Horror film openings- Analysing titles and transitions

SAW 1: 

The  opening to this film is quite simple, at the beginning it shows the film institution which then leads into the titles appearing on the screen. The background of the title sequence is just plain black, which fits in with the horror genre as horror is associated with dark and murky colours. The actual titles then begin to fade in with 'Twisted pictures presents' which then fades out and into the next title, so fading is the transition used in this particular opening. As the sequence progresses the titles begin to ripple slightly just before the titles cut into the first shot of the opening scene, which links in with the rippled titles because the camera shows an underwater shot of one of the characters.
I think the titles and transitions in this opening fits in with the horror genre quite well however there was no backing track or sound effects when the titles were rolling which I thought would've made the opening more effective as it would build tension, also the actors/actresses names were not shown either which I think was a downside to the opening.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY:

This font that was used in the Paranormal Activity opening scene is quite simple as the lettering is just capitalised and block like, however the various lines that are across the writing show an element of distortion to the text which fits in with the film and horror genre because horrors sometimes have an element of distortion to them within the film. The text is also in a bright blood red colour which can symbolise blood or danger, which also fits in with the horror genre. This is also shown on top of a plain black background which creates contrast and the element of darkness is shown with the background, again linking in to the horror genre.

THE WOMAN IN BLACK:

This font was used in The Woman in Black opening scene and was shown at the end of the sequence. The font looks quite medieval and formal, which makes sense considering the film is set in the past and is like an old time horror story. The colour of the text looks quite metallic and murky, and the writing looks as if it has been smudged a little which can also be classed as slight distortion, again fitting in to the horror genre. The background is black but before the title of the film is shown there is a murky cloud of grey that is shown on the screen before it fades out to show the text.

When we create out titles and decide what transitions we want to use we will have to think about what kind of fonts, colours and transitions would fit in with the horror genre. We will also have to decide what we will include within our title sequence, for example the character names.

Beginning to plan our film opening

We have now started to plan our film opening and we have chosen the horror genre, so we are beginning to think about the storyline, the setting, film institutions, costumes, titles, etc.

We have decided to name our film 'Never look back' because a lot of the time in horror films the character seems to look back or behind them because the may hear something so their instinct is to look back, however this can also end up in them getting killed or seeing something that they don't want to see/ is very frightening.

We will also have to think about how we will create our titles as well, we will have to think about our backing track and the film institution that we will use, which will probably be a well know institution that is used in horror films. We also think that the titles will look good if they faded onto the screen, then faded back out as this is quite typical in a horror film opening and would look quite spooky fading onto the background.

We have also decided that that main setting of our film will be an alleyway, as this would be seen as quite a spooky place to be, especially when it is quite dark and you're on your own as you have no where to run.

Our film opening will only include four characters/actors as it will only be a short clip, but these characters will be the main ones:
Friend 1 (main character in opening scene)
Friend 2
Friend 3
Murderer/Villain

Analysing a horror film opening

Final Destination 5:

The opening for final destination 5 is quite simple as it just shows a plain back background, however it does show the characters names in the titles in a murky, pale white colour which contrasts against the black background.

There is also various effects that is shown within the title sequence, like when the characters names are on screen an explosions or shattered glass then pops up onto the screen which breaks up the letters of the characters names. Occasionally there would also be splattered blood that would be shown on the screen to represent the death and gore that will be within the film, because even though this film could be seen as quite action like, it has also got a lot of horror conventions within the film and the film opening.

The backing track that is used in the film opening also links in with the horror conventions because it is very tense and it builds up suspense as the titles are shown. Also at the beginning of the opening the film institution logo was shown, which happened to be Warner Bros.

The opening to this film includes most of the typical conventions of a horror/thriller film and this is something we will have to think about when we make our film opening. However when we begin to film our opening I think we will show the characters as well so we give away a little bit about what the film/storyline is about, but not giving too much away.

Analysing AS Level students film openings

For part of our research that we thought would help with our film openings was looking at some other AS students work, so we went onto YouTube to see what kind of film openings were on there and to see if the students had used any of the typical conventions of a film opening. The opening that I decided to analyse was a horror film opening, which was convenient for me as I think this is the genre that my group and I would want to do for our own film opening.

