Monday, 18 April 2016
TASK NINETEEN: Target Audience
Target Audience
I arranged a time where we were able to ask three pairs a range of questions after watching our opening sequence 'Missing'. I asked the groups seven different questions. By asking four groups instead of one we were able to have a more accurate overview of our opening sequence and a wider range of the opinions from our target audience.
Here are the questions asked:
1- What stood out for you the most during the Opening Sequence and why?
2- What do you think needs improving in our Opening Sequence and why?
3- Who do you think is our target audience?
4- How did you feel when you watched our opening sequence?
5- What Genre do you think our opening sequence is and why?
6- Do you think the audio we used went well and contrasted well with the opening sequence?
7- How did you fell about the locations we shot our opening sequence in?
3- Who do you think is our target audience?
4- How did you feel when you watched our opening sequence?
5- What Genre do you think our opening sequence is and why?
6- Do you think the audio we used went well and contrasted well with the opening sequence?
7- How did you fell about the locations we shot our opening sequence in?
TASK EIGHTEEN: Use of opening sequence conventions
Use of opening sequence conventions
We believe that we stuck to the typical opening sequence conventions that we mentioned in task two after analysing different opening sequences of Hollywood blockbusters.
We included our production company logo animation which we put at the start of our opening sequence (which was also used in Forrest Gump for example). Our production logo specifically shows the horror genre which will notify the audience before they watch the sequence that it is going to be horror. As well as allowing them to acknowledge that our group made the project.
Another typical opening sequence convention is title credits. We included ours after the first 20 seconds this is mainly because the beginning is where the most of the fear is created with the fast pace cuts and camera shot. We did not want the audience to get distracted from this and not acknowledge the credits. Therefore we put it during the section where Claire is putting on her shoes as it is not that distracting and key for the audience to miss. The names and roles of our team and the actresses fade in and out.
Although sometimes shown at the end of a film, or right at the beginning, we wanted to show the name of our opening sequence at the end of our opening sequence right after the climax. This is because our production is only an opening sequence and the audience needs to know the name of it so that they look forward to the rest of the film, even though this project only required an opening sequence. We also did this right after the climax of Claire screaming at her brothers dead body to add to the fear and shock that the audience experience. Whilst the title comes up the added dramatic music (typically used in trailers) additionally creates an emphasis on the cliffhanger that the audience are left with.
This is another example of enigma code we used. The enigma code used here is why is Claire picking up a watch and why does she look confused
The second shot reveals to audience that this was Kate's watch and that it has a more meaningful value than just a watch.
We used different music and sound effects throughout at appropriate times. However, most of our opening sequence uses the instrumental track 'Dark Underworld' as non-diegtic music, this was chosen because it creates tension and suits the horror theme created.
There is also minimal dialogue within the first half of our opening sequence this is because we did not want to reveal too much to audience about the plot and take away form any tension created.
Friday, 15 April 2016
TAST SEVENTEEN: The Editing Process
The Editing Process
Throughout editing our opening sequence we took screenshots of what we did in Final Cut Pro to achieve what we have now. We used different tools to make our opening sequence more effective.
In the screenshot above you can see that in our first scene of Kate (Milly) there are various cut outs - these are the black gaps you can see throughout the clip. This was essential in our opening sequence because as the screen changes back and forth, we have music to accompany it.
Here you can see the sound that we have added in the sound of a heart beat. We wanted to have this playing throughout this first scene so that the audience could sense that something bad is happening and it gives them more of an idea of how the character is feeling at this moment.
Here we needed the sound to slowly fade as the scene was coming to an end. We did this by clicking the sound and dragging it backwards. After this we changed the sound fade shape. We did this by control-clicking the fade, and choosing a fade option form the shortcut menu. We used -3dB because we felt that it was the one that fittest most with the scene.
In
this screen grab there are tonal contracts from the added filter that was found
under ‘Effects’. The effect we used throughout our opening sequence was Luna and
Cool Tones. In some cases we used Luna and Cool Tones together to create the
right colouring. The effects can be placed onto the video by simply being
dragged onto the chosen clip where the filter is needed.
Here we needed to show the audience that there was a
jump in time. We did this by adding a transition in the video to show the audience that
the next scene is not related to the previous one. To ensure the audience that they completely
understand the time difference we added in text (2 YEARS LATER), this effect was
found under ‘Titles’, ‘Build in/Out’ and the effect is called ‘Typewriter’ Not only does the typewriter effect nicely show the time jump but also gives
our opening sequence more of a professional feel.
Like any intense opening sequence we needed to add a range of music throughout, we found a variety of music on youtube after a lot of hard hunting that would fit into our opening sequence. We downloaded the music through youtube converter and then, after the audio came up in iTunes we simply dragged it music to where it was needed. We was able to fade the music, shortern it and change the volume buy adjusting the settings.
For the texts that come up on the screen in the scenes where Claire (Rosie) is using her phone, we used After Effects. We followed the instructions that came with the download package for the messaging template. After we made this we opened the template up in Final Cut Pro and added it to our opening sequence.
At the end of our clip we wanted Claire's (Rosie) scream to carry on after the screen had gone black. So we copied a section of the audio of her scream and added it back in again.
We did a similar thing earlier on in the opening sequence where we fit the dialogue of Claire (Rosie) saying "Kate" and we fit it back into where he mouth is moving.
