Our final film

Evaluation question 7

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Our preliminary task and final product are undoubtedly worlds apart.

One of the main contributing factors to this is the timeframes in which we completed them both; our preliminary task was completed inside of a few days whilst our final product has taken us months.

During this time we have gone from picking the first idea suggested and just going out and shooting it completely spontaneously to spending time researching genres, planning out characters, and storyboarding different ideas.

This really helped us to refine our final product whereas we simply did not have time for this with our preliminary task.

Fortunately we didn’t have any continuity errors in either our preliminary task or final product as both were filmed on single days with no major events happening during the filming of each.

Thanks to the time we had for preparation we had managed to create various things, such as a storyboard, script, shotlist and such, which aided us in completing the filming of our final product swiftly; the absence of this was not an issue with our preliminary task thankfully as we needed far less footage and almost everything was improv.

When filming our preliminary task we couldn’t really film extra shots as there wasn’t many that we were sure that we wanted, however when filming our final product we ensured that we filmed way too much and often kept the camera on in-between shots (which actually led to the piggyback shot).

Our preliminary task was also my first experience in directing, and so I feel my confidence was somewhat unmotivating, however by the time we had completed this and our Resevoir Dogs opening re-make I feel that I had adapted to the role well and I can only hope that this is reflected in our final product.

Unfortunately we had to use quite an old camera for our prelimary task with an inbuilt mic and so the image and audio quality left some to be desired. However, with our final product we used a rather lovely Nikon DSLR with a Rode mic, and so image and audio quality was much improved.

Editing was another stage in which we greatly improved; with our preliminary task we only spent a maximum of 2 hours editing, however our final product has had a ton of time put into it editing, with a great deal of refinements and changes being implemented along the way.

Whilst editing our preliminary task none of us had used iMovie before, and so we were learning on the fly; however with our final product we’d had a lot more experience.

Overall I’m extremely happy with the progress I’ve made from our preliminary task to final product and that I have learnt a great deal; the overall quality is far better, the planning was far more meticulous and thought out, the ideas were refined.

I’ve now had the pleasure of directing 3 film openings and helping to edit all three, with which I feel that I have learnt a great deal about film and video production.

Evaluation question 6

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing the product?

I certainly learnt a lot about the technologies we were using whilst making this opening. I'll admit I've never done much more video editing in the past than using Windows Movie Maker (fun fact: that hasn't been updated since 2012 and you can't actually download it anymore!) and this project took me from never touching proper editing software to feeling very confident with using it. We used iMovie, which whilst certainly not as advanced as other software such as FinalCut, it was enough to do what we wanted. Being the main editor (with help from Courtney) I feel that I really learnt a lot from the software and found that by the end of post-production I was comfortable enough with it that I had started to colour grade shots, equalise audio, and other little things which help to refine the look and feel of our opening.

When we were filming I did not operate the camera much as I was directing, however I do not feel that this negatively impacted my experience overall as I'm an avid photographer (currently doing a GCSE in it alongside my A-levels), and in fact the camera we were using (Nikon D4s), is essentially the bigger, better, and much more expensive version of my current camera (Nikon D3300); and so the use of the two is identical.

I certainly learnt a lot about directing, however, as this is the first time in which I have directed a project. The main thing I took from it was that even if you're not confident yourself, you need to act as if you are and the whole thing goes by much smoother. I also learnt that some of the best ideas come up during filming, and that it's important to get those few extra shots as it could make or break the final product. For tips and advice on directing I turned back to a YouTube channel which I used to watch a lot, DSLRguide, and hearing everything from someone who's doing what I was about to do felt very reassuring.

Evaluation question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

As we had elected to have our soldier characters be stereotypical chavs, we had already addressed our target audience of 15-25 year old males and females. This was useful as it diminished the risk of having to add others which may have made the audience to simply think of them as 'token characters'. This helps our audience's engagements to the characters due to their similar ages, and would help them to relate to them throughout the film.

As an independent company we wanted to show our views on gender equality (something which has become more shown in film, such as in The Hunger Games series (2012-15)) through our film. This improves our engagement with our predominantly younger target audience (of which equality is a rapidly improving and talked about subject) and should aid both public opinion of our film as well as our production company itself.

Due to the inclusion of an opening speech in our film opening, it is clear from the start that our film will have a structure and presents to our audience clearly who they will be following and gives a brief overview of the current situation. The father-like figure of our presenter aids us here as it gives our audience someone to look up to and listen to, whilst also being able to view them as a source of humour.

Due to the military focus of our film we are more likely to attract a predominantly male audience; to counter this we ensured that we had more female characters (with one leading chav squad) to attract more females. This helps to attract a wider audience and thus we would in turn gain more profits from the film. The exclusion of the male gaze theory in our film also reduces the risk of patronising female audiences and making their counterparts in our film feel more genuine and equal to the male characters. Later in the whole film there will also be a significant 'top brass' officer, who could be a male or female; male would be more stereotypical however female would help in attracting a female audience and hopefully improving public opinion of our film.

