A title sequence is the method by which films or television programs present their title, key production and cast members, or both, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound. It usually follows but should not be confused with the opening credits, which are generally nothing more than a series of superimposed text. The Art of a Title Sequence: the way in which a film is set The factors that are dependant on it are the typography (font, text, style), the background, the sound used, mise-en-scene, editing and camera angles. Typography: Typography is the art and technique of arranging type, type design, and modifying type glyphs.
The blurred effect could connote the pace and speed to the film, suggesting this film involve action. The blue effect could connote crime or offences and the blurred effect suggests that its crime that should not be seen in this film.
The text has a large font size adding to the boldness of the title. The title is also in red, this colour is associated with anger, danger and blood which connoted that this thriller film involves danger and action. The colour and boldness of the title makes it automatically contrast with the background images.
This is what Lily has contributed to our groups element of research within our coursework who decided to create a survey usingwww.surveymonkey.com; she began by asking some basic questions such as "are you male or female?" to gain an idea on what type of audience which will be partaking in the completion of my survey, therefore giving me an insight on whether or not the overall results I receive will be biased based on gender.
When analysing the data received, over half (63.16%) of participants within my survey were female; making the female opinion dominant within the survey as a whole. However, seeing as the range of participants is quite small, this shouldn't massively affect the overall outcome of the survey (only 5 more females than males). This statistic was of great use to my group as we are now aware that the data we received was not solely opinions belonging to one gender, but that of both.
The second question on the survey is in relation to age; "how old are you?"
When linking the results back to the target audience of our final piece, we decided it would be of great use to be aware as to what age group the data we were collecting belonged to. The majority of participants were within the 15-20 category which allows us as a group to identify the most and least popular types of thriller's in relation to young adults.
The participants were then asked what they're favourite genre(s) of film were.
This was beneficial as it gave the group an insight into the popularity of thrillers when in comparison to various other genres; when relating this back to the film industry we decided that having a knowledge of other popular genres within the evolution of film can help film makers identify their competition and possibly use editing and other features of media to create a hybrid/sub-genre to captivate both audiences and increase their own ratings/profit. The results showed that a comedy film was most popular amongst the participants therefore allowing my group to predict that elements of humour within our final piece would result in a positive response as this is what the majority of the participants find entertaining and enjoyable within film.
"In a Thriller, what do you consider to be of importance?"
When creating our own opening of a thriller film my group and I need to consider which generic conventions are of higher importance than others; by asking this question we can gather a range of different expectations which are recognised and appreciated within thrillers therefore helping us to decide/choose what to include within our own. For example, my group and I were unsure as to whether or not including a plot twist was a necessity within film; however 72.22% of participants agreed that plot twist were of high importance within a thriller. Unpredictability was also rated to be of some importance; these results will be considered when my group and I create our own narrative.
When asked about what thriller films the participants have watched, my group and I selected 13 different thrillers which were deemed as popular on IMDB but all presented different thriller conventions. After analysing the results it appears that the films with the most advertisement/publicity were viewed by the most participants; for example, 17/19 participants (89.47%) had claimed to have seen 'Taken' which is a well known thriller (also familiar to those who have not watched it) compared to 'Before I Go To Sleep' which has recently been released but has not had the same quality of advertising as 'Taken'.
However, the results to this question do not provide my group with the information we need to take into consideration within the opening of our own thriller as we are unaware as to why some films have much higher participant viewings than others; we must take into consideration that 'Before I Go To Sleep' has lower viewings simply because of the recent release date. My group and I decided that we could add in a question such as "How many of these thrillers have you heard about/recognise?" or "How many of these recently released thrillers would you be interested in going to see?" We could then analyse how advertising affects/contributes to the overall viewings of a film within the participants.
When asked what type of thriller was their favourite, the participants responded positively in selecting the sub-genre of thriller they found most enjoyable. This massively helped my group in our understanding of hybrid genres and the effect the classification of film can have on the viewers response/reaction.
The results go on to show that action thrillers are the most popular (26.32%) with crime and psychological thrillers in close second with a percentage of 21.05 each. My group and I decided that we would incorporate elements of both action, crime, and some sort of psychological plot twist within our opening clip to captivate all three different audiences and live up to the expectations of three different categories of possible/potential viewers.
By asking the participants what contributes to their individual/personal watching of a film my group and I can collaborate this into our coursework and our research into the thriller genre to form an understanding of how film makers obtain their audiences and how advertisement affects the number of viewers and therefore the ratings and overall success of the film. In previous questions it was made clear upon analysing the results that some thriller films are obviously more popular than others; this question leads on from this in helping the group decipher what elements of film advertisement are more recognisable to the selected audience.
