Final credits

I used Video Co-Pilot to help us create our final credits for a professional and vibrant look compared to our original credits in the rough cut. I followed one of Video Co-Pilot's tutorials for their blockbuster titles. The credits zoomed into the screen in bold with a bright flash when they appeared. After finalising our font and text for the titles, I decided to stylise the titles and emphasise the lighting effect with an special effect of rain. The effect gave a darker, grittier look to the credits, which is what we originally wanted. I also believe the transitions we have used between the credits is effective and overall the blockbuster feel has been achieved.

30 Days Earlier possible credits

Here is a possible credit sequence I created a few weeks ago as we were editing the final cut of our sequence. We have since scraped the credits and picked far more professional and stylised credits created on Adobe After Effects. Though, I do like this credit sequence as I mixed it with the opening shot and narration, a technique we didn't think to use for our opening sequence.

Matthew Wright

Due to unforseen circumstances, one of our influential members of our group will unfortunately not be able to carry on with this course. This was a result from a complication that arose from a simple medical operation, that has unfortunately left Matthew Wright with paralysis of his left leg. He will be sorely missed, and we wish him all the best.

Get well soon Matt!

Location research - alleys

This is my primary research into possible locations we could use for the re-shooting of our alley shot. Our original shot didn't show a great deal of the beaten-up protagonist and the area itself didn't seem dark enough as we intended. In this video, I ponder whether we could use other areas instead of alleys and the micro elements we need to think about when filming.

30 Days Earlier trailer

This is the trailer for our title sequence. I edited together many of our original scenes along with a few scenes I created for a more dramatic effect and to give a back story to the sequence. I couldn't find any sutiable music for the trailer, so instead decided on using no music to see if it would create a tense atmosphere with only close-up shots and quick cuts.

Film Certification

After deciding on the narrative, I decided to determine what certification our film should have. To find out exactly how we should certify the film, I took secondary research.


Film Certification

Film Certificates are used to restrict certain age groups being exposed or possibly harmed by scenes in a film. The British Broadcast of Film Classifaction is an independent, non-governmental body which has classified british cinema films since 1912.

U - Universal films

Films with this certification are suitable for four years and over. U Films are usually set within a positive framework and offer reassuring counterbalances to any violence, threat or horror.

PG - Parental Guidance

Films with this certification is general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children. This is why it is required for parents of young children to accompany them. A PG film shouldn't disturb a child aged around eight or older.

12A/12

12A certification has taken over from 12 in recent years. 12A allows children younger than 12 to watch a film, though they have to be accompanied by an adult. 12A films can contain mature themes, discrimination, soft drugs, mild swear words and moderate violent/sex references. 12 certification only exists with video works. No one youunger than 12 may rent or buy a 12 rated video work.

15

No one under 15 can watch or buy a film with this certification. Films under this category can contain adult themes, hard drugs, strong words, moderate-strong violence/sex references and mild non-detailed sex activity.

18

Only adults are permitted to watch a film with this certification. Films under this category have no limitation on bad language that is used, hard drugs are generally allowed and strong viloent/sex references along with non-detailed sex activity is allowed.

-Research taken from bbfc.co.uk and wikipedia.com-

After gathering all the relevant research, I examined the certifications along with the narrative of our title sequence to see which would suit our film best. We have chosen for a 12A certification as the film contains mature themes, some moderate violent references and no swearing or discrimination. I feel though that film suits best with 11 upwards due to the plot and references we have included.

Whilst we thought about the right certification, we also wanted to expand on our original target audience and appeal to family audiences as they are currently the largest cinema audience, with many films targeting family audiences.

Rough cut Questionaire for feedback

The questions above will be asked to a wide variety of people and we will be filming the response. The questions are of a wide range as we wanted to get as much feedback and suggestions as possible to make our film as appealing to the audience as possible.

The shoot - props, costumes, locations and filming

We prepared our requirements for the shoot two weeks beforehand whilst we were still planning what we were going to use.

Props
We had to carefully plan when and where we wanted to use our props as they were essential to the sequence, mainly because most of them had credits on. We did include more props than we expected and removed some that we realised weren't particularly necessary. To make our sequence more realistic, we decided to use a contemporary mobile phone as a prop in one of the establishing shots, as audiences recognise it easily. We also used a coffee cup momentarily in five of the shots to give this effect. The problem we had with our main props (posters with credits) was where to place them at Shad Thames. We soon decided on placing them on walls nearby to each other and we also spaced them evenly. Our other props were the two newspapers with credits. Matt and I used them for most scenes, covering the credits on the establishing shot and then holding them completely out so Jade could get a good view for the camera. We also had to be careful where we going to lob the newspapers as there were puddles and mud scattered across the street, this was for mainly continuity and in case we decided to scrap a shot.

Costumes
The costumes were easy for us to pick out as we already set on having the location of London and we wanted to fit in with the large public there. After researching and using our general knowledge of the area we decided on all of us to wear suits and smart wear to fit in with the commuters around London and to follow what would suit our main character: a man going off to work. Matt went for a different approach and wore a large beige coat with smart trousers as he wanted to subtlely give connotations with his costume that he was hiding something and wanted to look menacing.

