Pick your favourite film sequence and analyse it

The Breakfast Club (1985)

The film has the titles over a black screen. The credits are in big yellow writing that stand out against the black background. The credits are in big block writing in the middle of the page so that it is easy for the audience to read. The only effects used are at the end of the credits when the screen shatters and the film starts. The genre of the film is not clear from titles.

There is non diegetic sound in the background. This starts to create a mood and tone for the rest of them. Furthermore there is a voiceover right the end of the titles that tell us what the film is about. It says 'we had to sacrafice a whole saturday in detention' this hints to the film being about a school with naughty children.

Order of title credits:
1. production icon
2. production in title
3. film title
4. actors names
5. casting by
6. costume designer

7. production supervisor
8. executive producers
9. music supervisor
10. edited by
11. production designer
12. director of photography
13. produced by
14. written and directed by

TASK 18: Genre Shortlist

TASK 20: REMAKE rough cut

TASK 22 - Remake of the breakfast club evaluation

The outcome of our remake of the breakfast club was very successful, we followed the flow and the direction of the title sequence, got all the shots that we needed. We used a range of different shot types from close ups to establishing shots and long shots etc. We made sure that in terms of lighting and sound that it was similar to the real title sequence, so we could effectively capture the feel of the time era and location that the film is set in. Every member of the group contributed equally onto this remake and helped with the filming, the teamwork between us was very good and I think we all worked well together on this project.

TASK 19: Practical remake activity (shot list)

TASK 19: Practical remake activity PLANNING

Storyboard
The storyboard gives us a brief idea of what each scene is about and is a rough diagram of what each scene should look like. It is used so that we know what each shot will be about and what kind of shot they will be.

Script

We also have a script so we know what the actor should say in and throughout each shot necessary. 

Task 18 - Genre Shortlist

These following genres are ones that I would choose to produce my own title sequence


1. Teen Drama

The reason why I would choose teen drama is because of the realism. Most of us can relate to problems that are faced in teen drama movies such as relationship problems between lovers and friends, issues centered around school and the subculture environment. As interesting as i want my movie to be i would like to incorporate things within my movie that people could learn from.

2. Comedy

The reason why i would choose comedy is because i would want my audience to be full of laughter. Comedy movies are personally one of my favourites because of all the puns etc. This would keep my audience even more engaged in the film, as pay more attention to the story line to catch every word. Comedy movies also stand out to a wide range of different people.

task 9 - pick your favourite film and analyse the title sequence it uses

 


the film deadpool uses a title using motion , this engages the audience because its like the audience is in the car whilst all this is happening . in this title sequence the main character(deadpool) is introduced and we get of glimpse of how he looked before he was a 'superhero' because he appears on the magazine , which is one of the main prop that is focused on in the title sequence. another feature that i noticed was that the credit font is bold but the font is not too big. intially, the viewer may be unsure what is happening, but then it becomes clear that its a pause fighting in a car.  this is effective because it sets an intense tone and it makes the viewer wonder what the outcome might be or how did this scene occur.  the title credit's are not the typical title credits , instead they are comedic. its like it is mocking the conventional title sequence.the non dietetic sound which is the music including in this title sequence contrasts the paused scene because the music is relaxing and calming , and people wouldn’t associate this type of music with violence or a disaster  .

task10-what are the four different types of film openings?

Task 17 - Analysis of sound in one film opening

The movie American psycho is a psychological thriller. There are many aspects that suggest this, however, the sound is typical of sound that would be used in a title sequence for a thriller movie.
There is a consistent use of instruments that sound like the violin, that are giving off sharp sounds to intensify the scenes and start of the movie by giving the audience a sense of danger and also a bit of mystery. This is effective because why I am watching the sound intrigues me and makes me pay attention to everything that is shown in the clip. The sound track synchronises with all the moving images and perfectly blends with the genre. The use of non diegetic sounds also stand out, this includes the background noises of plates and cutlery and the chatter amongst the people eating at the restaurant. This is smart because it creates realism, like the audience is also involved in the scene which makes me pay further attention to all the key details. The layering of diegetic and non-diegetic sound makes the title sequence more dramatic and makes it clear what we would be expecting later on in film. This is effective because it will make it film easier to understand and all the more interesting as well.

