Final Opening

This lesson we finished our film opening :)

We made a lot of improvements to our roughcut to produce our final product:

• Adjusting audio levels - Our background noise varied through the sequence due to the wind on the day of filming so we had to turn the volume of each section up and down to achieve a balanced sound throughout. We also had to adjust the audio level of the speech to fit with the background noise.
  
• Video and audio transitions - To make our sequence smoother we had to perfect the cuts of both the video and the audio. We cut out a section of the script as it was running for too long at the end of our sequence. This was hard as the speech was continuous however we managed to cut it in just the right place so that it did not jump. We also added ambient back ground noise where there were breaks in the speech so it did not jump to silence. With the video, we inserted slugs to make the sequence run smoother. We also added gaps between 2 shots at the start of the sequence to introduce the titles.
  
• De-saturation - Although we had already desaturated our footage we felt that we needed to do it more to add a greater effect to the sequence and to conform with the style of the genre.
• Editing effects - At the start of our roughcut, we applied a strobe effect to the opening shot to give it a more surreal feel. When we looked back at this we decided it look as if the video was jumping. We still wanted to make the opening shot different to the rest of the shots as we saw in 'Ratcatcher' so instead we slowed the shot down. This still gave it a surreal look but stopped it looking to jumpy.
  

Overall we are very pleased with our final product, enjoy!

Our Script

There was nothing different about me, hangin round on street corners downing stale beers and smokin 6 packs of fags. We used to walk round like we owned the fuckin place. All in gangs, hoods up, thought we looked hard, threatning like.
It was a laugh smashin up cars makin our mark on every wall in the street and occaisionally kickin the fuck outta someone. And for what? The thrill of chasin some old granny down the road threatening to kill her cat? I dont think so.
As i got older i realised what a bloody waste of time it was, spending my days skiving of lessons to have a fag behind the language building. I spent countless evenings hanging round the neighbourhood waiting for some innocent little fucker to shout abuse at and throw beer cans filled with stones.
Its all different now, I dont play them stupid kids games. I dont need to cause people shit to make my life exciting. Now i can just laugh at silly little boy gangs hanging about outside the kebab shop with nothing better to do with their sad lives. I admit, its hard to pick yourself up. Get a job, earn a living, make something of yourself. What else can you do? Becaome an alcoholic, livin on the streets mixin with the dealers. Thats not the life for me.

Filming Location

We chose to film the opening sequence in Newmarket by the train station. We chose here because it provided an isolated housing estate in a large area.

Below is the location where we filmed:

Risk Assessment

This is our risk assessment sheet, identifying potential hazards during the filming of our sequence and ways the avoid them.

Contributor Release Form

Script

When writing the script we looked at professionally made social realist dramas to see what language is used and in what content. We also looked at what slang is used as well as in what accent (Sottish, Scourer ect..)

Below are a couple of examples that we looked at:

Killer Of Sheep:

Football factory:

Before filming...

In the week we have before we film, as a group we need to agree a script for our opening sequence. It needs to be read out by the main character and needs to fit the timing of our sequence. The narrative will start after about 30 seconds of footage is shown. It will start on the 4th shot when we see the main characters face, even though we do not actually see him speak, to give the effect that they are his thoughts.

FILMING

We have agreed to film our footage in Newmarket on Thursday the 12th in our media lesson.

Props and equipment:

Character Description...

We are really only using one main character through out the sequence (Ben). The actor will be dressed casually with reasonably smart clothes on, these consist of a black jacket with jeans and trainers or shoes, we have yet to decide. The character will have a fashionable hair cut, slightly spiky. As this character walks around town he begins to narrate, telling us about his past and experiences.

Blog Feedback

After members of our class looked at our blog, they gave us points for improvement and positive comments about the blog.

Positive Comments:

• Good amount and content of analysis
  
• Good analysis on professional idents
  
• Good connotation of images
  
• Good ident
  
• Clear prop list

Areas for Improvement:

• More pictures needed e.g. images of costume and location
  
• Character description would be useful
• Use ideas from the moodboard throughout
  
• Complete analysis of Football Factory
  

We have taken all the response to our blog into consideration and will use it to improve and update our blog effectively. This lesson we will be completing a character description and will be getting images of our location.

