Final Film Opening

Evaluation: Use of Technology

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Evaluation: Skills Development

• Throughout the process of planning and creating our film, I have learnt many new skills and/or have improved on the ones I wasn't comfortable with. Here is a rating out of 10 of how much understanding I had with the different tools and ideas before and after carrying out the project: 

• Codes and Conventions: The research I have done on films relating to my project helped me to pick up on different thriller conventions that reach out easily to an audience.  Due to our inspiration from films such as The Silence of the Lambs, we quickly drew in what was considered a convention e.g. dark lighting to indicate ominous presence, closed spaces to evoke hopelessness, tension-building music to create anxiety etc. This was really useful when we started filming as the shots can be thought out with more fluidity as we are already familiar with existing ideas. 

• Planning & Organisation: This part of the project was improved on massively by the filming day. We had to create group chats and meet-ups to select a time that would be suitable for both the actors and us. In the end we managed to secure all of our first choice actors by constant persuasion and some compromise. The location was my attic which took quite a long time to prepare but I feel that this has given me a chance to play with the mise-en-scene of the project. I had to look up different rooms in thriller films to be able to fully capture the eerie and tense ambiance that is needed for our storyline. Our props were collected just in time for filming and I think they all looked professional which steered the film towards a strong amount of verisimilitude. 

• Camera Work: We didn't have a lot of time to sit and think about all the different types of shots during filming, and so most of it was based on initial planning and instinct. We understood what kind of image each position would create, and had to analyse some of the shots as we went along. I think this was my most productive and efficient use of the camera as we agreed with most of the angles from where we would take the shots. 

• Visual effects: We didn't use many effects due to the chosen filter which cloaked the whole film. I think this helped to create authenticity and a sense of still consistency amidst the chaos of the plot. However, we had to mess around with the tools in the editing software to integrate some shots that were filmed later outside of the scene. A dark tone was added to the music box shot to blend it in with the rest of the video. 

• Editing: Our edits revolved around minimalism and long, still shots. This is because of our preference for touches of realism and slow absorption of each imagery in the frame. We tried to time each shot perfectly e.g. an immediate cut to another shot from when the doll suddenly blinks. 

• Creative Confidence: This was where I felt a vast improvement on in comparison to all the other skills. I think filming this opening really revealed to me the essence of thrillers and how they are distinguished from other genres of film such as horror. The hesitation and on-the-edge feeling of our opening really reflects what I feel is at the heart of thrillers- a churning discomfort and unease. 

Evaluation: Distribution

• How would it be distributed as a real media text?

Our film revolves around a dark theme and I think this plays on the verge of film noir. It may not be appealing to the majority of people looking to have a good time and escape into the world of idealistic storytelling, but I think it would attract many passionate critics and lovers of thrillers.

I don’t think this is a mainstream blockbuster because of its controversial topic and storyline. It would not play well into screenings for families or younger children as it may question people’s moralities and beliefs. However, it would be suitable for smaller and more specific audiences who enjoy films that push boundaries and display disturbing ideals. 

I wouldn’t release it directly on Netflix or any streaming websites as it would lose that mysterious, elusive backdrop of the storyline. As this film is more inclined towards presenting artistic ideas rather than attracting a mass audience, I don’t think it would be wise to push it towards a handful of distributors at the same time. 

We may however, showcase it at more artistic places such as the Sundance Film Festival. This is because they are known for entering work from international independent filmmakers which is very fitting for our project. It is also packed with passionate film critics who are looking for something deep within the messages of the narrative, and so the controversial, ambiguous codes will not be lost on them. 

The release date may be sometime in late November or early December as it is still in winter which gives the connotation of a bleak period of the year. This, in my opinion, is more suitable than days with big celebrations such as Halloween or New Years as the opening suggests a quieter and more absorbing film than if it were to be a past-time where you can look away from the screen to have a chat and not miss anything central to the plot. We rely a lot on the details in the cinematography to help push along the story. 

Evaluation: Audience

• I used YouGov profile to get an idea of the target audience for our film opening. I have done this by searching up the demographics of people with the same common interest in a film. For this purpose, I have chosen three films which I think correlates with our project: Silence of the Lambs, Misery, and Sleuth. In all of these data, the general idea of our audience would be a male aged forty to fifty four with rather serious, objective professions such as law, police, government, and the military. 

• It is also presented that they all listed crossword puzzles as an interest. This is particularly fascinating to me as the life-threatening situation portrayed in films such as Sleuth and Misery ensures that the protagonist comes up with a plan to outwit his/her opponent. The enjoyment from outside-the-box thinking can also be applied to our opening as the audience may be drawn into figuring out a way for the victim to reach safety and the storyline to equilibrium which therefore unconsciously creates a deep sense of empathy crucial to an emotional cinematic experience. 

• The personality section of the profiles reveals adjectives such as grumpy, insecure and withdrawn. These seem to fall under the same category of negative qualities and unsatisfactory lives. This may explain why the killer’s unusual demeanour may be appealing to the target audience, especially through relation with an unhealthy state of mind. 