Evaluation question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Our target audience for our film is 15-25 males and females. This is because our film revolves around teenagers within this age group, and so this audience will either be in this age group, or slightly older but still have the associated memories and such fresh in their minds.

As I found in my audience research previously -which was comprised of people almost entirely within this target audience- our target audience is mostly in favour of mockumentaries (although not often able to name many, however it is a relatively rare genre, and so this is not a concern), and many like independent films (more so than I had anticipated actually). This is reassuring as it shows from first-hand data that our target audience likes and is aware of our genre.

With the lower end of our target audience being 15 we were initially concerned about our film being unsuitable for this age range due to the military focus. However, as we developed the storyline and characters we came to the conclusion that this would not be an issue as there is little actual fighting (mostly training, covert ops, or at HQ/barracks) and that any fighting is presented in an extremely lighthearted and humouous way. The fact that our film not taking itself seriously is also useful here as it both contributes to the comedic factor of our film whilst detracting from the potentially negative effects of showing military content to younger people (thanks to this we doubt that the hypodermic needle theory would come into effect).

Evaluation question 3

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

To distribute our film we would use the internet, instead of traditional TV and Cinema. This is because it helps us reach a wider audience (as our film is aimed at a niche audience this is important as it is more important that we reach as many people as possible), is much cheaper than traditional media (as we are only an independent company we need to save money wherever possible and don't have a big budget to spend on a massive distribution company such as Universal, one of the Big 6). We also wouldn't need to have any ties to traditional media sources, and thus being a new small company won't negatively impact us. This method of distribution would also allow us to easily access our target audience -teenagers, as they are the social group known for sitting on the internet all day and so they are the most likely to be the ones to come across our film when we advertise it on social media (our planned method of advertising).

An example of a film which has been heavily distributed is A Field In England (2013), which was made available on various internet-based on-demand video services, such as Amazon video and Netflix.

Our film would be available ideally through as many internet-based on-demand video services available. The most important of these being Netflix and YouTube Movies; Netflix would attract a wider audience who are willing to watch a film however YouTube movies would earn us more money overall (fewer views but much more money per view). These are two of the top internet-based on-demand video services available internationally, and would allow us to reach our target audience.

If we had the funds available we could also create our own website with a built in player, which would allow for our audience to watch the film at the standard price for SD quality, or pay more for a full HD (1080p) video stream, or to download.

Evaluation question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Evaluation question 1

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

My own institutional logo for our production company

This is the institutional logo I designed for our production company. I chose to keep it simple; only incorporating the key elements from the name into the visual side of it with a minimalist approach.

Research on institutional logos

Mainstream film companies usually have animated/moving logos. An example of this is MGM, which has featured Leo the lion in it's logo since 1924. Another example is Universal, which has had it's name orbiting earth since 1923 (when it was first pulled by a biplane!). The use of movement in these logos makes them more memorable to the audience and allows for the company to show off that they have bigger budgets with the use of CGI or in MGM's case, lions (6 to date).

 Independent film companies, however, tend to go for more simplistic and static logos. This reflects their lower budget quality over quantity approach to film-making by giving more of an understated and minimalist look. As they do not have larger budgets things such as CGI is more difficult for them to fund, and so these logos are also more economical financially for the company; allowing them to spend what little budget they have on the film itself. I chose Film4 and Lionsgate as some examples of this; Film4 being especially simple, with a minimalist two-tone look which I'm a great fan of personally.

This will help me as it outlines the key ways in which Mainstream and Independent institutions make their logos differently; giving me a clear, simple view on how I can design an institutional logo for my own company which reflects the type of institution it is more suitably.

Our production company

We will be an independent film company as our genre is very niche, and independent films target niche audiences specifically, whilst mainstream ones are much broader and thus larger. Another reason for being independent is that it will reflect the production value of our film better; we cannot afford to have big CGI sequences shot in 8K like mainstream films, but the lower resolution and simpler technologies used in independent films is perfectly suited.

This will help us as it securely fixes which type of company we will be, which will reflect different aspects of our film, such as production value and genre.

Films that have influenced me

These are some films which have influenced me. This will help me as it lets me explore some films (most of which I first saw many, many years ago) and look into why they influenced me and how this could translate to a wider audience.

Valkyrie (2008)

This film is about the final years Claus Von Stauffenberg (played by Tom Cruise); the Nazi who tried to kill Hitler. This film influenced me as it is the first which I came across which represented the stereotypical baddies as the good guys; this was a refreshing take on the conflict which I found very interesting as it was a big risk for MGM which I personally think resulted in a very good film (however critic's reviews are mixed). Although receiving relatively poor reviews, it grossed $200 million, making it the fifth highest grossing WW2 film to date.

