Se7en

Se7en (David Fincher, 1995)


The music in the background of the sequence consists of a heavy beat and sounds effects which resemble the sound of  machinery, this is accompanied by the ambient sound of a type writer and what sounds like a record being scratched. By using these sounds the sequence puts the audience on edge as they aren't aware of what is happening and this builds the tension as to what will appear next. Also at the end of the sequence there is a shot of the word 'God' being cut out of a newspaper and in the background the music plays the lyrics of 'You got me closer to God'. This is highly significant as these are the only lyrics we hear throughout the opening sequence, thus highlighting to audience the importance of this. This may have been done to illustrate the mindset of the person we have seen glimpses of in the sequence.

The images used are all extreme closeups this builds the suspense as the audience hasn't given anything away as to where they are or what's going on. Also the images used are constantly flickering which adds to the chaos and disorientation of the sequence. On almost every occasion before a title appears on the screen the image prior cuts to black and all the text is either in a handwritten or typewriter style font. 

In the example above of the font styles, both fonts are evident this done to illustrate to the audience which bit is of relevance and on this occasion its the name of the crew.


The images shown throughout the sequence are constantly moving, and when a title appears the image flickers like a film reel image and in addition to this some of the words are shadowed by the same text, appear extremely zoomed and jump about the screen. The reason the image is never static is to build up the suspense and make the audience more alert. Furthermore, the images do not appear to be in chronological order as we get the same shot in a before and after style which is done through the use of superimpose as demonstrated in the example below.

 

Titles that appear are in different parts of the screen, the titles shown are as follows in chronological order;

• New Line Cinema presents
• An Arnold Kopelson production
• A film by David Fincher
• Brad Pitt
• Moran Freeman
• SE7EN (main title)
• Gwyneth Paltrow
• Richard Roundtree
• R. Lee Ermey
• John C. McGinley
• Julie Araskog, Mark Boone Junior
• John Cassini, Reginald E. Cathey, Peter Crombie
• Hawthorn James, Michael Massee, Leland Orser
• Richard Portnow, Richard Schiff, Pamala Tyson
• Casting by Billy Hopkins, Suzanne Smith, Kerry Borden
• Music by Howard Shore
• Costumes designed by Michael Kaplan
• Edited by Richard Francis-Bruce
• Production designed by Arthur Max
• Director of photography Darius Khondji
• Co-producers Stephen Brown, Nana Greenwald, Sanford Panilch
• Co-executive producers Lynn Harris, Richard Saperstein
• Executive producers Gianni Nunnari, Dan Kolsrud, Anne Kapelsum
• Written by Andrew Kevin Walker
• SE7EN (main title repeated)
• Produced by Arnold Kopelson, Phyllis Carlyle
• Directed by David Fincher.

By repeating the name of the film it reflects that it is the main text shown in the sequence.

Lost Highway

Lost Highway (David Lynch, 1997)


The background image in the opening sequence gives it an air of mystery and builds suspense as all the audience can see is what has been highlighted by the cars headlights creating narrative enigma as where we are. Also the use of the road markings in the background relates to the name of the film as the titles use a font that reflects the colour and look of the road markings. In addition through the markings the audience is able to see that the car is travelling  at high speed, this cause the audience to question why the car is moving fast. 

Furthermore, the car appears to be travelling the middle of the roads which connotes that the drives is in a hurry so there is a lack of safety in their driving but also that the road is perhaps abandoned or in a derelict area. The camera shot used for the isn't steady, this has been included to disorient the viewer but also to reflect the high speed of the car.  


The music in the background starts off with the ambient sound of a car travelling, the song that then comes on has a fast paced beat at the start this has been done to portray the setting and use to build up the suspense. Also the lyrics of the song aren't clear apart from a view words that can be distinguished which are; 'cruise me', 'I'm deranged', 'no return'. This cause narrative enigma as it adds to the disorientation of the sequence.

Above is a screen shot of the title of the film and in comparison to the other titles that appear this one is the largest and fills the screen but in addition it remains there the longest. This is done to illustrate the importance of the text. Lastly the way in which the text appears, is by starting small and then gradually getting larger this gives the impression that text is travelling at high speed towards the viewer, after this the title stops so it can be read, it then continues to get bigger and thus creating the impression that its going through the audience. This again has been done to coincide with the fast pace of the images to create tension.