Evaluation: Representation

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Evaluation: Conventions

These are my annotations on thinglink.com of the opening:

1st shot: Unsuspected Killer

2nd shot: Eerie Diegetic Music

3rd shot: Dark Polaroids

4th shot: Contorted Dolls

5th shot: Untouched Purity

6th shot: Red Poison

7th shot: Still Corpse

8th shot: Powerless Victim

9th shot: Protagonist Struggle

10th shot: Cruel Victory

11th shot: Death

Project A.M: Filming

This is an outline of what we did before and during the day of our filming. 

• The first thing I did was create the set the night before. This took approximately three hours as I had to rearrange all the furniture in the room. Luckily, this was filmed in my house which already displays a lot of antique objects which fits into our theme. This was the result:

Before:

After:

• In the morning of the filming day, Pie and I woke up early to separately gather all the props we'll be needing for the process. This was easy enough as we already wrote several lists in class of the things we may need for our project. Some of the more challenging objects to find were wooden clippings for the polaroids and a big rope to create the authenticity of a professional murderer. The cake was also a last minute find, so it may not be as plain-looking as we had hoped but it worked out nicely inside the frame. 

• I also added in some barbie dolls to create a more psychopathic ambiance inside the attic:

• When the actors arrived, we decided to take pictures of the victims in order to create their polaroids. We tried to make them act as natural as possible whilst collecting these photos in order to achieve a disturbing effect of a stalker's point of view. Here are some of the photos:

• Then we made fake blood to splash onto the actors' clothing. We chose white dresses as they would contrast with the stark red of the blood:

• Overall it was great fun and our actors were hugely cooperative. We didn't argue over any scenes, but kept adding in suggestions and developed the shots together until we both agreed that they looked good. It was a tedious process and we also had a time limit, so it was pressuring at times but we pulled through and tried to get in as many takes as possible. We also had to take into consideration how uncomfortable the actors may be getting in their costumes and make-up so as to cause no harm towards our helpers. 

• For me, one of the best and most surprising things about the filming process was how great the acting was in relation to the cinematography. It wasn't something we were able to plan for, and so the actors' sportsmanships were greatly appreciated (Tanya, Rute, Gale and April). The lighting of the set which radiated from either small candles or dim lamps really merged in well with the filter of the camera we chose to work with. 

• I really liked filming with Pie as she likes to get the job done quickly, but as precisely as possible. She definitely plans ahead, as to which shots should be taken in case the one we planned on didn't work out. I felt like the uncertain mood of the film was taking shape in the process of filming as we were exposed to dark, crimson-based colours and contrasted whites. Later on, we spent around two hours by ourselves after the actors have left just to discuss how we want the editing to be done and analyse the representation of the visuals such as the semiotic code. 

Project A.M: Final Plans

The filming day is approaching soon and we want to make sure everything goes smoothly. Therefore, we have written up a presentation on our final thoughts and plans:

• This is the storyboard to guide our filming:

• This is a list of the different shots that accompanied the drawings:

Project A.M: Inspiration

• This is an inspiration video collecting all our ideas for the opening, as well as some scenes from my favourite films:

This combines the works of high profile filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson, David Fincher etc.

• This is some of the analysis I wrote for psychopathic characters in order for us to shape and build up the personality of our main murderer:

Jim Moriarty - Sherlock

This character's appearance allows him to become elusive and invisible amongst a crowd. He does not have the stereotypical look of a murderer, but instead creates an illusion of humbleness and mediocrity. The fact that he does not carry out his own plans also supports this idea. He is a puppet master, controlling all the strings behind the actions and never getting his own hands dirty. The first time we see him, he arrives in a suit at a swimming pool. I like this mis-en-scene because the motif of cleansing is only a few feet away from the killer mastermind. His clothing also represents professionalism and sobriety which steers the audience away from the assumption that he may have an eccentric, dangerous side. 

Hannibal Lecter - Silence of the Lambs

One of the reasons Hannibal is considered a formidable serial killer is because he seems to view death as a trivial problem. The way he handles his murder is with precision and complete lack of empathy. He is indifferent to the sufferings of others, but despite all this he seems to adore Clarice Starling. This is an aspect we want for our opening as the murderer will need to take special care in the appearances of his dead victims. 

• This is a mood board that I made by cutting out pictures from a magazine:

• This is a short, time-lapse video of me in the process of creating it:

Project A.M: Locations

We have listed out locations that may be useful in the filming process. We want the setting to be original and intriguing and so we've spent quite some time on this part of the planning. 

• This is a location survey video of my house that I filmed and edited during the weekend:

It has quite a rustic, bohemian feel and I think it would be great for still shots with diegetic noises. 

We carried on with our location survey and decided to explore the condo Rhythm, in which Pie owns a room.

• This is a collation of a journey from the train station to Rhythm that I filmed and edited:

I used a cold filter to give a lower temperature due to the dark, glassy outlook of the place. It is very suitable for a thriller and would certainly combine well with haunting, non-diegetic music.

