Preliminary task - Final film

This is our final Preliminary task film tha we've produced.We both enjoyed filming and experimenting with the camera.It has tought us some important techniques and trick which we will use when making our main task later on.I think we did a good job as we were filming and editing for the first time. We look forward to filming the opening sequence of a thriller.

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                                                                    M.B - C.W

Identity 2003 title sequence timeline - C.W

This is the title sequence that I've produced this lesson. It gave me a better understanding on why the titles are so important.

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C.W

 

Identity 2003 title sequence timeline - M.B

This is what we had to produce this lesson.It is a title sequence of a film called 'Identity 2003'. This has helped me understand the importance of titles when producing a movie. It has given me a clearer picture of what exactly we have to do when we will have to make an opening sequence of a thriller.It shows us that film making has to be planned carefully and it is not just about the storyline ,titles and production logos take a big part in producing a film.

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 M.B

Sub-genres and conventions of Thriller.

 

Sub-genres-

 

Conspiracy - Main character is usually trapped in a fuede witha powerful organisation after making a discovery.

Crime - Usually about the anticipation and execution of a successful/unsuccessful crime.

Disaster - Follows the fight for survival of a particular groupor individual during and after a disaster.

Mystery - Usually about the investigations of a single charater and often their struggle to find the truth, many twists and diversions throughout.

Political - The importance of a single character who ensures political stabiltity of the government which employs them.

Psycological - A vein throughout all thriller sub-genres though focused on in one particular type of film.

Religious - Unravelling the pros and cons of a particular religion and suggesting new theories which could contradict it.

Supernatural - Typically involving ghosts and other inhuman beings which taunt and torment a particular character. A close relative of the horror.

Techno - The catastrophy based around the development of modern and advanced technology.

 

Conventions-

One of the first things I noticed about the way thrillers are shot in comparison to other various genres was the tracking and panning shots used throughout the film. there was rarely any zooming and the shots are rarely very intimate until later on in the movie. This helps to constantly build up the tension throughout the entire film and also gives the audience a sense of getting to know the main character(s) so that we can make rational judgements as to how they will react to certain stimulus. Though no intimate, a common frame wthin the thriller genr seems to be the close up. This also increases suspense much the same as the panning and tracking shots. Having said this, long shot frames are just as common and help to set the scene around the charcters and give an insight in to character's surroundings. The camra angles are varied amongst different films though they seem to consistently use high angles to, in my opinion, portray the importance between characters. Mise en scene is never nescisarily consistent between films as the location and storyline differ and so I won't touch too much on that although lighting is often a common factor. Depending on the location of the scene the lighting can be made to meet the mood of the scene. Jump cuts are another similarity between many thrillers - filling us in on other events going on at the same time. This is important to give the audience full awareness of the current situation. Sound is, of course, another major contributor to the catagorisation of genre. Thrillers consist of an inconsistent tune - graduating from slow to fast paced with jumps and stops throughout the sounds. This increases the watcher's sense of uneasiness and unsettles the flow of audio and visual display.

 

-C.W-

'Preliminary Task'

What have I learnt?

For our preliminary task we've filmed a group of three people who were planning to rob a bank. We called it 'The Heist''. The idea of bank robbery is great as there is a lot of tension that needs to be filmed using different camera shot and angles.
Preliminary task helped us practise all of the different techniques when making a film. It made me more confident and gave me new ,great , ideas on how to make a short film exciting and tensing to watch.However it has also revealed mistakes which will be considered when we will be filming the 2 minute opening sequence of a Thriller .


We've used a variety of different camera shots. Some of the shots were not perfectly filmed but most contributed well to the story.

One of my favourite shots is Shot reverse shot where one character is shown looking at another and the other looking back at the first character.SIce the characters are shown facing in opposite directions, the viewer assumes that they are looking at each other.
Example :

Match on action is where the editor cuts from one shot to another view that matches the first shot's action.Although the shots counld be shot hours ago ,once edited together it makes it seem as it is continous. The editors often use this technique to build a bridge which hides the mistakes inbetween the two cuts. 
Example:

Overall i think that the Preliminary task when well and most importantly tought us more about film making and editing which is very important.I am looking forward to making the opening sequence of a Thriller as it will be a task which will test all of our skills and ideas.

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                                                                 M.B  

Opening titles research.

 

 

After some research, I have discovered some obvious and some less obvious guidlines and traits which are shared amongst the vast majority of opening sequences. The most obvious is the titles. The titles usually come in a particular order - firstly we see the production companies and editing team (such as 'Paramount Pictures' etc) and then once clips and sounds of the movie opening sequences begin we see the 'biggest' and known actors/actresses followed by the name of the film and the 'lesser' performers. After the main names are shown we can see either more names of executives and co-producers etc or equally as likely the director's name and a cease to the music and images as the transition in to the main film begins.

Another less obvious trait is the hints and introduction in to the world of the film. Key areas such as location and characters can be explored and an essence of the storyline is revealed. Other things like the genre and the era which the film is set can be determined within the first two minutes of the movie. Although, having said this, there are several films I can think of which encounter some 'red herrings' or misleading truths which can throw the audience off from the very beginning - a useful trick in such genres as the thriller or even a comedy!

The main aim of an opening sequence is to engage the audience and leave a sense of curiosity and mystery for the viewer to want to see more. this can be achieved succesfully by sticking to a traditional sequence or by creating an original piece - both have their pros and cons!

 

Here are two very different examples of opening sequences-

 

1-Conventional opening titles (Shawshank Redemption)

 

2-Uncoventional opening titles (Snatch)

 

-C.W-