Planning Film Opening

For my film opening, I have decided to do the genre of Drama.

My story line is as follows:

A girl called Gemma has found out she's got Leukemia at the age of 15 and it's killing her quickly. She has 4 months to live and she's trying to live fast. Her family and friends are devastated and she's had to drop out of school, leaving her best friend Louise to visit her every day and tell her the gossip of what has happened during her school day. She has a boyfriend, Malcolm, who she's been with for over a year and they're hopelessly in love, leaving him heartbroken and practically living round her house trying to spend every last minute with her. She will lose all of her hair and will be forced to wear a bandana to cover her missing hair and is very weak. Her parents have arranged the holiday of a life time and agreed that Louise and Malcolm can come along too. But will she survive long enough to go?

To create my character profiles, I used Erving Goffman's character theory, which suggests that there are four main types of broad characters in a media production:

• The Protagonist (leading character)
• The Deuteragonist (secondary character)
• The Bit Player (minor character whose specific background the audience is not aware of)
• The Fool (a character that uses humour to convey messages)

 So using this information, I created my character profiles, which are as follows:

The protagonist:

• Character name: Gemma Crow
• Age: 15
• Clothing: That of a normal teenage girl; leggings, top, and hoodie
• Relationships: Best friend Louise, boyfriend Malcolm and family
• Job: School girl
• History: Been bullied in the past but has been with her boyfriend Malcolm for over a year and has been best friends with Louise since she was 4. She was diagnosed with Leukemia and given 4 months to live.

The Deuteragonist's:

• Character name: Louise Daley
• Age: 15
• Clothing: That of a normal teenage girl; jeans, top, cardigan
• Relationships: Best friend Gemma and boyfriend David
• Job: School girl
• History: Been best friends with Gemma since 4 and has been with boyfriend David for 6 months.

• Character name: Malcolm Gould
• Age: 16
• Clothing: That of a normal teenage boy; jeans, t-shirt and hoodie
• Relationships: Boyfriend of Gemma and best friends with David
• Job: School boy
• History: Been going out with Gemma for over a year and is completely in love with her. 

The Bit Player:

• Character name: Saidey Crow
• Age: 39
• Clothing: Jeans and blouse
• Relationships: Husband Richard and daughter Gemma
• Job: Lawyer
• History: Been married to Richard for 15 years and struggled to have children, so Gemma is seen as a miracle

The Fool:

• Character name: Richard Crow
• Age: 41
• Clothing: Jeans and t-shirt
• Relationships: Wife Saidey and daughter Gemma
• Job: Teacher
• History: Had a tough upbringing and has been married to Saidey for 15 years.

With my character profiles created and my storyline finalised, I just need to:

• Find cast members to act as the characters
• Plan my location
• Plan my script
• Plan clothing and props

Once I have done this, I can start to make a storyboard for my 2 minute film opening, which I will do more film analysis' to help me to do this.

Storyboarding

In today's lesson, we began to learn how to do storyboarding, which is an essential part of creating a piece of media production.

The reason this is so essential, is because:

• It's part of the creative process
• Translates the written word into moving image
• Sequences ideas
• Creates cohesion in the narrative
• It's a working document to aid shooting schedule
• Helps gathering of footage and the post production of process

As the director of Harry Potter films said:

"making a movie without a storyboard is like throwing your money into a bottomless pit"

So we were set the task of storyboarding the opening scene of Skyfall, which I have attached below.

I will be doing more storyboarding throughout my planning process for my 2 minute opening scene film, which I have also decided to change the genre for, which will now be Drama.

I have decided that I would prefer to do a Drama piece for my film as I am more engaged with this genre and have more experience with it, so therefore will be creating a sad story which I will give a full story line and character profile in my next post.





Must: Create character profiles and explain genre.
Should: Start creating a storyboard for my own film.

Starting to Plan

In yesterday's lesson, we started to discuss what everyone was going to do for our main task:

• The titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes.

