Thriller Idea 1

11.11.2014

Thriller Idea:1

Idea 1: 

Whole Movie:

My main idea for the movie is that it would be based on the conspiracy theory that all the children that go missing are taken and sold to wealthy people who then send them out into forests and hunt then as a pleasure activity. My movie would follow the story of a young girl who ends up in one of these places but doesn't know why.  She gets killed but her soul won't rest until she finds out the sotry beind how she got there. I would probably end it somewhere on the lines that she had never actually been abducted but in fact her parents had given her up for money.

Opening Sequence:

My initial idea for the sequence was that there would be a group of children laughing and playing in the woods.  'Ready of not would then be heard' coming from a mans voice,but we cant see his face.  i would have then put in a change of atmosphere as the children frantically run around in an attempt to find a place to 'hide'. The camera would have then shot to a pan of a mans legs walking through the woods, and a close up on a gun hanging down at his side.  screams and shots would have been heard, and the sequence would have then cut out of the song 'If you go down to the woods today...' but the eerie version.  As the screen fades to black the title, 'Ready or not' would come across the screen and the same time that a gun shot is heard.

Changes:

People liked the initial plot of my movie once i had presented it to the class but the point was made that i was giving too much away within the opening title sequence, so I went away and came up with a less complicated idea of how I could open up my movie:

Little girl running and laughing in the wood, holding a toy.  Held camera following her around and she keeps on looking backwards, happy music but a distressed face.  There is a loud bang and the scene fade to black.  If you go down to the wood todays begins playing, camera shot of her toy on the floor, ‘Ready or not comes onto the screen.’

Opening Title Sequence Analysis

26.9.2014

OPENING SEQUENCE ANALYSIS

In class we were asked to look at two opening title sequences and our task was to then analyse it and look out for some key factors which are usually involved in the making of a good title sequence.  These factors include; the genre of the film, some production information, it should establish the setting, there should be a good use of music depending on the mood/tone that they are trying to set, and from time to time there should be some sort of introduction to some of the characters.

The two title sequences that we looked at were The Shining which is a horror/thriller and also Sexy Beast which is more of a crime/drama.

The Shining

Clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgCejsyS0t8

Genre:

• We establish that the film is a horror/thriller through the use of music and setting which both have factors that would indicate that the genre of this film will be horror.

Music:

• The music in this sequence is very prominent, it has a very heavy bass, and there are moments when it sounds like someone is whaling, which gives the beginning a very eerie sense to it.
• The music contrasts to the scenery, it is very dark and sinister whereas there is actually a very picturesque scenery in the background.
• the music changes the watchers perception of the surrounding, without the music the sequence would be nowhere as near 
• The music foreshadows that something bad is to come later on in the movie because during this sequence nothing really is happening.

Setting:

• We establish that they are in a very rural setting somewhere in the mountains of Oregon or Montana, two locations where the movie was filmed.
• There is very much a sense of isolation, we follow the one yellow car on its journey to the hotel. As we, the audience do this, we pass through many different surrounding with jump cuts to show that time is passing and therefore that they are getting more and more isolated the further they go.

Production Information:

• The production information within this sequence, personally I don't find to be very professional looking.
• The blue writing that goes up the screen it a bit too much, they have over done it with the colour, i think that using a black would have been just as effective and much more professional looking.

Denotation and Connotation

5.10.2015

Connotation and Denotation

Connotation and Denotation are two principal methods of describing the meanings of words.In class we were asked to look up the difference between the two terms as although they initially may seem similar, they are very difference which help the audience to understand a film. 

Denotation:

Denotation is what something literally is, going by the dictionary meaning of the word. It is a logical word, using an objects pure meaning without any of the feeling or ideas that the words may suggest.

Connotation:

Connotations are the meaning that come along with a word, it is the added meaning to a specific object. The online dictionary describes connotation as, 'an idea or feeling which a word invokes for a person in addition to its literal or primary meaning.' This basically means that what a word initially may mean is changed depending on the circumstance that it is used in.

Example:

There are many different examples of different connotation as most objects have different meaning that can be associated with them. One of the most well known examples that is used within many different thrillers is the kitchen knife.  In everyday life a knife is used for cutting foods, it isn't seen as a threat.  However, when showing a knife in a thriller people automatically assume that the knife will be used as a weapon, and someone may get hurt by it. The use of connotation therefore help to build suspense as people are left wondering what the significance of the knife may be.

