Half Term Research Jobs

Editing and Representation

By looking into editing and the different types of cuts that are available to us, it has allowed for me to think about what types of cuts would be useful to use when making our thriller opening. The different types of editing that you can use, can add suspense and tension to the piece. It also allows us to show which character is the protagonist and the most important.

A Look into the Media Archive - Art of the Title

As we are making the title sequence for a thriller opening, I delved into the Media Archive and looked at the website - Art of the Title

On this website there are hundreds of title sequences that have been analysed thoroughly - even having interviews with the films directors and producers, asking them why they chose to make the sequences as they did, and what ideas and themes were going through their head when they were planning and making the titles. 

A very interesting article on this website was a look into the meaning and creation of the titles for a film called crave. This article features a break down of the titles sequence and hosts an interview with the director Charles de Lauzirika and main title designer Raleigh Stewart. 

In the interview, you gain an insight into how the titles came about and why they are as they are. The director states that: 

"I knew it would need to be something that made an impact no matter how big or small it ended up. I went with main-on-ends because I just wanted the audience to be immediately immersed in the film."

When making our film, we need to consider the amount of time that our title sequence lasts in our opening. Do we want to have a prolonged sequence that slowly builds suspense? Or a short, punchy sequence that introduces the audience to the harsh reality that is our film?

The interview also explains the process that the two men went through when designing the titles. They both knew that the basis of the titles would heavily featured around a nightmarish dream world.
The director had one idea proposed, but the title designer had found inspiration else where.
For our title sequence, it is going to be a group decision as to how they look; showing the overall importance of team work and group discussion.

When making our title sequence, we will have to produce an animatic of what we envisage them to look like. The animatic can either be hand drawn, or produce with a simple piece of animation. The animatic will help us as it will give us guidelines as to shot changes and the types of edits that will go in our final sequence.
The animatic is quite clear for Crave and you can see as to how they have followed the animatic when making the finial sequence.

The title sequence of Crave is purely all animation - it has a 'Limbo' feel about it, with the dark colours and silhouette figurines. Our title won't be as well furnished as this purely because we do not have the software to create fully textured models.
This again will need to be decided as a group - the form of the sequence. Will it be purely animation? Or placed over live footage?



3d Models for different font ideas








Crave (2012) — Art of the Title - Crave's final title sequence.

Evaluation of Beth's Research

• Beth has gone into clear detail about each specific element that makes up the thriller genre.

• She has a clear understanding of what makes up a thriller film.

• Could be more reflective as to how this will help us in our film making - Talking about how our understanding of the thriller genre will be able to help us when planning our film.

• Could have looked into the types of camera angles that are used in the thriller genre - how they add suspense and drama to a piece.

• Beth has made it clear to the group what the expectations are for a thriller film. It is down to us to ensure that we follow all of the codes and conventions.

Evaluation of Charlotte's Research

• Charlotte has showed  clear understanding of the differences between the 15 and 18 certification.

• Needs a reflection of some sort - how will our group use this information when planning our film.

• Could have gone into more detail about the 18 certification.

•Made it clear for the group what the expectations of a certificate 15 film is.

• I did not know before that there were no restrictions on nudity for the certificate 15 films; I always thought it was limited.

Overall Learning from Analysing of Thriller Openings

After looking at multiple film openings and title sequences, there are a number of clear traits that follow through.

Camera: After looking at the types of camera angles that are used in thrillers, it is clear that to set the scene a long shot is best and then when (if) dialogue occurs, close ups and extreme close ups are used to show the expression (normally fear or angst). This is important in the thriller genre because it is able to capture the pure emotion on the actors face, meaning that the audience can really feel what they are and experience the same level of fear. The angle that the character is shot at is also very important, to make a certain character look dominant and scary, they are shot from a low angle which will make them appear bigger than they actually are. If a character is shot from a low angle it makes them appear weak and feeble. This is relevant for our film because we will need to use the camera effectively to create tension and suspense in the opening.

