Editing 4

Today we organised the audio for our opening sequence as this is a major part of our opening sequence. We converted a piece of non-copyrighted coffeehouse jazz music into an MP3 format and added it to Adobe Premiere Pro as non-diegetic sound. This happens when the radio is turned on in one of our shots however is disrupted a few times which we had to edit on our opening sequence by cutting certain parts of it. We had to edit the volume in certain shots as Adam does two very loud screams which we made slightly quieter. We also added a punching sound effect when Ali gets hit by layering multiple sounds over each other using a crunchy sound effect of dog eating food, a sound effect of a metal hammer being hit and a sound effect of a wooden hammer being hit to create this overall effect.

Editing 3

In our lesson today, we continued to order and cut our footage. We added our black borders on the sequence using the template graphics to create the wide screen effect and tilted the y-axis on some of our shots to make it have a better overall look. One of our shots had the microphone boom in it so tilting the angle of this part of the footage helped this not to be in the shot. We experimented with the pace of some of the shots to see if anything would look more effective however we did not end up using this. Next we will be adding the diegetic sound effect we have chosen in our editing session. 

Editing 2

In our editing session today we began to order and cut our footage. We haven't focused much on the audio yet but instead on the violent scenes as this was something where the continuity had to be very seamless as there was not any real violence used so it needed to look realistic. I noticed that some of the shots that were filmed in the mirror could not be used as you could see the side of the camera in the reflection of the mirror therefore we won't be using those shots. We had to trial and error with our shots to see which would look most effective however we did not change anything from our original concept when shooting and there were many successful shots as we used our time efficiently when filming so am overall very happy with the footage.  

 

Editing 1

Our production group are now in the process of editing our footage for our opening sequence which we do on the editing software Adobe Premiere Pro. We watched each bit of footage then named each one for example, 'wide shot adam on the chair', and named others which we thought weren't successful 'miss' and transferred them to the log bins on the software. This helps us organise our work and is an efficient way of saving time so we know what we want. I enjoyed seeing our footage as it has a very pleasing aesthetic which I believe will create a successful opening sequence. 

Adobe Premiere Pro

Our Mise-En-Scene Choices

This is a video I created about the mise-en-scene of our opening sequence. I wrote a script and asked my friend to be the 'interviewer' to ask the questions. I decided to do an interview style video which I did on Zoom.

SCRIPT:

Interviewer – ‘hey Alice’

Alice – ‘hi’ -> overlap 

Interviewer – ‘I came here to ask you some questions very quickly?’

Alice – let's do it 

Interviewer – so what kind of costumes did you use for your cast and why?

Alice – Adam wore a white t-shirt with blood and rips in it with black jeans and black shoes and Ali wore a black hoodie black trousers and black shoes. We wanted Adam to look like he had been beaten up and been trapped in the shipping container for a few weeks which is why we tore his shirt a bit and put fake blood all over it. The white t-shirt created contrast and portrayed him as innocent. and Ali was dressed in all black conveying him being evil, dark and sinister linking to the thriller and putting him in a hoodie to portray he is the villain building tension. 

Interviewer – what lighting did you decide to use in your opening sequence?

Alice – we used green lighting created by titan tubes which were inspired by the film Nerve. It is also not used as much which makes ours different to others and the green lighting portrays a sense of envy that links to our narrative. The lighting also created dark shadows on screen creating a sinister tone linking to the thriller-action genre. 

Interviewer – And may I ask what props did you decide to go with?

Alice – we used a table, a chair, fake barbed wire, photos of mugshots, bottles, a mirror, a cd player, torture tools, fake money, duffle bag. The table was for all the bottles and some weapons to be placed on. Adam was tied to the chair with the barbed wire, the mugshot photos were used to create a crime scene board and the fake money was placed in the duffle bag which Adam finds and steal at the end. In a thriller, they use props which are often violent to support the narrative as death is often a theme within thriller-action films hence the use of these props

Interviewer – why did you choose a location of a shipping container?

Alice – the shipping container location was mainly inspired by the film Nerve. It is not commonly used and isn’t a stereotypical location of trapping a victim such as a basement or an attic creating an atmosphere of suspense. 

Interviewer – I saw Adam, your victim character, covered in cuts and bruises. How did you do that?

