Trapped in Love (Spider Diagram)

Trapped in Love

Trapped in love

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26th November

In todays double lesson every group had to perform the pitch that they had made.We had to tell the whole class all about our films, including details such as how much it would cost to make the film, how much profit would the film make and what the film was all about. Our group of three, I, Robert and Courtney, had gone for a romantic/thriller genre. This is because it would attract two types of audience, male and female. Our film is about a girl called Leila meeting a boy called Danny. They then end up being in a relationship and Leila moves into Dannys house. However, Leila has not got a clue that Danny has mental problems and does not love her, so she suffers from violence, which makes Danny feel good. She then manages to escape and she ends up killing the one she loves, Danny. I did not think that our pitch went that well as the class did not understand what the plot of our film was all about. However, I have ended up making a power point slide show which includes all the details and I believe that it is much clearer than what we have performed in our lesson. Over all I am rather pleased with our ideas for our film.

At the end of our pitch performances, our teacher has given each group a few films to look at for our research. The films that our group got given were 'Fatal Attraction' and 'Pacific Heights'

15th November, 2010

In todays lesson we have spoken about why the main title sequences or the opening credits of a movie can be considered the most important in a film. And these are some of the thoughts from me :
- To know the genre of the film.
- To get an idea of what the film is about.
- To know what actors are in the film.
- To see the setting on the film.
- To attract a particular type of people.

These are some of the answers/thoughts given from a teacher:

- The quick clips outline the film makers intentions and set up the expectations of the people watching.
- Saul Bass, said, "Making a main title was like making a poster, you're condensing the event into this one    concept, this one metaphor; a back story that needs to be told or a character that needs to be introduced.''
- Titles function as a transition: taking on the responsibility of displaying the movies title, the studios brand identity; the name of the director.

We have then looked at the opening title sequence of the film 'Seven'. We have then had to write our first feelings towards this film as well as ask one question towards the film. My impression was that I was very interested in what is going on and what identities of the people were as we could only see parts of their body, such as fingers and hands. The question that I have been left with was 'What is the book about' as we only get a few views of lots of writing and the fact of it being hand made makes you want to feel it and find out more about it. After this task in our group of five have been given a micro feature to analyse which was Cinematography. So as we have watched the title sequence of 'Seven' we had to write down notes which were based on cinematography. This means that in our notes camera positions, colours, lenses, depth of focuses, lighting, framing, composing and special effects had to be included.

Cinematography analysis of 'Seven'
'Seven' title sequence uses a lot of extreme close ups, this is used to create tension for the audience as it makes you feel very uncomfortable and it puts you in discomfort. Also all of these shots are still, we are only able to see the movement of the peoples body features and some of the objects. Due to the fact of these extreme close ups being still we are unable to see the surroundings and where everything is set, this is to create a big mystery which people may want to reveal by watching the whole film. Most of the lighting in this title sequence is dull; this is to create a scary and an unpleasant atmosphere. Not only the lighting is dull but also the colours included are rather dark such as brown, black, dark blue, grey. These colours give the whole title sequence a very unpleasant effect. Rays of light have been used for the main features and objects to stand out. Some of the photographs are very shaky as well as lightning has been added to them, this is to create a more unpleasant effect towards the audience, as this type of effect may reflect a scary storm at night. Fast pace has been also included to flick through a lot of things creating excitement towards the movie, leaving the audience wanting more. This title sequence also includes flashes of red which create an effect of danger. Layering is one of the things that has been used but not so much, it shows photographs fading out onto other photographs. The letters and numbers are hardly visible as a flash has been added to them which creates a mysterious side of the film. Looking at just cinematography you are able to get an idea of what the film may be about and the uses of cinematography are very strong as they create different emotions towards the audience leaving them wanting to see more, and that is the main aim of the title sequence.




