Evaluation:Part 8 Looking back at your preliminary task what do you feel you have learnt in progression of it to the full product

Looking back i feel like the final cut of our title sequence went extremely well considering how many times the idea for the title sequence changed as the final cut kept the audience engaged and excited whereas our first ideas narrative was confusing and boring even to us, once we had discussed it as a group we decided to focus on the "chase" which was a good call as it pushed the narrative to the forefront of the sequence something the other two ideas failed to do.

The length of the sequence is also a slight issue as it is rather short compared to all the other groups, but on the whole i thought our sequence was one of the better ones as the only negative feedback we got was about the font which has now been changed to something that works much better, the fact that the fonts were the only complaint proves to me that a title sequence doesn't need to be long to be great.

I feel like i have learned a few things since we were given the preliminary task no least of which is learning how to use logic pro which was the program we used to make the music for our sequence. I also learned that you have to keep persevering with an idea for a story before it becomes perfect as at the beginning of the project the narrative felt confusing but eventually it evolved into something that was thrilling and easy to follow, my only regret is that we didn't get to that the idea didn't evolve quickly enough so we could fill the full two minutes.      

Evaluation: part 7 What i have learned about the technologies we used to create our product.

For the filming of the sequence we used Ben's DSLR for the filming this was quite challenging as Ben's camera didn't have manual focus  meaning that we had to make sure that I was in focus for all the shots,for the photos we used Michael's DSLR which had manual focus but unfortunately it couldn't record videos despite this they where both relatively simple to use, the only problems that we had with them was the camera shake as we had no Steadicam as it was not available for use on the days we needed it meaning that Michael had to hold the tripod and walk with it so some things we had to re-shoot due to camera shake.

For the editing Ben used final cut pro, we chose Ben to edit as he had the most experience with it but unfortunately he wasn't very experienced at final cut pro in the beginning, he got better at it the more he used it as the final cut of our sequence shows, meanwhile me and Michael worked on the music at first the music wasn't quite what we wanted so we scrapped it ans started again and what we ended up with was the perfect musical score to accompany our sequence.

Overall the technologies we used helped us to create a great final outcome of our product the only thing that I think would have improved our video is if we had got the Steadicam as it would have meant that we wouldn't have wasted time re-shooting  things because of the camera shake.      

Evaluation: part 6 How did we attract our target audience

The target audience for our film is 15-20 year old's predominantly male. We plan to attract our audience by not showing them what is going on making them ask questions as to absorb them in to the  plot of the film, and making them want to watch more.

The plot of our film would get a lot of people interested at this time as shows such as breaking bad are extremely popular at this time and with breaking bad recently finished it's audience may be looking for a drug related film to enjoy meaning that this is an ideal opportunity to for our film. The title of our film "Twist of fate" would also encourage people to watch it as they may want to know what the twist is and who it affects.

All of the factors i have written about is how and why our audience will be attracted to our film, some may also be influenced to watched the film by friends who have seen it and a select few may even be drawn in by the music which creates tension and mystery.  

Evaluation: part 5 How our media product represents particular social groups

In our title sequence the we represent teenagers/ young adults in a stereotypical negative way representing them all as drug dealers or addicts except for the main character who is seeking revenge on the drug dealer he is following.

The films creates the representation of drug dealers by showing scenes of the dealer meeting with some of his clients here the representation of addicts and dealers is that they are pale and skinny a common stereotype for this sort of group, another common representation of addicts is shown during the opening of the title sequences with people in suits and ties as they have enough disposable income to be able too keep up their habit the juxtaposition of all the deals shows that this drug dealer sells to a diverse range of people.

The dealers clothes on the other hand are quite the opposite of a suit and tie, the clothing he wears suggests that he is more in the area of the "chav" social group this is reinforced by the fact that he always has his hood up too look intimidating to others which is what that social group does.The dark colors of the clothes also connote dark nature of the film as does the lighting as all the way through the sequence the lighting is very dark and gloomy in every place that was shown which captures the mod of the film well.

On the whole the film represents young people extremely negatively with them being either drug dealers, drug addicts or angry and vengeful people, these are all rather common stereotypes for teenagers of the 21st century.    

