Music Tutorial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc2oYF2eVKA

For my first time on Garage Band, I looked up some tutorials, such as the one listed above, and then started experimenting on the programme. In one of our later Media lessons we also had one of the music teachers go through the programme further,  allowing us to be better able to develop our own audio for the opening sequence.


My first attempt at Garage Band

Props and costumes

The audience should be able to relate to the characters, therefore they will wear up to date clothing. As the film will be set in Autumn time with weather changing from day to day, like peoples' friendships, they will tend to wear: warm coats or jumpers, tops with thin fabric or short sleeves beneath, jeans of mid or dark tone, shoes fit for rain or shine like boots or convers shoes and the main character will occasionally wear a scarf, gloves or a hat, of which one of these items will 'disappear'.

The props are mainly everyday objects that will be used in the opening sequence as a way of linking the victim to the villain. This will be done by having the main character appear in one shot holding/using a prop and then cut to a different shot where the same prop has been put onto a table with the other props, under the light of a candle to give a dark atmosphere and give the impression that something is not right about by the way it is all laid out.


Setting and props







Obsession Opening Sequence - Rough Cut - Evaluation

After having posted this video on youtube and sharing it on my Facebook, I asked people to watch it and comment their likes and dislikes. Not all of the comments proved to be helpful as it wasn't clear that there intentionally was no audio, apart from three small scenes. Therefore many people kept saying comments similar to: "Maybe you could add some creepy music in the background to build tension" or "Same on the creepy music, but definitely keep in the loud and sudden sounds (like the straw being cut and stuff)". As I still had not added the audio, theses were not the comments I was hoping for although, they did not go to waste as they would help me with my next updated video. Therefore I was more prepared with the type of music people were expecting.

Some of the comments of the footage was reassuring and helped me decide how much of it to use. For example: "The candles and the burning paper thing was amazing"and "Ooooh creepy! Especially loved the candles being lit at the beginning and going out at the end!". From these comments I have decided that the candle scenes will be the main feature in the opening sequence. Due to the candle scenes signifying the present and the other scenes in the park signifying memories and the past, the present scenes have to be clearer and more focused than the others. However, they need to still represent the person's unsteadiness, so there will be the occasional flash or distortion. 

Second Time Filming - Video Diary

Some things I have failed to mention in the video diary are that, although the actors and the lighting didn't go as I originally intended, lots of close ups had been a part of the plan. So the fact that I was unable to achieve a long shot of the group actually helped in making the main focus clearer, due to there being confusion as to who is who and enforcing the idea that you can't always trust what you see and think to be true.
Most of the lighting was natural but there were some torches nearby in case things became darker than planned. The shade of the trees in the park meant that there wasn't direct sunlight, which would have made things unfocused and fuzzy.

Lighting Analysis

 

When preparing for Location 2, as it was in an open area, the lighting was harder to achieve but not impossible. I made sure to check the location at different times of the day to see how the sun's light would affect the shots. However, due to the trees based around the play area I had selected, I had enough shade to block out the direct sunlight while still having enough to highlight people's features and the props. After finding out what time the sun would set I had the chance to work around the light in a way that was convenient for me. In addition, I would bring along

The Missing Title Sequnce Analysis

'The Missing' title sequence explains the plot of the series perfectly through every technique used.
Even without the music the viewer is able to understand the concept of the series, however the music does truly help when setting the scene by starting off with a bang that fades out, insinuating something has already happened. Then a woman begins to sing how they 'pray each day, may you come home and be okay'. Clearly showing that someone has gone missing. The tone of voice has a dreamlike effect as she sounds distant, while the sounds we hear beyond her voice are unusual and unnerving, to create tension, and finish with a ringing sound that intensifies at the end.

The footage we see nearly all refers to a child. Such as the low angle shot in the car, to demonstrate the point of view a child would have or the swing, teddy bear, drawings and so on. Some are more direct, for instance the child disappearing into the crowd to imply that he may have been taken in plain sight. Furthermore there are shots of locations: the woods, houses, a pool... these hint at where the child was taken from or where he has been taken to. The car driving around adds to this idea as there is a toy bear in the car and, as before, the low angle shot of the car window.

