FINAL PRODUCTION

How Our Rough Cut Helped Us

How our rough cut helped us in the production of our opening thriller sequence:

Before we finished editing our opening sequence we made a rough cut. This was to help get feedback and to see what we needed to change to make the opening seem like a thriller opening sequence. Using the feedback from the rough cut has helped us the editing of the opening sequence. One of the comments we got said that the first few seconds didn't flow properly so when we went back to start editing the rest of the sequence we changed the first few seconds so that it flowed properly.
We've learnt from producing the opening sequence that if we get a chance to film and edit again we will make sure that we leave plenty of time to film and edit because from doing the rough cut we saw that we didn't leave enough time to re-film any shots that we didn't like. As a group we should think more about the positioning of the camera and what the characters look like from the audiences perception. Getting feedback from our target audience (15) has made us more confident and helped us alot to be able to make our final opening sequence production.
After analysing our rough cut, we found that we should've left plenty of time before starting to record each shot and after recording each shot as some of the scenes we filmed had the ending or beginning cut off, therefore some of the shots were unable to convey the full story.

The Editing Process

Through out the editing process we decided to add a number of different transitions and effects in order to create a tense, thrilling atmosphere. For example we altered the speed of parts of the sequence by making it slower. This added to the tension and gave it a surreal feel. We also added a number of cross dissolves, fade in/outs to the scenes, logo and credits and finally a fade to black during the last scene. This helped the sequence flow alot better and made the credits look alot more professional.

Our Poster Feedback

After asking a number of people from our target audience what they thought about the groups poster I found that they thought that it was very distinctive and easy to remember. This is because of the bold, unique images used. As a result of this they wanted to watch the film. The target audience also stated that the title of the film stood out as the font is a bright colour on a dark background, which drew their attention to the poster. They also menioned that the style of the font and the images used helped to portay the genre of the movie. Another thing the target audience said was that the poster is layed out very clearly and that they thought the sentence that says "sometimes there is never a way out..." was very appropriate to the name of the film and that this also encouraged them to want to watch the movie even more.

Film Credit Research

In order to find out where to put our opening sequence credits I have done some research by watching the beginnings of some professional psychological thriller films. During this research I discovered that the majority of film openings went in the following order:

1) Production companies name and logo.
2) A scene containing the antagonist or protagonist.
3) The names of the producers.
4) Directors name.
5) Name of the person who made the music.
6) The names of the main actors.
7) A shot containing an enigma for example blood.
8) The title of the film.

Psychological Thriller Poster Analysis

This is the poster for the psychological thriller film, Dream House. Although the poster doesn't contain bright colours or bold images it does draw people in. This is because it contains an unusual image which attracts potential viewers of the film. The picture is also very easy to remember and this may encourage people to watch the movie. The image used also indicates that it is a psychological thriller as it plays tricks with your mind. There is also a sentence that matches the image of the two girls which hints to potential viewers what the film is about.

The font that has been used on this poster is made up of neutral colours which goes well with the rest of the poster. The title of the film stands out because it is white on a dark background. This draws peoples eyes straight to the name of the film.

Editing Process

We each had individual ideas for when we got to the editing process of the opening sequence. Firstly for the sounds we decided that we needed to use ambient sounds so that the film would seem realistic.Before making the soundtrack we had to capture everything we had done and cut out all the bits that we didn't need. I think the majority of the shots were too bright when we were filming so to ensure that all the shots were the same colour and brightness we used a colour changer to make the whole sequence into black and white. This meant that we could film on two separate days and not have to depend on what the weather conditions were. Overall the whole editing process worked out really well and we used all the ambient sounds we could find to use at the beginning. But throughout the sequence we  have tense music that plays low as well as the main characters speech at the end.

Positivity Of Rough Cut Feeback

Doing a rough cut for the opening sequence was the best thing we could of done. Not only did it help use gain feedback from people to see what we needed to improve and what we had done well, to ensure our opening sequence showed the right atmosphere and suspense that we wanted to portray.We have used the feedback gained to help improve the final cut of the opening sequence and we knew we had done a good job when most of the people we asked said they would want to see the rest of the film to see what happens to the main character after the first 2 minutes of the film. They said it showed suspense and tension, which the character portrayed very well. 
Asking our target audience about the opening sequence was also good because they told us about what we could do to make sure the sequence was how we described it. When we film next time we need to ensure we have enough time to film and edit because after filming we saw when editing that we needed to film a few shots again or even change it completely so we need to leave enough time to allow us to do this.

