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Opening Sequence

This is my final Opening Sequence. 

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Evaluation 7 - What progression is there from your preliminary task to your main one? What have you learnt/improved/developed?

The brief for my Preliminary task was..

“A Continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot reverse shot and the 180 degree rule.”

Whereas the brief for my opening sequence was..

“To produce the titles and the opening of a new fiction film to last a maximum of two minutes.”

My opening sequence had to be two minutes in length and include titles made from scratch. A lot more research, planning, filming and editing had to be put into this task for it to be successful. Also, I had to create institution codes and titles so this was a longer and more challenging process too.

From creating my preliminary task, it taught me that a lot of  research and planning should be put into the task to make it run smoothly and for it to be carried out easier. For example, when planning for my preliminary task, I created a script beforehand to make the filming process quicker and easier. Because this worked well when carrying put my preliminary task, I then used this same technique when filming for my opening sequence to speed up the process. However, in my preliminary task I did not create a storyboard as i did not feel it was necessary. I feel that detailed planning in my preliminary task wasn't needed as the task was totally focused on learning how to use the camera and edit footage together. I developed this for my opening sequence and created a storyboard for my actors to follow. I also created a shot list, health and safety analysis, pitch and planned my locations. Within my pitch, I planned out other aspects of my opening sequence. For example, I planned how I wanted each character to be represented, how the genre and locations would be represented, what media theories my opening would follow or appose and how sound would affect the audience. Therefore I have learnt that detailed planning is an extremely important factor for a project like this to be a successful one. I carried out very little research before my preliminary task whereas I needed to carry out detailed research for my opening sequence. I researched into many different opening sequences with different genres to figure out the conventions and also typical aspects of opening sequences in general. This research helped me plan for my opening sequence as I was able to apply what I had learned and use it in my opening sequence. Also once I decided on my genre of Thriller, I researched more into the genre of thriller and the conventions of thriller films. This aided me in really getting the idea of what to expect for a opening sequence with the thriller genre.

From carrying out my preliminary task I have developed my filming and editing skills within technology in many ways. Before starting my preliminary task, I had very limited knowledge with filming using the cameras and the programmes and editing software I have used throughout this project. These programmes include tumblr and editing on the final cut software. Since filming for my preliminary task, I have gained knowledge on cinematography (camera shots and angles) and lighting. The gaining of this knowledge was very good as it made my final opening sequence look much more appealing and realistic. Furthermore, this made my media product more attractive for my target audience when viewing. In my preliminary task the lighting wasn't used to a good standard as it made some shots look blurry and unfocused. Whereas, in my opening sequence I made sure that the lighting was always to a good standard as without this it made the shot look less attractive. Also, some camera shots and angles used in my preliminary task was very basic and did not show a good range of skill. Whereas I feel this improved in my opening sequence as I feel the composition of most shots were to a high standard, using techniques such as rule of thirds to show a focus on certain things inside the frame. For editing, in my preliminary task I inserted clips into final cut one by one and I didn't add any sound, titles or transitions as I wasn't confident enough with the software as in my preliminary task it was the first time I used the programme Final Cut Express. Whereas, in my opening sequence I inserted the clips, made them shorter, inserted non diegetic sound, used transitions between clips to make the shots flow better and inserted titles over the shots. This shows how my knowledge and skill for editing progressed from the first task to the last task.

To create my institution codes and edit my opening sequence together I used the editing software Final Cut Express. I had very little knowledge of how this programme worked as I had only used it once before when creating my preliminary task. To create my institutions codes, I also used the editing software Final Cut Express. When first creating these animated images, I was given guidance when creating my first institution. This helped me greatly as i did not know how to create animated images on this software. After creating my first institutional code, I used the advice given to create the second institutional code by myself.

Camera work

When creating my opening sequence, I tried to include a variety of camera shots and angles to make the footage more attractive and appealing for the audience. In comparison, in my preliminary task I used basic shots repeatedly as it was easy to do this. In my final opening sequence, the composition of my shots were of a higher standard, which again is more appealing to an audience. Also, the better use of lighting in my opening sequence made the camera shots look more professional. The difference in lighting and focus between these two shots shows the progression I have made with camera work. I have used rule of thirds in both shots but in the second shot, the character fills the frame more, showing a better focus and attraction for the audience.