Editing: Most of the films that we all analysed either had a very fast pace or very slow pace for their editing. The fast paced films created an immediate reaction from the audience - making them feel the tension and suspense straight away. Also by having fast paced editing, it allowed the audience to relate to the film and ensure that they knew it was going to be a thriller/horror film. The films that featured a slower pace editing still had an element of tension too them but it was less prominent and scary. It was as though the director was slowly building tension through the gradual scene changes.
Through the use of screen time, we were able to tell which characters were going to be important in thr story. This was important because when making our film we need to decide if our protagonist and antagonist are going to be obvious from the begging, we will need to think about the amount of screen time they are given in our opening.

Music/Sound: All of the films that we analysed featured some sort of fast paced dramatic music. It is now very clear most thriller openings will feature a high pitched, fast paced piece of music. Although we would have found this out when looking at the codes and conventions, when watching the films it has supplied us with evidence that it is a common feature.
The types of music that is played in thriller openings helps to make them jumpy and build tension. It is clear that by adding darker, twisted music, it can make a scene much scarier than it would be with no music.
In most of the openings there was some sort of non diegetic sound. This is important to us because in our film we will need to put non diegetic sounds in to make the film more realistic. However, we need to find the median so that it does not give the film a low level of verisimilitude.

Mise-en-Scene: From most of the thrillers we looked at, it is clear that they have very low-key lighting to enhance the mood and too add to the overall feeling and suspense of the film. The scene of the thriller is based purely on the story of the film. However most of the film openings were in some sort of dark room or based around a city. Lastly, most of the characters are dressed in dark, dirty clothing, signifying that they are dangerous or shady characters, something that is an important convention in thriller films.

Title Sequences: Most of the title sequences in thriller films are highly important to the film. Not only for the story but also for adding and emphasising moods and feelings. The use of text is very important. Having the right style of font in the right colour plays a very important part. You do not want the colours to not be visible, yet you do not want them to stand out. Also, the placement of the text is very important, after looking at most of the openings, it is clear that most of the words are placed in the bottom corners of the screen. They are placed here so that they are not that obvious but are still noticeable. The music that is played when the titles are rolling is normally slow demure music that flows with the pace of the film. When making the titles for our film, we need to consider the speed of the titles - we do not want the titles to be too short, meaning people do not get to read them. Yet, we do not want them too last too long so people loose interest.

Charlotte's Film Openings Analysis Evaluation.

After looking at Charlottes analysis, it is clear that she needs to talk more about each section individually and specifically. However, from her analysis, you can clearly see that she has picked out the effect that music has on the openings of films. In two of her films, the music has been the first element that was introduced - before any picture and any text. This is completely from the films I watched and we can seriously consider using it an as alternative way to open our film.
I also think that Charlotte needs to talk more about the editing of the openings - how has the director used the pace of changing scene or camera angle to create suspense and tension.
Another good element of her work is how she describes the font that is used in the openings. However, I think that to improve this section even more, she should talk about the effect that it has on the opening and how it can add to the overall mood and feel of the opening. The way charlotte has approached it, it is as though the font is just there to introduce peoples names. When really it plays a huge part in adding to the feel of the opening.

Harry's Film Openings Analysis Evaluation.

Harry has straight away spoken about how effective the title sequence is, and how the use of font and colour adds in to creating tension. He has spoken about how the simple titles add to the mood of the opening. However, I think this part could have been more detailed. I think he should have spoken about the colours used and how they make the opening darker - or happier. With this detailed analysis it would allow us to think about what colours we could possibly use in our opening.
Harry has spoken in detail about how the music that is played in very typical of a thriller - it is high pitched and fast. Harry has also noted how whenever a dark situation arises the music will start to fade in - the music acts like a signifier for when a dark moment is going to happen.
Harry has briefly spoken about the pace of the editing, but I think he could have gone into more detail about the speed of the cuts. This would have allowed him to talk more about the type of tension that is being created and how the director achieves it. Also, in this section Harry has used very good terminology and shows a strong understanding about the different types of shots and editing skills. I think that to improve this section Harry shouldn't have described as much of what is happening, but spoken more about the types of shots that are used.
For the Mise-en-Scene section, I think that Harry needs to talk more about the costume that the actors are dressed in. This will link into the codes and conventions of a thriller and would help in our research. However, Harry has described the setting and the props in great detail, showing his understanding of the opening

Beth's Film Openings Analysis Evaluation.

