Title Analysis-Inspiration for our opening thriller sequence

Title Analysis-Inspiration for our opening thriller sequence

Torn

Previously on my blog, I have done a full analysis of Torn, which is another Media students work which was awarded a grade A. When watching this opening sequence, the titles really inspired my group and I. This is because the titles are sleek and professional.

We felt as though it is very important for the ending of the opening sequence to build tension and make the audience want to carry on watching, if the opening sequence was to be produced into a full length film.

The film 'Torn' used a font which is in a bold, sans serif font against a plain black background, which appeared at the very end of the film. Therefore, we have decided that we would to use the same effect but in a different font. The title 'UNORTHODOX' combined with a 'boom' sound will give a dramatic ending for the audience when watching the opening sequence. The title will be simplistic but will add to the suspense. This is because the girl, Daisy, will appear at the door, but will not show her face and so the audience are left to wonder if this girl is Daisy, who she is, and why she is at Oliver's house. This will add to the narrative enigma of the opening sequence. 

The title of 'Torn' appears at the end of the opening sequence.



Here, is our title which is inspired by Torn.



Title Planning

Title Planning for the opening thriller sequence

Before adding titles to our opening thriller sequence, my group and I thought it would be ideal to come up with the names we would like to include. We decided to use our real names in the titles, but even though each name is put with a specific title, we all had a role in every aspect of creating our opening thriller sequence.

 

The titles will appear in this order:

 

Vision Productions presents

In association with T I E images

A Theo Jackson film

Produced by Tamara Harris

Directed by Emma Snow

Edited by Isobel Humphriss

Music by Kevin MacLeod

Harper Williams

Chloe Mar-Gerrison

Frankie Kemp

Evan Jones

 

Obviously, some of the names are made up, but some are real as we have credited our friend who let us borrow her house, and our friend who let us film her eye for our opening titles. Now we have planned the titles, we can add them into our opening thriller sequence. 

Recce shots of the confirmed location with shot plans

Recce shots of confirmed location and shot plans

This is the confirmed location for filming, which is our friend's house. I will go into detail about which area of the house will be used for each shot, and why it is suitable. All camera angles are mentioned in my previous blog post containing the animated storyboard.

Here, the front of the house will be used at the very beginning of the opening thriller sequence through an establishing shot during shot 1. This will help to set the scene and indicate to the audience that our antagonist looks as though he is leading a normal life, when in reality he isn't. A familiar surrounding such as a family home will add to the verisimilitude and the narrative enigma.



The bathroom will be used for the shower scene, and also for when our antagonist goes into the cupboard to take the pills, shots 2-13. This bathroom is suitable because it is fairly spacious which will allow for enough space for the equipment, plus all of my group. The lighting is fairly adequate, and with the added studio lights, the lighting balance should be fine. There is a mirrored cabinet, and a glass shower which will work perfectly for the shots we plan to shoot.

 

This is the corridor which will be shown in shot 14. The camera will follow the antagonist down to the bedroom. The South African masks at the end of the corridor look particularly eerie and abnormal and will look effective in our opening thriller sequence.

 

The antagonist then enters the bedroom, and stays here during shots 15-24, however during shot 18, more emphasis is drawn to the wall which will contain all of the photos of the girls, newspaper articles and equations. However, before shot 18, our antagonist will get changed, put on a mysterious ring and turn off the diegetic music on the record player, which will be positioned on the desk. Everything in the room will be extremely neat.

During shots 18-26, the camera will focus on the antagonist and the wall. A range of panning shots and flashbacks will be used to portray the abnormality of the character. This wall has good lighting due to the window light which shines directly onto the wall. If we film on a dull day, we can add the studio lights to stop the footage appearing too grainy.

 

Shots 27-29 will show the stairs. This is where a low angle shot will be used when the antagonist is going down the stairs, and a high angle shot when the camera is behind the antagonist.

 



During shots 29-30 we will be shooting in the corridor, the kitchen area and the front door. This area of the house is very spacious and so there will be plenty of room for all of the equipment. It will also work well when the camera is following the antagonist to the door to meet the victim.

Risk assessment for filming

Risk Assessment

It is important for my group and I to create a risk assessment to allow us to identify any potential hazards which could occur on the day of filming, and put preventative measures into place. This way, we can minimise the chances of anyone getting hurt, or the equipment being damaged. 

