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Final thriller opening

Evaluation of Iluzio

Evaluation Plan

We have decided as a group that it would be beneficial to all if we complete some evaluation questions as a group, but others as individuals. As a group we will complete questions 2, 3, 4 and 7. Where as questions 1, 5 and 6 will be completed on our own.

We have done this as we feel it will be more efficient and allow us to experience a range of technologies while still having our independent experience.

Past Student Evaluation

IncΘgnito Productions : [Group Evaluation] 

Within this groups evaluation for question 5 they have used different and a creative way to share their answer with Glogster. They have grouped each topic they're discussing by placing the text in different types of bubbles and boxes making it interesting and different to others I've seen. 

Although they could've added subheadings to each box to make it clear straight away what each paragraph is about. Another great aspect about their evaluation are the links they included around the bubbles such as a play/pause button next to the bubble about their music choices, a link to their survey and a youtube link to their final film. However, to improve they could have written a little more in detail as a few boxes are very brief. Question 1 was used with Spicy Nodes which was much more complex and still creative, it contains much more information then Q5, however involves less colour and pictures as this is a much longer answer. This continues throughout the rest of their questions whether they are using slideshare or padlet and overall they've written a well thought and detailed yet fun evaluation.

http://www.sillykiwithrilleropening.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/question-1-evaluation.html
For Amy's evaluation she used a wide vary of different sites to answer each question and did it well, her standout questions to me were question 5 and 6 as they include so much information and detail, yet nice colours so it isn't too boring to read at the same time. Reading through hers it has given me a few ideas of what I can mention in my own also. Questions she could improve a little on could be not using padlet for Q7 as all the pictures were jumbled and messy, it would've been a great answer if she used a different program like Glogster which is one I'd like to experiment with for mine.

http://planeteclipse.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Evaluation
Charles' evaluation has included good information but he could have gone into more detail in certain points, something I will try to avoid doing. For question 7 he definitely could've done better as he did not use a program for this just simply BlogSpot, and did not write as much as he should've or could've. He could've used some screenshots from his film or some more examples to make it more exciting. However, different to others I have researched he used Voki, which was a much more fun and clever instead of just having to read a lot of writing. For one of our group questions we're planning on using Voki also and this is good inspiration.

Iluzio First Draft

Our First draft of our Thriller opening!

Opening Titles: Past Student Examples‏

Missing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VQzHvuPT7E&feature=player_embedded

The opening titles for Missing are very cleverly done and fit well with the theme of the movie. The effect of using newspaper with the groups names on top work well because the story is about a missing girl and it's featured on the front of a newspaper to tell the world of the tragedy. The close up of the word missing emphasis the name and the plot of the film also.

The colours used are very simple and basic black and white to fit with the typical thriller genre and the white words in all caps stand out as the paper is being filmed in the background but words stay in place. Although maybe they could have added a different colour to the words as they keep it the same throughout. Hopefully the use of the newspaper for a title sequence keeps the viewer interested because when you see an interesting story in the papers you want to read on, as so with the groups names. Also the sound used is loud, fast paced and quite intense to build up the tension and again keep the viewers engaged, a title sequence can either make or break the film so it is important for it to be captivating and well done.

Guilty - http://www.youtube.com/feature=player_embedded

The opening titles for this film were all unique and related back well to the films plot, each name was done differently to keep it interesting. For example using computers, post it notes, iPod, writing on a newspaper and highlighting, this is because we first see the main character in their office, so all of these items are office related. This continues for almost a whole minute which I think was far too long as it gave them less time for the actual movie, also some names were unclear. To improve they could have done more close ups of the names and some names are focused on longer then others. They have a lot of distractions around the names, they should've kept it more minimalist as it can be distracting.

Revenge  - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me_3YHMot9Q&feature=player_embedded

The opening titles for Revenge show their names by rummaging through a file cabinet and lifting the files up with their names on. As they're rummaging through quickly and messily, it could mean that someone is trying to steal someone's file, someone that shouldn't be allowed inside. The music also suggests a similar idea as it is slow and creepy but also dramatic. This relates to the thriller genre as crime is a key convention also. Every name is shown the same way so to improve they could've shown the names in different ways on different things to do with their film about the girl being interviewed on a crime. The file cabinet was still a clever idea though as this is what detectives use to keep their top secret files in of victims and witnesses, just like the main character.

