Monday 17th December 2012

We began filming our title sequence. We used a flip camera without a tripod to give it a handheld feeling, almost as if it was a mobile phone. Also, we created newspapers to be added in to the title sequence. Originally, we was going to print them off and film us throwing them down, but instead we decided to add them in as an effect later on in Final Cut Pro.  

Codes and Conventions Class Notes

A title sequence is the method by which cinematic films or television programmes present their title, key production and cast members, or both, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound.

-       Introduces you to the film and the storyline.

-       Introduces you to the characters.

-       Gives credit to producers, directors etc.

The opening title sequence of a film is that film’s opportunity to make a good first impression on you, the viewer. A well-crafted title sequence introduces the audience to the tone and theme of the film as well as the cast and crew.

Codes & Conventions:

-       Details of cast and crew.

-       The film’s title.

-       An introduction to character or character type.

-       Indication of place.

-       Indication of historical period.

-       Information regarding mood and tone.

-       Introduction to signature theme tune.

-       Information about genre.

-       Questions the viewer finds intriguing.

-       Patterns and editing that will be echoed throughout.

-       Mise-en-scene and cinematography that will be echoed or elaborated on throughout.

Film Studios

AIMS: To be able to indicate how films are produced and distributed.

To research and decide upon the film studio who will produce/distribute your film.

Film studios:

-       Universal Studios

-       Warner Brothers

-       20^th Century Fox

-       Lionsgate

-       Disney/Pixar

-       Sony

-       Colombia

-       Paramount

A film studio is a company that produces and/or distributes motion pictures.

There are 6 main studios:

-       Walt Disney

-       Paramount

-       Universal

-       Warner Brothers

-       Sony/Colombia

-       Fox

Each of these studios will own sub-division, which specialise in niche films. This is based on genre and budget.  

Synergy – Owning something else to make more money.

The distribution company is in charge of getting the film out to audiences, this involves organising for the film to receive an age certificate by regulation bodies, such as the BBFC and MPAA; arranging exhibition outlets globally and DVD/Television rights; arranging prints of the film; and marketing, publicity and promotion of the film.

Storyboarding

For our Title Sequence, we needed to Storyboard it.

Thursday 6th December 2012

We began storyboarding our title sequence. For our title sequence, we wanted to portray the zombie apocalypse using many different types of media, like television, radio and mobile phones.

We were also given roles within our group. I was given the role of cinematographer; Fex was given the role of the costume, props, location and make-up; Elle was given the role of director/group manager, as she is the most vocal member of our group.

Fight Scene

Sound Design

Aims:

1. to be able to indicate what the three different types of sound design are.
2. to create foley track for the tight sequence that you should have filmed.

SOUND DESIGN
- Digetic sound
- Pleonastic sound non-digetic sound
- Dialouge
- Foley
- Sound effect (sfx)
SOUND EFFECT

• the creation and layering of dialouge, background noise and other sound effects to create a sophisticated aurual environment.

SOUND STYLE:
- Realism
- Hyper-realism {adding reverb, echpoing sound}
- Unrealism/surealism {contradicts}

THE FOUR MAIN THINGS:
- Dialouge track: sound of the characters talkind
- Wild track: natural sound that surrounds the environment
- Foley track: additional dialougue recording [ADR]
- Sound track: music track

Thursday 15th November 2012

We pitched our presentation for ‘CiviliZed’ to the class.  We created the presentation on Prezi as we felt it looked smoother, and was easier to place everything in to an organised simple way. We received feedback on our presentation, what was good about it, what could be improved on and what people felt wouldn’t work. The budget was a major issue raised by every group, we later changed this from the original £6million to £12million. This was mainly due to the number of high profile actors we were using in our film.

Civildead Film Pitch

From the feedback we were provided with, our pitch went relatively well and put across the idea of 'Civildead' in a way which made it clear for the audience to understand. One of the things that worked well with out film idea was the storyline, it was clear to the audience what the main storyline was based upon, and people said that it worked well, especially with the comedy aspect of the film. Also, people felt that the target audience was relevant to the genre and idea of the film.

Things that didn't work well with out film idea were things like the budget, many people said our budget was far too low considering the actor's we wanted to take part in our film, so we decided to raise the budget of our film adequately, and change a few of the actors so it wasn't clustered with 'high profile' actors.

Thursday 8th November 2012

We began working on our presentation for our film. After a discussion with the group, we agreed on calling the film ‘CiviliZed’. I felt this was a good choice as it provides the audience with an idea on what the film is about, and it really emphasises the zombie theme with the capitalised ‘Z’ in the title. We also agreed on the budget of the film, and different actors who we wanted to play the parts of the 4 survivors, and 4 main zombies, the relatives of the survivors.