Potential Hazard	Who is at risk?	Risk rating out of 10	Preventative measures
Lighting could get very hot if on for a long duration when filming.	Any of the production team, or the actor who may adjust the lighting during filming.	7/10. Quite likely that the person could get a slight burn.	Ensure that when the lights are on, no one touches them. If the lights need to be moved, ensure they are turned off, wait a few minutes until cool, and then proceed to move them.
The shower could be too hot.	Our actor, Evan, when he is in the shower during shots 2-5.	3/10. Not very likely that the shower could be extremely hot and burn him, however precautious methods should be taken.	Ensure that before Evan gets into the shower, that the water from the shower head is set to lukewarm.
When taking one of the ‘pills’ our actor could choke.	Our actor Evan, could easily choke when taking one of our ‘pills’ which will be a tic-tac or mento.	5/10. It is fairly likely that this could happen as if he is moving he could easily trip and choke.	When taking the ‘pill’ make sure that we are all watching our actor and ensure that he doesn’t move too much. This way we are likely to prevent this hazard.
Could fall down the stairs	Our actor or production team could trip down the stairs during shots 28 and 29, especially if concentrating on the camera and equipment. This could also damage the equipment.	8/10. It is highly likely that tripping on the stairs could happen.	When filming down the stairs we will ensure that one person isn’t holding anything so they can go to the aid of someone if they are struggling to move down the stairs and hold equipment at the same time.
Could trip over the wires or equipment	Any of the production team could easily trip on the wires from the lighting especially if focusing on filming a scene. This could also damage the equipment.	8/10. It is highly likely that when filming, someone could not be looking at the floor and focusing on filming the footage and then trip over a wire.	To minimise the damage on equipment and our production team and actor, we will ensure that all wires are out of the way where possible, and when walking over the wires, that full attention is payed during any dangerous areas.
Sharp edges on furniture/furniture could get in the way e.g. chairs.	All of the production team plus our actor. Furniture such as chairs could pose as a trip hazard and sharp edges could be painful to walk into or fall into.	4/10. Frankie’s house isn’t cluttered and therefore it isn’t likely for chairs to get in the way. Where we are filming there aren’t many sharp edges either.	Ensure that all chairs are tucked under tables, and if any sharp edges do pose as a threat, ensure the production team and actor know about it so that they can be cautious when filming in those areas.
Could trip over our friend’s dog, or her dog could run into our equipment.	All of the production team plus our actor. Frankie’s dog, Daisy, could easily get very excited with all the people in the house, start running under our feet which could mean we could trip over her. As well as this, she could easily pull on a wire and cause the lights to fall down, which would be a hazard to both us and Daisy.	7/10. It is likely that Daisy will get very excited and run around.	In order to minimise the chances of this happening, we should ensure that Daisy is either being supervised by our friend, or she should be put with our friends parents in another room so that she can’t accidentally knock over equipment.

04/12/2015

Friday 4th December 2015

 

Filming Schedule

Filming Schedule for Sunday 6th November 2015

My group and I have come together with a filming schedule. We won't necessarily stick to this schedule completely, however it does give us a rough idea for the amount of time we should spend on each group of shots. We understand that we may encounter problems and setbacks, or vice versa, things may run smoothly and we may finish earlier than expected. This filming schedule will allow my group and I to be efficient with our filming day and obtain as much footage as we can, to make the editing process much easier.
We are filming indoors, and therefore a 2nd plan isn't needed.

Time schedule	What is required	People required	Equipment required
10.30	Setting up- Putting all props in place, such as medication in cupboards and putting up the photos on the walls.	Izzy Tammy Emma All required to set up	All props listed on prop sheet.
11.00	Put makeup on our actors. Get them into costumes.	Emma Evan Tammy- doing makeup	Make-up Costume.
11.15	Put up lighting and set up camera. Sort out white balance. Set up sound mic. Connect to camera and set tripod up in the first room.	Emma Tammy Izzy	Lights Camera Sound Mic Tripod
11.30	Check all props and in place. Do a camera test shot to ensure all equipment is working.	Izzy Tammy Emma	Lights Camera Sound Mic Tripod
12.00	Film shots 1-8. This includes the establishing shot and the shower scenes.	Izzy, Tammy, Emma required for filming, sound and lighting. Evan acting.	Lights Camera Sound Mic Tripod
12.30	Film shots 9-16. This requires filming the cupboard, and getting dressed.	Izzy, Tammy, Emma required for filming, sound and lighting. Evan acting.	Lights Camera Sound Mic Tripod Pills and needles.
13.00	LUNCH BREAK	LUNCH BREAK	LUNCH BREAK
13.30	Continue filming shots 17-24. This involves the filming of the wall, the flashbacks and close up shots of the antagonist.	All members including Evan.	Lights Camera Sound Mic Tripod Pills.
14.00	Film shots 25-32. This involves the filming of the wall, the flashbacks and close up shots of the antagonist.	All members including Evan.	Lights Camera Sound Mic Tripod Record Player. Pen. Photos of girls on the wall.
14.30	33-35	All members but Emma is required to act with Evan.	Lights Camera Sound Mic Tripod
15.00	Check all footage is how we want it. Re-film shots if necessary.	Izzy Tammy Emma	Camera and then all equipment if re-filming is necessary.
15.30	Tidy and pack equipment and props away.	Izzy Tammy Emma	N/A