Effects have been used to give a dreamlike effect by either layering footage or making the colours appear faded with usual outbursts. Some shots tend to go faster than others, giving the impression that time is running out for the child. It is also to make the viewer feel disoriented, as the child most likely would be. Other shots are slower, to give the audience the time to understand the significance of the shot. The yellow ring in the pool is even repeated several times to emphasise it's importance, although it doesn't become clear until the audience watches the show.
The titles are white and in capitals to represent the child's innocence and the urgency in being found. Most titles blur into focus to convey how everything will fall into place and make sense as the series proceed.

After watching 'The Missing' title sequence, I have found the dreamlike effect in the editing influential and have decided to incorporate it into my own opening. I found that it brings another dimension and meaning to the sequence which will work nicely the villains point of view.

Story for Thriller Opening

Idea 1 - My first idea started off as the story of a young teenage girl, who has just moved into the house next door to lonely elderly man. She likes to spend her time with friends in public places; such as the park, a bus stop, up town, shopping but sometimes even her back garden. She is oblivious to the world outside of her friendship circle, and therefore does not realise her elderly, male neighbour stalking her wherever she goes.
The villain's background story was that he is an elderly man who, after having his high school sweetheart refuse his marriage proposal, has lived alone and hidden from the world, seeking a new partner.

After further research and reflection, I decided that this was too much of a cliché and would be to obvious as to who the villain is. Hence the second idea, which was used for the thriller.

Idea 2 - This time I decided that it would be best if the antagonist wasn't as obvious so that the audience would be kept guessing for a longer period of time, with the help of Roland Barthes narrative codes.
This time there would be a group of friends, between the ages of sixteen to nineteen, where one is 'obsessed' with another member of the group but keeps it a  secret. This obsessed 'friend' is jealous of the other friend (Melissa), so jealous and obsessed that the antagonist wants to become her but for that to happen  Melissa must disappear forever. The audience does not know this for definite until the end of the thriller. However in the thriller opening it will be obvious that someone is in danger as some objects with DNA on them, such as a hairbrush, will  start disappearing. This invites the viewer to assume the victim's horrible fate as she has been targeted and a shrine and plan has already been put into place.
Melissa will not know who to trust when weird things begin to happen but all her friends remain loyal and promise to help and protect her from the world. Little do they know that the future killer has already penetrated their barrier and is closer than ever.
The group of friends consist of three women and two men between the ages 16-19, in education or starting work to demonstrate the reality of the film as the audience can relate to the characters. It also makes it more thrilling as the reality of the film weights on the viewers as people that usually commit a murder, stalk someone, abuse someone and such are, the majority of the time, people we know and trust.

Shot List

Shot list from EmelineSerex

Storyboards

The storyboard has been split into two sections at first, as there will be two different locations of filming. Then at the end of filming both storyboards will be united to create the outcome of the opening sequence. I decided to do this so that the first storyboard would show the villain's side clearly, to emphasise their obsession towards one of the friends, and have the second one join in later on in parts to link the items to the victim and the perpetrator's little 'ceremony'.
The first storyboard are the shots of the perpetrator at work in the it's 'lair'. The shots are in the first location (unidentified area to audience), leaving a lot unresolved for the audience to guess at:

 

The second storyboard are the shots of all the characters, the victims and perpetrator, in the park. The shots include many close ups on important props, in order to keep the villain's identity an enigma while creating clues as to who it may be:

 

The third is the combination of both storyboards to present how the thriller opening will be presented when both locations are combined:

Location Analysis

There will be two locations in my thriller opening. The first to be introduced shall be the perpetrator's 'lair', a room of some sorts, which will be dark, mysterious and unclear to the audience as to it's whereabouts. On the other hand, the second location shall be an open park, deserted other than the main characters, to give the false illusion that they are same as they are in the open.

Location 1:

- An enclosed, unknown to audience area

- Dark and quiet

- Only main items, 'ceremony' and perpetrator hands visible - creates enigmas

(Really it's my bedroom with the lights off in the evening for maximum darkness and the desk is where all the 'magic' happens).

Location 2:

- Clear, open space, usually empty of people.

- Full of trees around one side of the park - gives the idea that the characters are being watched. Also, the trees block direct sunlight, creating shade so that the lighting is manageable.