We started to work in groups and were set a genre to create a character profile for, which my groups genre was Drama. So here is our character profile:

• Character name: Rob Jordon
• Clothing: Fireman uniform
• Relationships: Limited, main ones are ex-wife Vicky and Mum Milly
• Job: Fireman
• History: Cheated on his wife with fellow colleague and and fireman Hannah. He is being charged with manslaughter of Hannah, but the real murderer is his ex-wife Vicky.

We have also been working on thinking of a genre for our own films, and I have decided to work individually and my genre will be Horror. I am currently coming up with the full story line to my piece, but the main action that occurs in my film is that someone is stalked and murdered in a gruesome manner.

I have created one character profile and that is of the main character, Gemma, who falls prey to her soon to be murderer.

• Character name: Gemma Crow
• Clothing: That of a normal teenage girl, leggings, tshirt, hoodie and trainers.
• Relationships: Best friend Louise and family
• Job: School girl
• History: Been bullied in the past and was asked out by a man twice her age, who she turned down (who do you think he turns out to be??)

I will only be filming two minutes, so you won't see the story fully unfold, however I will ensure that the scene is set and characters are introduced, using a number of different camera shots and will think thoroughly about the mise-en-scene, sound, camera shots and editing of my piece.

Deadline: 24th November 2014

Film Openings Research - Part 5

Here is my final film analysis, The Hunger Games, which I am using as my final detailed analysis.



Mise-en-scene:

• At the beginning of the film, they provide the audience with a couple of slides that include information about an event that happens called the Hunger Games and how a girl and boy between the ages of 12-18 are nominated from each district and are put into the battle arena to fight to the death until there is only one victor. This information is put in white text against a black background which makes it more distinct and easier to read, making it seem essential to do so. This is effective as it gives the viewer an insight into what is going to happen within the film and also allows them to understand it more.

• A specially lit studio is used as the background for an interview taking place on what would appear to be a chat show. The lighting effect of the room and the way that the characters are dressed, produces a futuristic effect. This is because the interviewer has blue hair and blue eyebrows and the interviewee has black molded hair and a futuristic styled beard which is not as you would have nowadays and suggests that it is in a different time period.

• When the shot jumps to an establishing shot of what is described as District 12, you see a very run down looking place, which suggests that the people there are possibly very poor and in a very different situation to that of the men in the previous shot, as they look like they have a decent wealth and easier life.

• The frame then shows a view inside a house where there are two girls in what appears to be very cheap clothing. The interior of the house is bare and wooden, which again suggests that the place is very run down as they don't have nice furniture or wall insulation. The inside of the house is also very dark, which is very effective editing from the director as it shows the colour and tone being dark and gives you a sense of sadness and hardship within the community, which links to it being dark. This is a use of low key lighting and creates a very dark generic effect.

Camera shots:

• Over the shoulder shot is displayed during the interview which is a distinctive shot used during a conversation and also leads into the action of a shot/reverse shot between the characters as well, which is effective because you can see both characters expressions to what they are saying.

• Medium close up is used during shot reverse shot to show the characters movements and expressions towards the others dialogue.

• The 180 degree rule is demonstrated within the interview. This can be seen because no matter what shot was displayed, the interviewer was on the left hand side to the audiences view and the interviewee was on the right, meaning the camera had stayed on one side of them.
• They show an establishing shot of the District 12.
• Once the scene changed to the two girls in their house, they show a big close up of one of them which is effective as it shows their facial expression.

• There is a two shot of the girls hugging as one of them is crying and this is also shown as a side shot. This is effective as you can see both girls expressions and emotions, making the viewer able to connect more with the situation.

• There is also a low angle shot of the older sister looking down at her younger sister, which is effective because you see the younger girls point of view.

Editing: 

• Within the opening credits, the studio name and production company merge into each other, as can be seen below, which is effective because its different.