Research Task 17 - Analysis of use of sound in one film opening

Panic Room 2002

This title sequence mainly uses non-diegetic sound. These are sounds added during editing. The non-diegetic sounds that I have identified are background noises such as the wind. One non-diegetic sound that stood out to me particularly, is the sound of the police sirens. This helps build suspense, and contributes to the genre of the film. Since the film is a Thriller movie, these non-diegetic sounds help establish the tone and mood of the film. In addition to this there is a layer of instrumental music. I think it was very clever to put this over the title sequence, because the use of the instruments added to the suspense and mood.  I identified the types of instruments that were used, like the violin (which has a sharp sound), and the cello.

RESEARCH: TASK 16 - Why is sound important?

 Sound is so important in film because:

• it establishes tone and atmosphere
• without sound, the image is flat, boring and confusing
• it creates realism
• it helps to synchronise image and sound
• it is engaging and draws the audience in
• it gives clues about the plot and characters
• it allows you to identify the genre
• without sound the audience will not understand what is happening in the film

task 16 - why is sound important?

sound is important because it creates realism , in order to entice the viewer  and  make events in the film relatable , however without sound the film is confusing because when the viewer is watching the film,and someone is having a conversation but  the viewer we cant hear anything.however, the sound can be asynchronous but this is not necessarily a bad thing. also ambient sound adds to realism of the film and creates a bigger picture for the viewer. another reason why sound is important is because it helps give the audience extra information about the characters and plot. furthermore, without sound the a film will not be a film. one of the main reasons why sound is included is because it makes the film 3 dimensional which makes it  entertaining and interesting to watch.

RESEARCH: TASK 14 - Macro, micro and order analysis

Research Blog Task 16 - Why is sound so important

                                                
                                                 Why is sound so important in a film?

It is very rare for modern films to not layer a musical score, or have sound effects of some kind and match the beat of the sound with an edit of the image. The effect of this layering or synchronisation helps to make the sound and image work together and appear seamless, which heightens what we are both hearing and seeing.

• Sound is used in film to help establish the tone, atmosphere. When this is done successfully, it helps the audience understand the film clearly.
• Helps give the audience clues about the plot, characters or to identify the genre of the film.
• Sound creates realism. This is good because it suspendes disbelief and heighten the audiences experience of the film.
• Sound helps to synchronise images with sound
• Good use of sound is engages the audience, making them pay further attention.

I identified the differences of diegetic and non diegetic sound in a film,

• Diegetic sound, is sound whose source is visible on the screen or whose source is implied to be present by the action of the film. 
• Non-diegetic sound, is sound whose origin is from outside the story world, like voice-overs which are typically non-diegetic. 

The effect of diegetic sound effects and dialogue:

Diegetic sound, creates realism and makes the audience aware/clear of the situation taking place, whereas non diegetic sound can make a film more dramatic and bring in a sense of tension. Can make clear the intention of particular characters like hero/villain.

George Lukas, director of star wars argued that sound is 50% of a film. Without the sound the film won't be as good.
After watching the film title sequence opening to Taking Pelham 123 with and without sound, these are my opinions on how sound can impact a film.

Without Sound: When watching the film title opening without sound i was disengaged and bored. This made it clear to me that without the effect of sound, an audience may become uninterested and unaware of the scenes that are taking part in a film.

With sound: When watching the film title opening i was very much entertained and focus on all the details. It was interesting how the story became clear and how i picked up on certain details i missed out watching the opening without sound. All of a sudden the opening because much more tense and dramatic, definitely brought the movie to life as it had my full attention.

In conclusion, I think there was a major difference between watching it with and without sound. I feel that a film with sound is very much essential to guarantee an engaged, positive audience.

Research Task 13 - Audience Research homework

For this task i decided to ask different people within my area and household about their favourite movies, genres etc. I have collectively found that there was differences in opinions with all the people interviewed.

Dodo Sadi - Male - Age 56

What film genres do you prefer and why?

"Personally my favourite film genres are Comedy and Action movies. I don't like another genres outside of these two such as, Horror because they are too scary and intense.  The reason why i only like comedy and action is because they are very funny and interesting to watch. The type of film i watch keep me awake and focused on what is happening in the film which is why they are the best genres in my opinion."

What is currently your favourite film and why?

"At the moment my favourite film is barber shop. It is a comedy so throughout the entire film i am always laughing. The actors that are in the movie i know of, which is better because they are my favourite actors and i know that any movie with them in it would be funny. I could re-watch this movie 1000 times, it would never get old."