Once most of our editing was complete we went threw our opening sequence we added a variety of jump cuts. These cuts fitted in well in our sequence as it added tension and suits the genre not only this but it added more visuals.
Thursday, 14 April 2016
TASK FIFTEEN: Production Company Logo
Production Company Logo
Before creating our logo we needed inspiration from other production companies that also specialised in the horror genre.
Our criteria for our logo is:
- Simplicity
- Dark colours
- Reflect the genre of our opening sequence
Ghost House Pictures
This company has created many well known horror films such as the Boogeyman series, Evil Dead and Poltergeist. We like this logo as it applies to our criteria. The simple design of the grey font against the black background, with a picture of a skull already tells the audience the genre of the film they are about to watch and the production company's speciality.
Twisted Pictures
Twisted Pictures is a very popular horror production company, they have made films such as the Saw Series and Texas Chainsaw 3D. The logo is simple in representing the name and genre of the production company. The twisted barbwire is effective in reflecting the Twisted part of the name. Although it is dark and hard to read in some places. We do not want ours to be like this, we want ours to be easy to read so the audience know who we are as a production company.
Blumhouse Productions
Out of the above logos this logo is our favourite and is the one that we base most of our logo from. Blumhouse has also produced the Insidious, Paranormal Activity and Sinster franchises. We mainly like this logo because of the simplicity again, the 'corned off' positioning is unique- it creates a 3D effect and adds to the eerie atmosphere that the blue and green colours create. This clearly represents the horror/thriller genre of films that the company creates.
The making of our logo
First I made the different parts we needed for our animation of the logo in Abode Fireworks CS6 individually. The background for the first part of the animation is a rocky wall that I imported from Google Images. We chose to use a wall for the background to highlight the blood that will splatter against it which will show the horror genre. As blood is associated with horror. Then for the second part of our animation the use of black ink transition to a black screen, which is a lot simpler and will reveal our main logo. 
For our final Logo we used all of these ideas to influence us in the creation. Here is our final logo. We are all happy with our final logo as it applies to our criteria. It is simple and the animation helps to show the horror genre with blood splatter, eerie music and dark colours. We used a bright blue and bold font like Blumhouse Productions to add a unique take on the traditional horror production company logos.
Motion 5 was the software I used to animate our production company logo. This process was made easier by the previous steps I had done by creating the separate parts of the animation in Fireworks so I could import them and arrange it in the order of animation. To make the transition from the first part of the logo I added the 'splotches' effect and changed the colour saturation to dark, so that ink was also black so that the transition would be smoother and match the background. Then I added eerie music and imported this via a YouTube Converter download from YouTube.
Wednesday, 30 March 2016
TASK SIXTEEN: Choice of Music
Choice of Music
Sound is key for our post-production process. We think that is plays a huge role in setting the mood/atmosphere. Not only we will we be using diegetic sound e.g. the sound of the TV, but we will also be using non-diegetic sound for the dramatic effects. Another key sound that we will be using throughout our opening sequence will be dialogue. This will be exchanged between the two characters.
Sound is key for our post-production process. We think that is plays a huge role in setting the mood/atmosphere. Not only we will we be using diegetic sound e.g. the sound of the TV, but we will also be using non-diegetic sound for the dramatic effects. Another key sound that we will be using throughout our opening sequence will be dialogue. This will be exchanged between the two characters.
For our first scene in our opening sequence we wanted to use minimal music. The majority of the first scene will have just ambient sound from the field/park that Kate is in. As the scene comes closer to its end the music comes into place.
We will be using a lot of crescendo sound. This is sound or music that builds up to imply that something is about to happen. Music like this is essential in horror movies because a lot of the time there are many scenes in a film that are built up.
We will be using a lot of crescendo sound. This is sound or music that builds up to imply that something is about to happen. Music like this is essential in horror movies because a lot of the time there are many scenes in a film that are built up.
This sound will also be used in our first scene. As the tension builds and the cuts become quicker, we want to include this sound of Kate's heart beating. This will alert the audience and let them of Kate's increased heart rate. This shows that she is becoming more fearful and hopefully it will affect the viewers in the same way. We want to use this sound and make it parallel to whats happening in the scene.
The audio above will be used starting from when Claire (Rosie) is walking her dog in the woods. This sound will continue throughout until just before the opening sequence ends. We like this music because its very spooky and eerie.
Above are two examples of the whispering sound effect we would like to use in our Opening Sequence. This effect would be used in the last scene where Kate will be disturbed by these voices.
For when the title comes up at the end we wanted to use quite a loud sound. So we took a sound from the Independence Day 2 trailer and fit it in so it was in time with when "MISSING" came up on the screen.
Wednesday, 23 March 2016
TASK SIX: 25 Word Pitch
25 Word Pitch
I created my 25 Word Pitch by recording myself writing 25 words that related to our Opening Sequence. I used Final Cut Pro to add effects to the video, this allowed me to add different colour effects, music, speeding techniques, an introduction and cropping software. This allowed the 25 Word Pitch to become more visually appealing to the viewers.
TASK FOURTEEN: Filming Schedule
Filming Schedule
I created a filming schedule on my phone, this is because its professional and it allows us to use digital technology and it can keep us updated. I started by creating a rough schedule on paper and then transferred the information to my phone, this means we can update the Scheduel live if necessary. By having a filming schedule, we are all able to stay up to date and organised insuring that all of our scenes are completed correctly with out leaving any props behind, and insuring we go about our opening sequence in the most professional manor as possible.
