The art of a title sequence- Bond movie

What is a title sequence?
It is the method by which cinematic films or television programs present their title. Key production and cast members, or both, utilizing conceptual visuals and sounds. it usually follows but should not be confused with the opening credits, which are generally nothing more than a series of superimposed text.

I begun to analyse The art of the title sequence of a James Bond movie, Casino Royale. This helps me get a better understanding of how thrillers are altered to have an affect on the audience.

The first thing we see in the title opening sequence is man picking up a gun from the floor based in a black and white background, the two colours indicates a mourning and cheerless occasion also the music is very mysterious it gradually builds up in sound until we hear a gun fire, this is when the main character, James Bond is introduced. Colour is then shown with blood pouring on top of the screen, red indicates death, violence, danger and aggression. After the shot from the pistol it triggers the music of the title sequence. The music gets louder and builds up tension, it includes many different instruments such as: trumpets, drums, guitar and etc. The first typography seen in the title sequence is 'Albert R. Broccoli's Eon Production LTD. presents. This is the production line that made the film and connotes that it is very important as it appears to be the first typography shown. The actor of James Bond, Daniel Craig has his name written on the scene, I have realized that typography used throughout this title sequence does not last any more than 3 seconds this is because the audience would get bored and want to be excited for the next scene to come. Throughout the title sequence the use San-serif font for the text and is in capital letters and the colour white, this makes the text bold and easy to read.
As the typography is showing the background shows diamond, clubs, hearts and spades this symbolizes that the film is about gambling, this is all shown on a red background, red indicates a few things, it is either excitement, passion and love or danger, violence and passion. After majority of most important information and people are introduced the music starts again with quite a fast pace this indicates that the film is an action/thriller. James Bond is then sitting on different patterns which indicate gambling. He then fires a gun however does not make any sound as it doesn't want to be interrupted by the music, the gun shot is not a normal gun shot as it fires out a red heart, this again indicates gambling but can also indicate a persons death or a lover, this connotes action and violence in the film. Along with music getting even more upbeat and fast it shows the silhouette of James Bond in red fighting multiple of other people in black and James bond is winning which shows he is the victim, he is the only one in black which indicates he is important in the film and the people in red indicates they are evil. Hearts are then being poured out of patterns, they are trying to make it look like blood pouring out of their veins, this is because it will look less gruesome and shows that it is also about gambling.
Images of targets then appear on screen but slowly turn into roulette's, linking it into violence and then gambling. The bad guys are then being being killed with cards in different shapes such as diamonds and clubs, which suggests that the action of the killing took place in the casino. The seven of hearts then appears to be close up to the camera as the main focus the target then shoots two holes next to the 7 making it '007', they made it seven of hearts as its red which also connotes love not just violence. the silhouette of James Bond appears again and walks towards the camera, it gradually fades away showing Daniel Craigs face, this builds up tension as we get to see the main characters face. However the silhouette is shown again, this connotes that the James Bond is a spy.

Continuity task- Filming

Filming:
Filming was much harder than I thought as we had to follow requirements of the task, there were a lot of aspects we had to think about when filming the scenes, such as shot reverse shot, different camera angles and not to break the 180 degree rule. The problems we had when filming it was the tripod assembly and the camera angles.However even though this was a problem we got through it as we re-filmed some parts of it again. Our group took in turns using the camera and tripod, in the end we got used to using it and became easy to film as we knew what we were doing.Once we finished filming the scenes we uploaded it to the computer, we are now still on the process of editing it on Adobe Premier.

Shot List

For our continuity task, we planned out as a group what our story was going to be based on. We decided as a group that our idea is a girl coming back home and telling her mum she's pregnant, her mum is very shocked as she is only 16 and she is planning to keep it. Her mum can't get over it and is very angry, she chucks her suitcase at her and tells her to leave the house.

I thought the idea was good as their will be a lot of different scenes, from having a friendly and nice chat with the daughter and mum to a angry mum who the daughter is angry too as she thinks shes selfish.