Bradley Clarke - Male - Age 13

What film genres do you prefer and why?

"I would say that my favourite genres are probably horror and comedy. Horror is interesting because when all the scary stuff pops out i always jump. I think it is fun to be scared a bit, and its funny watching other peoples reactions to the films as well, my friends are all screaming. With comedy, the thing that i like is the banter. When my favourite actors in film it's even better because i know it is going to be funny."

What is currently your favourite film and why?

"My film of all time is The purge, i like all three of them because it just seems to get better and better. There's some things like link together in the film but in every one there's a different family and a different experience, so i like the fact that they switch it up because i think if it was the same old story every time people would get bored."


Courtney Williams - Female - Age 23

What film genres do you prefer and why?

"I like drama movies with teenagers and stuff. I like watching movies based around high school drama and friendship problems because half the time i feel like i can relate. So since teen drama movies are relate-able, there's a lot of realism because it shows stuff that's relevant to real life. I like a little bit of Sci-fi / Fantasy films like avatar because of creativity but i only watch these films once in a while."

What is currently your favourite film and why?

"Right now I would say that my favourite film is John Tucker Must Die because it's based on high school drama like relationships and stuff. It's interesting to me because i know that a lot of this stuff happens around me and it gives me a lot of insights because there's always a moral to the story"

RESEARCH: TASK 12 - Genre preferences (BFI)

Task 12 - BFI statistics yearbook

Genre

the three most successful genres at the UK box office are animation, action and comedy. The least popular are war, documentary and romance. In 2013 to 2014 comedy had the most films released a total of 153 films. Also, 33 animated films & 47 action films were made that year. this is due to the fact that the film creators have to use more high tech equipment which makes the cost more expensive. This tells us that audiences find these genres the most enjoyable.

Audiences

The age group that made up the largest population of cinema admissions in the U.K were 15-24 year olds, this age group have been to the cinema the most this year. Lady in the van a comedy film, was the most popular film amongst those over the age of 50.

RESEARCH: TASK 11 - What is genre?

Genre is the type/style of art, music or literature. They are used to categorise different products that share similar features. They are important in media and film because hey help to establish certain expectations and helps the audience to develop personal tastes around genre.There are different types of genres such as horror, comedy, action, science fiction and many more. A genre have common codes and conventions which are the typical features and common elements the audience sees in a genre.
There are also sub genres and hybrid genres. A sub genre is a subdivision/subcategory of a genre, it is more specific. For example within the horror genre, there are ghost films, zombie films, monster films etc. A hybrid genre is a cross genre that have elements from 2 or more genres e.g. rom com.

My favourite genres are superhero and fantasy.

Superhero
The superhero genre is one of my favourites because there is a lot of action and it is exciting. I love the use of CGI and special effects used which make it more entertaining and thrilling.

This is a still from the film Captain America: Civil War which fits into the superhero genre. From this still I know that this is in the superhero genre as there are 5 characters ready to take off and fight which is typical as superhero films are action packed. The audience can see the person in the blue and red costume is the main character as he is in the middle and the one closer in the shot.

This continues from the first still which shows the audience another convention in superhero films which is good vs evil. The audience can see the two different sides against each other. This indicates that there are heroes and villains in superhero films. This supports Propp's character theory. He stated that there is a stuggle between the good and evil/heroes and villains.


Fantasy
I also like the fantasy genre because it allows to me to imagine things and broaden my mind. They allow me to escape from reality and go into a different realm.This supports Blumlr and Katz uses and gratifications theory that we use media for different reasons. So one reason people watch films is to escape the real world to experience something different and new which is why I like to watch fantasy films.

This is a still from Harry Potter. This shows a make believe world as it is the place where the students have to go to to study magic. It is typical in fantasy films for their to be an imaginary, made up world.

From this still the audience can see a made up creature which is also typical in fantasy films. The audience can also see the creature do magic which is a supernatural element and common theme.
The Harry Potter franchise also follows Propp's character theory which states that every film has these specific eight characters. This includes:

• The hero - a character who seeks something and solves the problem - Harry Potter
• The helper - aids the hero - Ron Weasley/ Hermione Granger
• The villain - who opposes and actively blocks the hero's quest -  Lord Voldemort
• The princess - acts as the reward - Ginny Weasley
• The dispatcher - sends the hero on their quest - Dumbledore
• The false hero - disrupts the hero's success - Draco Malfoy
• The donor - provides the hero with objects to help them on the quest - Hagrid
• The father - who acts to reward the hero - Arthur Weasley

Research Task 11 - Genre

What is Genre?