• Spoken about the camera angle and the effect it will have on the audience  also spoke about how the colour adds in the mysterious effect.
•Very good analysis of the title sequence, she has gone into very deep detail about the diegetic and non diegetic sound.
•For the titles, I think beth should have spoken more about the font and colours used in the opening and how that creates suspense and tension.






•Beth has gone into great detail in this post about the opening of Black Swan.
•She has spoken about the kinds of fonts that are used and how they help create tension.
•Spoken about how the different types of light used create different moods and atmospheres within the text.
•Good use of how different shots effect how the camera is used from different angles and lengths.
•Speaks about how the colours in the Mise-en-Scene are mainly black and white which create tension and drama.


Opening Analysis of Se7en:
• Talks about how the fonts merge in with the film and appear to be handwritten. Adding in to the tension of the film.
• Need to talk more about the editing and the pace
of it, how if the editing is slow and prolonged it
adds to the overall tension and mood of the opening.
•Talk more about the different types camera angles that are used, and how they affect the mood of the opening.

Pilot Survey

As part of our research, we needed to conduct a survey that would inform us what our target audience thought about the thriller genre. The reason we have submitted a pilot is so we can see if we are getting the correct information that we will need for our research. It will also allow us to see if any of the questions we have are weak and will give us time to make any improvements that we need.

This is a copy of the pilot survey. We got 10 people to fill the survey in so that we could get a brief idea about how the survey is working. The first questions about peoples age is important as it will allow us to see what type of thriller our audience like. It will also allow us to distinguish if people aged below 18 prefer the aged 18 certificate.  We also asked people why they chose this certificate. This may influence us to produce a film that is less scary that features less blood and gory etc.

Another question that will be kept in our survey is 'what do you like to see in thriller openings?' this question will help us in our research because it will give us a clear idea of what our target audience actually want to see in a thriller. Most of the answers that we received said that they wanted to see elements of horror and drama in the opening. Other people asked for dark and intense lighting, however this may be too cliche for an opening and it could end up looking too similar and not very original.

One question that should be improved in our survey is 'Do you pay attention to thriller openings?' This question is very open and the answers that we received gave us very limited information and people were not explaining their answers. To make the question more specific we could ask people 'what is the most important element of a thriller opening?' or 'Which part of thriller openings catch your eye the most?'

By using a pilot survey, we have gained valuable information that we can put into our final survey. Even though this is not our final survey, we have still got quite a clear idea at what our target audience are expecting to see from our thriller opening. 

Tinker Tailor Solider Spy Titles

Titles: The titles for this film are put over a montage of what appears to be peoples everyday life over a few months - we get clear signs of different seasons. The text is very thick, yet very elegant and appears very slowly in different places in the screen. There is little movement in the text and the movement that is there is very subtle and just noticeable. The font is white which adds to the elegant and pure feel to the opening sequence. The music also emphasises the elegance of the opening, playing a slow demure track, it makes the scene seem more calm and not very 'thriller' like. This is a good way to start the film as it makes people wonder what is going to happen and where the twist will be. 

   In my own opinion, I do not think that the length of this title sequence is very suitable. It spans for almost 13 minutes, and I think that by the end of it, most people wont be paying any attention to the words that are displayed. Then again, for this film I do not think that the titles are the main element that they want to focus on. 

Pulp Fiction Opening.

Camera/Editing: In the opening of Pulp Fiction there is an extended shot that shows both the characters to the waste down. This is an easy way of showing dialogue between n multiple characters, It also sets the scene very easily. By only showing two characters in the opening, it shows us how important they are to the film. Yet, through the opening scene, you do not get a great sense of who the people are, why they are robbing a bank, and hat relevance it is going to have to the film. In effect, it creates an element of suspense and tension to the film. Making people ask questions as to why this one scene is important enough to be placed at the beginning.
The editing of the beginning only has two paces. Slow and fast. When the dialogue is taking place at the beginning, the time between shot changes is very slow and prolonged. This shows the calmness between the robbers and how their situation does not phase them. Then when they decide to 'rob the joint' the editing picks up in pace showing that they are slowly loosing control and becoming nervous. This then relates to the end of the film as it turns out they loose complete control.

Sound: In the beginning of the film, there is barely anything with sound. Other than the diegetic sound of the actors speaking, there is only a few background noises of other customers speaking and cars going past.

