Thursday 29 November 2012

Pitch Feedback





Good elements 

Reading all the feedback, we noticed a few good points that kept cropping up. For example, they all said that the release date was appropriate. Also, they thought that the use of unknown characters is a good idea. Some also said that our narrative was also good. The use of director also cropped up as a good element. 

Bad elements

We also noticed a few sections that need improving. For example, they said we need to expand on our target audience and research into unknown actors we can use. Another point raised, is that our Box Office predictions was too high, and that our budget should be lower. A finally issue raised in the feedback, was that someone thought our name could be a little scarier.


Improvements

We went through this, and decided that we will keep the name as it as, as we feel that it is appropriate. Also, we decided to increase our budget to 15 million, and the box office prediction now sits at 60 million. We have also begun researching into the unknown actors, by looking into upcoming stars and actors who have featured in minor film roles.

Tuesday 27 November 2012

Film Pitch Prezi


Thursday 15 November 2012

Film Studios

The Aims


* To be able to indicate how films are produced and distributed.
* To research and decide upon the film studio who will produce/distribute your film.

What is a film studio?


A studio is a company that produces and/or distributes motion pictures.

Who are the main six studios of today?


There are 6 main studios operating today:
Walt Disney
Paramount
Universal
Warner Brothers
Sony/ Columbia
Fox

What is a sub division?


Each of these studios will own sub divisions which specialize in niche films. This is normally based on genre and the budget required for the film.


What is synergy?
Synergy is the interaction of two or more forces working together to produce a greater outcome compared to their original efforts.


What is a distribution company?

The distribution company is in charge of getting the film out to audiences, this involves organizing for the film to receive an age certificate by regulation bodies such as the BBFC and MPAA; arranging exhibition outlets globally and DVD/Television rights; arranging for prints of the film; and marketing publicity and promotion of the film.

Wednesday 14 November 2012

Music and Sound

The website we chose to look at for music to use in our titles was audionetwork due to it containing copyright free music, and being specialists in giving this to schools.

To find specifically what we what were looking for there was a menu on the side:












We browsed the Horror category under Mood/Atmosphere as this was the genre of our film:













This was the menu that appeared and we listened to the different tracks available. We wanted music that would give the impression that our title sequence is sinister and dark. Also, we wanted to make the audience feel at the edge of their seat, and gain an impression of our title sequence through the music. We managed to select 5 different tracks that we felt were most suited to the title sequence and downloaded them on to Kate's desktop.


The files which are highlighted in blue are the mp3's that we downloaded. To make a final decision on what music we want we will put each song to the title sequence once it is edited and asked various people who match our target audience, which they thought suited best, and then decided as a group if that was suitable enough.

Overall this was a successful process, due to their being such a huge range of music that we could use for our title sequence, as it is a popular genre for music. The only problem was that there was too much to chose from so it took quite a lot of time to listen to all of the tracks in the category we wanted.

Tuesday 13 November 2012

Choosing The Title

After creating all the titles, we could not decided on which one we liked the most. So, we decided to ask our target audience which one they thought was most effective and which one would 'scare' them the most.

As shown from the chart above, effect ten received the most votes from our selected people who match our target audience. We also agreed with our target audience, as number ten got the most votes from our group. This title gave the impression of fast paced and breathlessness - due to the heart looking effect beating quick.

After watching the title again, we noticed that the explosion that occurs at the end, did not match the overall idea we wanted to give across to an audience, so as a group, we decided that we would cut this bit out, and instead have it fade out slowly.

Monday 12 November 2012

Typography For Hypnosis: Part 4




Above shows a tally chart, conducted by Kate, to see what our target audience preferred concerning the colour of our font. As you can see, the colour red and black were most popular, with red just edging the audience vote. We noticed that the lighter colours, grey, were not so popular. We decided as a group, to listen to the audiences decision and go with the red colour for our font.

Sunday 11 November 2012

Typography For Hypnosis - Part 3

Even though we already selected a font for Hypnosis, we realised as a group that we do not represent the whole of our target audience. Instead, we decided to conduct some audience research and to see which font our target audience will like, and then make a decision on which font we will use.

To do this, we decided to make a tally chart with all the fonts on them, and make our selected recipients to pick their favorite font by putting a line in the correct box.

Here is what we found:


The people have spoken, and have decided to go with the font we initially decided to go with, meaning we will use the font, which on the graph above is font 4.