The order in which the titles appear are with the main characters coming before the title and the other actors coming after. Once these have been done it goes on to show the names of other big name actors that perhaps don't have a main role, these are identified with the use of 'with' and 'and' before their names. It then continues on to people who worked on the film and do not feature in it, with the last title being the directors name which is done to signify his importance. The titles shown are as follows in chronological order;

• Bill Pullman
• Patricia Arquette
• Balthazar Getty
• Lost Highway (main title)
• Robert Blake
• Natasha Gregson Wagner
• Richard Pryor
• Lucy Butler, Michael Masee, Jack Nance
• Jack Kehler, Henry Rollins
• Giovanni Ribisi, Scott Coffey
• With Gary Busey
• And Robert Loggia
• Casting by Johanna Ray, C.S.A. And Elaine J. Huzzar
• Music composed and conducted by Angelo Badalamenti
• Editor Mary Sweeney
• Production designer/Costume designer Patricia Norris
• Director of Photography Peter Deming
• Produced by Deepak Nayar, Tom Sternberg, Mary Sweeney
• Written by David Lynch & Barry Gifford
• Directed by David Lynch

All of the above titles appear and move off the screen in the same way and are all on a left slant. Text that appears before names such as 'casting by' are only outlined with yellow, this shows their lack of significance to the audience as the important text e.g names are shown in block yellow.

Fargo

Fargo (Coen Bros, 1996)


The sequence begins with production companies name on a black background which then changes to some white on black text informing the audience  'THIS IS A TRUE STORY.' The use of capitals and the white of the text immediately draws the audience to read what it says, also the statement about it being a true story with the other information in the text makes the audience on edge as they want to know what happened. Furthermore when the text appears a harp and piano starts playing in the background the use of these instruments gives an eerie effect and creates tension.  However on its own the music wouldn't generate this effect as it has the pragmatics of innocence and of something angelic, but by accompanying it with the text gives it a more sinister feel.

The text then fades out to a bluey white background this fog like colour has been used to disorientate the viewer in order to create narrative enigma as to what is going to appear next. The background remain this colour with only titles appearing on the screen until a bird appears into focus. The reason for the bird is to draw the audiences attention towards it, this is important because as the audience follows the bird with  their eyes it is used to then draw their attention to the car appearing in the distance. By doing this it builds the suspense as to who is in the car and what is the relevance of it. 

As the car starts coming over hill, loud drums and symbols start this creates tension for the audience and identifies to them the significance of the car. The car then moves into the foreground of the screen and travels past the camera where the title of the film then fades in and then out to show the car again, this identifies to the audience that the story line will focus on whoever is in the car. In addition the inclusion of the shot below of the travelling car, portrays that it is in a deserted area, this again adds to the suspense as to where they are.

The text of the titles are all in an uppercase font and black each are shown at the bottom of the screen where the first name is on the left and the second name on the right and spaced out, in exception for the title of the film which is placed in the middle of the image, this has been to show the importance of the text to the viewer. 

For each title that appears they all fade in and out  again, however the main title of 'Fargo' dissolves out. Similarly to the first names of the actors, text such as 'in association with' aren't spaced out this is done so that the text which then follows is prioritised. The titles that appear are as follows in chronological order;

• Poly Gram filmed entertainment presents
• In association with Working Title Films
• Frances McDormand
• William H. Macy
• Steve Buscemi
• Harve Presnell
• Peter Stormarve
• FARGO (main title)

After a tracking shot of the car the screen then fades to black where 'Fargo, North Dakota' appears on the black screen in white writing the screen then dissolves to the next image where the text remains at the bottom for a few moments, this is done place the audience where the film will take place.

Mission:Impossible

Mission:Impossible (Brian De Palma, 1996)


Sound within the opening sequence contributes in making the images on the screen tense, this is primarily done with the music at the start of the sequence being quite low and gradually building in tension and then the main drum beats kicks in with trumpets over the top. With the music having a pacey tempo it makes the build up to the start of the film tense.

The images shown throughout the sequence are fast paced, this is so that they match the fast paced music in the background but in addition to this is it has been done to create tension and suspense as the audience have to watch the images carefully. Within the images there are shots of police databases which have the connotations of spies thus relating back to the theme of the film. 

In the images shown the camera uses a lot of extreme and normal close ups this has been included to show the detail in the images but also to express the looks of fear and anticipation on the characters faces, by doing this it creates tension and narrative enigma as to what the story is about. In addition when a main character/actor appears the image of them cuts to a negative version of the same image which is used to illustrate who the story line will focus on, also cuts have been used to switch back to the image of the burning rope. Using these continuous jump cuts back to this image makes the opening sequence more tense for the audience as they feel it is a state of emergency.