AS Level film opening- The Unseen 

I found a film opening named 'Hidden' and I automatically knew it was going to be a horror film because the first camera shot is an establishing shot of a house, which is where the victim lives and the camera's point of view is from the villain/murderer. Then when the shot cut to inside the house where the victim was sitting in her living room watching TV the lighting was very dark, and a tense/spooky backing track began to quietly play as the camera moved across the room. The camera also carried on reversing back to each character, from inside the house to outside where the villain was slowly beginning to make his way towards/into the victims house, and through out the opening the variety of camera shots used worked really well and built a lot of tension. The backing track also seemed to get a little louder when the villain had entered the house, which again built tension.

Also the close up of the 'blood' running down the drain adds to the gory/horror effect and ending the opening with shots of the victim laying lifeless in the bath covered in 'blood' is also very frightening. The only critic I would have was that the camera was quite blurred so it was hard to make out some things within the opening, also I don't think scissors was the best choice of weapon as it would be more scary to use something more sharp.

Evaluation of preliminary task

For our preliminary task we also had to film the three camera shots that we had learnt in the lesson which were the 180 degree rule, match on action and shot reverse shot. After filming these three shots we uploaded the clips onto our computer and began to edit them on iMovie.

I had not used iMovie before so it was a new challenge for me, but I soon got the hang of the editing process and merging all three clips of the shots together into one big clip. I was able to test out how to slow down or speed up the actual video of the clip or the audio within it, I then was able to cut and delete parts of the clips that I didn't need before finalising them.

By using this program and other programs such as FinalCut I will be able to edit the clips/shots that will be used for my film opening.

Researching film genres

Horror genre

Conventions of a horror:
Camera angles/movement: Low angle, High angle, Extreme close up, Extreme long shot, Point of view shots, tilt, pan, arc, push in pull out, close up. Lighting: Profile, Under lighting, Low key, Back lighting. 
Sound: Eerie/Scary music, stabs, ambient, contrapuntal, demonic laughs, nursery rhymes, incidental music, sinister music. 
Editing: Long takes to build up fear and suspense, sharp cuts, fades, graphic matches.

The horror genre became know in the 1890's and is still very popular today in the film industry, even though this genre of film is not for everyone it is still well known around the world. It has been said that horror films have become more frightening since the genre became known but again, it still remains popular. 

When portraying someone who is to play the frightening character/s the director usually shows them as having deformities, wearing a mask/dark make up or costumes to make them look as scary as possible so when they suddenly show up on the screen the audience jump or gasp. As well as including the typical horror conventions in a film the director also has to think of a good story line so the audience will be hooked into the film and wonder what the outcome will be at the end of the film. 

Horror films are also sometimes described as being 'based on a true story' which will also enable the audience to become more frightened when watching. I also feel that the film opening in the horror genre is crucial because it builds suspense and gives the audience an idea of what the film is about and how the storyline could pan out. 

Preliminary task

For this task we had to film three different camera shots which were:

• Match on action
• Shot reverse shot
• The 180' rule 

A match on action shot is an editing technique for continuity editing in which one shot cuts to another shot portraying the action of the subject in the first shot. When we filmed this type of shot we filmed Viki and I walking away from the camera but only from our knees down, so the camera was zoomed in. We then cut to another shot which showed the same thing, however the camera was then zoomed out to show a whole body shot of Viki and I walking away. I feel that we filmed this camera shot technique very well as we showed a basic definition of the shot and what it would look like if in a film, however if we were to film this shot again I would make a more complex situation to include the shot in.

A shot reverse shot is a technique used in conversations or simply characters looking at each other or objects when being filmed. When filming this shot Nicole and I were shown having a normal conversation with the camera first focusing on me when I started the conversation, we then cut to Nicole as she answered my question as the camera would focus on the person who is talking. The camera then reversed back to me as I began to speak, this showed a simple shot reverse shot technique. I think that this shot technique will help us a lot when we are creating our film opening as it will be frequently used if we show conversations within our opening.