Editing

Editing within my preliminary task was of a very basic level. The editing techniques I used were match on action and shot reverse shot as stated in my preliminary task brief. So in my final opening sequence I tried to improve this skill by using more editing techniques like an eyeline match, but I also used match on action and shot reverse shot too as I had good practice with these from the preliminary task. Match on action was used to make the continuity of the media flow throughout. Below is an example from my preliminary task of the basic editing technique match on action. 

I used this eyeline match editing technique in my final media product as it is an technique that intrigues the audience as it makes the audience question what the character is looking at. This type of technique is what is needed in a thriller film to keep the audience engaged. Also, within my opening sequence I edited in non diegetic sound of a heart beat. This heart beat sound built upon the tension of the film, relating back to the genre of thriller. The sound in my opening sequence reslly helps to build upon the genre and I feel this was a good way of emphasieing the thriller genre.

Narrative

I tried to create a narrative which was interesting but also one which the audience could relate to. I did this buy using identifiable, ‘normal’ charatcers like Tracie and Rosie, but then i created a character based around the genre to help convey the narrative. Also by using a range of characters of different genders and age it enables my opening to appeal to a wider audience. My use of settings also makes my opening more relatable as it is set in an ordinary household. This is shown through the close up of the picture of two of my characters to show they live an ordinary life and to inform the audience of the characters relationships. The narrative of my preliniary task was quite unclear as it was only a small task to practice my skills. Also, in my preliniary task, it would be difficult to identify the genre of it as it doesn't reallt have one. Whereas, in my opening sequence I feel that the genre is easy identified through the narratve and the character representations.

Sound

In my preliminary task the only sound i used was diegetic dialogue. This was because at thus stage using final cut express, i only inserted the footage into Final Cut and put them together, so no extra sound was added. Progressing from this,  in my opening sequence i have used a variety of sound such as diegetic dialogue to make the narrative clearer and Non-diegetic sound to emphases certain, important areas of the opening. At the beginning of the final opening sequence, I inserted the non diegetic sound of a heart beat to express the feelings and emotions of Rosie at that moment in time. I feel that using this sound was effective because it has an impact on the audience. I also placed the non-diegetic sound of a doorbell, over the original diegetic sound of a doorbell into the opening. I wanted to amplify the sound more as the diegetic sound of the doorbell from filming was not loud enough. This sound also signifies an important arrival in the narrative as it is the beginning of Jacobs stalking. I feel that sound was used effectively in my opening, and progressed from my original preliminary task.

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Evaluation 6 - Green Screen

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Evaluation 6 - What have you learnt about technology from constructing this media product?- Green Screen Script

My name is Millie Withers

And my name is Shara Milton

We are A-Level Media Students at The Billericay School

The task we was set was to create a 2 minute opening sequence of a genre of our choice. We chose to create a Thriller Film as it we thought it would be an interesting topic to study.

Also from researching different genres on Mojo Box Office, the genre of thriller has been seen to be very popular.

We used different media technology platforms such as Final Cut Express and Tumblr. By using these, we gained knowledge and skills that we never previously had. Also it made our opening sequence look high quality and appealing to our target audience. These technologies also enable audiences to be engaged in an interesting way.

Before starting this course, we had limited experience with the software we were advised to use as we had only used it when creating our preliminary task beforehand. Carrying out the preliminary task allowed us to have a better idea of how to use the new software.

We also watched and analysed a number of different opening sequences many of the thriller genre so we began to learn and understand the conventions of opening sequences for different genres. We used platforms such as youtube to facilitate the research phase and found the immediacy of it to be very important.

Tumblr was used throughout our coursework to post all our work on, such as planning, production and post production work such as evaluations. Tumblr allows us to make our work more creative as it provides multi-media convergence so we are able to post videos, voice recordings, pictures and also hyperlinks to other websites and work such as youtube and emaze which are other platforms we used throughout our coursework.

