Time Out Prelim Task and Evaluation

Title Sequence Timelines

Blade ii title timeline from bthflatt96

Zombie land title timeline from bthflatt96

King kong from bthflatt96

The Art of the Title

Title sequence – A title sequence is a how a film or television show presents their title and sometimes the producers and cast members. This can be done in many ways using visual and audio effects.

The main function of a title sequence is to tell the audience the title of the film. It is also there to tell the audience about who has produced the film and who the cast are. It can be done in many different ways and sets the mood for the film. It also tries to tell the audience the genre and theme of the film or television show.

Three films I noticed in the Art of the Title sequence were: King Kong, Psycho and Dr No.

I looked at the title sequence for Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. The text in the title sequence was all bold and all in capitals which made it very clear. The letters were also lit up so the background didn’t blend with the text. Behind the text there are weird shapes and colours moving randomly behind the text which makes it feel hyperactive. This also goes quite well with the music in the background. The music is rock and is being played by the main characters. The theme of this title sequence feels hyperactive and fast. The title sequence makes me think the genre is action as the music and the fast pace suggests this. The fast colours and shapes make me think the film will be fast paced and have vibrant colours throughout the film.

I looked at the title sequence of Catch Me if You Can. All of the text came from the ceiling and floor of the animated scene. The words have a basic font that is connected to the scene. In the title sequence you are following a man who appears to be being chased. It is all cleverly animated with calm music in the background. The title goes with the scene as the man looks like he is being chased. The mood of the title is quite childish and feels like it is part of a cartoon as someone is being chased and they evade the person chasing them by changing their outfit. The jazz also makes it feel like a cartoon. The title sequence makes me think that the film is a comedy/adventure film as they travel to may locations just in the introduction.

Richard Morrison

Batman

I’ve chosen to look at the title sequence for Batman. I think the text looked very good as it was yellow which is in Batman’s logo. This went with the film and wasn’t just a random decision. The font was bold and clear which I think goes with the setting and the film. All of the letters were in capital form and easy to read. The music built up to when the title appeared which signified that it was the title. Also the entire background went black when the title appeared which made it stand out. The music was very loud and sounded heroic which made me think that the film is a superhero action movie. This makes it clear to the audience what genre of film they are watching. I think that the way the logo was presented was very clever as you didn’t know what you were looking at until you are above the logo looking down onto it. I think it is a very clever way to build up suspense and reveal the logo to the audience. The scene was also very dark which could suggest that a lot of the film is at night and in dark places and it is quite a dark story.

Richard Morrison thought that he needed to include the iconic classic batman symbol. He thought it was very creative and nothing quite like it had been done before. He thought it was good to reveal it slowly rather than just show the symbol. This gives the audience enigma codes such as what am I looking at. Richard Morrison thinks that this title sequence was a success and is timeless.

The Dreamers

The second Richard Morrison title sequence I am going to look at is from the film The Dreamers. I think the text in this sequence is done very well and looks very cool and smooth. I like how it goes behind part of the structure. I thought it flowed very well with the words coming fading in and out of the shot as the camera tilted down the structure. The font that was used was clear and was easy to read. The font for the actual title was very large and different from the rest as the word dreamers was brown unlike the rest of the words which were white. This signified that it was the title of the film. The music also changed when the title appeared which made it clear to the audience that it was the title. Judging from this title sequence I think the film is set in a city as the building looks like it is in the middle of the city. I can’t work out the genre from this title sequence as it has no big giveaways and doesn’t seem to fit into any genre.

Richard Morrison thinks that his title sequence for The Dreamers is very good and fits the film very well. He thinks it fits as it flows very well and is one continuous piece of filming of the Eiffel tower. He thinks it looks organic and just like title sequences did in the old days but with his own spin.

Past Student Video Evaluations

I chose Awake first and the genre is thriller. I knew the genre as it was very clear which is good. It fitted it genre very well and wasn’t at all unclear. I understood what was going on so I didn't feel alienated.