Typography For Hypnosis - Part 2

We looked at the different types of fonts, and decided on a particular style of font, and tried to find variations. We looked into a different array of typography that looked relatively scary to match with our genre of horror. To find a font, we used www.dafont.com. Here are the following fonts we decided we liked the most:

1)

We liked this font, due to it looking like blood and had the connotions of death

2)



3)





4)

5)

6)
The font we decided that we thought looked best was font number six. We also decided that black did not look that nice with the scary element we are trying to create, so we changed it to resemble blood and danger. Our final font looks like this:



Saturday 10 November 2012

Typography for Hypnosis - Part 1

We decided to look into different styles of fonts we could have for our title sequence, and explore how the fonts vary and which would be best for us. We experimented with seeing how different font types portrayed different moods and connotations. 





We felt this type font connoted a sense of disorientation which suits our film however, it does not signify danger or horror which is crucial as to create a sense of fear amongst our audience.





This font we felt held too many sci-fi connotations which is not the genre of our film, therefore we felt it was unsuitable.





This font we felt was too simplistic and had soft edges, which would make our title sequence seem 'cute' and 'bubbly' - just like this font.








We felt this font was more suited to a film of a fantasy film, but the set back was that it looked too similar to that of Harry Potter's typography.








We felt this font was the most suited to our film, due to it looking creepy and had connotations of danger, blood and edginess  We are going to find similar fonts to this and then create a survey for people to choose their favorite font.

Friday 9 November 2012

Genre Notes

Since our title sequence for our made up film called 'Hypnosis' will fall under the horror genre. Our group looked into the codes and conventions of horror, and just gain more knowledge of what it is all about. 

Codes and conventions

  • Secluded location
  • Power cuts
  • Phone-line cut
  • Strange noises which someone investigates
  • Narrative enigmas
  • Slow pace editing 
  • Binary oppositions (good vs. evil)
  • Lots of low key lighting
  • Stereotypical gender roles (female victim)
  • Close-ups
  • Non-diagetic sound
  • Teenager characters
  • Point of view shots
  • Low angle shots
  • Weapons
  • Murders
  • Killer is clumsy (may fall over frequently)
Popular horror films include

  • Scream
  • Friday the 13th 
  • Halloween 
  • Nightmare on Elm Street
  • Jaws
  • Psycho
  • The Exorcist

Thursday 8 November 2012

Lionsgate

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Wednesday 7 November 2012

Film Studio

For our title sequence, we needed to look into a suitable film studio to add to our title sequence. To do this, we had to first gather what we already know about our film, by looking at what genre we are doing, the type of audience we are targeting and other factors that needed to be taken into consideration. 

Firstly, we decided to look into film studios that cater for the genre of horror. We found two suitable studios which were Lionsgate Pictures and Hammer Films. We first evaluated the websites of both companies, to try make an early assumption of what they are like. We looked at Hammer Films first. There website looked like this:



Straight away, we noticed it was definitely a horror film studio. The colour of the background connotes death and danger, which are usually associated with horror/thriller films - all the films listed on their website were horror films. We also recognised the film that is being displayed on the homepage, as the successful "The Woman In Black" which is most definitely a horror film, that made a reasonably good profit. This made our impression of the company positive, and made us realise they are successful. The one thing we noted as negative, was that there website seemed really simplistic and plain, which made us think that they are not as popular as other film studios, and that they may not be able to cater for our budget for our film.

We then moved onto Lionsgate Pictures, whose website looked like this:


Again, just like the website for Hammer Films, we noticed that the website had a horror type theme, due to the dark grey clouds as their background. Also, just like Hammer, the film being displayed is a horror film, but this time around, this film is a well known franchise that as had tremendous success throughout the years, and has had many remakes as well, meaning that people want to see this film. We also thought that this website came across as more established, and made Lionsgate seem a popular studio - which it is. We browsed through the films, and saw a few huge films like "The Hunger Games" meaning this studio may be able to give us the amount of money we would need.

After viewing both websites, looking into the films they have made and their box office success', we have decided that we would like Lionsgate Pictures as our film studio for our film "Hypnosis". The reason for selecting Lionsgate, was due to the fact that they appear to be higher in the studio rankings against Hammer, and they featured more well-known films meaning they have more success. Also, our we felt like Lionsgate would be able to cater to our budget for our film, whereas we felt Hammer might not be able to do so.

Audience Profiling



Thursday 1 November 2012

Saul Bass

Saul Bass was a graphic designer, which lead to him becoming a filmmaker. He was born on May the 8th in 1920, and passed away on the 25th of April 1996. He is best known for his film poster designs and his title sequences in numerous of films. 


