THRILLER TITLE SEQUENCE FINAL EDIT

Animatic - evaluation skills development

'Never Alone' Review

After our premiere screening of 'Never Alone', I asked a number of people who had also watched the film what they had thought of it. This was essential for me to see whether the decisions our group made in terms of camera shots, sound and editing.

Miguel said: "It had a slow effective pace which gaves it tension where the audience was kept in confusion as to what was going on therefore there was a high climax making it fully attracting at the end"

Chino said: "I think that your sequence built up a lot of tension as more of the opening was revealed. The use of cross cutting of both your characters were also effective and i thought that the soundtrack contributed to the thrilling aspect.

Nicole said: "I thought 'Never Alone' was really good in creating tension especially through the cross-cutting. The soundtack worked well because it matched what was going onscreen. the match cuts were really sophisicated.

Tsharna said: "I thought 'Never Alone' was good and created suspense. I liked the music and thought it went well overall with what was going on as the editing really influenced this".

Tania said: " 'Never Alone' had many match cuts in it, where the music helped create tension and the unexpected happens when you least expect it to. The beginning shares normality with the two friends and I think the end cliffhanger was a very good idea".

i think these views helped me to see where i could improve on the sequence if there was any more time available to develop this further.

Evaluation: Progression from it to Full Product

Looking back on the preliminary tasks, I feel that I have improved in terms of capturing camera movement and editing the footage. According to the 'The Sign', our group had to deliver a sequence where we had to use a range of shots, angles and the overall appearance of the footage. Whilst filming, it was very hard to capture the shots in a short amount of time as we had to shoot scenes over mainly because of it being out of focus. Lighting was a bit of an issue as filming in the classroom, the lights were quite low causing for the production to look quite blurry at times. In terms of filming our sequence, we encountered major weather problems where the weather was constantly changing from sunny to raining. This meant that in the car scenes, the lighting would change from quite glaring to showing drizzle of rain on the windows. However, whilst watching the sequence in the premiere allowed us to see that the change of lighting and weather didn't make much of a difference. In a way, it showed that time had changed where in the next scene, it denotes Catherine calling Stephanie. This proved to be successful where it create suspense for the audience as they 'wait' for answers.
I feel that from shooting the 'Never Alone', we had learned more on time management in terms of getting the outside shots filmed in one day. This was very hard for us as we had to film scenes a couple of times. it also encouraged to shoot scenes relevant to the storyline and feature a range of shots and angles. When editing 'The Sign', we were unsure how to edit correctly as we were new users of the software. Whereas now, when editing for 'Never Alone', we were able to execute match cuts and close-ups more evidently.
For example, in Marathon Man, at the beginning of the sequence, a series of close-ups and tracking shots were used to display the lead character jogging which can be linked to the name of the film. It sets the audience to believe that someone may be running from something and the way that this is executed allows the audience to want to watch the whole film.

Rough Cut of 'Never Alone'

The rough cut video shows the planned footage which is going to be featured in the completed title sequence. However, the rough cut shows the alternative production than planned as we were not able to use the underground car park in my area. We have had to create an illusion where Estefanie can be seen going around the corner towards the car park through a series of 2 shots. This worked very well as the audience was able to familiarise themselves with the setting which allowed them to position themselves with the characters. As shown, there is no music or credits added which are yet to be developed. The idea is to make the sounds and titles correspond with the footage making it visually interesting for the audience to watch. The footage was shot over a course of 2 days with one day for the outside footage with the car and another day for the inside shoots. It was very hard to shoot the outside shoots in one day as it was only available during that day. I underestimated the amount of time and effort needed to make a 2 minute clip and by having a back-up plan allowed us to adapt to the change quickly.

Evaluation: Asleep (Student Thriller Sequence)

This sequence recieved moderate success on YouTube with 7,886 hits. As being an American production, this is shown with Mise-En-Scene with establishing shots placing the audience in America. The setting is involved with empty, long-winded roads, different environment from the British culture.

I think this sequence is very successful as being a thriller sequence, because it features slides with rhetorical questions leading the audience to want to watch more. The black background with white, bold capital letters allows the audience to focus fully on the words. The twinkling, non-diegetic music in the background gradually increases tension until that final 'bang' which suddenly changes the overall tone.
The use of handheld camera movement makes the audience feel they are part of the action. It also adds to the tension where something bad is bound to happen. I think the credits shown at the end of the sequence provides the illusion that it's going to be shown in cinemas possibly. Overall, I think that the sequence is very successful in grabbing the audience's attention by using the conventions of a thriller to do this. For example, the tProxy-Connection: keep-alive
Cache-Control: max-age=0

sion builds with the non-diegetic music and the action where the lead character realises that there was no one around apart from him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gwcg18UduKg

