This is our final opening sequence for our film 'Vengeance'. As a group we feel that we have done very well to get this final result although it has been a very lengthy process. A lot of time was spent planning, doing research, preparing for filming, editing and also putting the final touches to the sequence.
Our final opening sequence varied slightly to the storyboard we put together. As we edited the footage we found several ways in which we could improve our original idea. Shots were added, altered and also removed.
Through this process we also came across several minor problems which we were able to overcome. These were mainly during the filming process such as getting correct lighting which would be effective enough in our sequence. However this was easily solved by using lamps and torches to provide shadowy lighting. Apart from the few minor setbacks, as a group we were able to work through these and gain great results.
Backing in the early days of cinematography, lighting was always a natural source used when filming. Studio roofs would be opened in order to allow sunlight in and give a good effect for the scene. As time moved on, and technology as well as film developed and the production of films widened, the need of appropriate artificial technology was needed. the use of artificial lighting became more common and this helped the film industry develop worldwide. From the start, lighting was a key part of film making and played a substantial part in the narrative. Some genres often stick to natural and standard lighting in order to give a more neutral realistic feel. Others however, use lighting as a means of creating much greater experimental effect. Some genres such as sci-fi and horror use lighting in a much more different and unique way, where possible and this gives a more adventurous feel.
Some different key lighting often used in filming:
Three point lighting – this is standard mainstream lighting often used in films and also on the TV. This is where three different lights are used: key, fill and back. The intensity of these lights can be altered in order to create different effects.
High key lighting/soft lighting – this is where the key light is brighter than the fill light and this makes the object appear brighter and softer.
Low key lighting/hard lighting – here the fill light is brighter and stronger than the key light; this results in dark shadows on the object.
Back lighting - This technique is very often used in thriller and horror films in order to show the more dominant characters or slayers and killers. The subject is only lit from the back and this creates a silhouette effect. The features of the person are not visible and this is an important style of lighting we will be using in our opening sequence to show the slayer.
Side lighting – this highlights the subject from only one side showing the subject distorted and imbalanced.
Frontal lighting – this shows the image as being very flat.
Ambient lighting is a term used in order to describe the use of light in a certain way to create a definite mood or emotion. This lighting is only used very subtly but still enough to create and effective outcome.
In order to achieve good results in filming, you need to use different sources of light and firstly get acquainted with the way they work. There is now a greater range of lighting that can be used when filming and this giving a greater range of effects. By changing the intensity, position and number of these lights, different motions of lighting can be obtained. There are different tips and techniques that can be used when using lighting, but the basic need is to become familiar with what is known as three-point lighting; this consists of the key light, fill light, and back light. Once you are familiar with this technique it will allow you to be able to distinguish the difference between 'good' and 'bad' lighting.
Camera angles can be seen as vaguely different things to different people but overall refer to the way a shot is composed. The camera angle is mainly seen as the angle of which the camera is relative to the subject/character. The link between both camera and object being photographed is what gives the audience emotional information about the character and also helps in the way the character or object is portrayed in the shot. The more natural and straight angled the shot, the more realistic and natural the scene, but the more extreme the angle, the more symbolic and intense the information.
Here are different examples of a few widely used examples…
Birds eye view – this shows the scene from an overhead shot, almost as if a bird was viewing the scene from above. It is a very unnatural and strange angle and objects viewed from this angle are not always recognisable at first until concentrated on. At times this may be to show that the audience has greater power over the object/characters and to make characters look insignificant
High angle – these often show the object as being vulnerable and weak however are not as extreme as a birds eye view. The scene is shot from a higher level from the object possibly showing them as smaller and less significant.
Low angle – these shots tend to give the object connotations of power and dominance. Low angles tend to give a sense of confusion to the audience and show the object as being dominant than the audience. These increase the height and weight of the object in the shot. The background of a low angle shot often shows the surrounding of the character for example the ceiling of a building or the sky.
Oblique/canted angle – these make the object or person being shot seem obscure. This is where the camera is tilted to suggest imbalance, transition and instability.
Eye level –this is a neutral shot where the camera is positioned at the same level of the object or character. It is often positioned as though a human is watching the scene itself.
Camera angles are a major tool that can help shape the look and feel of the film. As mentioned before the camera angle marks the specific location at which the camera is placed to take a shot. where the camera is placed in relation to the object effects the way in which the audience perceive the object. A low angle shot would show the object as dominant and powerful and a high angle shot would show the object as weak and vulnerable. Just like this, a natural eye-level shot would have no effect on the audience as it is as if the viewer is present there.
