Daniel Stringers Evaluation

Q1.In what ways does your media opening title sequence use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real opening title sequences?

Our opening sequence is based on the horror/thriller genre, this is conveyed through fast paced flashing images, murder and torture with fast paced music.

Our opening follows the forms and conventions of a real media product by presenting main characters, names, themes that will run through the sequence, titles, introducing music of a same genre and our opening relates to the title, however we feel it don't challenge the forms and conventions of a real media product.

Not every horror/thriller is the same and is portrayed in a different way and that is the case for ours, but you still can recognise the obvious themes that run through our sequence and through a typical horror/thriller:

· Murder
· Torture/Punishment
· Vengance/evil deeds (hence the title 'Retribution')

Q2.How does your opening title sequence represent particular social groups?

I don’t believe our opening title sequence does represent a particular social group.

Q3.What kind of media institution might distribute your opening title sequence and why?

Without proper filming cameras the quality is not as good and being an opening sequence that was created on money from a small piggy bank I think it will struggle to make it to the golden globes or Baftas never the less maybe a small scale institution may distribute it on a small scale and could become an opening sequence with a good status, I think that could be a possibility, maybe, very small chance, minute.
Distribution would expose our product and therefore gain a bigger audience, this is the case for bigger productions like Hollywood blockbusters.

Q4.Who would be the audience for your opening sequence?

International, I don't think so, our audience would or could range from 16-35 depending on your taste or liking and short films, opening sequences should or could be a passion for some people. I also feel that this is the same for the gender of the person, male or female its down to what you like however I feel that this sequence would appeal to most people.
We feel this because every one likes a good scare or to be frightened it's more exciting no one really likes a dopey love story especially the younger generation its more war, fighting and horror.

Q5.How did you attract/address your audience?

We felt that grasping a persons or audiences attention was the most important, getting them interested was a main priority as well as creating a good title sequence obviously. so we got their attention by creating scary thought with flashing images, and sound which is something you can create a mental picture out of. So for example at the end of our sequence there is a sound of someone getting tortured, no images just sound and we felt that would be great because they would just think 'what the hell' at the end and can't the mental pictures out of their head.
We also used fears as central and suspense in music to attract audiences.

Q6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this opening sequence?

I haven't really learnt anything about the camera or the tripod which the camera attaches to due to previous experience.
However once the filming had finished we had to edit and that was the biggest lesson as I had no knowledge of final cut pro which was the main software that we used. Final cut was great it had so many effects to use which overall created a better final piece.

E-blogger was another thing I had never heard of as well as used, but I quickly grasped the nack of it and found it ten times easier to record work and progress on than a sketch book.

We overall had no problems with the technology it was simple and all the shots were done in one day to keep continuity.

Q7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progress from it to the full product?

Since the continuity task we have learnt loads especially in different shot techniques and camera angles and our dialogue was all improvised and there was no script at all due to doing it straight away on the day we got it, but found it simple and good fun.

Soon after planning was in process for our opening sequence, then storyboards were drawn up and photos were taken of it and a cinematic was made which is now on our blog.

This was good because it gave us a plan to follow and the real thing didn't turn out any different and making the decision on the location and what it should look like was easy, dark, gloomy and deserted and we found the perfect place but it was getting a chance to film in there was tricky because drama productions and props were in there and when it came to using the room it had to be in one day because we didn't know when we would get to use it again and we wanted to get continuity.

Re-shooting was important, to iron out and creases and for a two second bit in our sequence we must of re-shot about ten times to get it right.

The continuity task made us realise stuff about sound and movement and that a tripod is important!! We also realised that the opening sequence is going to be a lot harder.

Overall this was great fun but very time consuming especially in the editing stages but in the end its worth it and we would do it again.

The editing process

We edited yesterday and nearly completed the sequence, final cut is the best!! We used a variety of techniques, fade in and out, layering and others which we can't remember and is looking better than we thought. We added sound and text but still to complete the text and a few other things.

The music choices:

This is an anamatic of our storyboard which is a guide of what we hope to achieve. Editing has yet to commence fully but is uploaded and ready to GO!!!

Story Boards and Post Mortem Photo's

Malcom George Smith the geezar at the top played a vital role in our production he is like the george clooney of the after life now!! anyway those photos were important because with out them we would have an opening sequence. We thought that using them photos would create a great opening thriller/horror.

We had only one day to shoot the scenes this was so we could keep the same room (which was a dark drama room) and lighting, and seeing we didn't have a great big cast the scenes didnt take long to film, however we had many shots to do and editing will be tricky and take a lot of time.

The props:

• Fake gun
• scissors
• Fake blood
• post mortem photos
• scalple
• lamp
• table

location shot:

Continuity task

Opening Title Sequences

Saul Bass

Saul Bass is an Award winning film maker, but is best known for his animated motion picture title sequences.

During his 40 year career he worked for some of hollywoods best filmmakers, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick and Martin Scorsese. Saul bass was born on the 8th of may 1920 in new york. He began his time in hollywood doing print work for film ads, until he collaborated with film maker Otto Preminger to design the movie poster for his 1954 film Carmen jones. Otto Preminger was so impressed by Saul's work Otto asked him to do the title sequence as well.

Here are a few of his;

Around the World in Eighty Days (1956)
Vertigo (1958)
Anatomy of a Murder (1958)
The Big Country (1958)
North by Northwest (1959)
Psycho (1960)
Spartacus (1960)
Exodus (1960)

Ocean's Eleven (1960)
Big (1988)
The War of the Roses (1989)

Goodfellas (1990)
Cape Fear (1991)
Age of Innocence (1993)
Casino (1995)

This video is of Saul Bass talking about his title sequences.