• The text fades in and out without overlap which is effective as you're able to read it all well.

• Smooth cut to interview from text.
• Quick cut from interview to scene showing District 12.

Sound:

• Diegetic:
• The dialogue within the interview is diegetic as you can see the people speaking within the frame.The tone of this was very formal as it was an interview and was also very kind.
• When one of the sisters sings to the other, you can see the event taking place on the screen and is therefore diegetic.
• The dialogue between the girls can also be seen.
• Non-diegetic:
• There is background music behind the text being shown at the beginning which is the sound of a stringed instrument. This creates a mysterious and chilling effect and lasts for the first 58 seconds of the film.
• You start to hear the interview taking place before you see the characters on the screen, which signifies non-diegetic sound. The dialogue starts while 'The Hunger Games' is displayed on the screen which creates a sense of suspense.
• Clapping and cheering from a crowd is heard but is not within the frame.
• A scream is heard when the establishing shot of District 12 is shown which almost reinforces your initial thought of the establishing shot and that is that it is not a very nice place to be in.
• There is no music in the background once the dialogue starts at 58secs and there is also no voice-over which makes it appear to be more realistic and life like.
• Sound and visual techniques are used to convey a very deep story unwinding within the film. These include the low lighting and narrative.

Opening credits order:

The film maker doesn't complete the opening credits, but in fact saves them mainly until the end of the film. They only include the following:

1. The name of the studio
2. The name of the production company
3. Title

Code and Conventions:


The conventions of an adventure film are that the main role can be a male or female lead, however within an adventure film, it would seem normal for a man to take the lead and that he would have all of the hunting skills and the woman would do the helping work. However, in the Hunger Games there is a role reversal within this thought process, as Katniss is able to fight for herself, be independent and has the best hunting skills, however Peeta is more about the labour work and helping Katniss when she needs it, instead of taking that leading role. This goes against the codes and conventions of an adventure film, which is appealing to the audience, as it shows a different side to the story.
Although, there are codes and convention which do link to adventure films which is included within the Hunger Games and this includes

• The characters being believable and not like a cartoon character would be. They live a normal everyday life and are nothing out of the ordinary.
• The time period is in a fictional world.
• The characters are hit with mortal danger of having to think of plans to kill off the rest of the tributes.

These codes and conventions also link to Propp's Narrative Theory, as he proposed that there were 7 set character types within a piece of media. In the Hunger Games, these are as follows:

1. The Villain (creates the narrative disruption) - Crane
2. The Hero (usually male, the agent who restores the narrative equilibrium) - Katniss
3. The Donor (gives the hero something, eg. advice) - Haymitch and Cinna
4. The Helper (aids the hero) - Peeta
5. The Princess (character most threatened by the villain) - Katniss and Peeta
6. The Father (who rewards the hero) - President Snow
7. The Dispatcher (sends the hero on their task) - Haymitch
8. The False Hero (appears to be good, but is revealed to be bad) - President Snow

Representation:

The people being represented in the text are those who live in the different districts. The different districts are very varied in opinion, wealth and ways of living, which makes it more interesting to watch. This is done to give the audience a greater understanding of the context and is done by the writer of the film.

Genre:

The genre of this film is science fiction adventure, which can be seen in the opening two minutes by the text introducing what happens within the film. The text describes a situation where the world is split into 12 different districts, ranging from rich to poor and within these districts, they must have a girl and boy from ages 12-18yrs chosen from each district and they must go to battle to the death, until only one survives. This portrays a science fiction adventure film because in real life that doesn't happen, we have wars but this 'competition' they hold is televised for people's amusement and would not ever be socially acceptable in the real world. It can also be seen very much as an adventure from the opening two minutes because they're described to be put in a dome and this means that they will have to obtain camouflage skills and its an adventure within itself that they face 23 other people to the death. This also meets its target audience of around 13+ as the film has a rating of PG-13 which means a motion-picture rating advising parents that some material in the film may be unsuitable for children under the age of 13, which is because of the scenes where you see people being murdered.