What the film saw is about? Two men wake up at opposite sides of a dirty, disused bathroom, chained by their ankles to pipes. Between them lies a dead man loosely clutching a hand-held tape player and a handgun. Each finds a tape the perfect fit for the player in their back pocket. They play the tapes. One is threatened, the other isn't. But they have a task: One must kill the other by 6:00, or his wife and daughter will die. They find hacksaws in a toilet, and try to cut the chains, but it doesn't work. They are the two newest victims of the Jigsaw Killer. In a flashback, we learn of Amanda, a girl who falls victim to the Jigsaw Killer. On her head is a mask, which is hooked into her lower jaw. There is a timer on it. Only one key will unlock it, and that key is in the digestive tract of her cell mate who lies paralyzed on the opposite side of the room. If she doesn't unlock the mask in time, her lower jaw will be ripped wide open. She survives, but her cell mate doesn't. Through a series of flashbacks, we learn of more victims, and of the nearly-successful capture of the Jigsaw Killer, who doesn't actually kill his victims. Instead, he finds ways to make them kill either themselves, or each other, and he thinks the entire 'game' out perfectly, with no other ways out. Or so it would seem. As part of our research I analysed the opening sequence of Saw
The opening sequence begins with a darkly lit scene with a small light being shone down a protagonists face. Alongside this the audience is able to hear the movement of water. Its shows a close up of the characters eye and then moves down towards its mouth, the light then vanishes. The shot of the characters face is taken from above which could possibly have been done in order to show the characters weakness and vulnerability. The small spotlight emphasises on the stillness and emotionless features of the man’s face. You can then see a shadowy image of a something floating in the water. The scene then changes a close up shot of the character hesitating and panicking in the water as he wakes up. A medium shot of the man struggling to get out of the bath tub and coughing loudly. Dark shadowy lighting is used in order to create a sense of suspense and scare and also to create enigmas for the audience of why the man is in a bath tub!? We also see something washing into the drain of the bathtub and this foreshadows that whatever has been washed into the drain must be something important that plays an important part in the film. The man staggers out of the bath tub and falls to the floor. The atmosphere is very mysterious and the darkness of the scene adds to the dramatic eerie effect. We can also here non diegetic fast beat music which adds to the striking dramatic effect. The camera slowly follows the man as he gets up in what looks like a very large empty bathroom. As the man screams for help and is trying to find what is around him the voice of another man is herd. At this point there is no music playing and this could have been done so that the audience are able to pay attention to the dialogue and to stay focused. The audience is shown a medium shot of the man trying to see what is around him just before the main lights come. He is then shot in a close up to show his emotion and to show his scarce on his face. As each of the lights above switch on the camera follows and the sound of the lights switching on become louder. The crescendo of sound could be possibly to suggest that something is about to happen and to add a dramatic effect to the scene. As the man opens his eye we are given a blurred low angled shot of the lights above which is a point of view shot. This shows the mans vision blurred by the bright lights which then becomes normal as the camera give a medium shot of the lights above. The scene then changes to a medium shot of another man leaning against the wall frightened and confused looking up and around him. Medium shots of both men are shown taking steps forward looking down puzzled at something. As they both take steps forward loud beat music is played as non diegetic sound to add to the suspense and cause the audience to feel worried. We then can several fast changing different angled shots from above of a dead body on the floor with blood all over the face. A bids eye view shot the man is shown with his head brutally injured showing all the flesh and blood. The fact that the shots are taken from above of the body show his helplessness and exposure of the body. We then get a close up shot of a recorder in one hand of the dead man and a gun in the other. This could suggest that both these things play a part in the story. These props are used in order to create enigmas and to get the audience thinking why are they there? And who has done this? How did the man die? As both men move forward we are shown a shot of their feet tied in a thick chain to the wall. As the man screams to release himself from the chains the opening sequence is ended.
The opening sequence of saw was able to establish the genre which was horror/thriller by conventions such as blood, death, imprisonment etc… the narrative, mise en scene, lighting, costumes and sound have helped to establish such things as setting and was able to introduce the main characters who are important to the film. It also enabled the audience to be aware of what the film is about. The opening sequence attracted the audience and kept them focused giving them just enough information to keep them wanting to know the following events. The audience are shown that two men are prisoners and chained up in this bathroom and one man has been brutally killed however does not tell them the reasons why and how. This causing the audience to want to no more and wanting to no the cause of what has happened. The opening sequence was successfully able to set the scene for the entire film and was able to create enigmas for the audience.