- Local park, allowing the audience to be able to relate to the situation.

- Normal setting, making the viewer alert to what may happen next.

(Beckenham Recreation Park)

Preliminary Task

Shooting Schedule

Filming Schedule Plan

As I only have four scheduled days to use the cameras, I need to get as much done as I possibly can in this time. For this reason I have created a 'Filming Schedule Plan' to remind me what to have with me when I go out filming, and how much I plan to film each day.

Day One - For my first time filming I shall be filming by myself, in Location 1 aka 'the villain's lair' (my bedroom desk). Although my hands will be in the shots, this will not be a problem as I will start the recording, place myself in the shot, play out the shot and then stop the recording accordingly. Any excess footage will then be deleted when it comes to editing.
When filming these scenes I will need:

• Camera and Tripod
• Three sided mirror
• Nail varnish
• Watch
• Scissors
• Straw
• Hairbrush with mirror
• Matches
• Candles

Day Two - Second day filming I plan to have a group of nine actors meet me in Beckenham Recreation Park to film the group scenes. This is where the stalker will anonymously be introduced into the crowd of friends. Here I will take long shots of the group together, making sure that no faces are visible from a far, and many close ups and extreme close ups of the props to creates narrative enigmas and snares.
When filming these scenes I will need:

• Camera and Tripod
• All actors
• Watch,
• Straw/drink,
• Hairbrush with mirror

Day Three - Finish filming any footage from Day Two (or Day One if necessary).

Day Four - Reshoot anything unfinished or that needs changing from previous shooting.

Thriller Questionnaire

Thriller questionnaire updated from EmelineSerex


This questionnaire has helped me understand what people are looking for in a thriller film and what will make an impression on them, therefore taking these answers into consideration I will use Barthes Narrative Codes to keep the audience interested. Also, the titles will have to have colours that stand out against the background and have a motion, or be infiltrating into the scene, to keep all audience members entertained.
The opening sequence has to give many options as to where the story is leading, to satisfy different types of peoples' interests. Thus I have decided to change some of my previous ideas on the shots used and locations. Now I will make sure there are many close ups on the meaningful props, in order accomplish this as it will not reveal too much and the viewer will have to find out the meaning of each object as the film goes on, unless they can connect the clues beforehand. There shall not be as many locations to make it clearer to the audience where they are so they may focus more on the storyline. Any adjustments will be to improve viewers experience when watching this thriller.

Target Audience Profile

Examples of target audience from EmelineSerex

Mood Boards

These were the first ideas I had for my Thriller Opening. The victim was going to be a teenage girl, while the villain was going to be an elderly man who had previously lost his wife and wished to replace her with the young girl. However, after further consideration I decided to change the plot as it seemed too predictable. Therefore I moved on to the idea of the victim and villain being friends, making it more psychological as you would not expect it to be someone so close to you. To help I will be sticking to the phrase "keep your friends close but your enemies closer".

The first mood board I created was based around my second idea about the friends being the victim and villain, combined with some ideas from the previous idea.

Mood board on thriller idea from EmelineSerex

After completing my questionnaire I decided to change a few of my ideas. For instance, I was going to have middle and long shots of the characters in the opening sequence to introduce them all. However after further reflection, I have come to the conclusion that it would be more effective to have over the shoulder shots of the characters as well as close ups on significant items, to create a snare and enigmas for the viewers to resolve throughout the film.
Also, I took away any obvious religious signs as the villain is not influenced by a God or Devil, what makes the friend do these actions is just an obsession that has gotten out of hand. Instead, more props were added, such as the red make-up and the props with the main characters hair or lipstick marks to emphasis how far this obsession has gone.

Music Analysis

Silent Hill

In the opening of the film ‘Silent Hill’, there is no music at all, only sounds such as the distant calling of someone’s name or the cars driving over the bridge. As the scene plays out there are more diegetic sounds: the sound of the water flowing rapidly in the river, the honking of cars, every branch or twigs breaking beneath the woman’s heavy footsteps slamming against the forest floor, and so on. These are all put into place to create suspense and tension among the audience as they try to understand what is occurring. Additionally, as the woman is shouting out for ‘Sharon’, we assume that something bad has happened, this is reinforced by the sounds of the rushing water and driving cars as they are a connotation of danger as your mind wanders on, believing that the child may have been run over, may be drowning or about to jump off the cliff.

