Today, I presented my third opening title sequence idea to my class in order to get feedback as to what aspects of the idea were good and where I could I improve my idea. Overall, the story line for the potential opening sequence was received well. For example, the idea that the character would remain faceless in order to create an air of mystery was a well-liked aspect of the idea. However, there were some questions raised as to how certain elements of the opening title sequence would be executed.
Firstly, one of my classmates asked where I would film the scene of the man's garden. Additionally, another person raised the fact that tea leaves used to make tea are dried, so it wouldn't make sense for them to be used to make tea directly after being picked from the plant growing in the garden. In order to address both these questions, it was suggested that the opening sequence could begin in the kitchen, which would also avoid the issue of finding a suitable space for the garden. Below are some images of It was suggested that instead of leaves, the man's kitchen could contain poisonous berries which could be squeezed into hot water in order to create tea with poisonous properties. For example, holly berries are poisonous which could be contained in a plastic bag stored inside the kitchen.
holly berries which would be stored inside bag
inspiration for the kitchen set
One classmate also raised the question of how it would be possible to cast an elderly man given that there aren't any teachers in the school who are old enough to be cast for this role. Therefore, I decided that instead of an elderly man, the character would be roughly between the ages of thirty five and fifty to make it easier to cast someone for this role. Furthermore, the character would wear gloves which would add to the sense of mystery and hint at the poisonous nature of the berries. It would also mean that the age of the actor cast in the role would be less important.
My third idea is an opening to a thriller film in which an atmosphere of tension and suspense would be created and introduces an antagonist. The opening sequence would begin with a man in his garden collecting leaves from a strange-looking plant. At first the man would appear to be harmless due to his old age and his beautiful garden. However, there would be something much darker going on.
The man would take the leaves from this plant into his kitchen and begin making tea with these leaves. We would then see close-up shots of him washing his hands and taking off the gloves which would accompany an eerie non-diegetic soundtrack, indicating that something is not quite right. The man would then walk into the living room of the house and place the tea on the coffee table before serving a cup for his guest, a woman of roughly the same age. The opening would end with her taking a sip of the tea.
The man would be wearing a baggy trousers and wellies with a fleece and a close- up shot of his wrinkled hands would reveal his age. However, his face would not be revealed in order to create a sense of mystery around him. The woman would wear a tea dress and a cardigan resembling the style in the picture below.
possible costume for the male character
inspiration for the female character's costume
The rest of the film would follow the man, a secret serial killer and the disappearance of several people in a small village.
My second idea for an opening title sequence would be of the western genre. It follows the western film convention of a conflict between two small towns set in a barren landscape. It would also include a violent shoot-out scene which would adhere to the audience's expectations of this genre.
Inspired by a scene from the 2018 western film "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs", the opening sequence would introduce two cowboys, one dressed in white and one dressed in black, immediately indicating that they belong to opposing towns. Their cotume would be typical of a cowboy including a cowboy hat, boots and a neckerchief. The first two shots would be each of the characters riding in on horses. This would follow an eyeline match in which there would be an extra close-up shot of one of the character's eyes followed by an extra close-up shot of the other cowboy. Close-up shots of the characters' boots and hats would build the image of these cowboys inkeeping with the stereotype of this character. They would then begin to fire shots at each other resulting in one character being fatally shot and falling to the ground. The opening would end with the victorious cowboy riding into the distance.
costume from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
The setting would be a large isolated field to appear as if this scene is taking place in a rural landscape.The rest of the film would follow the rivalry between the towns that the two cowboys represent.
My first idea for an opening title sequence would be a drama. Films in the drama genre tend to be very character focussed and driven and this opening would focus mainly on introducing and building our expectations of the protagonist.
The opening would begin with a scene in which a teenaged girl is lying on her bed in her bedroom staring up at the ceiling and she gets up from her bed and sits her desk. She would stand up and looks at her calendar and shifts to and close-up shot of her calendar which is filled with events such as parties. The camera then focusses on one particular event - "Zoe's birthday". The non-diegetic soundtrack would shift to a downbeat tone and at the same time the character's mood would visibly change to match the sorrowful tone. It is the anniversary of the protagonist's sister's death (although the audience would not know this yet.)