For our opening sequence we created a pitch on powerpoint software, which is what we used to plan. Within our pitch we included our genre, locations, characters, narrative, representation, key shots and sound and also the application of theories such as Strauss’ Binary opposites theory.  

Once our planning was complete we began filming for our opening sequence. To film we used a Cannon E0S 700D camera and a tripod. We had no experience with this camera so we chose to research and look up how to use it through youtube tutorials. This helped speed up the filming process. When filming we followed our story board which we created in the planning process.

When we looked back at our recorded footage and started editing we noticed that some shots could be improved as some were out of focus and the audio was very quiet. Also we wanted to include more of a variety of shots for example reaction shots. When editing footage together we discovered that our narrative wasn’t clear to an audience so we decided to change it slightly to make it more understandable. Therefore we had to re-film most of our opening sequence but this was an advantage because it improved our opening sequence a lot.

In the film world there is a debate as to whether film or digital is better. We watched the documentary ‘side by side’ which discuses this debate. Digital is more commonly used  in the film world now as digitalisation is much cheaper to use than film for many reasons. Such as, there is less equipment to move around, the time needed to produce the film is much shorter as with film, the rolls of film have to be sent off to be developed.

There is more creative control with digital as the film makers are able to instantly watch back there takes as the film is stored on an SD card and they can be re-filmed if they are wrong. Whereas with film, they’d have to wait until they get back there daily’s. SD cards also have a larger storage so film makers can take numerous takes of the same shot whereas film is limited.

Digital is constantly improving, there are now smaller, more portable cameras which are better quality than some of the larger cameras. These are known as consumer cameras. The 2009 film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ gained an oscar for best cinematography on digital film. It also used lots of small portable cameras to be able to film their unconventional shots, using hand held filming. This type of filming would not have been possible with larger cameras as they would be too heavy to use as they filmed whilst running.

Having consumer cameras on the market allows everyone to access them, allowing anyone to become a film maker. This is known as democratisation. Consumer cameras also help small independent film companies who have lower budgets as these cameras are a lot cheaper. The film ‘28 days later’ used 10 consumer cameras to film there film, this film would not have been possible if cameras like this did not exist.

Along side consumer cameras there are also products which help people create their own films which they would not have been able to do years ago. For example, people can now buy laptops and have programmes such as Final Cut and iMovie which allow them to edit their film together. The internet has also allowed them to distribute their film globally for free on sites like youtube. This is known as technological convergence. The only problem with this process is that it leads to more low standard films in the industry. Film makers need skill and knowledge in things like editing and cinematography to be able to produce a high standard film.

‘So what have we learnt about technology?

From constructing our media product we have learnt many new things. Through the research and planning phases we have learnt all about the convergence of technology and the ease with which we can access and utilise different programmes and platforms.

We have also learnt how to edit using the software Final Cut. This type of technology was easy to learn how to use due to the vast amount of instructions and guidance which can be found on the internet. Also we have learnt how to film footage. Using the Cannon E0S 700D is another new aspect of technology that we have learnt about during this process. This camera provides many options with regard to lighting and shutter speeds giving the aspiring filmmaker a number of opportunities to improve the quality of camera shots.

However, we have also learnt that with despite all of this new and improving technology for a film to be successful, the filmmaker must have the knowledge about the art of film making. Great films are now a combination of art and technology. The knowledge of selecting camera shots and appropriate editing techniques are essential if a narrative is to be fully developed and the audience is able to understand the ‘vision’ of the director.

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Evaluation 6 - What have you learnt about the technologies from the process of constructing this media product?

Micro

Micro elements of technology refer to the specific skills i have learnt. Throughout this course, i have understood and learnt how to use the new and improving technology within the industry. I learnt how to film using a Cannon E0S 700D camera and a tripod. We had no experience with this camera so we chose to research and look up how to use it through youtube tutorials. I also learnt to edit clips together using the programme final cut. Before staring the course i had very limited experience with both of these types of technology however now, i feel as i have better confidence and understanding of the skills needed for film making and editing. 