Our opening sequence is aimed at a target audience of the age of 15 and above. Our audience is those who enjoy the genre of horror and thriller. We tend to consider films in terms of their genre – whether their comedy, romantic or horror – the mise en scene is what distinguishes each genre separate from one another. We are able to tell apart these different genres by their themes and narratives. Our sequence is aimed at an audience that enjoy horror/ psychological thriller films such as The Ring and Saw etc… films of the same genre tend to hold similar conventions.
I researched figures of films of the same genre from the website www.boxofficemojo.com to check horror/thriller/torture films on the rank chart and how popular such films of this genre could be. Figures off the same genre were looked at in order to see their success and development. This was done in the intent to become aware of how popular our sequence would be and whether it will be able to be a large success. Research showed that highest on the horror/torture rank chart is Saw II that made $147,739,965 gross worldwide. This showing how popular a successful thriller can make. Following on from Saw in second place currently standing is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre which was said to be based on a true life story. Statistics show that this made $107,071,655 gross worldwide. This shows that films of this genre hold a large audience and are very popular worldwide. Other horror films that are also very high on the rank chart are films such as: · All The Saw Films · The Strangers · Hostel · Hills Have Eyes · vacancy · The Devils Rejects · Wolf Creek · House Of 1,000 Corpses · The Hitcher
I also research figures of films of thriller films from the same website and checked how popular films of this genre are. Once again I looked at the figures of these films in order to establish how popular such films are using the same website. Researched showed that highest on the thriller / serial killer rank chart is Hannibal with the worldwide gross of $351,692,268. Following on from this was The Silence of the Lambs and this had the worldwide gross of $272,742,922. These figures can help us in understanding the success of films from this genre and able us to realise whether our sequence will hold a large audience or not. Other thriller films that are also very high on the rank chart are films such as: *Basic instinct *Seven *Red dragon *Saw *The bone collector *Psycho *Kiss the girls *Dressed to kill *Taking lives *Monster *The Cell
What are Film Classifications? Film classifications are used all over the world and vary from country to country as each country has its own guideline. Film classifications are put in place in order to make the audience aware of what the context of the film is. Although guidelines vary throughout the world there is not a dramatic change in them, they only differ very slightly. They tend to consist of similar guidelines therefore the context of the film is very similar
How are films classified? There are many different boards of classification which have different guidelines. Each country has its own board of film classification and has different names according to the place. In Britain we have the British Board of Film Classification. Each board has its own guidelines, and each film that is submitted to the board will be reviewed, and then placed into one of the classifications. These classifications depend on many factors. Each factor is taken into account as well as the amount it is used. These factors include: *Violence *Sex Scenes *Nudity *Drug Use *Language *Themes *Horror
Before any film is released, or any film, video, or DVD is sold it must be made sure that it is correctly classified. Any film also showing the cinemas must be classified correctly by the BBFC. It is an offence for a film bein sold or shown in cinemas not to be classified or to have the wrong symbol.
Classifications... To help the group produce a sequence which is appropriate for our chosen audience, and to take into account what would be suitable for our audience according to official policies and guidelines, I researched current film classification. The website I used in order to gain knowledge on the different classifications was www.bbfc.co.uk – the official website of the British Board of Film Classification.
Certificate Uc & U No one can ever be certain on what may or may not upset a particular child. A U film must be suitable for children above the age of four. They should be set in a positive moral framework and should offer reassuring counterbalance to any violence, threat or horror.
Certificate PG This stands for parental guidance. This is general viewing but some things may be unsuitable for a child to watch therefore children must be accompanied by adults. A PG film must not disturb a child aged around 8 or older. However, parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset younger or more sensitive children.
Certificate 12 & 12A A 12A film is suitable for children of the age of 12 and older. No one younger than the age of 12 must see a film which is ‘12A’ unless accompanied by an adult. No one younger than the age of 12 may rent or buy a 12 rated video or DVD.
Certificate 15 This is suitable for 15years and older. No one under the age of 15 may see a ‘15’ film in cinemas or purchase a video or DVD. Certificate 18 This is suitable only for adults. No one under the age of 15 may see a ‘18’ film in cinemas or rent/buy a video or DVD.
Certificate R18 This should only be shown in specially licensed cinemas, or supplied only in licensed sex shops, and to adults of 18 and above. The ‘R18’ category is special and legally restricted classification primarily for explicit works of consenting sex between adults. ‘R18’ films must not be supplied by mail or post.
After having a look at the different classifications of films and looking at different films that fall into these categories, I now have a greater idea of what is legally recognized in our opening sequence.
