The task was to create a film titles sequence which lasted a total of 2 minutes with titles. The purpose of a film opening is to entice and focus the audience, to introduce the genre of the film and to establish the setting and location of the film. The film opening also gives the opportunity for the important senior team members to be given for the following film. Through the film opening the protagonist or antagonist is usually introduced.
The typical conventions of a film opening are to either introduce the protagonist or antagonist – during my film opening the main character and the setting of the location are established. The plot of the film is also indicated through the music and the body language of the protagonist; which shows that she is clearly upset about something and is in deep thought, through the close ups of the picture and the romantic couple who walk past holding hands, the series of close ups (get closer to the couples hands – causing a focus pull) emphasise the desire which the protagonist has for love. Through the equilibrium setting the film opening is balanced until it is interrupted by the disequilibrium, which is indicated through the picture of the protagonist’s lover. The important credits, which appear are clear and readable in order of importance – leaving the director till the very end (therefore making the director most memorable). The genre of my film title is romantic. The film opening informs the audience that this is the genre through the title of the film, the non-diegetic music sets a solemn and tenderly.
In the film titles protagonist is a teenager and in fact all other characters featured in the film opening. I have represented the particular social group through the protagonist – having a female protagonist attracts my target audience but it also allows adults to find similarities in themselves and the protagonist, the search to find love. The demographic of my film titles is teenagers to young adults – this is supported in a positive view in the film opening. Also because of the age range in which I have decided to cast for the film titles, the target audience is targeted more specifically rather than just a general demographic. Older audience members have also been targeted because they can remember what it was like to find their loved one.
I have decided to use British Production companies. The production company is Wimbledon Studios. Wimbledon Studios is most famous for The Bill TV series. The reason I chose this production company is it is evolving and does both television and film productions, also this company can clearly create disequilibrium with success; as it is needed in my romantic film opening. Also the genre is well suited to the type of productions, which this company supports. I also decided upon London Film productions as it’s a successful production company which supports small scale film productions, with a variety of different genres – specialising in dramas and romances such as: The Four Feathers, The Heart Of The Matter. My film title opening was influenced by the romantic film opening of Blue Valentine directed by Derek Cianfrance. The distribution company will distribute the film to local cinemas.
The target audience is for anyone above the age of 12 - due to level of understanding needed (as there is no diegetic sounds there is a lot indicated but not said). The majority of the audience will be female because the stereotypical female will want to watch a film, which is to do with relationships and love. Through my primary research 8 out of 10 women between the ages of 16- 75 would prefer to watch a romantic film rather than an action film. Having a female protagonist attracts my target audience because they will be able to relate to the experience and can idealise the story line, this is then strengthened by the use of a POV shot; as the protagonist is looking down at her feet this portray her emotions (upset, hurt) but is also a great opportunity for the titles to appear on the screen.
I have learnt how to use a range of technologies through the course of this task. To begin the task I have learnt how to blog on the internet to show evidence of my planning. After deciding the genre of my film opening I drew a story board and using a still image camera I was able to photograph the drawings and upload them on to the Mac computers. Once the images were uploaded I imported them into Final Cut Express. Due to the way I had filmed the scenes, some bits needed to be cut to fit within the time limit and also some of the scenes were shot multiple times until I happy with the result. To cut the scenes into the correct length used the razor tool. During the last stages of the editing process I decided that I wanted the beginning and end of the film titles I wanted a video transition. I learnt to use the effects tab in the video transition and I selected the type of transition I wanted then dragged it onto the storyline next to the scene I wanted it to lead into or lead out of. During the planning process I created a moving storyboard so that when I was filming I could see exactly where the tiles would be located on the screen. I learnt how to add the titles onto the images, I used the tab in the browser screen to find the style of text I wanted and then dragged it across on to the story line (sequence 1). When the text was dragged across a new layer was created on top of the image. By using opacity in the view screen, I was able to make the titles fade in and out over the images – this is a useful technique to learn I will have used it on my final film titles. Another technology that I have learnt to use in more depth is the film camera; I have been able to film the scenes that I need successfully, bearing in mind the titles that will need to be placed over the top. When the filming had been uploaded onto the timeline on Final Cut Express I removed the diegetic sounds because there is no script in the piece, I decided that the non-diegetic soundtrack would be the best way to portray the genre. To create the non-diegetic sound track I used GarageBand, through a simple piano melody and accompaniment, I decided not to have anyone playing the track and just used the computers track on a loop so that the non-diegetic music would last the whole of the film titles. I imported the track into iTunes, the track was saved on to the desktop and whilst Final Cut Express was open I dragged the track into the browser screen and then on to the storyline (on the part where the music goes) so that the titles, the scenes and the music are clearly laid out and also during the editing of each part it has made it easier to locate specific parts of the film titles.
The progress from the preliminary task was very simplistic with a person opening the door going from into another room, there was no creativity needed to create the continuity editing task. I think my progress has gone through a variety of stages, I am now confident to use different equipment with success. Also the continuity between different shots is now more consistent and in a clear chronological order. I am also now familiar with the programme Final Cut Express and have been able to assist others with my knowledge of the programme. Through the mise-en-scene I have been able to identify a range of conventions of a filming such as lighting, music etc. to portray the genre and the storyline of the film opening. Another progression I felt I have made is that I know fully understand the difference between equilibrium and disequilibrium; it is important to know how soon to disrupt the balance of the film, too soon or too late and the audience could lose interest.
