Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Looking back at the preliminary I feel like I heave learnt a lot, not just about filming a good video but about how to structure a story as well. But i have also learnt the basics, including framing. During the preliminary we mainly kept to a few key shots, displaying the 180' rule in a simple way. However in the final task we showed the 180' in a number of shots which took a lot more skill and precision. We even went as far as to film a clip where we cross the 180' line, however it was not used in the final product. As well as that we went for more complex shots, like the extreme close up of Jess face. This was effective as it showed we could use a number of complex shots, not only that but use them effectively.

As for the story planning we grew even more. The preliminary was a terrible story line, consisting of a fire in the school and the conversation that took place was about the nearest fire exit. However in the final task we went as far as to include a flashback, futuristic radio broadcast and a end-of-the-world, apocalyptic scene. All in all the idea was Jess gets kidnapped and I rescue her, we then run away together - leading to the main problem centred in the film.

As well as the technical side of things my thinking for the media world has grown as well, for instance i now know how to plan for a target audience as well as being able to describe a specific type of person the product is aimed at. This will help me in the future because that sort of idea/thinking will be relevant in almost any line of work - especially an advertising job.

If I were to do the whole project again there would only be a few things I would change, firstly I would design a storyboard of what shots we want and when we want them. That is the only thing about planning that i would actually change, however for the actually production i would change the way we recorded. Instead of just getting the shots we need i would run the whole scene through from a number of different shots. I think that would give us more variety to choose from as well as making the editing easier. Also if we had extra time i would have suggested dubbing the audio, to make it that little but clearer. Apart from those few things i felt that the project as a whole went very well and it is something i am proud of.

What have you leant about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

I have learnt a lot about a few technologies, those being Adobe programmes, camera work and the sound recorder. Firstly Adobe:

I probably learnt the most about this technology because this was my main usage in the group. I learnt how to do basic effects on After Effects (learnt from VideoCopilot) and simple transition on Premiere. This was useful as it made the video look more professional. An example of the effects would be the gun shot where the end of the gun is lit up:

The next technology we learnt about would be the sound recording, done for the radio broadcast. This was interesting as i had never really done anything like that before and it as a new experience. The idea behind it is simple, press record and speak, but a lot of planning and thought went into what exactly we would get Steve to say. In the end to whole thing went smoothly and the radio broadcast we came out with was professional and added a sense of story to the video. 

The final technology we learnt about was the camera itself, allowing us to use it to its full potential. This was useful for us as it gave us an understanding as to what we were doing whilst filming. We used a number of features for the camera including a tripod and dolly (what Lauren broke). These were useful for our video as it gave smooth shots where the camera was free to move.

How did you attract/address your audience?

Our film appeals to the target audience because of a number of different things, like music and the conventions. For instance the low, monotoned music appeals to the thriller/tension side of the audience.

As well as this to appeal to our target audience we uploaded it onto you tube for the whole world to see:

This would appeal to the target audience as they are all about the technology of today, for instance they are morel likely to see the clip on You tube than the chances of seeing it on TV or at the cinema. This would be the reason we upload it to you tube because it is more accessible for a wider audience, thus appealing and attracting the audience.

Who would be tha target audience for your media product?

Our target audience would be between 15 and 27, making it a very large target audience. The audience would be mostly male with some females as well mostly of which will probably be in some form of education.

The target audience would be probably very mainstream, wearing the latest fashions probably shopping at shops like Top shop or Primark. They would watch TV shows based around a similar action genre with a bit of comedy as well, like Chuck for instance. I would like to think they listen to classic rock, perhaps with a liking for White Snake. They would watch the film because they like the films of similar genre and like to keep up to date.

The age certificate of the film would probably be a 12 or a 15 at a push. This is because we would still be able to appeal to our target audience as well as it being accessible for people younger than our target audience.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

The institution that could distribute our film would probably be a low budget British company, similar to the company that distributes '28 Days Later'. The company 'Fox Searchlight Pictures' could distribute it as the film would be produced by a low budget company but then sought out by a bigger company like Fox, who would then distribute it to the audience.

