Production Journal
16th March: FILMING DAY 1
Today, we began filming. We stuck to our schedule, and met in the correct place, with our props, actors, and camera all in place! Filming started a bit bumpy, but really took off and went extremely well. We got some great shots, and as director and actor, I only had to direct one other actor. Of course, it is hard to direct shots and getting the exact right camera location, but with the groups help we got there in the end. We filmed in lots of different locations, many of which didnt make our final piece, however we had lots of fun, and successfully filmed all the shots we needed to complete our opening sequence. I didn't anticipate finishing filming in a day, but having done so meant that we could dive straight into editing!
17th March: EDITING
With filming going so well, we decided to edit the next day. I found that working as a team helped a lot as we bounced off of each other extremely well. We used Sony Vegas to edit, as we all had basic knowledge of the programme, and with a little help from youtube, we all expanded our knowledge of the software. We decided to use Mad World as our backing music as it really did add eerieness to the sequence! Editing went extremely well, and we had our first draft within the day.
20th March: EDITING
Having found out we could not use copyrighted music in the piece, we had to begin a long search online for uncopyrighted music. Eventually, we came across a couple of melodies that we really liked, and somehow found a way to put three together. We combined a piano piece, a choral piece, and a strings piece together, and had our final score. We put it with the video and it still created the atmosphere that Mad World did. We also decided to change the colour of the drop shadow of the credits font. We made it a vivid yellow so that the crimson writing really stood out. This looked a lot better than in draft one.
21st March: BLOG
Today we put everything onto the blog. I didn't realise how much we had actually done! After about three hours of uploading, and playing around with fonts and layouts, we eventually had a near completed blog.
24th March: AUDIENCE FEEDBACK
THEY LIKE IT!!!! Even though we did gain some criticisms, the majority of people who watched our video liked it. I'm so proud of the final piece, and I wasn't too concerned about whether people would like it or not, but when I found out lots of people did like it, and some even suggested we make it into a short feature film, I was well and truely chuffed. Maybe through the coursework I have discovered a hidden talent... Probably not, but still, the main thing was that we had some good positive feedback, and some constructive criticism. A happy audience is a good audience!!! PROJECT FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!
8th April: DEADLINE DAY
Today we submit our coursework. I've learnt so much during the process, and I've had so much fun. I hope you enjoy it :)
Today, we began filming. We stuck to our schedule, and met in the correct place, with our props, actors, and camera all in place! Filming started a bit bumpy, but really took off and went extremely well. We got some great shots, and as director and actor, I only had to direct one other actor. Of course, it is hard to direct shots and getting the exact right camera location, but with the groups help we got there in the end. We filmed in lots of different locations, many of which didnt make our final piece, however we had lots of fun, and successfully filmed all the shots we needed to complete our opening sequence. I didn't anticipate finishing filming in a day, but having done so meant that we could dive straight into editing!
17th March: EDITING
With filming going so well, we decided to edit the next day. I found that working as a team helped a lot as we bounced off of each other extremely well. We used Sony Vegas to edit, as we all had basic knowledge of the programme, and with a little help from youtube, we all expanded our knowledge of the software. We decided to use Mad World as our backing music as it really did add eerieness to the sequence! Editing went extremely well, and we had our first draft within the day.
20th March: EDITING
Having found out we could not use copyrighted music in the piece, we had to begin a long search online for uncopyrighted music. Eventually, we came across a couple of melodies that we really liked, and somehow found a way to put three together. We combined a piano piece, a choral piece, and a strings piece together, and had our final score. We put it with the video and it still created the atmosphere that Mad World did. We also decided to change the colour of the drop shadow of the credits font. We made it a vivid yellow so that the crimson writing really stood out. This looked a lot better than in draft one.
21st March: BLOG
Today we put everything onto the blog. I didn't realise how much we had actually done! After about three hours of uploading, and playing around with fonts and layouts, we eventually had a near completed blog.
24th March: AUDIENCE FEEDBACK
THEY LIKE IT!!!! Even though we did gain some criticisms, the majority of people who watched our video liked it. I'm so proud of the final piece, and I wasn't too concerned about whether people would like it or not, but when I found out lots of people did like it, and some even suggested we make it into a short feature film, I was well and truely chuffed. Maybe through the coursework I have discovered a hidden talent... Probably not, but still, the main thing was that we had some good positive feedback, and some constructive criticism. A happy audience is a good audience!!! PROJECT FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!