The Wind Rises (2013)

This film is a biography of Jiro Horikoshi; a Japanese aircraft designer during WW2 and portrays his journey through design, his hatred and fear of war and his love (and eventual loss) of his wife. This film influenced me as it is a topic which has been an interest of mine for some years and it was amazing to see such a film created by the lovely Hayao Miyazaki (known most notably for My neighbour Totoro (1988)) as his final film with Studio Ghibli before his retirement. The film received great reviews and was a hit among Ghibli fans.

The Matrix (1999)

This film is a fictional depiction of a future where humans live through a computer system known as the Matrix, and follows him through his journey of escaping and putting an awful lot of trust in some people he's never met. This film influenced me as it is arguably one of (if not the) most iconic sci-fi film of all time and acted as my introduction to the genre.

Short Circuit (1986)

This film is about Johnny 5; the fifth robot in a group of experimental artificial intelligence research robots who gets electrocuted and escapes. This film has influenced me as it was one of the first films I saw which applied a great comedic value to what could be viewed as a very dark subject matter; later this led into a personal interest in satirical comedy and being naturally very sarcastic.

The most hated family in America (2007)

This film is arguably the most iconic and career-defining documentary by Louis Theroux; where he looks into the infamous WBC. This film influenced me as it was my first encounter with LGBT topics in my later childhood/early teenage years which not only helped me in realising my own personal identity but also introduced me into the world of ignorance, guided by the reassuring, loyal, and no-nonsense Louis Theroux. Despite being based on such a controversial topic it received great reviews; most probably stemming from Theroux's attitude to said topic.

A timeline of titles from a film in my chosen genre

This is a timeline of the titles from Borat (2006), It is set to the music of the Kazakhstan national anthem, which is fitting to the style of the film and puts the audience into an appropriate emotional state for the film. This will help me as it is a unique style of presenting credits, which I could use in my own film as it has proven to be effective in a well-known mockumentary.

Analysis of a film opening in our chosen genre

Tropic Thunder (2008)


Genre
Tropic thunder is a satirical action comedy/mockumentary centred around the war in Vietnam and a group of prima donna actors. The satirical side of the film is extremely prevelent, however, largely through the overdramatic scenes where one soldier is shot and another charged with a bayonet. The action and comedy sides also come across clearly through the subject matter of the film and the satirical nature of how it is presented.
Narrative
The mockumentary part of the film does not become obvious in this section of the film, however, as the film is instead set up to make the audience believe that what they are watching is the film itself, before the camera later pans around to show a crew; unveiling that this is in fact a film in a film. I like this style as it immerses the audience before and then shatters what they think is real, making them questin what is real and what is not for the rest of the film (in a similar style to Inception).
Character
The first major and most significant character (played by Ben Stiller) shown in the opening is introduced through an extremely overdramatic and laughably unrealistic escape from the enemy whist being shot with machine gun fire. This character also appears to be a parody of John Rambo, from the famous Rambo series, which debuted with Rambo: First Blood in 1982. This parody is most notable through the red bandana and inhuman resistance to bullets.
Atmosphere
The opening has a strong war/battlefield atmosphere, highlighted by soldiers, the aforementioned napalm and military vehicles, as well as diegetic gunfire and explosive sounds. However, despite his, I feel that it retains a satirical comedy style through how things such as one of the characters being shot being very intentionally overdone and unrealistic; this is clearly mocking the stern and professional style and delivery of stereotypical war films.
Setting
The film is set in Vietnam during the Vietnam war. This is very clearly shown throughout the opening, with period military uniforms, weapons and helicopters, jungle foliage, and infamous napalm; which is synonymous with the Vietnam war.
Sound

Our chosen genre and research

Mockumentaries are a form of satirical documentary, like a comedy mixed with a documentary. The earliest popular example is the 1957 BBC 'Swiss Spaghetti Harvest'. Some of their generic conventions include:

• Presenter/Voice-over narrator
• Fictional events are presented in a documentary style to create a parody
• Honest and natural nature; characters and situations are often very relatable to the target audience
• Often include 'real' footage of events and are presented to the audience as if they are real
• Often include interviews throughout like in a documentary

Mockumentary is a lesser-done yet popular genre. I know this as arguably the most well known and popular Mockumentary, Borat (2006) received good reviews and has become somewhat of an icon of the genre.

Comedies are an extremely popular genre, with such films as Deadpool (2016) and Airplane (1980) being two prominent works. These are popular as their aim is to amuse the audience, and so are usually positive in nature.

War films have been popular ever since the Second World War (where the war itself was first shown in film as it was ongoing), and the release of early popular films such as Full Metal Jacket (1987) and Saving Private Ryan (1998) sparked off the more modern Hollywood blockbuster War films.