Title sequence construction

We have started to construct our title sequence. We have used items such as type writes and pen & ink. We have taken inspiration from Se7en's title sequence, this gives it an old effect. We used dramatic music pair with it to create tension and put the audience on edge, This is also typical of thrillers.

Final filming summary

Opening Sequence: The Walking Dead

Thriller Opening Titles: The Walking Dead

 

Throughout this title sequence we instantly are shown the tone and atmosphere of the show so we know what to expect. The thrilling continuous music and dark colours are enough to tell us even the most little details about the characters. Once we start hearing the theme song slowing fading in we know its coming and it automatically draws us in for the episode ahead and gets us excited.

Firstly, we see Andrew Lincoln's name with a photo of the main character Rick Grimes in the local Atlanta newspaper, which is where they are from. We can see from his uniform that he is a sheriff and obviously a good one as he is featured in the papers. Straight away we learn who the main character is, his job, where he lives, and what he looks like.

Next we see Jon Bernthal's character Shane, we again see he is in similar sheriff uniform as Rick, showing us he works with him and that they must have some kind of relationship. However his photo isn't in the newspaper, it's in a photo frame, with smashed glass. This can foreshadow his future self as surely enough he breaks down and he's broken up Rick's family.

Third we see Sarah Wayne Callie's character Lori Grimes. We don't learn as much from her photo but again it's smashed and covered with dirt. Although in the pilot episode we see the full photo and it's of her, her husband Rick and son Carl. She appears happy but from the surrounding glass and dirt we can guess that this may not be true, it portrays the broken family and the dirt may show she could be the reason why. 

Then throughout we are shown different key features of the episodes or key features of characters. For example the first picture of the house is one of the houses Rick visits looking for gas and finding dead bodies inside, the first dead people he's seen since he woke up from his coma.
 The RV is one of the key features of season 1 as it belongs to a member of the Atlanta Survivor Group, Dale and doesn't travel without it. It's also what they use to sometimes sit in, take shade or wash.

Laurie Holden's name is shown across a shot of the empty city of Atlanta, we don't learn anything about her character, Andrea, from this but we get an idea of what they city now looks like after it's been attacked and abandoned. As we don't learn anything about Andrea from this, we can assume she may not be as important as the other 3 main characters who we do see.

From then on we carry on seeing shots of the city, such as an empty, burnt bus, the police station Rick once worked in, empty hospital he woke up in, empty train tracks, and of course the famous shot of the entrance to the city with one road completely over run as people tried to get out and the other empty. From this we can learn the setting that the show will be set in and what it looks like post apocalypse. Also we are introduced to the main 3 characters and basic facts about them and hidden messages about how they are now. The hidden foreshadowing about them creates mystery and can make us want to know more about them. It then finishes off with the shows title name and the tense music slowly fading out, telling you the actions about to begin.

Opening Sequence: Teen Wolf

Thriller opening titles: 

Teen Wolf

The dark and intriguing opening credits here give you a good idea of what tone the show is following and the thriller genre, and also sets the mood. A lot of it is based upon light vs dark contrast which can tell you a lot about the characters personality's...

Each clip that shows different characters tell you a little about their story, for example 

Tyler Hoechlin's character Derek, we see him screaming and bursting out ashes, this can represent the fact his family is killed in a fire and he lives with the guilt and the ashes all over him can show he's still covered with the memory of it. 

We see Colton Haynes character Jackson 3 times throughout, one of him in his lacrosse uniform, another sitting with Lydia. The first one we see him 'stab' Tyler Posey's character Scott in the back which shows he's not afraid to take out the main guy to be the centre of attention and the second time we see him he is the main focus and looks like hes about to score a goal. Image and social power is important to him which is shown throughout. The clip with Lydia is also important as it shows her clinging onto him and he looks like he could not care any less about their relationship. 

 

When we are first introduced with Tyler Posey's character Scott we see him in what appears to be like a shower, and perhaps embracing his new power as a werewolf, and his moment is then ruined as Colton Haynes character comes in and steals the spotlight as he tackles him. 

