Making Titles

As we found Livetype to be very slow to use we attempted to use 'Adobe After Effects'. First we found a website that would help us with a distinctive template called 'ae templates', we downloaded a suitable file that related to the genre of are film, with horror related text and quirky format. When importing the file on after effects it was very unclear on what we needed to do next. We tried to watch a tutorial on Youtube but we found it incredibly complex, so we decided to stick to Livetype and agreed to stay at lunch time/free periods and after school to ensure the titles where up to the standards we expected at this time.

Horror research: Conventions

Horror Films are unsettling films designed to frighten and panic, cause dread and alarm, and to invoke our hidden worst fears, often in a terrifying, shocking finale, while captivating and entertaining us at the same time in a cathartic experience. Horror films effectively center on the dark side of life, the forbidden, and strange and alarming events. They deal with our most primal nature and its fears: our nightmares, our vulnerability, our alienation, our revulsion's  our terror of the unknown, our fear of death and dismemberment, loss of identity, or fear of sexuality.

Whatever dark, primitive, and revolting traits that simultaneously attract and repel us are featured in the horror genre. Horror films are often combined with science fiction when the menace or monster is related to a corruption of technology, or when Earth is threatened by aliens. The fantasy and supernatural film genres are not synonymous with the horror genre, although thriller films may have some relation when they focus on the revolting and horrible acts of the killer/madman. Horror films are also known as chillers, scary movies, spookfests, and the macabre. See also Scariest Film Moments and Scenes (illustrated) - from many of the Greatest Horror Films ever made, Best Film Death Scenes (illustrated), and Three Great Horror Film Franchises.

source:
 http://www.filmsite.org/horrorfilms.html

opening sequence analysis

Juno

I love this opening sequence as i think it is so different to others, its not conventional or mainstream but the use of animation makes it so individual. The music is like modern american swing music, it is friendly and inviting. The actual film is very simple in terms of what it shows; a small area of  teenage girl walking around with a bottle of orange juice. The simplicity is sweet and it makes it look like an independent movie unlike most high budget movies that use multiple locations and extreme situations. In this clip we are not expecting dramatic moving images as the sound confirms the  sweet simplicity and locality of the film.

Film analysis

Panic Room

The genre of this film is thriller, however the use of titles and imagery can be used in our horror sequence aswell, as the opening sequence is very grimy and simple. The music is not upbeat, it is hollow and full of tension. The use of font looks like it is made out of metal or mirror, creating a three dimensional world. This is also confirmed with the background image of large buildings in a central location. All together it is very simple, but it is a very broad sequence with lots of meaning behind it, making it mysterious and intreaging. Midway through the sequence the music becomes a lot more multi-toned using 'tick tock' noises to represent time, without excluding the busy streets and sounds of cars moving past. The camera uses tilt in some areas to show the high buildings, making the film seem Hi-tech and high budget.

Editing in films

Psycho

I used this clip in particular to show how professionals use editing in film to give the audience a certain message. In this clip, the editing is very quick with a variety of different angles being used. This creates tension and fits with the horror 'code' where showing less gives a much more feared response from the audience. The use of shadow in the black and white filter is still very effective and behind the shower curtain the figure looks blurred therefore his identity is kept unknown. The camera angles such as the shower head makes the character feel as though they are the woman, use of pov angles in horror makes everything personified and this is very effective. The editing clips are very short in between each event, for example when he is 'stabbing' her with the knife the editing switches to different camera angles almost every time, keeping the murder graphic but not too much.

Using Title Software

LIVETYPE

Whilst the Macs where stolen. we where unable to edit, therefore I decided to get on with other things so we where not too far behind when the deadline came. Using the Livetype software I looked at a variety of different styles, colours and edits. I decided that using red would be the best associated colour to the genre of our film; Horror. Red represents danger, blood and gore, it is also deep and representative to the sequence that is about to occur. The style that appealed most to me, was 'Frigid' this made our opening sequence name 'The resistance' move slight;y left to right in a fast awkward movement. I thought this mocked the struggle to survive from the kidnapper as Emily; the victim of his evil antics latches on to the door trying to escape but struggles. The editing movement replicates that struggle as it represents panic and distress.

Ashes to Ashes analysis exam prep

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representation of Gender

In filming, the camera spends more time on the male characters apart from Alex Drake. in the boat for example, there us a lit of close ups of the males as they try and flirt with Alex, some of these being point of view shots, making the audience see what the woman sees. This might be because they want to represent men as greedy, dirty and arrogant, the close ups make them much more un-appealing, this is a bad representation of the make sex. The camera also uses tilt of Alex starting from her feet up till her face, this lets the audience explore her demographic,; as she is dressed as a prostitute. The use of red colouring and heavy makeup shows women in a exploited light which is a negative representation. 

however, in the scene where the man is holding her neck the cops sarcastically call her 'smart' this might have been used to show the inner depth of a woman who works as a prostitute. The emphasis and dialogue regarding her clothes highlight her as an 'object' rather than a human, the officers sarcastic remarks make her intelligiance undermines. the zoom inn of the clown looking character and the echoed voice makes him seen a villain, as we are dominantly shown the character of Alex, we assume this male is evil; negatively representing males.