Class Analysis of SE7EN

A title sequence is the first thing the audience sees when the film starts, this being that it is very important that it gives of a first good impression. Within the film Se7en there are many things to consider in its title sequence, one of which being the mise-en-scene. Throughout this truly chilling title sequence there is no exterior or landscape shown which automatically leaves the audience with lots of questions in relation to the background information; the basic facts an average audience member would expect to know. We see a constant close up of the characters hands, never their face or body. Although we can see clearly sharp objects being used and there movement is very much the focus when they are involved in the frame. There are many different props used throughout the sequence which include: sharp objects, pen, paper, needle and thread and many old photos. Throughout the entire sequence the colour remains desaturated which we can only interpret as it having some relation to the forth coming events about to take place later on in the movie. The whole title sequence is film in a dark light setting, this suggests that the life is being drained out of the film this is also linked to how the character treats his victims. The final thing that sticks out in the sequence is that various things are highlighted in the props such as “homosexual” and “Transsexual” as well as cutting out the name “GOD” out of a clipping, to perhaps show the theme of religious belief and the connection to the person in the sequence; also the precision the person in the sequence has cold possibly be giving the audience an insight into the characters personality.

From the close-ups we can’t tell what or where the location is, but we can guess that it is in a confined room. The reason why I think this is because the person who is making this book doesn't want anybody to know about it. I thought that the location was very secretive, and because the shots were so close to his hands and almost zoomed in on everything it makes you feel almost claustrophobic; which I think helped to make it feel eerie and scary. I also thought that the person was a man from the look of his hands. From this title sequence I think that he was trying to get rid of his identity by scraping off his finger prints, which made me feel really uncomfortable because it was an image I really didn't like. This suggests that he could be a serial killer and has planned things through to not get caught also this person seems to know what they are doing. There are images of dead people and it looks like he is creating a scrapbook which he has put the picture in but we aren't sure what the scrapbook is of. I also thought that he would have been a perfectionist because everything was done with his own hands and it clearly showed that he took time and care with his work and it was obviously thoroughly planned, I could tell this from the way everything seemed so precise, he seems to document his work very obssessively, but with patience. I thought that the person was religious, because they cut out a piece of a dollar bill that had the word ‘God’ written on it and also at the end of the title sequence the song ended with ‘gonna get me closer to God’, this made me think that they are killing people for their deadly sins and that they were killing for God. He crosses out words such as "transsexual" which also makes me think that he is religious. I got the idea that it was the seven deadly sins because there are two 'sevens' in the title and because the first shot after the title sequence says 'monday' which could explain one of the sevens.

'Seven' title sequence uses a lot of extreme close ups, this is used to create tension for the audience as it makes you feel very uncomfortable and it puts you in discomfort. Also all of these shots are still, we are only able to see the movement of the peoples body features and some of the objects. Due to the fact of these extreme close ups being still we are unable to see the surroundings and where everything is set, this is to create a big mystery which people may want to reveal by watching the whole film. Most of the lighting in this title sequence is dull; this is to create a scary and an unpleasant atmosphere. Not only the lighting is dull but also the colours included are rather dark such as brown, black, dark blue, grey. These colours give the whole title sequence a very unpleasant effect. Rays of light have been used for the main features and objects to stand out. Some of the photographs are very shaky as well as lightning has been added to them, this is to create a more unpleasant effect towards the audience, as this type of effect may reflect a scary storm at night. Fast pace has been also included to flick through a lot of things creating excitement towards the movie, leaving the audience wanting more. This title sequence also includes flashes of red which create an effect of danger. Layering is one of the things that has been used but not so much, it shows photographs fading out onto other photographs. The letters and numbers are hardly visible as a flash has been added to them which creates a mysterious side of the film. Looking at just cinematography you are able to get an idea of what the film may be about and the uses of cinematography are very strong as they create different emotions towards the audience leaving them wanting to see more, and that is the main aim of the title sequence.

