Behind Time.

Evaluation Question 6

Evaluation Question 5

Evaluation Question 4

Evaluation Question 3

Evaluation Question 2

Evaluation Question 1

What I Have Learnt?

Budget

During the process of creating our opening sequence we induced no costs, resulting in us not needing a controlled spending budget.

• We kept our location local resulting in there being no travel costs.
• Our camera was provided for us.
• All costumes were previously owned by the actors themselves.
• All props were previously owned by the actors themselves.

Word Pitch

Inspiration

Below are some examples of high quality branding being used in big films...

Above we can see the branding of watches in blockbuster films such as James Bond & Iron Man. Who are marketable characters, and are known for their wealth and accessories. 

A shot taken from the film 'Takers', with the two high quality cars in the rear section of the shot and also the use of a super bike. 

Inspiration was taken from examples such as the above, as the films that are usually successful in the media industry will consist of the highest quality props, in order that the audience recognise the film as a 'prestige' standard. This is the idea that us, as a group, was going for when deciding to include the Audi A1 and the use of a more presentable look with the suits, watches and Iphone's

Props

Audi A1

We were able to get hold of a new shaped Audi A1, we decided to use this car as it is not only aesthetically pleasing; but it is an easily distinguishable car. Audi is a reputable company world wide who appeal to a wide range of people, including the wealthier audiences who could relate. By having a high end car included within our opening, it will catch the eye of the audience, inviting them to watch more.

Rotary Watch

Officer Tenpenny & Mr. Dwayne both wear the popular branded Rotary watch. Similarly to the audi, these watches are very aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Thus adding value to the visual element of our film. Furthermore, showing to the audience more about the characters.

The Iphone 5 is one of the best selling phones of all time, by showing this in our film we are able to widen our target audience. Also, our match on action shot of the phone was able to show the audience who was ringing Mr Dwayne.

Analysis of scenes

Costumes (3)

Mr. Dwayne

Costumes

• Black blazer
• White shirt
• Black suit trousers
• Black shoes

Similarly dressed to his counter part Mr. Dwayne's costume conforms of a formal standard. The similarity to Officer Tenpenny will allow the audience to begin making assumptions as to linking the two characters. Dwayne's first appearance is kept a mystery to the audience, with only the back of his head shown first, followed by his bottom half walking. Through these shots we can see how his suit can suggest he is employed, and the smartness of his costume showing his possible wealth. Once we hear hims state 'I'll report back in an hour', its easy for the audience to assume he's an agent of some kind as he costume doesn't conform as a stand police officer. Also the build up of these moment through prior scenes suggests that he has not come from an ordinary office job. Further more his american accent proposes that he is here for a specific purpose.

Costumes (2)

Officer Tenpenny

Costume:

• Grey blazer
• Grey suit trousers
• Black shirt
• Burgundy tie
• Burgundy loafers

Officer Tenpenny is the first of the CIA agents shown within the opening title sequence. However his full costume is remained unseen throughout. A glimpse of his attire is shown when he awaits Mr. Dwayne's arrival, however only his top half is shown. As Tenpenny is first introduced, there is no indication as to who he is or his intentions and his costume which is visible adds no help into finding out. This keeps his character a suspicion from to the audience; leaving them asking question from the beginning. 

Costumes

Skyler

Costume:

• Black T - Shirt
• Black hooded zipped jumper
• Black jeans
• Black trainer/pumps

We chose to strip back the character of Skyler by keeping his costume as simplistic as possible. By using black as his primary color we was able to take the focus off of his clothes and more on his actions, words & personality. Also, as the character is situated within a confined dark space throughout the whole opening sequence, Skyler's costume compliments the mood; with its gloomy, tense and mysterious feel.  

Editing Brickwall

Our Editing has hit a brick wall..

We are having trouble with our timings of the sound corresponding with the video its-self, Along the timeline it say +1 and -3 etc. on each clip. We have had to speak a technician but our film can't progress until it has been fixed.  Also we are finding it difficult to cut our film down to the 2 minute maximum as we are weary to cut out certain parts in case the opening could not be understood.   

Unfinished Film

After two days of filming and editing here is what we have completed. With still more to film, we were pleased with our initial film and how our ideas were being played out within the film successfully. However, some editing features we film can still be added and developed; such as opening titles which are key in creating a successful opening sequence.

