Example of the roles in an opening sequence

This is an effective opening to a film because it includes the majority of the major roles needed to be shown during the making of the film, for example the co-producer, producer and others. It is important that these are shown because it tells an audience who has made the film and they may recognise names from provious films made by one of these people that they may have liked so they may feel they will like this film by them. It also shows the names of the main characters of the film so you can recognise them from perhaps previous films they have been in or so you may recognise their names in future films they may appear in.

Roles different people have in creating films

Producer- Someone who selects screenplay and initiates the process of film making.

Executive producer- Usually reserved for a producer with financial interest it the production.

Casting- The person who decides who they think would fit the role the best and most appropriate out of the auditionees or just well known actors they think would best fit the role.

Costume design- Person that selects what each character should wear corresponding to their personality in the scene and how to add more tension to it via characters clothing.

Music- Person who selects music to be played in scenes that help set the mood of it for an audience to relate to the scene more.

Editing- The person who decides whether or not to add transitions between shots, if there needs to be any special effects involved.

Production designer- Involved in designing how the set should look in the scene and what the lighting hould be like( high/low key).

Director of photograhy- Responsible for framing, camera angles and movement, lighting and the technical requirements to translate a script and storyboard into images on film.

Writer- Person who originally wrote the script or book before it wa put into film form.

Director- Responsible for turning the script into a sequence of shots and what tone the film should have and what an audience should gain from the cinematic experience.

Dexter opening sequence

This is a good opening sequence because it has a twist to it because in the clip it appears that he is is eating his breakfast; but at times it looks quite brutal as if he is killing someone, because on the program he works as a killer so it adds a twist to this opening sequence. However, the one thing that this opening sequence does that not many other do is it does not include any of the people who were involved in the making of the program, for example, the producer or director. This is a good opening sequence because although this seems to be quite a negative program because it has a lot of killings in it the opening sequence gives a diffeent impressionn because it seems quite playful and upbeat with the music in the background and the fact this opening sequence is based around him eating his breakfast.

Superbad opening sequence

I think that this is a good opening sequence because straight away it will catch an audiences attention to the film because it is different to many other opening sequences because they have a coloured silhouette, rather than a black one, which sets the tone that it will be a funny upbeat movie. Also the music used is quite a high tempo which shows at will be a funny movie. They manage to fit in all of the producers and characters names around the silhouette's of the characters dancing which is effective because the audiece will be able to see what is happening in the shot but also it gives the infirmation of who is in the film and what companies were involved in the making of it.

Understanding the purpose of an opening sequence

The purpose of an opening sequence is to let the audience know what is going on within the film and help to set the scene for where it will be set throughout. It also introduces all of the actors that are going to be included in the film throughout, which could be ne of the reasona that many peopole may have paid to go and see that film (because if there are big name actors that they will recognise in it). They also gradually interest the audience in the film because they often begn with something that would shock the audience, and from that point in keep them interested and want to find out what has happened. The choice of font used in a title sequence can help set the genre of the film because, for example, in se7en, in has quite rough words which appear to be handwritten, or look as if they have been, indicating that the film is going to be a thriller becuase the font chosen looks quite mysterious and a bit scary. Most successful opening sequencs give something away in the film that will keep an audinece member guessing throuhghout what has happened and make sure that they are keeping them interested in the film and want to know what has happened.

Understanding the purpose of a trailer.

The main aim of a trailer is to give the audience an idea of the basic plot of the film to make an audience member want to pay their money to go and see the film. It also has a lot of the best shots in the film in a quick sequence (montage) to interest an audience member when they see this trailer and they go see the film. They would also name the key actors in the film so if a member of the audience recognises these actors and likes some of their previous films so it would encourage them to go and see the film knowing they like previous films these actors have done. It also shows the genre of the film knowing this will appeal to a specific audience, so they know if they show the better parts of the film it will encourage this type of audience to go and see the film; seven is an action/thriller so that appeals to a very wide range of audience from old to young and probably both genders, so it has a large range to cover which would men that it would attract a lot of people.

The 4 techniques we had to include in the preliminary task

180 degree rule:
The 180 degree rule is when you have 2 characters in a clip/scene and the camera is always on the same side of the characters throughout it. for example, if one of the characters walks into the room and the camera is filming from their left then from then on in that clip the camera must remain on that characters left; this means that the camera would have to stay on the other characters right for the entire clip. however, this rule can be broken if we see the camera behind one of the characters and we see it cross the line to theo other side of them. This is because the viewer will be able to see that the camera has changed the sides of the characters it is filming on, making sure that it still looks continuous.

Match on action:
Match on action is when we see a character doing something, e.g. opening a door, and as they may go to grab the handle to pull it open the camera would cut with it then in the next shot showing perhaps in a close up of the characters hand pulling the door open. Then it would cut again to a long or mid shot of the character as they are walking through on the other side of the door. This is very effective because it looks good and helps add a variety of shots to a clip. However, if when editing the clip is not cut correctly it would not look continuous as we may see them walk up to the door without reaching for it and then them oopening the door; this would be bad bacause it would not make the piece continuous and would make the clip look bad.

Shot reverse shot:
the shot reverse shot is often used when there are 2 characters involved having a conversation. The camera would probably use a close up for this and all it does is show one character speaking, then cut into the next shot still using a close up, of the other character talking, it would then cut back to the first character who spoke from the same shot. This is usually used to show a characers facial expressions when they are talking so a viewer can probably get a better understanding of how the characters are feeling in the clip.

Eyeline match:
An eyeline match is where one shot may show a character walk into a room, freeze and look down at something. The camera would then cut from that character into a close up of what that character was looking at. The camera then cuts back to the character in the position it cut from them in the first place and the scene would just continue on. However, if again this is not edited correctly and the character is in a different position from what they was in when the camera first cut from them, then again it would not look continuous and would make the scene look wrong.

WWW and EBI of the preliminary task

WWW- Successfully completed the task including everything that we needed to include in it so that it looked good (follow the 180 degree rule, use match on action, shot reverve shot and eyeline match). We also managed to use a variety of shots and use a good match on action shot when the door was being opened at the beginning.

EBI- In a couple of the shots you are able to hear us say action at the beginning of them, so we probably needed to work on the timing of all of the cuts of our clips when editing so you are not able to hear us say action.

Preliminary task

Continuity editing is an important filming technique because it makes a clip flow better and as it is continuous it is easier for a viewer to follow what is happening and understand it. Continuity editing is basically where a clip all links while it plays and it follows a basic story-line.