Props are used in every film whether it be a thriller, romance or comedy. Props are needed in order to have a realistic story and narrative. In thriller/horror films props used normally indicate evil, death and pain. Such things like knifes, guns, ropes, masks etc… These things help in setting the world of the film and in setting the themes and genres of a particular film. Props play a significant part in a film in helping to tell a certain story. Props function as a part of a set or as equipment used by actors. They tell a story without words and express the thoughts and feelings of the characters. Props make it easier to replicate realistic situations without having to implicate the actors’ physical wellbeing. Without the use of props, creating realistic killings, stabbings, fatal injuries etc would be made very difficult. As with most props, dummies enable the filming of situations which would otherwise be fatal to human beings e.g. for filming a person falling off a cliff, it is most likely that directors will use dummies so as not to risk any lives. In thrillers and horrors, the props characters use in different films as weapons differ hugely. One advantage of this is that varying atmospheres can be created in different scenes quite easily. For example, for a stealthy, dark, creepy type of killing of a victim, the antagonist might use a small prop like a knife or blade of some kind. However, to create a scene of a more overpowering, open, manic killing, a chainsaw or instruments of torture or other like machinery props might be used, and so the variation of the impact of the scene, according to its requirements, is made easy by the props.
Weapons
Majority thriller films contain weapons. Without some sort of a weapon, weather it be a gun or screwdriver, the brutality and violence of thriller / horror is just not possible to portray. This is usually because in order to gain a reaction from the audience and to set a tone of violence, torture and danger some sort of weapon is needed. Knifes, guns, swords, hammers, axes etc… instantly symbolise death and evil. one of the main props used in order to symbolise this and to set danger in films is the use of weaponry. Weapons also cause a sense of worry and sympathy in the audiences mind as they are then anxious about the life of the victims.
Ropes, chains, tape, blindfolds
In many thriller films the use of ropes and chains is common. Things of such kind tend to symbolise constraint and ambush. They show captivity and imprisonment and add tension to the scene. It also adds to the dramatic effect and causes the audience to think will the victim survive or die a painful death?
Masks
Masks are widely used in thriller or horror films. They emphasise on the grotesque imagery and scene. Masks set up enigmas by not allowing the audience to know who is responsible for the events. By not allowing the audience to know who is behind the mask it makes this have more focus on the movie and has them trying to predict the outcome.
Opening sequences are mainly the most vital and important part of a movie. A good opening sequence of a film must be able to establish the genre, time and place quickly and enable the audience to be aware of what the film is about. The opening sequence should attempt to attract the audience and to keep them focused and interested in the following events.
The narrative, mise en scene, lighting, costumes, camera movement, sound & dialogue etc… help to establish such thing like the genre and setting and could also be used in order to introduce main characters or important characters. They set the scene for the entire film and attempt to create enigmas for the audience.
The genre of the film we have chosen is very popular to the age range of 15-34, as people of this age are those who most frequently go to the cinema. Over the years there has been an increase in horror and thriller films being shown in cinema theatres and also sold in shops. Majority of the opening sequences of such films attempt to create enigmas and suspense for the audience and try to create a sense of worry and fright. I Researched opening sequences of psychological thriller/horror films in order to help with our opening sequence.
The opening sequence of the ring is able to create fear and suspense for the audience. In the opening 15seconds of the scene, where the girl is shown walking up the stairs, the slow movement is what creates the dramatic effect and the suspense. The slow motion of her movement, her actions and the camera create the scene which also establishes the genre and theme. In the opening sequence as the opening titles are shown, there are also flashes of gruesome images such as the smokey blood. The fast constant flashes of these image create enigmas and terror. In addition to this another thing which makes it a great opening sequence is the dramatic non diagetic music played alongside this.
This was an opening sequence which was produced by other media students. I found it very effective by the way it was put together and the way sound, editing, lighting, mise en scene etc… was used. It was very short but was able to set the setting, place, characters and genre. It was able to create tension throughout the sequence and a sense of panic. Little things such as sound, diegetic and non diegetic were able to add a great effect on the scenes.
The opening sequence of jaws shows very mysterious images under the sea. Instantly by where the opening sequence is based in the water shows that this is the setting and place of the film. Dark shadowy shots are shown in and out of the water and this sets a sense of mystery horror and suspense. The sea is not shown in a positive way showing beautiful sea life and colourful fishes but is potrayed in a more negative and scary way. To add to this obscurity and fearful affect dramatic music is used which increases in sound as the camera slowly fishes through the water.
This was another sequence which was able to create enigmas and set the time place and characters. It was able to add tension and fear in the audiences mind.
All these sequence in there own way and forms are efective towards the audience. they set the scene for the entire film and create great enigmas and suspens. they establish the genre, setting and any important characters.