Narrative:

You can see that specific narrative has been used within the opening two minutes so that the viewer can immediately relate to what is going on in the story, otherwise they could be left clueless and would make the story very hard to understand. They only introduce 4 characters in the opening two minutes, which makes it interesting for the viewer, as they are not particularly aware of the relevance of these characters, but just that there is an interview taking place about the Hunger Games and then that a girl has awoken in her sleep with a nightmare because she thought that she would be the next tribute for District 12.



Ideology:

There are messages being perpetuated within the opening that the film is going to be the genre adventure, when the viewer is informed about the Hunger Games taking place and what it entails. This can be seen through the thought of fighting and death as they battle it out to win and stay alive. 

Film Openings Research - Part 4

The next film I have chosen as part of my research is The Wizard of Oz by Mervyn LeRoy (1939), which I have chosen to use as my other less detailed analysis'. I have chosen this film as it is an older film and is therefore very different to the other films I have analysed which makes it interesting to see the differences and developments in film in the past 100 years.

 

Mise-en-scene:

• Old fashioned colour of film background as at the time they didn't have a large range of special effects back in the 1930's, with the first colour film only being made in 1902 and the war taking place, these factors held up the progression of film making.

• Reddy-brown clouds float continuously in background behind text
• Text is in white and font is New Times Roman which is an old-fashioned looking font and therefore signifies the era that the film was produced in and gives the viewer an authentic feeling.

• After main credits, they introduce a dedication page which is something seen as normality in older films but not in more recent ones. This again gives the audience an authentic feeling towards the film, and also suggests that the film is appealing to all ages and is timeless and it had been running for nearly 40 years and was still popular enough to turn it into a film.

Camera shots:

• Only one camera shot showing the same background image and entire frame throughout (unlike more developed films now).

Editing:

• All edits are continuous fades between text.

Sound:

• Diegetic: 
• Sound of the lion roaring at the very beginning of the opening, when showing the studio trademark, as you could see it doing so within the frame.

• Non-diegetic: 
• The rest of the sound was non-diegetic, which couldn't be seen in the frame, and this was background music without lyrics, which was a mixture of the songs within the film including Ding Dong the Witch is Dead and Somewhere over the Rainbow. 
• The songs faded into each other subtly to produce one long lasting sound with no pauses.
• All old-fashioned style of music which would have been up to date at the time of production.

Opening credits order:

The film does not use the common opening credit order, which may be to do with the fact that is in an old film and at the time, that may have been the common order. The order they used was:

1. Name of studio
2. Film title
3. Name of production company
4. Featuring
5. Music
6. Producer name

Representation:

Within the opening of The Wizard of Oz, nothing to do with the plot is shown, not even within the background or sound, which makes it hard to find a representation for the film or any characters. 


Genre:

The genre of the Wizard of Oz is musical fantasy, which can partly be identified in the opening credits by the large array of different music that is played, which is all up beat, but due to there not being any hint to what the film is about in the opening credits, you cannot tell from the opening two minutes that the film is fantasy. 
There are not many special effect used in the opening credits as it is an old film and these were not recognised then, although they do use fades.


Ideology:

There is no evidence of ideology in the opening, which is why I wanted study this film, or in particular the time in which it was produced. The film industry has come on leaps and bounds from 1939 when this film was filmed, compared to now, in 2014. The camera shots within opening credits have developed majorly since then, and now include from long shots, to high angle shots to close ups and include characters, not just titles and credits with a basic background.

Film Openings Research - Part 3

The next film I have decided to analyse and research is Contact by Robert Zemeckis, which I am using as one of my less detailed analysis'.

Mise-en-scene:

• View of the Earth from outer space which helps the viewer to understand whats going on in the frame. This also enables the viewer to situate where the opening scene is occurring, making it easier to link to the story. 