As you can see, the participants value the impression given within trailer as this contributes to their selection of film as well as recommendations and the actors/actresses featured within the film itself.
Overall my group has benefitted from the survey as we can now use the information gathered to create a popular opening sequence to a thriller film, including the most popular elements voted in the survey. This will ensure that what is shown is wanted by our audience and the opening will be successful as it will follow the conventions and will suit the film.
To gauge and research how a thriller film is opened, a range of thriller openings should be analysed to learn about the different ways in which they are started so that my group and I can use this knowledge to help us in our own task of creating a thriller movie opening sequence and to do so successfully. Film openings of different styles ( like different producers and directors), different films from other countries and different sub genres should be analysed to ensure a range a styles are analysed so that we have lots of knowledge and so we can make our film opening professional.
Film 1- Die Hard 1988
The opening of 'Die Hard' starts out with the opening titles stating who the producers of the film are with some aeroplane backing noise being played behind this. This already implies the opening scene so the audience can expect what is coming next. This then cuts straight into a clip of an aeroplane landing with more titles in bold text in the top right hand corner of the screen. The bold block text then follows some of the storyline and themes as it connotes the idea of being brave and bold ( which the protagonist surely is as he saves the day) and links to the idea of being hard and tough which links to the title of the and the protagonists events within the film.
The next shot which is seen is a close up shot of a hand which is grasping the seats arm rests tightly and then a tilt shot to a close up of the mans face. The effect of this is to present initial emotion such as fear or nervousness which is seen here which is good as the audience can already start collecting an interpretation of the character before they have even said anything.
A shot using the rule of thirds rule is then shown with a close up of the main character Johns face and the view of the rest of the inside of the plane in the background however out of focus. This is a good shot as without anything said the editors want the audience to pay attention to John and the focus on his face increases the importance of his character in the scene which is an initial indication of him being the main character. It is also good as the surrounding can still be seen so the audience is still aware of where he is.
A cutaway shot is then used to focus on the passengers face, then cut to Johns gun and then back to the mans face. I like this shot as it presents the characters initial and final expressions when seeing the gun and is a good editing technique to show peoples reactions within film.
Speech 'Its ok Im a cop' is then good to the opening as the audience can gather more information on his character and can gauge that he is good as opposed to bad which is vital in a thriller film as they often include good and bad people. A play on words of the passenger is used by John as the passenger says 'Ive been doing it for 9 years' and John says ' Its ok I've been doing it for 11' which adds humour to the introduction so that the whole film isn't tense and that the tension can build up as the film progresses.
A scene once John is off the plane is then seen where he is sparking a cigarette in a dark area which quickly cuts to another completely different scene. The effect of this adds initial tension as it is a sudden change which follows the idea of the film being a thriller as a typical convention would be for sudden events or things to happen within thriller films. When John is smoking in the first of the two scenes, the ringing of bells is played in a creepy tone and the actually film title 'Die Hard' appears. This follows the idea of it being christmas time in the film using bells but with a slight twist in its tone to add a sense of something is going to happen that is bad which is literally what happens in the film. Film 2- Silence of the Lambs
Silence of the Lambs is a 1991 American thriller film that blends elements of the crime and horror genres. The film starts with some shots of a woman running through the woods. The sweat on her face and back tells us that she is a hard and determined worker. You soon understand that it is clear to see that it is an assault course that she is on. The music at this time is very upbeat and fast paced which links to the fact that she is on an assault course. At this point you don't know anything about her but you soon tell that she has some connection with the police as a man wearing an F.B.I hat calls her over and tells her that somebody wants to see her. A tilt shot is used when you see a tree with signs on it. They each say; hurt, agony, pain, love-it. This is an very important iconic sign as it expresses her passion towards her job that she currently has. Each one of the words clarifys what her job involves.
The next shot you see is a big building. As the camera zooms in it tracks onto her running down a corridor. The shot then cuts to her walking down steps and entering a room which is full of guns and agents. By seeing this equipment you gather that her job is very dangerous and requires a lot of skill and courage. The music stays the same which relates to the danger of her job.
Finally she enters an lift that is full of men. This connotes how she is not portraying the stereotypical role of a woman. Her job is supposedly meant for men. This is binary opposition. Her running, job, guns and danger all back up this idea. Film 3- Taken
After the well known Twentieth Century Fox gold statue opening, the film starts with a black background and the titles 'Twentieth Century Fox Presents' in white capital bold letters sliding inwards to the centre of the screen. The bold font used for this is the same font as on the movie cover which creates the effect of a well made film without there being any shots as the font is constant and doesn't change, making it seem like they belong to the same film. The contrast of the black on the white and the bold font makes the titles stand out which could then link to the protagonist of the film who certainly stands out for his skill and ability of tracking and saving his daughter which then links these two things together.