What kinids of taste might your target audience have?

In my opinion our main target audience would be 16-27 year old, mainly based around the university lifestyle. Our typical Joe Public would be male and watch this film and similar films regularly, in between studying for his future career. They would probably not watch much TV but would listen to a lot of music, perhaps favouring the Metal/Heavy Rock genre. As for clothes they would not stretch much from jeans and t-shirts, with other possible Sci-Fi/Action references printed on the t-shirt. They would watch the film because they enjoy the genre and like to stay on top of latest releases.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

We only had 3 main character's, Jess, Angus and myself. Firstly Jess:

The social group based around Jess would be a rebel, run-away teenager with a twisted, dark side possibly. The audience that could relate to her character would probably be a teenage audience who was a little escapism. As well as this the 'Goth' scene may be able to relate to her all black clothes and sarcastic attitude. The only other film character i could even think to compare her too could possibly be the Black Widow from the Avengers.

The second character would be Angus, who has a puppet feel - as if he is being manipulated from a higher source. His character seems like an old-fashioned spy, possibly disagreeing with the ideals of the organisation but furfilling their needs anyway. the audience could relate to Angus as the villian, a low level villian with more like him to follow. A film character I could think of being similar to Angus would be Agent Smith, from the Matrix.

The final character would be myself - the main hero of the film. My character has a focused and serious feel, as if he has a purpose and nothing will stop him from completing it. The all black outfit shows some sort of uniform possibly, or perhaps just a sort of camoflauge. The audience that could relate to me could possibly be the majority audience, possibly even getting emotionally attached. Another character i could relate myself to would be Chuck, from the TV series Chuck.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge the forms and conventions of real media products?

All together the film opening we made suits the forms and conventions of real media products. The opening is a strong, believable opening to an action/thriller film. For example the title: The Red-Field Protocol, has an action feel to it as it gives a feel of the army/special armed forces. As well as this the setting and location seems just like that of a action genre, the big hall with the dark lighting is typical of the action genre. Also the costumes and props suit the genre: me and Jess in all black - insinuating a dark or dangerous person. The only prop we used was the gunk, which was used to make the spy theme more believable.

Our opening sequences are quite typical of a thriller genre, because the clouds at the start make a serene environment until it all gets disturbed by Jess. This is typical of the genre as the night is darkest just before the dawn, similar to most movies. The story itself is very typical - spy vs spy, end of the world, nuclear disaster. the opening sets this up perfectly, for example the evacuation sign shows a little back story and gives a world for the audience to enter.

The special effects used were mainly basic, with an exciting effect on the gun - making it more believable and more exciting to watch. The other effects include a hue/saturation which provided the end of the world scenery. our opening sequence develops the conventions of the genre in such a way that the tension builds up and builds up (during the interrogation), i believe this is a developing of the conventions as it is typical to films of the genre.

Our opening had been influenced in a lot of ways, for example there is the western-barrel-gun-shot which is typical of the action genre. another way we were inspired is by the lighting and ambient music from the Dark Knight - used in the interrogation scene. This was very inspirational to us as we set out aiming to make an interrogation along the lines of the dark knight. So our work was influenced by the conventions of typical action films as well as a little inspiration from the dark knight.

