RESEARCH ABOUT FILMING IN WATER

SAW

The movie 'saw' explores the use of filming in water by opening with the man submerged showing his face and shoulders , as shown in the first picture below. This relates to the filming which is included in our first initial idea as we are planning to use a similar shot type ( from above only showing head and some shoulders). From doing this we are focusing on just the subjects emotions and start to build a sense of suspense from the lack of showing the surroundings. Also in this clip the use of dark lighting helps to build atmosphere so by looking at this we are able to start to think about the use of lighting that we may use in our clip and how it may begin to build atmosphere as part of the mise-en-scene. 

By looking at other frames from this clips we can gain ideas for our opening as we are exploring the use of shots in the rest of the bathroom as well as the bath. Here there is a use of black and white which we are planning to use to create a more grim effect as used here. We can see that the use of 'dirt' on the walls which creates a eerie, suspicious feel to the clip is also something that we are going to explore. 

RADIOHEAD
The music video 'Radiohead' also practices the use of filming water, however this time the water is in a container as which makes a different effect from the previous example, as glass is between the camera and water. Again this shot type can be seen to be commonly used effectively (close up) as it just shows the persons face and emotion. Here there has also been some sort of filter put on which creates a blue tinted affect, which may be associated with a sadder atmosphere, as the colour blue is linked with depression.
This video also explores the use of water droplets which creates a brighter effect, however this may not be as useful to our group as we are looking to create a dark atmosphere and creating them without the use of glass between the lens and face would be hard.

WHAT LIES BENEATH

The clip from 'What lies beneath' is harder to get ideas from and analyses than the other to as the use of water is less significantly used however they have used water for creating reflections which is an idea which we haven't thought about exploring, however may become useful, because as demonstrated here it can be used to create an eerie effect and atmosphere. Again much like the screenshot from the music video a tinted blue color has been used, but unlike the first clip the bath and bathroom are cleaner, making it seem more ordinary, which isn't the effect that we are going for, so would not be useful for our trailer. 

Overall from looking at these three sources we can see that none of them have the use of filming with the camera underwater, however has effective use of filming from above water ,which demonstrates to use that this idea of creating shots from underneath the surface is difficult and probably not an idea we should further pursue.

ANALYSIS OF CREDITS CLIPS

Fresh Meat Opening

The opening title sequence to the TV series 'Fresh meat' has a variety of similarities to what we have as our initial ideas of our opening credits. Firstly the use of integrated credits is what we discussed and decided as a group would be best suited to our opening and here in this clip it clearly demonstrates this. For example the use of different text fonts to fit the object on which it is on, such as the stereo. In our opening one of our ideas is to have credits written on objects around the bathroom, and by using a variety of fonts on the objects it makes them look more integrated, creating more of a sense of verisimilitude.
Much like in this sequence one of our ideas is to explore using different objects and integrating the credits into the objects, which then leads to the clip being built of a sequence of household objects, giving the audience a feel for the atmosphere and focus of the program. For example here the use of the old TV, hole in the wall covered with photos, a video games characters on the cupboard, overall creates the affect of integrated credits which hints at the genre.

Orange Is The New Black Opening

The opening sequence for orange is the new black again has some similarities to what we are aiming to create however has a large amount of differences as it follows a different feel in terms of content. Firstly much like what we are creating there is no narrative to the opening, which from our research at the BFI talk we have seen that many successful openings have very little narrative but hint at themes and genres. Unlike Fresh Meat , here they show the characters in the series , showing a mass of people who are all doing the same thing, yet all showing different characteristics, a bit like a representation of prison life itself, which is what the series is about.
By looking at this opening it is also a demonstration of another use of sound. Here they have used one sound track , which relates to the overall message presented and atmosphere created, however because we are wanting to create a thriller from research it is clear to see that sound tracks (songs) aren't used, as we want to build suspense.

OPENING TITLE CREDITS EXAMPLES PT.2

OPENING TITLE CREDITS ANALYSIS

NINE FRAMES ANALYSIS

Nine frames analysis for opening title sequence of 'The Conjuring'

Image of nine frames taken from website 'Art of the Title'

From looking at these nine frames we can see a consistent structure and colour scheme to the clips shown. For example there is a constant use of black and white with only occasional glimpses of colour which highlights certain objects in the images, such as the red on the peoples coats in the far right middle frame. However the red used is faded continuing with the look of looking old and worn, and we can see that this is further enhanced by the dark lighting used throughout. It is also an example of a title sequence which is inconsistent in the use of fonts, however by doing this it demonstrates that the different newspaper articles and clips all come from different sources. The nine frames here also demonstrates a lack of narrative but instead starts to hint at the narrative by showing the genre through use of articles.