Poster

As a group we decided that we would design a poster to go alongside our opening sequence as if it was a real film being released. We looked at a number of different posters that were in the same catergory as ours and came up with this idea:

Strengths and Weaknesses of Filming

The production of our opening sequence has been quite successfull, although there are some weakenesses to the filming there are also many strengths which overide them. For example:
Strengths:

• The weather conditions on filming days were perfect and helped emphasize the thrilling atmosphere as we filmed on dull, cloudy days.
• The mise en scene in the sequence looks very realistic and adds to the realism of the piece. For example the main characters outfit suits the situation very well as she is on her way home from work.
• Every member of the group had an equal oppertunity to film.

Weaknesses:

• During the filming stage one of the main problems we faced was getting the angle of the camera straight. This was because the first couple of shots were set on a steep slope.
• Also the point of view shot isn't very clear as you can only see the main characters finger tips instead of all of her hands. This may cause confusion for the viewers.

But overall I think we worked well as a group to try and reduce the amount of weaknesses.

Rough Cut Feedback

After seeing the opening sequence would you want to see the rest of the film?
Yes
Is there a thrilling atomsphere?
No, not in the rough cut but as the sequence progresses it may start to get more thrilling.
How well do you think the location relates to the sub-genre?
Yes the idea of having it by a grave yard was good.
Do you think the sequence flows?
Yes the sequence flows well.
Is there anything you would do differently?
I would slightly change the shot where you can see the main characters finger tips by filming more of her hands, so its clearer to the viewer that its her point of view.

Choice of Location

During the decision of the location, cooperation as a group was an issue. Because the location used wasn't my first choice as I didn't think it had the right atomosphere for the sequence. This is because it is a very busy area and is situated next to a noisy, childrens park. Therefore the aura of the opening sequence wasn't as tense as it could have been some where else more remote. This would have also cut down on the disruptions and obstacals during the filming process. However, overall the location was workable but just took a lot longer than expected.


The location that I suggested to use is illustrated in the pictures below. I wanted to film at this location because it has a creepy and appropriate atmosphere for a psychological thriller, it is also remote, dark and has only ambient sounds.

Obstacles and Disruptions During Filming

Considering the location that was chosen by other members of the group I knew there would be many disruptions and obstacles as I repeatedly mentioned to them, but cooperation as a group was an issue. Not only is it a very busy part of Windsor, being the town centre, it is also very noisy as it is situated directly behind a childrens park and secondly underneath the flight path of Heathrow airport. So there is a constant flow of pedestrians and aeroplanes. Which would cause a number of disrtuptions and major obstacles during the filming process. This would also have a huge impact on the pscycological atmosphere as childrens laughter may be heard in the background. Another disruption that was evident in our opening sequence was loud music coming from a residentual building which dramatically affected the scene containing dialogue. However the noise problem can possibly be resolved, as the audio can be muted during the editing process. But this is a different story for the problem of civilians with shopping and many business people interupting filming, as the location is commonly used as a short cut. Although the location caused many obstacles we have managed to eliminate most of the obvious ones and I hope this doesn't affect the quality of the sequence too much.

Individual Roles in Filming

Throughout the filming process of our opening sequence each member of the group had an equal opportunity of filming and directing the piece. This should of enabled us to complete the filming within a couple of hours, however the choice of location caused a few disruptions and at times delayed the filming. Whilst filming we tried to add a mixture of shots to help portray a tense and thrilling atmosphere, for example I filmed a high angle shot of the main character walking along the path. This shows that she was in a vulnerable position and also indicates that she is being controlled by an antagonist which would be introduced to the film later on. At the begining of the opening sequence I also filmed the low angle shots of the main character, when she was walking up the path and also the shot of her feet, this portrays that she was in control of the situation at the start however the circumstance changes as she approaches the presence of the antogonist and the high angle shot illustrates this. Another shot that I contributed to this opening sequence was the close up of the blood on the girls hand. Not only did this act as the enigma to the piece, it also adds tenison and anxiety to the scene. I also filmed the final shot of the gate closing, by using a medium shot and then zooming out. This indicates that she is psychologically and physically trapped, not only does this go well with the psycological theme it also goes well with the name of the film. I also filmed the over the shoulder shot, this gives the characters point of view aswell as showing part of the character. Lauren filmed the point of view shot as she played the main character this gives the viewers an insight of what the character experiences. Lauren also filmed the establishing shot of the location. Lucy filmed the close up of the list of names and contributed to the remaining shots.