Action has always been extremely popular film genre, with earlier films such as The Terminator (1984) sparking an entire series of films, with the latest instalment Terminator Genisys being released in 2015; proving that the series and genre is still well-known and appreciated.

Our opening re-make

This is our re-make of the opening to Resevoir Dogs. We did this as it allowed us to practise making a film opening without needing to do research, and making decisions on things such as the film genre, characters, plot etc. This meant that we could practise the main production aspects (filming, editing etc) of making a film opening in a shorter period of time; so we know which areas we are more or less confident and may need to improve on.

Differences between mainstream and independent films

This is a comparison between the key things found in Mainstream and Independent films. This will help me as it gives me a simple list of the differences between the two which I can use during the creation of my film to ensure that it fits the correct type of production company.

Mainstream

• High production value
• More/more complex technologies (such as green screens or CGI)
• Higher image quality
• Often in 3D or IMAX
• Large, broad audience
• Common, large genre
• Obvious genre
• Large, expensive marketing schemes using cross media convergence
• Broad distribution (available on DVD, Blu-ray, online, multiplex cinemas etc)
• International distribution

Independent

• Niche audience (very specific target audience)
• Specific, often ususual genre
• Genre unclear
• Gritty
• Either have a very small marketing scheme or none whatsoever (recent independent films, such as Ex_Machina (2015), have utilised social media as it is widespread and free)
• Low budget/production value
• Limited distribution (often solely on DVD, online, or in independent cinemas)
• Local or national distribution

Film openings and audiences

These are the results from a questionnaire to find out about audiences in general, as well as a few questions targeted at our chosen genre. This is useful as it tells me both a little about my audience, as well as the prevalence that our chosen genre has within this area. I surveyed 20 people, most of which were my peers, however some were older (family members, older friends etc). The youngest person I surveyed was 12, and the oldest 51, and so I had a good range of ages. The average age was somewhere around 17 (so late teenage years), and the gender ratio was fairly equal, with two more men than women.

These results tell me that most of the people I asked like films (namely comedies), most know of and like mockumentaries, however most could not name one. Most also disliked documentaries and preferred mainstream to independent films.

Making a film opening with Jelly Babies

Using Jelly Babies as our characters and post-it notes for titles we created a storyboard for the opening of a (non-existent) film. Our film was to be a supernatural thriller aimed at teenagers; to fit this we set our plotline as a group of 4 friends (one of which is disabled, hence the missing arm) at school who found a basement in one of their classrooms, which in it has all of their past teachers in zombie form.

We did this activity so that it would give us more experience in making a more detailed storyboard. It also allowed us to focus our film onto a specific target audience and make us think on the spot. These things will increase our experience and knowledge in these fields, which we can use in turn when it comes to making our own film.

Generic conventions in film openings

This is a list of common film genres and the generic conventions found in them. This will help me as it gives me a clear list of generic conventions for different genres, as well as an example of a film opening for each.

• Action 
• Fight scenes
• Weaponry
• Car chases 
• Animation
• CGI
• Usually tied in with another genre (such as family)
• Often unrealistic (inanimate objects are often given personalities) 

• Comedy
• Humour
• Light-hearted or satirical
• Sarcasm 
• Family
• U/PG rating
• Happy ending
• Information is not withheld 
• Horror
• Gore
• Violence
• Fear
• More realistic than Thriller 
• Romance 
• Love
• Usually have a happy ending
• Emotional
• War
• Military
• Weaponry
• Violence
• Often historical
• Adventure
• Journey
• Mystery
• Overcoming obstacles 
• Crime
• Detectives
• Police
• Mystery
• Illegal activity 
• Drama
• Controversy/conflict
• Real life situations
• Audience can realate to characters 
• Mystery
• Unknown
• Little information given out
• Questioning 
• Historical
• Portrays a historical event/period
• Serious or satirical (Such as a mockumentary)
• Usually as accurate as possible, within political limitations (unless satirical) 
• Sc-Fi
• Advanced tech
• Future
• Cultural change 
• Thriller
• Violence
• Gore
• Fear
• More unrealistic than Horror 

The impact of certification

Certification is extremely important in films. If the film's age rating is too high then much of the target audience may be restricted from viewing the film, crippling it's views. However if it's too low then the film may be controversial and unpopular due to concerns over how appropriate it is for younger people.

An example of a film which has been controversial with regards to it's certification is Deadpool (2016), which was rated as a 15 although many have argues that it should have been an 18. I personally saw the film with my partner and his family, and his parents said afterwards that they thought it was inappropriate for his sister (who was 15 at the time) due to the excessive violence shown. This lead to a significant amount of hate being thrown at Marvel as parents were concerned by what their children were being allowed to be shown.