Macro

In the film world there is a debate as to whether film or digital is better. Digital technology is seen to be improving. This is because Digitalisation is cheaper as SD cards give lots of storage. They also give unlimited space too. Whereas using film, it has to be replaced and can only use once. SD card footage can be deleted and re-used therefore the company would not have to spend further money on extra space. With Digital filming, anyone is able to be a film maker. This is good but the standard of beginner films would not be very high as of the skill and knowledge they have of editing and cinematography. People are able to purchase Portable cameras, allowing them to film footage and use it to create a film. Also, consumer cameras are available to buy for the exact same purpose. However, this means that the it is possible to create a bad film as these buyers could only be beginners. 

The film Slum dog Millionaire, produced in 2009, unconventionally used consumer cameras to approach the rural feel they wanted for the film. Consumer cameras were use as it was said that they found it easier to film through the crowded streets of India, rather than using a large ‘hollywood’ style camera. This film was not failed for this decision and won an Oscar for the best cinematography. Anyone can download ‘iMovie’ or ‘Final Cut’ or any other app/programme which allows them to edit clips together. This is known as Democratisation and was brought up in a film documentary called “Side by Side”. 

The distribution of films is cheaper. This is due to the internet and social media apps. Through the internet, the distribution would be seen globally and immediately therefore cheap and easy. Technological convergence is another term that was spoken about in the “Side by Side” documentary. This means that technology has improved rapidly and can now be compatable  with whatever situation the person is in. For example, cameras have been made to suit outside conditions. It is now possible to comfortably film in the rain, without damaging any equipment. This is just an example of how technology has improved and become more suitable for different needs.

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Evaluation 5 - How did you attract/address your audience?

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Evaluation 4 - Who would be the audience for your media product?

In this evaluation i have inserted pictures and listed some information about them as they could both potentially be part of my target audience for my media product. They are within the age range for my target audience of the film as the certificate of the film is a 15. Having a lower certificate of the film enables a wider audience but limits the amount of gory images that can be used for an effect on the audience. But, i feel that as the genre of my film is Thriller and not Horror this doesn't matter as much. Both of these potential audience members enjoy Thriller films and both of their favourite films categorise in the Thriller genre.

My opening sequence would appeal to these people due to the many thriller aspects it posses. The characters in the opening are relatable, but fit in with the typical characters that you would find in a thriller film. I have made a creepy stalker character, who would seem to be a conventional character and I have also used innocent, everyday characters would are relatable and by doing this, the audience could understand that this type of thing could happen to anyone. The narrative would also appeal to my audience for my media product as it has a very thriller related storyline. Also ‘Obsessed’ being the title of the film would attract an audience due to the griping nature of the word in relation to a thriller film. The non diegetic sound I have used at the beginning of my media product is also very attractive for thriller film fans as it creates and builds upon the exsiting tension. This is a good way of appealing to my audience as it is effective and very intriguing.

I have received some feedback from two potential target audience members of my opening sequence. Most feedback was extremely positive, which explains that  they would be part of the audience for my media product.

Charlotte said: “Your media product really suits your chosen genre and it was so easy to know what the genre of the film was through the use of sound and the narrative your conveyed. I was able to undertand the narrative of the film through different aspects. You used great diegetic dialogue which explained the story and you also used brilliant camera shots with great compostion to help me figure out the narrative too,”

Josh said: “I loved your opening sequence! it was really tense and that kept me entertained throughout. The sound of the heart beat really kept me engaged and I wanted to find out what happened next. Also the characters you used were perfect for the roles and they really suited the thriller theme, especially Jacob, he was constructed so well because he made me feel slightly uncomfortable”

Age - 17

Gender - Female

Job - Retail Assistant

Likes - Clothes, Netflix, the colour Orange

Dislikes - Screamo Music

Favourite Film - Shutter Island

Music Interests - Vareity of genres (excluding screamo)

Name - Josh Love

Age - 16

Gender - Male

Job - N/A

Likes - Plays the Guitar (Music), Skateboarding

Dislikes - Football, Coca Cola

Favourite Film - Lethal Weapon

Music Interests - Variety of genres

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Evaluation 3 - What kind of media institution might distribute your product and why?

https://www.emaze.com/@ATCRWIQR/distribution

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Evaluation 2 - How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Representation is the way that a media product is re presented to an audience. The representation of people and places within a media product is very important as it allows the audience to identify what characters and locations are like, in order to fully understand the narrative of the film.

