Opening Sequence

This is our final product, an opening sequence of a film called "Dark Nightmare".

Evaluation Activity 7

 

In my preliminary task, mistakes were easy to spot. 

Our continuity in the preliminary task was bad because we had not filmed it correctly. We filmed the scenes without any extra footage, meaning that we could not edit to the best of our ability. This caused negative effects to our continuity editing overall, making it look quite unnatural. 

The camera shots were blurry which showed an unfamiliarity with the DSLR camera hardware. The focus on camera should be used and controlled during the video to create better shots. The time taken to shoot the entire video was also very long compared to the time my group now takes to shoot scenes. The camera is also crooked, making the whole scene unnatural and creating an unprofessional look.

 

I am now more confident to use the hardware and experiment with different methods of shooting, for example we had to frame the light bulb shot and bring the camera closer to the roof as well as zoom for one of the scenes, building tension in the opening sequence. The light bulb is perfectly focused during this scene. 

 

In this shot, the framing is extremely bad as the table can be seen but not entirely, and the same has happened with the chair. There is extra space around the actor that was not used and could have been cut off.The shot is also quite far away while it could have been more of a mid-shot rather than a wide shot. No makeup, costume, setting, or props were used. No items other than the tables and chair were moved during the filming, however i know now that this could have contributed to the making of this preliminary task making it more professional and fluid.

This shot shows how our group used the focus to make the character stand out. The low key lighting was mainly used however we kept some lights on at the very far end of the location to create a type of glow which reflects on the white walls. This lighting links with the character's image of being a unnatural character. In terms of mise-en-scene, the makeup used on the character to create a pale face, dark eyes, and red lips, overall creates her image in the film as an inhuman character. 

Evaluation Activity 6

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

In terms of hardware, I had never used a MacBook computer before starting this project. I can now confidently use these types of computers and clearly understand how they work. It was also interesting to use them as I had never used one before and found that the difference between MacBooks and other computers is much greater than I expected.

I have had to learn how to use DSLR cameras along with tripods and lenses. I had some issues with learning how to use the camera, as I did not know how to use the automatic settings and had difficulty with fitting the lenses and tripod. However, after using the cameras so many times during this project, I got familiar with the management of the hardware. I now understand how to use the DSLR cameras and have learned how to set up the equipment correctly.

In terms of software, I have had to use Blogger to evidence the work throughout the project and update it regularly. Before Blogger, I knew how to use a blog from personal experience; this helped me manage Blogger and create good quality posts. Although I did know how to blog, having access to a different type of blogging was interesting as there are many different types of blogs with different layouts. They are all different and I was unfamiliar with some features of Blogger, which I became confident with during the project.   

I have had to use Photoshop to create the Production Ident and title sequence. Originally I had no experience with this software but learned whilst working with the help of the people in my group, who had experience with Photoshop. With this software I now understand how to use various features such as how to add filters, text, change size and color, download fonts and use them, and many more. 

YouTube is another social media site I have had to use in order to upload my group work. I was already familiar with the site but did not know how to use an account to upload videos and other such features. After having uploaded videos and used their HTML links I now am much more familiar with using a YouTube account. 

The software most used during the project was most likely Premiere Pro. Our group used this software to upload and edit shots in order to create our animatic, our production ident, our title sequence, our opening sequence, our voice-overs, etc. I had never used this software before and was not confident when working with it. However, the people in my group gave me guidance and I have been using Premiere Pro on a regular basis to create better quality work for our final product. I now am very content with my Premiere Pro skills as they have greatly improved since the beginning of this project. 

Overall, working on this project allowed me to deepen my understanding of many different types of software and gave me practice with both software and hardware I was unfamiliar with. I enjoyed learning how to manage my work through this technology and have no doubt this will help me with future projects in any domain. 

Evaluation Activity 5

Evaluation Activity 4

Evaluation Activity 3

Evaluation Activity 2

Nightmare On Elm Street

Nightmare On Elm Street contains a group of characters who are friends, however the main character of the group is Nancy Thompson.
This character experiences nightmares and is affected in her real life by them. This is very similar to our main character in "Dark Nightmare" called Fai as she has nightmares and wakes up with real injuries. However, unlike Fai, her friends also experience the same nightmares and consequences.
Nancy Thompson is an overall normal 16 year old girl. This is unlike Fai as she is 8 year older and therefore is a more mature person. Nancy is also a relatively smart person as she tries to fix the situation she is in during the film in different attempts. This is unlike our main character as she is 8 year older and therefore is a more mature and logical person. 

