Research : The Importance of Opening Titles

Titles

Opening titles; the introduction to a film. These often crucial sequences have developed from simple text introducing the film/actors, to full-blown animated introductions. The opening titles are often used to set the tone for the film, and typically have some similarity to the film itself. For example, the opening for a horror film would typically be composed of reds and dark colours. However, if for example, the film was set inside a hospital, the colour palette in the title sequence could be more cool, harsh colours, like blues and whites. This would be an example of the title sequence illustrating the setting for the film. In title sequences, music is also used which holds some similarity to the tone of the film. An example of this is the introduction to an interview with the makers of a game called The Last of Us. The music they use echoes the tone of the game itself; melancholic and bleak. 

The actual intro to the interview isn't on
Youtube; this is the song itself.

In a horror film intro, they could use dramatic stringy music to set the tone for a fast-paced horror film. In contrast, a film that relies more on subtlety as opposed to outright action could use ambience as opposed to music.

In opening titles, the information gives typically is;
The names of the companies who produced and distributed the film
The name of the director
The name of the producer
The name of the lead/star actor(s)
The name of the film
(^ in no particular order ^)

There are several ways a title can be presented to the audience. Back in the genesis of film, titles were often presented as 'cards', projected onto a screen. They held simply the name of the film, the director, the actors, and some miscellaneous information. Later on, title cards developed to have frames, and eventually become animated around the 1950s. Some examples of early animated title cards are 'North by Northwest' by Alfred Hitchcock.

This animation was developed by Saul Bass, a man who was revolutionary and instrumental in the progression of film titles.

Since then, film titles have only developed further. They have evolved beyond simple frames with which to introduce the film, and are now used to generate emotions and set the scene for the entire film. Some of the most memorable parts of films can be the title sequences (see; The Pink Panther, which had an opening sequence iconic enough to generate an animated cartoon, merchandise, etc.), and they have become an instrumental part of many films today.

RESEARCH: CONVENTIONS IN HORROR FILMS

A CONVENTION is a trend, such as a setting, scene or theme, that is commonly followed within a genre. For example, an action movie convention might be an explosion. In horror movies, common conventions include isolation, foreshadowing, and illogical/idiotic actions from characters (such as hiding upstairs or in a bathroom).

One example of a horror convention is a fake scare. A character can be exploring somewhere, music is building, they're slowly opening a door or a curtain, and all of a sudden, a bird flies out. The character jumps, laughs it off, then turns around and gets stabbed through the chest by the antagonist.

In films, the character usually doesn't react as strongly.

The character does not always get hit with a real scare after a fake scare. Fake scares are typically used to keep the audience on edge during the opening parts of a film (when the plot/characters are usually being developed), or in the build up to the climax. When used at the start, they are typically not followed by a real scare. However, later in the film, they usually are; this is because they can play off of the sense of relief that a person feels when a fake scare is over. The audience feels safe, and by following a fake scare with a real one, it can make a jumpscare even more effective and remove that sense of security for the rest of the film. They can also be used to introduce a villain; The character can be spooked by something insignificant, turn around and realise that the villain had been breathing down their neck. This gives the audience a good view of the villain, and places the character in immediate danger.

Another example of a convention is someone investigating a strange noise. For instance, if you hear something moving behind a curtain, a (usually minor) character will go to investigate it. The trip to said curtain will be suspenseful, and the sound may grow louder. The sound could be coming from far away, or from another floor; this would isolate the expendable character from the rest of the cast, and make them easy for the villain to pick off.

This convention is usually used in order to develop a villain, or set the scene for the next murders. The character who investigates the sound is typically used as a kind of sacrificial lamb- their death may be used to introduce the villain to the audience, or to the rest of the cast. Their death typically sets the story in motion. This can be used in conjunction with fake scares, and followed up by a real scare. This technique may require suspension of disbelief from the audience; in a realistic situation, nobody would hear heavy breathing from under their bed and decide to go investigate by jamming their arm in there.

In addition, another convention is people hiding underneath windows/behind doors from a villain. This can be a set-up for a camera shot of the antagonist walking past the window slowly. In addition, they can just smash through the window/door, grab the character, and rip them to shreds (usually while the protagonist watches on in horror).

Lots of horror movies rely on suspense and subtlety.
However, some antagonists can take a more
head-first approach to scaring the audience.

