Progress

This week we started re-filming our opening sequence.We decided to do our filming in New Malden car park as it's close to school,usually empty and has a nice atmosphere.I think that we've gotten a lot of work done this week as the deadlines are getting closer and we're aware that we need to hurry up and finish.

A behind the scenes shot of us filming in New Malden

Editing progress in Adobe Premier Pro

Opening Sequence:Boardwalk Empire

Boardwalk Empire:

• The opening does a good job at introducing the main character (Nucky) whilst clearly trying not to give away too much about him.They do this by starting with a powerful shot from behind him confidently looking over the sea and sky which could signify power,there's then a shot of him taking out a gold plated cigarette container which continues the idea that he's a significant character in this show as gold is usually associated with wealth.
• I believe that there's a good job done at captivating the audience's interest considering that the opening's only 1:33 and there's no dialogue.The main skill used to create interest is mystery,throughout the opening there's not much given away about who the main character is or what the show's about at all but at the same time enough is given away to raise enigma from the viewer that they know will only be answered if they continue watching.For example,the main character's standing at the end of a beach by himself on a windy,cold day looking out into the horizon as if he's looking for something or someone.There's an increasing amount of wine bottles seen being washed to shore and smashing against the pier which could either be very confusing for the audience but could also encourage them to try and give their own interpretation of what's going on.Only shots from in front of the main character towards the beach are shown until the last 5 seconds where it reveals that he man's actually in Las Vegas,this continues the use of mystery and creates even more enigma.
• The contrast shown between the mans dull,striped suit with the close-up of the rose continues the mystery of the character but could suggest that the man purposely wants to give off the impression that he's dangerous and powerful but still wants people to know that there is another side to him where he's more merciful and understanding.This leads me to believe that this is a drama/crime film,at first I thought the man was a detective but the dark shadows that cover him in the long shot at 0:22 could suggest that the man's involved in crime because the dark clouds can be associated with danger.

• The main characters' costume and props gives a lot away about who he is as well.He's seen wearing an old fashioned,well tailored suit with expensive shoes.This tells the viewer that the show's set somewhere in the 60's if not earlier and continues the idea that he's a dominant figure in the show.The fact that he smokes also tells us that he's very relevant to his time as smoking was very popular in the 60's and was very commercial/idolized,it's possible that he doesn't even smoke because he enjoys smoking but because the production team wants to tell the viewers that they're looking at a man who'se respected and has a bit of mystery about him which is shown by his preference of putting cigarettes in a gold container rather than using the original packaging.
• The soundtrack is non diegetic and establishes a mood much different to what's shown as the music is non contrapuntal as it's quite up beat and exciting compared to the dark and eerie clip.This could be to tell the audience that the main character shown is supposed to be a likeable character regardless of how he makes his money.
• The pace starts off very slowly with just one guitar being played and the man calmly looking over the beach as the waves come in peacefully,but gradually as the music starts to elevate the storm comes about and the time in between shots is shortened.
• Most of the lighting used is shown to come off the enviroment such as lightning strikes and street lights in the background,apart from this there isn't much use of lighting.
• The style of editing is quite basic and not very creative but rather just an attempt at making sure that a variety of shots are used such as extreme close ups on the characters eyes and wine bottles washing to shore to long shots of the entire beach and surroundings.
• The credits are shown on top of the opening as it plays and uses a basic font style and placing without any animation.
• The mood set is very mysterious and creates a lot of enigma as there are a lot of questions raised that aren't given any answers used to indicate to the audience that the show is mystery genre.

My Film:

As I'm studying specifically opening sequences here and for my film I'm only required to create an opening sequence,I can clearly see how so many simple yet specific shots when put together can create engima,establish the setting,introduce the main character and genre all at the same time when looked at in depth.I plan on using some of the same ideas shown in this opening sequence in my own film such as ensuring that I think about what I'm using for my character's costumes in great detail and making sure that I use the 3 minutes I have for my opening sequence effectively.

Art of the Title

Art used in titles could refer to anything from the typography to the animations used on texts,if used effectively it can completely manipulate the viewers thoughts and ideas on what they think they should expect from the show/film as it's going to be the first part of the show that they see so making sure that first impressions are not only good but are a true reflection of what your show's about is crucial.Below are a few examples of different ways I believe are effective ways of using art in titles. 