Editing Task

This sheet helped our group to plan out our script and storyboard we are doing, it tell us all the shot types, camera angles and sounds we need to include in our short scene we are filming.

Typography in Thrillers

The typography used is a San-serif font, the writing is in white on a black background, this makes the letters appear more striking and bold. The colours used fits in with the film, as the film is 'film noir' based. Meaning the film is shot in black and white. The text has a large font in capital letters, this makes the title bold and stand out from the background. Through the middle of the title it has been sliced apart, this fits in with a thriller film as it shows that their is going to be something wrong happening in film as the letters are 'broken' apart. The colour white signifies innocence, youth, peace and purity however black signifies death, evil, fear, anger and mystery, the two opposite colour may signify the different characters in the film, which makes it evil and spooky.

The typography used is in San-serif font, in red. The title really stands out to the rest of it, the background has shades of greys and blacks but the the red writing stands out the most, it is very striking and bold to the rest of it. The title is in capital letters with very spaced out letters, I think it makes it more unique. the colour red signifies aggression, danger, blood, death and war which connotes that it is a thriller film.

The typography used is in Serif font, it is usually associated with women more than men this is because it makes it look more feminine, however the black font makes it look dark, the title is very small on the side of the cover this makes it look more evil and mysterious. Also there isn't much to the cover, it is on a white background with black writing this signifies there is too sides to the film.

The typography used is in San-Serif font, the title is bold but not too big, the white title really contrasts well onto the dark background, it makes it look bold and stand out. The title is in capital letters and are spaced out this is because the font size isn't too big still making the the title stand out.

By looking through typography in thriller films, I have learnt the themes and characteristics they use. I can see that majority of the thrillers I have researched use darker colours and san-serif font, this tells me that they want to create a bold, dark masculine effect rather than a sweet, innocent feminine look. Thrillers also like to use opposite colours, like white and black, this is because it has a nice contrast between the colours and represents the characters in the film (good and evil).

Questionaire

Please fill in the Questionnaire if you have time too, Thank You.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VPH7GKZ

We are hoping to learn what people identify with a thriller and what people like in a thriller

Film Noir

As a group we have decided to base our film black and white (film noir).

Film Noir of this era is associated with a low key. Black and white visual style. A cinematic term used to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas.

The 'dark' downbeat and back the looks and themes were of many American crime and detective films released in France to theaters following the war.

Examples of Film Noir:

• The Maltese Falcon (1941)
• Murder, My Sweet (1944)
• Double Indemnity (1944)

Film Noir s not a genre, but rather a mood, style, point of view or tone of a film. It's helpful to realize that 'Film Noir' usually refers to a distinct historical period of film history. 

Film Noir films (mostly shot in gloom grays, blacks and whites)

Thematically showed the dark and unhuman side of human and nature. It emphasizes the brutal, unhealthy, seamy, shadowy, dark and sadistic sides of the human experience.

Primary characteristics and conventions of film noir:

Classic Film Noir were: Alienation, Disillusionment, Pessimism, ambiguity, evil, desperation and paranoia. Story lines were often elliptical, non-linear and twisting. Narratives were frequently complex, maze-like and convoluted and typically told with foreboding background music and flashbacks.

Females in Film Noir, 2 types:

(1)- Dutiful, reliable, trustworthy and loving women

(2)- (Female Fatales)- Mysterious, Duplicitous, Gorgeous, Unloving, tough-sweet, unreliable and desperate women.

The male protagonists in film noir wished to elude his mysterious past, and had to choose what path to choose and what to take.

The first detective film to us shadowy, nihilistic noir style was The Maltese Falcon. the film used low key lighting and inventive and arresting angles. unusual camera angles- sometimes low to the ground, revealing ceilings of the room- are utilized to emphasize the nature of the characters and their actions.