Possible Title Ideas

As a group we sat down and thought very carefully about what we were going to call our thriller opening sequence. We wanted to create a title that reflect our theme and the actual narrative itself. So below is a list of our possible ideas:

• No Way Out                         
• Through The Phone
• GateWay
• Paranoid
• Anxiety
• Control Freak
• Captured
• Hidden

After thinking about all the above names, we went with Lauren's decision of No Way Out because we thought it went with our storyline that we had written. The title empahsises our narrative of not having anywhere to escape to as the characters are mentally traped by the antagonist which goes well with the psychological theme. When choosing a title for our thriller opening sequence we thought about how we were going to convey the storyline by just knowing the title itself. We wanted the title to be self explanatory to the audience BUT not giving anything crucial away, and that's why we decided to pick "No Way Out". Lauren and Lucy thought that picking this name would be easy to remember as its short and to the point, without seeming boring or dull. "No Way Out", we believe, is an appropriate title to echo the thrillers chilling narrative. It empahsises the main characters dilemma and how she is trapped in a situation so difficult and complex that she has NO way of escaping. Overall "No Way Out" fits in with the narrative we have created.

Rough Cut Feedback

After seeing the opening sequence would you want to see the rest of the film?

Yes

Is there a thriller atomsphere?

I thought that the whole background noises and the slow motion of the main character adds a very tense atomsphere and causes suspense.

How well do you think our location relates to our sub-genre?

The location helps with the realism of the film because there is people walking around and cars driving past. This helps us to see that it is just like any other person walking home but with a twist.

Do you think the sequence flows?

The sequence jumps a little bit from when the main character is walking up the path, when the camera is already facing the floor and then 2 seconds later the camera is focused on the floor again but with the characters fingers in the frame.

Is there anything you would do differently?

Personally, I would change that you are more focused on what the main character is seeing and not seeing the actual main character in view.

Thriller Poster Analysis

We are making our own thriller opening sequence we thought it would be best to get some ideas of the different posters related to many movies in order to help us understand and create a well suited poster to match our own thriller opening sequence.


This is a poster of a thriller movie called The Awakening. We had a look at this poster because it was similar to what we wanted our poster to look like.We had a look at all the little added names and sublines that are used. As you can see on the poster there is the age of what the film is promoted to and the film in fact has a motif after the title which helps create more suspense.Also we can see that the main title is alot bigger than the rest of the poster this makes it stand out more and bring the consumer in. The small print is mainly the production company, editors name and other people that have been involved in the making of the film.

Rough Cut

This is rough cut of the beginning of our opening sequence. We are going to ask a number of our target group to give us some feedback on the rough cut so when we come to edit the real opening sequence we will know what was good and what needs to be improved. Below is the questions we are going to ask our target group:

1. After seeing the opening sequence would you want to see the rest of the film?
2. Is there a thriller atomsphere?
3. How well do you think our location relates to our sub-genre?
4. Do you think the sequence flows?
5. Is there anything you would do differently?

Poster for Opening Sequence

As a group, we have decided that we would make a poster to promote our opening sequence just like a big named film production team would do for any other mainstream films. We are going to look at a few other posters that our similar to our opening sequence. We feel that if we create a poster to go along side our opening sequence it will help us get a better picture of what a real production team would do to promote a mainstream film. We want to create an authentic picture that looks realistic and like a professional has made the poster. We are thinking about using images from the filming in the poster so that the audience will see little bits of the film throughout and the title of the film will be on the front as the main attrition to the poster. Lauren and Lucy have been researching into different thriller posters such as The Awakening, Shutter Island and Dream House. These 3 posters all have thriller elements contrasting to create an eye catching, fearsome look. Having a poster that reflects the movies atmosphere will help aid potential viewers in knowing what type of movie they are going to watch.

The title of the movie is always clearly stated on the middle/bottom of the poster, the text is made to stand out from any other writing so its the first thing people would be drawn to. Having the text bold will give a clear indication of the movies nature, choosing a font to match our theme is very important as it needs to fit in with the genre and not look out of place.

Most posters include a subline to create awareness of the movies main intentions, this will give potential viewers to get a feel of what the movie is aiming to portray throughout the thriller. This will make sure viewers won't get a shock of what the movie is if they go and see it. The Awakening subline is "Sometimes dead does not mean gone", this gives the impression that the movie is not for the light hearted as it may contain blood, corpses and many unsitable images to those unfit to watch it.