Evaluation: Media Institution and Attracting the Audience

In our title sequence, we decided to use Working Title 2 to distribute the film because the sequence consists of British-like imagery whcih portrays the British culture. The two main characters in the sequence both represent typical British girls consisting of make-up and high heels. From this, the audience is able to grasp the typical British culture and can try to guess the storyline to fit against this. The sequence is set in an urban environment where the audience is instantly able to see that this is set in Britain.
To gain a larger audience in terms of people viewing the title sequence, I would embed it onto Vimeo where users can view the video and post comments. If we had more time to complete the sequence, we could use these comments to improve. Once gaining moderate success, I would post it onto blogs such as Twitter and Tumblr where the video can be shared amongst others more quickly. Facebook is the most used social network where by posting the sequence can allow people to comment on it. Ideally, I would post the video to 250 friends and if they 'like' it, I would encourage them to post it to their 250 friends and so forth. This makes it easier for people to access it, where in a number of days, a large amount of people have already watched the film. It also makes it easier for the video to become successful, where they can ultimately transfer it onto YouTube gaining a screen viewing from people all around the world.
I would also exhibit the sequence in different film festivals such as the London Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival (in France), Tribeca (in New York) and Sundance (cinema festival in Utah). The new material grabs a great audience for the film because more people can watch it easily.

http://www.facebook.com/index.php?lh=763847c81793d1d2f4e20c70e87c9e5f&eu=ByAhWbRgYRpKwmZ_pGA53g

http://twitter.com/

http://www.tumblr.com/why-tumblr

ASLEEP (example of a thriller film sequence)

STORYBOARD

this animated storyboard was our original plan for our thriller title sequence.

This storyboard was our initial plan with only one character. We developed it by adding another character as we found that it was too short and pretty boring by watching someone walk to their car. It would have worked well if we were able to film inside an underground car park but it was restricted because of the privacy reasons with the plate numbers.

'Never Alone' Thriller Title Sequence

Evaluation: Representation of Media Product to Social Groups

This still is taken from 'Marathon Man' where the main character played by Dustin Hoffman is displayed running. This is used as an establishing shot where the audience is immediately introduced to an urban environment. In contrast, we had used Estefanie walking towards the car as an establishing shot to introduce the audience to the setting.

He is blurrly seen wearing a black tracktop and grey tracksuit bottoms which could represent that he is a keen runner. On the other hand, in our sequence, Estefanie is seen dressed in smart, yet casual clothing. It allows the audience to see what kind of type of character she is as the high heels suggest she may be at university or even working. Linking to the target audience, this allows them to easily reference themselves towards her in terms of the age group and the activities she likes to do. Her presentation could show that she comes from the middle-class as she has a smart-like presence. These two characters can be linked because they both represent the young-adult category where this type of audience can relate to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zp_ESOSRtM

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074860/

EVALUATION: Comparison between 'Never Alone' & Real Media Product

In the first still of the 'Touch of Evil' sequence, a time bomb is used as a key prop which could be a essential part of the plot. in our sequence, the car key was used to open the car which Estefanie had used. in both sequences, they are both seen in a close-up to draw the audience into the character and the prop. This leads her to be seen as a protagonist as she goes about her everyday life.

'Touch of Evil' is set in an urban environment depicting of suburban streets likewise to our sequence, Estefanie is walking from her house to the car showing the audience the type of environment that she lives in. This is used as establishing shots where the audience is immediately introduced to the setting of the film.

In our sequence, close-ups are used to draw the audience to a particular detail. For example, where Catherine is calling Estefanie to see where she is. This leads the audience to simplify with her and possibly work out where she might be. This encourages the audience to be drawn into the storyline. Another close-up which we used in our title sequence was when Estefanie was looking into the rear mirror where it could lead the audience to believe that someone may be behind her that she may not know about. Evidently, this creates suspense allowing the audience to 'want' to see more. It also establishes her mood where close-ups are great for displaying the overall tone of the film. Likewise, in 'Touch of Evil', the last still shows two people looking in the left direction where the lady looks apprehensive and scared as she clings onto the man. This creates suspense as the audience is eager to know why she is looking so scared.

http://www.artofthetitle.com/2009/11/02/single-take-titles-part-1-the-classics/

Evaluation: MONTAGE!!

Chanel is your typical 17 year old girl who loves shoppieng especially designers. She ifnds any opportunity to have a night out through clubbing or house parties.She regularly shops in high-street brands such as TopShop and Miss Selfridge. However, she does have a mature side to her where she is currently in college studying A-Levels in English, Media and Sociology. She spends most of her time at home on the Internet, studying or watching American sitcoms.
She likes going to the cinema to watch romantic comedies, horror and thriller movies because she likes to understand the plot. Like any other teenage girl, she enjoys putting on make-up to make herself feel good and this clarifies her class as the products she goes for are pricey.
Our thriller sequence for 'Never Alone' would suit to her as she can relate to the lead characters of the sequence making it easily for her to attract herself to the plot. Suspense and tension can be built easily towards her because she is already interested with the storyline, she would want to know what is happening next.