                       
                   Denotation                                                                                   Connotation        

What is a Thriller?

2.10.2014

What is a Thriller?

               

Saul Bass

3.11.2014

Saul Bass

Saul Bass, born May 8th, 1920, was a widely accomplished graphic designer and an award winning film maker.  He is most widely known for his work in the design of opening title sequences for motion pictures, film posters and corporate logos.  During his 40 year long career he worked with some of the Hollywood's most acclaimed filmmakers including; Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick and Martin Scorsese.

Opening Title Sequences
Bass once said,
 "“For the average audience, the credits tell them there’s only
three minutes left to eat popcorn. I take this ‘dead’ period and try to do more than simply get rid of names that film goers aren’t interested in.
I aim to set up the audience for what’s coming;
make them expectant.”
His work on Psycho, Vertigo and North by Northwest for Alfred Hitchcock are probably some of his most memorable pieces of work.


Logos

Bass has designed some of the most well known corporate logos in North America which include; the Bell System logo (1969), AT&T's globe logo (1983), Continental Airlines' (1968) and United Airlines (1974).

What Stands out to me most about Bass' work is the simplicity of his ideas and yet when people see them they know what they are as they are very well known. I think this simplicity is why he stands out from a lot of other logo designers, as many try and go too over the top, but when it comes down to it, the more simplistic the logo the more likely people will be able to remember it when they see it over and over again.

 It can be seen that he uses the colours red and blue primarily within his logos, personally I believe that he may have decided upon these
colours because they tend to stand out to the human eye.

 

Kyle Cooper Sequence 3

18.10.2014

Seven

              

'Seven' is arguably Coopers most famous and memorial title sequence that he has made so far.

Again this it can be seen that this will be another horror film, this is shown not only through the graphics but also through the very prominent music. The music sounds very eerie and has and almost 'screeching' sound to it thus pot raying to the audience the genre that the film is going to be.

Compared to the 'Dawn of the Dead' title sequence that I analysed this one is a lot different. Throughout the entire sequence a story is being told within the sequence of short clips that we are looking at in the background. The story starts with someone looking through a book, he then pulls aout a razor and cuts his fingers.  We then watch as he makes further notes in his book and then processes some film to add to it. There are no voice overs within this sequence, instead the story is more so told through Coopers choice of music.

Although we have a vague idea of what is going on we never know exactly what is happening, Cooper leaves the audience questioning.  Through his use of closeups, and quick changes between each shot, it is hard to put the full storyline together.

The font of the text used looks as if someone has written it, instead of it being typed.  This is to follow it being the theme of someone's book, we presume that the person typing the story will be one of the main character in the film.

Kyle Cooper Title Sequence 2

18.10.2014

Dawn Of the Dead

                               

Unlike Spiderman, the opening title sequence to Dawn of the Dead is a lot more complex as it doesn't only consist of music and a simple idea, but it has an over voice and lots of different frames within it.

The sequence beings with an image of birds flying out of some stress, the birds initially create a peaceful and calm environment, but the flying away could indicate that they are trying to get away from something.

 Then some very eerie music kicks in the shot cuts to a black background with the words 'Universal Pictures presents' in the right hand corner.  The text then appears to turn into streams of blood as Cooper moves onto the next short image of a group of people praying.  From both the music and the blood the audience is able to tell that the film is probably going to be some sort of horror.

This idea is then further clarified as after the next bit of text there are sudden scary photos that pop onto the screen, supposedly trying to make the audience jump.  After the title of the film comes and then turns into 'blood', there is a loud screen and then a voice over of a bunch of people asking questions such as 'is it a virus?' As the questions continue more and more shot clips continue to appear on the screen of, what we now presume could only be a 'zombie'.

As the sequence goes on, it suddenly cuts to quite upbeat music, completely juxtaposing the images, and short films that are appearing on the screen.  These include things such as, news casts talking about the epidemic, shots of people screaming, and more images of the 'zombies'. One of the main images that repeats itself is an image of a cell mutating, thus suggesting how the 'virus' is spreading. Cooper has cleverly decided to add what could only be explained as the image of a TV cutting out between each of the short clips to show how everything is turning into chaos.

At the very end there is a clip of a news anchor reporting on what is going on, and then in th background we see army men get attacked by the 'zombies'.  The screen then fades to black and with it the revelation 6:8 is being spoken, a religious addition to what has been going on in the rest of the sequence, people praying for some help, no hope.

Revelation 6:8

'And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.'