This helps me as it serves as a reminder to why it is important that we accurately certify our film in relation to age as doing this incorrectly could have a very negative impact on either our film's views or our production company's reputation.

Certification in film

The purpose of certification is to protect audiences (usually younger people or vulnerable teenagers/adults) from graphic scenes, foul language, and explicit/illegal acts. It sets the standard for what is expected for a film for each age group, often useful for parents with a responsibility for children and thus have to make informed decisions on what they should and should not watch. This will help me as it can serve as a quick set of guidelines for what my own film opening can show dependent on what age classification we choose.

U - Universal

Suitable for people aged 4 and above, carry a positive message and reassuring counterbalancing to and violence, threat, or negative themes.

PG - Parental Guidance

Should not unsettle or upset a child aged 8 or above, thus some scenes or content may be unsuitable for younger children. Parents are advised to accompany their children or consider what effects the film may have on them.

12/12A - Suitable for 12 years and older

Suitable for people aged 12 or above, may have foul language, misuse of drugs etc however this is infrequent and not encouraged or glamourised. Children must be accompanied to watch 12A rated films in cinemas.

15 - Suitable for 15 years and older

Suitable for people aged 15 and above, no one younger than 15 may see a 15 rated film, nor may they buy or rent 15 rated video work. Violence, sexual content, and drugs may be shown, however the piece may not show highly dangerous things, dwell on the infliction of pain/injury, or show too much detail. Foul language is permitted, with extremely foul language may be permitted, dependent on context within the film.

18 - Suitable for adults

Suitable for people aged 18 years and above. Most violence, drugs etc is permitted unless disconcertingly illegal and the bbfc feels that it may cause the Hypodermic needle (theory) threat.

Film opening timelines

The three films I chose are Deadpool, The Matrix, and Resevoir Dogs. I chose these as they represent both older and modern films and have variations in genre as well. The most striking difference between the three that I noticed is that The Matrix doesn't have many titles in it's intro, only institutional logos, allowing it to be focused more on the story. Resevoir Dogs and Deadpool both have a generous amount of titles, with Deadpool going for a more sarcastic and witty approach and Resevoir Dogs going for a more traditional approach.

This helps me as it shows me the basic sequence of credits in mainstream films, as well as why some films don't follow this pattern and for what reason.

Student film opening detailed analysis (WANDERLUST)

WANDERLUST (2016)

This will help me as it lets me not only watch a film opening as created by another group of AS Media students, but also prompts me to analyse how effective it is in different areas and what areas of it I like or dislike.

Genre/Narrative

This opening certainly fits into the adventure genre (this is not stated) in my opinion. There is a clear narrative which supports this, with a teen embarking on a journey of self-discovery. Through the depiction of the letter to his parents the viewer is given a clear insight into the character's feelings and what he plans to do. As explained later the non-diegetic audio also supports this.

Atmosphere

Throughout the opening the character quite clearly hesitates when performing some tasks, such as when he puts a first aid pack in his bag (which appears to have leapt out again in the next shot, which I found quite noticable -I will need to be very careful with continuity in my own opening) and when he pets a horse. This makes the viewer feel uneasy about the character's actions and decisions as he himself is, giving it a more personal feel.

Themes

There is a clear theme of self-discovery throughout the opening. This can be seen through the overall narrative of the character leaving home to go on an adventure/journey. This is also clear through the atmosphere as mentioned previously; the character seems apprehensive of his own actions (which has connotations of self-doubt) and is perhaps unhappy with his current situation. As noted before this is also supported by the non-diegetic audio.

Setting

The first half of the opening is set in the main character's bedroom. This is an excellent use of pre-existing location as this was almost certainly one of the group member's bedrooms. Through doing this they eliminated the need to find a suitable room and make it look like a teenager's room, saving time, resources, and in turn making it more realistic and believable.

The latter half of the opening is set in a field with a horse and a logpile. Due to the natural light they would have saved time and resources lighting it themselves by choosing to film on a day with suitable weather conditions. This is another good use of pre-exisitng locations as it is clear they haven't modified it whatsoever and so could simply go straight to shooting.

Sound

I personally love the use of non-diegetic audio in this opening. It is an excerpt from a talk by Alan Watts (a popular late British philosopher), who often focused his work around self-discovery and motivation. This particular talk of his (entitled "what if money was no object") is him talking about how he supported graduates in finding what they wanted to do when they came to him seeking advice; which links in very well with the visual aspect of the opening and providing a clear narrative of what's happening. I prefer this in this case over a regular narration as it removes all diegetic audio and focuses the viewer on the words, however these words feel like they have more meaning through the way Watts spoke and not just someone reading a script in a soundbooth. From this I know that if my opening does have some form of narration or presentation I want to make sure it has some character; some personal flair which helps the viewer connect with what is being said.