Evaluation: part 4 in what way does our film use/ develop or challenge conventions of crime drama films

Codes and Conventions of a Crime Drama Film.

Typical codes and conventions of a crime/drama film would be:
- A chase (usually car).
- A lot of involvement with props that can be harmful such as knifes or guns.
- The villain would usually have some unidentified problems that will be revealed at the very end of the film.
- The hero who saves everyone will have a partner (usually very intelligent or very dopey).
- Characters will usually include someone vulnerable and gangs.
- Crimes will usually be murder/dramas will usually be to do with family of the protagonist.
- Conflicts due to difference in policing.
- Someone’s private life becoming public.
- Betrayal.

These are the typical conventions from a crime drama film are film uses some of the conventions such as the convention of betrayal which plays a huge part in our film as it is why the main character is seeking revenge in the first place. We used to the convention of the chase but we developed it so instead of it being a car chase it was more of a hunt where the main protagonist is following the antagonist making the title sequence feel more authentic as the dealer doesn't know that he is being followed making the protagonist feel more anonymous, our film also adheres to some of the characters as the main antagonist belongs to a gang and the protagonist was once in the same gang perhaps making him slightly vulnerable as he is trying to seek revenge but must do it while remaining incognito as his some of his former gang mates may recognise him, another convention that are film develops  is that of the murder that occurs during the betrayal is the protagonists best friend rather than a family member as we felt that the protagonist should have no brothers or sisters to make him more of an independent character, who gets involved with the gang of his own accord we also felt that we could develop this convention as we could also use it to mould the protagonists personality as he would feel responsible for his friends death. we also conform to the harmful props convention as in the title sequence we have quite a few shots involving drug props such as flour to represent cocaine which can be extremely harmful later in the film we would have also included props such as guns and knifes.

The way our film challenges some of these conventions is first and foremost that our character is very solitary, relying on nobody so he has no partner or sidekick to back him up or help him,we thought to challenge this convention as our protagonist is a very lonely and distrustful character. Another way of which our film challenges the conventions is that there is no conflict due to policing as there is no gang war or police crackdown meaning there is no conflict for control of the gang,another convention we challenge is somebody's private life becoming public as the antagonists in the film will be well known notorious gang members within the context of the story and the protagonist private life has only one existing factor which is revenge. The final convention we challenge is that the main antagonist has some unidentified problems that are revealed at the end of the film, as we felt that it would create pity for a character who the audience is meant to feel nothing but contempt towards.                       

Evaluation: part 3 Media institutions that might distribute our product and why.

There are two possible distributors for our film: Universal and Revolver entertainment I decided this as they distributed crime drama films such as Green street, Adulthood, and Kidulthood meaning that they would be used to working with these sorts of films and the target market we are attempting to reach.

Universal:

we decided to use universal studios as a distributor as the studio distributes many crime drama films such as green street and illegal tender while researching i discovered that the films that they distribute have a similar budget to ours which was in the £7 million mark.

We also decided to use Universal as most of the films they distributed have similar conventions to ours, with crime, guns,revenge and betrayal being the main similarities, from what i researched on IMDB Universal's budget for films range from vary small $8 million mark with films such as  illegal tender to  $135 million for films like Miami vice these are all crime drama films showing that universal has experience distributing crime drama films, universal would also be a good distributor as we could also release our film In the US.

Revolver entertainment are the creators of several crime drama films such as Kidulthood, Adulthood and Dead man running  these are all small budget films with Kidulthood only having a budget of £600,000 and Dead man running at £5 million meaning that our film would probably be distributed by revolver and looking at the gross profit we stand to make a possible total of about £410,250 judging by dead man running's total gross.

After looking at both options we feel that universal would be the best option they are a high profile distributor allowing us to make the most profit and also because Universal makes films aimed at our target market.

      

Evaluation: part 2 who would be the target audience for our film?