Alice – I did all the makeup on Adam. I used special fx makeup to look like he had been beaten up. I used scar wax, fake blood, a sponge, brushes, purple lip balm, makeup paints, Vaseline, and a palette knife to complete this look.

Interviewer – So for Adam and Ali who are two teachers, how did you help them to achieve the desired performance for your opening sequence?

Alice –Well we gave Adam some context which allowed him to use his facial expressions to show he had kind of given up in a sense and was struggling a lot. 

Interviewer – Where did you position your actors?

Alice – Adam was placed in the centre of the shipping container on one chair which he was tied to portraying a sense of vulnerability and creating suspense. Ali was standing most of the time showing status and how he had more power.

Interviewer – How did the props you used affect your target audience?

Alice – we wanted the audience to empathise with the victim and feel scared therefore the use of dirty and aggressive props allowed us to manipulate the audience into feeling this.

Interviewer – who is your intended audience

Alice – fifteen +, this is because of the violence involved

Interviewer – Ok, we are wrapping up soon, what did you do to prepare for filming with your mise-en-scene?

Alice – Well our production group first had to clear out the shipping container as it was being previously used as a storage unit whilst I did the special fx makeup on Adam. We then set up all the props and anything we were using for set design.

Interviewer – Amazing, so overall are you happy with your choices for your mise-en-scene in your opening sequence?

Alice – very  

Interviewer – Cool, well thanks so much for your time for this interview 

Alice – No worries… bye 

Shoot day reflection

The morning of the shoot, my task was to prepare the actors in costume and makeup. Whilst I was doing this, my production group cleared out all the items in the shipping container to use our time efficiently. We met at 08:10 am in the classroom and layed out all our props needed where some needed to be altered such as putting fake blood on the white t-shirt and cutting some holes in it to make it look more ragged. I then gave the costumes to our actors with Adam (the victim) wearing a white t-shirt, black jeans and black shoes and Ali wearing a black hoodie, black jeans and black shoes. I then met with Adam and started to do

his special fx makeup while Sophie, Elias and Raff cleared out the shipping container. We tried to do this on the Friday during the day however this was not possible as it was needed for other shoots. Although we thought time would be an issue because of this, it made us work a lot more efficiently and it was not a problem. After clearing out the shipping container and I had completed Adam's makeup, we began to put all our props and anything we needed for set design inside the container. Raff and I set up the mugshot photos by sticking them on the wall of the shipping container whilst Sophie and Elias set up the fake money in the duffle bag. We placed all the weapons on hooks in the shipping container which I had covered in fake blood before the shoot. We placed the chair in the middle, the radio on the side and the mirror on the table along with the bottles which were supposed to be alcohol bottles but got taken by the school cleaners however this was not an issue as it wasn't a major part of our narrative. The last thing we did involving set design was light the titan tubes which was the final step as we wanted to see how it would look on camera and where they would need to be placed. 

Elias then set up the camera as he was the camera operator and I did any final touches on Adam's makeup which were mainly applying fake blood and bruising makeup all over his arms. We then began filming. We swapped roles throughout this however Elias was the camera operator for the majority of it and Raff was the director, therefore, I did not get a chance to use the camera myself. I was okay with this as I did miss the first camera workshop because I was unwell therefore I did not feel as confident as the rest of my production team. Overall, I believe the shoot went very well and we were the first production group out of all of our teacher's classes to finish as quickly as we did. We didn't start filming until around 10:20 am which I thought was going to make the process very stressful but this was not the case because we had spent the first two hours preparing everything so by 10:20 we were ready to go. I believe our shoot day went as smoothly as it did due to the simplicity of our opening sequence. We wanted to make it effective so we only used two actors and one location allowing us to focus more on the characters' acting, the camera shots and other elements of the opening sequence without having to stress about time management. We experimented with a range of shots however two which were more challenging was filming Adam in the mirror as sometimes you could see Elias's hand or even the camera therefore this was a shot that we spent more time doing. Another shot that was more challenging due to practical purposes was filming Adam exiting the shipping container. This was because there are ramps that would get knocked over by the duffle bag and create an unintentional loud bang. We sorted this problem simply by Adam angling the duffle bag differently so nothing would get knocked over. I learnt a lot in our shoot day as I missed the first camera workshop so I now feel a lot more confident when shooting. I feel like this will also help me in the future for any acting I would like to do myself as I now know how a shoot works which will benefit me when acting in other production groups opening sequences. When filming we experimented with many different ways of performing the more violent shots which will come together well when editing. For example, when Ali (our villain) hits Adam (our victim) on the foot with a hammer, we filmed shots of Adam's reaction and Ali hitting the floor as obviously we weren't doing it. We also filmed a shot of Adam's shoe with his foot not in it but instead a stick looking object. As Ali hit the floor, Adam lifted his part of the shoe where the toes are to portray him being hurt by the hammer. We had to film all of the violent scenes very carefully to make them look realistic. In some shots, we placed all of our jackets on the floor of the shipping container for Ali to fall on as we did them numerous times so he would have a comfortable landing. We used skills we had learnt in the camera workshop in our opening sequence such as saying 'standby, roll camera, camera rolling, action and cut" which was beneficial to make sure everyone was prepared to begin and end filming the scene needed. The 180-degree rule was especially beneficial when shooting as we were filming in such a confined space, it was very necessary to use to capture the right shots which when edited together will hopefully flow seamlessly. 

