After many hard weeks of preparation and great team work we developed a great title sequence. I am proud in all of us. Here it is....
Intro
Hello, my name is Isaac Harvey and this my Media Studies Blog. I am a media student doing the AS level at Seven Kings High School. In this blog I shall be showing you how much Planning, Shooting, Editing and Feedback it takes to make a good Title Sequence of a film. Hope you enjoy and hope you learn something in the process.
My Evaluation!!
Monday, 23 April 2012
Thursday, 22 March 2012
Storyboard
Here is our storyboard!
As a team we valued and incorporated each other’s ideas
to create this storyboard.
Sunday, 26 February 2012
What was good about my work and what could be improved?
This is my own final edit.
The recommended improvements were:
After showing my own title sequence edit to the class they gave me feedback on what was good and what I needed to be improved.
The Good Points were:
· Good use of split screen.
· Good range of shots.
· My title sequence told a story (it was not confusing).
· The shots lasted the right amount of time to keep the interest of the audience (they were not too long or too short).
· Narrative put together.
· The soundtrack was well suited to the story, especially the drums at the end.
· Good use of heartbeat sound effect.
· The title sequences were in good positions.
The recommended improvements were:
· Maybe not focus on the brain so much.
· Title sequence could be spaced out more.
My teacher thought that my title sequence was definitely in the higher levels (level 3-4).
Friday, 24 February 2012
Shooting Schedule
For our title sequence we had to make sure that we made a shoot schedule as we wanted to be on track. So here is a rough copy of our shooting schedule:
Mostly all of our shots were in the same room, so we managed to get it all done within three hours. This meant we had more time to edit our work and make it look good. So we didn’t really go by the schedule.
(Sorry that it’s vertical and the last page is meant to be blank).
Mostly all of our shots were in the same room, so we managed to get it all done within three hours. This meant we had more time to edit our work and make it look good. So we didn’t really go by the schedule.
Friday, 10 February 2012
Special effects
The illusions used in the film, television, theatre, or entertainment industries to simulate the imagined events in a story are traditionally called special effects (often abbreviated as SFX. Special effects are traditionally divided into the categories of optical effects and mechanical effects.
Optical effects (also called photographic effects) – are techniques in which images or film frames are created photographically, either "in-camera" using multiple exposure, mattes, or the Schüfftan process, or in post-production processes using an optical printer. An optical effect might be used to place actors or sets against a different background.
Mechanical effects (also called practical or physical effects) – are usually accomplished during the live-action shooting. This includes the use of mechanized props, scenery, scale models, pyrotechnics and Atmospheric Effects: creating physical wind, rain, fog, snow, clouds etc. Making a car appear to drive by itself, or blowing up a building are examples of mechanical effects.
For our film we don’t really need special effects as it will be inside and not much will be going on. If we was going to use effects we wouldn’t need effects such as blowing up a building or creating psychical wind because if we were going to use then it would change the genre and we don’t want that to happen. I think that it’s best not to use special effects in this type of movie genre, unless it’s necessary.
FunkDigit
One day last week our school organised a media conference where other schools were invited to join in with us. During the conference we met someone who worked for a company called Funk Digit. This company produces videos and adverts for other companies who want to advertise their products. This link shall explain in more detail of what the company does.
During his speech he explained to us in detail how important it is to plan as it helps structure what you are going to do so that you do not get confused. From this I realised I need to do a lot of research so that our title sequence was the best it could be.
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
Beachcombing
I don’t really know the correct definition because I can’t find it anywhere but from my knowledge I know it’s about getting ideas together and expanding on it. This video shall explain in more detail of what it is:
From seeing this I can see how ideas are found and developed to be much better. If I do this then I shall get enhanced ideas to contribute to my group to make a better title sequence.
Camera shots
These are the different shots needed for our title sequence:
Shot 1 – We wanted a medium shot of a box being lifted by the antagonist but just the hands because we wanted to create many enigmas.
Shot 2 – Next we wanted a medium shot of box being put down on a table, again not showing the antagonist.