Genre is a style or category of art, music or literature.
They are used as a way to categorise different products that share similar features or characteristics.

Why are genres important to the media and film industry?

Genres are particularly important in the media and film industries because they:

• Help quickly establish differences between different media forms
• Help to establish certain codes and conventions that film makers can follow in order to make he product look a certain way, achieve a certain effect and attract a specific audience.
• Help to establish certain expectations and familiarity in audiences
• Help audiences to develop personal tastes around genre and consumption (what they do and do not like)

My Favourite Genres 

1. Teen Dramas

Mean Girls is my favourite teen drama movie. One reason why I enjoy teen drama movies is because many of them contains aspects of realism. This makes me/ the audience relate to bits of the story, making me feel intrigued as to how the story will play out. Another reason why I enjoy teen drama is because of the humour, almost any teen dramas fill me with laughter because the jokes aren't too complex, making them effortlessly funny and easy to understand.

2. Action

Transformers is by far my favourite action movie. One reason why I enjoy action movies is because of the level of suspense. Transformers in particular,  so much is going on all at once which makes you pay close attention. In many scenes, a lot of tension between characters builds up, making the movie more and more exciting. Since this is an action movie, the type of conventions you see would typically be a lot of violence because of characters fighting and extra special effects. The special effects used in this movie are explosions and fight between the main characters (hero-villain). Transformers is a movie about cars which is typical of an action movie, which brings about scenes with fast paces.

task 6- what makes a good title sequence?

Research Task 6 - What makes a good title sequence

Research task 9 - Favourite film title sequence

Favourite Film Title Sequence

One reason why Juno is my favourite movie is because of it's title sequence. Not only is the title sequence fun & creative, it's original making it stand out more to the audience. Already by viewing the title sequence, you are intrigued to know how the story will play out. 

Another reason why Juno is my favourite film is because there are many hidden clues which support the plot in the title sequence. I find it incredibly smart that the producers have done this, because it plays along perfectly with the story line of the film.

A Final reason why Juno's title sequence stands out to me particularly, is because of the different moving animations. I have identified that the producers have used the 'Titles using Animations or Motion' design, which I like the most because it allows films to be more person and creative. The animations and the colour paints a picture of her life, giving the audience a sense of her background, the tone of the film and what's to come later on in the film.

Research Task 10 - What are the 4 different types of title sequences

These are the four different types of title sequences used in the film industry.

1. An example of Titles on a blank screen example
The type of titles utilise different typefaces usually in white over a black screen. Since early films had no colour, black and white titles were the only option available to them. Even though an extensive colour palette is now available for use, this title of title is still widely used today. Black backgrounds don't have much brightness so it's useful for keeping the audience engaged as it tires their eyes less. This is why black background are favoured more that lighter colours backgrounds. For the text (Title of the film) to be legible there needs to be a high contrast in the colours used, which is why when black backgrounds are used white text is the most favoured. This makes the title of the film very clear for the audience.

2. An example of Titles on still images examples
Some earlier title sequences made back in the day incorporated hand drawn images and other types of images, which was the beginning of adding more to a title sequence other than text. This was done to make title sequences more visually attractive for the audience to keep them interested. The next stage was to use still images as a background, instead of a plain background theres an image which was more elaborate. At the beginning of a film this can help establish a disquieting and establish a particular mood that ties to the visual look of the film. This co-ordinates with what the producers theme of the film, that can be guessed by the audience through the still image as a background for the text.

3. An example of Titles on moving images
This kind of of depiction can help the viewers focus on the images to try understand what it purpose is for in co-ordination which their purpose in the wider world. For example in Thor the movie, the rain is an example of a moving image, the audience would predict the purpose of this is to set a gloomy, dark tone/mood. Many film which include this feature usually accompanies the moving images with music/sound in the background.

4. An example of Titles using Animation or Motion
In the late 1990's animating text became more increasingly popular. It is such a broad area of design with endless artistic possiblilites that these categories can only do limited justice. This makes film including titles using animation or motion very creative, unique and overall very original.