By looking at the nine frames we can also see that the faces on the clips and articles are blurred out, creating an atmosphere of mystery which matches with the music to build suspense. 

Nine frames analysis for opening title sequence of 'Creed'

Image of nine frames taken from website 'Art of the Title'

The nine frames from opening of 'Creed' are contrasting to the nine frames taken from the opening of 'The Conjuring' which here shows a contrast in different genres, which by looking at I am able to take ideas in what we should use for our opening to ensure that matches our genre. Here we are able to see that there is a wider use of colour throughout apart from the end title. The title is similar to what our vision of our title is , as we want to keep it simple with just using two colours and keeping a simple font. 

Although the opening to 'Creed' also has a lack of narrative much like the conjuring, the opening consists of frames taken from the film, giving the audience an overall feel for the genre and showing them hints at plot line. 

Finally the use of sound throughout the opening builds and there is some demonstration of the use of silence at the beginning, and these are two main elements which we are keen to focus on for our opening as by doing this it begins to create atmosphere. 

INITAIL IDEAS MOOD-BOARD

PRELIMINARY TASK VIDEO REVIEW

Our preliminary task included a variety of camera shots, the use of the 180 degree rule and the match on actions shots, which all demonstrate our basic use of media skills. Once we created our shots taken from our storyboard, we put all of the recordings together to make our short preliminary video.
STRENGTHS
The continuity editing in our work is to a good standard, creating a verisimilitude appearance. Furthermore the camera angles used included, continuous and long shots as well as a canted angled shot to create an edgy and tense atmosphere towards the audience, as the shot only showed a small part of the whole picture. I also think that the framing's used were clean with background, meaning we created a suitable space for our filming and I think that because we had an effective use of our storyboard that it helped us do this.  
WEAKNESSES
Some of our camera work could have been improved by making the camera turn more smoothly when moving it to change direction to follow the subject. This could have been done by using different equipment, or having more practice. Also I feel that the video could have been improved by making it flow better between shots.

PRELIMINARY TASK

STORYBOARD REVIEW

Our storyboard for our preliminary task was split into 16 boxes which each have black and white hand drawn pictures, demonstrating what happens in each shot. Underneath each picture there is a the duration of the shot, what sound is in the shot, the continuity editing, what type of transition edit and what happens in the shot.
From this we have made a clear plan of what is in each shot, make it easier to plan and make our video. Furthermore this meant that the portrayal of each of the characters is clear, however to improve this the drawings could have been done to a higher standard giving a more accurate representation.
The layout of our storyboard was clear making it easy to follow but it was found when filming that it would have been more useful to have greater detail written underneath each shot so that it was clear about what our exact ideas were for when we made the preliminary task. Overall however I thought that out storyboard demonstrated our basic understanding of the task, and allowed it to fulfill it properly.

PRELIMINARY TASK STORYBOARD

FILM OPENING ANAYLSIS

CLASSWORK

For research we watched a variety of film openings and created visual time line maps of what was happening in the clip and the tension it created. In these mind maps I focused on looking at music, the story line and the overall tone created by the colour schemes and tones used throughout. 

In each of the maps shown I have structured it to show the sound running along the top of the sheet, which has been split to have each line representing a particular sound and how it grows and fades. Below sound I have a line to represent tension increasing and decreasing, and around this I have added notes and illustrations to show the plot.

Halloween

Genre- Horror

The film 'Halloween' was created in 1978, and was said to be the reason for the popularity of slasher films in the 1980's. The opening clip shows a young couple home alone on halloween, and the boyfriend leaves, leaving the masked killer to go upstairs and kill his girlfriend, which is shown through the eyes of the mask. It is then shortly revealed that once the killer is outside, he appears to be a young boy who's parents are shocked.

Trainspotting

Genre- Drama

The film opening 'Trainspotting' had overall demonstrated a more upbeat tone throughout with some short moments of tension. The opening was put together using a many short clips each including the characters in the film to introduce them. These clips included main characters running, playing football and taking drugs. These clips put together with the use of both diegetic and non-diegetic and the use of voice over, create a good overall feel for the film.

Amelie

Genre- Comedy

The opening to the french film Amelie showed the progression from when she conceived to her early years of childhood. The opening includes warm colors, creating a more calming atmosphere to the opening, however this is contradicted by the use of piano throughout the clip which continuously builds tension.