First Ideas

My partner for the main task is Tom. We shared similar ideas of creating the opening scene to a teen drama, before deciding that it was probably not the option best suited to us. We then talked about doing a crime scene/gangster type film, yet decided that we would not be able to supply sufficient props or characters to do so. We have finally settled on creating the opening to a psychological horror, similar to Paranormal Activity or The Blair Witch Project. Our target audience is older teens and adults, as the horror aspect is not suitable for younger children and the complexity of the psychological aspect will not be understood.
The protagonist in our piece will probably appear to be a normal everyday character, with underlying psychological demons. This is an idea inspired by "Dexter", a character who appears normal at first glance but as the audience is introduced it becomes clear that there is something odd about the character.

From Concept To Screen : Dexter

In the opening title sequence of "Dexter", we see the normal everyday occurances of what appears to be a middle aged man, from the moment that he awakes. However, his actions have a somewhat sinister and weird  aspect which is conveyed by an odd, upbeat yet slightly austere non-diegetic music, which creates feelings that there is something odd and unexpected about this character. The actions of this character that may we may usually consider normal or acceptable are accompanied by close up camera shots, an unusual track and visible suspicious facial expressions of the character which convey an aspect of severity and weirdness of this character, and cause the audience to re-think that what he is doing is normal. The clever mise-en-scene and camera shots convey an aspect of violence to what would otherwise be considered normal. For example, the shot above shows him squashing a spider, something which an everyday person may do without thinking twice about, yet the diegetic sound of his hand smacking it convey an aspect of violence. The smug look on his face along with the non-diegetic music that accompanies this opening sequence convey an idea that there is something odd within this character, he appears to be getting joy out of taking the life of a living thing.

Again, the following shot also conveys an aspect of underlying violence to his typical actions. The blood on his arm where the spider previously was conveys thoughts typically associated with murder.

The title is in block capitals, writing which is completely normal and offers no obscurity, yet it is a deep red which conveys both violence, again again thoughts of murder. The smudges on the writing appear to be blood,  and it also demonstrates splatterings of it. Again this conveys feelings of violence. As the writing is fairly typical and of normal yet with a hint of the smudged blood, it backs up the idea that at first glance Dexter appears a normal character yet there is an underlying aspect of obscurity and violence.

Here is a shot with the protagonist looking in the mirror. There is a shallow depth of field which causes the audience to not be able to see his face clearly, again making the character seem slightly odd and perhaps intimidating. The sillouhette of his body is clearly visible, which conveys him as just a normal man, but the way in which his face is not visible again conveys obscurity on behalf of the character.  The lighting that is used is noir, creating an aura of darkness to what lies ahead and to the characteristics of this man. The fact that he is looking in the mirror and his face is still not visible suggests that maybe he is unsure of himself and is perhaps suffering with something mentally.

Again, this shot shows another reference to blood, along with the read typical style writing that appears in block capitals throughout the opening sequence. He is engaged in what is typical considered a normal everyday activity of a male: shaving. A male cutting skin resulting in bleeding is also a very normal thing to happen, yet this shot shows the blood slowly trickling down his neck, making us focus on it and creating feelings of unease as this opening sequence seems obsessive over the idea of blood. Again, the non-diegetic music that accompanies the opening title sequence make this everyday occurance seem all the more odd.

Again the feelings of murder are again apparent in this shot which shows him slicing through meat with a sharp knife. This is also something that is completely acceptable in everyday life, however the non diegetic sound which accompanies it is that of a slight tearing, a suspicious noise which is somewhat severe and conveys an aspect of violence. 

This is a typical breakfast associated with anybody that leads a typical British lifestyle. However, the tomato ketchup that is present on the plate appears suspicious after all the other references to blood. It creates an element of suspicion over whether this normal everyday condiment is what it first appears. Likewise to Dexter, there seems an underlying aspect and complexity to this character which first appears normal.

Shots which appear to have an underlying aspect of violence continually appear throughout the opening sequence, showing the protagonist engaging in his usual morning rituals yet with an aura of severity and uncomfort. 

Research : Analysis of the opening of Juno.

The opening sequence of Juno tells its audience many things about the way in which the rest of the film will be. For example, we first see Juno walking down a street alone, suggesting that she is a character that is independent and can think for herself. She is holding a carton of sunny D which conveys that she is a typical American teenager. Her clothing shows she makes little effort and does not appear concerned with fashion, her jeans and hoodie convey a tomboyish style. It also shows that she is quite childlike as Sunny D is typically associated with children. The music is a quirky kind of folk track, not the sort of music a typical sort of teenager would listen to. The lyrics convey feelings of a relationship, connoting that the film will have an aspect of romance.  The lyrics state “If I was a tree, you would be the leaves” connoting that she is rather innocent and engaged in a teenage romance and that a ‘coming of age’ story might follow.

Fox searchlight is the indie bit of 21^st century fox, which suggest that this film is going to be quirky. The way in  which it is completely hand-drawn show that to this character nothing is very realistic, she appears trapped within her own bubble and separate to the outside world. The colours used are simplistic, also connoting ideas of childhood. It is also quite comic and cartoon like which also connotes feelings of childhood.

We see the character passing a street full of shops, and the background appears rather dull in comparison to her bright red clothing. This connotes that she somewhat sticks out and is slightly different, in a surrounding which appears normal and banal. It suggests that she may be a slightly “oddball” character, as she appears to stand out from her surroundings whilst not appearing considerably extravagant. 

This shot shows a team of runners passing her, and they appear to go unnoticed to Juno. This shows that other peoples way of life does not bother her and she is much concerned with her own. It also connotes that she does not fit into any typical American stereotypes such as Jocks or cheerleaders, again conveying her as an individual.

We see her balancing on something in a park, which shows she is in her own world and does not appear to be particularly concerned with anything, considering she is on her way to buy a pregnancy test perhaps connotes naivety. It is also quite a childlike thing to do, and her surroundings of a park also connote childlike behaviour. 

Research: Key Conventions

The key conventions of the opening sequences of films are typically details of the cast and crew, the title of the film, production companies, an introduction to characters or character types, indication of the place and time, information regarding the mood and tone, information about the genre, enigmas that may be of interest to the viewer, narrative expectations depicting what may happen in the film, or links to narrative theories. Any of these things are key conventions that typically appear in the openings to films. Flashbacks, Voice Overs, Exposition, or an introduction to the signature theme tune may also be included.
We looked at openings to films such as "Brick" and "Juno" in order to depict the key conventions.

Here you can see that the title of the film is being introduced in the opening sequence, a typical key convention included in the openings of films, acting as an introduction to the film.

Also, the time, date and setting of the film is introduced through a still image which helps the viewer understand more about the location and setting of the film. This is also a key convention of film openings.

Main Task

The main task is to produce the titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes.All of the video and audio material must be original and produced by nobody other than the members of the group.However,  We  are permitted to use music or audio effects from a non copyright source. There must be no more than three members per group. We must organise actors, locations, costumes and props, as well as working on a storyboard, shotlists, layouts, drafting, and scripting. To attain maximum marks we must demonstrate excellent use of digital technology or ICT in our presentation.