Tuesday 6th November 2012

Leanne split us up in to different groups for the coursework; I was placed in a group with Elle Meade and Fex Orumwense. We were asked to create a title sequence for a film, over the half-term we all came up with different ideas for a film and then decided which one we would go with after. After looking at all 3 ideas, we decided to come up with a new idea. A film following 4 survivors of the zombie apocalypse attempting to find a cure for their families who have been affected by the apocalypse. The zombies now have their own civilisation and are living like regular human beings would.

Shaun of the Dead Animated Title Sequence Analysis

Shaun of the Dead

The title sequence I chose to analyse is from Shaun of the Dead. The title sequence is used to help the audience identify what genre this film is. The title sequence is animated to give it a comical and child-like feel; this gives the audience the impression that it is suitable for a younger audience, as well as an older audience, this film is most likely aimed at a male audience as it involves lots of red connoting death, as well as violent images which can be used to attract a male audience. The genre is depicted clearly in the title sequence, it clearly shows that it will contain comical scenes combined with horror, this can be seen by the colours used, dark red and black, showing death or darkness associated with the horror genre along with the cartoon-like feel to show the comic side of this film.

The music used in the title sequence is used to help the audience identify the genre. When put with the animated images, we can clearly see the filmmakers have chosen this track to give a calm feel, the music is contrapuntal to the images we see. The music is of a happy tone, whereas the images we see are full of violence and blood.

The typography used in this title sequence is relevant to the genre of the film. The title we see right at the beginning of the title sequence immediately gives the impression of a horror film, with the title in bold capitals, looking slightly worn down or as if it’s been attacked, with the ‘a’ in ‘DEAD’ used to identify the zombies theme in the film. As the title sequence continues, the worn down effect is continuously used, often splattered with what the audience could perceive as blood. The font colour is always white, black or red, the black and red are used to show the danger involved within this film, the white can show the contrast between the humans and the zombies, and the fight for survival.

Zombieland Title Sequence Analysis

The title sequence used at the beginning of Zombieland is used to introduce the audience to the genre and the cast of the film, and shows us what we should be expecting throughout. The first scene in the title sequence consists of a policeman being thrown off of the top of a prison tower by one of the cellmates which has turned in to a zombie, this is used to show the dark comical nature of the film, and straight away shows us that this film will consist of a lot of blood, gore and comedy. The camera is facing directly upwards, as if the policeman is falling directly towards you, this can be used to portray weakness in the human race, and it shows that the zombies are very powerful. It is also in slow motion, this adds to the dramatical nature of the title sequence. Whilst falling, the ‘Colombia Pictures Presents’ sign is destroyed by the falling man, this can symbolise the destruction and chaos that we will see throughout the film, this is a recurring theme throughout the title sequence as all of the signs seen throughout the sequence are destroyed.

The next part of the sequence is very simplistic, but gives the audience a very good idea of what to expect. It shows a zombie spewing blood from his mouth in slow motion, it’s very dramatical and can make the audience feel uneasy, it also connotes that the film will contain lots of blood, correlating with the horror genre.

After this, we see a woman attempting to evade the zombies, this could create an enigma amongst the audience regarding whether the film will be based around escaping the zombies or killing the zombies. During this scene, the woman is holding a milkshake, the pink liquid is sent flying through the air, this could be representative of females being weaker than men as pink connotes femininity.

The next scene further indicates the dark comical nature of this film, we see a man holding a sign which reads ‘THE END IS NEAR’, whilst being attacked by a group of zombies. This is ironic, and also shows us there could be a theme of betrayal throughout the film, as in the background we see a couple fleeing whilst leaving the man to die; this shows the desperate nature that the humans have been condemned to during this film.

After this, we see a man running from a burning car, possibly his, and 2 zombies. The car has been engulfed with flames, and there is a thick black cloud rising from it, black can connote death and loneliness, as if the humans are now alone and have been left to fight for themselves and have been placed in an ‘every man for himself’ situation.

Several more scenes continue to portray the comedy horror genre of this film, with the themes of betrayal and loneliness depicted again. But towards the end of the title sequence, we see two firemen, one being chased by a burning zombie whilst the other puts out the flames on the building. This again creates an enigma amongst the audience as they begin to wonder if these creatures are destructible or whether they are invincible, but once again the theme of betrayal returns as one fireman leaves the other for dead.

Following on from this, we see a man in a suit using a gun to kill zombies, this again comes back to the theme of loneliness as he is all alone, trying to fight off the zombie’s singlehandedly, but we see a zombie approaching him in the background so we can assume he dies too. And finally, the last clip shows a zombie flying towards a window; this could portray the end of the zombies. Overall the title sequence could be an indication of how the whole film pans out, from the zombie’s overtaking, to them being eventually wiped out.