Evaluation part 2: Target audience

Evaluation:Part 1 Brief

I was working on a brief to create a title sequence for a movie that me and my group had created, my group consisting of; Me,Ben and Michael we decided to create a crime drama\revenge film about drugs and revenge and in the end we decided to create a title sequence showing our protagonist "hunt" the drug dealer we thought that this would be interesting and original idea as from all of films that we watched that were of a similar genre to ours we discovered that the title sequences were rather slow paced so the idea of a fast paced title sequence which we all decided on together felt like a good idea. We decided that our protagonist would be an ex gang member seeking revenge on his former gang mates who betrayed him we felt that this was fairly standard of crime drama\ revenge films as the main hero has nothing to lose, the betrayal of the main character is what gave us our title of "Twist of fate" as the betrayal literally twists his views on all those people he trusted, we chose to keep the betrayal am enigma in the title sequence at least because what we really wanted to show the protagonists obsession with the man he is hunting and how revenge has consumed his life.        

Final cut of title sequence

Development 2

After shooting the improved idea from thursday and looking at the shots we determined that this idea was just as confusing as the last one, as there was no narrative so there was nothing to keep audiences interested based upon our observations we decided to rethink our idea to the dealing of the drugs, as we began to research this we found inspiration in the form of a breaking bad drug selling montage this inspired us to make a title sequence based on drug dealers, this idea eventually evolved into the idea of a chase involving a drug dealer and a vigilante with the dealer being the hunted we feel that this idea will incorporate a narrative and will also capture the atmosphere that we wanted.    

New font

This is the final font for the title of the title sequence this is the font for the title only we have decided that this font called punk rock show will only be good for the title so we have decided to use a different font for the credits.

This is the font that we have decided to use for the opening credits, at first i didn't really like this font as i didn't think that it worked but after positive feedback from several people i changed my mind

Feedback sheets

these are the six feedback sheets that we got after the initial screening of our film to an audience the feedback was largely positive although people did say that the map scenes slowed the pace down a lot, a comment i agree with to a certain extent we will use this feedback to edit the video for the final cut. 

Rough cut of my title sequence

Development

during the initial feedback our title sequence was not well received as we were told it was confusing and that there was no narrative to the sequence soon after we were shown the title sequence for "requiem for a dream" this inspired us to change our idea to drug making which we intend to begin making tomorrow using an empty science lab in school, as our new idea involves the process of drug making meaning that we will need professional looking equipment to make it look authentic and professional. Seeing as our whole idea has changed we may not have time to draw out a storyboard until a later date.    

Fonts for title sequences revised

After deciding that the initial fonts didn't really work for our films development we decided to find some new fonts we will ask people to vote and choose the font that gets the most votes.

Filming day 3

Day three of filming entailed shooting the remainder of the shots and reshooting ones that we weren't satisfied with. 

We began by first traveling to Sidcup to get some some shots of the flats, what we didn't realise though is that these were being knocked down meaning we couldn't get anywhere near them which was disappointing as we couldn't get some of the shots we needed but they didn't really add to the story so we can do without them after this we began to make our way back into welling getting the shots we needed the final shot we decided to take an alley by were i live these shots i feel were extremely effective.   

Filming day 2

on day two of filming we reshot scenes from the day before that we were not satisfied with after we reshot these we began working on the rest of the filming starting from outside Ben's house, we filmed shots of me walking from there to an abandoned house in woods i will check these shots later tonight to see if anything needs re-filming.

Filming day 1

In our first day of filming we decided to start from the beginning of our storyboard and work forward until the end for the first day we decided to begin filming in Ben's house for the shots with the sugar as it was an easy location to get to and also we could change the lighting to make the living room look dark and gloomy.
we began by grinding up some caster sugar as it was a prop that we were using in these shots we then placed the caster sugar into a bag so that we could pour it onto the table, we had to redo this shot several times as we couldn't get the camera angle right when we eventually got that shot right we began to work on writing out our title and separating the sugar, if these shots don't work we will have to refilm tomorrow.  

Fonts for the title sequence

These are examples of fonts we are thinking of using for our title sequence colours and backgrounds may change.

