Wednesday, 30 September 2015

4. Improved: How a Film Opening Can Attract an Audience, Research

Powered by emaze

4. How a Film Opening Can Attract an Audience, Research

How a film opening can attract an audience, Research

Films need to make the audience feel that the next couple of hours is going to be worth their time, to be able to make this possible many film-makers opt for an explosive, eye-catching introduction to grant the audience 'instant arousal'. 

Film openings can dictate the audience expectations, if the audience is given too much too early, the film-maker runs the risk of setting expectations to high; expectations which the remainder of the film cannot live up to. 

The opening of a film should intrigue the audience to want to know more, but they should still be in the dark, asking questions. The movie's tone should be introduced, this can be done by foreshadowing.


3. Purpose of a Title Sequence in Film Openings, Research

Purpose of a title sequence and film openings, Research

The opening of a film title can have many purposes. The purpose of an opening sequence more often than not is to: introduce the title, introduce the genre and set the atmosphere.  It can also introduce the audience to the locations and characters and thread early plot themes. Locations can be introduced with long shots of cities, characters can be introduced by giving them screen-time and through the casting credits. The genre/atmosphere can be introduced by the music, whether it conveys a positive tone or an ominous one and whether the images going with the music is synchronous or A-synchronous.

Title sequences have evolves as film has, some film makers feel that title sequences should be like a miniature film before the actual beginning of the motion picture. Others feel that title sequences can be seen as irrelevant to some audiences so they try and make it as creative and relevant towards the film as possible so that it can seamlessly flow with the beginning of the film.

An exemplar of the art of title sequences is Kyle Cooper's work on David Fincher's Se7en.



Additional Work: The Film before the Film, Research

The Film before The Film, Research

Thomas Edison was the first person to use a film title sequence, he used the title at the beginning to avoid violating any contractual duties. As time passed, sound developed and actors and auxillaiaries began to be credited at the beginning of films. This led to the opening sequence coming a gatekeeping function.

Once TV was invented, the cinemas saw less action as people preferred to stay at home rathe than go out so filmmakers had to reinvent the entire medium. title sequences adopted more elaborate designs which intended to grab the the attention of the audience pre-film; the title sequences began to become miniature films onto themselves; they became the film before the actual film.


Tuesday, 29 September 2015

2. Preliminary Film & Evaluation, Research

My first experience with media equipment was with my first group. That group was made up of myself, Nathan, Rohima & Cher. As a group we all gave our input as to what type of shot types we should use. We drew out on storyboards to get a good idea of what our final product would look like. I worked on the brief script for out piece and Cher took responsibilities behind the camera with assistance from Rohima. Nathan, myself and Rohima were all on the screen. The story is that Nathan's character is a patient who has been called to the doctor's (myself) room by Rohima. I then give him a prescription, which I took out of the prop briefcase, and that is where it ends. Creative storytelling and stellar performances were not out main focus, incorporating a variety of shot types was. I feel we achieved this goal as our shot types, though nit perfect, were mainly successful.

In the editing room, some scenes did not flow as well as we would've liked them too but these are the learning curves that come with a first attempt at something. I learnt how to cut footage and string it together into a fluent film. I do feel that my skills at this could improve, I should have been more hands on and attentive in the editing process. 

Here is the final product, enjoy! 



18. PRELIM Rohima Leo Nathan Cher from 283goswell on Vimeo.

Monday, 28 September 2015

1. Group Introduction , Research

Hello, this is the group 18 blog.

My name is Leo Edekere , and this group is comprised of myself, Marie Ogunkolade & Rochelle Cassell.

Friday, 11 September 2015

titles used in a title sequence

Titles used in a title sequence

in a title sequence, the titles are listed in order of size and importance to the movie and also what the audience is more interested in.
the first title in the sequence is almost always the production company logo and often their own opening animation.this is usually the largest title and will be on screen longer than most other titles such as Walt Disney's animated opening which is a grand part f the opening of any Disney movie:



- Walt Disney opening sequence


after the company name it will be a list of key actors/ actresses that are playing the roles, this is for the audience to know if the cast is played by actors or actresses they like and would want to watch on screen this also gives credit to the actors for the part they play within the movie:
then a list of editors and producers are credited these are given smaller fonts and usually spend very little time on screen, as the audience be very interested but will still want to know the editors and producers of the movie.























