Why Our Opening Sequence Is A Success

pros and cons by hfrancis96 on GoAnimate

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A Box Of Tears - Final Production

Production Company Choice - Momentum Pictures

We chose Momentum Pictures as our production company. Momentum Pictures is a worldwide famous production company that will hopefully draw in a larger audience for our opening sequence.   This will make 'A Box Of Tears' look more official as our other companies are independent unknown companies. There Logo is the first company to appear on our film, this will show our audience that we are legit. 

Question 7

Question 6

Question 5

Question 4

Here is Question 4 on glogster, if you want to see the more detailed post click the link below:

http://ravenswood.edu.glogster.com/who-is-the-main-target-audience-for-your-product;

Question 3

Question 2

Question 1

Establishing Our Target Audience - Survey Monkey

The survey shows that  50% of people i asked were 25 + and 40% were aged 16-24. This allows me to establish what what age groups are interested in my film genre, which will help me identify a target audience.

There was an equal amount of males and females that answered the questionnaire, which works out quite well. This will allow me to find out if males or females prefer the genre.

Action and Romance were the favourite genres, this is convenient as my film is mostly action however every superhero movie has a bit of romance.

 As you can see most of the answers state that a lot of people that completed the survey enjoy watching films. This is good because the survey would be pointless if no one enjoyed watching movies.

 I wanted to no how many of these people enjoyed super hero films. The answers are very positive which is good as my film is about a super hero.

I asked this question as i want to know how to end my film, and weather their will be a sequel. After getting the results back i have began to consider 2 alternative endings; as most people like happy and sad endings.

Although most people think comedy is most successful... Action is just behind, this is why i think the majority of people will enjoy an action pack original superhero film.

Music Choice

I will be using Production Music as the provider for the music as it is a copyright free service, and is with our budget. 

We will be using music in our opening sequence to enhance the emotion displayed by the voice over, which will also establish the genre of our film; which will appeal to our audience. The music will create tension and suspense from the very start up to the point of the mysterious visitors arrival. The music will also display Arthur's emotions, this will work very well with the voice over of Arthur's thoughts and feelings.

Costumes

            Bill - 'The Side Man'                                                     Arthur - 'The Agitator' 

Costumes are important as it tells the audience so much about a character just by looking at them. Therefore a lot of thought was put into the costume aspect of the opening sequence. The audience will make judgements on the character by looking at their boy language and costume; this is partly why we decided to use a non-diagectic voice over, rather than diagectic dialogue. Arthur will be wearing a dressing gown in the sequences suggesting he doesn't get out much, and that he is a lazy low life. The Side Man will be wearing a hood and sun glasses so his emotions and expressions remain unknown. This will create a cliff hanger as he his only seen at the of the sequence. 

Modeled by H.Francis

A Box Of Tears - Story Board

Official Film Title - 'A Box Of Tears'

This is the art for the new film title 'A Box Of Tears'. I have decided on this as the official film title as it is more relevant to what we see in the opening sequence. This title is also mysterious making the audience curious about what the film is about.

Props

These are the props we will be using in our film: The picture and the stuffed chicken show Arthur has a son or used to have a son. The vintage vodka shows that Arthur does not want to remember his past by getting drunk. The map shows that Arthur used to travel but not anymore as he has locked himself away for so many year. The box is where Arthurs memories are kept; things he has locked away for so long, this is why we have renamed the film from 'The Agitator' to 'A Box Of Tears'. The lamp will create an enigma in the dark of which most of the scene will be set.

New Inspiration - Independent Film Festival - Paris 2013

On 29th March 2013 travel to Paris. During the three day trip we attended the Independent Film Festival. We watched many independent films; some short, some long and even got to talk to some of the directors of the films. All of the films were low budget however they were very high quality making the experience very inspiring. Prior to the festival i had already come up with the idea for my film; however films such as 'Counting Happiness' and 'A Milkshake at Gina's' have inspired me to use curtain shots and techniques in my film. 

Film Setting

I will need to know what my film setting will be like. I will be visiting and explore different locations to find the best setting. I have created this mood board to show potential environments.

- Run down environments
- Dark rooms
- Lonely isolated locations
- Old fashioned
- No sign of civilisation

Why have other super hero films been successful? - The Avengers

Created with Padlet

The Agitator! - Comic Drawing

Here are the original comic drawing for 'The Agitator' drawn by Harley Francis. These are the 3 main characters in the story. Two of which will feature in the opening sequence (The Agitator and The Side Man). The Salamander will make an appearance later in the film as the super villain.

LinoIt - Opening Sequence Research

Unfortunately Lino It would not embed to my blogger. So here are the screen shot of it. 