Shot 3 – Medium shot of box being cut open slowly, for this we needed the antagonist to be aggressive but slow as we don’t want to change the mood. We planned for the antagonist to aggressively open the box by stabbing it but then to slowly drag the knife across.
Shot 4 – Same as before a medium shot of box being cut open slowly but this time with white powder on it. We wanted to see if having the powder would make a good effect or not.
Shot 5 – There shall be a close up of knife being slammed onto the table to show that the antagonist isn’t messing around.
Shot 6 – The next shot shall be a long shot of antagonist taking newspaper out of the box. We shall being having the newspaper torn up so that it looks like there is loads of paper. We also had to make sure that the antagonist didn’t just take the paper out normally because it would of changed the mood, so when filming we had to decide how it was going to be done.
Shot 7 – After this we wanted a medium shot of antagonist taking items out of the box, to show the audience what was in there.
Shot 8 – We decided to have a close up shot of the antagonist holding a specific object with liquid in it, by having this shot will allow the audience to get a clearer picture of one of the objects.
Shot 9 – 12 –We wanted the antagonist putting objects onto table so we decided to have a medium shot of this. We would have a cut between each item being put on the table in case it didn’t look good to put it all in one shot.
Shot 13 – Next we wanted a medium shot of food colouring being mixed with water by the antagonist. Hopefully this would create enigmas as the audience would wonder why the antagonist is making a mixture.
Shot 14 – We then wanted a close up of antagonist taking lid of container by twisting it. This would allow the audience to get a better see at one of the items.
Shot 15 – Straight after we wanted a close up of antagonist taking the blue powder out of the container this would make the audience question on what the powder is for.
Shot 16 – We wanted to show the blue powder being added to the blue liquid by the antagonist, so we decided to have a medium shot for this.
Shot 17 – We then decided to have an extreme close up of liquid being sucked up into a syringe by the antagonist. This was to make that the audience was able to see clearer as any other shot and it would have been harder to see.
Shot 18 – Next we wanted another extreme close up but this time of liquid being squirted out of syringe.
Shot 19 – Afterwards we decided to have an over the shoulder shot of the antagonist looking at the protagonist chained up. In this shot we wanted the antagonist holding the syringe in their right hand while the protagonist is looking scared.
Shot 20 – We then wanted a closer shot of protagonist chained up so we thought a medium shot was a good option.
Shot 21 – After this we decided that we would have a close up of protagonist’s face. By having this shot the audience could see how the protagonist is feeling.
Shot 22 – We thought an extreme close up of protagonist’s hand shaking was a good idea next. This is because we wanted to show how much distress the protagonist is in.
Shot 23 – Same as before an extreme close up of protagonist’s hand shaking but this time with flashing light. We wanted to see if it gave a better effect or not.
Shot 24 – Same again but this time we wanted an extreme close up of protagonist’s hand trying to break free.
Shot 25 – Close up of protagonist’s feet in distress and light flashing.
Shot 26 – Next we wanted an extreme close up of protagonist’s eyes looking around. This would create enigmas as the audience would be wandering; why is he looking around? Is he looking for an escape?
Shot 27 – Afterwards we decided to have a close up of antagonist’s feet taking a step, from the side. This is to show that the antagonist is getting closer.
Shot 28 – We then thought of having a medium shot to a long shot of antagonist’s back walking away from camera. Again to show that the antagonist is getting closer and also it would look better than following the antagonist because the camera may get moved around so that it may be hard to see. So we thought having it still would be much better.
Shot 29 – Medium shot of antagonist’s arm quickly coming into shot.
Shot 30 – Next we decided to have a close up of protagonist’s face whilst antagonist holds knife to neck. By having this it kind of changes the mood to an action as there is a weapon used to show that there may be some sort of violence.
Shot 31 – We then thought of having a two shot showing the antagonist shaking around the protagonist. To show that the protagonist is getting restless and the antagonist is trying to calm him down.
Shot 32 – Close up of antagonist putting syringe in protagonist’s mouth. In this shot we wanted the protagonist to try and struggle to get the syringe out of his mouth.