He worked with the likes of Alfred Hitchcock, Otto Preminger, Martin Scorsese and many others. One of his most famous title sequences was in the film "The Man with the Golden Arm" and in "North by Northwest". He was known for his use of colourful, simplistic, geometric shapes, which created imagery that involved the film. He revolutionized the way in which title sequences were made, and people still take influence from his    
                                                      work today.
 
He did not just only do title sequences, he was also known for designing corporate logos, such as the AT&T bell, and the AT&T globe logos.



Saul Bass studied part-time in Manhattan at Art Students League, until  he begun night classes with Gyorgy Kepes at Brooklyn College. He first started working at Hollywood by doing print work for film adverts. He then was spotted by Otto Preminger to design a film poster for Carmen Jones. They were so impressed with what Bass did, that he was then asked to do the title sequence. He used this opportunity to create a unique title sequence, as he wanted to achieve the mood and theme of the film, just by the opening sequence. He did not follow the normal title sequence, where they only showed the name of film, actors and such, but instead, presented them in a special way, with unique designs like his film posters.

Wednesday 31 October 2012

The Art Of Film Title Design Throughout Cinema History




1- "Words and lettering played an enormous role in films of the silent era."

 I found this part of the article interesting, due to the fact that I did not actually know that silent films had title sequences, and its interesting that it seems so minimalistic now, but back then, it probably would have been a huge thing. Also, the accompanied imagery, showing what they look like interested      me, due to it being so different to how title sequences are executed now.
                        


2 - "Ralph Spence was the highest-paid title writer in the industry, earning $10,000 a picture for his one-liners."

I also found this interesting, due to the amount that this man was paid to only generate humorous little jokes. Its also interesting as, at the moment in time, that amount of money would have been seen as a lot, whereas now, I do not think it would been viewed the same.


3 - "Allen uses the Windsor font for most of his films, as    illustrated below in “Annie Hall” (1977)."

The reason why I found this section of the article interesting, was due to the fact that it states that Woody Allen usually tends to use the typography named Windsor. This made me think to  what is the reason for using this font numerous of times in his films? What purpose does it have to keep using the same one? It also shows the difference over time, and how the title sequence has changed rapidly.


4 - "If there were a hall of fame for film title design, Stephen Frankfurt’s sequence for the 1962 film “To Kill A Mocking Bird” (below, upper row) would have a seat of honor."

I also found this statement to be interesting, due to the way in which they say that this film would be 'a seat of honor.' which shows that the writer highly values the work and effort done for this title sequence. It also makes me want to see what the fuss is all about, and to see if I would feel the same was as in which the writer feels about this sequence. 

5 - "But the measure of a title design’s quality is the same now as it was in the silent era."

I found this quiet interesting, when the conclusion starts, as the writer still believes that the title sequences design quality, still remains the same as those of the silent era sequences. I think that title sequences have change quiet a lot, so seeing this shocked me a little. This also intrigued me, due to the writer sharing their feelings on how they perceive modern and olden title sequences, and viewing them as the same, whereas, I thought they have improved a lot.



Fight Sequence

For the fight sequence, we had to film it just as a regular fight scene - including a different array of camera shots/angles. We had to film it in parts, then once it had been filmed, we had to edit the video together so it looked like a sequence. Kate and Lucy played the actress' (with some extras) and I filmed the video. We each took turns to edit it. 

After we edited it, we was told to add in Foley sound into certain parts in the sequence, such as the slapping moments and the other violent parts. We was given different objects to create the Foley sound. For example, we were given slabs of meat to make a deep slap noise, celery to create a bone creaking sound, a melon to also create a slapping sound, and many others. We all set out and used as many different objects we could. Once we finished, we then edited the sounds into the video, creating our fight sequence with Foley sound clip.

The original clip without Foley sound it the first video, and the second one is the clip with the Foley sound added too it.


This is the fight sequence without Foley sound.


This is the fight sequence with Foley sound.

Sunday 28 October 2012

Halloween III: Season of the Witch Title Sequence



The title sequence or Halloween III: Season of the Witch reveals all the actors and important people involved with the film. It starts with creepy, slow and dramatic music, and with what seems to be a flickering screen - making it seem to be vintage.

The genre of the film, is constructed through the use of the music, the colours used in the sequence, and the imagery that is being shown. The music reveals the genre, due to the spookiness of it, and the way it comes across as almost chilling. Also, the colours used in the sequence are blacks and oranges. The colours black and orange, connote darkness and death, and is normally associated with Halloween, which is a scary day of the year. Also, the names of the people involved are in blue, which could suggest that there is some innocence remaining in the film, and its not completely evil. Finally, the imagery shown shows the genre, due to the use of the pumpkin, which again, is linked to Halloween time of the year.