Film Title Ideas

I have come up with several film title ideas. they all relate to the film: 'The Agitator' is the name of the main character in the film, the sequence revolves around this character and the film is about his story.

'Ex Vigilante' was my second idea because the main character (The Agitator) used to be a masked super hero, this title gives the audience an idea of what genre film they will be watching. 



'Super Reality' was another idea of mine as the story is about a super hero's reality and the consequences of being a super hero. 

'Real Justice' was my last idea; the characters goal is to get his justice making justice a massive part of the film, but will justice be served?

Superhero Film Titles

Here are some different film titles which are inspiring to me. The titles do not use a lot of colour or over the top fonts however they're bold and stand out. 'The Dark Knight Rise' is a film about the famous Batman, the title has a bat like image in the background to display who the super hero without calling the film 'Batman 3'. The previous film was called something very similar (The Dark Knight) therefore it is obvious that this is the sequel. 'The Amazing Spider-Man' is a reboot of Sam Raimi's 'Spider-Man' Trilogy. A similar font has been used to appeal to Raimi's pre sold audience. 'Watchman' has used the same title that was used in the comics; as the story is not as well know as the likes of Batman and Spider-Man. This is done so the film is noticeable by the pre-sold audience, the title is also very bright and bold so it stands out to new audiences. 'The Avengers' features several superhero's which have had there own individual films in the build up to this film. The title is bold as the film has big expectation after 5 previous hollywood blockbusters. 

My Task

 My task is to film a 2 minute film opening credit sequence. It won't be a copy of a another film. It will have an original story line with unique characters and fulfil the rule of third, match on action, shot reverse shot and 180 degree guidelines. Before filming i will do research on different films, audiences and my inspiration. I will use websites such as Imdb and official film company websites to do my research.

Investigating target audiences

Preliminary Task

This is my preliminary task were i practised different filming techniques such as: the rule of thirds, comply with the 180 degree rule, use a shot reverse shot and match on action.

Character Inspiration

Rorschach a character from 'The Watchmen" inspired me to create my character The Agitator (Arthur). Rorschach is not quite a super hero but he is not a villain, he is neither; i saw him as a more realistic character. As i want my film to appear as a more realistic story i saw Rorschach as i brilliant character to base mine on. He voice is mysterious, and his story is not clear which is similar to my character. Rorschach i independent in his actions and does really trust other people. Rorschach helped me create a better character profile for The Agitator. 

Other independent film company logos - Analysis

A lot of these logo are basic and clear to read. Whilst a lot of them are neutral colours like black and white. Some incorporate images however the main focus is on the company name, so the company is remember by inspectors. The logo are not over complicated making them memorable. Some of the better known companies such as New Line Cinema and Lionsgate; have modernised there logos as the have more money then the other companies. I have my my logo unique to these logos to show originality and to make my company stand out.

Casting

Casting

The main character (Arthur) is an young adult. When we first see him we want him to look exhausted  and lifeless. Arthur is not your average bloke, he is an intellectual. However he has a mild case of autism. Arthur does a lot of thinking; this has lead to his depression. He had a good english up bringing therefore he is well spoken. Availability and Reliability is of great importance for the film to work when casting a role. We originally has Russell Crow in mind for the part. However an independent actor  called Jack Pilditch suit the character and is with in our budget. We also agreed that if we were to use this unknown actor; the film would come across as more of a believable story.  

The Villain (The salamander) is a middle aged male. He is an assassin for the corrupt and the murderer of Arthurs family.  He works for the prime minister in secret. He does not speak or communicate with anyone. He takes orders and kills his targets; he is roofless. He kills anyone that interferes with his plans. We did have Tom Hardy in mind for the part however he was unable to fly over from america. Charlie Tossell is our substitute; a independent  British actor. He is a good match for the role and has a very similar acting style to Tom Hardy. 

The side man (Bill) is a young adult. When we see him, we want it to be visually clear that he  has some sort of mental problem, which can be controlled. Bill is completely mad, but almost so mad that he's clever, as we learn it was his madness that got him and Arthur out of the Mental Asylum. We do not know anything about Bills background. All we know this that he need Arthurs help. Bill never talks about him self, only about Arthur; he is obsessed. We have cast a british actor called Harley Francis to portray bill. Harley has done a lot of work with Illumiharli in the past, this is why we have cast him as he is reliable and a brilliant actor.