The sound of the title sequence creates a disturbing feel. At the beginning it shows the character preparing to sleep, a clicking sound is used as the background which could be connoting a ticking clock counting down, showing that it is a countdown for something that is going to happen. In the sequence the character is crossing out words and pictures, every time he crosses something out you hear a scratchy screechy sound. This could be implying that the things he is crossing out are his next victims, as the screeching sound could be the person screaming and the scratchy sound could be the way they are killed. By putting this disturbing sound track in the background of the sequence with the close up images it creates a sense of confusion, as the audience has to take in the creepy sound and the glimpses of images together trying to make sense of them both at the same time.

Friday 12th

In our double lesson we have been looking at different title sequence from the movie ' James Bond'. We have talked about the uses of props as well as the editing techniques. The props that have been used in most of the title sequences for 'James Bond' are guns, classic hats, suits, expensive things such as diamonds, very good and attractive cars. All of these props have been used to show power and class. Also women have been used to attract men to the movie. they have been put across as sexy, by being skinny, naked and by their dancing. We are not able to see their body features or their faces as the uses of editing have cleverly made the women as sillhouettes to hide their identity. The uses of silhouettes also go out towards men. The editing has also good use of colours which are mostly black and red, this is to show danger which reflects to the guns and other weapons. The red may represent love and sexiness due to the fact of women being included in the title sequences.

Read the article and show understanding by talking about 5 points chosen

• “White lettering on a black background is another characteristic of this era, because titles simply looked better this way when projected with live-action B&W film.’’

This quote talks about white lettering on a black background looking good. This is rather interesting as now in most title sequences bright colours are used to attract the audience. I find it very interesting as audience could have been attracted just by seeing black and white when the movies first have came out.

• “The font, Berthold Herold Reklameschrift BQ (digitized version) was created by German typesetter Heinz Hoffman in 1904.’’

I have found this quote very interesting by just looking at the year 1904, it is hard to believe that movies have been created so long ago.

• “For a time, “film doctor” Ralph Spence (1890–1949) was the highest-paid title writer in the industry, earning $10,000 a picture for his one-liners.’’

This is also quite hard to believe as a huge amount of money has been earned by Ralph Spence for just a line of a text. Also looking back at the year the titles were made you are able to already know that the titles were very simple in black and white, not something amazing.

• “The first Mickey Mouse cartoon, circa 1929, features both Mickey and Minnie, but its main title, “Plane Crazy,” is lacklustre.’’

This, I have chosen as you can see that Mickey Mouse cartoon has been created in 1929 which was 81 year ago. I find this very interesting as after a very long time Mickey Mouse is still on television and loved by children.

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/10/04/the-art-of-the-film-title-throughout-cinema-history/

The Big Secret

The task set was to create a continuity sequence. This sequence had to be of a person opening a door, crossing a room and having a short conversation with a person who was already in the room waiting. Our group of four have come up with an idea to make a simple story line of a couple splitting up with a twist at the end, therefore we have called it ‘The big secret’. The secret comes out to be that the boy is a homosexual and is also in love with the girls’ brother. The girl gets very upset about the whole situation and therefore slaps the boy. A fight breaks out, and soon it stops as the boy gets a call.

In the continuity sequence shot-reverse-shot had to be included as well as we could not cross the 180 degree line. Both of these have been used correctly in our continuity sequence, therefore our video has came out rather successful. However we have used the shot-reverse-shot in a slightly different way which included parts of the characters facial features, such as eyes and lips. This was to hide their identity so it could be revealed with the secret. This may be a good effect towards the story line, but not so good for the shot-reverse-shot as over the shoulder shots should have been included due to the task given. Overall the task has been completed rather well.

Find two opening title sequences from television shows that appeal to you.

