Storyboard for Abandoned Title sequence

Audience profile for Abandoned

Audience profile for Abandoned from Rebecca Collins

Saul Bass

Saul bass from Rebecca Collins

Journal: Abandoned Title Sequence

In preparation for the filming of our title sequence we had to buy a dolls house, this was the cheapest and  nicest looking house. We didn't want to spend too much money on it as we are going to burn it.

Blog feedback.

I agree with the feedback that i have received and i will improve the posts that need to be improved.
 For the zombieland sequence i will add to it to make it longer. i also understand that there is a comedic element present in the titles,but i have not included that so i will re watch the sequence and add in all of the points that i have missed.
 I will also add to my analysis of 'The ward' as it is too short. I had previously finished it but i lost all of my analysis. I will also complete another title sequence.

 With the comments on my groups fight sequence with foley sound i agree with the comments made, although one comment states that we shouldn't have removed all of our sound, but as a group we were under the impression that this is what we had to do.

I will also add to my evaluations and start linking posts to the title sequence that we are creating.

The Ward- Title Sequence analyasis

http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/the-ward/

As the title sequence begins, it pans out through what looks like a hospital ward, or possibly a mental hospital which is suggested through the use of one single window in the background. This one window is also barred up which could cause the audience to think that whoever is in this place, is not allowed to leave for some unknown reason. There are lights in the ward, although only one is lit very dimly, this could also suggest that not only are the occupants of the building not allowed to leave, but could possibly be made to kept hidden. The only lighting used in this sequence is the flashes of lightening coming through the barred window.

 As the camera is panning  out from one end of the corridor, someone begins to whistle, although we can not see anyone that could be making this noise. The whistling and the sound of thunder and lightening connote that his film will be a horror as the whistling makes the long dark corridor look very creepy, also the audience feel as if they are walking backwards away from the window which creates tension and fear as the audience do not know what could be behind them which also adds to the fact the film is probably of a horror genre. As the camera reaches the other end of the corridor, the title of the film comes into the middle of the screen and changes colour,from black to blue,as a flash of lightening appears. As the lightening stops, the titles appear in white font on a black background this could suggest that something is lurking in the dark as the white is emerging from the dark.The titles then flash and disappear.

A woman's voice then starts, she sings no words but her voice is high pitched and therefore can creep the audience out, especially as it is accompanying an image of a man being tied upside down by their feet, the photo's look old and could be some form of medical practice. Each image that is shown changes at a flash of lightening, this foreshadows that the photo's and the ward could possibly linked, although it is obvious that they are both set in different time periods due to the working lights in the ward and the oldness of the images.

On an image of a woman tied up by her hands, the first cast members name fades in 'Amber Heard'. This could suggest that this is a possible future of her character.

 As her name disappears the photo cracks and it becomes clear that it is a mirror shattering. Mirrors breaking typically symbolises that a person will have seven years bad luck which could also show the audience that this is a horror film. The shattering of the glass could also foreshadow a characters trait, the shattering glass could suggest that someone will have a split personality that cant be fixed as the mirror breaks into several different small pieces.The colour of the font is all in white, the colour of white connotes innocence and purity, this could suggest that, if someone has a split personality, they may not know that anything is wrong.

Once the mirror cracked, the music becomes louder and the woman's voice more prominent, this causes the audience to feel tense, as the voice is so high that it could send shivers down your spine. Also the fact that a woman is singing could suggest that the film is centered around women.
One of the photo's that cracks is of a woman praying, with some form of device attached to her head, this could connote that there is some religious element to the film. Also this shows that the woman knows her fate, and that she could possibly die at the hands of this device

During the sequence, the glass shards split even more and start to become even smaller than before and shatter toward the screen rather than away from it. As this is happening it could cause the audience to think that, if the pieces are linked to a person, then this person has gone beyond the point of being 'fixed' and that there is maybe no turning back for this person. As the glass becomes more severe, the pictures start to show people being lobotomized. Lobotomy's were used before the brain was understood to 'cure' people of mental illness'. These images then can back up any enigmas previously created for the audience about someone being mental or having a split personality. This could also foreshadow the future of the person that has this mental illness.

At one point, the glass splits in three different places. This could cause the audience to think that maybe there are three different sides to this person.  

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Also, throughout the sequence there are more images of women than men, in one image it shows a woman sitting on a dirtied floor, with her head down in her legs. This could show that the women in the ward may not be being treated correctly, and could also be quite frightened.

The last shot we see is of a shard of glass, this glass turns round and comes towards the screen, revealing the begging of the film, this shows that there could be a link between the glass and the film. A police car then comes into the frame and we hear over their raido 'Missing person,female, about eighteen.' This could also show that their may be a link between the glass and this missing girl as this is the first thing we hear after the glass and music has disappeared.

ZombieLand title sequence analysis

The title sequence for Zombieland shows several different zombies chasing down normal people. The whole of this sequence has rock music playing, this connotes anarchy and rebellion. The font that is used are in bold red letters. The red letters could connote that the genre of the film is horror as red is usually associated with danger,blood and gore.