Location

Location 

We will be filming the opening sequence to 'Super Reality' on my property, therefore i know that it is legal to film in this location. The location is inside a house. We will be filming in a safe environment within the next few weeks, i have provided permission to the camera crew to film on my property. The location is our second favorite as it was not legal to film in our first choice location. Therefore what we wanted to achieve in our favorite location might be a lot harder to film is our second favorite location. However we still believe it is achievable. The location is in a very quiet area, which is to our advantage as the character is alone is the first part of the scene, there will be no public or traffic in sight, this shows he is isolated. We will be filming at night to give a more triller feeling to the opening; therefore the location is suited to the genre. The location is basic; which is what we watch but we will be using props and lighting to make the location more interesting. For the lighting we will be using a desk side lamp to create an enigma.

Initial Ideals - Logo

Here are the Initial logo ideas for my film company; Illumiharli. The Illuminati symbols inspired me to sketch the designs above, i then chose my favourite and most practical design for the companies logo. I chose Illumiharli as the name for my company as it is a pun relating to 'Illuminati', suggesting Illumharli rules over the other companies like Illuminati supposedly rules the world.

Improvements Will Be Made!

Be Creative

My blog is lacking creativity and quantity. I will need to add more original posts to my blog, in order to successfully achieve my target grade or above. I have achieved an E so far; which is not only below my target grade but below the grade i want and need. I will be posting a lot more quality posts from now on  in order to hit my target grade and appeal to my page viewers.

Treatment - Ex-Vigilante

Super Reality will be produced by Illumiharli; a British Independent Company. The Film and the screen play was written by Harley Francis.

Tortured by dark memories, a reminiscing 'Ex-Vigilante' embarks on a quest of self rediscovery. However will the burden of a guilty conscience destroy him?

Arthur Lloyd was once an employee for the English government, he suffered with mild Autism. This was secret keep by his family, as his Farther diagnosed him. Arthur was working late when he discovered a file containing Top Secret information. The information stated that families had being disappearing for years, which was part of a 'project disposal' run by the government, which involved families dying in 'freak accidents' in order to reduce the British population. Arthur takes matters into his own hands, and steps down from the government and reveals the information the the public. His Autism becomes his downfall, as the government takes him down mentally. He is then admitted to a mental asylum, where he spends two years preparing his revenge and constructing a team escape with his new friend Ezio. Six months later he puts on the mask and becomes 'The Agitator'; setting his plan in motion. After taking down several personnel significant to the plan and making a mistake, his identification is revealed. Not knowing this; his family are killed and he is forced into exile. Over the years he is haunted by the memories of the people he killed as he understands the pain of the families he took these people from. After years of depression and suicidal thoughts, he is visited by a friend; Ezio, who he escaped the asylum with. He is after help as he and his subordinates have more disturbing information on the government; therefore their families are in danger and have been taken hostage. The call on 'The Agitator' to serve Justice once more...

Non-diagectic music will be played as the sequence opens into a dark room, setting an eery vibe.  The genre will be established within the first scene as an Action/Triller using blatant genre signs. The main character (Arthur) experiences flash backs, where we will see him as the superhero he used to be. The tempo will be slow and the scene will consist of long frames to express some of Arthur's emotions. In addition to this the flash backs will have a fast tempo with snappy frames showing the different shots are two different time periods. The contrast in the editing will show the audience the difference between the past and the present. The flash backs we see will give the sequence a more thriller feel to it, as it will be visually clear that these memories are haunting Arthur. The credits will appear through out the scene. The credits twitch and flicker in and out of shots to create a disjointed atmosphere. The typography will be in a handwritten font, as if it was found in Arthur top secret scrap book. We will see Arthur pouring over this book; the book triggers his memories. The first scene will not give a great amount of focus on the narrative as it will consist of a lot of flash backs.  The quick frames of flash backs will show the audience that Arthur does not want to remember his past, however this will also drag the audience in to the story as they will want to explore Arthur's story. Some of the flash backs will surely disturb the audience and won't be explained until later in the film.

In act 2 we will be introduced to one of Arthurs old friends, who he is, is a mystery. All that is clear is that he needs Arthurs help. Arthur has trouble remembering this friend as he has locked society out for years. This scene will consist of more flash backs as Arthur recalls backing out of the mental asylum with him. When this mysterious friend gains Arthurs trust; he explains his plan. Arthur will play a key roll in this plan, as the friend knows what he is capable of; the plan will fail without Arthur. When the friend announces his friend is in danger. Arthurs vengeful feeling begin to surface, when he makes the decision to return to what he used to be... The Agitator.

Illumiharli - Production Context

Illumiharli - Films & 

Entertainment 



The image on the left is the official logo and the image on the right is my planning process. 