Chosen Music

Above is the selected music that we have chosen to supply as a backing track to our opening. Backing music is a key feature when creating a film as it is a highly effective way in creating suspense and setting the scene. These to tracks we feel will successfully set the scene as the first track os a spooky, mysterious tune which would play simultaneously to the beginning of our film whilst Skyler is introduced. The second track will be used after to help build tension as the pace starts to quicken within our opening sequence.

Location Recce

Above is an image of a 'recce' checklist which is used by directors which they carry with them whilst visiting the location that they possibly might chose to incorporate into their film. A director might use one of these as it helps them to decide whether or not to use the suggested location, and if it matches their chosen specification they are looking for.

FILMING!!

Today is the day that we are finally going to start filming for 'Behind Time' and hopefully we can get a lot of filming completed in the first day!!

Shooting Schedule

Here is a shooting schedule that we have created in order to make our filming process more efficient. By having set times for certain scenes we can insure that we remain on schedule and that each scene gets correctly filmed. Resulting in the creating of our film being a lot quicker. 

Shooting Script

Brainstorming

Here is a short video of a quick snippet of what occurred during our first day of filming today. It shows me and my group discussing possible ideas as to how certain scenes should be shot in terms of camera angles for best effectivity and also possible ideas that could be filmed.

Title

'Behind Time' was chosen by us as the chosen title for our film. We came about this as in the film Dwayne & Tenpenny are chasing Skyler, attempting to stop him before he commits another crime. However they also appear to tricked by Skyler into thinking that they are 1 step ahead of him when realistically they are two steps behind. Consequently causing them to be late, resulting in Skyler also getting away, hence Dwayne & Tenpenny are consistently behind time trying to catch Skyler. 'Behind Time' is also short, concise and memorable, it will be effective towards the audience as it will stick in their minds easier. Also is summarises the basis of our film in two small words.

Treatment

A treatment is a short, broad description of a movie or script idea which covers the key points pertaining the story and potential productions. Touching the genre, target audience & description of the main characters within the production.

Chosen Logo

This is a logo in which we have designed for our production company, the letters DCL stand simply for our names Dom, Curtis & Lydia. We have chosen this  as our final logo as we felt that this design was the most professional idea, and would best suit its chosen purpose respectively. The clever overlap of the letters is a unique feature and will be easily recognisable for the audience. This logo could also be shown at the beginning of our film opening to aware the audience who the production company were that created the film, thus boosting its public awareness. If the film was successful then it would bring positive response upon the company and would increase its reputation.

Logo Ideas

Here are a selection of ideas in which we have created that could be used as the logo to our production company if we were to distribute our own films. A logo is very important when creating a brand as its the main aspect which will catch the eye of the audience and make them notice and remember your brand. Furthermore a logo can be used through marketing and placed upon promoting products for future films A logo also allows you to distinguish your brand from competitors.

Chosen Location

Choosing a location was a key moment of our planning process. As we wanted to keep our costs as low as possible; we have decided to film in and around Hayes station in kent. Hayes is an easily accessible location for my group and the cast, so it would make it easy for us to go back and re-do shots if we were unhappy with them.

This was the location in which we first meet the character of Mr. Dwayne.

Mr. Dwayne exits from this station and is picked up by Officer Tenpenny. The station is not an iconic area of London which could help us create a realistic approach to our film.

This is the high street situated outside of Hayes Station where Dwayne & Tenpenny drive of to.

The rest of our film is located in the area of Hayes in the car as Dwayne & Tenpenny attempt to chase down Skyer. The scenes which involve styler were filmed within Dom Grimshaws house which was down the road from the high street. The Skyler scene were performed in his shed which created a perfect sense of tension & mysteriousness. 

Casting

After long days of auditions and interviews, me and my team have finally selected our chosen actorsin which will be in our final film. During the auditioning process our main focus was to find the perfect actor to portray the character of Skyler. Skyler is the leading character in our film and it is very important that the right person was chosen to play him. 

Fellow partner Dom Grimshaw will play the character of Officer Tenpenny and I will play the character of Mr. Dwayne. All that was left of the main casting was to find the main character in Skyler, which we successfully found in Harley Francis.

Harley Francis - Skyler

Harley is a young British actor with a lot of acting experience, he shone through the audition process as he fully understood the character of Skyler. During the auditions he was able to give us deep insight on how he felt the character should be portrayed which matched our initial ideas for the character. However, also giving us new ideas that we were able to develop further. Harley is a unknown actor in the larger film industry, this will help make our film seem more believable and realistic as the audience would not know who he is, and will only know him as the psychotic Skyler.

