During the weekend I assisted some friends with shooting their own zombie film, I played the role of news reporter. The experience was beneficial in highlighting potential issues when shooting, for example:
Background noise proved especially hard to record against, additionally the background in general was an issue as we found many were passing through areas where we were shooting. Which is problematic if the film aims to depict a zombie outbreak.
It was raining at one point which put the camera at risk, luckily someone improvised and used a plastic bag in order to shield the camera.
Some actors didn't know their lines - this was an organisational issue - given the time constraint, the scripts were only given out on the day resulting in a lack of quality acting.
Gathering the shots seemed to also be an issue as the group didn't have a storyboard properly made, which meant rerecording scenes for potential use when editing.
Some of these issues can be avoided though. Firstly, in regards to sound and background interference, it is probably a good idea to keep on-set lines to a minimum or to add dialogue in post; I could even just do a voice over or not include dialogue altogether.
Secondly, in regards to location, sound can be an issue as well as interruptions from the public (i.e. passers-by), for this I would aim to shoot in relatively secluded areas. Alternatively I could either keep dialogue to a minimum or just add it in post; it could certainly be effective if the main protagonist/protagonists don't necessarily speak, instead focusing on the outbreak/downfall of society like in Dawn of the Dead (2004).
Lastly, organisation in terms of writing the script and planning a storyboard appear to be key. By completing a script I would be able to hand it out sooner to the actors and have them rehearse, additionally a storyboard would make organising shots easier - making it easier to focus on continuity and whether or not I have all of the shots needed. This will ensure that my work is very efficient and to a high enough standard.
Above are the people I worked with during the shoot and it seems to be a good decision to work with them in order to shoot my own video. We both have the same focus of genre and I am then working with a previously established group - putting me in contact with a make-up artist and even actors or an additional camera worker. I will work on asking them to work with me and hopefully get organised soon.
It has been beneficial for me to work on this project as it has put me in contact with Lauren who has kindly offered to do make-up for my video. Furthermore, I have been able to discover new locations for filming, some were quite public and therefore not what I would wish to use, however it was still useful to get an overall idea of potential areas; evidently a full day of scouting for locations to shoot would be required as some shots of mine might disrupt the public - if I attempt to use weapons and even through the use of zombie make-up which might appear too realistic.
Overall, it appears that working on a zombie film would be more efficient - I've already helped shoot one previously, I am a fan of the genre and culture, it is an affordable genre and so one Furthermore, zombies are iconic and thus are entertaining, if I am able to grab people's attention with a typically trope-filled genre then perhaps my development into the representations enabled by zombie films will stand out more.
I decided to analyse the openings in my last post mainly as they were the first ones to come to mind, although I did find some interesting openings in a WatchMojo Youtube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKlQ0XrLSYU), it's also comforting to see two of the openings I analysed included in the WatchMojo Top Ten video as it appears that I picked iconic opening sequences. I also found that Superbad and a couple of James Bond films are included in an online top 30 Opening Sequences list (https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/12/30-unforgettable-movie-title-sequences/) which suggests that I've analysed some relatively successful title sequences. I believe that the openings are simply memorable or different which is why they're successful, however with the Bond franchise I believe that they have achieved a sense of notoriety for being very artistic/compositionally great.
Now, in this post I will be discussing which genre I would consider focusing on for my final piece. In order to decide I'll have to weigh the constraints and benefits of the films; my initial understanding is that I should avoid major blockbuster elements as they usually cost more money and time.
Action
I am unsure as to whether or not I will focus on the action genre - I may include elements of it but perhaps not all. Many action movies tend to be blockbuster films produced by large conglomerate companies, they would be needed as the films include may special effects and stunt specialists. Not only would shooting cost lots of money, it would also cost time to learn how to edit in explosions, bullets, bullet holes, debris, gunfire and blood. Additionally, there is an issue with using prop weapons as they can cause public concern if used in a public area; action films tend to use many weapons and so they would be difficult to transport, conceal and act with without drawing attention or increasing concern.