The sound used is very repetitive, at the beginning during the fast cut editing the sound is deep and repetitive without taking away from the visual storyline. muic is significant in the scene where Alex has time to establish herself in the tilt camera movement. They use choir music of a powerful woman, to show her realisation of the apparant transformation of characters, this is a powerful representation of the inner beauty of the woman. Another important piece is when the officers role up in their car, the music is rock it is low key but 80s style music. This created an informality of the officers presence, their sunglasses are also very informal, making the audience struggle to see then authoritatively. The language used by the males towards Alex such as 'slut, prostitute' etc shows a complete disregard and respect towards Alex, representing men as the dominant sex over the confused damzell in distress.

Horror research

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCbDUREBwUg

(Taken)

We used this to investigate aspects of horror which we can incorparate in are own movie. the main feature of taken which we plan to use in similar context. the scene where the girl gets pulled from under her bed by her ankles is one of the best most memorable scenes in Taken. when we are in the cabin location, we plan for someone to get taken by criminals in balaclavas. We think that the way this is done in Taken is extremely exciting and makes the scene fill with tension. the camera angle is also something we will take from this film, we feel like using low shots or POV angles will ake you emphathise with the character much more and get the full effects of the genre.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrEvK-tv5OI

(Jaws)

This opening sequence is very useful in our short film because the basis of the story starts with friends in a happy talkative environment. However the happy turns immediately unhappy once the shark captures the poor woman. The transference goes from jolly american music to silence with just dialogue, this is a very good way in changing the mood at the start of the film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9XMd2eAy_4

(Independent music)

This music is very simple, but as our film will have a lot of dialogue, it can be used as background music is well as with opening and closing titles. if we wanted to add any other music that might be more dominant, we could mix them both up so that it can sound strained and create tension.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye1mE2bq7H8

(Independent music)

This clip has a lot more examples of a variety of music types. They are very different and they sound very suited to the genre, also making parts of it sound terrestrial, which could fit with our story of deserted woods and the 'unknown'.

Distribution

                        Distribution

1) Pre Production

2) Production

3) Post Production

4) Distribution

The distributors have to work out who the audience is, why they should watch it and how to persuade them to watch it. Distributors either have the task to distribute well known popular films and small ranged films.

Notes:

- An independent distributor for things such as Momentum Picture have to seek out films and enquire the right. 

- Find the films Unique Selling Point (USP) 

- Casting and Genre 

- Target audience for marketing campaign 

- 15-24 year old's are the CORE audience and families

- When to release a film

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_Century_Fox

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation is one of the six major American film studios as of 2011. Located in the Century City area of Los Angeles, just west of Beverly Hills, the studio is a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. The company was founded on May 31, 1935, as the result of the merger of Fox Film Corporation, founded by William Fox in 1915, and Twentieth Century Pictures, founded in 1933 by Darry; F. Zanuck, Joseph Schenck, Raymond Griffith and William Goetz.

Twentieth Century Fox's most popular film franchises include Star Wars, X-Men, Ice Age, Die Hard, Predator, Alien, Planet of The Apes, Home Alone, plus TV shows such as Batman, M*A*S*H, The X-Files, Cops, The Simpsons, Family Guy and 24. Among the most famous actresses to come out of this studio were Shirley Temple, who was 20th Century Fox's first film star, Betty Grable, Gene Tierney, Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield. The studio also contracted the first African-American cinema star, Dorothy Dandridge. 20th Century Fox is a member of the Motion Picture Association of America.

source: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momentum_Pictures

Momentum Pictures (also known as Alliance Films UK and formerly Alliance Communications UK and Alliance Atlantis UK) is one of the leading independent motion picture distributors in the UK and Ireland and releases approximately 20 theatrical films a year, with several dtv releases.

Momentum's most successful theatrical releases include the Oscar, BAFTA and BIFA-winning The King's Speech, Amélie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Lost in Translation,Control, Downfall, The Young Victoria, Defiance, Milk, Let the Right One In, The Illusionist, Just Friends, District B13 Ultimatum, The Men Who Stare at Goats, Law Abiding Citizen, Glorious 39 and P.S. I Love You.

The studio has also released several family films, such as Hoodwinked, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Arthur and the Invisibles, Just Visting and Igor, as well as the home video rights for popular TV series Creature Comforts.

 
source: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramount_Pictures

Paramount Pictures Corporation is a film and television production/distribution company, consistently ranked as one of the largest (top-grossing) movie studios. It is a division of American media conglomerate CBS Television.

Paramount is the fifth oldest existing film studio in the world behind Universal Studios, Nordisk Film, Pathé, and Gaumont Film Company. Also, it is the last major film studio still headquartered in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles.