• These are videos of us throughout the day, filmed and edited by Pie with her new media equipment:

I love what Pie has done with the themes of the videos; it was especially interesting to see the calming vibe in the first video in contrast with the second rather energetic one. They each really capture our moods in the daytime and nighttime, and the effects brought about by her equipment looks perfect for a travel vlog.

Project A.M: Planning

We have to create an opening sequence for our coursework. I am working with Pie and we have named our project A.M which is the initials of our last names put together. 

• Pie edited this time-lapse video of us working in class:

• This is a video that I edited from the same lesson but filmed from a different angle, with snapshots into our thought process:

• We want to come up with as many ideas as possible for the storyline and not be confined to any one genre. However, we will soon be approaching the deadline for brainstorming, and so we have written up plans for two of our ideas. This is what we have so far:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cW4i_-w5sjm9haJ8WbHD63RMzaseLM-JSEQGm3FeRc4/pub

Credit Sequence: Panic Room

I made a timeline of the opening credit sequence for the film Panic Room. 

We are observing the credits in order to be able to create our thriller opening later on. 

Opening Analysis: Children of Men

• This is the opening to the film Children of Men:

• This is my analytical writing of it:

The director employs the micro-elements of film to introduce the audience to a harsh, cold world set in a strange, dystopian future. This starts off by the diegetic sound of the news alongside a pitch black screen to indicate the seriousness of the present day with the backdrop of tragic events being delivered. The ominous feeling created is accentuated by the appearance of image as it contains a group of sorrowful looking people in a coffee shop, huddled around to stare up at what is presumably the T.V. screen. They are shot by a hand-held camera which weaves massive amounts of authenticity into the overall presentation of verisimilitude. Highlights of blue and dull colours are edited in to add to the numbing ambiance and to down the temperature of the opening. 

The film is set to create ambivalent feelings and challenge conventional standards of what society should look like to an individual’s mind in a certain time period. Long shots are used throughout to emphasise to the audience the shock felt from the sudden explosion at the end of the opening. This is due to the disruption of still, continuous stream of thoughts by a tumultuous turn of events. Whilst the tracking shot follows the protagonist into the outside world, it stops to linger at the door as if to prepare the audience for a bizarre portrayal of life in 2027. From this pause, the audience visually absorbs a mixture of cultures with minimal inserts of high level technology such as the projection on the building and the advertisement on the bus. Smoke from the vehicles obscures the scenery and evokes a sense of revolt in the audience due to the general idea of pollution destroying the human body. Two people are shown to be exchanging greetings and kisses directly outside the coffee shop which marks it as the first time a portrayal of affection or delicacy is evident in this austere world. However, this is stopped short by the explosion which eliminates the hope of finding anything remotely innocent or lovely in the rest of the film. A shakier camera quickly moves from the protagonist into the explosion. This is followed by the sounds of screaming which indicates that something terrible and violent has happened. The concealment of the actual gory images makes the audience assume the worst, and even after this effect, the shot of the woman holding her own arm at the end of the opening is still immensely horrific. 

The main character played by Clive Owen is portrayed as a stern, reserved man due to the contrast in emotion and action between him and others in the coffee shop. The relatively still, hand-held camera first focuses on the bundle of grieving people whose attentions are fixated on the screen. The protagonist then pushes his way into the centre of the frame, exerting movement and energy in the midst of the heightened tension. This paints a picture of a salmon swimming against the tide; the non-conformist in the sea of orthodox minds. A woman at the front of the group emits a shocked, disapproving noise at the protagonist, signalling that his actions are unexpected and rude. He orders black coffee which corresponds to the colour that he is wearing, and this conveys a sense of seriousness and mystery. He then immediately takes the coffee and leaves without a second glance, which demonstrates his callousness and indifference to the news. The following tracking shot stays with him until he is outside the shop, revealing the dryness of the present day.

The eerie, ambiguous representation of 2027 in the coffee shop is demagnified and thrusted onto a larger scale by the shot of the outside world. The combination of the sad, diegetic music from the T.V. screen and the sobbing of a woman is drowned out by the noises of busy cars honking and vehicles moving. This connotes realism and shapes the former setting to appear somewhat sugarcoated as everyday life now seems to be at fault in possessing any form of sympathy. The main character scans the area around him before adding alcohol to his coffee which shows a hint of guilt. He may be ashamed of his inability to cope directly with either one of the drinks, which can be viewed as a metaphor for his conflicting beliefs or dodgy morals. When the explosion occurs, his indifference is smashed to pieces by a shocked reaction which is highlighted by the camera moving towards the incident that has now captured his elusive attention. The scene ends with the idea that the one who survives is the one that does not seem to care. This is morally disturbing and manages to set the uncomfortable tone for the rest of the film.

• Enigmas that are established

In the first cut, the T.V. screen is shown and the audience can now form perceptions of the news that is being broadcasted. The video of the youngest person in the world getting attacked by paparazzi poses the question: Is liberation being violated?

The news also forms the mystery of why people are unable to reproduce anymore in the world of 2027.

The protagonist’s contrasting actions makes the audience wonder: what is the background of this hostile man?

Strange, fragmented representation of cultures raises the question of who or to which country the world now belongs to.