When we see Holland Roden's character Lydia, we first see her flip her hair back in slow motion, representing her wild side with her hair and the way she stares at the camera. We then see her get pulled back into the dark looking surprised/confused and it appears forced, which is similar to her story line of being pulled into this world and not taking it too well as she wants no part of it

. 

Next is Allison aka Crystal Reed, we see her kiss Scott but that image quickly disappears as leads onto her about to shoot an arrow which represents her hunting side, but there is a few images of the same thing, which could show there are more layers to her then we see. 

 

Throughout the title sequence we see a lot of black ink on bodies, which could  have a hidden meaning and symbolize that it is important because it reoccurs three times. 

The use of light vs dark is clear in clips, the background is always black. For example when the water is spraying all over Scott, when Jackson comes from being in shadows, to when Stiles (Dylan O'Brien) is beside a car with bright headlights to walking infront it blocking the light. He looks willing to walk across the lights and hide himself in darkness which could represent how he's willingly part of his different way of life. 

We can also learn who are the most important characters by the fact Scott is shown 4 times, Lydia & Allison shown twice, Derek and Stiles once and Jackson three times. 

Throughout this title sequence it really creates a great sense of what you can expect from the show and what it's about, also all the mysteries behind what the characters are doing in this can lead you to wanting to know more about them and what everything symbolizes.

Opening Sequence: Twister

Thriller opening titles:

Twister

http://www.watchthetitles.com/articles/00191-Twister

The first thing we notice is the dark settings used as the background looks like a dark, stormy sky and we start hearing sounds of winds picking up to build tension, then the chunky 3D words appear onto the screen. The names of companies appear slowly on the screen and then when it shows the word 'Twister' it's all a lot more fast-paced. This is just like how a tornado starts, winds slowing swirling around and then all of a sudden a tornado touches down. They looked like they have been dragged onto the screen in the eye of the storm by the wind and then disappear again as though the wind took the words with it, coming right at the screen like they will hit you. 

Kyle Cooper created this title sequence in 1996 as he was fond of picking words from the dictionary and create graphic drawings out of them to illustrate their meaning. 

The opening titles for Twister are relatively short but create a powerful atmosphere and meaning as it really gets straight to the point by telling you what to expect from this film. The mood is dark and trying to make you feel petrified of the storm as it is approaching. The way the storm then fades away onto the first scene of a bright sunny day is a great contrast between the two different types of weather to really show you the big difference to how the sky usually looks on a normal day and when a storm does comes. It really reflects a moment of what natural disasters can do and the power of destruction it has.

Opening Sequence: Dexter

Thriller opening titles:

Dexter

Within this opening sequence we see Dexter going through his daily morning routine like everyone else, however we can see there is a hidden message behind each thing he does which link/foreshadows murder. For example the first thing we see is him kill a bug on his arm with his bare hands without any disgust about the little blood, then we see the blood red words 'Dexter' across the screen with dripping blood which clearly relates to his joy of murdering. The background behind the text is plain, with dark shadows around the edges which contrast well with the red.

 Then we see Dexter shaving his facial hair and accidentally cut himself whilst doing so, this could be a metaphor for perhaps slicing someones throat, with the blood dripping down into the shower and soaking the tissue. Next we see him cooking his breakfast, with closeups of his hand using a large knife to slice open the meat packet and the meat, which can symbolise cutting/stabbing someone. As well as the cracking of the egg, eating the bacon, with the ketchup which looks like blood dripping over it.

 The way he cuts the orange, squishes it and makes his coffee all look like ways he could be murdering somebody and the way he wraps the tooth floss around his fingers and the shoe laces can show a way he strangles people. When he puts his tshirt over his head we see an outline of his face, this could be portraying him straggling someone. The way it finishes is Dexter looking right into the camera with a deadly look in his eyes, and then goes outside looking surprisingly happy, yet like he is up to something. 

The whole opening that is all closeups of his actions in slow pace, is creating the suspense and building the thriller genre that makes the audience feel curious to what he will do next and how, and perhaps threatened.

9th December Filming Date

We have planned another filming date as one of our scenes we thought was filmed, but turned out to be deleted on the camera. This is just the friend scene where they are discussing Freddie's arrival/life. We will be filming after school at Amy's house again. We will also film our title sequence!