Mise-en-Scene: The setting for the opening is in a small diner. This has been set here because it is the last place you would expect to find two robbers planning their next job. So from the very beginning you do not expect them to rob the place. This element of surprise is very effective as it sets the theme for thee rest of the film.

Titles: The titles for this film are very effective. They are not put up against footage, but placed against a plain black background. The writing is in a very bold orange colour which stands out against the black. None of the words have any movement until the film title 'Pulp Fiction' rolls onto the screen from below. Next, when the main actors names are shown, they are white and played over the top of the 'Pulp Fiction' in the background. Then, the lesser known actors names go back to orange. As for the music, a very fast piece called Miserlou is being played, giving the title sequence a very fast and edgy feel. As the titles go on, the music changes to a slower, jazzier piece which then turns into a non diegetic piece being played through a car stereo - telling us the titles have ended.

How is Gender Represented in the Primeval Extract?

How is Gender Represented in the Primeval Extract?

When we are introduced to the first female in the extract, it is very clear that she is being represented as an atypical female. Females are expected to be dressed in a skirt and blouse, whereas she is dressed in combat trousers, large working boots and a leather jacket; all items which are signified to builders and working male figures.  The first scene that she is in, she is sat on a large yellow digger – a bulky, angular object. This clearly emphasizes how masculine and strong the character is in the narrative. Typically, when faced with danger, we expect the female character to be scared and attempt to flee the scene, or wait for the male hero to come along and save them. However, when the danger appears in this scene, the female on the digger attempts to save the male. Her efforts and calmness are emphasized through a number of shot reverse shots between her and the sabre tooth tiger. In contrast to this, the diegetic sound that the digger makes is not that of a normal digger – they have been added in post production. You would expect the digger to be making, deep ‘diesel’ like sounds. Yet, this digger has high pitched, robot like sounds to it. This can connote that the woman using the digger does still have a feminine side to her and that she maybe does not belong on the digger. As the scene continues the verisimilitude decreases vastly. The woman is seen running with a shotgun and shooting – accurately – the tiger from a distance. Something most men could not do. This will enhance how masculine the female character is, but by taking it to this level, just becomes unreal.

     In the same scene, we are presented with a male character. From the start, he is shot from a high angle, making the audience look down on him, connoting that he is not a strong male and that he is not as important as the other characters. To emphasize the weakness of this male character, when faced with danger, he jumps into a hole and helplessly tries to defend himself from the scary feline. Again, to make him look even weaker, every time that he is on screen he is positioned near the bottom, contrasting to the female in the scene who is positioned in the center of the screen throughout.

    In contrast to his weak figure, the male finds his courage and tries to draw the tiger away from the female character in order to save her; something that we would expect from a strong male figure. Something we would expect from a stereotypical man – it’s a mans duty to help out the female character. Furthermore, even though he is being the hero now, his weakness and inferiority is still shown through the types of camera angles that we see him in. A multiple number of long shots that show that he is still a small character. This is also reinforced by the fact he is still placed toward the bottom of the screen.

    In addition to this, the idea of males being represented as feminine is continued in the third male character. He is dressed in a pink shirt and a scarf. All items which you would normally associate with females and feminine characters. Although he is a dressed in a feminine way, and is not a physically strong male, he is always shot at eye level, which connotes that he is of the same importance as every other male and female in the scene. However, juxtaposing this, in the last scene, we see other characters (both male and female) holding guns threatening a male. However, this character is positioned far left and set back from the rest, he also picks up a shovel instead of carrying a gun. This shows that he is not a masculine character and follows the general theme that males are not really as masculine as they are normally presented.

    Lastly, we are presented with another female character. Straightaway she contrasts the other females in the scene. She is seen wearing sophisticated clothing and has makeup on. This implies that she is like going to be like other females and will be weak and vulnerable, and fit in with what a normal stereotype of a woman is. This is not shown at the beginning of her scene, as she is shown trying to blackmail a mail figure. This would have run alongside the rest of the extract, but the male then takes control of the situation, pulling a gun on the woman, where we see a close up of her face and a clear view of her shocked and scared expression. Reinforcing that the woman is weak and vulnerable, the woman is shot from a very high angle. To show that the woman is scared and that there is a high level of danger, there is a slow motion shot reverse shot between her and a number of dogs barking – signifying that there is a level of danger.