Hereos

I have now decided to look at a film and not an animated movie for a change and to see how it is different. I have chosen ‘Hereos’ as it is a very interesting movie by the fact that people have super powers, which does not happen in real life. The very beginning of my title sequence show the audience the world and then the name of the film, which gives it away what the film might be about. However the colours are very dark and are not suitable for the word Hereos as heroes are the ones to save the world. So, we may get an idea of bad thing happening. The fact of the audience seeing the world makes them understand or get an idea of where the film is set. We then get a zoom out which zooms out from an eye of a man. This may tell the audience that he is one of them or is about to face a hereo.  At the very begging we only get a view of the face of the man and then it zooms out again showing his whole body. We are then able to tell where the scene is set in. And this time it is set outside on top of a building. Also the zoom out is from a low angle shot, this makes the man look big and powerful, this may be another clue of him being a hereo. When we get a look of how the man looks like we then get a birds eye view. On the black roof  it has white bold writing which says ‘Chapter one Genesis’ the type used has worked very successfully as it stands out, also some of the letters have sharp edges which represent the bad sides of the film. The birds eye view shows us that the man is standing on the edge of the building to create tension as we do not know what will happen. The camera then goes back to the person and pans right to show the movement of his arms going up. This may suggest that he is up to something. After that we get a low angle shot of the whole building to show the how tall and big the building is, this creates more tension. We then get a shot of birds eye view to see the man jumping of the building. Birds eye view has been used for this just so the audience can see the whole drop. Just after the man jumps of the building the title sequence ends, this leaves the audience wondering whether the man has died or survived with the help of his powers or the powers of heroes. Talking about the colours of the title sequence, they are bright as the sun is shining, this may suggest that nothing bad had happened to the suicidal man. We also only get a view of one character which does not tell us a lot about the movie. 

Find two opening title sequences from television shows that appeal to you.

The Simpsons

I am going to look at a title sequence for ‘Simpsons’, as the title sequences are rather interesting. This is because they change all the time and they do not refer to the show. The title sequence that I have chosen is called ‘Banksy Simpsons’. I have chosen this as it shows the truth about sweatshops as well as the dark colors reflect the whole situation. The camera mostly tends to zoom in and pan a lot. This is for us to see what is going on in detail. The panning shows the actions going on such as Bart Simpson using his skate board. All of the Simpsons are on their way home from schools, shopping and work. We get the view of the whole journey, and this journey home introduces us to most of the characters in the show. First we get a view of Jimbo Jones and Kearney destroying a statue. This gives us an idea of thecity being violent and horrible as the boys’ behavior is unpleasant. As the camera goes towards the school window we get big views of graffiti, this leads us to the owner of this graffiti and one of the main characters which is Bart Simpson. This also may tell us that he is the main character as we see him as the first family member of the Simpsons. We also know that he is a Simpson as we get a longer view of him than the other characters such as the Groundskeeper and Barney Gumble. We then get to see the next member of the family which is also important, the dad and husband Homer Simpson. This may be rather stereo typical as the main characters who get shown first are male. After the male members of the family are introduced, we get a quick view of Lisa and Marge, the daughter and the wife. The whole view of the town and the Simpsons home is very bright and beautiful, and then we get a view of a sweat shop which we see the colors change to dark, scary and dull such as black and grey. At the beginning of the title sequence we get a happy music playing in the background, the music suddenly changes when a new view is shown of the sweat shops. It changes to slow music; this is to create a sad atmosphere. The title at the very beginning is yellow in the blue sky. This may represent the sun as it is very bright. It goes very well with the beginning of the title sequence as I have mentioned before the town includes very bright colors to show a happy town. Straight after the sweat shop we see very dark writing which says ‘20^th century fox’ and as soon as we get a view of the TV bright yellow writing comes up on a blue background which represents a happy bright life. Also the letters are not in line and they move/shake a little bit this may show that the life in their world maybe a little bit crazy. The text is positioned in the middle of the frame just so it stands out well. Also the letters look like they may be drawn by a child as they are wobbly, therefore the text reflects to the show as it is an animated show.