We then see a mid shot of a man who is has blood pouring from his mouth,showing that this film will be violent and gory, this is backed up through the whole title sequence as some form of blood or attack is always preset. This also connotes that the film is a horror genre as the 'man' looks like a zombie and blood is also a typical convention of horror films.

There are several shots throughout the sequence that show ordinary workers running from the zombies.One shot is of a woman running whilst spilling her drink in the air. Her expression shows sheer horror as she is clearly fearing for her life as a potentially bloodthirsty zombie is trying to attack her.

One man that is being chased is holding a briefcase, this shows the audience that the zombies do not care for the people that they are going after, and that they are just after anyone they can see.
Another zombie is in her wedding dress, this could foreshadow that the zombie formation could happen at any time, and that these zombies would have been normal people living normal lives, which also shows that their may be some virus that is effecting them in this way.

Although there are clear links to the horror genre in this title sequence there are also comedic elements as well as several binary oppositions. One shot its shown of a zombie stripper chasing after a well dressed

 business man, the fact that the woman is almost naked add to the comedy of this sequence. Also, usually it's men that are after strippers, yet this time it has been flipped around. This could also show that the women in this film may possibly be the stronger gender as several zombie women are shown throughout the sequence.

One man is holding a sign reading 'The end is near' this could foreshadow that the end is near due to the zombies and that the zombie apocalypse may have possibly been predicted to end the world.

The whole of the sequence is in slow motion, this could be to show the typical stereotype of a zombie, that they are slow and can be out run. Although the fact that both the zombies and humans are in the same slow shot could foreshadow that the humans will not be able to escape the zombies and they could possibly be at the same speed. 

There are also shots of Zombies attacking policemen and firemen.This shows that the zombies have no care for the people that they are attacking and it especially shows that they do not show and respect for authoritative figures.

At the end of the title sequence there is a shot of a man with a machine gun. This foreshadows that the uninfected people may take a stand and attempt to rid everywhere of the zombies in order for them to be able to survive.

Abandoned Title sequence ideas

After we had come up with an idea for a film we had to think of ideas for our title sequence. These are our ideas.We particularly like the idea of having children singing a nursery rhyme as it would fit in with our film and help to make it appear creepy.
 
Other ideas we had include:

•     Burning a dolls house
•     Burning children's photo's
•     Following down a stream
•     Showing shadows
•     The moon.

For the text we thought we could use old looking creepy font, to show that the film is of the horror genre.

For the sound we thought of:

• Children laughing
• Low eerie music 
• Children singing
• Children laughing
• Water running from the stream

Fight Sequence

For this fight sequence we had to spend a little amount of time to create a small storyline. We then spent the rest of the day filming for the sequence.
After shooting the footage, we edited the sequence together and removed all of the sound. We then made a note on the type of sound we would need and how many, eg. punches, slaps etc...
We then gathered the resources we needed, including walnuts,  and went to record the sounds of breaking bones and slaps.

This task taught me how to create effective foley sounds and i was also able to learn how to put these sounds onto Final cut. I found out that a simple snap of celery could sound like a persons bones snapping.

Overall, this task was fun to complete and it also taught me tools i could use later on for other filming tasks.

Class notes: Sound Design and Codes and conventions

Sound design includes: sound track, dialogue, wild track, foley sound, non- diegetic, diegetic and SFX.

Sound design is: The creation and layering of dialogue, background noise and other sound effects to create a sophisticated aural environment.
There are three main types of sound, Realism, Hyper-realism and unrealism/surrealism.



Codes and conventions of a opening sequence:

• Details of cast and crew.
• The films title
• An introduction to character or character type.
• Indiction of place.
• indiction of historical period.
• Information regarding mood and tone.
• Introduction to signature theme tune -Leitmotif.
• Information about genre.
• Questions that the viewer finds intriguing (Sets up enigmas)
• Patterns and types of editing that will be echoed in the remainder of the film.
• Mise-en-scene and cinematography that will be echoed or elaborated upon later in the film.

STINCS

S- Setting, where and when the film is set.

T-Theme, Mood of the film and what it's really about eg. love,jealousy,voyeurism.

I- Iconography, costumes,make-up and any props relevant to the genre.

N-Narrative, what the story is about.

C-Characters, who are they? what are they like? (principles) Antagonists. Protagonists.

S-Style, Cinematography, sound and editing.
   What the film will look and feel like


Genre: Genre is the label given to a film. Genres include, Horror, Thriller,Action, Rom-Com, Comedy etc...

The conventions of a horror film are, blood, death, sharp weapons, antagonist, final girl, monsters, stalkers etc...

Richard Morrison

Orphanage Feedback evaluation

Orphanage feedback evaluation from Rebecca Collins

Orphanage Pitch/ABANDONED and Feedback

Orphange PItch from cerenkangal

As my group started to devise ideas for our title sequence, we decided that the original name for our films (Orphanage) was not good enough and we therefore changed to another suitable name 'ABANDONED.'

