Evaluation

Evaluation simona from KExcell

Still Image shots of our film 

Actors
Both actors staring in our opening sequence take A-level drama so the thought it would be best and most beneficial for them to act in the film as they will be confident in front of the camera  and have good acting skills. They both also fit the brief of what we imagined the characters to be.

Costumes for 'Amanda'
In the first few shots it shows the real Amanda, wearing earthy colours, and a floral skirt to show her innocent and unchanged side. However in order to contrast this and make it clear that her alter-ego, figment of her imagination 'twin' is a different person we had her wear different clothes, in dark and more sincere colours.
In the flashback she is wearing normal clothes, of what you would expect of an average teenager in order to show that she is just a normal school girl.

Alterations when filming
we had to make some changes when filming, in regards to some of the shots we initially intended to use, for example, we set out to end the opening sequence with a 360 degree shot of the woods with only the one character standing there, however during filming we found this to be very challenging as the terrain of the woods was not smooth and therefore gave the effect of 'shakey' camera work. 
Another major change in our opening sequence was adding in a flash back, this was partly because our footage was not quite long enough and lacked in a range of shots, but also to try and give the audience a clearer understanding of what's going on, as a back story.

Story board - Some shots which we planned to incorporate in our film

1st Shot
 Type of shot: side profile shot, focus pull from out of focus to in focus
Duration: 7 seconds
Sound: no talking, only music from our garage band piece
(non diagetic sound)

Shot 14

Type of shot: initially was a head shot panning however we altered this to a one shot of our actor hiding something with the leaves
Duration: 6 seconds
Sound: diagetic sound of the leaves as well as out soundtrack on top




Shot 17
type of shot: long shot of full body
Duration: 14 seconds
Sound: talking from script with soundtrack lightly in the background

Location of filming

We are filming in our local woods 'Monken Hadley Common' which is local and easy to use. its also appropriate for our film in parts of the opening sequence.

Final Shot List 

1. Out of focus, side profile shot
2. Long shot
3.high angle shot
4. Mid shot
5. Close up
6. Two shot
7. Over the shoulder shot
8. Close up
9.Extreme close up
10. Over the shoulder shot
11.High angle shot
12.High angle shot
13. Mid shot
14.Over Shoulder shot
15. Long shot
16. Extreme close up
17. Close up

While there are numerous variations most opening credits use some variation of the basic order which we have used as a guidline from studying various other films:

• NAME OF THE STUDIO - 'A momentum film presents'

• NAME OF THE PRODUCTION COMPANY - ' a hammer film production'

• (PRODUCER NAME) PRODUCTION - 

• STARRING - the two people who starred in our film 'asher guierrer Halil' and 'Dena Babanari

• FILM'S TITLE - 'Crystalline'

• MUSIC or MUSIC COMPOSED BY - 'music by Simona Violino and Rosie Wishart'

• EDITOR or EDITED BY - 'Alex Chandon'

• DIRECTOR or DIRECTED BY - 'Simona Violino and Rosie Wishart'

Full Script 

Friend: Amanda, I'm concerned about you, you have not been yourself recently. (fiddling with mug)
Amanda 1: What do you mean?
Friend: You have been acting weird and different, are you sure your ok?
Amanda 1: WE are fine.
Friend- Who's we?
Amanda 1: I SAID ME! (throws pillow, shouting)  

----- cut from flashback to outside scene -----

Amanda 1: What have you done? how are we supposed to fix this its you not me! (when kneeling next to body, covering with leaves)
Amanda 2 : It was always you, never me, revenge is sweet isnt it, you started this and now your going to finish it. (standing up)

Risk Assessment 

Conducting a risk assessment is necessary so we are aware of any problems we may encounter and how to overcome them as well as avoiding and preventing them.

Some precautions we may need to take when filming include - 

Filming in a public area :  - ensuring we do not intervene with the general public as well as making sure people to not enter our shots by accident

- Being careful not to obstruct a public footpath or disturb any people such as dog walkers

Props : use of props such as weapons or knifes can be dangerous if not transported properly, we also must be careful where we leave them on set

Daylight: filming in the day so we have enough hours of day light/ doesnt suddenly darken mid way through the extract.