Final Video - Feedback

For the feedback I went once again to Matthew, to get his expert advice:

However just Matthew alone would not be enough so I went to my second reliable source, Steve:

Then just for a few extra points of feedback we decided to put the video onto YouTube to see what the Internet had to say about the whole thing:

Final

Annotation - Commentary

Annotation - Editing/Effects

The editing was probably the hardest bit of the whole project, this is because it took the longest and needed the highest degree of detail. For example a simple idea is the dialogue lining up with the video, however we had issues with that. To overcome it however we detached the audio clip and manually synced the two. The program we used to edit the video was Adobe Premiere, here's a screen shot of the editing process (rendering to be precise):

Some good transition techniques we used were dissolve, fade to white/black and simple cut aways. An example of the fade to black is during the logo sequence, we used it here because it was very simple what with the logo's black backgrounds. However at the end of the logo sequence it fades to white to show the transition into the actual film, another example of a fade to white is at the very end when the title screen appears. We used fade to white there because it gave a finish to the 2 minute clip. An example of the dissolve would be where the circular dish dissolved to the bright light, traditionally the dissolve meant a change in time however we thought to use it as a change in location. This is however one of the things that is unclear about the clip, so if I were to improve it I would perhaps use a different transition - possibly a simple cut away.

As for effects there wasn't really that much used, the most technical being the security camera (previously discussed). Apart from that there were a few adjustments, like for instance the whole video was given a dark overlay. This made the clip more dramatic as the darkness always signifies to an evil of some sort. You can see the darkness in this shot slightly but the idea was that it shouldn't be that noticeable.

Annotation - Interrogation

The first shot after the transition is a long shot of Jess (the terrorist) sat in a chair with a beam of light on her. This is good as it establishes the scene and gives the audience an idea of where the character is situated. Then as Angus and I enter the shots got more interesting, for example there is a symmetrical shot (in the style of Kubrick) with a light in between us that looked quite good. It showed a silhouette of myself, Angus but also Jess. This was effective as it gave spacial awareness.

The next good shot was the shot down the barrel of the gun, a shot inspired by westerns. It was made even better by the lighting which produced shadows onto my face. The effect we later added with the blaze of light coming from the end of the gun made the shot look even more realistic. As well as this the shot was made better by the GREAT actor in the frame.

Then the sequence carried on, however it switched to a security camera. This provided  bit of variety for the sequence, allowing the audiences attention to be refreshed almost. For the security camera shot we went up to the balcony and did a high angle shot looking down on Jess. This obviously showed how small and possibly insignificant she was but also gave a feel as if someone was watching over them. To make this we filmed it normally, then in after effects we added a hue/saturation and a grain effect. From that we put on a frame and logo to make the security camera feel more realistic.

The last shot that is seen is a shaky camera shot of myself and Jess running out of the interrogation room into the daylight. This is effective as the transition from dark to light have a sense of fading to white, this was then ultimately followed by a fade to white (where the title shot appeared). I thought this looked good as it almost gave an adrenalin rush to the end. This worked well as a normal film opening would not really have an ending after two minutes so the fact we ran out made the film look like it were meant to carry on.

Annotation - Opening Credits

The opening credits take up half of the 2 minutes, they are placed on a montage of cloud and landscape shots. After the logo's have finished the first shot the audience see is a shot of clouds with a transition to another cloud shot. As it does our first credit appears on screen: 'Midnight Pictures presents'. The text is in plain black writing in a bold text, emphasising the production company. The credit is also placed centre screen as there are no other visual aspects on screen.

The sequence then transitions into a long shot of two radio masts, this is when the audio track comes into the scene. The idea behind it was to show it is a radio broadcast by showing radio masts, also the radio masts look slightly sinister. The next shot is one of my favourite, it is an example of foreshortening. This is when a shot conveys a 3D image by layering items on the picture plane. This is effective as it gives an interesting shot to the sequence, making it more effective than just having simple shots.

As the credits continue to appear the shots change angles around the various radio masts, creating a sense of familiarity for the audience. The shots also continue to give an air of mystery with the shadows and dark colours. The next good shot was the manual focus pull, this is where the shot was concentrated on the radio mast then pulled foreward to the barbed wire. This is effective as it goes from a neutral shot to a dangerous and mysterious shot.