Texas Chainsaw Massacre 

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre contains a group of characters. In this group is included Sally Hardesty, an ordinary young woman from a rural background. This is similar to our main character in our film as she is also an ordinary woman.
Sally is set apart from the other characters as she is the only survivor by the end of the film. This is similar to our main character is "Dark  Nightmare" called Fai as she is set apart from the group since she is the only one having disturbing nightmares.
In a way, Sally is the character which suffers most emotionally during the film as she watches her sibling get murdered in front of her eyes and has none of her friends from the group with her for support. Her fear and stress therefore increases as the film goes on. Our main character is "Dark Nightmare" is victim of similar emotions as the people close to her die one after the other, building her fear and panic every time another person dies.   

 Final Destination 2

The Final Destination 2and Dark Nightmare is very similar. In the story there is comparison where the main character has a dream/ vision of what is going to happen in the future. She tries to stop it from happening and she tries to protect her friends but however she realises that no one can escape from death. In Dark nightmare it is a similar story where the main character (Fai) has a dream about how however group of friends are going to die and she is very disturbed about there’s dreams as she has been having them every day. She gets scared and depressed in how she is going to lose her loved ones. The thing Fai is frightened about is how she wakes up with scars of what happens to her in the dream.

Our chosen main character for Dark Nightmare looks similar to Kimberly Corman (main character in Final Destination 2).they both have brown hair, pale smooth faces and both casual dressers. Fai is very emotionally attached to her friends especially her boyfriend where in this case it is also the same case in Final Destination 2.

Dark Nightmare

In our opening sequence "Dark Nightmare" our main character is a young woman in her twenties named "Fai". She is a stereotypical young woman as she has a calm personality and is fairly popular, however she is mysterious in some ways because she hides the physical injuries she obtains during her nightmares from others except her best friend. She is a kind person and does not judge people quickly.

This can be considered a horror convention as horror films often use characters representing realistic people. This allows the audience to relate more to the characters and feel more involved in the film therefore being more affected by the horror genre. However our film does not follow this convention exactly as the character is shown as someone with unusual troubles and this builds the character as a special individual which is not often seen rather than a normal young woman year old. 

Evaluation Activity 1

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

My media product includes conventions of real media. Conventions of opening sequence, especially in horror media products, includes: low key lighting, long takes, use of makeup and costume, close-ups, establishing shots, jump cuts, and transitions.

Low key lighting helps create the mood of the product; it can create a sense of mystery and also a sense of fear and danger, as the audience can not see what is going on clearly and therefore they feel vulnerable.
Long takes can be used to intensify tension in certain situations as the seconds pass or can also be used to set a peaceful mood.
The use of makeup and costume is conventional in the sense that it is always important for the characters to be part of the media product and match the setting.
Close ups are very common in most media products and allow the audience to focus on certain areas of the media product they would otherwise not notice. They can also be used as hints for the audience to understand the media product's plot, story, or other.
Establishing shots are often used at the beginning of media products to let the audience know where the product is taking place. This creates a clearer image for the audience and allows them to immerse themselves in the story.
Transitions are used to go from scene to scene, and can be used to create different types of atmosphere based on which type of transitions.

My media product uses low key lighting in certain shots. They are mostly used to create tension and set the mood for the dream sequence to ensure the audience views it as a nightmare, and not a normal dream. Low key lighting is also used when the main character wakes up, this shows that they were asleep and it is the nightmare which woke them up, not other factors (alarm clock, sunlight, etc).

 

A long take is used as the first shot in my group's opening sequence. This shot was created for a number of reasons; firstly, it creates a sound bridge from the titles to this shot as the sound is suited to both. Secondly, it allows the audience to focus on the voice over which plays during the shot; they are not distracted by other images and can watch the rest of the opening sequence while remembering the ideas of the voice over.

Thirdly, it creates tension as the conventional use and this is suited to our opening sequence as it is a horror genre. In the opening sequence, the use of makeup and costume is important to realise the atmosphere of the nightmare. White clothes are used as it is often associated with the horror genre, and this makes it clearer for the audience to pick up on the genre of the media product.   