2 Broke Girls:

 

 

The "2 Broke Girls" title sequence is interesting because it's very short,brief and doesn't seem to give away too much information unless you look into each element in detail.To begin with,there's good references to the title and synopsis of the show in the text such as the $ sign used in replacement of the s in "2 Broke Girls",
the font used for the text has a hard hitting,grungy look and grunge is usually associated with being grimy,sloppy and,all stereotypes of people who are "broke" which links back to the title of the show.The text comes onto the screen quick and violently which could suggest that you can expect the show to be fast paced.

As well as references used in the text there's also some simplistic but effective typography used such as the two - layer text which gives a nice 3-D effect making it stand out a lot more from the background.

Don't Trust the B**** in Apartment 23:

Compared to 2 Broke Girls,this show uses a completely different approach when it comes to art in title.Although the title is also very brief and only uses one shot it still does an excellent job at giving away hints to the viewer about what to expect.Clearly the title is supposed to be an animated close-up of an apartment buzzer/intercom,I believe that the production team has decided to make sure that all text used looks like it's meant to be a part of the set instead of off screen animations to let the viewer know that the show's meant to be a realistic depiction of someone's life.

There's a number of different types of fonts used as well as colour and placement.Each font used could be used to say something about someone who lives in the apartment number.For example,whoever lives in apartment 19 which says "Don't" could be said to be the mature one in the apartment as they're the only one that has a neatly placed name tag and they haven't given much away about their personality as they've used a simple white font with black background.I believe that apartment no.22 is meant to portray a stereotypical woman in her early 20's who lives in the city,this is because of the girly purple colour used as well as the creative font.The production team could have chosen to signify that to the viewer because of the fact that whoever's in apartment no.22 could be the main character and the person who has a problem with her neighbour,the "B**** in apartment 23".

There isn't much given awaay about whoever lives in apartment no.23 when looking at the art used which could be purposely as it gets the viewer thinking.

My Film:
For my film,I plan on creating an interesting,original and relevant graphics.The information here shown me how many different ways I could go about using art in my title sequence to make it eye-catching.I plan on using a very simple font in either white or black colour without any effects or animation at all.Me and my group plan on making the animation very basic as well,we would like to either play the text over the video and have it slowly fade from one to the other to jump to a black screen.This is because I want the audience to first of all focus more on what's going on in the opening sequence itself as well as to create enigma so my audience knows that I'm not looking to give too much away at all.

Inspiration for my opening sequence comes from the classic gangster film "The Godfather":   

A potential font I can use can be "Big Noodle Titling":

Opening Credits

Opening credits are shown at the beginning of a programme or film to list the most important members of the project. These are usually the producers, main cast, directors and editors.Credits can be shown in a number of different ways,the most basic and typical way of displaying credits is on either a blank screen or over the action in the film with basic typography placed in a corner.Other opening credits are more creative and can be build around a production number or animation.

According to Wikipedia (here),opening credits usually go in this order:Name of the studio,name of the production company,production,starring,film's title,featuring,casting/casted by,music,production design.I believe this is so that the more behind the scenes work can go first,then comes the people who are more involved such as the producers and actors.

A shot from the opening credits to a 007 film

Here are some examples of different type and styles of opening credit orders:

Elementary:

Mad Men:

The Shining:

Here credits have been used as a way to introduce the setting of the film to give the viewer an idea of what type of film they're watching,the typography and animation used for the text isn't as eye catching and effective which I believe is because the production team wanted the viewer to be more focused on what shots are being shown.The director has gone through great effort to get a number of different shots from aerial shots to crane shots.

My Film:
 Clearly opening credits are very important to establishing the right atmosphere and feel to a film as well creating enigma.I can use this knowledge to make sure that my opening sequence is engaging and interesting for my audience by using some of the conventions and skills I've studied.

Sound

Sound is used in opening sequences along with other elements to give the viewer an idea of what genre show they're watching based on what kind of music is used (e.g. Pop music could suggest that the about adolescence and their target audience is young teenagers)if there's any narration used and if sound is diegetic or non diegetic.I have created a mind-map on Bubbl.us to show my notes on three different genre opening sequences I watched and what I believe each aspect of the sound is meant to show.

Click here for a full size version

My Film:
I plan on using the information I've gathered here and apply it to my opening sequence by showing that I am capable of using a variety of different types of sound from music to voice overs and ensuring that they're appropriate for my genre of film.I would like to use some of the conventions shown in my analysis of the show "Golden Boy"as it's based on a crime much like mine.