My favourite part of the day was preparing Adam to begin filming. I enjoyed doing the makeup and this was the first time I had done it in a more under pressure situation as time was something I was most worried about. I loved working with the props and set design therefore my job as art director worked out very well. My least favourite part was probably using the fake blood which got all over my hands as I has to touch up Adam's makeup multiple times therefore I felt worried about touching any equipment as I did not want to damage anything. I also did not want to leave to wash my hands as I would miss out on shooting. I am very happy with the footage we shot on camera the green lighting created by the titan tubes looked amazing on camera and created an aesthetic image. If we were to do it again, I would like to have some experience using a camera beforehand so I would feel confident to shoot myself however I did enjoy my role as the art director. When it comes to editing, I am most excited about linking the action scenes together as we filmed the reactions in one shot and violence in another so when we edit it the overall opening sequence will come together. In the edit suite, I feel like I will most struggle with using sound as we learnt how to unlink it to remove any unwanted sound to create a seamless effect. This is not difficult to do however it will be quite a time consuming as we filmed many different shots, especially for the action scenes. Overall I feel like the shoot went very well and I am excited to edit it to see how it will all come together for our opening sequence. This is my behind the scenes video I made of the shoot day.

Saul and Elaine Bass

Saul Bass was an American filmmaker and graphic designer who was born in 1920 and died in 1966.

Elaine Bass is Saul Bass's wife who is also an American title designer and filmmaker. She worked with Saul Bass for over 40 years where they created opening sequences for directors such as for directors such Martin Scorsese and Danny DeVito Some of his famous works include The Man with the Golden Arm, North by Northwest and Psycho which he created the title sequences for as this was his speciality. He is famous for using posters and logos in his title

sequences with motion pictures. The designs that Saul Bass used portrayed meaning which he did though using ideas from the whole film and placed them in the opening sequence. Saul Bass was a major pioneer of modern title sequence designing. This is one of the many successful opening title sequences that Saul Bass and Elaine Bass created together.

Big opening title sequence - Saul and Elaine Bass

Another famous opening title sequence created by Saul Bass is Vertigo (1958). Through this opening title sequence, he engages the audience through his creative visuals when displaying the credits. He uses kinetic typography which is an animation technique which combines motion and text within a video whilst portraying different concepts and ideas. Kinetic typography only began to be used in the 1960's with Saul Bass's opening title sequence for North by Northwest (1959) to start this trend where it is now commonly

used. Bass had the intention of portraying the mood and atmosphere of the film through this opening where he used non-diegetic sound of fast-paced music which creates an unsettling mood for the audience. This portrays the thriller genre as the soundtrack begins to crescendo whilst the sudden noises of brass instruments portrays an intense, eerie mood and creates suspense. This opening title sequence also hints at the narrative as it reveals the theme of crime which hints to the main character who is a detective. This is done through the use of the company cards which are in black and white conveying a dark neo-noir style. The colour then changes to technicolour combined with a sepia tint, dark background and low

lighting portraying an element of mystery hinting at this thriller genre of the film. This is also emphasised by the change in volume of the music as it goes from loud to quiet and is slower which builds suspense. Saul Bass also introduces a character through a close up shot of the woman's face then pans to an extreme close up of of the woman's nose and lips which are trembling. This suggests romance which links to the narrative of the rest of the film as the main character has a strange obsession with the woman and portrays her fear. In thriller films, it is very common for the female character to be portrayed a vulnerable which is displayed in this opening title sequence through her nervous looking facial expressions. Her eyes are looking side to side which emphasises the fact she is being watched linking to the narrative of the film of