The Dark Knight Opening Sequence Analysis

The whole film is very authentic and aimed at an older target audience unlike the previous batman films, as the film only just managed to be classified as a 12A in cinemas.

The opening of the film jumps straight into a bank robbery, and partially relies on an audiences basic background knowledge of the Batman universe to create a tense atmosphere. In many of the shots, you can clearly see the clown masks that the bank robbers are wearing. The audience will be able to link this to the supervillian the Joker as he is a well known character as the archenemy of Batman. The Joker is established as a mysterious figure to the people in The Dark Knight by the conversations between the robbers. They discuss the identity of the Joker and in one case where they discuss why he is called the Joker, two different answers are given, indicating that even the people working for him know nothing about him. The segment where the robbers enter the bank is very authentic and suprisingly violent. The people working at the bank are asked to hold on to grenades that would explode if the let go and the security guards are beaten into submission. This adds a moderate shock value to the scene as it is not what and audience would expect from a Batman movie. Throughout the scene the robbers turn on each other when they are alone. Whilst this is happening it is unclear to the audience why it is happening, this is the enigma of the scene. Throughout the scene there is a tense non-diagetic music playing which adds intesity to the scene. Towards the end of the scene where there is just one robber left, the robber takes of his mask and it is revealed that he is wearing clown make-up anyway and has scars at the sides of his mouth. This is when the audience realises that he is the Joker (the antagonist). The establishing shot of the scene is a large tracking shot taken from a helicopter. This shows the set up of the scene and helps the audience understand the plan of the bank robbery. The robbers are divided into two groups, each one carrying out the two parts to the plan. The scene starts off with almost two different scenes happening at once which gradually come together towards the end of the scene. This makes the narrative less linear and more engaging for the viewer. 

Starting Editing Process

After filming on the 9th of March, we took the camera back to school on the 12th of March to capture everything that we had filmed. We begun editing on the 13th of March because we wanted to ensure we had captured everything that we needed. This would mean that we would have plenty of time to re film any shots that we were not happy with. We decided to re film some shots on the 19th of March, this would mean that we will allow ourself a further two weeks to edit the whole opening sequence as well as a rough cut to receive feedback from. We will edit in most of our frees and in the rest of our media lessons. We have to also work around another group because we are having to share a MAC computer because the MAC computer that we assigned to, doesn't contain the right accessories and software that we need to edit our opening sequence.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Filming

Overall, As a group we feel that the filming for the opening sequence went quite well. Although when we first planned to we couldn't because the person that we original asked to be the main character couldn't do the times that we wanted to film. So because we were already behind schedule for filming, Lauren, a member of the group, stepped in as the main character so that we could get back up to speed with our schedule.
Strengths:

• We worked well as a group and listened to everything that everyone in the group had to say
• We also tried to very hard to follow our storyboard because we knew what shots we wanted to do but we had to change a few shots because they didn't look how we wanted them to when we actually got to the location

Weaknesses:

• Unfortunately, when we filmed the original shots for the opening sequence and went back to edit them, they didn't portray what we wanted them too, So Lauren and Lucy had to go back to the location to re-film the couple of shots again.
• Also Alice was ill for a number of days, so Lauren and Lucy had to do some of the editing without Alice being there to see what they had done. So when Alice comes back, it may put us more behind having to show Alice everything we have done.

Although we had so weaknesses, the strengths hoped us get through them. As a group we worked well to get through the weaknesses and hopefully produce a high quality opening sequence.

Soundtrack

We used a programme called GarageBand to make the soundtrack to our opening sequence. We spent a lot of time trying to find the right sounds and effects to enable psychological atmosphere. We decided to use a lot of noises like the sound of an owl and a dog barking to show the audience that we are outside and that there are things around the main character. We used a suspense sounding audio that will play throughout the opening sequence to add suspense and tension to the whole sequence. 