Thriller research

What is a thriller film?
It is a film that is suspenseful without depending too much action(Action movie) or violence (Horror movie) to perpetrate its suspense. thrillers heavily stimulate the viewer's mood, giving them a high level of anticipation, uncertainty,surprise and anxiety. It keeps the audience 'on edge of their seats'as the plot builds towards a climax. Literary devices such as red herring, plot twists and cliffhangers are used extensively.

Common sub genres are psychological thrillers, crime thrillers, erotic thrillers and mystery thrillers. successful genres of thrillers are the films of Alfred Hitchcock. One of the films which were popular of his was psycho filmed in 1960.


Thrillers are often hybrids- there a lot of varieties of suspense-thrillers:

• Action or Adventure- thrilers
• sci-fi thrillers (such as Alien (1979)
• crime-caper thrillers (such as The french connection (1971)
• Western- thrillers (such as High Noon (1952)
• film noir thrillers (such as Double indemnity (1944)
• Romantic comedy-thrillers (such as Safety Last (1923)

Characters in thrillers include convicts, criminals, stalkers, assassins, down-on-their-luck losers, innocent victims (often on the run), prison inmates, menaced women, characters with dark pasts, psychotic individuals, terrorists, cops and escaped cons, fugitives, private eyes, drifters, duplicitious individuals, people involved in twisted relationships, world-weary men and women, psycho-fiends, and more. The themes of thrillers frequently include terrorism, political conspiracy, pursuit, or romantic triangles leading to murder.


Alfred Hitchcock is considered the acknowledged mater of the thrillers or suspense genre, manipulating his audience's fears and desires, and taking viewers into a state of association with the representation of reality facing the character. Films he has mastered:

• Marnie (1964)
• Strangers on a Train (1951)
• Rear Window (1954)
• Vertigo (1958)
• Psycho (1960)

BBFC

The BBFC are abbreviated for the British Board Of Film Classification. It is a non-governmental organisation and is funded by the film industry. The BBFC decide the certificate of age rating a film should attain. This is an extremely important stage and initially enforced due to children of young ages being exposed to inappropriate content and further imitating it.

What is allowed in a 15 rated film?

The specification is divided into sub categories: Sex, Horror, Nudity, Language, Discrimination Imitable Behavior, Drugs and Violence. This does not necessarily mean that in 15 rated films these categories are accepted, there are still restriction to a certain extent. For example, drug taking may be shown but the work as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. This mean that the use of drugs is allowed to be shown, however the full use of them is not due to it being seen as promoting to audiences. An additional example is the exposure of sexual violence. Detailed verbal references to sexual violence but any portrayal of it must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification. This means that the topic can be spoken about or referred too in detail however cannot be physically show.

What is allowed in an 18 rated film?

There are no actual limits in an 18 rated film. Almost anything is allowed, just as long as it isn't too disturbing that it could potentially cause the film to be banned. In the past, violence was one the most problematic aspects when passing a film with an 18 certificate, whether it is sexuality or fantasized violence. Horror films were often the culprits for the portraying graphic violence and this often results in a lot of grief to audiences. This means such scenes must be removed before giving it a certificate.

Is there a difference between a 15 and 18?

The answer is yes, depending on what the film contains and presents. Some films may be scraped and argued into a 15 as it all depends on the contents and the effects that may have.

Semiotics revision- How is 50 cent presented?

50 cent
Connote
-The white background
-connotes its pure but the dark colours on him-gangster

Denote
-Fit
-Strong
-Masculinity

Signifier
-Necklace
-Hat

Signified
-Necklace- Religion
-Hat- Urban


This is a image from 50 cents album cover, he is represented as a urban gangster, this is shown from what he is wearing. He is wearing a necklace and a hate, If we signified those objects the necklace implies his religion and the hat implies he is urban. The connotation of this is the white background with patterns on it, he is trying to imply he is a true artist, the white background against him and the clothes he is wearing emphasises him and his body more. The lighting on his chest brings out his body more, his body is also emphasised more by the camera angle, the angle is a low angle making him look bigger and significant. The binary opposition is shown with his religious necklace however on the side of the image it says 'The Massacre' this suggests there are two sides to him.