Paramount Pictures is a member of the Motion Picture Association of America


group distribution:
Lions gate

Lions Gate Entertainent Corporation is the most commercially successful independent film and television distribution company in North America. It's first major box office success was 'American Psycho' in 2000, which began a trend of films that were too controversial and different for the other major American distributors. Some of the other notable films include: 'Affliction', 'Gods and Monsters', 'Saw' and the 'Hunger Games' in 2012.

We thought this distribution company was the best for our group film, as it is independent and popular with lots of past success, especially in the horror genre.
 

Titles Analysis BBC

Art Of The Title

An Education (2009) The opening sequences using animation as well as real life images, types of animation used are related to 'Education' such as maths angles, shapes, science equipment, skipping ropes, textiles, paper shapes, music notes, bar charts etc. These are used by themselves at the start of the sequence, using white outlines on a black background. However they start to use fade and overlapping techniques with real life images. The fact that the animation looks drawn makes it seem a lot more creative and suitable for a younger audience. The real life images used are girls of around the age 15, doing formal ballroom dancing with partners, placing books on there head as an elocution lesson, playing lacrosse, cooking and many more. The pupils are showing typical pupil characteristics, having fun in the playground and looking bored and hopeless in lessons. The music is very upbeat high pitched and used drums and trumpets in a very repetitive, positive and almost comedic light. The titles are placed in different areas of the screen making it less predictable and more dynamic. The sequence looks like it is set in a Grammar School in the 60's due to the uniform and activities shown on screen, the music and the realistic attitudes make the genre comical.

Signs 2002: Sound

The music is very important in this sequence, at the start it is silent, introducing the main actors of the film. However it quickly starts being powerful, with sound of the violin, this transition is made through a fade to black. It is very fast paced, as though they are on a mission or there is a mystery. Especially in the middle of the sequence, the more deviant notes are represented with a change of title, keeping up the tension and making it flow. The font is black, in a simple but bold and sharp format. The simplicity of it matches the genre of horror or an old fashioned action film. 

Title Analysis

A title sequence is the method by which cinematic films or television programs present their title, key production and cast members, or both, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound. It usually follows but should not be confused with the opening credits, which are generally nothing more than a series of superimposed text.

I looked into horror opening sequences for our group film:

James Bond -Skyfall

This is a modern example of amazing opening credits. Firstly credits are located at the most convenient location of the screen, they are not still, but are slightly moving with the current of the ocean as James Bond is sinking further into the deep sea, this is a good way of integrating the titles and the moving image, as it seems less of a disturbance and more part of the film. The font is simple, so it does not take away from the rich ingredients of moving image. The font is also white, which is a neutral colours to the variety of images used in the opening sequence, the size is acceptable, noticeable but not overwhelming.


Se7en - Starring Brad Pitt.

This is an excellent example of horror which can relate to our own opening titles. Unlike many others, it is a lot less simple. The fonts are all dynamic, not all in straight lines, some neater then others, Some spaced out further then others etc. Comparing other sequences this one is the most eye-catching and exciting, sometimes less is better, but horror in particular can be a lot more creative; it prepares the audience for tension and addiction of horror characteristics, as you get drawn into what is about to happen. The black/brown/red backgrounds and white font is a successful comparison as it really brings out the variety of titles due to its dark to light effect. It also uses a lightening effect when the music changes key, keeping it intact and attractive.

Representation

Representation in Horror:

Horror unlike other types of media represents gender in a much more respected way, women are more active then passive in horror movies; Sometimes being the hero or the saviour. eden Lake is a good example of this. 'Halloween' (1978) has the "final girl" called laurie which is a unisex name. She is portayed as innocent but dresses in a way that makes her masculine side more visual. Steotypically, the man is the aggressor, the woman is smart and always sees the realistic side to a situation that doesnt involve danger. side is not usually a common trait in media, however horror is much more diverse. sometimes the man is the patagonist and the woman is sometimes an accomplice the dominant role. Representation in horror being stereotypical is less common then in other types of media, gender roles may have been more stereotyped in the past, such as 'psycho'1960 where the girl is portrayed weak and defeated, she is pretty and hopeless. more modern horror can play with stereotypes without it seeming fake or unrealisic.

Teen movies: Mean girls

This film is a 'teen movie' Its' interior relies on stereotypes to make it humorous and popular for a teen audience. There are many  examples of stereotypes in representation of the film, for example, as 'Cady' enters her first class in American school, the teacher knowing her new student is from Africa says 'Welcome' to a black girl sitting in the classroom, assuming that it is her because of the colour of her skin. Also, her first new friends 'Damian' and 'Janice' talk her around the school, generalising and branding different types of groups of students, for example 'Jocks' and Band Geeks'. These are types of representation based on a state american school. The 'Plastics' are three girls who dress girly,and don't shy away from short skirts and low tops, it assumes that pretty, rich girls are bitches or are dumb. 'Karen' is one of the plastics, who is blonde and dumb; a common occurance of these types of teen movies.