This convention is used because it places an often unaware character in great danger. If used with a window, it allows the audience to see the villain and build tension, without the character being aware. If the character is unaware of the danger they are in, the audience can feel even more suspense and fear on behalf of them. In addition, the door variation of this convention can set up a character for a sacrificial death; upon being grabbed through the door, they may realise the error of their ways and give themselves up to the antagonist, buying time for the other characters to escape.

In conclusion, horror movies can follow a string of conventions. They are usually used because they work; most of the current conventions are used because of their tried-and-true effectiveness. However, if overused in a film, the film can become bland and predictable. The very nature of horror films means that the same tricks will not always work twice on the audience; particularly the horror savvy. While a newcomer to the genre may not always notice it, many horror movies are simply repetitive, bland copies of other films. The same can be said for conventions; many of them work in cycles, falling in and out of favour as audiences become used to them and find them predictable.

The History of Horror Films

Preliminary Task: Final product

Evaluation:

The task set was to create a short film about 2 characters. One character was meant to walk into a room, sit down and talk to the other character. We were instructed to demonstrate use of match-on-action and the 180 degree rule. In addition, we had to use a variety of camera shots, angles and movements.

Before we starting filming, we wrote a script. This was easy enough; it took only a few minutes, as the film was meant to be short. This made sure the actors had something to say as opposed to ad-libbing. Then, we had to create a storyboard. We used a storyboarding website for this.  This helped us pre-plan the camera shots/angles and the general way we should film the footage.In addition, it helped us comprehend the pacing of the film. Then, we had to cast our characters. This was difficult, as we had to re-cast after getting some footage (One of the actors developed tonsillitis and was off school when we had planned to film). However, it worked out as another actor was available. Finally, we had to gain permission to use the areas we planned to film in. This was easy as the music staff were cooperative after we explained out intentions to them. This meant we did not have to rearrange the filming location.

The actual filming was not without difficulty. We had originally filmed about 2/3 of the film before one of our actors became ill. Due to time constraints we could not wait for his recovery, and so we had to swap him out for another actor. This led to us re-filming most of the film in about 50 minutes.  This also caused continuity problems; we were unable to reshoot some of the footage we had filmed the day earlier. As such, the priest (Max Ryan) was wearing different outfits in separate takes, damaging the continuity of the film. In addition, the tripod we had received was missing it's foot, so due again to time constraints we opted to simply steady it using other means. This meant the footage was moderately shakier than it could've been, although we were able to edit out the majority of the shaking. In addition, background noise posed a minor issue and caused us to have to perform several takes. The final issue we had with the filming was room constraints. Due to the close nature of the intended room, we were unable to move a piano around to the intended position. This caused us to relocate one of the filming locations to a larger room; as such we had to reshoot even more footage in order to preserve the integrity of the film's continuity.

Editing the film was time-consuming. Both Mr Henton and classmate/collaborator Sam Thomson assisted me with editing (Both have previous experience with using Adobe Premier Pro). The audio was not synched up originally, and as such I spent a large amount of time mixing and clipping the audio to maintain volume and continuity between several takes. In addition, the disjointed nature of the filming made the film experience several continuity errors. The most notable of these is the lighting and clothing. It was impossible to change the clothing errors, but I was able to correct some of the lighting in post-production to make it less noticeable. I was able to use photoshop to produce an image (the establishing shot), and I used chroma-keying to overlay a rain effect. Finally, the task was created in an incorrect aspect ratio/setting; unfortunately, in the original edit, the entire thing was too zoomed in and the shot size was inconsistent at best. To remedy this I had to re-edit the entire thing (however, due to experience I had previously gained editing it the first time, I completed it in a much shorter space of time). I believe the editing as a whole went pretty well, and overall it took about 90 minutes for me to complete.

In conclusion, I believe the Preliminary task was neither great nor terrible. I am unsure if we met the design brief; in some people's eyes, this would not constitute a conversation. However, we showed evidence of us using the 180 degree rule, and match-on-action. I believe the strengths lie in the acting, subject-matter (which gave us freedom to work on a project that was somewhat unique) and the sound mixing. However some of it's weaknesses include continuity and the transitions between sounds, as well as the way we were made to edit (two separate edits of the same film). However I believe the re-editing was a good thing, as it gave us a higher quality product in the long run. Overall I believe the task was reasonably good, as it met the design specification to a decent level.