The evacuation sign then provides a little insight into the film as the nuclear plant would have caused an evacuation. However the sign is fades and worn down - suggesting some time has passed since the incidence. As well as this it provides a thrill for the eyes as it is different from clouds or radio masts.

Shortly after this there is the transition between the opening credits and the interrogation. This is significant as it links the two sequences together. It does this by a fade from a circular dish on the radio mast to a circular light in the interrogation. This is effective as it transitions between the two without breaking the visual aspects of the sequence.

Final Video

Production - Diary

9th February 2012
Today we got Steve to record a voice for the radio broadcast at the start. This went well and i think we will have a good, strong opening.

16th February 2012
Filming was meant to start tonight but due to forces out of our control it was postponed until tomorrow.

17th February 2012
Today we filmed the whole interrogation scene in roughly 50 minutes. It went quite well, we have a number of shots for each scene and should have enough for editing the film in a manner that shows its qualities. I dresses like a proper spy today with the thick, black jacket and the all black jeans - very ominous. Here's a picture of Angus looking like a director for you:

20th February 2012
Today we looked properly at what we filmed and put it all into Adobe Premiere. All in all it looks good and editing should be fun!

28th February 2012
It's been almost a week of editing and we are already annoyed. The computers keep crashing and key frames are our worst enemy but the movie is starting to take shape.

19th March 2012
It's coming together slowly - very slowly - but surely. The opening is nearly ready for the magic of After Effects... Can't wait.

16th April 2012
First day back and there seems to be more to do than I could remember there being. The video is all edited together now and all we have to do is put some effects on it. I'm starting to like how the whole thing is turning out.

20th April 2012
DONE! Finally all the editing is done and the film is ready for export. Links and analysis to follow.

Production

Now the planning and research are done, we have a very good idea of what we are going to do. Ideas will obviously change a little as we go on but mainly everything is sorted.

A 'diary' is to follow this post, outlining everything that went into production and post-production.

Planning - Script Feedback

I presented the script to two people both of different target audience's. The first is Matthew who is younger and would be more likely to watch the film and movies with a similar genre. Here is his video feedback:

The second person I interviewed was Andrea, who was older and would have watched more of the genre of film that Matthew. Here is her video feedback:

Planning - Final Ideas

After reflecting on the ideas as a group here are the final ideas:

Logo's:

And here is the final script:

ORIGINAL FILM OPENING SEQUENCE - PART 1

OPENING TITLES:

(COMPANY LOGOS)

MIDNIGHT PICTURES PRESENTS

IN ASSOCIATION WITH FALLOUT FILMS

A RED-X-SCAR PRODUCTION

DIRECTED BY ANGUS BENTHAM

PRODUCERS:

Angus Bentham

Jessica Lyon

Lauren Simpkin

Andrew McFadden

SCREENPLAY by Angus Bentham

EDITED by Andrew McFadden

CAMERA OPERATED by Lauren Simpkin

ACTORS/VOICE ACTORS:

Jessica Lyon

Andrew McFadden

Angus Bentham

Lauren Simpkin

>> CAST NAMES

TITLE – THE AGENT OF CHAOS                 ?

EXT. RADIO MASTS ON HILL – MORNING

Howling wind bridges THREE moving cloud Shots and into the rest of scene 1. Setting provides peaceful atmosphere which is then broken by an incursion of WHITE NOISE from a Radio Transmission. The Camera then pans down from sky onto a Radio Mast (at Billing Hill). White noise fades away and the Radio Speaker provides a voice-over for setting’s brief exposition.

(WHITE NOISE)...Good Morning, it is Friday the 18th of March 2022, and you are listening to IMPERIUM FM. To start with...

(WHITE NOISE)...Increased Gale-Force Winds so you can expect to see thunder Storms by the early hours of tomorrow morning. We advise you keep...

(WHITE NOISE)...The terrorist is alive. We are still reminded of the chaos which took place right across the country 10 years ago?