Script

Skyler:                  Hello Mr. Dwayne, Officer Tenpenny, I hope you've had a
                             lovely flight. Now you're probably wondering why I've led
                             you to the beautiful city of London right? Well it just grew
                             on me, you know when it just grows? Like an addiction,
                             like a drug, like cocaine. Then it got me thinking..

*split screen*
*overlap*
Skyler:                 How could I.. Skyler..
Dwayne:              Alright, Tenpennys here to pick me up now I'll report back
                            in an hour.

*overlap*
Skyler:                 Draw in a man like you?
Tenpenny:           Quick get in, hurry up!

Skyler:                 Oooo (laughs) her son. Ladies and gentlemen, please give a
                            warm welcome to the young Spencer Porter (laughs).

Tenpenny:           Okay okay cut to the chase have you got any updates on this
                            punk Skyler huh?

Dwayne:              Don't worry he won't get away this time. Ahhh sh*t.

*split screen*
*overlap*
Dwayne:             It's Michelle... Michelle?
Skyler:                Now if you want your Michelle to see her sweet sweet Spencer
                           again you'll do what i say. Or i'll put a bullet in Spencer's
                           F**king head!

*overlap*
Dwayne:            Hey, pull over now. It's Skyler. He's sent us another stream.
Skyler:               It's really been playing on my mind, what's more power,
                          dangerous, the gun?

Skyler:               Or the thought? The gun gives the opportunity, but the thought
                          pulls the trigger. If you're thinking about tracking this then
                          you're mistaken Dwayne cos' i filmed this 72 minutes ago
                         (laughs). So once again Dwayne.. you're BEHIND TIME!!!

Storyboard

Here is a storyboard we have created whilst brainstorming through ideas. We have kept it simple as our ideas are varied to change as the planning process is continued. Therefore we can use this as a blueprint when experimenting with our final ideas and decide which are most effective and can be fit within the 2 minute cut off point.

Initial idea for 'Behind Time'

Characters fact files

 

(animated interpretation of character)

• Name - Skyler
• Age - 24
• Role - Main character, fugitive wanted in the US. Provides ultimatums (games) to the CIA in order to stop him destroying and killing.
• Psychopath broken out of mental institution.
• Fourth 'game' that he is playing with CIA, which he has taken to London.
• Motive - fun and satisfaction of watching the world burn and people suffer.

(animated interpretation of character)

• Name - Mr. Dwayne
• Age - 28
• Role - CIA operative in charge of the Skyler case. 
• Been chasing Skyler for 7 months through his three previous 'games'.
• Deeply in love with case officer Michelle Porter who's son has been kidnapped by Skyler.
• Motive - do anything possible to catch Skyler and save Spencer (Michelle's son)

(animated interpretation character)

• Name - Officer Tenpenny 
• Age - 26
• Role - highly respectable CIA agent.
• Recognised as one of the best agents in the agency purely down to his attitude to not rest until all criminals involved are caught and punished.
• Working closely with Mr. Dwayne to catch Skyler.
• Motive - bring Skyler to justice.

Target Audience

As a result of the usually violent and explicit behavior and content shown during thrillers, we were able to narrow down our target audience to being either 15+ or 18+. Although some thriller occasionally drop down to PG & 12/a+ rating, but we didn't feel that this was the correct age group that should be exposed to such content. Most themes in thrillers contain lots of adult subject matters that are not suitable for younger ages. I felt that thrillers which were rated either PG or 12/a + were not realistic as directors attempted to cut out and soften such content. 

In other cases however at 18+, where directors now have the ability to freely explore what they please, they at times get carried away with their freedom and once again reality is lost. It seems in most cases the 15+ rating category contained the more realistic thriller films; our plan is to create a realistic thriller opening therefore this category may be the best suited for us. As we begin to develop our ideas it will allow it an easier option to choose are chosen target audience.

Intro clip of 'The Wolf Of Wall Street'

Me and my group found this intro to Martin Scoresese's The Wolf Of Woll Street very interesting and inspirational. Although this film does not conform to our chosen genre of a thriller; we found it's opening title sequence intriguing and thought that we could take certain elements that we could include into our opening title.