Shot 33 – We then wanted another close up but this time of the syringe squirting out liquid by the antagonist, we wanted to seem that the liquid was going in to the protagonist’s mouth.
Shot 34 – We wanted a shot of the protagonist passing out slowly, so my group and I decided to have a close up of this because having it this way meant that the audience could see it better.
Shot 35 – 36 – We decided to have a medium shot and an extreme close up of protagonist looking dazed and confused. After looking dazed and confused we decided to have the protagonist faint as well, this was to show that the potion that was given to him has taken affect.
Shot 37 – In this next shot we wanted the audience to have a shock. A close up of antagonist’s face quickly turning around. What the main shock about this shot is that it’s a woman’s face, as most people would think that it’s a man. This is why we didn’t show much of the antagonist (We got this inspiration from Se7en's title sequence).
Shot 38 – 41 – Close ups of writing in magazines and books, these shots are going to show what the antagonist maybe planning.
Shot 42 – Close up of book opening from above.
Shot 43 – 45 – Extreme close ups of writing in book and finger going through certain words, same again, to show what the antagonist maybe planning.
Shot 46 – 50 – Close up of Google searching ‘psychological manipulation tactics’. For this we wanted to show the audience hints of what may be happening.
Shot 51 – 54 – Again the same as before but this time close up of Google images searching ‘live brains’.
Shot 55 – For the last shot we wanted a close up of turning on a radio. We wanted this because after the protagonist was given the mixture we wanted him to be triggered by something and one of our ideas was music so this is why we used a radio.
From this I realised that we have used most of the shots. This means the audience won’t get bored watching the same shots used as they is a selection.
Sunday, 5 February 2012
Film Actors and Costume
Since the theme of the film was thriller we wanted one of our actors to play as a mad scientist. So I researched this in more detail.
Mad scientist -A mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction the mad scientist may be villainous or antagonistic, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes.
From reading this I had to make sure that the actor was able to play the role of the mad scientist otherwise it would not have gone well. I researched different scientists / mad scientists to get a better picture; women and men.
The Nutty Professor - At the fictional Wellman College, thousands of hamsters are overrunning the entire campus, causing general chaos. This is due to Professor Sherman Klump (Eddie Murphy) accidentally releasing them by grazing the switch that opens the hamster’s cages. Meanwhile, Sherman has constructed an experimental formula that reconstructs the DNA of an obese person in a way that will allow them to lose weight more easily.
I have not watched this film before, neither have I watched the original but a member of staff from school has watched it and she told me about the professor in this film. ’Sherman Klump was a friendly, scatter brained overweight college professor, who was made fun of by students and staff’. After being told this I realised this was not the right kind of mad scientist that I wanted, Sherman Klump was humorous and a figure of fun. We wanted a more sinister and evil character.
Albert Einstein - was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, affecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history. He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his services to theoretical physics and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect”. The latter was pivotal in establishing quantum theory within physics.
Even though Albert Einstein isn’t a movie or has been in a movie we can still get inspiration from the way he looks. When he was young he looked like any normal scientist but when he got older he looked like a mad scientist and this is what we needed. What really makes Einstein look mad is the hair, this is because it’s sticking up and it’s not usual to normal life. Still not the kind we wanted even though the appearance is good.
Kill Bill vol 1 - The Bride wakes up after a long coma.
The baby that she carried before entering the coma is gone. The only thing on
her mind is to have revenge on the assassination team that betrayed her - a
team she was once part of.
From this we knew what our scientist had to look along these lines.
Also with our Scientist we decided to have a woman to
play the act. One of the reasons of this was because it would have created many
enigmas; this would have been surprising to the audience to see a woman. Our main inspiration for this was from the
film Kill Bill vol 1.
The main character in Kill Bill is a woman and she is
seeking revenge; we got a big inspiration from this because of the way that the
woman is the main character. Also because she is a woman, girls would be able
to relate to her better.
From this we knew what our scientist had to look along these lines.