(WHITE NOISE)...collaborator has been detained. It is thought that he may have useful information concerning the location of their leader. You should remember that we are your protectors and we will ensure that (WHITE NOISE)...Our role illuminates your future; a future of freedom, prosperity and peace.

(WHITE NOISE)...Play LACRIMOSA by MOZART

>> MUSIC BRIDGE INTO NEXT SCENE

DISSOLVE – Circular radio dish to circular pool of light

INT. BLACKED OUT HALL WITH SMALL POOL OF LIGHT – Collaborator Character is sat at a desk here, bashing her head on the table rhythmically.

Lacrimosa is fading away, being replaced with a Low Bass Rumble sound effect. Distant intercom voices in the background.

She is sat at a cleared desk with only a lamp on it, alone.

Stream of light comes across the hall to the victim on the floor. A low Angle Medium Long Shot of interrogator one followed by a High Angle Medium Long Shot of the Criminal Collaborator. Interrogator slowly approaches with echoing footsteps. Victim is still bashing head against the table, as if insane.

1.       BLACK AND WHITE security camera shot.

2.       Back to Normal Cam.

Collaborator

(Little laugh) ...Hi.

Interrogator just stares at her trough his sunglasses then looks to the side, where there is a suspended clock at 8:58am (Manual Focus Pull from face to clock when he turns his head)

Interrogator two enters the room and walks up to her, also wearing sunglasses (Echoing footsteps). The two interrogators stand there (one on either side of her – interrogator 1 on her right and two on her left) and she gets up onto her knees and smiles at them.

Collaborator

...Do you think that I could perha...

Interrogator 1

Shut up...we’ll be asking the questions.

You killed your entire team and then went on to demolish the first power station in 10 years...

Collaborator

How were the fireworks from where you were? My head’s still ringing a little bit to be honest.

FLASH BACK – POWER STATION – Morning (Camera Shake)

Interrogator 1

Your head will be more when ringing by the time we’re through with you (pulling gun out) I’m not allowed to kill you, yet. But, I don’t think they’ll mind if I shoot you in the leg...

Interrogator 2

By tonight, we will know our Victory is much closer than it ever has been before.

CLOCK SHOT – 8:59am

Interrogator 1

I don’t know about that. She’s just a collaborator to the Real threat...We need to get information out of her which will probably take days. It’s a good thing we caught her when we did.

BLACK AND WHITE ES security camera, goes static and black.

Back to Normal Cam.

Interrogator 2

I wasn’t talking to you...

Interrogator 1 looks to no.2 and is shocked to see Interrogator 2 pointing a gun at him.

Collaborator

You wanted information, Mr?

CLOCK SHOT – 9:00am

Interrogator 2 shoots no. 1 and kills him.

Collaborator

The security cameras...have you dealt with them?

Interrogator 2

Yes, now let’s get out of here. It’s 9 o’clock, the power will be cut, the facility will go on Red Alert, and we will have our opportunity to escape.

The collaborator stands up.

CUT TO

Interrogation light goes out.

Corridor - all lights go out.

Staircase - tilt down, all lights go out.

Corner of Building, with clouds passing by – Red Alert Ambient Sounds.

FADE TO BLACK

Planning - Technologies

One part of the planning stage was to look at the technologies we needed to use, for example we had to familiarise ourselves with Adobe After Effects and adobe Premiere Pro. As well as learning how to use the camera and how to position frames correctly. This job fell to me and Lauren.

Together we watched a total of 9 videos equalling to roughly 131 minutes. This was very educational as we learnt how to do basic effects on After Effects, like removing a green screen and placing a different background onto it. As well as this we learnt more simple techniques like text overlay for example. This would come in useful for the opening credits as well as for future use. Here is a link to one of the videos:

http://www.videocopilot.net/basic/tutorials/07.3d/

After this we looked at the camera, seeing how each was used. This was useful as it familiarised us with the idea behind the camera and how to operate it efficiently.