8th April: DEADLINE DAY
Today we submit our coursework. I've learnt so much during the process, and I've had so much fun. I hope you enjoy it :)
Audience Research Questionnaire
Q1: Are you: Male or Female?
Q2: Are you: Under 16, 16-21, 21-30, 31+?
Q3: Do you visit the cinema: once a week or more, once a fortnight, once a month, once every three months, less than once every three months?
Q4: Would you prefer to see a film at a cinema, and then buy it on DVD, or would you rather it go straight to DVD release?
Q5: Can you name three thriller films?
1.
2.
3.
Q6: Out of those three (if applicable) which was your favourite, and why?
Q7: In one sentence, what makes a good thriller film?
Q2: Are you: Under 16, 16-21, 21-30, 31+?
Q3: Do you visit the cinema: once a week or more, once a fortnight, once a month, once every three months, less than once every three months?
Q4: Would you prefer to see a film at a cinema, and then buy it on DVD, or would you rather it go straight to DVD release?
Q5: Can you name three thriller films?
1.
2.
3.
Q6: Out of those three (if applicable) which was your favourite, and why?
Q7: In one sentence, what makes a good thriller film?
Se7en Opening Sequence Analysis
The opening sequence of Se7en has a very eerie feel throughout. It follows the convention of introducing the main character, and is extremely dark and mysterious. The editing style is a montage of shots, all of which have a spooky nature to them. The font also helps to set the scene as it is quite jolty, and appears in flashes, that the audience do not expect.
One of the most peculiar shots in the sequence is that of the character razor blading skin off of his fingers. This straight away grabs the audiences attention, and creates an image of the character. The close up of the blade confirms that he is cutting his own fingers, and the audience can now relate to the character. Although we, as an audience, do not know why he is inflicting this pain on himself, I personally think he could be a masochist.
We next see the character with bandages on his fingers, and a close up of him creating maybe a collage, in a scrapbook. We then see an extreme close up of an image in the scrapbook, of a face that seems somewhat distressed. The audience do not know why the character has this image, or whether he took it, but by just showing him with these sorts of images, portrays him as quite sadistic.
As the scene develops, we see further images in the scrapbook, all of which get more and more sadistic. One depicts a human head with a contraption screwed into the brain. This furthers the representation of the main character being quite peculiar and spooky.
The opening sequence is impressive, however extremely disturbing. Even the way the credits come out of nowhere, in flashes is quite scary, and it really does have the audience on the edge of their seat. This helps to create an atmosphere that the director clearly wanted to create, and not give too much detail into the character, leading the audience to want to watch more.
One of the most peculiar shots in the sequence is that of the character razor blading skin off of his fingers. This straight away grabs the audiences attention, and creates an image of the character. The close up of the blade confirms that he is cutting his own fingers, and the audience can now relate to the character. Although we, as an audience, do not know why he is inflicting this pain on himself, I personally think he could be a masochist.
We next see the character with bandages on his fingers, and a close up of him creating maybe a collage, in a scrapbook. We then see an extreme close up of an image in the scrapbook, of a face that seems somewhat distressed. The audience do not know why the character has this image, or whether he took it, but by just showing him with these sorts of images, portrays him as quite sadistic.
As the scene develops, we see further images in the scrapbook, all of which get more and more sadistic. One depicts a human head with a contraption screwed into the brain. This furthers the representation of the main character being quite peculiar and spooky.
Inception Opening Sequence Analysis
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| Inception (2010) |
The main character is introduced to us right at the start, and after the close up of him, there is a shot reverse shot, showing the main character looking at two children. This is all very confusing for the audience as they have no idea who this character is, or why he is looking at these children.
The film then cuts to the character somewhat passing out on the beach, and then being prodded in the back by an armed officer's rifle. The opening scene then stops.
From this, the audience are extremely confused as to what the film is going to be about. It just looks like a random man, washed ashore. It is unclear whether the children are on the same beach as him, or whether he is imagining it, and it is left for the reader to make their own mind up.
This opening sequence is very effective in creating suspense for the audience, and gives a real sense of mystery. It introduces the main character superbly, and a mix of shots create a real image of the character. The sequence doesn't give anything away, but allows the audience to meet the main character, creating an 'edge-of-seat' atnosphere.
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