Romance
It is unlikely that I will produce the opening to a romance film as I am not very confident. Understandably a romance film can be low budget and be shot in a short time however it would be difficult to cast two actors capable enough of showing a true connection in such a short time, they'd have to learn their lines and perhaps even get to know each other better in order to play the roles convincingly. Not only this but I personally don't feel confident enough in shooting a romance film, not having watched or researched many - in fact I struggled to think of a romance film to analyse. I feel as though I could work more efficiently on a genre I am comfortable with, in which I am aware of its tropes too.
Comedy
The humourous jokes and gags would certainly make my final piece more enjoyable as many are entertained by humour. I am confident in my knowledge of comedies to begin with and would certainly enjoy further research, it'd even be a low cost and time-effective genre to focus on as it doesn't necessarily require high-end effects, Although, writing a truly entertaining script can be another issue as I would have to decide on what particular comedy I would like to create. Furthermore, the opening that I did analyse would be difficult to replicate as I don't believe I have the artistic capacity nor the time and skill. Perhaps I could include some features of comedy such as jokes or light-hearted music/bright visuals to entertain my audience and engage them during the opening sequence.
Zombie This genre has always been an interest of mine, with the idea of a post-apocalyptic world and focusing on survival and human interatctions - given the breakdown of society after the outbreak. Many zombie films are quite accessible in terms of budget, the main concerns being special effects, extras or make-up; one way of getting around this could be to focus on perhaps one zombie and suggest gore rather than show it or even adding effects in post. Films such as Night of the Living Dead, Evil Dead, Redneck Zombies and the Zombie Diaries tended to be lower in budget yet have cult followings. I could also add in features of each of the other genres to a zombie film as atleast the genre gives a basic setting and structure of narrative - breakdown of society followed by survival.
Comedy
Comedies seem to use light hearted music and jokes/physical gags in order to generate humour, which in turn would interest the audience. Often comedies use exaggeration of characteristics, sarcasm or hyperbole for comedic effect; the oldest comedies - during the silent film period - often focused on slapstick humour as they had to rely on visuals, given that there was no sound. A notable feature of feel-good-comedies is the use of narration too, this can be used for the protagonist or narrator (who is usually the protagonist) to make amusing commentary over certain events.
The opening to Superbad is quite strange but artistic, in the sense that it doesn't fit the movie. It features a song that is quite funky, which certainly fits the visuals used; the credits are featured alongside coloured silhouettes of the main duo dancing - the credits are even in the appropriate order as discussed prior. The visuals show quite a disco dance by the duo which certainly fits the song, both giving off a 70s vibe. The reason this is strange is because the movie is set in the 2000s and doesn't appear to have any connection to the 70s culture, regardless it is artistic in the sense that it is obviously vibrant and stylish - grabbing the attention of the audience. Perhaps this is why it was done, it makes the opening memorable and catches the attention of the audience to draw them in, furthermore it's very lively and upbeat making people feel good; the idea of a comedy is that it's amusing and makes people laugh/happy and so the opening sets up the feel-good-movie of this teen comedy. This opening doesn't seem to use a narration but it certainly appears to use the light hearted music and exaggeration of dance moves to come across as a comedy.
There is a large use of transitions such as the slide/wipe and the clock/rotation transition, these work with the composition of the dancing silhouettes to make the opening seem very smooth. Additionally the effects are quite cheesy and obvious, making it again seem like the opening to a film from the 70s - even the Columbia Pictures title was edited into the opening in a grainy 70s design.
In terms of representation we see, throughout the movie, the main characters trying to be 'cool' and 'popular' when obviously they are unpopular and low in the social hierarchy, however, they try to be wild and rebellious in order to gain popularity and the 70s was certainly a time of freedom in which social norms were combated. It was a well-known period in which people would go to the disco, dance and drink, as such it seems appropriate that Superbad is showing the young people embracing this idea. On the other hand, it only goes on to perpetuate the stereotype of teenagers being rebellious party-goers, since the film is based around a party and the opening feels like one.
I believe the opening is quite good in the sense that it is bright and colourful - gaining the viewers attention. Additionally it is certainly memorable and sets a feel-good mood for the rest of the movie, although it certainly seems like it could be difficult to replicate. It would require a significant amount of artistic awareness of planning and composition.