Ilumiharli is a British film production company, based in London. The company was founded by Harley Francis in 2013. It produces feature films and several television productions. Illumiharli is known to have very limited employees. Illumiharli is most famously known for its latest production 'Super Reality'. The company has recently been recognised in the states and has plans to expand their headquarters to different locations over the globe. The founder Harley Francis said 'I hope other companies see our unique approach as a threat' and 'Illumiharli have big plans for 2012-2015'. Illumiharli does not have a massive budget, therefore 'Super Reality' will not have a lot of CGI and special effects. However the audience should expect an unmissable story line. 

25 Word Pitch

Tortured by dark memories, a reminiscing 'Ex-Vigilante' embarks on a quest of self rediscovery. However will the burden of a guilty conscience destroy him?

Audience Research

The Dark Knight Rises (Influence)
Box Office: $1,081,041,287

Genre: Action/Thriller

Certificate: 12

The target audience for The Dark Knight Rises was diverse, equally male and female and within the range of 18 - 45+ making it a 4 quadrant film. So the film has a massive appeal in terms of age range, gender and ethnicity. The Dark Knight Rises gathered a pre-sold audience, as the film is based on The Batman comics, produced by DC Comics; which was credited.

My Opening Sequence (Super Reality)
The Target audience of my film will hopefully be diverse, however it will target the older generation; as it is about a retied superhero, which hopefully the audience can relate to and understand. However hopefully it will attract a diverse younger audience, as it has a hidden message. Although this is a niche Independent film not packed with action, hopefully the superhero genre will attract a wide age range audience. As the film is independent the film will not be released world wide. The film will be particularly released in the UK however we will be distributing a small minority of the film to Indie Cinemas in the States. As our budget is small CGI and Action will be limited, although we do want the audience to focus on the story and journey of the character rather than what he has done as a superhero. We do not want to make the film the same as all the other superhero films, we want them to see the reality of a superhero; this is our unique twist that we hope will attract a curious audience. We will also be introducing new stars for the film, so the audience does not know what to expect.

Influences

Having looked at various opening sequences. Films such as 'The Dark Knight Rises' and 'Inception' have influenced me to create my own opening sequence. The two films are both action/thriller however they are both very different films. The Dark Knight Rises is about a mask vigilantly called Batman and Inception in about a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion...

My opening sequence will be a about an 'Ex-Vigilantee' that is beginning to regret and feel guilt for the people he killed. He is hunted by nightmares of the past and has fallen into a mental limbo of depression and lost, where he locks out the outside world and civilisation. Eventually he becomes suicidal; until the realisation hits him that he was put on this planet for a reason...

What is an opening sequence?

A opening sequence usually includes Structure, Presentation of titles, Order and importance of titles, Narrative structure, Genre codes, Conventions and Purpose. The structure is the use of frames that bring the scene together, it allows the audience to visualisation the order of the story. The presentation of titles should be eye catching so the audience acknowledge the cast and credit their hard work. However usually something else will be happening in the background to keep the credits interesting. The order of the titles shows the importance. As the main director is displayed first with the writer, then the headlining actors and then the likes of the co-producers. This shows the audience who has more power over the film and who has pre-sold the audience. In an opening sequence usually we see the stasis of where the film is set, what era and what genre. The trigger usually happens after; so not a lot is given away in the opening sequence it is merely an introduction. Usually we are able to

decipher the genre within the first 10 seconds of the opening, the genre codes allow us to do this. For example a comedy would make you laugh, or it would have a comedic tone. This is a juxtaposition to The Dark Knight Rises; as the codes build suspense and thrills the audience. The conventions and purpose of a opening sequence should include the title of the production, important cast and some sort of interlude which interacts with the audience. 

Dark Horse Comics - Moodboard

Dark Horse Comics started at the bottom and was once an independent comic, this has inspire me as my company is small. Dark Horse is a role model for my company. I created this mood board so that i could specify what my theme was, through pictures. I will look back at this mood board for inspiration and new ideas when i write the treatment. It will also help me further during the production. This mood board will help my create additional characters in my film. I will look at the ways these films are filmed to help me come up with original ideas for shooting my film.

Marvel Vs. DC Moodboard

I created this mood board so that i could show my inspiration for my film. These characters inspired me to produce a superhero film. I will also use this mood board to create a costume for my main character and even powers or props. This will also assist me in creating an original story line for the film; that will make the film unique in comparison to the films and character you see above. Although these are great films and characters above i would like my film to come around as a realistic film; similar to Batman.