We also wanted a protagonist who could relate to our target audience. We wanted someone who is a young male because our main target audience is teenage boys and we wanted them to relate with this character as he will be young, also teenage girls may relate to this character because since he shall be young he should look good and girls seem to like young men in films. Here are some young males in films who are very popular:
Zac Efron - is an American actor. He began acting professionally in the early 2000s and became known with his lead roles in the Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical, the WB series Summerland, and the 2007 film version of the Broadway musical Hairspray. Efron has since starred in the films 17 Again, Me and Orson Welles, Charlie St. Cloud, and New Year's Eve, and is due to star in The Lucky One.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zac_efron
I have seen Zac Efron in the film High School Musical while at the cinema. Every single time he appeared the girls in the cinema would scream as if he was actually there. So to attract the female audience I realise that we need someone that girls would be attracted to. Also, it may have attracted boys because since he gets the ‘ladies’ boys may get an inspiration from him.
I have seen Zac Efron in the film High School Musical while at the cinema. Every single time he appeared the girls in the cinema would scream as if he was actually there. So to attract the female audience I realise that we need someone that girls would be attracted to. Also, it may have attracted boys because since he gets the ‘ladies’ boys may get an inspiration from him.
Taylor Lautner - is an American actor, voice actor, model, and martial artist. After as a child Lautner soon thereafter began his acting career, appearing in bit roles in comedy series such as The Bernie Mac Show (2003) and My Wife and Kids (2004), before having voice roles in television series like What's New, Scooby-Doo? (2005) and Danny Phantom (2005). In 2005, he appeared in the film Cheaper by the Dozen 2 and starred in The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D. Lautner got his big break when he was cast as Jacob Black in The Twilight Saga film series, beginning with the first film, Twilight (2008). Lautner returned for the following two movies, The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010), The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (2011) and is set to appear in the final film of the series, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 in late 2012.
Unfortunately I have seen Twilight, which means I have seen Taylor Lautner. Again it’s the same as Efron all the girls in the cinema just go crazy when they see him (especially when he takes his shirt off).
(I didn’t film this but by watching it, it shows you how crazy girls go when seeing a young male)
So from this I knew what type of person we needed to attract the opposite sex.
These are all the characters needed for our title sequence. I now have a better insight of what our characters should look like.
These are the characters we used for our sequence.
This is our scientist.
And this was our protagonist.
Thursday, 2 February 2012
Soundtrack in more detail
After researching the conventions of a thriller I decided to look into more detail of sound. From what I found out from before was that ‘sound is a very important convention in thriller openings as the different music themes produce a different mood and feel for the films’. So I had to make sure that I got the right type of music.
A great piece of music for building up tension as it stats up slow and then starts to pick up the pace. So this is a good inspiration to use.
We didn’t want music such as this…
…because it’s too happy and jolly because of this it doesn’t fit the thriller genre.
Neither did we want the complete opposite such as…
(sorry if it's bad quality)
(sorry if it's bad quality)
…this is because it’s really slow and calm doesn’t really give the right reaction, unless someone has just died then this song is great for reflecting but not what I’m looking for.
I was thinking that a slow piano would suit as it can be good for a build-up. So I researched thriller type music.
Jaws
A great piece of music for building up tension as it stats up slow and then starts to pick up the pace. So this is a good inspiration to use.
The Shining
This piece doesn’t build up tension but it sounds very sinister, this will help us as we have a mad scientist.
From these I have a better understanding of thriller music, now I shall use this on my own piece.
This is what out final soundtrack sounded like.
This is what out final soundtrack sounded like.
Location
For our title sequence we wanted a dark gloomy setting where a mad scientist was going to carry out an experiment on the protagonist. At first my group and I thought of placing the title sequence in a basement showing the mad scientist making his plans in a dark and gloomy setting. Unfortunately because of my disability I was unable to access a basement and therefore our original plan had to change.
Another good thing about using the drama studio was that the lighting could be changed differently; this helped us as we could play around with the lights and experiment in different ways.