Zombie
Zombie movies have had a large influence (from their initial introduction into pop culture) from George Romero who made the '...Of The Dead' series. From Romero we see the classic slow hordes of zombies that feast on brains or flesh however recent interests have focused on the idea of making zombies more scientifically-plausible, leading to developments in the genre such as fast zombies or 'infected' (who aren't necessarily reanimated corpses). It is common for Zombie films to include conventions of other genres, for example Shaun of the Dead plays off of the tropes and makes blatant references to zombie stereotypes, but the most common theme throughout the genre is the idea of survival.
Dawn of the Dead's opening conforms to the conventions of opening credits, crediting those involved in the normal order. It does so in a brilliantly simple way: the credits are given on a black screen to break up the clips used helping to transition between them and affect the pace. The words are in red,appearing to move like blood being sucked/slurped (given the sound effect used) and the text is placed on a black background in order to stand out better; the credits are on long enough to read but aren't on too long, they switch between footage of the world, the news, the infected (zombies) and medical imagery. These clips are short - quickening the pace of the film - but they provide exposition in regards to the collapse of society due to the zombie outbreak.
The song used is by Johnny Cash and sounds relatively upbeat but melancholy; the lyrics suggest a 'man coming around' which can either apply to soldiers coming around in order to control the situation or perhaps to death itself. The personification of death would be interesting as it would show how chaotic the world has become, people would be surrounded by death according to the opening. There is even use of screaming, growling and tearing to indicate the activity of the zombie attacks and how they act in general, giving exposition in terms of alerting the audience as to how the infection affects people. This works well with the visuals as it relates to the idea of the 'living dead' but the contrast in the pace of the song to its lyrics and what is seen during the opening seems to amplify the tragedy. In the end the song could then be seen as solemn.
Mise-en-scene is interesting as it clearly shows a variety of people - different religions and races - who are all affected by the outbreak, even the make up for the zombies is impressively realistic, further immersing the audience. The selection of clips used show news reports and the collapse of society, even at the end when the news reporter is attacked we see the final outcome for civilised society. We can infer that the world has fallen into disarray due to a lack of structure and safety, even public broadcasting and electricity would be affected. This can be shown through the editing effects which mix static with the footage and cracks in the screen, which suggest damage to live footage or that the live footage is interrupted.
The break down of society seems to affect all creeds and races which is interesting in terms of the infection, in a sense, treating people equally and affecting all humans. Romero's films deal with the concept of society's collapse but the collapse of a structure puts all survivors on even ground, the interactions between survivors could reflect their true beliefs and prejudices - for example violent actions against other survivors and why.
Personally I like this opening as it seems to correctly adhere to the conventions of an opening title sequence but also it is very good visually. The fast pace and use of different news clips shows the downfall of society and provides exposition without necessarily using commentary or narration. It even introduces the zombie outbreak as an infectious disease and even gives an action-based end that will carry on throughout the film.
Action
Action films tend to include action sequences at the beginning in order to build tension or excite the audience - generating interest to watch. Action films contain many tropes too such as one liners, the protagonist walking away from an explosion slowly, sexual scenes/seduction, explosions and fast chases (by foot or car); the openings don't necessarily have any importance on the plot, in movies such as James Bond we see Bond completing one mission before actually focusing on the mission that the movie is about. The openings are typically used for getting the audience immersed or in order to introduce characters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfYC_CBNtiM
Here we see the distributor logo followed by the production studio, adhering to the conventional features of a movie opening sequence. We also see a gradual zoom - used as an establishing shot - which is broken up by quick/short shots of the car, bullets/guns and the eyes of the protagonist. The music at the beginning is also a slow instrumental which fits the establishing shot, making the scene seem peaceful. However, the long shot is interrupted by the small clips which increase the pace and tension; finally it is revealed that James Bond is in the middle of a mission - a chase scene. The music cuts out as the scene starts, focusing on ambient sound to immerse the viewers: gunfire, car engines, crash noises.The sound effects even become muffled after James has a particularly bad crash, this leads in to the new music fading in - which is more dramatic, being quite 'jumpy and reaching a crescendo before James eliminates the final enemies. In doing this we see the scenes' tension accentuated by the music, which reflect what is occurring; another point is that the original music is interrupted by the chase scene, making the action stand out as it stops the incidental music and introduces a tense and fast-paced action sequence.