Representation of Characters

In my opening sequence i have three characters, two of whom are more important as one is a supporting character with little screen time. Supporting characters are used to allow the narrative to be fully understood by the audience.

Jacob is the main character in my opening sequence. The audience would understand that he is the main character due to the amount of shots and length of shots that he features and appears in. His overall representation is bad and this can be identified by the audience through signifiers through the use of mise en scene costume codes and props, non verbal codes of communication and diegetic dialogue. The mise en scene costume codes are dark, formal clothing which give the character an older appearance in age. The dark colours of his suit show that he is a bad character, the audience automatically does connect with this character due to these factors.

Also, Jacob is wearing smart shoes which further emphasises his formal representation. Mise en scene props, like Jacobs phone and watch represent his character as a wealthy character as he is able to afford expensive things. Non verbal codes of communication, like serious facial expressions and a stiff body structure further gives Jacob a strange and un-relatable character. In social situations within my media product, Jacob has been represented as very awkward. I chose to do this as I felt it added to his character representation in being strange. An example of diegetic dialogue that has been used to give Jacob a strange and mysterious representation is “I've got some business to attend to” This statement is very broad but ‘business’ is related to Rosie in this shot because of the image that appears when Jacob is speaking. The close up of Jacob scrolling through images of Rosie on his phone give him the stalker representation, which is the narrative of the film. This shot is a key shot within the opening to help the audience fully understand the narrative. This sort of character representation is conventional for a thriller film because it suits the genre and emphasises the Thriller feel of the film.

Rosie is another character in my opening sequence. The audience would understand that she is another main character due to the  amount of shots and length of shots that he features and appears in. Her overall representation is good and this can be identified through signifiers in shots. These signifiers can be seen through the use of mise en scene costume codes and props, non verbal codes of communication and diegetic dialogue. Rosie can be seen in two outfits in my opening sequence. The first outfit that is seen is a dark, grey coloured outfit to represent her mood in that stage of the film. The dark, formal outfit would give the character a frightened and negative representation. The second outfit that is seen by the audience is a white, light coloured jumper with blue jeans. This second outfit is used to show that it is a different day and Rosie would be in better mood. Her mise en scene costume codes of jeans and a jumper is very casual and gives her character a younger representation than the two other characters in the media product.

The casual clothes also show that her character is a relatable character within the opening. Non verbal codes of communication give Rosie a scared representation. Her facial expressions and body language throughout the opening sequence help to promote this to the audience. Diegetic dialogue like “Don't tell him I'm here” represents this character as slightly paranoid, which suits the narrative of the film. This sort of character representation is not typical for a film with a genre of thriller as she is not scary nor strange.

Tracie is the supporting character in my opening sequence. She is represented as a motherly, loving and caring character through the use of mise en scene costume codes and props, non verbal codes of communication and diegetic dialogue. A mid shot is used and within the frame, the mise en scene costume codes of a white blouse and blue jeans, similar to her daughter Rosie, can be seen. The light colours give her a happy representation.

Diegetic dialogue of “She’s not here at the moment, but you can come in” give her a friendly representation.  I have used a close up shot of the picture frame, with Tracie and Jacob walking into the lounge in the background to represent the loving relationship between Tracie and Rosie. But in this shot, mise en scene costume codes of Tracie wearing slippers show that she is an older character within the opening sequence. This type of supporting character is typical for films as they help display the narrative but a loving, friendly character is not conventional for a film with the thriller genre.

Representation of Locations

I have used two location  in my opening sequence, the street outside and Rosie and Tracie's house inside. Both of the locations I have used in my opening sequence are represented as ordinary places, where ordinary people live. This element gives it a relatable factor to the audience.