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
My Physical Challenges
I have a condition called LIMB/PELVIC HYPO/APLASIA which means that there is a complete absence of upper limbs, shortened legs with feet of unequal size and a partially formed pelvis.
This means that I am unable to psychically hold a camera and it is difficult to do editing inside of school. However this doesn’t stop me. Even though I can’t hold a camera I still help out by directing my group and getting across my ideas. For editing I have a LSA (An LSA will normally work with a particular pupil or pupils providing close support to the individual pupil and assistance to those responsible for teaching him/her), so when editing a piece of work I tell which ever LSA I have with me what to do. Since I have to do this it means that I may take longer because some have not used programs such as ‘Final Cut’ and I have to explain each time of what to do. If I had this software at home I could do it myself as I can use a laptop at home by myself by using my feet, but since it is quite expensive it is very difficult to acquire one. This still makes me very determined even though there are obstacles in my way.
Sunday, 29 January 2012
Conventions of a Thriller
For us to make a good thriller we had to follow the right conventions, so I searched the sound, editing, mise-en-scene and cinematography for a thriller film. Here is what I found out:
Cinematography - The art or technique of movie photography, including both the shooting and development of the film.
Camera movement is a convention that helps to give a film its “thriller” genre, as different camera angles create different body language and emotions. Thriller films also use camera angles such as close up shots and mid shots.
Editing - To assemble the components of (a film or soundtrack, for example), as by cutting and splicing.
Editing gives films things like quick cuts and cutting on action. These quick cuts can also be seen in films such a psycho, when the female character is in the shower and is getting stabbed there is a lot of fast editing, as it shows different angles of her being stabbed. This makes the film fast paced and makes it tenser.
Sound - The narrow strip at one side of a movie film that carries the sound recording.
Sound is a very important convention in thriller openings as the different music themes produce a different mood and feel for the films. For example jumpy and and quite scary music which are played in each scene, create different atmosphere to a quiet more spooky set of music. Another sound element which is very important is high pitched sounds/orchestral stabs such as screeches.
Mise-en-scene - A stage setting or the arrangement of performers and properties on a stage for a theatrical production or before the camera in a film.
Dark and dull lighting help give the film a gloomy mood and helps to make the audience feel more suspense towards the film. Another thing which also makes the opening off a thriller stick to its thrilling genre is props, as in thriller films there is a lot of sharp objects and weapons like glass, knives, guns etc….
This is the website where I got all the conventions for a thriller:
From these I realise that to make a good thriller, you have to do the right things as shown above.
Saturday, 28 January 2012
Friday, 27 January 2012
Film Classification
Age rating
Since our film was a thriller we had to make sure we chose the right age because not any age might be suitable. So I researched the different ages for films and how they are suitable for the specific age.
bbfc - The British Board of Film Classification is an independent, non-governmental body which has classified cinema films since it was set up in 1912 and videos/ DVDs since the Video Recordings Act was passed in 1984.
This video explains the different age ratings from bbfc:
After knowing about the different ages we decided that our
film would be a classification of '18'. We classified it this age because people
younger than 18 may get easily confused as most thrillers have unexpected turns
and diverse possibilities. Another
reason is our film has psychological parts; children below ‘18’ may not have
learnt this kind of stuff in school which would mean that they wouldn’t
understand. We didn’t rate it a ‘15’ because we didn’t want to show a risk or
harm to individuals through behaviour or society and the use of explicit images
of sexual activity which cannot be justified. Another reason we classified it
this age was because some parts of the full film may have had explicit
violence. We believe that ’18’ is the perfect age for our film.
Thursday, 26 January 2012
Characteristics of a Thriller
A Thriller includes characteristics which are usually evident during most thrillers. I have found that the main characteristics are;
(Red writing = characteristics)
Links where I got the information from:
From these we had to make sure that we followed most of the characteristics to make a great thriller.
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
Action vs Psychological??
We wanted our film to have action as well as a thriller but we didn't want the action to take over. From this we decided to have it but to keep it minor.