Example of negative

Example of burning wick

The font style used in the title sequence is all caps and the font has a look of authority in addition as the names of actors appear an insert of the image goes across the middle of screen. 

The size that the text has been given is to ensure that the title can be clearly read and by having the background black it draws attention to the title. Furthermore, the the text used for the main title reflects what the story line is based on this is done through the font used for the 'Impossible' as the font has the connotations of a top secret stamp. Also the word impossible instantly draws the audience in and sets up the film to be of high tension as the mission has been deemed as 'impossible', and before the main title there is an individual shot of each letter of the word 'mission' this draws the attention of the audience and creates tension for the start of the film and puts emphasis' on it being the main title. 

Main title- example of stamp like font

The titles which feature in the sequence are as follows in chronological order;

• Paramount Pictures presents
• A Cruise/ Wagner production
• A Brian De Palma film
• Tom Cruise
• Mission Impossible (main title)

Inception

Inception* (Christopher Nolan, 2010)

The same maze style font is used throughout the text in the sequence, this has been used as it links directly to the theme of the film this is clearly evident through the use of an insert.  When the camera zooms in on the text it gives the feel that the audience is entering the maze, this creates narrative enigma and tension/suspense as we as the audience want to know where we are going. 

Throughout the whole opening sequence the colour scheme sticks to black and white,  and in the background there are slightly visible images of different scenery by including these images it builds the suspense as the audience wants to know where they are. Graphic matches are used in the transitions between the different actors' names. In addition an extreme closeup of the 'Legendary Pictures' title logo is used as it look like a sheet of metal being cut, this camera angle adds to the tension as the audience doesn't know what it is.

The music used in the sequence has a guitar and drum beat, this type of music builds the tension as it gets more prominent towards the end of the sequence, by doing this it puts the audience on edge with anticipation.


When the titles appear on the screen they are situated at either the top or the bottom of the screen where they travel across it. The only titles that do not lay at either the top or the bottom of the screen are the ones that appear once the audience is moved 'into' a title and the name of the director and the film title itself. The reason for this having been done is so the audience is able to identify which are the most important titles, furthermore in the title of 'A Christopher Nolan Film' the directors name stays on the screen for a moment longer than the rest of the title. This again reiterates to the audience the importance of the title. 

All the titles that appear in the sequence are as follows in chronological order;

• Warner Bros. Pictures
• Legendary Pictures
• Syncopy
• A Christopher Nolan Film
• Leonardo Dicaprio
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt
• Ellen Page
• Tom Hardy
• Cillian Murphy
• Marion Cotillard
• Production design Guy Hendrix Dyas
• Casting John Papsidera
• Cinematography Wally Pfistek
• Original musice Hanz Zimmer
• Directed Christopher Nolan
• INCEPTION (main title)

By having the title of the film at the end, shows to the audience that it is the key title in the sequence.

*The video for inception has disabled embedding so the name of the film has been made into a hyperlink.

Conventions of Trailers

Trailers are used to advertise the film by appealing to the target audience and aiming to persuade them to watch it, they also aim to inform viewers of things such as the release date and who the film features. In Monday's lesson we viewed advertisements and found that they often included the following conventions:

1. Montage
2. Release date
3. Corporate branding
4. Key lines
5. Often a voice over

In my work I must avoid all of the above to prevent my work looking like an advertisement as I won't be able to obtain full marks for my film, which should depict the opening 2 minuets of a thriller.

Coventions of Thrillers

What is a thriller?


Thriller- a novel, play, or film with an exciting plot, typically involving crime or espionage: 

• a tense thriller about a diamond heist that goes badly wrong
• spy thrillers

(Oxford Dictionary)

"What gives the variety of thrillers a common ground is the intensity of emotions they create, particularly those of apprehension and exhilaration, of excitement and breathlessness, all designed to generate that all-important thrill. By definition, if a thriller doesn't thrill, it's not doing its job." -James Patterson, June 2009 "Thriller" 

In summary I have found that a thriller is a film that uses suspense, tension and excitement as the main elements, thrillers use this to stimulate the viewer's moods by giving them a high level of anticipation, uncertainty, surprise, anxiety and/or terror. The aim for thrillers is to keep the audience alert and on the edge of their seats.