The room would be decorated with posters and there would be etchings and engravings in the wall as well as clothes on the floor, clearly indicating that it is a teenager's room. The costume would be a grey skirt and white shirt which would further indicate that the girl is around fifteen to seventeen years old. The bedroom setting would take inspiration from the film Lady Bird (2017) which can be seen in the picture below.
set inspiration from the film "Lady Bird"
The rest of the film would be follow the character on the day of her sister's death through the eye's of the protagonist.
The role of a director is to be in control of all the creative elements of the production and to manage all of the cast and crew. An example of a famous director is Greta Gerwig, a female American director whose most well known work includes Ladybird (2018) and Little Women (2019). Gerwig revealed that she believes acting can prepare you well for directing as it helps the director to understand the role of an actor on set and the ways in which they respond to the director.
Camera operators are in control of all the camera work. They work to capture all the action through operating all the camera equipment. One well known camera operator is Sir Roger Deakins who has been awarded two academy awards One of which was awarded for his work on Bladerunner (2017) and the other for 1917 in 2019.
Deakins said that he believes life experience is the best training for camera operators as it is about the lens through which you view the world and can't be learnt in a traditional sense. He also advises that you should be particular with the kinds of films that you work on and to wear comfortable clothes so that you can move around easily on set in order to achieve the desired shot.
The role of the editor is to put together all the footage, creating a finished product in which one scene transitions into the next in the correct order. One famous editor is Alan Edward Bell who has worked on many successful films including 500 Days of Summer (2009), The Amazing Spiderman (2012) and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013). It is advised that aspiring film editors should frequently watch films in order to observe how the editing creates the pacing of the film and that attending film school is also helpful as it teaches the technical skills that are needed for the role.
The Art Director/DOP chooses and design the sets and locations where the film will be filmed. Art directors also oversee the building of models that will be used in the film. Gary Tomkins is a well known art director who has worked on films including "Star Wars Ep. VII: The Force Awakens" (2015), "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II" (2011) and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (2009). Tomkins was awarded the British Film Designers Guild's Outstanding Contribution to the Art Department for his work. To become in art director, it is generally helpful to have a background in design, whether that be interior design, architecture as well as other sectors. It is important to have good communication skills, time-management and problem solving skills in order to fulfil the role.
Producers are responsible for organising the creation of the film. They hire all the roles needed to make the film including the director, writers, editors as well as other creative roles. Producers are in control of organising the financing of the film and they supervise the film during pre-production, production and post-production. Kevin Feige is and American film producer has worked as the producer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2007. Some of his most famous work includes "Spider-Man 3" (2007), "Iron Man" (2008) and "Avengers: Endgame" (2019). Some general advise for producers new to the film scene is to know how to raise money for films and to understand the roles of others on the film set and respect their visions to ensure that the team works well together.
Titles appear at the opening of a film in order to inform the audience of who has been involved in the production of a film. They show key institutional information.
Traditionally, you would expect the twenty one titles to appear in this order:
Money
Production
Directors name film
Main star
Film title
Actor 1 – (end of main section)
Actor 2
Actor 3
Actor 4
Actor 5
Casting
Costume designer
Music
Edited
Production designer
Director of Photography (DOP)
Executive Producer
Produced by
Based upon
Screen play (writer)
Director
Titles can be used in a number of creative ways, helping to support the tone and narrative of the opening. This includes the font, colour and placement of the titles. For example, the opening title sequence of "500 Days of Summer"is particularly successful in establishing the tone and genre of the film."500 Days of Summer"
The title sequence clearly establishes the two main film protagonists of the film as home film footage that appears quite grainy appears on the screen. The first two shots are extra close up shots of one of each of the character's eyes which immediately hints some sort of relationship between the characters. The fact that the two characters appear side by side indicates that these characters did not know each other when they were young but will be somehow connected in the film. Since we see these characters appear side by side and appear to be the same age, one might infer that they may end up being romantically involved in the film. This indicates that the film is likely to be a romance film.