Kikujiro - A young, naive boy sets out alone on the road to find his wayward mother. Soon he finds an unlikely protector in a crotchety man and the two have a series of unexpected adventures along the way.
A good film which does have action but keeps it to a minimum is…
Action (movie) - Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes are thrust into a series of challenges that requires physical feats, extended fights and chaotic chases. They occasionally have a resourceful character struggling against unbelievable odds such as, life-threatening situations, an evil villain, and/or being chased in several ways of transportation (car, bus, truck, etc.), with victory achieved at the end after difficult physical efforts and violence.
So we didn't decide to use movies such as…
Ip Man – A semi-biographical account of Yip Man, the first martial arts master to teach the Chinese martial art of Wing Chun.
Even though this film has its action it has too much. So this film isn’t good to use.
Kikujiro - A young, naive boy sets out alone on the road to find his wayward mother. Soon he finds an unlikely protector in a crotchety man and the two have a series of unexpected adventures along the way.
This film I have watched and it’s the total opposite of the film mentioned before. Even though this film has a great story it lacks in action, so again this film isn’t good to use.
A good film which does have action but keeps it to a minimum is…
‘Sunshine’ has great thriller elements which keep you at the edge of your seats and top of it all it has minor action. So this is a great film for getting inspiration.
We also wanted our film to have some psychological aspects to the film. We wanted it same as the action, by this I mean we didn't want the psychological aspects to take over but have it more than the action.
Psychological - of, pertaining to, dealing with, or affecting the mind, especially as a function of awareness, feeling, or motivation: psychological play; psychological effect.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/psychological
This definition explains how we want to use psychology in our title sequence. It would also attract female girls as most like to think while watching a movie.
We also wanted our film to have some psychological aspects to the film. We wanted it same as the action, by this I mean we didn't want the psychological aspects to take over but have it more than the action.
Psychological - of, pertaining to, dealing with, or affecting the mind, especially as a function of awareness, feeling, or motivation: psychological play; psychological effect.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/psychological
This definition explains how we want to use psychology in our title sequence. It would also attract female girls as most like to think while watching a movie.
Sunday, 22 January 2012
Thriller Research
Description of Thriller(s)
The Birds
We wanted ours to create many enigmas and ‘Jaws’ is a perfect example for this.
After watching this, it made me want to watch more as it made many questions come into my head. I wanted to have many questions answered, such as; what’s going on? What is the voice talking about? Where is the location? Why is there a huge bomb exploding?
These are types of films known to promote intense excitement, suspense, a high level of anticipation, a great sense of expectation, uncertainty, anxiety and nerve-wracking tension. If the genre is to be defined strictly, a genuine thriller is a film that continuously pursues a single-minded goal - to provide thrills and keep the audience cliff-hanging at the 'edge of their seats' as the plot builds towards a climax. The tension usually arises when the main character(s) is placed in a terrifying situation, from which escape seems impossible.
Famous Thriller Directors
Alfred Hitchcock - was the son of East End greengrocer William Hitchcock and his wife Emma. Raised as a strict Catholic and attending Saint Ignatius College, a school run by Jesuits, Hitch had very much of a regular upbringing. His first job outside of the family business was in 1915 as an estimator for the Henley Telegraph and Cable Company...
His films include many famous and recognizable names such as:
The Birds
North by Northwest
Vertigo
The 39 Steps
Steven Spielberg - Undoubtedly one of the most influential film personalities in the history of film, Steven Spielberg is perhaps Hollywood's best known director and one of the wealthiest filmmakers in the world. Spielberg has countless big-grossing, critically acclaimed credits to his name, as producer, director and writer...
Here are some of Steven Speilbergs Thrillers:
Munich
Catch Me If You Can
Minority Report
Jaws
James Cameron - was born in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada, on August 16, 1954. He moved to the USA in 1971. The son of an engineer, he majored in physics at California State University but, after graduating, drove a truck to support his screen-writing ambition. He landed his first professional film job as art director...
Thrillers made by James Cameron:
The Abyss
True Lies
Ailiens
Ailiens
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
How these directors helped?