The mise-en-scene indicates that there are a few local police officers that are chasing Bond, however they are no match for the 'villains' and are quickly dispatched. This could suggest a degree of incompetence on their behalf, given that they were unable to subdue the criminals; the stereotype of the police is that they are typically lazy/incompetent, usually arriving late or after the damage has already been done. Here we see the officers respond to the situation very quickly however they are killed/injured during Bond's escape - as suggested by the devastating crash that their car endured. Their actions contrast to Bond's in the sense that he is able to escape and complete his task (mostly unscathed). Perhaps suggesting that the police are inferior to spies, in terms of catching/dispatching of criminals.
The opening finishes as he finishes his mission, followed by the iconic James Bond theme - the use of which interludes to the opening song, which includes the appropriate credits in the traditional order. The use of the James Bond theme is so iconic that it prepares the audience for the action that is suspected of a James Bond film, given that he is a spy. It's a good opening in the sense that it helps to set the overall pace of the film, including many conventions of the action genre: there is an intense car chase, lots of debris from car crashes (on-par with explosions to a degree), and follow up the end of one of James Bond's missions.
Romance
Romance films seem to include the same formula of [boy] meets [girl] and somehow is forced to win her back - finishing with a kiss or happy ending. However, there are romance films that filter into comedy, action and horror; the genre usually contains sexually-explicit scenes or jokes/references. Another common note is the use of symbolism through colours, such as red, due to its connotations of love and desire. This is evident from the DVD covers in most cases, such as Love Actually.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEy5-ysvbKc
In the Princess Bride opening scene, we see the distribution and production logos feature in the traditional order followed by the title however we don't see any other credits, instead we see the movie begin as soon as possible. The scene opens with a child coughing, introducing one of the characters. Mise-en-scene establishes that the coughing child is ill and that the movie, or at least his portion of the film, occurs in the 80s as shown by the clothes and the video game used at the beginning; the room is littered with toys and junk food - indicating that it is a child's room - and that the child is ill as the room is messy and the child is in bed (the dialogue exchange also confirms this). The movie begins with a light-hearted approach, with the grandfather reading a book in order to make the child feel better: the narration by the grandfather over the scenes of the book then become the main focus of the film, the story appearing to be a 'cheesy' or stereotypical romance. This is exaggerated to the extent that it is almost a parody, it appears to be used for comedic effect - given that the boy doesn't enjoy the aspect of it being a 'kissing book'.
The characters in the book - Wesley and Buttercup - continuously gaze at one another and Wesley repeats the phrase "As you wish", which is apparently his way of saying "I love you". The slow music helps indicate the romantic aspect of the film, it is calm and uplifting in an effort to get the audience to hope the two "live happily ever after". The use of long duration shots slows the pace of the film and also indicates the 'loving gazes' of the two characters; there appears to be very little use of red, which usually symbolises love, however there is a shot of the two silhouetted in the sunset, kissing each other. This does adhere to the conventions discussed prior, to a degree, as boy and girl do meet and fall in love although they do kiss prior to the end.
In terms of how people are represented, we clearly see both the young and old stereotyped. The young boy's room indicates his interests but they are notably modern (at the time) in contrast to his grandfather's interests - i.e. books. There is a clear divide in terms of what each age group deems entertaining and we can clearly see the boy become exasperated and bored at the aspect of adult themes - such as romance - in the book; the grandfather even talks about how he "didn't have TV" but instead he had books. The old are typically presented as 'boring' or unable to adjust to modern technology/disapproving of it, meanwhile the young seem to have a lack of interest in older objects as they are (again) 'boring' or inferior forms of entertainment; the disconnection between the two at the beginning is shown by the boy's lack of interest, through his mocking demeanour/dialogue and his bored facial expressions - the grandfather clearly disregarding this and proceeding to read the story as a tradition, having read it to his own son when he was ill.