All in all we became more familiar with the effects programmes as well as the camera itself. this will be helpful for when we come to film and edit.

Planning - Script

The script was mainly constructed in the class discussion, all that was left to do was to type it up really. Here it is:


COURSEWORK FILM OPENING – 2 MINUTES LONG                                          

       OPENING TITLE
       MIDNIGHT PICTURES PRESENTS
       RED-X-SCAR PRODUCTION
       IN ASSOCIATION WITH FALLOUT FILMS

> CAST NAMES

1.       EXT – SCATTERED CLOUDS OVER BILLINGE HILL – MORNING

Howling wind bridges THREE moving cloud Shots and into the rest of scene 1. Setting provides peaceful atmosphere which is then broken by an incursion of WHITE NOISE from a Radio Transmission. The Camera then pans down from clouds onto a Radio Mast (at Billing Hill). White noise fades away and the Radio Speaker provides a voice-over for setting’s brief exposition.

...Good Morning, it is Friday the 18th of March 2022, and you are listening to IMPERIUM FM. To start with...

...Increased Gale-Force Winds so you can expect to see thunder Storms by the early hours of tomorrow morning. We advise you keep...

...We are still reminded of the chaos which took place right across the country 10 years ago?

...MOST-WANTED has been captured. We are going to deal with him and make sure he never attempts to break the delicate chain of order we have built across this nation over the Years. We are your protectors and can make sure that Criminals such as this man are taken care of. Our role illuminates your future, a future of freedom, prosperity and peace.

...Play CLASSICAL MUSIC >> BRIDGE INTO NEXT SCENE (MOZART – LACRIMOSA)

2.       INT – SHADOWED HALL WITH SMALL POOL OF LIGHT – Character is lying down here (MOST WANTED).

Low Bass Rumble sound for uneasy atmosphere along-side classical music. An interrogator enters the hall - Use 180 degree Rule with the slow, suspenseful approach.

Planning - Logo Design

Angus went away and made a few logo's for the film opening, consisting of a few similar designs - most of which having a black, opaque background. Here is the first logo:

This logo has a professional feel to it, with the ace shape in the centre making the whole logo has a professional film feel. the 'Midnight Pictures' around the outside give the imaginary company a name which seems daunting possibly fitting with the genre of the films being made by it. The 'Titan-Mind' at the bottom indicates the company in a subsidiary, meaning the idea of the company is more realistic.

This logo also fits in with the action/thriller genre with the black background and the red (signifying danger) writing. The 'Red-X-Scar' seems to make the logo more vicious and sinister, again fitting in with the genre of the films.

The final logo that Angus made is that of 'Fallout Films', this logo has a white glow about the main section and a simple arrow logo in the centre. The idea of the logo is that the glow is residue from a nuclear fallout which, again, fits with the whole action genre.

So all in all the logo's seem professional and would be suitable for a real film, never mind an armature film. Most of the logo's will probably be used as all give a certain feel for the film as well as just looking good.

Planning - Class Discussion

With research over and an idea of what we want to create an what we want it to look like we had to plan. This involved the group sitting down and brainstorming idea's, then all of us going away and working on our assigned jobs.

The class discussion involved our group (Angus, Jess, Lauren and myself) sitting down and discussing what we wanted our video to be like. We came up with a few ideas, one of which was to do an interrogation scene like the one from The Dark Knight. This was a unanimous decision as we all thought it would make for a good opening. So from this we had settled on a Action/Thriller genre, meaning our opening would be quick paced and full of interesting shots.

From this we all decided we should go away and plan various aspects of the video, the aspects were:

• Logo's
• Storyboards
• Questionnaires
• Script

Research - Logo Design

To make our production look more professional our logo's have to be of a certain standard. It may seem simple but without good logo's the film would not look very professional. So in order to challenge this I have decided to research logo's and logo design.