Locations
We already had an idea which locations we wanted to use in our sequence as we wanted to give the audience understanding to where the film was set, by filming famous landmarks around London. We filmed at the Tower of London then Tower Bridge and the River Thames for this and also filmed the upcoming 2012 Olympic Stadium to give the audience a further understanding to when the film is set. The locations we needed were hard to find included the dead-end alley and a small street. Seeing as we didn't know our way around London properly, we weren't sure where we would find an alley. We decided to use Google Maps and find a suitable street that wasn't too crowded and had enough space to film the chase scene. Soon after searching, we decided on filming at Shad Thamesas it was perfect to place up our posters on plain walls and didn't have too many people in the area. When we were at Shad Thames, we found a nearby alley next to The Dean Swift that was desolate and small, which gives a claustrophobic feel to the scene.

Filming
The filming itself was quite easy as we all had previous experiences filming and took turns at filming scenes to see which of us captured it the best. Establishing and panning shots were relatively easy as we took a slow turn when panning and managed to capture a great deal of the location. We also used my own professional tripod when filming, which had great height and an in-built level meter which helped us to film scenes better. Whilst at location, we decided to take a more creative approach with filming, such as taking risks and capturing a moving shot of the 2012 stadium on the train. We also experimented with a quick pan when filming at the dead-end alley to give the audience a better view of the location and to keep with our current theme of constant live action and using no cuts.
The hardest part of filming for the sequence was the long shot track of the chase scene as we had to risk freehand filming to keep up with the live action and the realistic effect with our sequence. Thankfully, Jade managed to film it properly as she took extra care by filming the scene an extra twenty times to capture all the details and to remove the freehand effect. Another hard shot in our sequence was the mid shot track of the charatcers running. Matt and I took turns in filming this as it was hard to keep the camera steady whilst capturing the running. Again, we didn't want the freehand effect and we managed to refrain from this by holding tightly onto the tripod and camera.

'30 Days Earlier' - Rough cut

This is the rough cut of our title sequence. Unfortunately, we had problems with processing the intended monologue and our first draft of music. We have taken in all the feedback and our currently working on improving the sequence.

Updated Marketing

I have swiftly edited the posters for our distribution of the title sequence with Ryan now in the lead role. I focused on making the posters darker and more innovative than the originals. Also, I created a few merchandise items for promotion.

Marketing in thriller movies

Thriller movies are usually marketed worldwide due to many recent thrillers coming from America. For example, 'The Dark Knight' was promoted heavily with a range of posters and even a viral campaign with the webiste WhySoSerious.com that aimed to interest fans by having them earn what they wanted to see. Fans 'earned' by sending emails which in turn unlocks pixels of pictures from the film. This convergence in promoting is effective as it appeals to the young generation and keeps with the technological times. It also gives fans an interactive experience to view teasers instead of traditionally waiting for releases.

Another film which had effective marketing was 'V For Vendetta', as cast and crew members attended several press conferences where they addressed issues. The film gained publicity due to the controversy that the author Alan Moore, of the original graphic novel didn't want a film to be made. Whilst this was slightly bad for the director and producers, more audiences were interested in the film due to the controversy. I believe this marketing is effective but risky as controversy surrounding a film can cause a major loss at the box office.

Editing

We had a few choices when it came to editing our rough cut and our forthcoming final piece. There was options of simple programs such as Windows Movie Maker, though this didn't have the requirements we needed for cutting pieces. Instead, we chose to use the popular Adobe Premiere Pro as it included effective transitions we could use and also is great for cutting shots. We have also used other Adobe programs such as After Effects for a realistic and dramatic effect in our title sequence.

Marketing

We created work on advertising and a DVD cover for our opening sequence during planning. This is currently being updated with the number of changes we made during production.

Thriller conventions

I researched the forms and conventions of the thriller genre to understand what we would use and develop on in our title sequence. What I discovered included:

Sound
Sound in thriller movies is typically eerie and mysterious. Though, music in sub-genres can be varied such as physcological thrillers. An example of this would be 'The Beach' with the relaxing and paradis-themed music throughout the film to reflect how the characters feel on the beautiful island and also later in the film to show to the audience aurally how the characters feel whilst under the influence of illegal drugs. Other sub-genres include include action thrillers, an example of this being 'The Dark Knight', with loud and anticipating music to build the tension throughout and also to emphasise The Joker's insane and violent behaviour. Another sub-genre which is interesting is revenge thrillers. A specific example of this is 'Kill Bill: Vol.2', which has a unique soundtrack that is similar to Broadway show Chicago. In fact, the film seems more like a play than a movie. I found this incredibly clever as it invests something new to movies and also attracts audiences as it is different.

Titling
Titling in thrillers are also varied depending on the narrative. In 'Reservoir Dogs' The titling is bold and in white and fit well with the seemingly cartoon effects used. Futhermore, the colour changes constantly to stand out and represent each of the main characters effectively. Whilst typical titling in thriller movies audiences would usually expect is bold white titles on a black background. This creates a dramatic effect and creates tension as to what the film is about, as it is unclear at this stage. Films with titling such as this includes 'No Country for Old Men' and 'The Dark Knight'.