However, after a few minutes of only diegetic sounds, a voice is introduced into the background of someone nearly wailing, as if they were chanting a spell or conjuring something from a different world, and then the sound of someone’s deep and elongated exhale is also heard, giving the audience the impression that something immoral is going to happen.

The Sixth Sense

Violins, piano, cello and drums all play a part in the opening scene of ‘The Sixth Sense’. When we hear the music at the beginning it creates an atmosphere of suspense by dragging out the violin sounds and having stings makes the audience jumpy. This plays throughout the title sequence then fades out as the light from the first scene comes into focus, creating a sound bridge. However the sounds have completely faded out by the time the first character is presented, leaving the viewers extra aware of the protagonist’s actions and expecting anything to happen at any moment.

Thriller Proposal

Proposal of thriller 1 from EmelineSerex

Difference Between Thrillers and Horrors

Saw (horror)

There are different types of thriller films but just one type of horrors. While thrillers built up to a climax, horrors tend to go straight to the main point. Thrillers consist mainly on playing mind games, creating mysteries for the audience to resolve and creating a tense atmosphere in order to 'thrill' the viewers. Whereas horrors aren't psychological but straight to the point, bloody and have the direct intentions of scaring people.



The Woman in Black (thriller)

      To some people, thrillers are actually scarier than horrors as the audience can relate to the victims in the films. Also, due to being so caught up in the moment they become more alert to any movements, such as someone quietly walking into a room. On the other hand, horrors may have moments where people or objects jump out of hidden places, yet they display all the weapons and blood which leaves hardly any mystery left at all to be unsolved. Therefore as the horrors are more visual, and thrillers more psychological, the intentions of each genre become clearer.



Typography

The typography always has to be eye catching to stand out against what is happening in the background, as well as to make it memorable. The best way to do this is by somehow incorporating the titling into the background (e.g Zombieland), create a contrast between the titles and background or using bold colours and fonts that link with the genre of the film.
      Zombieland is a great illustration that has all these qualities. The font remains the same throughout the film, however there are two different font colours for different purposes. The first one is the red titling, signifying the blood and danger the zombies bring in the film, used in the title sequence to give an insight on the films genre. Meanwhile the white titles indicate the innocent people running and fighting for their lives, hence the reason the rules on how to survive are white.




White titling (innocent people)

Red titling (zombies/danger/blood)

      Not only do the colour of the font change but the height and width of the line, including the spacing between letters and words, alter according to what suits the scene best.
     In order to make the titles interesting and eye catching, the editing of the typography has been made to be part of the scene (picture bottom left) or shatter or knock out of place as the characters interfere with the titles (picture bottom right). The effect of this is to not only to make us focus on what is written but to focus on how the characters (zombies) bring chaos to the film, signifying the change people drastically had to take on.

Analysis of Se7en Title Sequence

From the beginning, the title sequence captures the audience’s attention as it starts with a close up of an open book, forbidding them from seeing the surrounding area which excludes the protagonist and raises questions. This close up technic is used throughout the sequence to keep the viewers interested and make it exciting. As the book is a perfectly ordinary object, the distorted noises and flickering titles make us question it. The book gives the impression that the protagonist is a wise person; however this is contradicted by the flickering handwritten titles which imply a disturbance, or lack of control, as they flicker uncontrollably like a twitch.

It is clear the sequence is a thriller as the combination of the negative underlay, distorted noises and the flickering between shots tend to increase and become more rapid throughout as a way of demonstrating something isn’t quite normal; emphasising the chaos and disturbance of the protagonist. Also the flickering between shots makes the audience more likely to focus on what is being shown on the screen, the titles and insights on the characters personality, and then remember it later on.

 

To be continued...