The first titles then fade out into a fuzzy video recording of a 5 year old girls birthday with eerie piano music in the background. Parts of the recording then flickers to speed up the scene and then one last flicker ends the scene to the male middle aged protagonist waking up from a dream in a chair. The initial effect of the fade gives a sense of mystery to the scene which follows the thriller conventions of a thriller having unsuspected parts and sudden changes which could happen just after the fade in the opening titles. The video recording is then on display but is shown as being a very old recording because of the crackles and fuzzy nature of it which gives the impression to the audience that it is many years old. The music along with this part of the film is eerie piano music which connotes the ideas of purity because of the high pitched piano but this contrasts because of its slight twist which gives the impressions to the audience that something isn't right which then links to the relationship the girl in the video has with her father ( the protagonist ) and how things go further wrong as the film continues. Parts of the video then flickers which speeds up the movement of the woman in the video. The effect of this is sudden which further links to thriller conventions and to sudden events which happen later in the film.
Finally a flicker ends the recording/dream and shows the dad/protagonist waking up with a continuation of the same music. A medium shot is then shown of the whole room and then a zoom in on a photo frame with the same girl in from the recording, and the movie title 'Taken' is shown next to this. The effect of this then shows the protagonist in the film and shows what his priorities are which is his daughter and also a foreshadows that something might happen to her because of the main focus on her in the opening, stressing her importance. The title then is in the same font as the others which further continues the specific font.
A scene is then seen where the protagonist goes to the shop and is greeted by the shop owner by his name and exactly what he wants without saying. This is because of many previous visits to the shop with one thing in mind for his daughter but not being able to buy this product. This then shows him living in the past and links to the dream he had earlier that day and him thinking about old times. This then further stresses importance of the daughter character and the mindset of the protagonist.
Finally a scene where he is wrapping up the present is seen with clown colourful paper covering it which then flicks to another scene of him going to the daughters party which has a mature setting. This then contrasts between the way the father sees the daughter and the way she actually is as he still sees her as his little girl because of the colourful colours on the paper which presents childishness, where in actual fact she is an older girl now and shows him still living in the past and the connection they have as being close.
Within media, film makers produce a 2-5 minute introductory scene which is presented to the audience at the very beginning of the viewing; this clip is often referred to as the 'opening scene' or the 'title sequence'. Typically, within the first initial moments of the film the audience is introduced to a main character as the opening credits are also presented. Within this time, the characters role/status also becomes prominent towards the audience which allows them to form a fondness or a disliking towards them, depending on their agenda. However, it is also possible to take a more aesthetically pleasing approach by making the title sequence more artistic; by doing to you can captivate the attention of the audience and keep them guessing rather than entering straight into the initial storyline. Most opening sequences also contain a symbol/sign/song which will later be associated with the film itself and should hopefully be recognisable as an icon depending on the success and popularity of the film itself, e.g. The Hunger Games introduces the Mockingjay which later becomes an iconic symbol in association with the film; this symbol is now recognised even by those who have not personally seen the films themselves.
The scene begins underwater creating a tense atmosphere almost instantaneously. It then continues to fill the screen with intense shades of dark blue, black and blood red. The audience is given their first glance at the main character (in which he can be identified as an actor via facial features) through the use of a target; already the film is introduced as an action thriller whilst also alluding to violence and conflict. The audience is then introduced to a female character although it can be inferred that she is not as important in the hierarchy of characters as the editing uses a jump cut to quickly revert attention from the females face, reinforcing the lack of importance; the camera focuses on her body rather than her face through the use of a tracking shot down the length of her entire body. It is also of great significance that she is present only in silhouette which presents elements of seduction as well as alluding to a mysterious and possibly toxic romance. As the credits are presented within the frame the mise-en-scene is extremely symbolic as the weapons that are falling to the sea bed turn into headstones of graves; this psychological imagery indicates the violence and tragedy that could be present within the film itself as it represents loss, death and consequence. The clip then enters vibrant shades of red which is an indexical sign that represents blood; this reinforces the violence present. There is then an extreme close-up of the main characters eyes which connotes feelings of intensity. It then goes on to present the main character in conflict with his own shadows; it can be interpreted that this allows the audience to presume that there will be elements of betrayal and the question of trust present within the film. The opposing element of fire is then introduced; the most natural contrast of fire vs. water represents the conflict/battle which is obviously a main theme within the film due to the numerous symbolic references. Feelings of betrayal are reinforced through the use of mirrors as the main character shows signs of defense, even against his own reflection; it could be argued that the lifestyle in which is focused on throughout the film could also induce feelings of paranoia.