The first location which is seen in my opening is an ordinary street. This street is represented as ordinary through the mise en scene of houses and cars. This screenshot was taken from the neginning of the opening when Jacob is chasing Rosie. This empahsies the strange charcter of Jacob as even though the street can be seen as busy, he is not affected by this. The street fits the represntation f an everyday place.

The second location used was inside the loving family home of Rosie and Tracie. The mise en scene involves typical household items like the computer, pictures on the walls and ornaments inside the cupboard. These items further show that this family is a ordinary family whos happy lifes have been disrupted by the strange character of Jacob.

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Evaluation 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

In the research an planning section of my coursework i carried out research into many opening sequences with different genres, to see the similarities and differences within the different genres of opening sequences. By doing this, i was able to find the conventions of opening sequences which included the main characters being introduced, the title of the film appearing, the location and main character(s) representation being clear and the narrative being understood by an audience. 

In this post i will be evaluating how my opening sequence follows or apposes forms and conventions of real media products, and how the real media products have influenced the construction of my own. The real media product i will be using for comparison will be the thriller film ‘The International’.

Title ‘Obsessed’ 

The Title for my opening sequence is bold and clear, but in the bottom left corner of the frame so it doesn't take away from the main image behind the text. The real media product, the opening titles to the film ‘The International’ are similar to the title I have created. They are bold, clear and white in colour. However, the title of the real media product are not over any images, just a black screen. The image soon appears and the title of the film fades. so similarity this does not take away from the main image behind the text.

Setting 

The setting of my opening sequence challenges the conventional setting of a thriller film. This is because the setting is a normal, family home within a normal housing estate. I chose to use this as my setting as i wanted to make it relatable. The real media product, ‘The International’ is a conventional setting as  it looks dark and is raining. Rain is a typical signifier of a Thriller film. 

Costume 

The costume of the main character in my opening sequence Is dressed in dark suit to suggest his formal, mysterious representation. This type of character suits the thriller genre because of the ere costume codes. My media product has used and developed the similar sort of costume codes that is shown from a character from ‘The International’. This character is wearing lighter colours and has a more casual appearance than my character.

Camerawork

In my opening sequence I have used a close up of a photo frame, with two characters from the opening sequence in, to clearly represent their relationship to the audience. In the background of this shot, you can see the male character walking into the front living area where a conversation takes place.

Editing 

In my opening sequence, an eye line match is an example of one of the types of editing techniques I have used. An eye line match can be used to intrigue an audience as they are wondering what a character is looking at. For a Thriller film, I feel that this technique suits perfectly as the audience should always be on edge.

In the real media product, an example of the real editing technique they have used is match on action. This technique is used for the continuity of the film to be smooth, which makes the audience relax and enjoy viewing. Match on action is used in all films to show flow between shots.

Narrative

In my opening sequence, we did not include any establishing shots so this challenges the conventions of opening sequences. Above i have added screenshots of Gone Girls opening sequence as in this opening, establishing shots are used very clearly to set the scene and display the narrative. Originally, i had establishing shots in my opening but when editing i realised that the narrative of scene did not make sense, so when i re-filmed we shot other shots to make the narrative clear again.

Enigma Codes 

An Enigma code is a question that the audience asks themselves during production. In my opening sequence, the audience would owner why Jacob I standing outside the house looking into the window. In the opening to the Thriller film ‘Gone Girl’ the women is looking up towards the camera and is seen as vulnerable and weak, so the audience would ask internally why she is looking like this.

Characters 

The characters in my opening sequence challenge the type of characters in conventional thriller films. I decided to do this as i wanted the characters in my opening sequence to be relatable to the audience. However, Jacob is a typical thriller character due to his mysterious appearance. In the opening to ‘The Dark Knight’ the type of characters used are very suited to the thriller genre.

Integrated Titles

The titles i have used are similar to the titles in the opening to ‘The International’. They are white, bold and clear. My titles are above a plain black screen and i done this as i inserted to black screens to build a tense atmosphere within the opening. In ‘The International’ the titles are above an image but they are to the side so does not take away from the picture. This is good as the audience can read the titles clearly, but can also see the image too.