Post production:Sound

Parallel sounds: Music matches what you see in the film.

Contrapuntal Sound: Sound that opposes what you see in the film.

Sound Bridge: When the music from one scene goes into the next.

Ambient Sound: Sound that you expect to hear in a location, for example: traffic

Foley Sound: Everyday sounds that are added to a certain clip.

In the short clip 'Fast and Furious 2' they use different kind of sounds to create tension. Parallel sound is used, the music is upbeat and fast just like the cars.

What is the purpose of censorship?

So what is the purpose of censorship?  It is to filter out some of the things thats are deemed to the explicit, it is to make sure the media doesn't offend any people or groups that may view the media.

There are 3 main examples of censorship:

The Hays Code

The Hays Code (The motion picture production code) was introduced in 1920. It was set of industry moral censorship guidelines that governed the production of most United States motion pictures released by major studios from 1920 to 1968. The code was made to prevent people using the media to effect the public and prevent any possible harm that could come from abusing the media.

The code was based on three general principles:

-No picture shall be produced thats will lower moral standards of those who see it, hence the sympathy of the audience should never be thrown to the side of crime, wrongdoing, evil or sin
-Correct standards of life, subject only to the requirements of drama and entertainment, shall be presented.
-Law, natural or human, shall not be ridiculed, nor shall sympathy be created for its violation.

There is a whole list of things that isn't acceptable:
-methods of smuggling
-prostitution
-rape
-selling drugs
-scenes of childbirth
-theft/robbery
-surgical operations
-etc...

Music Videos

In music videos theres a set of guidelines which has to be followed.

To make it suitable for as many people as possible, if the music video swears it will be removed either by bleeping it out or cutting the sound of
Another way to make it sensible, is censoring sexual imagery, many distributors wont't allow nudity within videos. On radio and T.V channels swearing is removed until 9pm, this called the watershed when swearing and sexual imagery on T.V is allowed after 9pm...

Watershed
The watershed is used for T.V media which is displayed after a set time. The watershed starts at 9pm, it is made so that young members of a T.V audience won't see something which isn't suitable for them but for the older members. This is because of imitation as they don't want them to copy things on screen as it's considered inappropriate.

How far do you agree with the comments that mass audiences are still passive of media?

Passive audience- an audience that does not actively engage with the media text, they unconsciously learn from the media.

I agree that mass audience are still passiv repients of media. The media puts a lot of messages across to the audience but when you are passive you take in the concept and information without realising it. In other words the audience do not realise they have these ideas and thoughts as the media has told us to believe it.
In the 1920's films and T.V were censored, you would never see someone showing too much flesh, they were covered up more. This is because the audience wouldn't repeat any of their actions also the audience wont get affected by certain aspects wes ee on television, films and magazines.

We have ideas on stereotypes but the media can influence on the way we view it. Women are stereotyped as having the perfect figure and to look pretty. If a man saw a very good looking women in a magazine with a lot of flesh showing, majority of men would like it however some women would not accept this as they don't like being portrayed stereotypically like that.

Audience Theory

Target Audience- is the specific people that the type of media is aimed.
Target Audience is broken down through representation, this is what makes it up:
Age
Race
Gender
Class
Disability
Religion

There are 3 main theorists to help us get a better understanding about the relationship between text these are:
1) the effect model or Hypodermic Needle
2) The uses of Grafications Model
3) Reception Theory

 The effect model/ hypodermic model has 3 parts to the theory. Firstly, imitation, this is where you copy what you see. Secondly, catharsis, this is where you feel better about yourself as their lives are worse than yours and makes you feel sympathetic for them. Lastly, desensitisation, this is where you get used to what you see and it doesn't have as much of an effect on you.

The uses and Grafications model covers, personal identity, surveillance, pleasure and diversion

Reception theory is a version of reader response literary theory that emphasises the  reader's reception of a literary text.

There are 2 types on audience:

Active audience- engaging with a media text
Passive audience- tertiary, they don't consciously take in the message being portrayed.