- opening shots of the title sequence of Edward scissor hands


Thursday, 10 September 2015

Film Opening Analysis

Film opening analysis :



Juno:








in the opening sequence for the film juno, it sets the scene which the movie takes place in, as the opening contains the main character walking through the local area, even though many of the backgrounds are line animations it still gives the layout of the area and the atmosphere. the title sequence also introduces characters who are in the movie: the main character is highlighted throughout the sequence as we follow her moving through the neighborhood. in the background supporting cast is introduced as the running team runs past, the repetition of the running team running through shows they will play a part in the movie though it is not explained through the title sequence. this draws the viewer into wanting to know more about the part they play in the plot.

the genre of the movie is also set out in the title sequence, the upbeat happy music shows that this movie may be a comedy or high school drama as it also contains a teenage cast. this is also mirrored in the typography which the titles are shown. each title matches the style of animated back ground as looking hand drawn and unprofessional. having the font hand drawn integrates the type with the moving images behind, helping display genre and tone.






Coraline:






this is the title sequence for the animated film of coraline.
i think this opening is very successful for introducing the film.
the film sets the scene of the film as the small bits of background we do see, is an old house which has cobwebs and flaking paint. this shows that in the film it will be set in a house which is old. the atmosphere is also set as the lighting is slightly darker and many of the shots are close ups of the stabbing of needles or cutting of scissors or other slightly violent actions

the characters are also introduced, however without giving any in depth information about them or their personalities. the first character shown is a side line character shown as a doll, this character doesn't appear in the film till later on, having this character in the opening helps the audience link the information later on in the film. the next character to be introduced is not fully seen other than it's hands which are made of sewing needles. the significance is sewing needles as hands makes it more creepy and draws in the audience as they will start to question the significance.

throughout the opening the doll is unraveled and then restuffed and redressed as another character. this other character is the main character, even though it is not fully established yet, the audience can tell that the film and plot will a revolve around this character. the gaps in the information given in the title sequence is left to draw in the audience and give the plot more depth as the movie continues.




Prelim

16. PRELIM Simba Shahzaib Adila Marie Kadisha from 283goswell on Vimeo.

Wednesday, 9 September 2015

What makes a good title sequence according to kyle cooper?

What makes a good title sequence according to kyle cooper?


Kyle cooper is credited with being the man who revitalised title sequences as an art form, he has made many successful movie openings which have set a standard for many of today's title sequences. He thinks that's that a good film opening should set out an expectaion for a film, should give information for the audience to build on, but not give away the plot of the movie.

Aspects of a good opening:

One of kyle coopers most known film openings is the film 'SE7EN' this opening shows how important the font in an opening is, this use of font: introduces that main character's personality, sets the tone of the movie and also reflects the story within the film.

kyle cooper find thats film openings don't have to be overly complicated to be successful.
for example kyle cooper expressed that dead zone was a good film opening as it had simple typography and background music which matched the genre and film.
to kill a mocking bird was a successful opening sequence as it; introduced the main character and main point of the plot, it was smoothly shot and had interesting angles and movements, the typography was integrated and not overly complicated form.



Story based title sequence:


A story based main title sequence is a title sequence that has a story with is expressed narratively or metaphorically. this gives the audience building information that is still limited.



Studio importance:


the studio which creates a film may run into some trouble in the audience test screening such as: not enough information given in the main movie, not enough budget to cover everything or the audience not reacting to scenes the way they expected.

the title sequence is important to fill the gaps in the film, adding additional details to the plot and characters that may not be able to be expressed during the film, the title sequence can also add a back story to the characters or advance the plot such as add a needed ending,






Tuesday, 8 September 2015

Purpose of a title sequence and film opening

What's the purpose of a title sequence and film opening?

A title sequence and film opening is the first section of movie, before the main movie starts.a title sequence is often used to :

  • set the scene
the scene is set using shots which capture the setting and layout of surroundings, as well as the location and atmosphere to give the audience information about where the movie will be taking place. whether it's a city scene or a house, there will be panning and low shots, or  shots from above to show the whole area during the opening. 
  • introduce characters
usually the main cast is introduced in the opening sequence, the main character will be high lighted in some sense whether sequence soully of the main character or solo shots throughout the sequence. supporting characters can also are be introduce in the title sequence is recurring in the background or revolving around the main character, this just lets the audience know who to focus on in the movie and who will be important to the plot.
  • engage audience
the title sequence may many different techniques to draw in the attention of the audience, the use of motifs, visual effects, building tension and using animation, are just some ways that title sequences catching the attention of the audience. 
  • introduce genre
the opening also introduces the genre of the film, using conventions from that genre such as, mellow and gloomy music for thrillers or paranormal occurrences for a horror, where as a comedy would have more upbeat music and be a lot more joyful. introducing the genre lets the audience know if the film will be in their preference of genre