Group Review - Will and Jess

Positives: 

•  We all worked well as a group, we all worked together and turned up when needing to film.  We were all organised  and were sufficient at meeting deadlines.
• We feel as thought the editing went well as we all contributed our thoughts and slowly but surely made an opening thriller. 
• The acting went well and looked real so hopefully the audience will get the sense of realism from it.

 Negatives:

•  We feel we could have researched about poker games a bit more and their context.
•  We had to film once more as we recorded over a vital shot, this allowed us to redo some of the shots we had done beforehand as we had booked quite late and we got a bad camera. We feel we learned from our faults the first time and recovered quickly and efficiently which enabled us to keep up with the deadlines ahead.

Editing update - Will & Jack

Film editing is completed on imovie HD and we have exported the finished clip in to GarageBand as we are starting sound editing, now starting work on the diegetic and non-diegetic sounds and soundtracks with in the clip. We have also added a short voice recording of the characters at the scene if the poker game. This allows the audience to hear what is going on but with the added mystery of the characters and setting hidden from view. This works well to extend the duration of the clip as we were cut short on footage, not reaching the minimum target of 1 minuet 45 seconds.

Titles and Credits- Will

GoodFellas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJ2RofOEAEU

The first credits you see are very simply done with a black screen behind, they didn’t try to overcomplicate it, which is good because sometimes the audience doesn’t want to have credits where there is film in the background because they are in two minds as to where to look they don’t want to miss anything so more often than not they focus on the film rather than the credit and that would be unfair on whoever was credited there. Anyway so it starts with credits that roll over the screen once then stay in place at the centre of the screen, with the sound of moving cars in the background. The credits are racing across the screen lie a car would do, this could be called parallel editing because what you’re hearing is indirectly matching the sound. Then we have some film, signaling a flashback is the main title, which again uses the same technique as before, but now the colour of the font is red to make it stand out from the rest and could signal blood as we the audience have just witnessed a murder, this is followed by some more credits. The only time that the credits and titles aren’t the same is when they are informing the audience of information, like the time and place, they do this because they want the audience to take it in and not confuse them with fancy titling techniques. The order in which the titles, credits and film are placed in is a fairly conventional in film nothing out of the ordinary which is good.

Vertigo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz46qS38OgM

The clip starts with credits over the top of the paramount mountain with tension building music, then all of the credits focus in and around one women’s face, if you are going to have text over a film and not a black screen then the piece of film has to be simple almost a still shot to make the audience aware of the credits and not the film. So we start with a credit over the top of the women’s lip, then it moves up to her nose then a credit appears and then a credit appears just below her eye. This makes us as the audience ask the question who is this women and what is her significance to the story? With thriller openings it is always good to make the audience ask questions because they will want to keep on watching until they find out the answers they want and then they will link it back to your opening. The main title appears out of the women’s eye it expands from the pupil out of the eye on a red screen, maybe this red represents evil. Then from her eye a spiral starts to appear then a match cut appears to some rolling credits, with the spiral linking the two shots form the eye then to the credits. With this there is a continues pattern of spirals with the credits, also they all have a similar shape to an eye, this makes the audience feel a little confused as too why this pattern is emerging. Then right at the end of the clip there is another match cut this time from the spiral that looks like an eye back to the women’s eye after that the final credit appears again getting wider from the pupil outwards and also again with the mysterious soundtrack. Overall I think this clip is meant to confuse the viewer allot with its twisted pattern of titles, credits and film.   