The opening begins as you see a young girl asleep in her bed. Music is playing as this all happens. An aerial shot is used to show how she is laying down in bed. The next shot fades in and her eyes are open. This reassures how the girl is now awake. The camera then tracks down to her hands as they are moving. Straight away you can tell she is moving them as in she is playing the piano. The screen after this blacks out and then comes in again as you can see her playing the piano. This relates back to the music as it was really her playing it. The music is quite wiry and puts you on edge. This connotes how the film is a thriller and you don't know what will happen next.
The next shot shown is a man figuratively cutting up a large sized meat. This backs up the idea of how you don't know what to expect as you wouldn't have thought that this would pop up. The girl continues to play the piano which sets the tone as disturbing as the two different scenarios don't match up.
Later on you see a man arrive at a butchers shop. This adds up as you understand that the man must be a butcher.
Thriller Film is a genre that revolves around anticipation and suspense. The aim for Thrillers is to keep the audience alert and on the edge of their seats. The protagonist in these films is set against a problem – an escape, a mission, or a mystery. No matter what sub-genre a Thriller film falls into, it will emphasize the danger that the protagonist faces. The tension with the main problem is built on throughout the film and leads to a highly stressful climax. Primary Themes in Thrillers: the protagonist faces death, the antagonist is stronger physically or mentally, the protagonist ends up in a dangerous conflict, the protagonist and antagonist may battle, the main storyline is a mystery that has to be solved. Key Thriller Elements: tense music, flash backs, quick cuts and change of camera angles, surprises and twists, anticipation, revenge, adrenaline rush, cliff hangers, pass of time sequences, paranoia, investigation, stalking, chase scenes. Thriller sub-genres: Action Thriller:An Action Thriller uses physical action to create suspense within the film, contains lots of violence and there is always an obvious antagonist. Includes ~ fights, chases, races, battles and physical stunts- Die Hard, The Bourne Identity, Taken, The November Man
Conspiracy Thriller:In which the hero/heroine confronts a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent only he/she recognizes. - All the President's Men, Angels and Demons, Arlington Road
Crime Thriller: Incorporates the suspenseful aspects of a thriller with a crime film plot.Usually centres on a murderer, robbery, serial killer or manhunt. The storyline focuses both around the criminal and the protagonist. Crime Thriller use both action and psychological aspects to build tension and suspense - The Usual Suspects, The French Connection, Jagged Edge
Science Fiction Thriller: incorporates hypothetical, science-based themes into the plot of the film. Includes plots that revolve around alien invasions, dystopian scenarios and super diseases -Alien, Inception, District 9
Disaster Thriller: the main conflict is due to some sort of natural or artificial disaster: volcanoes, hurricanes, earthquakes. - Stormy Weather, Earthquake
Drama Thriller: In which the story consists of the elements of a thriller and drama film. These films are usually slower paced and involves a great deal of character development along with plot twists. - The Illusionist, The Prestige
Film Noir: Film-Noir is characterized by a black-and-white style with stark lighting effects. Film-Noir relies on a narrative voice and various flashbacks to explain the intricate plot. -Sunset Boulevard, Sweet Smell of Success
Legal Thriller: In which the lawyer-heroes/heroines confront enemies outside, as well as inside, the courtroom and are in danger of losing not only their careers but their lives. - And Justice For All, A Few Good Men, A Time To Kill
Medical Thriller: In which the hero/heroine are medical doctors/personnel working to solve an expanding medical problem. - Extreme Measures, Flatliners
Political Thriller: In which the hero/heroine must ensure the stability of the government that employs him. - The Hunt For Red October, JFK
Psychological Thriller: Incorporates elements of drama and mystery film. The suspense comes from the mind rather than from a physical threat. Many Psychological Thrillers cross over into the Horror Genre - Rear Window, Taxi Driver
Religious Thriller: Incorporates religious themes, including religious questions, ceremonies, and objects. Many Religious Thrillers include supernatural experiences not pertaining to a certain religion.Exorcisms, demon possession, and church cover-ups are typical themes of Religious Thrillers. - The Ninth Gate, The Devil's Advocate, The Da Vinci Code
Overall I have learnt that there are many sub genres within the 'Thriller' genre and that the thriller genre appeals to a wide audience of people. This is because of the sub genres as they all have different themes such as 'religious thriller' or 'crime thriller' which means some sub genres would appeal to some people and other sub genres would appeal to others making 'Thriller' Widely popular because of it diverse nature.