Choice Of Location

As soon as we decided what we wanted our opening sequence to represent, we knew straight away that we wanted to film somewhere that was a popular location and had the right features in it which would help with the atomsphere of our opening sequence.
Choosing the top of Batchelors Acre was so easy to choose from because behind where we were filming was in fact an old ceremony that had been used over 30 years ago but is now over grown, you can still see some other headstones. When we firsted started filming, you could tell that we were by a park because you could hear children laughing and adults chatting this also helped with the first couple of shots that we wanted to film because at added to the jumping of the main character.We also needed a black gate for the main character to walk through to get to the location of the last shot. Thankfully there was one right at the end of where we had filmed the beginning of the sequence. It was perfect for what we needed for our opening sequence and helped massively with adding a thriller atomsphere.As well as the above attributes to the choice of our location we also used it because:

• The popularity of the area
• The size and space of the area
• Good Atomsphere that we needed

Filming Schedule

We shot our opening sequence on the 9th of March, below is a detailed schedule of what happened on the day:
3:00: We left school after making sure we had all the equipment we needed to ensure we would have everything so that we could film.
3:30: We arrived at our location, and got ready to set up, also put all the props that we needed into place.
3:55: We begun to film the first shot, doing this shot a number of times because it was near a road and a number of people were walking in and out of the frame.
4:30: We were halfway through filming, we had to make sure we filmed a number of the shots so that we got the right shot that we wanted.
4:45: Had just started the last shot, we had to do this one about 10 times because the disruptions. Also the props that we had to use for this shot were not in the right place or didn't go where we thought would be good.
5:15: Finished Filming every shot that we had on our storyboard and began to pack up.
The whole afternoon/evening of filming was very successful although we had to change a couple of shots from what we had on our storyboard because when we got to the location the shot that we wanted to do just didn't look very good through the camera.

Obstacles & Disruptions during Filming

During filming, we had to think about obstacles and disruptions which would affect the filming of the opening. This would also cause are filming to slow down and maybe even mean us having to stop to move obstacles but with disruptions we would have to re-film that shot again and hope that it doesn't cause a disruption again.

Aeroplanes- Will possible be the main disruption that will affect the filming. The location that we have chosen to film at has very frequently amount of planes flying over. This causes the atomsphere to be noisy and the noise is a very overpowering noises which will maybe over ride the speech which will affect the continuity when editing the opening.To over come this discruption we made sure we filmed the shot that we needed a few times and tried to film inbetween the planes flying over.

General Public: The general public could also be an obstacle that we have to think about, because we can't stop them walking in and out of our shots, this is because they are free to walk where they want. We will have to make sure that when we film the shot, if we get someone in the background we will have to do the next couple of shots after that one quite because otherwise they will not be in the next shots. If they are not there this may cause confusion for the audience and will affect the continuity of the editing.We tried to deal with the disruptions and obstacles as well as we could but most of them made us filming longer than expected but it wasn't too bad as long as our opening sequence looks professional.

Individual Roles in Filming

During the filming process of the opening sequence of our thriller movie we all had different roles throughout to help create an easy way of producing our sequence without a lot of confusion. During the filming we found it best to share the roles among us where we could all have a go at the different jobs involved when making an opening sequence.
For example, we had to decide who was going to be filming the first shot and who would be acting in that shot, then who would film the second shot and who would act in that, etc.

Lauren was the main actor throughout the opening sequence, however she didn't just act during the process, and she was a main attribute when it came to filming and directing the actual sequence. Alice and Lucy took part in a minor but of acting in the middle of the opening sequence. We also had a huge part when it came to filming and directing, we tried out best to use our skills to try and achieve the best outcome.

As we all discussed and planned out what each of us were going to do before we went out to film our actual production, this enabled us to get on with what we had to do in a quick, yet structured way. All in all it allowed us a suitable amount of time to film what we wanted, when we wanted. Having done this it helps us to produce a high quality opening sequence.

Soundtrack Practice

Here is a screenshot of the practice soundtrack that we did on GarageBand.

Before we made our soundtrack for our opening sequence we made a practice one using GarageBand. We used the different editing techniques and various sound clips to create a practice theme tune for a thriller.We have to think about the different sounds that we can create to help make sure we create the right thriller soundtrack. We need to ensure it involves suspense and tension sounds.

Common Psychological Thriller Sounds

Many psychological thriller sound tracks are made up of classical instruments and sounds such as screams, people crying, shouting, doors creaking, scratching and screeching. So we decided to use some of these noises in our sound track.
 

Throughout the soundtrack of our opening sequence we will be aiming to create the music that's parallel to the scene itself. We shall be using many diegetic sounds to create a realistic atmosphere, for example dialogue, footsteps, vehicles and more. To produce the diegetic sounds for everyone to hear we will be trying our best to allow them to come across as best as possible whilst filming, but if not we shall edit them on using GarageBand. As well as diegetic sounds we shall be using non-diegectic sound, including the soundtrack.