The first logo I looked at was Paramount Pictures. Their logo consists of a mountain scenery with the name of the company above the peak. The text of the company is stylish yet professional, suggesting the company is sophisticated. As well as this the stars that form a circle between the mountain an the text makes the logo stand out more. The stars obviously resembling class and superiority, but all together the logo looks impressive and would open into a great film. The logo is pictured below:

The second logo I decided to look at was that of Warner Brothers. This logo seemed more relaxed that the Paramount logo, possibly because Warner Bros. films are aimed at a younger audience that that of Paramount. Anyway the logo consists of a gold shield shape, signifying the brilliance of the company as well as having a common logo that people could familiarise with. The WB in the logo obviously indicate Warner Brothers but the letters stand out as they are curved, suggesting a friendly feel on the whole thing. Ultimately the logo seems to be aimed at a younger audience but still looks like the film following the logo would be good! See logo below:

The third and final logo I research is that of Columbia Pictures. This logo looks very American and very powerful. I got this from the picturesque woman standing on the steps in the familiar American Lady stance. The power aspect comes from the light emitting from the woman's torch, suggesting that the company produces light perhaps. This is a good logo as it seems to give a authoritative feel to the film, as if the people who made it know it is going to be successful.

After looking at three logo's from similar companies i have learnt that the logo's we make will need to look professional yet powerful, as well as this the aspect of clouds seems to be present in all three. This is an idea we could possibly use for our logo's.

Research - Law Abiding Citizen Interrogation Scene

This clip starts with a close up of a heart rate monitoring machine which immediately signals danger as well as possible violence (which this clip has). we find out that a man is attached to the machine (again signalling danger and violence) as well as the man being tied down. Here is a screen shot of the man:

All the time this is happening the interrogator is asking the man about the crime he has committed, in this instance the murder of a whole family. He then continues to list all of the devices he has that will be used to torture the man as well as asking about the family. This is good as it creates a sense of action and drama on top of the actual interrogation scene. This is effective as it would keep the audience entertained as well as moving the storyline of the film along.

Here is the clip from Law Abiding Citizen:



Toward the end of the clip he begins to inject the man with adrenaline, describing the unpleasant effects the drug will have on him as he does. A number of shots show the clip, the most peculiar is a shot looking up at a mirrored ceiling, which reflects the torture occurring below. This is effective as it gives a different aspect or perception of the events unfolding.
From this clip i have learnt that action can be used alongside narrative to produce a compelling story as well as an exciting piece of footage. Possible things we could use from that clip would be the mirrored shot, or perhaps the 'out of the box' thinking that would produce such a shot.

Research - The Dark Knight Interrogation

For our film opening we decided to do something along the lines of the Dark Knight's interrogation scene, meaning our genre is action/thriller. So to be prepared to make the film opening I decided to research interrogation scenes, like the one from the Dark Knight.
Here is the interrogation from the Dark Knight:

The clip starts with dimmed lighting which quickly raises to show the Joker's head being smashed into the table, this immediately states that the clip is action/thriller as the interrogation is almost a torture session from the start. There are then a few lines of dialogue to emphasis the characters as well as the story, this is effective as the interrogation gives the audience a link to the characters as well as being an actual interrogation. At the same time as this is happening the music in the background seems to be ambient noises, building up tension.

Then the clip takes a violent turn which starts with Batman pulling the Joker over a desk and smashing him into a wall. This shows the audience that the character of the Batman will do whatever it takes to find out the information he needs to know, everything that is except break his one rule of not killing anyone. The interrogation speeds up meaning the cut aways are quicker and the music becomes louder, all signalling that tension is at a peak and something is about to give. Here is a screen shot from a particularly violent shot:

Things I've learnt from watching the Dark Knight interrogation clip would be that the interrogation will have to be interesting and involve a number of shots, some bizarre and some revealing. The storyline of the interrogation will need to be solid and provide good detail as well as being good to watch. All in all the interrogation scene will be vital to our opening meaning we will have to have a interesting story as well as being visually interesting and dynamic.