The approach of direct speech to the audience in which Leonardo DiCaprio breaks the fourth wall is highly effective. This engages the audience from the outset and allows to give a better insight on the characters personality. This technique was even more effective in this film as The Wolf Of Wall Street is a biographical film; therefore aims to portray the life of a character.

As a group we are still undecided on initial plot/characters ideas for our film opening; we do however want to take the audience on a personal journey with the chosen character and the technique of breaking the fourth wall is highly effective in doing so.

Our Task?

Our task is to create an opening to a film idea that we have developed. By exploring different camera techniques and angles we are expected to crete a realistic opening title sequence. The opening title should conform to features of our chosen film genre; ours being thriller.

Preliminary Task

Above is our final edit of our Preliminary task which we have created.

What is a Preliminary?

As a group we was issued a preliminary task which acted as training to enhance our abilities and understanding of handling the camera, different camera shots and angles that we could explore with. We were asked to incorporate 'rule of thirds', '180 degree rule','match on action', 'shot reverse shot' within our preliminary task.

• Rule of Thirds - "The rule of thirds is applied by aligning a subject with the guide lines and their intersection points, placing the horizon on the top or bottom line, or allowing linear features in the image to flow from section to section. The main reason for observing the rule of thirds is to discourage placement of the subject at the center, or prevent a horizon from appearing to divide the picture in half.

• 180 Degree Rule - "The 180-degree rule enables the audience to visually connect with unseen movement happening around and behind the immediate subject"

• Match on Action - "A cut that connects two different views of the same action at the same moment in the movement. By carefully matching the movement across the two shots, filmmakers make it seem that the motion continues uninterrupted. For a real match on action, the action should begin in the first shot and end in the second shot."

• Shot Reverse Shot - "Where one character is shown looking at another character (often off-screen), and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. Since the characters are shown facing in opposite directions, the viewer assumes that they are looking at each other"

Moodboard

Here is a collection of well known thriller films in which i have attached together into one image. As thriller is our chosen genre, these are the brand of films that we shall use for inspiration. Taking certain aspects and elements from these films to introduce into our own.

The use of CGI

'Computer generated imagery' is the application of the field of computer graphics to special effects

CGI is used more and more in modern day production as it's a high developing technology which is continually improving; usually used in films, TV programs and advertisements. CGI is used essentially for visual effects, creating high quality realistic special effects with an aim to create a misconception of reality to the naked human eye.Within a Thriller genre, CGI is a very useful tool as it helps expand the possibilities that a director can explore with their film. 

Many films contain such things as:

• Explosions
• Futuristic technology
• Demonstrate mechanical processes
• Creating static images and landscapes 
• Visualise a wide variety of complex graphic context
• Computer animation
• Virtual worlds
• Alien life form 

The image above is taken from the production of the biggest grossing film of all time; James Cameron's 2009 blockbuster Avatar. The picture shows the transformation from reality to the image that CGI can create which is not real. The development of CGI is rapidly improving as you can see in the two images on the left; which are not clearly recognisable to be artificial.

Me and my group will not have the funding and technology to be able to create CGI effects as shown above. However there are some small features in which we can incorporate into our opening sequence.

Definition of a 'Thriller'

'Thriller'

 a novel, play, or film with an exciting plot, typically involving crime or espionage.

"a tense thriller about a diamond heist that goes badly wrong"

Thrillers heavily effect the viewers mood, giving them high doses of anticipation, expectations, uncertainty, surprise, anxiety and often horror. It's aim is to keep the audience on the edge of their seats as the film drives towards its climax, plot twists and cliff hangers are used extensively. 

A thriller is usually a villain driven plot, in which they present various obstacles for the protagonist must overcome. Also there are common sub-genres which are found within the main genre; such as psychological thrillers, crime thrillers, spy thrillers and mystery thrillers. Action and horror which are main genres often overlap with thrillers too.

Some Characteristics 

• Suspense
• Conflict
• Amusement 
• Mystery
• Surprise
• Chaotic
• Investigation 
• Antagonists 
• Protagonist
• Back Stories

The plots of thrillers can vary widely. Some are supernatural, for example, centering around mystical antagonists. Others are scientific or medical in nature, forcing their protagonists to contend with biological agents or mysterious scientific happenings. Some are simply straight mysteries with clever, horrific, or intriguing antagonists, while others be focused on the inner workings of the legal system, environmental threats, technology, or natural disasters. One long-established thriller genre is the spy thriller, featuring an often heroic and dashing spy who must confront whichever enemy.