• Space seen moving backwards, putting all the different planets into view, which has a good effect and is also linked with the sound and editing, which gives the travelling back in time effect. This effect is interesting for the audience to watch and also includes a bit of Claude Levi-Strauss' theory of binary oppositions, as at the beginning it shows the Earth but then goes on to show the rest of space and all the different planets, which are opposites.

• Stars seen throughout which shows a sustained location, allowing continuity.
• Main colours are black (space background), red and blue (different planets and galaxy colours).

Camera shots:

• Zoom out gives the viewer almost a 3D effect because the planets are coming from the screen closely. 

Editing:

• Text has a fade transition in between different credits

• Zooming back effect through space
• Realistic galaxy editing

Sound:

• All non-diegetic sound, which means you cannot see the sounds being produced within the frame
• Starts with a 90s songs rendition and as it zooms back through space, it goes back in time and goes as far as the 60s, including different songs and news reports, including the shooting of President Kennedy.

Opening credits:

The film did not use the common opening credit sequence, and only includes the following:

1. Name of studio
2. Name of production company
3. Film title

Representation:

Within the opening to Contact, no characters are introduced but there is commentary. The commentary represented past events and times, from the 90's to the 60's, from Michael Jackson to the Kennedy assassination. The purpose of this is to show the audience that they are travelling back in time and allows them to relate to the time period, however this is not always appropriate for a younger audience as they may not understand the different time periods.

Genre:

The genre of Contact is science fiction drama, which is seen within the opening credits as you see the galaxy being shown through a zooming effect, which shows mainly the science fiction, but the opening doesn't actually give you any clue to what happens within the film, which leaves the viewer in suspense and is a clever way of opening it, as the galaxy is clearly going to have a link to the rest of the film. The narrative within the opening helps you to recognise what is going on as it enlists news items and songs going back in time which suggests that within the film, the time continuum is going to backtrack.

Ideology:

There are clear messages being perpetuated about the genre as it is science fiction and the opening scene is showing outer space which is the largest factor of science fiction, which is also the dominant ideology. This creates an effective opening as the director is demonstrating their chosen genre immediately. 

Fim Openings Research - Part 2

My task was described in my last post. 

So here is my analysis of the opening 2 minutes of the film Drive by Nicolas Winding Refn, which I am using as one of my detailed analysis':

Mise-en-scene:

• Establishing shot shows city lights in the dark which signifies to the viewer that something is happening at night, possibly good and evil which links to Claude Levi-Strauss, which is where the narratives are structured around a series of binary oppositions. This would create conflict and therefore drive the narrative forward.

• Man in car, driving at night time (dark), which again links back to Claude Levi-Strauss' theory.
• Very dark exterior - low key lighting - which shows that the atmosphere outside is dark and therefore its at night time. Knowing this, it creates a mysterious and nervous generic effect on the viewer because the darkness gives off that kind of mood.
• Car park with lift, which is the only source of light, which creates the contrast between light and dark which can link as well to Claude Levi-Strauss as it shows a structure around a series of binary oppositions. 
• Bedroom is also dark with an open window, presumably with a view of the city which can emphasise the mystery being created within the opening. This can be identified as the Enigma Code (Roland Barthes 5 codes theory) which relates to mood or atmosphere and is the way in which tension or suspense is built up to keep the audience guessing about what happens next. Within the opening there is no commentary or narration and with everywhere being dark, it creates suspense for the audience, as normally you link darkness with trouble and this creates tension.

• Repetition of scenery as at the end of the opening, it jumps back to the man driving the car through the city and then a panning view of the city itself, which signifies to the viewer that the events that are about to take place within the film, are going to take place within the city shown. 

• The text used is very old fashioned and bold, which gives an 80s effect to the film, which show all of the typical opening credits.

Camera Shots:

• High angle shot (also establishing shot) which allows the viewer to get a grasp of the scenery that the film is being set in.
• Low angle shot, showing character driving car which gives the viewer a full perspective.