Jump cuts are sometimes used in horror films especially during high tension scenes such as chasing scenes, or in the case of our opening sequence, nightmares. Jump cuts build the tension by suddenly changing, this gives an impression of the film suddenly advancing unnaturally and unexpectedly. In the nightmare scenes of our opening sequences, jump cuts are used while one of the characters stays still. The character gets closer and closer to the camera with each shot, building the tension until they reach the camera. The three images below break down the jump cuts we used during the nightmare part of the opening sequence. We also used a different lighting for each one, as if lights turn off when the character gets closer, representing how the emotional state of the character is affected by her nightmares.

We used transitions in our opening sequences from Adobe Premiere Pro. The transitions were used to create a more smooth effect from one scene to another unlike jump cuts which were used for the opposite effect, highlighting the contrast between the two types of editing. We used mostly dissolve transitions in our opening sequence because they seemed more natural to the eye and gave a more fluid movement when going from scene to scene.

Close-ups were not often used in our opening sequence as we mainly focused on costume, and relied on the setting of locations to create the atmosphere. However we did use two close up shots which are shown below. The close up of the light bulb was used to create a sound bridge and setthe tension for the rest of the film. The second close up was used because it was an important part of the opening sequence and highlighted the fact that this was important. When the shot is shown, music starts to play to set the atmosphere once again.

Class Feedback Reflection

This is the feedback we got for our first opening sequence draft.

From this feedback, our group understood that our opening sequence was confusing to watch at certain points. There were two comments which stated that the bedroom shot was too long which could be fixed by shortening the scene and creating jump cuts. The title sequence was received negatively as they were said to be too long and not suited to our genre. This could be fixed by shortening every individual title, and using a different font conveying a more horror feel. The titles could also be spread out as the scenes play instead of having all the titles before the scenes start. Two comments stated that they did not understand the argument scene; we may have to remove the scene. Our use of make up was received with two positive comments. Our light bulb shot with sound bridge was received very well. Our soundtrack to the opening scene was said to be good.    

In the future we should aim to have a better layout of our opening sequence and make sure that the scenes are understandable. This will ensure that our audience understands the story and will therefore feel more immersed  

Dark Nightmare First Draft

Analysing Media AS pieces 2013/14

ONE FOR MY BABY

Some of this opening sequence's good aspects of practice are:

•  Sound conveys the feelings of loneliness as small sounds such as the ticking noise and the water tap running are very loud. This gives an unusual tone to the opening sequence, as if the character is trapped.
•  The mise-en-scene shows a very messy room; clothes are lying everywhere, a lamp is knocked over, and a bottle of alcohol is lying on the floor. The amount of alcohol could indicate that the character is in depression.
• The use of different types of shots had good variation. They used many different types, including:  close-ups, wide shot, focus pulls, pans, tilt. Many of these shots, especially focus pulls, were used to draw the attention of the audience to certain objects such as photographs and alcohol.  

ABSOLUTUS

Some of this opening sequence's good aspects of practice are:

•  The mise-en-scene was very good as costumes reflected the genre of the opening sequence. Some of the props - chemistry equipment - also suggested that the sequence is a science-based film.
• The titles were created in a very interesting way, as element names were used to replace some letter in people's names in the opening credits. This suggests from the start, that the opening sequence will be related to chemistry and science.
•  The use of lighting, particularly during the beginning scenes of the opening sequence is low-key, and makes the audience more empathetic towards characters because they are in the same type of feeling - lost, confusion.

Extension Activity - Title Sequences

This extension activity allows me to understood in more detail the way opening sequences are made and the relationship between workers. It also allows me to comprehend how designers get inspired which could help me come up with imaginative ideas for my own opening sequence.

Mise-en-scene - Makeup - Main Character's Injury

This Emaze presentation shows the steps I took and the difficulties I faced to create the main character's injury in our horror genre opening sequence.

Mise-en-scene - Makeup - Experimenting

For shots 17 and 24, the main character's arm cut must be seen. I experimented with acrylic paint in order to create a realistic cut which our group could possible use in the opening sequence.

My first try (closest to wrist) was not as expected because I used too much black paint at the start which did not allow the red paint to be bright enough and unrealistic to be blood. Although I tried to fix this by compensating with lighter colours, the shadowy black paint would not disappear. I was not pleased with this first try because I rushed through too quickly and was not detailed enough.  