Titles

I feel that the handwritten style of the titles in this opening really add to the atmosphere of it. They make it feel more personal; giving the viewer a closer relationship with the character, which I think would become important throughout the film, particularly with empathy. This title style also links clearly to the letter the character writes in the clip, making the titles feel more like they're written by him; further emphasising this idea.

What makes a good student film

Use of:

• Non-diegetic sound to tell a story - WANDERLUST does this excellently, by using Alan Watts' 'What if money was no object'
• Low aperture to bring to the focal point to a specific area - Dog Tag uses this very effectively during the shots around 0:45 to bring the viewer's focus on the character 
  
• Location - Asphalt has an excellent location, seen at the shot at 0:38, which the production team have used to add to the atmosphere of the sequence 
  
• Make-up - CAPTIVE is a brilliant example of this, best seen at 0:25, where make-up has been used to create a realistic effect which makes the audience believe that a fight or conflict will have occurred beforehand 
  
• Titles - The Edge uses titles very creatively; opting to blend them into the environment rather than just stick them on the screen, which looks professional and prevents from diverting the audience's attention away from the story 
  
• POV shots - The Marksman uses a POV shot near the end to create a more personal feeling on what is happening in the sequence 
  
• Colour correction in editing - Carnage has been colour corrected so that everything looks darker and more brown; giving it a much more serious feel 
  
• Lighting for emphasis - Bazza has used the metallic surface of a dumbell to put emphasis on it 
  
• Silhouetting - End Point has used a silhouette of a person to generate tension due to the character's unknown identity 
  
• Costume - Exiled has perfectly fitting costumes which really add to the realism and atmosphere of the sequence 
  

This will help me as it gives me a list of things I should be doing or thinking about when I make my own film opening.

Independent research on film openings

For this research I have decided to look at why some film openings don't use titles (or very few titles), and the effect this has on the viewer's experience. This will help me as it lets me analyse a specific area of film openings which I find particularly interesting and I may be able to use in my own film opening.

Valkyrie (2008)

Valkyrie actually has no institutional logos or credits in the opening whatsoever. This is incredibly unusual as usually films will at least have institutional logos (like Sherlock Holmes, 2009). However, it does have a section at the beginning where some German text flips to English, reading "The following is based on a true story", and the Wehrmacht Oath of loyalty (also known as the Hitler Oath), which, although very sudden and harsh, is extremely effective at putting the viewer in a suitable mindset for the film, as well as giving them an idea of what the main character was expected to do (which he later goes back on, as the story shows). This use of titles is extremely effective in my opinion and I admire the selflessness and dedication to the story the institutions associated with it showed.

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

As mentioned previously, the opening of Sherlock Holmes only has three institutional logos, all of which are presented at the immediate start of the film and are inset into part of a cobbled road. The camera briefly pauses at each of these before tilting up to the main attraction, marking the beginning of the film. This very minimal and subtle approach to the titles is very effective in my opinion, and I firmly believe that it really helps to contribute to the story of the film; allowing the audience to focus on the story itself, and not reading who directed and starred in it.

Deadpool (2016)

Deadpool is certainly an oddball when it comes to films, with the opening of this film featuring wedgies, Angel of the Morning (by Juice Newton), and most importantly some rather ridiculous titles. Although this opening has several titles, I believe that these are unique in contributing to the story and setting the film up with a remarkable degree of effectiveness. As the titles move slowly with various items in the frame and regard different crew members by outlandish titles instead of their official titles it perfectly sets up the action genre in an extremely comedic fashion. Some of the titles also help show how the film doesn't really take itself seriously, supported later on with several fourth wall breaks.

Inception (2010)

Inception is another rarity in films as it features no titles whatsoever. This fits in very well with the story due to its reliance on being immersive. I believe that this excellently supports the storyline of the film; giving the audience a much greater viewing experience and thus improves the film as a whole. As the film is riddled with questions of what is real and what is dream the lack of titles also helps in giving the audience no indication of what state the characters are in at the beginning of the film, making it more immersive and keeping the audience questioning and on their toes.

Lord of war (2005)

Lord of War is by far the most stereotypical in how it presents titles in it's opening, however this is for good reason. As the film is a crime drama with an odd documentary-style twist (seen first with the audience being directly addressed in the first lines), it can afford more stereotypical titles as there is less of a story for the viewer to be immersed in. This means that the titles do not detract from the storyline of the film.

In depth analysis of Sherlock Holmes opening title sequence

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

This will help me as it makes me look at how a less conventional mainstream film opening presents different themes to the audience in depth.

Genre

Action is hinted at by the characters in the carriage loading their weapons (a shotgun and revolver), this connotes an upcoming firefight/conflict. The fact that a shotgun is used is also noteworthy as it emphasises the significance of this upcoming conflict; if it were only minor they would both have revolvers, but one of the characters has opted for a significantly more lethal and powerful weapon instead.