Shrooms Opening Sequence Analysis

Throughout the first 40 seconds of the opening sequence of Shrooms the audience is informed of the production companies and the main actor.

Camera work:
The camera work that has been used in this opening sequence is as follows: Tracking, when the girl is running through the woods. This adds tension and a fast pace to the scene, it also acts as an enigma as it draws the viewers in because they want to find out why she is running.
There is also an establishing shot of the building which sets the scene, however the shot isn't stationary as it has also been flimed using tracking just slower than the previous one. Then there is a close up of a bucket on the floor with black liquid pouring out. This plays with the audiences mind as it makes them wonder what it is and why its there. Then there is an extreme close up of the black liquid again. During this scene there is a circle over the lens to make it feel as if it is a dream or a flashback. Next there is a point of view shot going down the corridoor this also makes the audience think that it is a dream or flash back. Then there is a shot that is out of focus of a mysterious man, this makes the audience anxious as they dont know who he is.

Editing:
The editing used throughout this opening sequence is cross cutting of when the girl is running and the closeups of the black liquid. This builds up the tension and creates antisipation for the audience.

Mise en scene:
The lighting throughout most of Shrooms opening sequence is very low key. This creates a creepy, mysterious atmosphere. However there is ambient lighting coming through the windows, down the corridoor. This adds realism to the scene as well as creating natural shadows an this gives the sequence a gloomy atmosphere. This opening sequence is set in the woods which is a classic location for psycological thrillers to be set. There is also a building which looks deralict and very run down. Both of these are usually asscoiated with thrillers and have a big imapact on the sequence.

Sound:

The sound used in this opening sequence is classical and mainly made up of low pitch instruments. This creates a very scary, intense atmosphere. There is also ambient sound of the girl breathing heavily, this adds realism.

Titles/Credits Analysis

Sweeney Todd Opening Titles:

The first credits that are shown are who directs the film, which is then followed by the main actors that feature in the film. All the names of the actors are shown on a rolled up newspaper, the font of the names are bold and in the black which makes all the names stand out and they are on the screen for about 2 minutes at standing point but throughout the title sequence you can still see all the actor's names. The colour scheme of the whole sequence has a natural tone and creates a grim atmosphere. The title of the film appears after the last actors time, but the title appears as a headline story with a sub line underneath.

Batman Opening Title: The title is revealed before anything else. The whole way through the opening there is the background of the where the film will be mainly filmed at. The background is dark which helps make the text look more prominent as the colour of the text is a bright yellow this causes the audience's eye to be attracted to the text more than the background. The production company's name is revealed first, and then followed by the main actor's names. The font is in capitals the whole way through, this adds to the suspense of the film.

Shutter Island Analysis

Camerawork:

The opening sequence shows the opening credits presenting the production companies Paramount, Phoenix, Sikelia and Appian Way, then it displays the movie title ‘Shutter Island’, after this the location and time are presented on screen; Boston Harbor Island 1954.

The scene starts off with an establishing shot to help set the opening narrative, it is of a boat appearing from within the foggy sea scape which then turns into a long shot which shows a boat appearing from the mist. An over the shoulder shot of the main character looking into a mirror showing his characters reflection is another piece of camerawork, by doing this it can help present the idea of him having a dual or split personality. Next there was a shot which offered the idea that the main character is troubled and weary as he is looking out of a porthole of the boat like he is looking out at the world from an cornered off place, as if he were in a prison cell. As the main character is washing his hands in the sink there is an overhead shot of him, from a variety of different angles to give the impression that it is like he is being watched. Lastly there is a two shot from behind the two men showing the whole of the characters and their surroundings, the shot then changes to a close up the two characters conversing with each other. 

Sound:

At the beginning of the opening sequence (including credits) there are non-diegetic sounds such as classical sounding music that presents a spooking and chilling start. Diegetic sounds consist of the sound of a fog horn and many other boat sounds, followed by heavy breathing and dialogue. There is persistent ambient sound of the boat and its clanking metals which is visible on screen.

Editing: 

There are many editing techniques used throughout the opening sequence, including straight cuts to reveal the title of the film. There is a dissolve in to the scene showing the boat appear on screen, this will make it less snappy and fit it more appropriately and calmly. Whilst the main character is putting his hat on and exiting the inside of the boat the shot is out of focus and slowly becomes clear to the naked eye, this brings a different style into changing the scene rather than using a simple cut the whole way through.