Some thrillers are extremely intellectual and of very high quality, encouraging more educated people to enjoy them. Thrillers that incorporate a psychological aspect, force people to examine the motivations and backstories of the characters to figure out the plot. Others are more simplistic, in the vein of the penny dreadful and designed to appeal to a much wider audience. Many thriller books are adapted into movies, and thrillers can also be turned into comic books and television shows.

What Makes A Good Thriller?

Techniques

As me and Dom were discussing which genre in which we wanted to create for our opening, we thought of techniques that are used during different genres of film. Here is the sort of thing that you would find in a horror or thriller film; to add a sense of tension and surprise for the audience. With added effect such as music to suit the pace of the scene, usually a slow pace. Hence making it scary for some, aspects like this are what make this confine to the genre of.

Company logo's

20th Century Fox

DreamWorks Animation

Paramount Pictures

Universal Studios

These are just a few of the company logo's that are presented at the beginning of films to show the audience who has funded and produced the film they are about to watch. By doing this, these conglomerates are able to boost their reputation and wider their recognition.

Opening Title's Importance (market research)

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Man of Steel - Title Sequence

Man of Steel is the latest remake of one the most famous and arguably the best comical character in Superman. This Super budget reboot portrays the origin of Superman which is the story of how he came to earth and his journey on becoming a superhero.

Se7en - Opening Titles

Se7en is a 1995 thriller which follows the journey of two investigators hunting down a gruesome serial killer.

Within the opening titles we see straight away what to expect from the film, its explicit adult themed content clearly sets the scene. As Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman are such reputable popular actors, their names are shown before the title of the film. This shows how they are seen as more important than the name of the film, and how the producers have relied majorly on the pre sold audience to conform of fans of the two big name actors. 

The music played builds tension and seemingly sets the audience up for something that is about to happen. It fits perfectly with the actions going on at the time, not creating a story, but flicking from different scenes in quick succession with the attempt to confuse the audience. With these images and sounds, the audience do not know what to expect, as this is not part of a series or a sequel, the audience are left open minded with what to expect, which with a film like this can leave the faint hearted left frightened.

The font used is one of a hand written portrayal, however someone with not neat hand writing, as the letters are not connected and are also different sizes. Furthermore, the words slant in different direction giving the impression that it was written in a rush, meaning that the writer may have been in a panic. once again setting the tone and mood for the rest of the film.

This is a very effective opening title as it is able to tell the names of the actors, producers and other contributors while also managing to set the scene, mood and tone for the rest of the film. However the downfall of this opening is that even though the timing is only in fact 2 minutes, as it contains no action in this period of time this can have a repercussion of it seeming longer and dragging out. Consequently causing some audience members to become detached and lose interest. 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (Opening Scene - HD)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was the 2011 blockbuster finale based on the Harry Potter six part series origionally written by J.K. Rowling. The film is the second instalment of the Deathly Hallows which was in fact origionally written by Rowling as one book.

As the film is a seqeal; the opening sequence relies heavily on the viewer having seen part one of Deathly Hallows. Therefore there is no introduction to the film, the first few scenes are short clips of the aftermath of what has occured after the last thing that was seen in the scenes at the end of the first film. For the people who have infact seen the first part it is a very helpful opening; as it sets the scene and gives a short recap of what has previosly happened to refresh the memory. If they spent too long on the opening to allow people who haven't seen the first Deathly Hallows to understand the film it would aggitate the people who have seen it. This shows how the producers have relied solely on the persentage of people that have watched part 1 to be  widely larger than those who havent.

As Warner Bros is a well known huge production company, they flaunt their logo mid way through the opening sequence. This is due to the fact that they are aware that they have a well known reputation as producing monster blockbuster films, as a result when people see that they have an involvement in the film it will not only heighten expectations of the film; but also boost the reputation of Warner Bros as the film was a huge success.  The mise-en-scene shows the main most reputable characters from the beginning and also the famous building of Hogwarts. Furthermore the building is covered in fog with slow dramatic music to create tension. We see Dementors with their death like costumes surrounding the building which Harry Potter fans will immediately recognise and associate with danger. The shots fade from scene to scene in quick succession to implicate that the scenes are occurring simultaneously.