The non-diegetic soundtrack that plays over the top has quite a light-hearted tone and mentions the word "us" and "we're" throughout further conveying the impression that these characters will be be connected throughout the film. It is difficult for the audience to know exactly when the film is set but due to the fact that the old home film footage is coloured we know that it must have been set some time in the modern era. However, it is quite grainy which suggests that the footage was taken before the time in which the film is set. It also creates an atmosphere which is perhaps realistic and not so polished which suggests that the tone of the film might reflect this. Therefore, it might tell a realistic story that is easy for the audience to relate to. Although the film does not reveal exactly where the film is set, we see several shots of a playground, a pond and a tractor that resemble the modern day world which suggests that it is modern, real-world setting. The font used is also very simple which contributes to the simple and authentic tone.
In the opening title sequence for Grease, a range of techniques are used to convey the genre and tone, and to hint at the narrative of the film. A non-diegetic upbeat soundtrack plays throughout. The title "Grease" appears on the screen which creates a fun and vibrant tone. The soundtrack features the line "Grease is the word" several times which suggests that the genre of the film is likely to be a musical.
A range of techniques are also used to convey the time and period of the film to the audience. The animation used throughout the opening title sequence is reminiscent of the style of the 1950s which suggests that this is the time period in which the film is set. The style of this font also seems to be from another time period, helping to portray a nostalgic tone. The costume that the characters wear also establishes that this film is set in the 1950s and their are various key moments in which historical figures such as Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe appear on screen which makes the audience aware of the time period.
We are then introduced to a few characters and the various friendship groups that they seem to be involved in. The first character Danny, is portrayed as a typical teenager. The fact that he appears first in the opening title sequence suggests that he is the lead character of the film. His room is very messy and various popular culture posters are displayed around his room which portray his age and also suggest that he is laid back. He appears as quite vain as he looks into the mirror and takes care applying hair gel to style his hair, also suggesting that he is popular amongst his age group. At the end of this section the actors name appears on the screen stating that they appear in the film as “Danny”. this adds to the musical theatre element of the film.
The section dedicated to Danny is then juxtaposed with the a section dedicated to the character Sandy. Sandy is portrayed as a beautiful and somewhat naïve young girl. This is portrayed as she wakes up and gets up elegantly from her bed. Various animated animals surround her which adds to this impression as it creates a fairytale like image that makes the character seem like a Disney princess.
The opening title sequence also introduces two groups and the actors who play the members of two groups known as the "pink ladies' and the "T-birds" which we can infer might be cliques at the high school in which the film is set. The colours pink and blue create the impression that these groups will be stereotypically masculine and feminine. We know that the setting is a school as the opening ends with a cartoon of school that comes to life. This lets the audience know that the school is a central location to the storyline.
American Horror Story
In contrast, the opening title sequence of American Horror Story establishes a very different tone and atmosphere. The opening title sequence takes place in a basement of a house and immediately established a chilling atmosphere which lets us know that it will be a horror show. The lack of lighting and strange non-diegetic soundtrack create the impression that there is something sinister taking place in the house.
There a range of close-up shots of photographs of babies juxtaposed with violent objects such as scissors covered in blood and jars containing skills which creates a disconcerting atmosphere as we associate babies with innocence and goodness. This suggests that the narrative may involve murder or some form of torture. This fits in with the title which appears at the end revealing that it will be a horror story. The POV shots and short shot duration add to the mystery as the objects are gone almost before we can fully decipher them and the POV shots create the sense that we are witnessing this through the eyes of an unknown individual. Although we do see pictures of some individuals we are not yet introduced to any characters.
Though we cannot be entirely sure, the appearance of black and white images in shattered photo frames suggests that the story may involve the revisiting of previous events that took place in this house in a modern day setting. However, there is no way of the audience deducing the season in which it is set. Several titles appear on screen which appear in a strange font. This may reflect the strange and unsettling nature of events that will take place. For example it is stated that the show is created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk in the same strange font that we have seen previous titles in.
Although both opening title sequences are successful in establishing the genre and tone and hinting at the storyline, I believe that the opening title sequence to American Horror Story is more effective because it gives clues to the themes of the narrative but still leaves much to be uncovered. In contrast, I believe that whilst Grease sets up the film well and is a clear introduction it is not as intriguing as quite a lot has been revealed already.