The Art Of Film Title Design Throughout Cinema History

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


Titles in silent film:
Words and lettering played an enormous role in films of the silent era. Film titles made their appearance in the earliest silent films, along with letter cards (or inter-titles), which provided context.

I found this interesting as it shows the importance of titles in silent films as the titles are one of the only ways to communicate with the audience as the film is silent, andf the only way to communicate would be through titles and actions.

Animation effects:
Animation effects like the ones you see in rotoscopes actually pre-date film. But the power of filmmaking was enormous, and it tempted thousands, including many artists, to try their hand at this new medium. One of the earliest known title animations is seen in the work of J. Stuart Blackton.
“Humorous Phases of Funny Faces” (1906) was directed by J. Stuart Blackton, who many consider to be the father of American animation. Not only is it one of the first animated films, it is among the first to feature an animated opening title, making it a precursor of the modern title sequence

Watching this video was quite interesting. As it shows a very early video of animation. In this video it shows some drawings that move. Also this video  shiws one of the first ever animated films, this style then became very popular in title sequences.

It was also interesting to see that some title sequences were created in this way.

The silence is broken:

 Movie producers invested considerable sums in film production and sometimes resorted to fixing a dog of a film by rewriting the inter-titles.

It seems that here, the importance of titles fonts' became more apparent as mmore money was being spent to create them.

As much as possible, they liked to convey the tone of a movie through the “dressage” of its main title. Thus, blackletter fonts in the opening credits were used to evoke horror, ribbons and flowery lettering suggested love, and typography that would have been used on “Wanted” posters connoted a western flick.

I find this interesting as i can can relate to this and i understand the importance of the font being 'right' to fit the genre of the film. And the font types that are mentioned in the paragraph above make complete sense as more flowy letters do convey romance/ love.

The concept of score visualization first conceived by Oskar Fischinger in his film “Studies” anticipates the effects created by Saul Bass in “The Man With the Golden Arm” (1955) and later by Susan Bradley in “Monsters, Inc” (2001):

I found this interesting as it shows how music can also be an important thing in title sequences as well as the font that is being used. It is also interesting to watch the title sequence for monsters inc, and realise the connection between the music and visuals.



The (True) Birth Of The Title Sequence

Breakthrough ideas in titling, such as timing the typography to interact with metaphorical imagery or to create its own world, were largely innovations that came from outsiders to the Hollywood studio system...
A great draftsman and visual storyteller, Saul Bass ran the gamut of techniques for his title sequences: montage, live action, cut-out paper animation, typography in motion, to name a few. Whatever technique he used, Bass summarized the film as a metaphor that often shone with creativity. 
This was interesting to read as holloywood are usually seen using title sequences like this but it is interesting toknow that this idea did not come from hollywood. Also, this makes you realise how much thought and time goes into title sequences.


The Digital Era, And Modern Trends In Film Title Design
Every sphere of contemporary life — and especially the film business — has been affected by computers.
'Especially the film buisness' This shows how heavily the industry would rely on computer images to create title sequences.



After reading this article, it has made me realise how much the creation of title sequences has developed. From simple lettering to computer generated title sequences. Also i realise how much of an impact Saul Bass has made on the creation of title sequences as he is responsible for many of the different techniques that are still used today in some sequences, although the use of computers has effected the way the titles are created.
This article also shows that Hollywood were not actually the first people to come up with some concepts although some people may think they did as they are such a large company.

Continuity Sequence

Evaluation
After fining out what our task was, we were put into groups. I was in a group with two other people. At first we worked together to decide on a rough plot and then drew the shots up onto a storyboard sheet. We then decided on the room that we would be in and where we would be placing the camera so that we could stick to the idea of the 180 degree rule. We also had to make sure we included a shot reverse shot and match on action. Which we set made sure we included even though later on we did struggle.

On the first day of filming, we made many mistakes as a group and were not pleased with what we had filmed. We also realised that we had broken the 180 degree rule, so we knew we had to re-film.
On day two, one member of the group wasn't in so the two of us that were in had to go thoroughly through how we would shoot each scene and work out properly where we would be positioned.
On the last day, after realising that we were very behind other groups,we all worked together very well to make sure we completed all filming quickly and correctly and this time we made sure that the 180 degree rule would not be broken and all of the requirements were met.
I feel that all of my group put in a lot of effort in order to complete the task properly, and that the final clips that were to be edited together were done well.

Each member of the group then had to edit their own version of the sequence, so i converted the video's from mp4 to Mov as it works well on final cut. I found it easy to edit the sequence together due to previous experience with final cut.

If i was to do this task again i would make sure that we thought properly about the order of events before rushing of to film. If we had spent more time doing this we probably wouldn't have made any mistakes on the first day or if any mistakes were made we probably would have realised sooner.