On my second try (below first) I firstly outlined the shape of the scar in black leaving some small spaces near the middle to make the cut look fresh. The brightness of the red came out much better this second time because I added layer by layer, firstly creating a light base of red, then adding more red in some places and making it darker in others. I painted the darker red in the very corners of the cut, creating depth. Lastly, I added some very small splashes of red on the empty spaces on the black outline, to give the impression that blood was leaking out onto the rest of the skin.
I am quite happy with the result of the second try, but I believe it still could be much more realistic with more practice and using other products. 

Mise-en-scene - Makeup - Tutorials

For some of our costumes in our opening sequence, scars and blood are needed. To learn how to make these realistic I watched the following tutorials on YouTube.

This tutorial is called "Fake Cuts Tutorial (Super easy makeup)". This video was good because it showed how to make a cut with very accessible items: eye shadow, glue, pens, etc. If our group cannot procure certain items that are shown in other videos such as modelling wax and fake blood, we can rely on this tutorial.

 

This tutorial is called "Simple Cut SFX Makeup Tutorial - Lizzie Sitford MUA". The video was useful because it presented precise instructions and the video showed how the cut was made very clearly.    

This tutorial is called "How To Fake a Cut - Theatrical Horror Make-Up - by BBC blast". This video was more reliable than others because a theatrical makeup artist was involved. It was also done very quickly and efficiently.

This tutorial is called "Theatrical Makeup : How to Make Fake Wounds". This video was useful because not much items are needed unlike most of the other videos. This tutorial is suitable if we want to create small wounds on other parts of the body than the arm.      

This tutorial is called "Special Effects | Bloody Wound Make up Tutorial". This video was interesting because they used a different method than the wax and non-wax methods. Instead, the used latex and tissue paper. This also created a slightly different effect than the other tutorials.        

Equipment bookings

After creating our group's shooting schedule, we sent an e-mail to book the needed equipment. This help ensure that we would have all the equipment needed on the dates we want. Sending one e-mail with all of our dates also ensured that we do not forget to book equipment later on.

Shooting schedule

Location shot

f

This location will be used in shot number 23 and shot number 24. This location is appropriate because the shots show the main character waking up. Therefore, a bed is needed to convey the idea of waking up after a nightmare. It also shows that it is during night time, instead of the character waking up in a unusual place which could make the audience assume that they were napping.

 

This location  will be used in shot number 3 and shot number 4. I think this location is very good for these scenes because the amount of space gives a feeling of emptiness and the fluorescent lights give off a cold atmosphere. Filming the location from this angle also makes it very symmetrical and therefore attracts the eye more. This angle also creates depth to the location since it is a corridor.   

"Dark Nightmare" Animatic Improvements

Casting

Storyboard

These three pages are our storyboard. Our storyboard includes all of our scenes, types of sound, type of camera shot/camera movement. This storyboard is useful as it is our group's plan which we follow to make our opening sequence. It also allows us to present ideas more clearly and spot mistakes more easily.


 

Costume list

Production Ident "Black Crow Productions"

We decided to create a new production ident for our film, as we felt that our first one was unprofessional due to a wide mix of different images. It did not suit our opening sequence as it was too complex. Our new production ident is much simpler and creates a more professional start to our opening sequence.    

Props list

This table shows what props will be used, on which shots they will be used, and where we will acquire them.

Opening sequence possible sound effects

 

Order of titles and names

The following titles will be in the following order:

LIONSGATE PRESENTS
A BLACK CROW PRODUCTION FILM
GABIE RAJENDRAM
MORGAN KELLMAN
SHANNON AMARASEKARA
DARK NIGHTMARE
CASTING BY JOHN SNOW
MUSIC BY WALTER WALLS
COSTUME BY ABIGAIL CRUTZ
EDITED BY GENE CALMER
WRITTEN BY FRANK JOHNSON
PRODUCED BY ECHO

Our opening sequence will have the order of titles. This is a consistent order as the editor, producers,  actors, and title are all included in the title sequence. It is important for the title to be at the end of the opening sequence because it communicates to the audience that this is the end of the opening sequence, and therefore the audience will be introduced to the film more evidently. 

Planning the animatic

Our group included all our ideas onto a piece of paper, which is the one below. This helped our group be more organised and arrange our thoughts more clearly. It also allowed us to remember all our ideas. From this point, we made some changes but mainly stuck to the our points. 

Finished animatic

This is our group's finished animatic.