• Over the shoulder shot showing characters view of road and city, which means that the viewer can relate to the character being shown and what they're experiencing, which makes the film easier to understand.

• Medium side shot implies drama as it is not your usual angle shot of someone, usually it would be a frontal shot.

• Tracking and high angle shot of car moving which again shows where the action and scenes are taking place.
• Over the shoulder tracking shot of man walking towards the lift which gives the audience a sense of suspense as the lift is the only source of light and showing an OTSS adds drama.

• Point of view shot, making it easier for the audience to relate to the character
• Long shot to show characters attire
• The character seen in the opening does not show any facial expressions or gestures, which makes the story hard to tell as you can not see his emotion and therefore find it hard to pick up the sense of the story. By doing this, the writer is showing a sense of confusion and suspense as the audience are unaware of any undercurrents or hidden feelings, urging them to watch on.
• The character is also only seen in his car and then walking to the lift and then into his room, which makes his positions very limited, creating suspense.

Editing:

• Fade transition used to fade establishing shot into shot of character in car, which gives a sense of timing, that the city lights at night, is associated with the man driving in his car.
• Blurred vision in car, which gives the lights on the street a bigger effect, which could be a subtle hint at something.
• Quick shot to different shot from him driving to then parking in the car park, which gives an effect that it is a sudden change and the mood is going to change.
• Edited lift doors opening into bedroom door opening - smooth transition, this gives the viewer a sense of timing.

Sound:

• All was non-diegetic sound, which means you can hear sound but you can't see it within the frame.
• Backing music with lyrics was futuristic which gave the opening a draw-in effect, which means that it draws the audience in to watch more as its different.
• No voice over or commentary is used which also creates mystery as the audience don't know what it's about.
• The effect of the sounds and visual techniques produces mystery for the audience as the screen is dark the whole time and the soundtrack is different, and with no dialogue, the audience are left none the wiser, making them want to watch out and figure out what's going on.

 

Order of Opening Credits:

They do not use the common opening credit order and don't include the name of the studio name and production company who made the film, which is strange as they're a common thing to include. Instead their order of credits was as follows: 

1. Starring
2. Film title
3. Featuring
4. Casting
5. Music
6. Production design
7. Producer name

Codes and Conventions:


There are typical codes and conventions featured in this action thriller film, which include:

• A battle between the protagonist and the antagonist, which ends up with the antagonist dying.
• The main lead, who is the brave protagonist trying to restore equilibrium is a male character.
• It is mysterious and exciting.

Representation:

In the opening, there is a man being represented by his actions and movements, helped by the mise-en-scene. There is no dialogue or speech in the opening and the only text that appears are the opening credits, not explaining what is going on. The man is represented as mysterious, which is down to the mise-en-scene showing mainly darkness in the background.


Genre:

The genre of the film is action crime thriller, which is well presented in the opening, as the man is seen driving fast in his car which is your typical action film character, and with is all being dark and mysterious, this portrays the crime thriller part well. The soundtrack helps to contribute towards this impression too as it is futuristic but also a fast track which also indicates a thriller. The genre also meets its target audience of around 16+ with an R rating, mainly for a male gender, but open to all.


Ideology:

The messages being perpetuated about the genre is that it's exciting and thrilling, hence the fast music and fast paced car and scene changes, which shows the dominant ideology. This is because the filmmaker wants it to be appealing and edgy so that people are encouraged to watch it and recommend it to others.

Film Openings Research - Part 1

In today's lesson, I have the following things to do, I:

• MUST: make notes on the opening two minutes of a film, focusing on mise-en-scene, camera shots, editing and sound.
• SHOULD: have selected screen shots from the film to support my analysis.
• COULD: have begun to write up the analysis ready to be posted onto my blog.

Therefore, my objectives for this lesson, are to complete note making and start selecting screen shots, which I can then carry on at home and possibly in next lesson.