Conventions of a Thriller

A thriller is a genre that uses three main factors (suspense, tension and excitement) in order to thrill the audience. There are four main thriller subgenres: psychological, dystopian, mystery and crime thrillers and they all tend to follow similar patterns. For example, they all build towards a climax using plot twists and many also use cliff-hangers. The conventions of a thriller film are usually used in all subgenres in order to fulfil its purpose by 'thrilling' the audience, however they may vary. The thriller conventions are:

• Suspense
• A problem - escape, mission, murder, mystery
•  Fight and chase scenes
• Wrong or misleading clues
• Puzzles in plot (unanswered questions)
• Location
• Dark background
• Abstract light
• Camera angles
• Camera movements
• Titling
• Music/Sound

 

Examples:

Narrative Codes

There are two narrative codes, the Hermeneutic Code and the Proairetic Code, these code terms were discovered by Roland Barthes. The Hermeneutic Code is the method of creating suspense by not fully explaining the situation or deliberately avoiding telling the truth which raises questions, it consists of five separate parts: enigma codes (unanswered questions), the snare (something that gives you the wrong idea), partial answers (some truth revealed), equivocation (truth and false evidence) and jamming (suggesting that the problem cannot be solved).

The other narrative code is the Proairetic Code, that introduces actions that suggest something will happen, leaving the viewer to guess at what is next to come. Both codes are put in place to keep the audience interested in finding out the answers to the questions they are asking themselves.

The Secret Window is a perfect example of how the Hermeneutic Code is used as it misleads the audience into believing that the main actor is the victim when in reality he is the perpetrator. This psychological thriller uses the snare so that the audience is completely thrown off of the path of what really is happening. Some truths are revealed but some are misinforming.

Another illustration is when Karkaroff, from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, goes into the Dining Hall to, what it seems, put Harry’s name into the Goblet. This shot reveals partial answers as the viewers are permitted to know that he had been in the room but aren’t informed whether or not he was doing anything corrupt, in spite of this the audience is made to think he has by his suspicious facial expressions as well as his body language.

In Alien Autopsy, the Proairetic Code is used several times, such as when the film doesn’t work anymore it puts the life of one of the main characters at risk, therefore it makes the audience guess and question what will happen to the protagonist or how they will change the outcome of the events.

Analysis of Two Title Sequences

 

 Elementary Title Sequence

In this sequence the titles mainly appear after something has passed the screen or gotten in the way of where the titles are to appear. For instance, the gun’s revolving cylinder twists into view, leaving behind the name of one of the main actors in the series. This is an interesting way to get the audience to focus on the titles and makes them more likely to remember the names after they’ve read them.

The colours are all similar, except the white titling to represent the good the detectives do, and they nearly blend in together. However, thanks to the different lights we are able to differentiate between the background and the revolver, making it clear that the series involves crime but that it is a mystery to who commit it.  This is also emphasised through the extreme close up camera shot from the shooting end of the revolver, keeping the shooter hidden, even though no sign of the handler is visible it implies that there is someone watching. On the other hand it links to Sherlock Holmes and how he manages to see things from the murderer’s perspective in order to solve the mystery.

The Sixth Sense Title Sequence

In the sequence, The Sixth Sense, the titles fade in and out of the shot as if they were fading from a dream. The dreamlike effect is also used with the surroundings, portraying the centre of the long shot in black and white then fading out into black around the frame to suggest that beyond what the audience can see there is something evil, dangerous or unknown. These dark colours support the genre of the film as they set the tone and having the church in the shot being engulfed by these dark colours implies something unholy will happen.

The font of the titling is clear once it has fully faded in in the shot, proposing that the protagonist isn’t always clear minded and may even be unsteady at times. Then again, as the titling centred in the shot is highlighted by the light of the church, it denotes that the protagonist is tempted by the darkness (evil) but that he has light (good) in him.

Welcome!

Have you ever watched a film and wondered how it was made? Did you ever think 'I like the movement those titles made' or 'the music really sets the mood' and questioned how it was all made? If so you have come to the right place.

Hi there, my name is Emeline and this is my AS Media blog. On this blog I will be going through the process of creating a thriller opening from scratch. It will be at least two minutes long and will include music, effects, titles, a production logo and much more. I will take you through each step, from my planning to my finished piece, to help you understand the dedication and time that goes into creating an opening title sequence. Some things you may already know, however as my work advances you may find that there are lots of things that happen behind the scenes that just don't quite make it onto the screen...

I hope you enjoy what you see. Let's begin!