuts to look smoother on screen.
The shot/reverse shot was utilised for my groups conversation scene. It allowed as to have some variation as opposed to a static shot, and show the expression on the faces of the actors. 
The over the shoulder-shot was necessary to provide a different view when different people were talking in a conversation.

Pre-Production

In pre-production we used storyboards to plan out how we were going to go about filming. These were very basic, and though they were in chronological order they lacked detail. This is evident because we had to rely on hand drawn images. This was more difficult because they were much less accurate to where we would be actually filming. I learnt that taking several pictures of the filming location beforehand would have been more beneficial. A positive was that we were able to note down the angles and camera shots we would use in each scene and this made including the key techniques much easier.

Production

We used an I-phone four to film, and our location was Kettering Buccleuch Academy. Using our storyboards we took some time to attempt replicate what we planned on the story board. This was due to location difficulties inside the building sometimes. The lighting during filming was adequate regardless of the lesser camera quality, and we were sure to take many takes of the same scene. The reason why was not only to do with good practice, it was also because there was sometimes a lack of clarity between the camera-man and the actors. I learned from this, good communication is required in the filming process for the best results. The control with the camera was not so big a problem though when we next film we will use a tri-pod to reduce shaking. This was apparent in the POV shots, and the establishing shot especially.

Post Production
With the correct clips we imported them to "I movie". This is a simple program that is used for creating short film clips. We used it for the editing of our production. I included the use of sound by using a website with sound clips. The green bar at the bottom is the music in the background. After my editing I made changes to some transitions and altered some sound clips.

 Conclusion

In conclusion I think my first preliminary task was substandard. Though this was expected because it was new to me with all the different techniques to apply, and also taking part in the practicality of filming. Furthermore I think the mistakes I made were important, so I would learn from them and know how to overcome the problems I faced in the task. This would then better my next piece of filming. For a beginning film, I am satisfied with the result of how the film turned out knowing if I was to re-do the task I would be more confident having analysed and learning from my previous experiences.

 

Main Task Set Brief

Here is your set brief:

The titles and opening of a new teen horror film, to last a maximum of two minutes.

All video and audio material must be original, produced by the candidate(s), with the exception of music or audio effects from a copyright-free source.

Storyboards

These are the group storyboards.