having an obsession with her. The camera then zooms into an extreme close up shot of one of her eyes. Whilst this is happening, the colour used changes to a red hinting at a sense of danger portraying the thriller genre. The title of 'Vertigo' then gets bigger along with her eyes portraying a sense of anxiety. Saul Bass uses graphics to show spirograph images which come out from the female's eye perhaps linking to her state of mind. The pace of the music then begins to get slower and the viewer continues to see a range of spirographs which are colours such as blue, purple, orange and red. This links to vertigo and the paranoia of the females character. Saul Bass then uses the image of the red eye which then fades as the film is about to begin. Through this opening title sequence, Saul Bass introduces the audience to parts of the narrative, the female character and portrays the genre through mainly suspense. 

The BBFC

The BBFC stands for The British Board of Film Classification which regulates the British film Industry. They create and set the rules of what can and can't be shown in films as well as allocating the age certificates of films in the UK. As the BBFC have this title, this allows film audiences to complain if they dislike the content within the film. The only way a film can be released in Britain, the cinema or DVD unless it has received this age classification from the BBFC. 

These are all the age certificates in the UK:

When awarding film certificates The BBFC consider...

- Scenes including violence of all kinds

- Scenes including sex and nudity

- Scenes including obscene language

- Scenes of self harm

- Scenes of criminal activity

- Scenes with dangerous behaviour 

- Scenes of drugs, alcohol and cigarettes

- Scenes involving child actors/characters

- Strobe lighting

The BBFC also have to consider context when awarding film certificates. For example, this could include if a film is fantasy based, animated or realistic. However when a film is fantasy based or animated, they can often include more violence compared to a realistic film whilst having a lower age certificate. This is due to The BBFC believing that audiences will realise that it is not real and does not usually involve any serious injury. Another element of film that The BBFC consider when assigning age certificates is how certain issues are handled. An example of this is the use of drugs. A film might be given a lower film certificate if drug use is portrayed as negative in a sensitive fashion contrasting with drug use being portrayed as consequence free and normalised would often be given a higher film certificate. 

Violence is a major element of film which makes the age certificate vary. For example...

- Is the violence made to seem normal

- Why are they being violent... is is self defence?

- What injuries or harm are caused?

- Who is it that is violent eg hero or villain?

- How does the perpetrator treat the victim?

- Is the violence enjoyed?

- Is the violence made to seem exciting or glamorous?

- How much violence is there?

- How realistic is the violence?

- Does the violence get punished?

The format of release also effects the age certificates such as The BBFC commonly use a higher age certificate when films are released on DVD compared to cinema where it is slightly more relaxed. For example, The Hunger Games has the 12A certificate when released in cinema however on the DVD release this is different. The BBFC decided to raise it to a 15 instead on the DVD release.

The process of assigning age certificates begins with the production company sending a copy of the film to The BBFC for them to watch and decide the certificate. This allows the film to be released on cinema or DVD however this age certificate can be changed if the company isn't happy with it as long as they re-edit the film. 

As a production group, we decided that our opening sequence would have a 15 age certificate. This is because a 15 often has strong language, violence, sex and drug use. Our opening sequence includes a lot of violence and a short scene of alcohol use. However, we don't believe that the content is strong enough that it would offend adult viewers which would make it an 18. 

Similar products and conventions

Our production group are creating an opening sequence which is a thriller-action film which is a hybrid genre. We researched into different media products from the same genre as our opening sequence. Some of these include Nerve, Saw, Squid Game and Nobody.