The 180 degree rule is shown in the diagram below:

You only use one side of the circle when filming, you don't cross the action line. When filming this shot Viki and I were shown having a conversation and Nicole was standing to one side of us whilst using the 180 degree rule to film us. The shot taken was ok, however the camera was a bit shaky and we were looking away from the camera and that is something we will have to avoid if we use this shot in our film opening.

Researching film institutions

Dreamworks animation
During the lesson today we were asked to research into various film institutions and I chose to research into the Dreamworks animation film institute as it is a well known company and is used in many popular films.

Dreamworks was founded in 1994 and are linked to the genre of animation films, which is given away in the name of the company (Dreamworks Animation) and have released a total of twenty seven feature films, including the popular franchises Shrek, Madagascar, Kung-Fu Panda, Monsters vs. Aliens and How To Train Your Dragon.

Three of the biggest Dreamworks Animation films are Shrek 2, Shrek the Third and Shrek Forever After and are among the 50 highest grossing films of all time, and fifteen of the Dreamworks films are in the 50 highest grossing animation films, with Shrek 2 being number four in the rankings.

So far Dreamworks Animation has been awarded with two Academy Awards and numerous Annie and Emmy awards, along with multiple BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations. 

Film institutions are used when creating films because these companies are the ones that pay for the film to be made and shown in cinemas worldwide, depending on how popular the film institute is and how big the demand is for the film. When watching a film or a film trailer and you recognise the introduction of the film institution you will usually know what genre the film will be as soon as you see it because most of the time the film institution that funds a film links with the genre that the film could be.

Film opening analysis 2

The Woman In Black:
The genre of this film is horror and the opening scene fades in to a close up of the china tea set that the three little girls are playing with. As the opening scene ends with a shot of the woman in black from behind the image then fades out into a murky grey colour and the title of the film then fades in with the murky background in black writing, and these sort of colours are commonly used within the horror genre. The use of fading in and out is also commonly used. The images shown are three little girls who are just playing in their room with their toys which seems like an innocent thing and the close ups of the girls shows their smiling faces, however throughout the whole scene the camera is moving very slowly to create suspense which is a build up to the woman in black arriving and you can tell when she is present because the girls all simultaneously look towards her then to the window. Finally the soundtrack used in the scene begins as quite innocent and child-like, similar to a child's musical box, however it can be seen as quite spooky. You can also hear the sound effects of the china dolls and toys breaking when the girls mindlessly stands on them. The soundtrack then begins to intensify when the woman in black is present, it becomes louder and more dramatic as the three girls get closer to the window, then as soon as the girls jump from the window the track slightly fades out, then back in to end the scene dramatically.

Film opening analysis

Love actually:
The genre of this film is Romantic comedy and the film opening is quite long. The titles show the text fading in and out in the colour white so it stands out from the coloured background, however as the characters names fade in the first letter of their names is shown in red which is a contrast to the white titles, as red can be used to symbolise love and then the white to symbolise innocence. The images shown during the title sequence is like an introduction to the characters and their stories because throughout the film there are different stories being told at the same time period, for example the singer in the recording studio is one story. At the very beginning it also shows various people hugging their loved ones and reuniting at Heathrow airport which links with the title of the film 'Love Actually'. Finally the soundtrack used is a very subtle piano playing in the background as the scene begins, however as the scene moves on their is a character (Hugh Grant) commentating over the images being shown, the scene then cuts into showing the first character and his story.

Love Actually film opening

Why I chose A-Level Media Studies

I decided to study A-Level media because I feel that it is a very interesting subject. I studied it at GCSE and gained a good grade so I wanted to experience the subject further. When I attended the induction lessons I found the introduction to the subject very useful and thought that it would be a great decision to keep it as one of my options. Media Studies also has a link to my career aspiration which is to be a Journalist and the course consisted of work that I feel would benefit me in the future, the course will also introduce me to new challenges and tasks such as creating a film opening, and using new software such as iMovie. A-Level Media will also allow me to work independently and in groups to complete the tasks set. I feel that I will enjoy this subject as I am familiar with some of the aspects already but can still learn new skills, it may be a challenge at first but hopefully I will be able to cope with the new software and various tasks set.