Possible Prop List

Rather than the audience seeing anti-social behavior in shot (violence, swearing ect..) we have chosen to include props which can be and are associated with anti-social behavior and street violence. Because of this we have chose to include:

• Smoking
  
• Evidence that people have been drinking on the streets - broken bottles ect..
• Emergency sirens - shows that there could have been violence

Story Board

Our Story board:

Mood Board

We choose to really focus our mood board on sterotypical anti social behavior images as this is something that many social realist dramas make their story about. for example 'chav' groups, hoodies, smoking, broken or damaged public features ect...

Shot List...

• Shot One- This shot consists of an extreme close up focusing on his mouth whilst he smokes a cigarette. 10 - 20 seconds.
  
• Shot Two- This shot slowly tracks back showing a full body shot, and we can the actor throw and stamp his cigarette out, and then walk away from the camera.
  
• Shot Three- In this the camera is hand held following social realist conventions and follows him walking down a quite street ( Hearing a muffled siren).
• Shot Four- This shot shows a close up the actor walking as the camera tracks back.
• Shot Five-
  

Pitch Feeback

After pitching our idea to the class, we got feedback telling us what we can improve on and what works well. We need to:

• Think about having less characters in our sequence
• Use sounds and iconography such as signs of vandalism, graffiti, and crushed beer cans etc to suggest violence and anti social behaviour
• Put all of the viewers attention on the main character by keeping the camera on him and not having too much sound to distract the attention from what he saying as he narrates the sequence

Analysis Of The Use Of Mise-en-scene And Editing In Sweet Sixteen

Mise-en-scene:
This sequence uses a lot of natural lighting which is a good convention of a social realist, although i am fully aware of there being staged lighting included in the sequence. Any staged lighting is either very mild lighting or highly exaggerated, for example, when there is a car at night, the lights are extremely exaggerated. Depending on the scene, the lighting changes, for example, at the beggining where the boys are in the street, the lighting is rather bright which is a big contrast to the very start where it is very dark where you can barely see anything.
The characters are dressed as a stereotypical family. There is a stereotypical chav dress type and emphasises the working class. We know this by the way they are presented in the scene. For example the boys are wearing tracksuit bottems and hats, and the way they are dressed helps us to identify what sort of person he is. The mother is in prison which shows that the family could be rough. These interpretations of the family help the spectator to identify with them and understand. It draws the spectator into the sequence to get them involved. The family beat up or bully the youngest child as he disobeyed what they were telling him to do. This shows dominace in the sequence.
The film opening is set in a village, in places that are normally busy so there is a lot of people around. For example, in a pub. As te opening gradually begins, the setting totally changes from a busy town or village to the countryside. When the boy is in the car, the camera is quite close to his face, but not enough to cover up the background, it is set in the countryside, so there is many hills and fields. The camera angles are used to put across the dominance of the characters. The closer they stand, the more dominance that character has over the rest of the characters.

Editing:
There is not much editing at all, slight sense of continuity editing but other then that, nothing is used. Continuity editing is a good convention of social realist films as they are on a low budget, therefore, have less editing. There is no computer animation or parallel editing which shows it is a low budget film. The shot durations are quite long which shows the film has little editing. The shots are long, this means that not as much editing is needed. The titles have been edited in with transitions and fades etc. Even though the shots have a long short duration, the editing is hidden as continuous editing is used which makes ti hardly visible to the spectator.

Analysis Od American Splendor

What information does the title sequence give us about the film to come?
American Splendor - Shari Springer and Robert Pulcini 2004

American Splendor shows its opening sequence in unique way. There is an insight to the characters life as he draws himself as a comic book character. The reflection of him being himself. A comic book opening sequence is very unique but is a good way of introducing the characters as it draws the spectator in. At the beginning where Harvey is trick or treating with his friends, he goes as himself, this puts the point across of him being different to others and unique, which is what I interpret from the opening sequence. The opening is reflexive and draws attention to its own making. This is a very effective way of introducing a film and involving the spectator. Its interesting and draws you into the film. The opening sequence suggest to the spectator of it being a unique and different film. The way you see Harvey as a small child walking down the street and then it flicks to him being older and having exactly the same attitude towards life. This is a good way of representing the main themes of the film. The director has made the sequence to draw attention to the making of it.

T2-63 FILM OPENING PROJECT

Hello and welcome to group T2 63. Our group members are:

• Scott
  
• Ben
  
• Bryony
  
• Steven
  

Our task is to complete an opening sequence which fits to our genre choice which is yet to be decided. It would be one of the following:

• British Social Realist Drama
• Teen Romantic Comedy
• Crime caper (with ensemble cast)
  
• Supernatural Thriller (strong female lead)