Title sequence analysis Kidulthood

In the beginning of the sequence we see the production company logo as the sequence begins we hear a very heavy dubstep soundtrack and  we see that their is a very Saul Bass feel to this title sequence as they use simple shapes cut out of paper to make this title sequence, as the sequence starts we see a high rise of flats informing us of the films location of an english council estate as the shot pans down we are shown an image of a teenager hoodie suggesting that this film is set in the 21st century, the shot changes to to people kissing in smoke possibly suggesting that there will be some suggestion of love or romance in this film.
as the sequence continues we see three hooded teenagers walking with a dog there dark clothes may connote an unwelcome presence, as this shot fades we are given the view down the barrel of a gun which would suggest violence and conflict, this scene fades again and the title of the film appears in bright white text.  

Calendar for project

Storyboard

Title sequence analysis the walking dead (STINCS)

Setting- The setting for the walking dead is a post apocalyptic world you can see this as the streets are empty and because of the dark empty building interiors that look deserted and destroyed.

Theme- The mood shows that this is a fast paced, serious, drama/horror fiction you can tell this by the music as it is quite suspenseful and tense and the colours used in the sequences are very dull and dark and their isn't much lighting asides from the natural light of the sun.

Iconography-The iconography of the sequence is the door handle twisting could perhaps connote a wish for escape the next thing we see is the newspaper with the main character we can see that he is wearing a police officers uniform next we see a photograph of another of the main characters also wearing a police uniform possibly suggesting that they will be the authority within the story next we see a smashed photo of a woman possibly meaning that she is important to one or both men. As the sequence continues we see a teddy lying abandoned in the street, perhaps connoting a loss of innocence in the world.

Narrative- The storyline of the walking dead is about a group of people who band together to survive the apocalypse meeting other survivors along the way and trying to rebuild civilisation.

Characters- Three of the principle characters are shown in this sequence using photos from what we can tell the two males are both police officers, no suggestion is given to the woman's profession from the title sequence we assume that they are the three main protagonists.

Style-The music in this sequence is very tense and the editing is fast and jumpy possibly connoting the fact that each character must move from place to place to survive this makes an audience feel tense as they can see that there is a threat that is constantly following the characters.

What is STINCS

S.T.I.N.C.S is an acronym used in the media industry it stands for: Setting,Theme,Iconography,Narrative,Characters and Style they are the five main things that a title sequence must hint to its audience or else the audience may get confused or become bored with the sequence and not watch the film or T.V show as the title sequence shows nothing of relevance to the actual piece of media that they are viewing.
Setting's can be explained by the location where the title sequence is filmed, if the Title sequence is shot in several different locations it means that all locations will probably feature in the piece of media.
The theme of a piece of media is decided by the colours and the music in the title sequence for example if the colours are dark and gloomy and the music is tense then its probably a horror film whereas if the colours are bright and cheerful and the music is upbeat and happy it is probably a lighthearted comedy piece of media.
Iconography is the use of certain objects in the title sequence such as props and costumes so props like sheriffs badges or police uniforms would connote law and safety whereas things like guns would connote danger.
Narrative is usually only hinted at in title sequences usually by showing shots of the main characters and what they are striving to achieve.
Characters are normally not shown in title sequences unless they are the main characters which the story is told from their viewpoint or viewpoints.
Style is unique to each director and is defined by music colours and the theme as different directors have different ideas of what is right for each of their sequences.          

Roland Barthes enigma code

Roland Barthes Enigma code; A media text which portrays a mystery in order to intrigue audiences in the piece of text, for example murder mystery texts will not reveal the identity of the killer until the end of the story to make the audience ask the question, "who is the murderer?"

There are 5 Enigma codes in total these include:

• Hermeneutic Code - Voice of Truth: Element in a story not explained and therefore exists as an enigma for the reader, raising questions

• Proairetic Code - Voice of Empirics: Tension built up leaving the audience guessing what will happen next

• Semantic Code - Voice of Person: Any element in text suggests meaning by way of connotation

• Symbolic Code - Voice of Symbol: Wider level of semantic code, organises semantic meanings into broader and deeper sets of meaning. New meaning arises out of opposing and conflict ideas.
• Cultural Code - Voice of Knowledge: Looks at the audiences wider cultural knowledge, morality and ideology.