Inception

The opening sequence for Inception (2010)

00:06 - Legendary Pictures
00:11 - Syncopy
00:33 - Leonardo Di Caprio (Close up)
00:40 - Children on the beach
01:07 - Chinese Architecture
02:25 - Jump Cut
02:32 - Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Close up)
04:00 - Surreal Activity
04:04 - Jump Cut

The genre is established as a Triller. This is gathered from the non-diagetic music as the Production and Distribution companies appear. The music is deep and mysterious creating suspense. There is then a cut scene to a close up of waves. The sound of the waves is juxtaposed against the non-diagectic music that played beforehand. This suggests we have skipped to a different point of the film. The tempo of the scene is slow paced and consists of long frames making the audience feel calm. The frames are long its gives the audience time to feel the emotion of the scene. The main character appears to be in asia, he is dragged inside. This suggests he is a prison on unfamiliar turf. the main character is disarmed for a gun and a totem. There is a sudden realisation after there is a close up on the totem. Explaining that this totem has importance to the story. At this point its clear that the sequence narrative is not linear.
The first part of the sequence confuses the audience as there is a cut scene where where is it not clear if we have gone back or forward in time; yet agin creating a mysterious feeling. However there is a mysterious asian old man in the first scene, who appears to be replaced by a young asian man; showing that we have gone back not forward.

The Dark Knight Rises

The opening credits for The Dark Knight Rises (2012).

00:10 - Warner Bros.
00:25 - Legendary Pictures
00:40 - DC Comics
00:42 - Syncopy
00:58 - Christopher Nolan (Director)
01:07 - The Dark Knight Rises
01:10 - Christian Bale
01:13 - Michael Caine
01:16 - Gray Oldman
01:20 - Anne Hathaway
01:23 - Tom Hardy
01:26 - Joseph Gordon-Levitt
01:29 - Marion Cotillard
01:32 - Morgan Freeman
01:56 - Christopher & Jonathan Nolan (Screenplay By)
02:00 - David S. Goyer & Christopher Nolan (Story By)
02:02 - Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Kevin De La Noy, Thomas Tull (Executive Producers)
02:20 - Christopher Nolan (Directed By)
02:30 - End

The genre is established very quickly in the sequence as an action/triller. This is gathered from the non- diagetic music, as it is recognisable from the previous films and has a superhero vibe about it, which creates suspense. The tempo is also fast paced to build tension to the start of the movie.  After the Production and Distribution companies are credited the frames are very quick paced giving the sequence more of a thriller feel to it. The sequence does not give a great amount of focus on the narrative as the editing is quick. There is but a few seconds between frames leaving the audience confused. The quick flashes in frames imitate some sort of top secret file being destroyed; this suggests that maybe the audience shouldn't be seeing this. Whoever it is pouring over these files appear to be in a rush, keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Everything in the sequence is old fashioned: like the photographs, typography and the locations appears to be outside as the files are destructed with ice and water making. This gives the setting a sense of bring cold. The credits twitch and flicker in and out of shots to create a disjointed atmosphere this is done because it is the third film in the Christopher Nolan Trilogy.

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

The opening credits for Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004).

01:01 - Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
01:12 - Christina Applegate
01:18 - Paul Rudd
01:22 - Steve Carell
01:30 - David Koechner
01:36 - Chris Parnell, Kathryn Hahm & Fred Armisen
01:42 - Fred Willard
01:52 - Casting Credits
01:57 - Co-Producer
02:01 - Music By
02:06 - Costume Design
02:10 - Editor
02:13 - Production Designer
02:18 - Director of Photography
02:23 - Executive Producers
02:28 - Judd Apatow (Producer)
02:32 - Will Ferell & Adam McKay (Writters)

The genre is established very quickly in the sequence as a Comedy. This is gathered from the non- diagetic music and the immature noises this News Reader is making. The tempo of the non diagetic music is up beat and sets a happy vibe. The frames are very quick paced to keep up with the immaturity of this humourus character before us, which gives a more snappy effect; like a stand up comedian. The screen is cut through out the sequence to highlight some of the immature activity with close ups, this suggest the character is over the top. As we watch the News Reader warm up for camera, it becomes apparent that this is normal behaviour for the 'Anchorman", which makes us want to watch more. It appears that the sequence is narrative as the activity is clear. Although its seems the sequences shows the News Reader at work on different days of the week or just rehearsing in different suits. The cast is credited through out the scene however the focus is on the News Readers humour.In addition to this, the actors in the cast appear before everyone else, as they are higher importance; because they are seen in the film. The typography is in a 70's style and the news reader is wearing retro clothing suggesting the film is set in the 70's. The new reader comes across as a bossy character showing his colleagues respect him or are scarred of him. It is almost as if the camera started rolling early and the audience aren't meant to see the sequence. The sequence goes full screen when the credits stop and the News Reader is about to go on air. This shows the film is about to begin.