Raging Bull

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXdvq1JZfWA

Although Raging Bull is not a thriller opening it illustrates how simplicity can be very effective, it’s probably the best opening to a movie that I have seen, but yet it’s so simple. It starts with just a black and white screen and some credits, fairly bog standard. As the credits are rolling we start to hear some music (the soundtrack), then we have a black and white still image of a boxer getting ready for a fight and the music starts back up again. Through the ropes of the boxing ring we can see the superimposed main title of Raging Bull in big bold red letters to signify the main title. After the main title we just have the ordinary credits which are again are superimposed, but they are quite gentle with the size of the writing and with the colour white. With the still image of the boxer throughout this whole clip, it makes the audience ask who is this character and what is his significance to the film. Also as I have said before I think if you have superimposed credits the clip behind it has too be simple for the audience so they know where too focus there attention on the screen. Another thing that makes this opening effective is the soundtrack and illustrates to me the need for a good soundtrack in our opening, obviously we can’t make anything like this but the point is is that soundtrack can make our break an opening clip.          

The Script - Jack

We have decided to add a short dialogue clip of the two gamblers playing the last hand o the game. this gives the audience a better understanding of what and who the characters are like. This also builds suspense and enforces the viewer to question why the players are hidden from sight.

Will: "You ready? Winner takes all. The stake is five grand."

David: "I'm ready. Deal the cards."

Added sound - Shuffling of cards and dealing of chips.

Titles & Credits - Jack

1) Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSodvRnD3Qc

The opening sequence of  ''Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels''  follows the traditional trend of titling in films, balancing clips and titles between alternative cuts.
This method of demonstrating credits and titles of the film is frequently used to simplify and direct the viewers attention to the contents of the opening film. i feel this works well to direct the audience to the characters and the context of their status and positions in society. This sets the tone for the majority of the rest of the film.
The centered positioning of the scripts maintain the simplicity over the black background and off set pale titles and  minimal animations, direct the audience to the contexts being shown.
The fonts and scripts as well are uncomplicated but are written in an offset balance and tone describing an image of disorder and upset, relating heavily to the scene. The aged type-writer style font portrays a sense of time to the sequence.

2) Snatch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vWxU7tclsw

Using a less conventional method of styling the credits and titles in to the opening sequence, Snatch uses a retro pop-art style pause frame immediately introducing the characters to the audience. Freezing the clips of the appropriate characters shows to be relating their actions direct to the camera and P.O.V of the audience.The pale dull colors* draw attention to the standout bold text, scripting the characters names. A font boldly stands out within the now simplified frame.
The contrapuntal music also offers a sense of humor about the sequence aswell as the context of the scene.

3) Inside-man:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy81dVuS6oU&feature=related

Movie Titles - David

1.) The Secret Window
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8n7ls_secret-window-the-movie-part-1-hq_shortfilms

The titles in the beginning of the film are positioned over the actual images of the film. In the background of the titles there is a shot of various images of terrain and the camera is moving at a very rapid pace across the terrain. This develops an atmosphere of tension because it allows the audience to feel really involved in the film and makes them feel that they are almost literally being sucked into the story of the film which therefore puts them emotionaly on edge.
The font style of the titles are simple, white and in capital letters and are positioned at the bottom centre of the screen which therefore makes it clearand easy for the audience to read the titles.
The titles in this film grow in size and it appears that the title is expanding towards the audience which makes the audience's sense of security and personal space feel invaded or violated which creates an atmosphere of threat and discomfort which results in tension being created for the audience. Combined with the spooky and tense soundtrack playing in the background it reinforces the discomofort of the audience because a sharp, high tempo use of strings for the soudtrack creates feelings of disturbance and a slight sense of fear is implanted in the audeince's minds because of the threatening music.
The main title of the film increases in size more than the other titles as if to emphasise the fact that this title is the name of the film. The title also blends from the colour white to the colour red which creates feelings of disturbance and fear which is used to make the level of tension rise for the audience's behalf. This is because the use of colour change may hint or suggests to the audience that violence may be inflicted in the story and perhaps death is involved whic develops a mood of fear and anxiety.
The titles also fade away and this effect creates a sense of dreariness and feels dream-like and unreal whic draws in the audience's attention because the opening titles contains an element of oddity and arouses curiosity due to the fade effect.