The opening is clearly useful in giving exposition on the events within the book and even introduces characters that can comment on the events, in order to connect with the audience and provide comic relief, however it doesn't necessarily credit the appropriate people involved. This may be in order to better immerse the audience or simply allow more focus on the plot.
I have improved from my prior video, Numbers, as I have clearly adhered to the conventions of continuity - which was an issue before. I've met the criteria that I was set for the project by including: an action match shot, use of shot/reverse shot, and focused on maintaining the 180 degree rule. However, in terms of use I feel that the action match shot could have been more effective had it been used with the handing over of the 'Flash Drive'.
Similarly, in terms of effectiveness, the shot/reverse shot could have included more variation; I originally planned to add a long shot of the two characters talking, which would have been an issue given that I recorded the actors separately. However, I planned to crop the two shots together in order to make them appear as one solid shot, the issue was that on my second shooting the camera was slighty out of place and so the shots wouldn't have matched up. I decided to go back and edit my video to improve it, based upon the issues I discovered:
Another issue that I identified was audio, the music seemed to be louder than the dialogue despite how I faded it. I decided to alter the volume of the music and the dialogue, even altering the fades for the music. As seen below, I also tidied up the audio files as I origniallly used 4 separate spaces for audio; pinpointing the fades and matching them up was then made easier by this.
Visually I felt as though the sequence worked, it felt realistic which contrasted to the use of meta comedy in order to make the video funnier - maybe even improving the effect of the use of the 'Flash Drive' as that is not what one looks like, it is instead a car and a torch for visual humour. Although I don't think the credits worked well; adding the credits at the end on a single slide seemed lazy or clumsy. Furthermore, the begining felt empty as it was a single shot of a corridor, so I decided to include the credits at the beginning. Given my new knowledge of the conventions of title sequences, I decided to also include some still images to break up the start - adding the credits in order on the images. Improved Continuity Video
To my own knowledge, there seems to be some conventions that are shown throughout multiple films however I am not entirely sure I know all of the features or why they occur; the final piece is supposed to be a film opening that I have created - which adheres to the conventions I discover in relation to a 'good film' or 'good opening title'. Distributors and Production Studios From my own knowledge, I am aware that distributors and studios will add their icons/logos at the beginning of an opening title sequences. However, Wikipedia notes that usually Distribution companies show their icons first, followed by the Production companies'. The film Blitz for example, shows this: Lions Gate is the distributor and so is credited first, followed by Davis Films who is the studio that produced the film. This is shown in the link provided below:
Here is a list of a few Production companies and Distribution companies:
Paramount Pictures - Production and Distribution
Warner Bros. - Production and Distribution
Columbia Pictures - Production and Distribution
Lions Gate - Distribution
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) - Production and Distribution
Universal Pictures - Production
Disney Pixar - Production
Davis Films - Production
Conglomerates
Some are known as conglomerates which is a multi-industry company; a company that works in multiple forms of media can be counted as a conglomerate i.e. being involved in television, film, gaming and music (or any combination of two or more). For example, Time Warner is the main company responsible for Warner Bros. as well as TT Games.
The order of credits, according to Wikipedia:
(NAME OF THE STUDIO) or (NAME OF THE STUDIO) PRESENTS
(NAME OF THE PRODUCTION COMPANY)
POSSESSORY CREDIT/S (A [name of director] FILM)
STARRING (MAIN ACTORS)
(FILM'S TITLE)
FEATURING or WITH or ALSO STARRING (MORE ACTORS)
CASTING or CASTING BY
MUSIC or MUSIC COMPOSED BY or ORIGINAL SCORE BY
PRODUCTION DESIGN or PRODUCTION DESIGNER
EDITOR or EDITED BY
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
PRODUCER or PRODUCED BY, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
BASED ON [INSERT SUBJECT]
(SCREEN) STORY or STORY BY
WRITER(S) or WRITTEN BY or SCREENPLAY or SCREENPLAY BY