I have been given a mark scheme by the examiners so I can see what should be included in my media coursework and how the work I produce will be marked. Now I have this I can do my work and refer to this to enure the work I make has the needed sections to be able to hit the grades I want. There are two main sections called the video section and the audio section which have levels within so I can uses the criteria in my coursework to produce what my group and I want.
Here is the marking criteria. I would like to be hitting top levels so I need to meet all the demands in all levels to do so.
The questions that must be addressed in the evaluation are:
- In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? -How does your media product represent particular social groups? - What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why? - Who would be the audience for your media product? - How did you attract/address your audience? - What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product? - Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Individually we must always be thinking and addressing all of these evaluation questions to all our work that we do because all the work goes towards a final product that we will be evaluating. If we have these questions in the back of our minds, it will make it a lot easier to evaluate the work we have produced as a group.
In our groups, we came up with a storyline to meet the title 'Terror In The Night'. WE drew out ten small scenes that would sum up the story being told, our teacher then moved one scene and placed it in a different place, changing the entire narrative structure. Our task was to be able to tell the same story and make it make sense with a different narrative structure. As a group we found this task quite difficult because we felt like the entire story had changed/had to be changed in order for it to make sense. In the end, we were able to keep the same storyline and work around the disruptive narrative structure.
What is the effect of the change in narrative structure?
-The storyline of the film completely changed, it didn't make sense anymore
-The order of the deaths did not follow in order for the film to end how it should do
-Our biggest plot twist did not make sense as one character was not supposed to be send throughout the whole film as she is portrayed to be dead
-The events wouldn't have ran smoothly into each other
-Audience feels sympathy towards different characters
What must happen next to tell the same story but with a different narrative?
-The length of camera shots would need to change in order for the film to flow smoothly and effectively
-May have to re shoot particular scenes
What technical areas need to change?
-Need to start the opening scene with high key lighting
-This would give a sense of happy equilibrium
-Switch to low key lighting when the first character gets accused
-This would create a sense of mystery
Overall this task has been challenging as many elements of the film would have to change for the story to fit this new narrative, however it would be possible using various editing techniques and having to re shoot some scenes to capture the storyline the way we want it with the new narrative.
The Key Concepts
Representation: often pronounced in media as 're-presentation' as it means how the media can re-present something to convey there own message. An example of this would be if there was two opponents and how a certain news paper might present one better than the other opponent. Representation in genre would then be the 'stereotypes' which are conveyed for the audiences reassurance of the genre they are watching. An example of this could be if the audience is watching a western and the protagonist sherif has a star sherif badge on, a cowboy hat, brown leather boots and guns, as this is a stereotypical image of a sherif and the audience likes to know this as opposed to the sherif wearing something non suggestive of being a sherif.
Audience: Age, race, class, gender, ability and interest all come under this heading as all of these and many other things can be what the producers of a text can be aiming their work at. Age could typically be grouped on age rating which is seen on the cover of film and tv series packaging in a little symbol at the bottom of the cover. Gender is another as the audience is considered in everything produced, like whether there is a film with a protagonist that is male or female that could decide whether the film is aimed to an audience of either or if the genre of the film is a typical chick flick or rom com which is often thought as as a 'female' style of film or an action thriller which could stereotypical be aimed towards a 'male' audience.
Ideology: Is the ideas behind a media text, the secrete or not so secrete agenda of the producers. Images and words in media text are ways of defining social and culture issues which are all part of the ideology analysis of the film though out. An example of could be the samba the lion in the lion king in comparison to the hyenas. This is a good example as the ideology behind this is that the lions who are shown as the 'good guys' in the film use actors that have an American- English accent in comparison to the 'bad' hyenas who have ethnic accents. This is then Disney using ideology to show further that people with American-English accents are better people than those with a different ethnic accent which summarises ideas socially about the cultural issues in the world.
Language: Written, verbal, non verbal, visual are all ways of media language used for different effects and response in media texts. Print based media is used in news papers to present language which is appropriate to the messages they are trying to convey but also their audience who would typically be older than 16. Another example would be non verbal language such as body language, hand gestures ect which are used in films/ tv programs for emphasis on words said.
Institution: An institution is a profit based organisation that deal in the distribution and creation of advertising, entertainment and information service. These institutions are split into 5 main institutions: internet, film, newspapers, radio/broadcast and music. these all use genre to convey their own messages.
Narrative: A narrative is a 'story' or 'storyline'. However the difference between a 'Story' and a narrative is that the story is the substance like 'A and B meet, something happens and then order returns' and the narrative is the way the story relates 'once apon a time was a duck...'.
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