    At the very end of the scene, both males and females come to the rescue of the female in danger. They are all shot at eye level, which connotes that in the end, everyone is of the same equality. It does not depend on what sex you are. 

                                                                                    By Reece Garside.

This is our mid point group 'to do' list. With our research deadline on Friday 19th October, there is still a fair amount of work that needs to be competed. This list has changed slightly from the very first research list we made, as along the way, we thought of new elements of research that we could include - All of it increasing our knowledge of the thriller genre, effectively helping us produce a more tailored and effective thriller opening.

Notes on Primeval Characters - Gender Representation

Primeval 'fleshed out' notes

Abbey (Short Haired Female): The first female that we are properly introduced to is not represented as a stereotypical woman. She is quite the opposite. She is an atypical representation of a woman. We get this immediately as she is introduced to the scene on a giant digger. Which is a very masculine object. Normally associated with burley builders - not feminine women. However, if you listen to the digger, you will hear that all of the noises it makes have been added in to the scene post production. The noises that a digger normally makes are deep and 'diesel' like. Yet, this digger, has very high pitched, robotic noises, this can connote that despite the fact the woman is using a manly digger, she still has a feminine side to her.
As the scene goes on, the verisimilitude of the event becomes very low. We see this woman - normally a very fragile, weak figure - shoot a full barrel shotgun - whilst running, and hits her target dead on. Something, I am sure, most men could not achieve.

Nick Cutter: The first male that we are introduced to. Men are normally represented as being strong, heroic, fearless characters; yet in this scene Nick appears to be the opposite. When he is faced with a sabre tooth tiger, instead of trying to fight it off, he jumps down into a trench and helplessly tries to defend himself from the big scary feline. To make him look even weaker, the camera constantly looks down on him, making him seem small and inferior. This emphasises just how weak his character is. Again, whenever we see Nick on screen, he is positioned down the bottom of the screen which shows that he is less important in the show than Abbey (the dominant female character).
As the scene goes on, Nick finds an ounce of courage and tries to distract the sabre tooth allowing Abbey to get to safety. This is common for a male character, as they are always represented as as people that feel it is their duty to help out the female characters. Furthermore, even though he is being the hero now, his weakness and inferiority is still shown through the types of camera angles that we see him in. A multiple number of long shots that show that he is still a small character. This is also reinforced by the fact he is still placed toward the bottom of the screen.

Connor Temple: Another male character in the extract. This character really enforces the idea that men are more feminine than normally represented. His character has been dressed in pink clothing. And accessorised with a scarf - all items that are normally associated with females. By dressing his character like this, it could connote that the character is confident within themselves and has a good natured empathy.
This characters femininity is emphasised greatly at the end of the scene, when they are in the barn, every other character - including the female - is holding a gun, yet he is not holding a gun, and has to pick up a shovel to show that he - like the others - is strong and appear scary.

Weak Female (Unknown name) : This female character is contrasted with the first female that we meet. This female is represented very much more stereotypically than the first character. Firstly, you can tell that this female is much more feminine through the way she has been dressed. She has been dressed in a business suit which denotes that she is not a physically strong woman. However, it can connote that she is strong in the sense that she is mentally clever and can play people with mind games.
Her femininity is then contrasted by the fact she is shown in the same slow motion shot as some gnarly dogs - animals which are associated with being being masculine and dominant - something that this female character is not.    

Generic Conventions Presentation Review

This is my groups presentation which sees us feedback our ideas and thoughts answering the question 'Do Generic Conventions Help or Restrict Film Makers?'

As a whole group, I thought that we presented clearly and confidently and we were all sure and familiar on what we had to say. However, I think that we could have included more information (or facts) to support our points. I think that this would have emphasised our points and made them much stronger. I also think that we should have all included much more about our own opinion on the topic at hand. This would have showed that we understood what we were talking about and we had a genuine belief for what we were talking about. This would have made our argument a lot stronger as it would made all of our points stand out more on their own, summarising the whole argument.  

Notes on the title sequence of "Tinker Tailor Solider Spy'

Notes on the opening of 'Pulp Fiction'