Nerve 

Nerve was directed by Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost. The film was distributed by Lionsgate Films in 2016.  The film portrays the storyline of society being addicted to a 'truth or dare' style app where you receive money for what you complete. However, it gets twisted where people even die from the game as they will do anything for money. As a production group, we were inspired by their use of setting with the shipping container scene which she wakes up in. We adapted this location and put our own twist on it but decided that we like the visual aesthetic of the neon green lighting used and the location of a shipping container. The choice of this location that we use in our opening sequence creates suspense adding to the thriller conventions as the characters are trapped in this shipping container with no escape. It also is different from using a stereotypical attic/basement which is a common use of location in thrillers. The choice of lighting being neon was something we were inspired by to use in our opening sequence as I believe creates a more immersive and contrasting aesthetic. The use of green lighting also adds to the idea of greed and jealousy aiding the narrative of our opening sequence. In Nerve, a zolly shot is used in the shipping container scene. We want to use this in our opening sequence to help establish the location. The use of handheld shots in Nerve creates an uneasy, tense feeling for the audience which we will use in our opening sequence. We will also use a range of high angle/low angle shots to portray status and authority and a range of close ups on props aids the narrative just like in Nerve. The overall theme of Nerve relates to

our opening sequence due to the intense amount of suspense and anxiety conveyed throughout. Society's greed for money is another element which is similar in both where they will do anything for it. In our opening sequence, the audience see the victim find the money and then steal it from the villain portraying a sense of greed. This aspect of the film is something which inspired us as a production group as it is something the audience can relate to as it portrays modern day society with how common and normalised it is to have this tempt for money.

Saw 

Saw was directed by David Hackl, Peter Spierig, Darren Lynn Bousman, Michael Spierig, James Wan, Kevin Greutert in 2004 and distributed by Lionsgate Films. Saw is part of a franchise where there is a psychopath who traps people but to escape, the victims have to perform gruesome tasks in order to escape/survive. The element of suspense is Saw is something which is very present in our opening sequence which is shown straight away through the use of our victim being tied up with barbed wire creating a sense of anxiety for the audience as well.The narrative of Saw is slightly similar to our opening sequence as we include a psychopathic kidnapper who kidnaps his victims and tests their victims limits in order to survive. We were inspired by the use of setting and location in Saw as the villain in the film often locks up his victims where they have no contact with the outside world. This creates an uneasy feeling for the audience as they have no escape.

The use of a shipping container in our opening sequence relates to this as our victim has no idea where he is and is isolated from the outside world. The use of mise-en-scene in Saw inspired our use of having a camera watch our victim combined with the use of torture tools. The costumes are similar in Saw where the victim often looks dirty and bloody. The use of hand held camera shots in Saw is similar to what our opening sequence will include to create a feeling of uncertainty. The editing techniques used in Saw is something which will inspire our way of editing our opening sequence with the use of quick cut away shots to create an uneasy feel for the audience emphasising this thriller genre. This, combined with the use of contrapuntal jazz music and the flashing images to make the victim feel uneasy are other elements of Saw which have inspired our opening sequence.  There are scenes in this film where the antagonist locked away victims in a room with no escape. This is similar to our opening sequence as the victim is trapped in the same position but in a shipping container setting. The villain in the film Saw traps his victims in razor wire and other uncomfortable restraints which inspired our prop of using barbed wire in our opening sequence. 

Squid Game

Squid Game is another similar product to our opening sequence. The Netflix show was created by Hwang Dong-Hyuk and was released in 2021. It is thriller genre with the sub-genre of action and portrays the story of a secret organisation who kidnap people who have very little money. The victims have to compete with each other in a game with a time limit where if you don't win you die but the winner will receive a prize at the end which is money. The time limit used in this game creates suspense and anxiety for the audience just like ours. The use of characters in our opening sequence is alike to ours with the use of having a secret organisation which kidnaps people. The link to money conveying a sense of greed in modern day society where in our opening sequence we have our victim tied to the chair but can see the

money which he eventually steals portrays this idea of greed and doing anything for money. The theme of being trapped and not being able to leave until the victim overpowers the villain is similar to our concept as well. The narrative of Squid Game shows that the victims need to win the game to survive to receive the money is very related to our narrative which has the same idea however it is not a game. The use of mise-en-scene in Squid Game was something that inspired our use of setting and location. The location in Squid Game where the contestants/victims are staying in a windowless room which has no contact with the outside world is similar to our use of a shipping container which has this same idea. The contestants are being watched by a guard on the door in this tv

show however we decided to use a camera instead which relates more to modern day society. We used a similar lighting effect of having titan tubes which are florescent. The use of sound in Squid Game very much inspired ours as when the contestants are in the room, there is light-hearted music playing which contrasts with the events going on. We decided to use
jazz music as this dramatically contrasts with the events going on in our opening sequence.  