Editing

There is two common transitions used in thriller films to create a certain effect. Many thrillers use jump cuts to different scenes of action for a fast-paced effect and to allow the audience to make assumptions of the narrative. This is used in the original 'Get Carter' for a violent effect. The other transition commonly used is a fade through black to create a dramatic effect in a film. The fade is usually slow and may sometimes have titles across to give relevant information to the audience such as the time and place of the next scene. This is used in 'No Country for Old Men' in the opening scene for a quick dramatic effect along with the monologue introducing the characters.

Time management

We created a strict schedule for our shoot at London on Monday 15th November. We devised different time slots for the specific areas whilst containing a sense of flexibility to ensure we would get the best possible shots. We also gave use enough time by leaving for our journey at 09.00 and gathered the filming equipment fifteen minutes beforehand.

Posting schedule

We devised a posting schedule for all of us in the group, to even all the posts. Obviously, this isn't a full planfor all the posts and another schedule should be posted soon when we gathered more ideas. All together we have accumulated the 30 posts evenly to each other, with all the post having interesting information on our planning and production.

Ryan
Genre survey
Target, intended audiences
Shot list
Draft storyboard
Photo storyboard
Footage from London
Editing
Audience's feedback to rough cut
Typical thriller props
Evaluation

Matt
Actor survey
Title sequence characters
Sequence script
Ideas for credits
Possible costumes
Music
Rough cut
Typical thriller camera shots, angles
Evaluation

Jade
Suitable non-copyright music
Mise-en-scene survey
Possible locations
Possible props
Mood board
Casting
Typical thriller costumes
Typical thriller locations
Evaluation

Alex
About us
Music survey
Preliminary task
Title sequence narrative
Thriller conventions
Time management, shooting schedule
The shoot
Finished product
Evaluation

Title sequence narrative

The following is a complete outline of the narrative of our opening sequence:

Arran Mason is lying lifeless in a dead-end alley. He’s horribly beaten and obviously unaware of his current location. As we get to see more of him, he narrates what has happened, though he doesn’t give hardly any information to why he is beaten. The only major point he gives away is this: ‘It started thirty days earlier...’

Along with this line, there is an instant flashback to when ‘it’ all began. Arran is at home preparing for a monotonous day of work with the help of his caring wife, though he only reluctantly allows her. Soon, he is making his way through London, just passing Tower Bridge. Arran fails to notice two shady men keeping a close eye on him. As Arran gets closer to his workplace, the men follow tentatively. Whilst he is walking down a mildly-crowded street, Arran suddenly realises the two men’s presence and desperately tries to escape them by running.

Later on in the deadly chase Arran mistakenly runs into a blocked alley and tries to confront his two enemies. Unfortunately, the men are stronger than he expected and is now completely powerless...

Possible Costumes

More PowerPoint presentations from Alex Barham

Inspiration for story

After researching 10 different thriller opening sequences, I searched typical plots in thriller movies and complex plots used in recent plots. Eventually, our group came to a decision that we would create an original story with influences from many famous thrillers and different themes introduced in thrillers. These influences included:

Kill Bill Vol.1 & 2


The much anticipated two-part thriller from Quentin Tarantino introduced a nonlinear narrative style and craftmanship to modern filmmaking. The films are an epic-length revenge drama that captured the audience's attention with the ambigous plot throughout. From the very beginning, the plot unfolds with The Bride out for revenge against her husband Bill. We liked the narrative and plot to these films but wanted to take a different approach with the revenge motive from the protagonist and decided in turn to have the protagonist fighting for life in the title sequence. This was the same in Kill Bill Vol.1, expect the protagonist was seen tortured in the title sequence from an unseen antagonist.

From the Kill Bill Vol.1 title sequence and ours, you can pick similarities between both with the ambigous plot. Both have unseen antagonists to engage the viewer and a tortured protagonist.

The Bourne Identity

The Bourne Identity started off the successful series based on a amnesiac spy who attempts to uncover his true identity amidst a conspiracy within the CIA. We liked how the ambigous plot grabbed the viewer's attention and the protagonist himself being fairly unknown to the audience as you don't see the true side to him. We wanted to portray this similar effect in our title sequence, with only the audience knowing the protagonist's name and little back story.

Thriller soundtrack survey

This is a video presentation of the survey and research I conducted into thriller music. Unfortunately, I couldn't show the complete results from the 25 people I asked but does contain interviews and what we aim to do to create suitable and memorable music for our opening sequence. I also understand the sound and video quality isn't good as the responses were filmed on my mobile phone, due to the fact that is was the quickest option for me and the interviewees. I will in future use a professional video camera supplied by the school.

Preliminary task

This is our preliminary task. We chose a thriller genre for this task as we wanted to gain experience to what we can acheive on our main task. By having a thriller genre, we twisted the brief slightly by showing a character walk into a room whilst also having shots showing the room with a kidnapped character inside. This worked effectively as the unique idea we had created original connotations.