 The pace of the editing, the man running, and the speed of the carriage also culminate to make the sequence feel fast-paced; it also feels as if the carriage is chasing the running man at the beginning, giving further connotation to an upcoming conflict? Later in the sequence the running man also vaults several obstacles, dodges others, and breaks down a door; this gives further connotation to the viewer that he is desperate to not be caught by the carriage, even if that means breaking into somewhere.

Adventure is entailed through the narrative of the carriage chasing the running man. This, combined with the running man's willingness to venture off of the well-lit and obvious path into more secluded alleys, gives the sequence a feeling of adventure and mystery.

Crime is heavily shown throughout the clip. At the beginning of the clip the characters in the carriage appear very authoritative and well dressed as well as being armed; this connotes that they are part of law enforcement. These characters are being driven by stereotypical policemen, enforcing the idea that they are part of the police. Later in the sequence it is shown that they are accompanied by two more policemen inside the carriage as one of the characters turns to face them; reassuring their allegiance.

 The fact that the running man opts to break in via breaking down a gate at the end of the sequence with no time spent questioning it also connotes that this may be a petty crime compared to others he may have committed.

Narrative

The sequence encompasses a carriage chasing a running man. The carriage is evidently the police and the running man is presumed to be a criminal. Throughout the sequence the running man sticks to well-lit roads until nearer the end, where he turns down an extremely dark alley, before avoiding obstacles and breaking down a gate to seek refuge. The fact that he opts to switch to such a dark alleyway highlights that he is desperate to escape the police carriage. He also almost loses his footing as he turns down said alleyway due to the speed at which he was running at; emphasising the pace of the chase and showing that he has to react quickly and make sharp decisions in order to evade the police carriage. He also makes a jump off of a considerable ledge shortly before breaking down the door/gate; further showing the lengths he is prepared to go to to achieve his goal.

The entire sequence up to 0:52 is one continuous shot, this makes up over half of the clip and so is very slow paced; the sudden switch to fast paced editing once the camera cuts to the character in the carriage with the revolver is thus emphasised and makes much more of an impact had the first section been comprised of several shots with a neutral paced edit. At 0:34 it also feels as though the camera would naturally cut to another shot, however the camera then moves first as if it is being picked up before chasing the carriage and ending at the rear window of said carriage with the two law enforcement characters in frame; this is unusual and gives a sense of unease to the viewer, making them start to question their own judgement.

Atmosphere

The streets in which the carriage travels have low-key lighting, however they are the brightest places in the sequence. The rest of the areas shown are also poorly lit or completely blanketed in darkness (such as the alleyway the running man switches to). Due to the overall darkness the sequence encompasses through low-key lighting (or a lack of lighting entirely) it feels rather mysterious. This is enforced by the presumed purposes/identities of the characters and the presumption of that is happening in the sequence; as nothing that is happening or character's identities is not supported with concrete evidence or even stated then the only thing the viewer can do is presume using what little information is given.

As the carriage sticks to the comparatively well-lit roads it makes it feel more as though it is carrying the protagonist(s) of the film, whilst the running man sticks to dark alleyways and so is presumed to be the antagonist (or perhaps just a regular criminal, however I doubt this due to the amount of attention given to him and the tracking shots which give a more personal view of him). The light on the carriage is also white instead of yellow/orange, and so ties in with the connotation of purity from white, as well as the light itself being purer and not tarnished and yellowed.

Themes

Crime is a major theme in this sequence; right from the beginning of the clip the viewer presumes that the carriage is law-enforcement (as supported by the policemen both inside the carriage as shown later on and the policemen driving it). The presumably criminal running man also continues this theme, and the chase-style nature of the sequence connotes that a crime may have recently taken place, hence why the police are chasing the criminal.

Conflict is presented in the sequence primarily through the appearance of firearms. Both of the suited men in the carriage have weapons (a shotgun and revolver), and one of the policemen also carries a revolver. These are not only shown but can be seen being loaded and the revolver can be seen being cocked (arming the weapon so that it can be fired); the presentation of these weapons being prepared for firing gives a heavy implication that the holder of said weapons are expecting to be needing to use them shortly into the future.

Setting

The first visual indicators of the setting to the viewer are the cobbled road, eccentric architecture and horse-drawn carriage. Based off of these the viewer can gain a rough indicator of the time period that this is set in (around-about the 1800s), and that it is set in a built-up area.