Task 7 - Analysis of two title sequences

Captain america winter soldier is an action film. This is also evident in the title sequence because of the use of the animations and effects such as the 'breaking glass' effect that helps transition between the sequence.

The title sequence does build up the storyline because there's a lot of features in the title sequence that gives the idea of war and suggests that there will be a lot of violence in the film. The use of the shield and the suit and the harsh colours 'Red and black' etc also suggest this. In addition to this the sounds that are played are very intense and bold which gives us themes of Revengence and Rivalry etc.

X men Apocalypse is also another action based film. This is evident in the title sequence because of all of the fast pace transitions in the sequence. At the same time, there's several changes in colour and locations.

Near the very end when the title is presented, it is presented in bold and the effect of how the letters come together also makes this more effective and gives a sense of power. All the moving scenes through what appears to be an ever ending tunnel, suggests danger and a sense of urgency which are key features of an action film.

Research Task 8

The order we typically see title sequences in:

1. Production icon

2. Distribution icon

3. Production and distribution in sequence

3. Actor 1

4. Actor 2

6. Film title

7. Actor 3

8. Actor 4 etc

9. Casting by

10. Music supervisor

11. Music by

12. Costume designer

13. Editing

14. Production designer

15. Director of photography

16. Executive produce

17. Written by

18. Directed by

The production icon and distribution icon have the longest length and are the first credits to be shown. This is because they are the most important out of all of them, which is why they are given the most screen time. In comparison to this the credits of the actors after actor 4 are given the least screen time, this is because they are the least important credit hence why the duration is short. The first five sequences are in big and bolt font sizes, this makes it seem more important, whereas the others the others are in thinner fonts and are presented n smaller sizes.

RESEARCH: TASK 9 - Analysis of title sequence

Task 2 - Prelim film and Evaluation

19. Diana, Yasmin, Nicole, Souhila from 283goswellg on Vimeo.

The prelim was our first attempt at trying to put together a sequence of shots in practice for our title sequence project. I thought that this went well, but I could've been a lot better and we could've made a lot more improvements in terms of our teamwork and communication. It is evident that we didn't put a lot of thought into the storyboard which is why the shots came out rather basic and not the best it could've been. There are no effects in the title sequence so the transitions aren't smooth, so we could've used our editing time more effectively. However, since this was our first time I think we had a good use of camera work. Listening to instructions given to us on how to use the equipment, we had no problems with the equipment, so setting up was relatively easy.

RESEARCH - TASK 10: What are the 4 different types of film openings?

RESEARCH: TASK 7 - Analysis of 2 film title sequences

task 3- favourite previous student work. pick a previous student blog & title sequence you think is particularly good and analyse

I will be analysing and explaining what is good about Laura’s blog and how her title sequence follows the format of a typical title sequence. 

Throughout laura's blog she has used a range of different ict apps for example she used emaze, prezzi and viemo to display her groups title sequence. another good feature is the creative  background because it gives us an idea of what genre they used for their title sequence. another reason why her  blog is good is because of the layout, each blog post has a heading indicating what the blog post is going to be about , therefore it makes it more neat and  its easier for the viewer to find what they are looking for.the font colour on each blog post is red, this matches the genre that  they have chosen, which is horror and thriller. this makes it good because they know that people normally associates red with horror films or something sinister ,which makes the blog more authentic in relation to the genre that has been used. she also includes  images with explanations of what that image is telling the us . in addition , she uses extracts from films to show us which films have inspired her to  create a 'scary' title sequence.in some of her blog posts the writing is very colourful , this is a good feature because it makes her work stand out.

her group's title sequences includes a production icon, distribution icon, name of the film  , a news report which gives the viewer an idea of what the film will be about , the main character is introduced in the opening scene . the opening settings  is filmed in the woods . the main actor is running through the woods, initially this  creates a sense of action , because we don’t know why she  is running  until we see the four characters dressed in black from head to toe chasing  her . this is good because it makes the viewer think how/ why is this happening to her . furthermore ,most of the opening credits in the title sequence is in the right order .

RESEARCH - Task 8: Order of the title credits

Title credits follow a very specific order in a film's opening.
An example of the conventional order of title credits is Gone Girl.Production icon






Distribution icon Production and distribution in title sequenceActor 1Actor 2Film titleActor 3Actor 4Actor 5 etc

Casting
Music supervisorMusic byCostume designereditingProduction designer
Director of photographyExecutive producer


Written byDirected by