At the beginning the music instantly pulls you in and you have one shot of a hooded figure dressed all in black which instantly makes you think he is a villainous person. This is a good use of mise en scene. The girl who is running looks vulnerable and this makes her look like the victim as she’s being chased. When the girl wakes up you know it was a dream and the panic is over and the tension is lost. When the other music is turned on it makes you feel safe and like the panic is over. The knocks at the door start to build up the tension again as the tense music returns and the knocks turn to bangs which frighten the audience. The ending was very good as you could see the surprise on the girl’s face which left you wanting to know what happen which is a good enigma code.

The titles were very basic and hard to notice which I didn’t like as you had to search for them instead of them being presented to them. The text was very bland as the font was boring and white.

I would give this piece a level 4 54/60.

   

This is the opening sequence that students made for a film called Element 115. The genre is horror/action as it involves zombies which are thought to be in action and horror movies.

You can tell the zombies are zombies by the way they looked as the mise en scene was outstanding in this piece. The setting was just right as there were no people which made it look like the two boys were the last people left. The props were used to good affect and the special effects were very good. The gunshots and blood splatter was done very well and looked very impressive. The sounds such as the birds gave a sense of how alone they both are. The dialogue was good and so were all of the actors. The camera shots were very good. There was a lot of variation and I especially liked the shot of them running away from their view.

I think the titles were done okay as they fitted the genre and scene. They looked like they had been written in blood; this went with the scene as there was a lot of blood and death involved with the zombies.

I really enjoyed watching this and looking at the criteria I would give this piece a level 4 58/60.

Time Out Planning

SAW opening analysis

Camera
To start with the camera is above Adam in the bath. It is a close up of his face.We then see a close up of the key and the plug hole. There is a medium shot of Adam waking up in the bath. We next get a close up[ of the plug whole and see the key disappear. The camera tilts when the lights are turning on and we see them all switch on. We then get a medium shot of Adam reacting to the bright light. We then see from Adams point of view which is blurry and looking at the ceiling. The camera zooms away from Adam to reveal a dead body on the floor. the camera tilts to look at the dead body then spirals into the air above it. We then see three close ups, one of the head, one of a tape player and one of a gun. We then see an establishing shot of the room were we can see all of the people in the room. Next we see a series of shots that include close ups and longs shots of Adam trying to escape.

Mise En Scene
The costumes that the characters are wearing look old and dirty which represent time and helplessness. The characters look dirty which shows they are trapped and not able to escape. The chain attach to the characters feet show they are trapped and have no way of escaping. The man in the middle of the floor is surrounded by blood so the audience immediately think he is dead. The gun also represents death and he is holding it. The man on the floors head is bloody and looks like it has been shot. The setting is in an old deserted bathroom. It is very dirty and not near anyone as no one can hear them. The lighting in this scene is used to reveal the room and its contents. To start with it is very dark and you can only see Adam but when the lights are turned on it reveals two more characters.

Sound
First you can hear the sound of water as Adam is underwater. This sound is parallel to what is going on. There is some quiet discrete music in the background when Adam is getting out of the bath. This music is non diegetic as Adam cannot hear it. We hear dialog between Adam and an unknown figure as we cannot see him. This creates a lot of tension and makes us think who the mystery person is and what predicament they are in. This means the sound was created off screen. The sound of the lights turning on is very loud and is very exaggerated. There are some loud screeching sounds when the dead body is revealed. The sound makes us feel scared and is non diegetic. The rattling of the chain tells us he is trapped and trying to escape.

Editing
The order of the narrative is chronological and doesn't go to different times. The transitions are not smooth which gives a feel of hopelessness. When looking from the eyes of the characters after the lights have been turned on it is very blurry and it takes time for the room to be revealed to us. This builds a lot of tension. There are quick transitions that go with the loud sounds that make us think the things we are seeing are significant.

WALL-E opening analysis

Camera
To start with there are a lot of shots of space and planets. It then moves to a shot that tilts down onto Earth which reveals how polluted it is. It then zooms through the satellites and into the atmosphere which shows us all of the litter. There are a lot of extreme long shots which show how different Earth is to how we know it and how empty and deserted it is. Then there are some close ups of WALL-E and cleaning the rubbish.

Mise En Scene
The setting is future Earth as we can tell from the camera shot before it zooms in. It has been deserted and only WALL-E and it's cockroach are seen. This makes Earth look very lonely and vast. The Earth has become very polluted which we can see from the massive amounts of rubbish. We can tell the air is very polluted by the foggy dusty air. Earth has lost its blues and greens and is now very brown. WALL-E is a robot which we can see from the way it looks.