The sequence starts with what appears to be an old fashioned television, flickering, as if it is being turned on. This could suggest that television may play an important part in the film, or have some significance. Also, it makes it creepy, due to the flickering screens and the music used in this particular part. It does not reveal too much about what will happen in the film, due to only showing orange lines which form a pumpkin. It shows nothing that happens in the film.

The genre of the music used in the sequence vegins as almsot sci-fi type music, but then changed into a low humming sound, which makes it come across as dark and mysterious. I think this type of music has been chosen, to add to the atmosphere of mystery and to make it seem more frightening, and to contribute to make the audience get in the mood for the film.

The way the sequence has been edited, reveals little sections of the image of a pumpkin at a time. This may have been done to hint at the fact that the film will be shown to reveal little parts of information at a time, and you will not know the full story until the very end of the film - as the entire pumpkin was only shown at the end of the film.

Also, the typography used in the sequence is bold and mostly in capitals. The colour of the font used, contrasts with the colour scheme of the sequence, as the sequence uses dark colours that connotes death and darkness, and the names of the people involved use dark blues, which changes into a light blue. The use of the dark blue, changing into a lighter blue, could be suggesting that someone or something maybe changing from evil too good, due to light blue connoting purity.

Overall, I think the title sequence is effective for the genre of the film, as it reveals hardly any details about the film itself, as it shows no scenes in the film, and it does not reveal the whole image of the pumpkin at one times. Also, the music makes the sequence more dramatic and frightening, as it is slow and the base is down low. Finally, the colours contribute to the film, as the film in named "Halloween" and the colours and the image of the pumpkin linked to the  day Halloween.

The Avengers Title Sequence



The title sequence for the film “The Avengers” shows the different superheroes that are going to feature in the film. It starts by revealing their attires and their iconic weapons.  The sequence also shows the actors names next to the attire they wear.

The genre of the film in constructed through the use of the characters clothes and weapons. The clothes shown resemble those of which superheroes wear, and the use of their weapons further suggests this. It has also been constructed through the use of the music, as the music is relatively upbeat, and like a heroic song as if something has been accomplished or discovered. 

The opening titles show some of the different characters that are going to feature in the film. It also reveals what weapon or accessory they hold, but instead of showing a full shot of them, it glimpses over the characters as if someone is gazing over them, placing the viewer in the position as if they are examining the characters. The fonts also move with the camera, which imitates the eyes of the viewer. It also creates narrative enigmas at this point, as you notice that they costume is as if they have been in a fight, as they are ripped scratched and partially ruined.  This suggests that they have been in a battle. The first sign of this is shown on Captain America’s shoulder, as it has a tear, and looks worn down, shown through use of close ups and extreme close ups.

The genre of the music used in The Avengers title sequence is instrumental, also called fanfare. Fanfare is usually associated with wartime, which involves violence and fighting. I think the filmmakers have decided to use this track to drawn more attention to what is being shown on the film, as it does not feature any lyrics. Also, it makes the film have a heroic/discovery element, as this type of music is usually associated with finding something important or when someone does something good. The effect of this music choice shows the film is going to involve action of some sort, and will feature heroic moments.

The sequence has been edited to show different sections of the different characters. The transitions used are relatively smooth when it changes to each character, as you hardly notice the change in shot until the costume is shown. Also the pace of the edit is slow/medium, as it gives the audience enough time to recognize the characters in the shot, but also does so in a timely manor, meaning it doesn’t spend too much time on each character. Judging by the sequence, the shot focuses on each character at a relatively same length as each other.

The typography used in the sequence looks like metal/armor. The use of the colour of the typography connotes heroic, purity and all that is good. It suggests that the characters in the shot are the good guys, and the heroes. The fonts used are relatively sharp looking, which further suggests the connotation of armor and the way it shines in the sequence further connotes this. The font hints at the genre of action. It also hints at a present setting, as the font looks modern and almost futuristic. Also, the font, such as action, fighting, protection and so on, can determine the themes off the film. The font shows this due to its colour and what it connotes.

As a whole, the title sequence suggests to me that the film will definitely involve action, fighting and maybe death. It also suggests that the characters in the sequence as the good guys, due to the music and the colour of their attires are relatively colourful and bright. The whole film connotes that there is obviously something extremely bad is going to happen, due to the fact that it requires more than one superhero to take them down, and it requires them to form a team.