Title sequence plan

We are planning on filming someone either writing a diary or using a typewriter (if we can source one). We will be focusing on certain words such as 'imagine', 'death' and 'darkness'. This will foreshadow the rest of the film. We have taken inspiration from Se7en's opening sequence. This is because we think it creates mystery paired with the blurry effect which makes it seem imaginary.

We may also focus on the necklace which is in our opening. This is because it is a red herring within our opening and will therefore engage the audience as they wish to know the importance of it. 

Developing Sound

In todays lesson we focused on sound. We included the mysterious music when Enzo was on screen, this suggest she is imaginary as it sounds like twisted fairytale music. We made this music louder after the gun shot, this was to emphasise Enzo's nearing appearance, and the plot twist. We paired this with the dramatic music to create tension and suspense.

3 Thriller Title Sequences

Sin City (2005) is about the dark and miserable town, Basin City, and tells the story of three different people, all caught up in violent corruption, with a 8.1 rating on IMDB with 24 awards wins and 34 nominations!

The opening titles of this movie is very creative as it looks like they came straight out of the comic they're originated from. The names are a simple red and the drawings of the characters are all black and white, just like the movie is. There's a feel of mystery coming across from the images and music onscreen which already gives you a hint of what the movie is like and the music picks up when it comes to the antagonists so you therefore know in advanced the characters traits just from the music. It's creating the tension and building suspense for what's to come in the movie.

Pulp Fiction (1994) is about the lives of two mob hit-men, a boxer, a gangster's wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption. It has a 9.0 rating on IMDB and has received 1 Oscar, 63 wins and 47 other nominations!

The opening titles to this movie refer to the pulp magazines and the crime novels popular during the mid 20th century which are none for graphic violence and punchy dialogue. The film is considered as black comedy and described as "culturally, historically, aesthetically significant." The titles here begin after it shows a brief scene of a diner robbery and pauses when the pop music begins playing. The colours stick to the theme of black with yellow font in large writing of the movie name obviously so you know what it's called and the most important part of the titles, then begins to show actors names in smaller but in caps and white writing over the zooming out of the movie name. The names change back to yellow again as the movie name has disappeared behind and the music changes. The dark colours suggest thriller yet the yellow suggests happiness or in this case humour as well as the happy music playing with it. This will give the audience the idea of the atmosphere in which this movie will be creating and set in.

Godzilla (2014) is about the worlds most famous monster is pitted against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity's scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence. This movie has a 6.6 rating on IMDB and has won 4 awards and gotten 10 nominations in the amount of short time it has been released.

The opening titles show you brief facts of the history of the movie and Godzilla itself, and clips of the creature in the past. It shows little clips of newspapers and that's what the titles are influenced by as the names look like newspaper font and then crossed out. The music here gives the feel of maybe terror and threat as that should be what we feel when we think of this creature. At the end of the title sequence we witness an explosion caused by Godzilla as the music stops to focus on the image infront of us, this gives a hint of what we can expect in the movie and what the monster can do. This leaves the audience looking forward to what's coming and hopefully keep them interested.

Leslie Shatz: Sound Designer

Leslie Shatz is well known for being the sound designer for movies such as The Mummy, 12 Years a Slave, If I Stay, Earth To Echo, Warm Bodies, Twilight, Alien: Resurrection, Scream, Ghost, Star Wars and 185 others! She's been nominated for 1 Oscar, 2 wins and 9 other nominations.

Heres an interview with Shatz: http://www.fipresci.org/undercurrent/issue_0106/shatz_klinger.htm