Choosing a Production Company

We have decided it would be best to use a production company that specialise in the genre of film we have chosen (thriller) and therefore chosen Hammer Films, who have frequently worked with Momentum pictures who will be our distribution company. Hammer films have made around 150 films, including some classics such as Dracula and the Mummy, before its rejuvenation as a company in 2000 where it has gone onto produce box office hits such as 'Let me in', 'Woman in Black' and 'The Resident'

Equipment

Hi Girls, Have got some cameras back. When did you want to use one.
Let me know.
Mrs Excell

Equipment

Hi Girls,
You can borrow a SD camera tomorrow IF I have them returned!
Mrs Excell

Preparing for our own title sequence

AUDIENCE- our target audience would most likley to appeal to teenagers and young adults. however because some themes throughout the films e.g.. drug taking/rape would not be suitable for younger viewers, and would probably have a 15 age restriction.

SET- we have decided to set our film in a woods in our local area, which is quite stereotypical for a thriller, helping to enhance the genre clearly which is one of our main aims.

WHEN/WHERE- Filming in the night would be too dark without the use of lighting, therefor were choosing to film at dusk adding to the eery feel of a thriller as well as incorporating the light within the sequence. there are also less people out at this time so our filming is less like to interfere with the public.

SCRIPT- In the opening sequence there is little talking and more acting, partly so the audience concentrates but also because we don't want it to drown out the music 

Amanda 1: what have you done!

Amanda 2: you mean what have we done 

Amanda 1: your a monster, look what you've done, you've killed him

Amanda 1:you did this, you started it, you finish it, not me, you 

QUOTE- We have decided after looking at other films such as Kill Bill, to put a quote at the start of our opening sequence

"Have I gone mad? Im afraid so. You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are" - Mad Hatter. 

I chose this quote because of its relevance to the storyline of the film and to give a quirky touch to it

MUSIC- we have decided to use garage band to create backing music which we hope will fit with the theme of the film and sequence on screen

Synopsis
The film is based around a teenage girl, who unknowingly to the viewer has a split personality and therefor sees herself as two different people this is due to being caught in the wrong crowd of drug abusers and kids who live off the street. Despite being offered help, she goes missing and ends up murdering her drug dealer, blaming him for what she has now become, seeking revenge but which side of her is to blame.

ANALYSING AN INTRODUCTION TO: VERTIGO (1958)

Vertigo is a psychological thriller/ romance directed by Alfred Hitchcock

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Before anything comes on screen we can hear a building dream like trance inducing music, as an extreme close up of a woman’s face fades in, her lips twitch nervously before an outburst of music is played where the name ‘James Stewart’ comes in. The outburst stops as the name leaves however the trance like music continues to get louder. The camera pans up to the woman’s eyes, showing signs of fear, unease and paranoia as she is under the viewer’s scrutiny. By having a close up of the eyes, Hitchcock conveys ideas of ‘being watched’ which is often prominent in thrillers. 

With each title that appears, another loud outburst of non-diagetic sound is heard. The lighting goes red, perhaps to convey ideas of danger/fear as the main title ‘vertigo’ appears. The use of hypnotic patterns and music is to entice the viewer but also build suspense until the change in music, where the rest of the titles simultaneously appear with the constantly moving patterns.

Meeting

Please attend a meeting re equipment on Tuesday 18th December at Morning Break.
Mr Royden & Mrs Excell

ANALYSING INTRODUCTION: Indiana jones- raiders of the lost arc (1981)

Spielberg’s Indiana Jones opening scene has many sly movie references throughout (Much like Tarintinos geeky gesture at the start of kill bill). For example the film begins with an establishing shot of a peak in the jungle reminiscent of the producer, Paramount Pictures logo.  Another jokey movie-geek reference is found on the aeroplane at the beginning ‘OB-CPO’ written along (referring to star wars) Spielberg has done this to gain connection with the audience and entice them further so throughout the film they are watching for more subtle references.