Nobody 

Nobody was directed by Ilya Naishuller and distributed by Universal Pictures in 2021. The film is about a man and his family who get burgled. He then kills them which lead him to get into conflict with a Russian crime boss. This film  has a similar structure to our opening sequence where the start of film is the end of the film. There is also another feature of action/fighting which is in our opening sequence. In the film Nobody, as a production group, we were inspired by the characters where we likewise use a victim character who is still strong but waits to overpower the villain who is actually a lot weaker than he may appear. The victim portrays a sense of

calmness as if to normalise the situation. However, the villain is trying to antagonise the victim where the victim eventually takes control of the scene which is not expected. Nobody portrays a theme of addiction where the main character is addicted to violence throughout which is alike to our opening sequence as we use the same idea of being addicted and having greed for money and the violence used in our opening sequence conveys the action genre. We use a similar narrative where in Nobody, there is a married man who gets burgled and gets into trouble/conflict with a Russian crime boss who is hunting him down. In our opening sequence, we use a boss like character/villain who beats up the victim and makes him pay for something he has done. In the opening scene of Nobody, there is a similar sense of being trapped and having no contact with the outside world as he is in a dark setting which resembles an interrogation room. We were inspired by the use of costume in Nobody where the victim in this film is dressed in dirty ragged clothes. His makeup makes him appear bruised and beaten up just like our character. We use similar props of crowbars, hammers and also have the villain drinking alcohol. The use of sound in our opening sequence is also alike as we chose to use contrapuntal music to create contrast with the dark events going on. We are going to use similar close ups of the victims face to emphasise the damage done which will aid the narrative as well through the use of special fx makeup I will be doing on our characters to show the brutality of the fights. 

All of these media products are thrillers where Nobody, Nerve, Saw and Squid Game also have elements of action just like our opening sequence. In our action thriller we have our protagonist being pushed to their limits whilst in a battle with the antagonist. The chain of bad events which will build tension and suspense creates our thriller genre. We will use a range of quick cuts, contrasting music, changes in the angle of shots, diegetic sound of breathing and our protagonist is in in the mercy of the antagonist. Just like in a lot of thrillers the antagonist will have a hidden identity which would be revealed in the rest of the film however in the opening sequence this will still be concealed. The use of close ups and extreme close ups on our protagonist character showing their emotions but also on the props will aid our narrative in our opening sequence. We will use quick cutting shots of the antagonist concealing their identity. Our use of mise-en-scene helps to aid the narrative where the location establishes the theme and our antagonist is dressed in dark clothes and the the protagonist is in everyday clothes. The makeup and special fx cuts and bruises will help portray the element of action obviously combined with our fight scenes. The use of weapons, having a motive and villains portrays the action conventions. I believe that the socio-economic status for our target audience does not matter as it appeals to range of different classes as it does not involve wealth or poverty. However, it does address the topic of having greed for money which is something that can be appeal to everyone regardless of status. I personally think that the audience demographic would be people from ages 15+ as it is a thriller-action opening sequence. This would stereotypically mainly attract men due to the violence involved and having two male leads. However sexuality is not relevant in our target audience as it does not address romance.

Editing our dialogue sequence

Our task today was to edit the dialogue sequence we created using sound bridges as well. A sound bridge is an editing technique which transitions the sound from one shot to another seamlessly which is especially beneficial when filming dialogue. We accessed the footage using the editing software in the log
bins. We edited the footage using the 'in' and 'out' buttons 'I' and 'O' to cut down the footage. I found the editing for our dialogue sequence very challenging as it was hard to make it seamless. We could of used

our time better when editing as we did not realise how challenging it would be. Therefore, we only learnt how to use the sound bridges on our scene towards the end of the lesson so our scene would of been a lot better if we were more efficient with our time. The white balance and exposure on the shots was something successful about the scene but we could of used more of the shots filmed. For example, we filmed a range of different shots but only used a wide shot, over the shoulder shot, over the shoulder shot, wide shot, over the shoulder shot. We could of used the close ups we filmed in this scene when editing however we didn't do this due to our time management. We have two scenes which we edited to experiment with different ideas in this process. The next scene we filmed consists of a tracking shot, over the shoulder shot, over the shoulder shot, wide shot and another over the shoulder shot. We followed the 180 degree well hence the use of a lot of over the shoulder shots which are good to use in dialogue sequences. When editing our actual sequence, we will be a lot more efficient with our use of time to create a more seamless sequence and use a wider range of shots especially close up shots as

this aids are narrative of our opening sequence quite a lot. 