Conventions of thrillers:

• Fast-paced
• The unknown/ narrative enigma
• Plot twists
• Investigation
• Protagonist accustomed to violence and often dis-empowered
• Complex narrative that still abides by Todorov.
• Violent crime
• Everyday setting where something extraordinary happens
• Themes of mirroring, identity, voyeurism.

When making my thriller I should follow the conventions listed above, as by doing this I am able to stick to the genre, allowing the target audience to clearly identify the film as being a thriller.

Examples of thrillers:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (David Fincher, 2011)

Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)

Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010)

The Woman in Black (James Watkins, 2012)

Mission: Impossible -Ghost Protocol (Brad Bird, 2011)

Source- IMDb

In class on Monday we were also told of the common scenes depicted in A-level thriller openings which were;

1. Victim tied up in shed
2. Hooded stalker follows female victim
3. Someone waking up and their daily routine
4. Killer sticking a knife into photos
5. Gangsters playing cards
6. Use of flashbacks or flash forwards.

With knowledge of the 6 most common openings I can have these in mind when brainstorming ideas to ensure that I avoid using them, by doing this I will be ensuring that my thriller opening has originality.

Final Film - The GodMother

Feedback

• 180° rule worked well
• Good use of shot reverse shot but more variety could have been used
• Clear continuity
• Parts were blurry due to low lighting

In the process of planning, filming and editing I have learnt to ensure that, when necessary, I must stick the 180° rule in order to prevent confusion for the viewer. Also to enable the best image in the end project the scene should be brightly lit, and unless for an intentional effect the camera should remain on a tripod at all times to guarantee a steady shot. Having completed the Preliminary Task, I am able to do the opening sequence of my thriller with the confidence that I am able to complete the film and edit to a good standard.

Filming and Editing

On Friday myself, Holly and Paige were able to complete our filming where we ensured that we included an action match and the use of shot reverse shot with our dialogue. Also we managed to start and finish our editing, doing 10 minuets each to ensure we all had an equal amount of time editing our film. 

In the first section we came across the problem that the first 2 sequences didn't completely match in continuity, we were able to overcome this by cutting parts of each sequence in order to get the images to match. Once we finished with the editing we added a title sequence, giving our film the name of: The Godmother.

Planning and Filming

In today's lesson we managed to complete the targets we set ourselves which were to; complete a story board, discuss what camera shots we are going to use and lastly start filming.

 Story Board 1-3













 



























Story Board 4-6




















Steps to take before filming:

• Always use a tripod
• Check that the lens is clean
• Make sure that recording is set to widescreen- 16:9
• Audio is set to the highest
• Manually set white balance each time the camera is moved to a new angle
• Capture 5-6seconds of ambient sound 
• Remember the rule of 3rds

So far we have managed to film Maria- acted by Paige walking down the hall and then we have an action match of her starting to push the door and then entering it on the other side. However we did come across a problem with the idea of having the character of Clarissa turning on a lamp within the room when Maria entered as there are no plugs available in the ideal area for us to film. In order to overcome this we rectified it by having Maria turn on the lights when she walks in.

On Friday we will bring in our props for the rest of filming this being a weapon, and we aim to finish filming and have the clips ready for editing on Monday.

Planning

Myself (Ebony), Holly and Paige brainstormed possible ideas for what the conversation in the short film would depict these included such things as; a family, interview, boyfriend and girlfriend etc. We finally made the decision to go with my idea of having a gangster killing someone who hadn't given them their money.

The Story:


A female gangster (Clarissa) hasn't been given the money she's owed so she waits in the other woman's house (Maria), they have an exchange of words and the matter is finally settled with Clarissa pulling a gun out on Maria.


To set the typical scene of a "whack" we decided to have the exchange in a low lit room and in this instance the movie room in our Media block fit the bill. We see a shot of Clarissa in the dark, then her turning on the coincidentally placed lamp to create an air of mystery around her.


Paige and I shall be acting out the characters, as well as being hands on with both filming and editing along with Holly.


The Script:


Clarrissa:  Sit down Maria.
Maria: I'm sorry I don’t have your money, I need more time.
Clarrissa: Sorry ain’t gonna cut it anymore. (Pulls out weapon)
Maria: I will get it to you I promise
Clarrissa: This is one promise you’re not gonna get to keep!


Monday we hope to organise what shots we are going to include in the clip, complete a detailed story board and hopefully start filming for it.