Survey repsonses analysis

Our answers where divided equally between the two answers. This shows us that the opinions are divided. However if half of the responses are negative, this also means that they would not mind relating to characters - they simply do not need it. Therefore by default, we should have a relatable character.     

The answers to this question shows us the potential success of our film. Five people answered that they watched movies online, 4 answered that they watch movies using Netflix and online, and only 3 people answered that they watch movies at the cinema. By these results, it is clear that most people use Netflix and the web to view films. 

Our target audience is women and men under  25. However we asked a wide range of people to see 

whether people outside out target age range also liked horror movies. After we collected the results we saw only both male and female under 25 filled the survey out and this clearly shows that we chose the right target audience. 

More than half of our responders answered yes when asked if costume was important to immerse themselves into the movie. This means that our characters must have costumes which can speak to the audience and communicate a general description of who they are. Overall, costume ideas will have to be brainstormed, all the while thinking about how the audience could be most positively affected through this mise-en-scene.  



Extension Activity Documentary "Watching"

1) What does Thomas Sucliffe mean when he says "Films need to seduce their audience into a long term commitment. While there are many types of seduction, the temptation to go for instant arousal is almost irresistible".

Sucliffe means that when creating a film, it is tempting to begin the film with a shocking, intense, scene, because it will grab the audience's attention from the start and ensure that they pay attention to understand the film.


2) According to director Jean Jacques Beineix, what are the risks of "instant arousal"? 

Jean Jacques Beineix believes that "instant arousal" has the risks of not living up to expectations. Since the beginning would be so thrilling, the audience will expect more and better as the film goes on. However if the start was the most exciting part of the film, the audience will get tired during the remaining time and by the end the excitement will have passed, leaving them with feelings of disappointment.

3) Explain why "a good beginning must make the audience feel that it doesn't know nearly enough yet, and at the same time make sure that it doesn't know too little".

The beginning should be this way to make the audience eager to understand, but not to make them feel completely clueless to the film since they should be hooked from the start. It also allows the film to reveal things little by little and gives a sense of satisfaction to the audience when their ideas begin to make sense as the film goes on.

4)  What does critic Stanley Kauffmann describe as the classic opening? Why does this work? 

For Stanley Kauffman, the classic opening would begin with an establishing shot, a close up of a building,  the window of the building, in to the window, past the receptionist desk, to the private office, and leads to the main character. This classic opening works because it informs the audience of where the film is taking place, the job of the main character, and overall the organisation of the world. For the audience, the progress of the opening is normal and expected.

5) Why is Kyle Cooper's title sequence to the film Seven so effective? 

The title sequence to the film Seven is so effective because it begins the story already, introduces main points of the film, and it foreshadows many of the upcoming events. The visual and sound aspects of the text on screen also sets the tone for the film and makes the audience's interest grow as they seek to understand what they are watching. 

6) What did Orson Wellies want to achieve with his opening to the film A Touch Of Evil? What did Universal Studios do to it? Why? 

Orson Wellies wanted the opening sequence of A Touch Of Evil to be seen without credits and title music in order to bring the audience into the story with no preparation time whatsoever. Universal Studios added a score and credits to the opening sequence which caused the wanted effect of Orson Wellies to be lost. Universal Studios did this because they wanted to be safe and draw the audience's attention in a much more classical manner than what Orson Wellies wanted. Having no title music and no credits would have meant taking a big risk to not addressing the audience correctly and therefore having negative effects. 

7) What is meant by "a favourite trick of Film Noir"? What is the trick? 

The trick is to begin the opening sequence with the end of the film. This makes the audience curious about how the film could lead to this point and makes them feel like they are reaching a destination as well as leaving a departure point. By doing so, they are looking ahead to the film in order to understand, and they will be more captivated. 

8) How does the opening to the film The Shining create suspense?

The opening of The Shining creates suspense as all shots remain fixed on the same car from a large distance and follows it, giving the audience the impression of a predator stalking the car. The low pitched score also give a hostile tone. All of these points added give a sense of wrong direction to the audience.    

Creating the Production Ident

Blank Print Document

 

Target Audience

 

 

Target Audience Research - Survey

 

This survey was created in order to find out more about our target audience for our horror genre. The questions to be answered will allow our group to evaluate what would appeal to the majority of the audience. It is also a way of getting ideas and inspiration which can be used when planning and creating our opening sequence.