Terror In The Night

In our lesson we were put into a group and made our own storyboard for the film 'Terror In The Night'. We had to make up our own story line which had to be horror related.We also had to decide what cuts we would use for every picture we drew, they were either jump or straight cuts.Jump cuts are used in a lot of horror films because it grabs the audiences attention and creates more tension..

Afterward we changed the positioning of our storyboard by putting the 4th picture at the beginning but because it didn't make sense we nearly changed the whole sequence of the storyboard. By looking at the storyboard now and before we can tell that the story has completely changed, this means that the audience will view the characters in a different way because we have positioned them in a different order.


Our story related to a few narrative theorists:
Strauss- There are binary opposites, 'Man/Women' 'Good/Bad'
Todorov- follows the classic Hollywood narrative; order and setting

Representation

Representation is the way people, groups, cultures and ideas are shown by media. Media text show us not the truth but an interpretation of the truth. the key concepts of media text is; representation, ideology, institutions, audience, media language and genre.
Semiotics is a study of signs system which allows us to deconstruct media texts to understand how meaning is being created.
The signifier is the object itself, signified is what it represents and example of this would be the 'rose' as the signifier and 'love' as signified.

                                                         

                                   Signifier                                                                                   Signified

                                                                               


The combination of signs create a code which can be understood usually through cultural or social contexts.

There are 3 types of signs:
Iconic- those which work through remsembles (photographs)
Symbolic- those which are learned (abitrary signs such as words)
Indexical- those which work through a casual link (e.g. smokes as an index of fire)

Denotation- the literal meaning of a sign
Connotation- the interpreted meaning of a sign or signs
Polysemy- refers to the capacity of all signs to be 'many signed' (polysemic): to have more than one meaning.

Main Task

For our main task we are going to make a title and a opening of a new fiction film lasting maximum of 2 minutes.

Their are 4 main parts that we are going to be assessed on which are; research, planning filming and post production.

Narrative Theory

Narrative is the story that is being told. Narrative explores the conventions of; genre, character, form and time. There are four types of structures theorists use, the most common structure being used is linear structure this when there is a beginning, middle and end. Open structure are left to wonder what happens next and make sense of it (e.g Inception). Closed structure is a definite ending, it has a clear conclusion for the audience. Lastly, a circular structure is when the narrative begins at the end event (often with the climax), the audience are taking on a journey back where they started (e.g pulp fiction).
There are different theorists who use theory to explain narrative structure:
Barthes is one of the theorists, he describes narrative as a series of code that are read and interpreted by the audience. There are three different codes he uses. Firstly, the action code, this is where the audience knows and doesn't need explaining. Secondly, the enigma code, this is when there is something hidden from the audience. Lastly, the semic code where the audience recognise through connotation.
Another theorist is Levi-Strauss, he describes narrative as created by contrast conflict of binary opposites, examples of binary opposites would be love and hate, wealth and poverty- they work together to create the narrative.

Editing

So what is editing? Editing is changing the narrative and to manipulate your original ideas. It is part of the post production in making films/t.v. In many films/t.v, editing has changed to portray things in indifferent ways to create meaning for the audience. In scenes they use camera cuts to create certain effects. In horror films they like to use jump cuts this is because it builds up tension, creates shock and surprises the audience.
In class we watched 'supersize me', because of editing what we see is not actually what happens. In the scene we see his sick on the floor however we did not actually see it come out of his mouth. Scenes can be changed to change a characters action to manipulate the audience to create different meaning.

how can genre aid me in relation to brief?

Genre is very important because it will help me decide what type of film I am going to study and make. It will help me decide the conventions that makes the film effective and would be appealing to the audience.However there is no particular way to classify a film because genre is not fixed, it is constantly changing. You can get sub-genres which are different forms of the same genre and also get hybrid genres where two genres mixed together, this means I need to be careful with the target audience as it needs to appeal to a large audience and for them to like every aspect of the film I am going to make.