Sound
The music is the main sound you can hear to begin with. The music sounds quite old fashioned which contrapuntal with the setting as it is set in the future. The music also sounds very happy which is also contrapuntal with the setting as there is nothing to be happy about as the Earth has been deserted and there isn't anything living visible. The music fades out to show how silent the land is. The music then comes back when WALL-E comes into the shot and is a lot quieter. It echos through the city which shows how lonely and eerie it is. The sounds of WALL-E tell us that he is a robot. He is playing the music so the music is diegetic.

Editing
The shots in space just snap to one another were as the shots on earth fade through the fog which makes it flow. The transitions also go with the music very well. The pace is slow and shows us what Earth has become so we can think about it. The pace speeds up slightly as we zoom into Earth but then slows down so we can take in what has happened. All of the shots are in order and get us closer to find WALL-E.

Saving Private Ryan opening analysis

Camera
There are a lot of close ups on the soldiers faces. This is to show what they are feeling inside about their situation. There is also a shaky tracking shot which is showing the soldiers travelling towards the beach packed in boats. This shot is shaky to show how rough the sea is. There is also a camera shot from the Germans view behind the turret. This gives a sense of scale and shows how many people are being killed.

Mise En Scene
Straight away we are told the date and location so people know that this is D-day. We can tell that this film is about war as there are military vehicles and soldiers travelling into battle. We can tell they are soldiers because of their uniforms and their iconic helmets. The lighting outside is bright but not colourful. Inside the bunker with the turret it is very dark which shows that the people inside are the enemies. Tom Hanks is the main character and is the leader in this scene. People will recognise him as a main character as he is in most films he stars in. There are many props which help to show that this is a war. Props such as the guns which were used in world war two. The metal flask is another prop that showed that these men were soldiers as they all carried them.

Sound
All the sounds are diegetic and there is no music. All you can hear is what the soldiers can hear. This puts us in the shoes of the soldier and makes it tense. There is a mixture of off screen and on screen sounds. We can't see the explosions happening in the water but we can hear them. We can see and hear the boats and the sea. There is dialogue which is given to a group by three people. The rest of the soldiers don't talk which shows their fear.

Editing
There are no smooth transitions and one shot snaps straight into the next shot. This speeds up the pace and makes it feel more realistic. The pace is slow in the boats and then speeds up very quickly as soon as they get onto the beach. This shows how quickly the soldiers are dying and how fast the living soldiers have to think of a way to survive. All of the shots were put in the chronological order and wasn't sped up or slowed down at all.

Evaluation of classmates Juno Opening

Group	How was the Use of camera shots?	Use of editing?	Use of lighting?	Overall Success of video
James C ,Becky and Emma	It was very shaky. All the shots were fairly accurate but they had some delay.	The colours looked exaggerated and vibrant which looked good but wasn’t like the original.	It was very bright but sometimes too bright as you couldn’t see fine details like the face.	I thought it looked good but wasn’t much like the original. I think some effects looked good but it wasn’t accurate.
Dom and Lara	The camera was very shaky and it kept cutting out Juno. Some were in the original and some were not which means it wasn’t very accurate.	The editing was done well as it looked slightly like a cartoon which is like the original. The transition from no effect to an effect was done very well at the right time.	The lighting was just right and almost the same as the original.	It was very shaky and the timing was slightly off but apart from that it was good.
George, Kaitlyn and Sarah	I thought all of the camera shots were very smooth which is very good. It looked very professional. It was very much like the original	The transitions looked very good and fitted in very well. It looked slightly cartoony but it was slightly hard to notice.	The lighting was perfect and just like the original. None of it was too bright or too dark.	I think the video was very good as it was smooth and the editing was very good. The lighting was perfect and the timing was almost spot on.
James B and Megan	I thought the camera shots were accurate to what were in the original and they were only slightly shaky in places.	The transitions were the only effects I noticed. The transitions fitted well with the original and were very smooth. They didn’t feel forced.	The lighting was good and none of it was too dark or too bright.	I think it was good as the camera shots were good and it was very close to the original. I think some effects to make it look cartoony would have helped made it look better.