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Evaluation

An evaluation is an extremely important part of this process because it gives critical feedback to help improve work for it to become a higher standard. There are two types of feedback. One type of feedback is Summative. This is feedback which is giving at the end of the process. Having this type of feedback could cause a lot of stress to an individual because there could be a lot of things to improve once you thought the work was finished. Formative feedback is another type which is given along the way and throughout the process. This type of feedback is better than summative feedback because it will help make coursework process easier as you can improve gradually as you go along without having a large amount of extra work to do at the end.

An example of feedback used in my coursework is when peers have looked over certain aspects like my story board and suggested how it could be improved to reach a higher standard This is known as informal feedback as it is said casually through discussion with peers. Informal feedback has also been used between me and my partner when filming and planning for our opening sequence as we had to discuss our ideas and share with each other what we think works well and what doesn't work. Formal feedback has also been given to me  throughout the process by my teacher. As I have not filmed using the camera equipment before, once we filmed the first time he gave me techniques on how to improve the continuity of the production  For example, using different camera shots to keep the audience engaged during the conversation at the end of the opening sequence.

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Editing Process

We used Final Cut Express to create and edit our opening sequence on. I have inserted screenshots of final cut from the editing process. Using Final Cut allowed us to crop out unwanted footage as well as remove sound from certain shots and add in alternative sounds such as the heartbeat sound effect used. Final Cut also has other functions which we was able to use such as video transition effects. We added in a dissolve cut from our institution codes to our opening scene.

We shot at the same time as the previous filming day so the lighting would be near enough the same.  We chose to shoot our shots more times than we did on the previous filming day to ensure that we could get the best shot possible. For example the shots below are of the same conversation and in the same location, however the first shots where too dark so we had to re-film numerous times to get the lighting good enough to make the shot visible and clear.

Final Cut allows you to add in text, the different layers allowed us to place the text over the shot like conventional titles are used. The text area has a variety of controls to allow you to make the text look and move exactly how you want.

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Final Institution Codes

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Prop List

In this blog post i will be displaying the props i have used in my opening sequence to help create my film. The first prop that was used was a Canon camera and tripod. The camera was used to film the media and the tripod was used to hold the camera while we was filming.

The next prop we used was a picture frame with a picture of two of the characters in the opening sequence, Rosie and Tracie. This picture frame is used to display the relationship between the mother and daughter.

Another prop that was used in the opening sequence was an iPhone. The phone was used when Jacobs character was scrolling through pictures of his victim. 

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Filming Diary 4

On day 4 of filming we re-filmed the shots at the inside location.

In our previous filming we did one long take for the conversation between Rosie, Tracie and Jacob. We had planned to re-film this conversation using a variety of shots such as close ups, mid shots and shot reverse shot. This time Rosie was not in this certain conversation in the living room as we changed the storyline. This conversation was just between Tracie and Jacob.

We also added in another conversation between Rosie and Tracie. Here we made sure to use close ups and shot reverse shot to make it more interesting for our audience to watch as the one long take, that we filmed on day 2, became boring to watch.

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Filming Diary 3

The third time we filmed was mainly for re-filming certain shots in the outside locations.

As we changed our storyline slightly, many of the shots we had before had to be re-filmed to match the new storyline and script. This wasn't a problem as we wanted the range of shots in our opening sequence to flow and create a sense of continuity.

We re-filmed the shot of Rosie looking back at Jacob and running off past the camera. We did this because this shot was blurry and needed to be clear as it is a significant shot to help the audience understand the narrative of the film.

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New Script

(Jacob knocks on door) Rosie: Don’t tell him I’m home! (Runs up the stairs) (Tracie opens door to Jacob) Tracie: Oh, hi Jacob. Jacob: Hi Tracie, is Rosie home? Tracie: Not at the moment, do come in. (Cuts to front room) Tracie: Would you like a drink? Jacob: No thank you. I should actually get going, I have some business to deal with. Tracie: Ok that’s no problem, I’ll tell Rosie you was here. Jacob: Oh no don’t worry about it. (Jacob leaves) Rosie: Mum what did he want? Tracie: He just popped in to see you! What’s wrong? Rosie: It doesn’t matter.