2.) The Bourne Identity
http://www.220.ro/trailer/The-Bourne-Identity-2002-1-8/xpbRzJspdD/

The main title is positioned centrally in front of the black screen. This allows the audience to divert their full attention to the title and the black screen allows assumptions to be created that this film may contain some secretive aspects due to the dark unclear effect of the black screen which arouses curiosity.
The title is made up of bold lettering and a whit font colour and the simplicityof this font choice is quite effective because it contrasts with the black background whic results in a simple yet appealing effect.
The title at first fades in and unscrambles itself so that the letters eventually spell out the title properly. This is very cleverly done, as it gives the audience the impression that the title is is like a puzzle and therefore implies that this film perhaps contains a puzzle solving story/narrative so the audience already gets a taste of the mysterious and and secretive aspects of the story whic greatly attracts their attention and curiosity.
There is also a clour change when the title blends from blue to white which creates an eye-catching effect and allows the audience to identify that change has taken place in terms of colour and effects which reals in the audience's interest.


3.) Man On Fire
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5v56h_manonfire-part1_shortfilms

The titles vary between being placed in front of a black screen and in front of the actual imagery of the film. This develops some form of confusion because in one shot the title is positioned in front of of bright images and then the next shot it is then placed in front of a dark black screen. This can suggest the constant change of moods in the intro of the film and that some suspicion and danger is developed which therefore makes the audience confused and curious.
The titles fade in and out which creates some blurry effect and thus creates bewilderment due to the element of dreariness being created from the effect of the titles.
The titles are in capitals, in white, underlined and positoned in the bottom entre of the screen. This is because it lets the audience view and read the titles clearly which is a simple bt effective method of allowing the titles to be visualised by the audience in a clear and readale manner.
Also, the titles gradually expand in width which creates a sense that the words are being stretched which delivers feelings of stress and discomfort towards the audience an pricks their comfort zone and makes them feel slightly intimidated because of the strain being portrayed frm the stretchy effect of the titles.

Three Thriller opening credits - Jess

Se7en:
These credits are superimposed into the opening sequence adding to the narrative through font style; as the font is very scratchy and mysterious which is what the film is like, it almost looks hand written which makes it look a bit intimidating. It gives the audience a sense of unknown and maybe draws them in, to find out who the character and what they are doing. We see  a person shave the skin of their finger off and little things like that which make the audience ask questions like "is he the killer?" I think this type of font would fit in with our thriller opening as it engages the audience and makes them ask questions which is what a thriller is supposed to do. The font is positioned over the actual images of the film.

Black Swan: 
Unlike 'se7en' the Credits in this are the most used as they go in the order of TITLE, FILM, CREDIT, FILM, CREDIT. These credits are simple and are seperate from the opening sequence; they add nothing to the narrative and are simple but it still engages the audience as they get little glimpses of the story to come. They are simple yet informative. The font is bold which makes it stand out and it cleverly goes from a pure white to the black which is obviously portraying the two sides to her personality the black shows the darkness and the white portrays pure and clean; the text is all random each time.  I don't think these credits would add anything to our thriller if we used them. The font is positioned over the actual images of the film, which allows the audience to get a little insight to the storyline. By doing this it will catch the audiences attention and engage them in the whole storyline. The music is contrapuntal as it doesn't really match the mood of the story ahead, it sounds very lighthearted music when the story ahead is a kind of gothic horror.
Marchlands:
http://vimeo.com/19541694 
The credits in this tv drama were seperate to the opening sequence adding nothing to the narrative; it is simple yet informative. The font is bold and stands out as once again its white body text on a black background and then once it has been on long enough to be read it disappears in a ghostly mist which gives the audience an insight on the story ahead; it gives the impression that something supernatural may be present in the story. The non diegetic music goes with the font as it was intense and quite spooky. The piano key just being repeated throughout the credits creates suspense. I think that the bold white body text may work in our thriller but the ghostly mist wouldn't as we are filming in a garage about a loss in money/ gambling story. I think the intense repetition of an instrument or sound may really work well in our though, as it would help build up our storyline and engage the audience.