Research - Se7en

The third film I looked at for research and inspiration was 'Se7en', starring Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman and Gwyneth Paltrow. The film was produced by Cecchi Gori Pictures and New Line Cinema and directed by David Fincher. The film is about two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, who have to track down a murderer who uses the 7 deadly sins as his motivation to kill. This takes the two detectives on a journey of action and thrill with a lot of drama in between. The film won 23 awards and was nominated for an Oscar and a BAFTA. Here is the opening to the film:



The film starts with a close up of a book, whilst the pages are being slowly turned. Music that can be heard on the background could be classed as eerie or ambient, consisting of what sound like moans and cries. The film already shows conventions of a thriller in the opening 10 seconds. A fade to black gives a credit in creepy text, suggesting the film may be creepy in itself. A fade in from black then shows hands that appear broken or disfigured, quick cuts then show a number of scary objects (what seem like torture devices) possibly showing us the murderers tools. Here is a screen shot of the hands:

The fade to blacks then continue to give the names of the main actors and well as writers and producers, all the while showing little clips of the murderer. One clip that can be seen is the murderer scraping the skin off his finger tips with a razor blade, again suggesting the man/woman is not right in the head. As the sequence continues it becomes clear that the character is creating something, initial impressions suggest a calling card or even his motive.The credit names then continue to appear as the sequence cuts between quick shots of the characters creations. The speed of the cuts then increases until the whole frame fades to black and the words 'Directed by David Fincher' appear. Here is another screen shot:

From this film opening i learnt that the credits need to be edited well enough to tell a story themselves. For instance this sequence has credits with cuts getting increasingly faster, building up to the 'directed by' credit, all the while building tension and creating drama in the opening credits. This then builds up the film because if the credits create tension then surely the film will.

Research - Juno

Another film i looked at for my research was "Juno", a film starring Ellen Page and Micheal Cera. This film itself was made by the production companies Fox Searchlight Pictures, Mandate Pictures and Mr. Mudd and directed by Jason Reitman. The film tells the tale of a teenage girl who falls pregnant with a boy at her schools baby. The story develops into her giving the baby up for adoption to a dysfunctional couple whilst she tackles teenage boy drama. The movie won a number of awards including a BAFTA for the best original screenplay and a MTV Award for best leading actress. The film is a comedy with hints of drama and romance, here is the opening to the film:



The film starts with a close-up of the main character Juno looking directly into the camera, she takes a drink of juice and then the shot cuts to a long shot of her walking down a street. As this happens a song can be heard in the background: 'All I Want Is You' by Barry Louis Polisar. This appeals to the target audience of teenagers/young adults as the song is an upbeat rhythm with an old-fashioned voice. The shot of Juno walking down a street does two things: 1) give the audience a good look at her to see that she is a normal teenager and 2) to show she is against the crowd (when the people run past on the opposite direction). Even in the first two minutes the general feel for the film is established.

Then to make the film stand out and to give the feel of the film the shot transitions into cartoon, giving the title credits as it does so. This gives an almost childlike feel to the film, suggesting the character herself isn't fully grown up. As the title of the film appears the character can be seen looking directly into the camera again. Here is the screen shot:

The sequence then continues to list the credits, giving name to the main actors as well as writers and producers. All the while the colours change giving a feel of confusion as to the purpose and feel of the film.Then as the clip draws to an end the directors name appears: 'Jason Reitman' and the clip once again transitions into colour. Giving us another view of the main character and the setting. Here is another screen shot:

From this film opening I learnt that the credits have to have a story in themselves, like how Juno's credits are based around her walking to the shop. So credits have to have a narrative story, something as simple as walking to the shops. As well i learnt that the more unique the credits the more they stand out and the more effective they are, just like how Juno's use the cartoon. All of these things will make for credits that stand out and also get the names of the people involved across in a more artistic and effective way.