Within this scene from The Mummy (1999) we see the land of where Imhotep 'keeper of the dead' lives and rules, and also AnckSuNamun the pharaohs mistress who Imhotep risks his life to be with. Their plans go wrong as Imhotep is then sacrificed for his behaviour. The music that plays at the beginning of the movie clip is obviously Egyptian style as it is set there and calm, which then changes slightly and is higher pitch as they kiss but you know something is about to happen as what they're doing is forbidden and the doors open behind them. It suddenly quietens and then the music picks up again as the Pharaoh walks through and the music comes across as strong and powerful music like the character as he almost catches Imhotep and AnckSuNamun. The music gets tense as he spots her body paint on his daughters arm has been smudged which he quickly figures out what happened, leading the viewer to think about what is he going to do next and what are the consequences of their actions. But any viewers guesses would be resulted wrong as we see Imhotep and the Pharaohs daughter stab him, and the music gets louder as we know what they're doing is wrong. The music is quieter as they speak in Egyptian and we hear some dialogue at last as they plan what they're going to do to no get caught. This carries on as Imhotep is taken away by Pharaohs bodyguards and more come in to capture his daughter, until she claims "my body is no longer his temple!" and stabs herself to save Imhotep which does not go to plan. The music is suddenly loud and dramatic as what is happening is a horrible scene for Imhotep as he witness the love of his life kill herself, but it isn't sad, we're not suppose to feel pity or sympathy for him as he is the antagonist of this movie. This music and their sinful actions shows us who is later on to be the movies villains and give us an idea of what is to come.

William Jacobs: Sound Designer

William Jacobs is a well-known for such films as Spy Kids 1-4, Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, The O.C, Sin City, Spiderman, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Twister, Hook, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charlies Angels and 201 other movies! William has won 5 Primetime Emmys and been nominated for 4 other awards.

In this scene we see Carmen and Juni taking on the Ucada assignment and currently stranded on the island with no working gadgets trying to track down the Transmooker device. They have just ran away from a giant Spider-Monkey and ended up climbing and inactive volcano, as they lean over to take a look Juni gets knocked over the edge by the Flying Pig and Carmen catches him in time however as their devices do not work they must climb back up which leads to the string snapping and them falling into the volcano.

The music here starts off quiet as they have just reached the top but then suddenly stops indicating something is about to happen and when Juni is knocked over. the sound effect of the Pig is emphasised because of its size, then the music really picks up from here. It's suddenly much louder and tense until Carmen grabs Juni's leg, then it's quieter again but still tense because it is not going smoothly. The sound of the string stretching as Juni climbs up it is exaggerated greatly as it begins to stretch too far and then snaps to indicate and emphasis whats happening and the scariness of it and the music has also stopped again. The music again picks up pace as they fall but then calms down as they're still calmly falling into the volcano which feels like they've been falling "for like 3 hours". The sounds of the wind around them as they fall is exaggerated to show they're still falling and how far they're falling until they reach the loud sound effect of the fire at the end which is led to be just an illusion. 

Chris Assells: Sound Designer

Chris Assells is a well-known sound designer for such movies as Into The Storm, Hunger Games, SkyFall, Step Up, Blood Diamond, Abduction, Godzilla, Scooby Doo, 27 Dresses, Troy, G.I Joe and 176 others! He has been awarded with a Primetime Emmy and 4 other wins and 14 nominations.

Here is an interview with Chris: http://designingsound.org/2011/08/inside-look-at-the-creation-of-movie-sound-effects/

Within this scene from Into The Storm where the crazy camera crew are warning two Jackass wannabes to get to safety they get a unexpected surprise from a tornado forming a few feet away, and of course the crew want to get a shot of it as they do not move and stay close to capture whats infront of them. As the scene continues they realise they must move fast as the tornado is quickly catching up with them. For this scene there is actually no backing track but it mainly focuses more on the effects itself, for example the alarm at the beginning is loud to tell you there are warnings of a extreme storm, the sounds of wind slowing speeding up is clear as the tornado is forming and when it hits the ground its very exaggerated. This shows the size and the damages it causes. Again the same for when the tornado hits and destroys the building infront it shows mass of damage its causing and the size of the tornado, when it cuts to a scene of the father and son trying to drive through the town the sound of the wheels and the smashed glass is exaggerated as they spin around from the strong winds. Then as they all try to find shelter and the father and meteorologist is left outside in the storm all we can really hear is strong winds around them which really makes you feel as though you are there in the middle of the action. The use of just effects and no music is actually very effective in the scene as you don't need the tense music along with the images, this is because of whats on screen is already tense enough to keep you glued to it. It makes the sound effects of crashing, screaming and the winds more evident and makes it the main focus of the scene as it continues to get louder and louder and the more worse it gets.