Mise en Scene:

The Mise en scene in the opening sequence has deliberately used props and costumes to set the scene and also leave enigmas for the rest of the film. Props include the use of a mirror, which immediately seems that the character either has a dual personality with looking at one face and another with the use of over the shoulder shot. The costumes worn by the two characters we meet in this opening scene are typical to that of a detective or reported with the long overcoat and suit with a hat on. The lighting is mainly low key to keep with the unsettling and weary atmosphere; there is only ambient lighting, no artificial to keep the scene realistic yet simplistic. The location if obvious, on the sea. It is clearly shown from the beginning of the opening sequence all the way throughout.

Photos of Filming

 Below are the photos of us filming our test shots. We all switched roles to see which had the best outcome and showed the right techniques that we had said we wanted to use.

 

Logo

To choose our logo out of the ones we each individually made, we asked a number of people from our target audience to select which logo they liked the best and thought looked the most appropriate for the production company of a psycological thriller film. After gathering the results, they revealed that Alices logo was the one that we are going to use. The members of the target audience that we asked said that it looked eye catching and was very easy to remember and recognise.

To create the logo Alice used photoshop as it contains all the tools necessary. Then I got an image of a blood splat from the internet and I distorted and changed the image to make sure it portrayed the right look that I wanted it too. I then used that as the foundation of the logo. Next I added our production companies name over the layer of the image of the blood. After finding the right font and ensuring that I had the right font size, I then decided to blur out the top of the first line of the name and the bottom of the second line of the name. To create a unique but mysterious look, next I distorted the font and used the bulge tool to give the logo a slightly 3D appearance.This also makes the writing seem like it is moving and causes the logo to look more like it belongs to a thriller production company.

Planning of Logo

 Individually we designed a logo each and we asked a number of people their opinion the logos and from the results we are going to decide which logo to use as our production logo.

Analysis of Woman in Black Opening Sequence

I have analysed the opening sequence of the latest psychological thriller of 2012.In the opening sequence the scene starts as just a normal looking day of 3 young girls having a tea party. The first shot is of one of the girls pouring in the imaginable tea. The shot is of just the cup, the jug and also you can see a bit of her hand. 

The light is coming from behind her as the shadows show. It is a close up of the pouring as it is being done. As she finishes pouring one she moves onto the other, as this happens suddenly creepy music comes in silently. When the jug touches the cup there is a slight ‘ding’ to show that they want to be creepy. This shows that you’re not supposed to think it’s a happy, cheerful party.

The shot moves and suddenly there is a doll on the screen. It is not a cute doll; it’s more of a dark, dirty looking doll. She feeds the doll and moves on to the next. The next doll is a china Asian doll, all the dolls shown are not normal. They are all types of creepy dolls. The shot changes and you can see all of the 3 girls playing with their dolls on the floor. Suddenly this shows you that they are in the Victorian ages as they are wearing Victorian style clothes and also that they are playing with dolls instead of games and electronics. This is a medium shot as you can see their bodies as they are sitting down. The light is coming from the window outside behind them. There is artificial music playing throughout the opening, this causes the audience to question what is going to happened to have all this weird and creepy music playing for the first 30 seconds of the opening. 

The 3 girls are all smiling at each other; it’s all in slow motion,this creates tension and makes the audience think about what has just happened because of it being in slow motion causes you to watch the scene more closely. They are all playing with their dolls, brushing the dolls hair, feeding them and dressing them like any other young girl would do but there is a twist to the whole sweet and innocence act.They all see something and suddenly get up and walk towards the door. It looks like all 3 of them are in a trance. The camera shows shots of their feet, hands and heads to show the audience what’s happening. This whole scene is supposed to lure you into the film and want to watch it all the way through. The 3 girls walk towards the window. As they do this they drop all their toys and tread on their toys; breaking them. Once again this is all the slow motion so you get to see what’s happening. They get to the window and as they step up to it there is a shot of their hands on the lever opening the window. They open it and suddenly just jump out. This leaves suspense and makes the viewer want to watch more and makes the viewer wonder why they jumped out. I chose to look at the opening of Woman in Black because it is the same as what our group are planning to do for our opening sequence.

It has helped give us a lot of ideas of how to represent the whole psychological theme so that it doesn't same weird.