Camera workshop - filming dialogue

In our camera workshop, we were tasked with filming a short simple sequence using dialogue. We had to create a script for me and Elias to use. We decided to film our sequence using a table and chairs which created a wide shot which was appealing to the eye as well as over the shoulder shots which flowed seamlessly. We did this also using rule of thirds but also the 180 degree rule especially with over the shoulder shots. We had to set up the cameras by adjusting the tripod. We then assembled all the different parts such as the pan handle. This allowed us to move the angle of the camera whilst keeping it steady without moving too much using the locking breaks. We also made the tripod levelled by bubbling the tripod so our shots wouldn't be unintentionally tilted. We then adjusted the exposure and focus on the camera.

This is the script we created:

(Elias enters stage right, Alice is sitting on the chair)

Elias: Hi, how are you?

Alice: Good thank you. What are you up to today?

Elias: Not much, going to the park. What about you?

Alice: Yeh, I'm going to the beach

Elias: Cool. See you later!

(Elias exits stage right, Alice stays seated)

Every time we filmed this scene, we had to make sure that the lines were the same every time. This was surprisingly difficult as sometimes we make simple mistakes such as Elias saying "Hi, how are you doing?" instead of "Hi, how are you?". We tried to make them the same every time so that the

dialogue and acting flowed seamlessly to create a sense of continuity especially when editing. We filmed a range of wide shots, over the shoulder shots, close up shots and a tracking shot for Elias walking in and out of the shot. When filming these shots, we used a microphone to pick up the sound which was held as close to Elias and I without actually getting in the shot. In this dialogue sequence, I noticed that some of the shots such as the wide shot had too much headroom. This could be reduced by making the tripod at a slightly higher level. Another element which could be improved, was the microphone, especially in my dialogue as I am not loud enough. This could be improved by the microphone being

placed slightly closer to me or even just my actual dialogue could of been louder on my behalf. The over the shoulder shots I believe are successful as the 180 degree rule was used very well. 

Target Audiences

Before we create our opening sequence, I researched into target audience. A target audience is a certain group at which a product is aimed at. Having a target audience is important to generate profit and deliver what they expect/want. It also addresses how and who to market but also what conventions to follow and the choices we pick to attract our audience. When deciding our target audience we considered demographics such as gender, age, nationality, sexuality, ethnicity, relationship status, parental status and disability. This list of different demographics affects the target audience due to different opinions and perspectives of viewing different media. 

Target audiences could also be affected by hobbies, interests, personalities and social status. 

For example, a lot of companies sometimes categorise audiences in terms of personality ie. psychographic types. 

However, a lot of companies often categorise audiences in terms of jobs which could depict their social status. 

I believe that the audience demographic would be people ages 15+ as this is the age certificate we have thought would apply to our opening sequence. This is because it is a thriller/action which would stereotypically mainly attract males due to the violence used. Sexuality and race would not affect our target audience as the narrative does not address anything to do with this. I believe the socio-economic status for our target audience would not be affected as our film/opening sequence does not address topics such as poverty or wealth therefore attracted a wider audience. It does however touch on having greed for money which is relatable to a lot of society. Relating to psychographics, I personally think that the target audience would attract all personality types as it somehow reflects an aspect of each one of the different categories. 

Preparing for costume and makeup 3

This is more special fx makeup I did on one of my friend's to practice for our opening sequence. This was a lot more successful. 

Preparing for costume and makeup 2

In preparation for our opening sequence, I watched the YouTube video on how to do special fx cuts and scars. I ordered the kit which is what I used to create this look.

The first thing I did was apply scar wax on my model's forehead in a rectangle shape. I applied vaseline to the area to smooth it out with my fingers. With a palette knife that was in the kit, I created a cut looking shape along the scar wax.

The next thing I did was add coagulated blood to the centre of the cut using the makeup brushes. 

I then added even more coagulated blood to make it drip down. I also added a dark red tinted lip around it to create a bruised effect. However, the scar wax could be blended better into the skin using vaseline to create a more realistic look. This was my first time creating this look so I am going to practice doing these scars and cuts to create a more realistic effect.