These directors helped as most of these films made by them are well-known and are very good. Here are some of the films which gave a good inspiration while making our own:
The Birds
‘The Birds’ by Alfred Hitchcock is a film about a time when birds seemed to stop being creatures which people liked to listen to and admire; they appeared to get together to become a very large flock of angry flying monsters who attacked people even in their own homes, terrifying them and pecking at them until they collapsed.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056869/plotsummary
My mom who watched this film told me that ‘I considered this film a thriller as it starts quietly and gradually the birds began to gather but there is no indication at this stage of what will happen. The tension builds up slowly, one woman is attacked and gradually the attacks come more and get more severe. Eventually the humans are forced to move out of their homes, this event would have been unthinkable at the beginning of the film.’ From what my mom said it really helped get a better understanding. At the end when she said that, ‘this event would have been unthinkable’ this helped me a group a lot as we wanted our film to have a plot twist at the end, in other words to have it ‘unthinkable’.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056869/plotsummary
My mom who watched this film told me that ‘I considered this film a thriller as it starts quietly and gradually the birds began to gather but there is no indication at this stage of what will happen. The tension builds up slowly, one woman is attacked and gradually the attacks come more and get more severe. Eventually the humans are forced to move out of their homes, this event would have been unthinkable at the beginning of the film.’ From what my mom said it really helped get a better understanding. At the end when she said that, ‘this event would have been unthinkable’ this helped me a group a lot as we wanted our film to have a plot twist at the end, in other words to have it ‘unthinkable’.
‘Jaws’ made by Steven Spielberg is about a small community called Amity Island whose main business is its beaches. There is something in the sea that is attacking swimmers. They can no longer enjoy the sea and the sun as they used to, and the spreading fear is affecting the numbers of tourists that are normally attracted to this island. After many shark attacks the great white shark continues to stay and won't go away. Sheriff Brody, with friends Hooper and Quint decide to go after the shark and kill it.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073195/plotsummary
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073195/plotsummary
I have watched ‘Jaws’ and it has its good thriller elements which made it a good thriller. For example throughout most of the film the shark wasn’t shown which made me and probably everyone else who watched the film ask themselves many questions.
If you watch the video below it shows how good the shark doesn't have to be seen to make it quite terrifying.
If you watch the video below it shows how good the shark doesn't have to be seen to make it quite terrifying.
We wanted ours to create many enigmas and ‘Jaws’ is a perfect example for this.
'Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines' written by James Cameron is about; It is a dark time for the resistance and Skynet is on the verge of going online, the events of the last movie has changed nothing and John must now battle a new Terminator called the T-X. As before, the resistance was able to send another T-800 as a protector for John, and it’s still a question of which one will reach him first...
I haven’t seen any terminator films before and I don’t know anyone who does but I watched one of the openings of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.
(There are many openings to this film and since I haven’t seen it before I wasn’t sure which one to choose, so I chose one of them.)
After watching this, it made me want to watch more as it made many questions come into my head. I wanted to have many questions answered, such as; what’s going on? What is the voice talking about? Where is the location? Why is there a huge bomb exploding?
Now I know that there have been previous terminators and unfortunately like I said before I haven’t seen them so these questions would have been answered or maybe the second terminator might have had a plot twist. Even if it is the third, it has a great opening as it doesn’t give much away. We wanted our film to be like this because we wanted the audience to ask themselves questions so that they would want to watch more.
Another opening:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-Rj8JHSVSI (couldn’t embed)
This title sequence was good as the first video because not too much was given away. However the sequence started to drag as it was too long to be a title sequence. Most title sequences are usually just a minute this was 3x the limit, so from this I knew not to make my own too long as it would have not made the right conventions of a title sequence, I also had to make sure it wasn’t too short. Also the soundtrack was very good as it helped build up tension making you want to know more.
Conclusion
By watching these thrillers and getting a better understanding of thrillers it has really helped, from this I know now that most thriller title sequences don’t tend to give out much detail of what’s going on, so I will have to make sure that I do the same.
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