These 5 codes add different meanings to a film and are vital to a title sequence as a title sequence is a small taste of what is to come in the film and if the audience are not satisfied they will switch off and not enjoy or watch the film.

Sounds

In media today we began to look at sounds and how we could record sounds to to create different effects in the lesson we were given video cameras and told to go out and record different sounds which would be heard in a horror movie.

Codes and conventions of crime dramas

Codes and Conventions of a Crime/Drama

Typical codes and conventions of a crime/drama film would be:
- A chase scene
- Involvement of props that can be harmful such as knifes or guns.
- The villain would usually have some unidentified problems that will be revealed at the very end of the film.
- The hero who saves everyone will have a partner.

- Characters will usually include someone vulnerable and gangs.
- Crimes will usually be murder/dramas will usually be to do with family of the protagonist.

- Drugs
- Conflicts due to difference in policing.
- Betrayal.

high rise production logo

richard Morrison presentation

Richard Morrison 

twist of fate pitch

Twist of fate pitch

Napoleon dynamite title sequence analysis

 Napoleon Dynamite

In the title sequence of napoleon dynamite begins with a plate being placed on the table from a high angle shot on the plate is the name of the production company, in the background we hear bird tweets all of this could possibly connote a light hearted film.
some of the props in the film suggest a comedy genre, a prime example of this is the U.F.O abduction insurance card kept in Napoleon's wallet also suggesting that he is a nerd and possibly a social reject each of the carpets that the food is placed on suggests on a film set in the the 80's but as we get to see Napoleon's high school ID we find that the film is set in modern America 2004 also in this scene we are shown are first look at the main characters face.after this we are shown more plates of food, they are all quite simple meals that your mother would cook connoting that napoleon is a typical teenager that lives with his mum and goes to school.In the next shot we are shown a handmade nina star made out of tinfoil, this seems like the type of behaviour of a bored student enforcing the fact that Napoleon still attends school, after this is thrown away we are shown two library books as the sequence continues we are shown the books names "big foot and me" and "science and centaurs" again telling us that Napoleon likes and belives in the supernatural. 
in the next shot we are shown some collectible cars placed away neatly possibly connoting that napoleon hasn't grown up much as he still plays with toy cars in the next shot we are shown pencils laid out neatly suggesting that napoleon is a neat person as these are swept away the background carpet changes to a burger with the directors name on it after this the scene fades to black. 

Saul Bass

This week we looked at title sequence designer Saul Bass and his unique style we looked at such title sequences such as the man with the golden arm which uses his trademark style of using simple lines and shapes to create very stylised artistic sequences, below is a catalogue of his work.

after researching saul bass i was told to research another title sequence designer called Richard Morrison (which is on my blog as an entirely separate post)

Saul Bass's style of work uses a simplistic style of combining abstract shapes and bright colours it is used particularly well in the west side story title sequence in which the background changes colours and faint lines, eventually the lines disappear to reveal the lines are skyscrapers of new york.






This is the title sequence for made by Saul Bass you can tell this as it has his iconic style of simple shapes moving around a plain background of single colours. The sequence begins on a grey background with body parts appear with the title written on them in white writing as the sequence continues we see body parts get cut into smaller pieces this is a style typical of Saul Bass as it is a very simple, artistic sequence which doesn't follow a plot-line this doesn't really help me with any ideas for my groups title sequence at the moment, we may be able to borrow some elements of Saul Bass's work to create our title sequence.

Group breifing

Group breifing

today we were given the task to split into groups to create a title sequence for a film of our creation, the groups were pre chosen i am working in a three with Michael and Ben.

Next we had to decide what type of film to make so our group decided to make a social realist film with a twist of action and revenge after this we began to plan the title sequence for it here we began to talk about locations and props that we would need for our film idea.

When we had a brief outline of what props we would need (we still need to look around for locations) we began to research films that are similar to ours such as Adulthood, Green street hooligans and bullet boy we looked at the actors, budget and box office profit we discovered that if we were to make this film professionally we stood to make in the region of £1million we placed all of this information in a powerpoint and are pitching on the 8th, for the title we chose Twists of fate (hopefully that name will change over the next few weeks)  

Continuity Sequence