The genre is made clear (action/adventure)  from the outset by the jungle setting, tension building music and costume. The titles appear whist the film is playing in the hope that the titles get noticed as everyone would be watching. No real character introductions are given, and at first we don’t see Indiana Jones’ face he is but instead he’s established in a dimly-lit shot from behind, showing the familiar fedora-wearing silhouette that reoccurs throughout the film. He is then shown properly through the use of a close up shot allowing the audience to familiarise with the character for the 1^st time.

Similarly to pride and prejudice the music builds with the images, however this time creating a build up and atmosphere along with the daunting sounds of the jungle. Overall the genre of the film is very clear and makes the viewer want to join in on finding out about the archaeologist’s exotic adventure! 

ANALYSING INTRODUCTION: Pride and Prejudice

Pride and prejudice is a romance/period drama directed by Joe Write in 2005. Traditionally, the production company comes up, followed by the director, film title and cast etc. Before any image we comes on screen we are able to hear the sounds of birds singing, creating mental images of open country side, this is confirmed by the 1^st shot, an establishing shot showing the rural and tranquil country side, setting the scene further and emphasizing the genre and the time the film was set.

The non-diagetic sound or music, plays a key role in the scene, being completely precise in that the first note we hear plays, as the first rays of sun rise. As the music builds the dawn continues to break, changing with the images. The character Elizabeth Benett is the first person we see in the shot, introducing her as the protagonist. We are able to learn that she is of some wealth by the simplistic yet smart dress worn and also that she Is intellectual seeing as she’s reading a book. Our judgements of her wealth are proven correct later in the scene as we see a large house with maids working who Lizzie walks straight past, but also that the family is in need of more money as we overhear a conversation talking about marring a rich man. The intellectual side is also confirmed by the playing of the piano as non-diagetic sound which also builds as the scene progresses creating a climatic effect.

ALIEN- RIDLEY SCOTT (1979)

 Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto.

The sequence beings with a panning shot of space, the slow subdued pace creates tension and the use of dark colours add to the mystery, Adding to this, the beginning of Jerry Goldstein's eerie score subtlety sets the tone of the film, creating tension.

  

The title appears letter by letter which again adds to the mystery and keeps the audience attentive, trying to guess what it actually is, But the genius is the slow reveal of the title, one element of each letter at a time, taking eventual shape, spelling ALIEN.

 Similarly, as the titular creature reveals itself one step at a time before finally emerging as the Alien later in the film.

Overall the titles are small and simplistic, so the audience’s attention is not drawn away from the main title.

Does it set up particular genre expectations?

The setting of the opening sequence of space immediately sets the scene 'out of this universe' Not only that, but the film title, ‘Alien’ instantly notifies the audience about the theme of the film and adds to the sci-fi genre.

Does it introduce particular characters to the audience? If so, what does it tell the audience about the character?

The titles just present the main actors of the film. The opening titles don’t actually give away anything about the film, which does add to the subtle mystery that complements the film

Does it introduce the setting of the movie? If so, what does it tell the audience about the setting? The use of an interstellar backdrop, again slowly adds to the tension, along with the darkness contributing to the sense of the unknown. Plus the use of the infinite black of space makes us wonder what is lurking within it. The overall effect is of this very slow paced, minimalist title sequence is the tension created is almost haunting to some degree and leaves a lasting impression on the audience. 

Quantum of Solace

ANALYSING AN INTRODUCTION TO: QUANTUM OF SOLACE (2008)

The intro of the film starts with a striking silhouette of Bond, already implying thoughts of power/strength. This ties into the action movie genre, both traits (power and strength) of what you would expect from a hero. The first title to appear is ‘Daniel Craig’ which, generally speaking, is strange as normally production companies come up first, however this is not odd for a bond film as the character is iconic enough that big name actors often play the him, and the audience instantly knows who they are, again the sequence ends with the directors name so it sticks in our minds. The dark colours and bright flashes of light contrast each other but also could be a representation of explosions and such like within the film. The music has that ‘bond-like’ sound; low mysterious bass sounds with powerful vocals. The opening of quantum of solace is very long however the viewer does not become bored due to the changing sequence of images in the back ground.