Evaluation: Thriller Title Sequence- Word Cloud

I had a private screening between me and my colleagues where they were able to evaluate and judge my title sequence. This gave me a chnace to be able to hear opinions from other people who werent invoved in the production process. Some of the questions that were asked: 'Describe in 5 words that links you to the film?' and 'What do you think could have been improved in the sequence?'

Words that stood out to me was: Suspenseful, Spooky, Dangerous and Tense. This is because I feel that these components (which are used effectively) can make a successful thriller film which aims to shock and stun the audience. This word cloud sums up the key factors of the title sequence and allows me to see how the audience had understood the plot.

Thriller Title Sequence Feedback

Prelim Task: Bag Swap

The aim of this task was to portray a bag swap swiftly using a range of shots and angles to incorporate this and with the added knowledge of Final Cut Pro, Soundtrack Pro and LiveType to make a all-rounded extract.
At the beginning of the clip, the credits highlighting the productions of the film is displayed in purple writing across a black background. At this point, we can hear non-diegetic sound of piano keys playing. This sets in place the mood for the scene where it could suggest something sombre is going to happen. Two shots show the two characters bump into each other from two different angles. The audience can reinforce the sudden change in mood of the scene where they are seen to have swapped bags as they bump into each other. A mid close up shot of the characters' feet are shown moving into a long shot as they walk into the distance unaware of the bag change. The sequence ends with a black background where the background music can still be heard.
All in all, the clip used a range of shots to portray a simple sequence of a bag swap. I think that in terms of the filming, we should have filmed the scenes a couple of times so that when it came to editing, no changes in lighting would have been seen. As in the middle of the clip, during the bag swap, the lighting changes to a lighter tone which could suggest that time has passed at a rapid rate. In circumstances of this, the weather had lit up as the sun appeared as before it was slightly cloudy. Also, the credits should have been more visible so the audience are able to see it clearly.

PITCH for our title sequence

'NEVER ALONE' Location Shots

The shots show the image of one of the co-stars who feature in “Never Alone”. These images show the area surrounding the underground car park. The idea was a woman becoming vulnerable in a dark, underground environment as she and the audience, are unable to find out the person who is lurking in the background. The underground car park was originally used in our storyboard but this became unavailable due to our time to film the sequence. Showing an urban setting, this could leave the audience to suggest the type of plots which could be associated with the woman featured in the images.The first image denotes a close-up of a woman walking down stairs looking straight ahead. She is wearing smart yet casual clothing consisting of a grey blazer jacket, navy floral top, navy jeans and black heels accompanied with a black bag. This suggests the status if the woman as it deprives a common stereotype of women being able to spend time on their appearance. The second and third image denotes close-ups of the woman’s feet establishing the movement towards the car park. This acts as establishing shots as it leaves the audience settled to the environment and displays the overall mood of the scene. The last image denotes the woman walking down the stairs which could connote her vulnerability towards her surroundings. This would have been portrayed in the car park where both images would have been linked leading for tension to occur as the audience would wonder about the cause of her innocence and how this would be portrayed.

Planning Preliminary Match Cut exercise with Storyboard

THE SIGN

This exercise was used to successfully create match cuts which were delusional to the human eye to make a simple situation become more suspicious and suspenseful. In this clip, we chose to use the idea of a teacher and pupil conversation to show this. By using match cuts in a thriller, it allows the audience to follow every step of each character in terms of expressions, emotions as well as in some cases, hear their opinion on a particular topic. This, therefore enables the audience to connect with the plot and engage with the character.

The clip begins with a woman typing on the computer taken from a high angle shot to position the audience with the setting followed by a close-up of her nails to reinforce this. A cut is used to display a pupil outside the door knocking for permision to be let in. From this scenes, the audience is aware that the woman is a teacher where the audience is left waiting to see what happens.

A match cut is used here to show the pupil knocking on the door to the audience being placed inside the classroom with a close-up of the door handle turning. This match cut is used to portray the statuses of the two characters, where in thrillers, this could display as suspense. A panning shot is used to show the pupil giving some note to the teacher, where this can be seen in full detail with a close-up of the teacher recieving it. From this, we can see the apprehension of the pupil giving the note which could suggest to the audience that something bad is going to happen. There are a series of match-cuts to address the conversation where the audience is able to see the overall mood and the feelings they have. At the end of the clip, we can hear the diegetic sound of a door knock where the audience is left wanting to see the teacher's reaction. This creates suspense as the door knock is placed in the same time as the teacher waits to hear a response. This idea could be used in thrillers to create tension where it leads the viewer to think that something is going to happen and could change the mood of the scene.

In general, I think 'The Sign' captured the match-cut shots carefully to where the clip has a gradual flow in terms of the feelings of the characters. It creates suspense and tension easily and allows the audience to grasp onto the storyline.

Prelim Task: Bag Swap