 When the camera reaches the carriage at the end of the first shot there is also more indicators of the setting. The clothing worn by the two characters is well-suited (pun not intended) to the time period and also shows that they are higher class; as supported by them being well-groomed and the presence of a pocketwatch in one of their pockets. These two characters are quite obviously of a western ethnicity, allowing the audience to presume that this is set in a western town/city. The firearms they posess also helps to reassure the viewer of the time period; revolvers and lever-action shotguns are commonly shown in other films set in the later 1800s to early 1900s. The Policemen's uniform is of the iconic British 'bobby' style, helping the viewer to pin down the location to London and providing more reassurance on the time period.

Sound

The non-diegetic music in the sequence feels very in tune with the setting and fits the Action/Crime/Adventure genre very well. The camera also cuts at several points during the clip when the next part of the music begins; This emphasises the impact it has on the viewer and helps to build up the pace.

The diegetic sounds in the sequence is mostly from the feet of the running man and sounds the carriage and horses make. This makes it feel somewhat impersonal and fits the nighttime setting. The lack of speech gives not only an impersonal view but also prevents too much being shown about the characters; allowing for more to be shown and revealed as the film progresses. This also forces the viewer to concentrate more on the visual side of it and what can be seen. As well as these there is also the sounds made as the characters load and cock their weapons; this highlights their significance in the sequence as they are the only things (bar the carriage and running man) creating any noise in the sequence.

Titles

Unfortunately there is an almost complete lack of titles in this film opening. Although this is unusual it is not the only film to do this (The Matrix, for example, also does); and so feels less out of place because of this. There are two institutional logos shown at the beginning of the sequence (Warner Bros and Village Roadshow); the inclusion of only these and no other titles makes them feel more significant but also prevents the viewer's attention from being diverted away from what is happening in relation to the plotline.

The way these logos is presented is particularly fitting; they are both inlayed into the cobbled road, blending in instead of sticking out. This shows that these institutions have decided to put the plotline over their self-advertising, which is an unfortunately rare yet refreshing approach which shows their confidence in the film and dedication to it.

Class film opening analysis

Skyfall

This will help me as it will let me explore the key themes which are presented by a popular mainstream film opening. This gives me an idea of what a mainstream audience would expect from a film opening.

Genre

• Action - daggers and guns
• Drama -death references (skulls, blood, gravestones etc) 
  

Narrative

• Camera - Low angle shot of protagonist in water (enigma code)
• Womans hand - drags him down (connotations of women causing issues and bringing him down) 
  
• POV High angle - protagonist falling down what looks like a plughole - not in  agood state of mind - makes the viewer question his destination
• Continual journey in water - connotation of him having far to go
• Target cut out of protagonist floating in water with wound where he was hit on the train - foreshadowes injury in this film?
• Shooting his own shadow - afraid of himself?

Character

• Protagonist looks vulnerable - loss of consciousness
• Also looks weak - dragged down by woman's hand - extremely small in comparison to hand
• Often aims his weapon where he is walking - afraid of enemies - cautious
• Close up shots of protagonist's face - personal - looks tired and worn 
  

Atmosphere

• POV shots - makes certain sequences feel more personal 
  
• Underwater - everything floats around - feels unnatural
• Shadows - much of the screen is usually filled with darkness/shadows - feels claustrophobic - low key lighting

Themes

• Death - repeated imagery of weapons (guns and knives), blood, shooting targets
• Internal conflict - protagonist shooting his own shadows, mirrors and seemingly overly cautious
• Conflict - woman aiming pistol (a Walther PPK, the protagonist's iconic weapon of choice; suggesting she obtained it from him -betrayal?) at camera - Fire underwater - contrasting colours - shooting targets in place of fish 
  
• Stag/deer - hints to later in film

Setting

• Underwater - some appears as if it were filmed on the seabed - some looks like underwater buildings 
  
• Water - drowning - death
• Buildings - appear abandoned - solitary, alone

Sound

• Water can be heard flowing at start (and then protagonist being submerged) - diegetic - only non-diegetic sound after that point
• Dramatic and sudden violins begin as he is submerged - signals start of sequence
• Lyrics begin with "This is the end" - ironic - beginning of film vs "end" - death connotations?
• Lyrics often link to what is being seen - "but you'll never have my heart" - blood-red skull and structures which look like arteries/veins - "we will stand tall and face it all" as protagonist/camera (POV shot) looks/tilts upwards to see reflection of standing protagonist and multiple other silhoutted reflections 
  

Titles

• All of the titles are white (except some nearer the end, when they are on a white background and so change to black) - purity - contrast to largely dark backdrop
• Titles appear either when the scene changes or/and at the same time the pace/section of the song changes
• Titles remain in place on screen regardless of what is happening
• Size of titles remains the same, as well as the font
• Names are always in capitals whilst titles (Co-Producers etc) are lowercase 
  
• Main 'SKYFALL' title is only slightly larger than the others and partially covered up as protagonist falls/is pulled - understated
• Main title is stylised (some areas faded, different font etc) - matches posters, cover art etc