Feedback/developing our idea

We pitched our idea to our idea in order to receive feedback. Firstly, it was suggested that we should remove the tea cup aspect of our idea as it contrasted with the seriousness of the subject matter. Therefore, our group came up with the idea of feeding the victim the poisonous substance through either a drip or through a funnel attached with duct tape. However, although we are no longer using a tea cup, we decided that we would stick with the idea of using berries to poison the woman as because they aren't as suspicious as pure poison, which is important given that the man would later attempt to cover his tracks in the film.

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We were also told that it would should come up with a more detailed background tory to explain why this murder occurs and how these characters are related to one another. It was suggested that the two characters could be brother and sister, who do not get along well with each other. After the death of the characters' father. The man murders his sister so that he receives all the family's inheritance money and could use it not only for his self but also to pay for his son's needs. However, in murdering his sister, he realises that he enjoyed the act of killing her and goes on to become a serial killer.  

                                              

We also received feedback on the location. It was suggested that a greenhouse would be an intriguing and visual setting for the opening sequence. Therefore, our group decided that we would like to film the opening sequence in the Beatrice Webb tea room. In this room, it would be possible to film a range of interesting shots, including one of the silhouette of the man.

Group Presentation Pitch

 

Getting into production groups and early organisation

 Today, we were put into the production groups that we will be working in to create our opening sequences. I was put into a group of three with Meadow and Matthew. As a group, we created both a Whatsapp group chat and a Snapchat group so that we can easily keep in contact which will allow us to allocate tasks and to arrange times when we can meet over the coming week to work on our presentation of our idea. 

 

We used the snapchat group chat to shared our emails as a further point of contact and we also shared our timetables so that we could identify time slots in which we are all free to work on the presentation as a group. It is particularly important that we find time slots in which we are all free throughout the school day given that we are all in different houses which means that at the end of the school day we will be unable to discuss the presentation in person. 

Concept idea for opening title sequence 3 feedback

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.

Concept idea for opening title sequence 3

 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.

Concept idea for opening title sequence 2

 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. 

Concept idea for opening title sequence 1

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.