OTS Story Boarding

Whilst Emily worked in photoshop to create our production/studio logos, Lily and I worked on creating a basic story board of our OTS.

Our opening title sequence will start with an extreme close up of our Femme Fetale whispering into one of our anonymous male characters ears, with the echoing line that will sound distorted and faraway, "Do you trust me?". This will fade into a fast-paced series of extreme close up shots to a building sound collage of speech and music. When the music hits its crescendo the shot will change to close up of the Femme Fetale blowing a kiss, forming an action match with the shot of the gun shooting a bullet. The shot will echo and change to see the Femme Fetale's hands dragging down the blood-stained shirt. This will then cut to an extreme close u of her eyes filling with tears.

The is will fade to black before our titles start. Our titles will include the words rising from or being written with various typical iconography seen in film noir, including:

- Title rising from cigarette smoke
- Title wipe as Femme Fetale pulls up stockings
- Title appearing in spilt alcohol
-  Title written onto credit card used to cut drugs (specifically some sort of powdered drug like cocaine)
- Title across cards/poker chips
- Title written in red lipstick on mirror
- Zoom into title in newspaper article
- Title rising from blood on shirt seen earlier

We unsure of the order of these titles and it will be decided later in pre production.

Plans for Filming -

We have planned to film the pre-titles sequence of our OTS on the 18.12. We will be filming the interaction between the Femme Fetale and her various suitors. We will be using Aiden Rawlinson and Adam Burton to play our male characters, and Bridie Megee as our Femme Fetale. We first planned to film in dark room at school but after discovering they will be taken up with photography exams, we decided to look into filming in one of the drama rooms.

Production Company Logo - Red Productions

Emily, our editor, has made the logo for our film production companies.

She explains this further in her blog post.

http://eappsasmediaproductionschs2015.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/ots-editing-unfinished.html

Sound Within Film

In class, we looked at the opening scene of the 2011 film 'Priest' and focussed specifically on the elements of sound in the extract.

We made notes on:
- Dialogue (Words/Vocals) - Sound that is part of the script/screenplay. Dialogue is usually within the diegesis of the movie but can sometimes be amplified to further impact the scene and emphasise a characters words.
- Ambient Sound - This is an element of sound that is often non-diagetic, and applies to sounds used to create a natural base layer of sound in the seen that helps the audience's suspension of disbelief. Ambience is often created with the sounds of birds or leaves in outdoor areas, the creaks of furniture and doors in other parts of a house, traffic and chatter on a busy high street etc.
- Soundtrack/Score - The soundtrack or the score includes any music that is edited into the film. Most films have a soundtrack that is a mix of original and unoriginal tracks.
- Silence - When you listen closely to a film you will discover that there will be almost no time in which there is complete silence. This means that silence can be very effective when attempting to disorientate or scare your audience.
- Sound Effect/Foleying - Sound that is the direct result of an action within the scene, for example the sounds a door being closed or a hammer knocking in a nail. Sound effects are often parts non-diegetic as they are sounds from the diegesis that have been amplified to create more impact on the audience. Sometimes sound effects are completely non-diegetic, in which case they are created by a process called foleying.

OTS - Mise-En-Scene and Location

http://lpotterasmediaproductionschs2015.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/ots-mise-en-scene-and-location.html

This is some of Lili's early exploration into the mise-en-scene elements of our OTS. As head of pre-production design, she has scouted locations for filming what props and costume we will need.

Experimenting with Garage Band

Today I experimented with recorded sound effects like tapping to create a heartbeat type sound, heavy breathing, and piano tracks sourced from the software. I liked the some of the effects this type of sound created and will most likely use similar techniques to record the sound collage we hope to include in our OTS. When developing the music to our titles I will hope to record some music I have originally composed and create a typical jazz blues feel with a small amount of modern un-typical musical elements like acoustic guitar and sound effects found in Garage Band.

BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) - (R18) Rating and What Applies

R18: Restricted 18. To be shown only in specially licensed cinemas, or supplied only in licensed sex shops, and to adults only.
The following content is not acceptable:
• material which is in breach of the criminal law, including material judged to be obscene under the current interpretation of the Obscene Publications Act 1959
• material (including dialogue) likely to encourage an interest in sexually abusive activity which may
include adults role-playing as non-adults
• the portrayal of sexual activity which involves real or apparent lack of consent. Any form of physical restraint which prevents participants from indicating a withdrawal of consent
• the infliction of pain or acts which may cause lasting physical harm, whether real or (in a sexual context) simulated. Some allowance may be made for moderate, non-abusive, consensual activity
• penetration by any object associated with violence or likely to cause physical harm
• sexual threats, humiliation or abuse which do not form part of a clearly consenting role-playing game. Strong physical or verbal abuse, even if consensual, is unlikely to be acceptable
These Guidelines will be applied to the same standard regardless of sexual orientation of the
activity portrayed.

Neo-Noir - Examples of the Typical and Untypical Elements

Together, we looked at three examples of films in the Neo-Noir genre (The Red Riding Trilogy 1975, Blade Runner and Bound).

All three presented a lot of the typical iconography seen in traditional noir films, including guns, cigarette smoke, and red lipstick around Femme Fetale characters. All showed the presence of an Anti-Hero type protagonist, despite the fact that in Bound they are female she still fits the character archetype.

Film Noir Conventions

In class, we looked at themes, contexts and common iconography seen in the Film Noir genre. Together we brainstormed several typical conventions of the genre, such as:

Iconography -

Red Lipstick (Femme Fetale)                                 Cigarette Smoke

High Heels (Femme Fetale)                              Trilby/Fedora Hat (Anti-Hero/Male Characters)

Guns/Weapons                                                          Alcohol 


Shadowed Lighting -

Typical Plot Features -

- Enigma/Mystery
- The Anti-Hero's Fatal Flaw
- Crime
- Flashbacks/Non-Linear Narrative
- Elements of Lust and Seduction Usually by the Femme Fetale (Fatal Attraction)
- Pathos From the Anti-Hero's Past
- Manipulation and Blackmail
- Moral/Social Message Within Narrative

BBFC (British Board of ~Film Classification) - (18) Rating and What Applies

The rating (18) mans that a film will contain scenes unsuitable for those under the age of 18.
Adults should be free to choose their own entertainment. Exceptions are most likely
in the following areas:
• where the material is in breach of the criminal law, or has been created through the commission of a
criminal offence
• where material or treatment appears to us to risk harm to individuals or, through their behavior, to
society. For example, the detailed portrayal of violent or dangerous acts, or of illegal drug use, which may cause harm to public health or morals. This may include portrayals of sadistic or sexual violence
which make this violence look appealing; reinforce the suggestion that victims enjoy sexual violence; or which invite viewer complicity in sexual violence or other harmful violent activities
• where there are more explicit images of sexual activity in the context of a sex work (see below) or
where the primary purpose of the images in question is sexual arousal In the case of video works, which may be more accessible to younger viewers, intervention may be more frequent than for cinema films.
Sex education at 18:
Where sex material genuinely seeks to inform and educate in matters such as human sexuality or safer sex and health, explicit images of sexual activity may be permitted.
Sex works at 18:Sex works are works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation. Sex works containing only material which may be simulated are generally passed 18. Sex works containing clear images of real sex, strong fetish material, sexually explicit animated images, or other very strong sexual images will be confined to the R18 category. Material which is unacceptable in a sex work at R18 is also unacceptable in a sex work at 18.

BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) - (15) Rating and What Applies

The rating (15) means the film may contain some scenes unsuitable for those under 15.
Discrimination: The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour, although there may be racist, homophobic or other discriminatory themes and language. 
Drugs: Drug taking may be shown but the work as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse (for example, through instructional detail). The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example, aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.
Imitable behaviour: Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied. Whether the depiction of easily accessible weapons is acceptable will depend on factors such as realism, context and setting.
Language: There may be strong language. Very strong language may be permitted, depending on the manner in which it is used, who is using the language, its frequency within the work as a whole and any special contextual justification. 
Nudity: There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context. There may be nudity in a sexual context but usually without strong detail. 
Sex: Sexual activity may be portrayed, but usually without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour, but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable unless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable. 
Threat: There may be strong threat and horror. A sustained focus on sadistic or sexual threat is unlikely to be acceptable. 
Violence: Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images is also unlikely to be acceptable. There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but the depiction of sexual violence must be discreet and justified by context

BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) - (12/12A) Rating and What Applies

The rating (12/12A) means that the film may contain materials unsuitable for those under 12.
Discrimination: Discriminatory language or behaviour must not be endorsed by the work as a whole. Aggressive discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to be acceptable unless clearly condemned. 
Drugs:Misuse of drugs must be infrequent and should not be glamorised or give instructional detail. 
Imitable Behaviour: No promotion of potentially dangerous behaviour which children are likely to copy. No glamorisation of realistic or easily accessible weapons such as knives. No endorsement of anti-social behaviour. 
Language: There may be moderate language. Strong language may be permitted, depending on the manner in which it is used, who is using the language, its frequency within the work as a whole and any special contextual justification.
Nudity: There may be nudity, but in a sexual context it must be brief and discreet. 
Sex: Sexual activity may be briefly and discreetly portrayed.  Moderate sex references are permitted, but frequent crude references are unlikely to be acceptable. 
Threat: There may be moderate physical and psychological threat and horror sequences. Although some scenes may be disturbing, the overall tone should not be. Horror sequences should not be frequent or sustained.  
Violence: There may be moderate violence but it should not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood, but occasional gory moments may be permitted if justified by the context. Sexual violence may only be implied or briefly and discreetly indicated, and its depiction must be justified by context.

BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) - (PG) Rating and What Applies

The rating (PG), or Parental Guidance, means that the film may contain some scene unsuitable for very young children.
Discrimination: Language or behaviour of a discriminatory nature is unlikely to be acceptable unless clearly disapproved of, or presented in a historical or educational context, or in particularly dated content that is unlikely to appeal to children. Discrimination in a character that children can easily identify with is unlikely to be accepted.
Drugs: References to illegal drugs or drug misuse must be innocuous or carry a suitable anti-drug message.
Imitable behaviour: No detail of potentially dangerous behaviour which young children are likely to
copy, if that behaviour is presented as safe or fun. No glamorisation of realistic or easily accessible weapons such as knives. No focus on anti-social behaviour which young children are likely to copy. 
Language: Mild bad language only. Aggressive or very frequent use of mild bad language may result in a work being passed at a higher category.
Nudity:There may be nudity with no sexual context.
Sex:Sexual activity may be implied, but should be discreet and infrequent. Mild sex references and innuendo only. 
Threat: Frightening sequences or situations where characters are in danger should not be prolonged or intense. Fantasy settings may be a mitigating factor.
Violence: Violence will usually be mild. However there may be moderate violence, without detail, if justified by its context (for example, history, comedy or fantasy).

Notes on OTS ideas

We created a page of brief notes on our ideas for our OTS, including a basic plot idea, mise-en-scene, iconography, and job allocation. These ideas will be further developed later and i will upload a video of my class presentation presenting these ideas and my role in camera direction and music production.

BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) - U Rating and What Applies

The rating (U), meaning universal for all, means that the film is suitable for all those of 4 years or older. Films under this classification should be set within a positive framework and contain a reassuring counterbalance to any violence, horror or threat.
Discrimination: Behaviour or language deemed to be discriminative is unlikely to be acceptable unless very clearly disapproved of within the feature.
Language: Only very mile bad language that is used infrequently will be acceptable.
Nudity: Nudity must be occasional and not to be seen within a sexual context.
Sex: Sexual behaviour of a mild nature (i.e. kissing) and references to such behaviour is accepted.
Threat: Potentially scary or unsettling sequences should be infrequent, brief and mild with a positive outcome and unlikely to cause anxiety to younger children.
Drugs: Use or reference to illegal drugs must be infrequent and incongruous, or portray a clear anti-drug message and educational purpose suitable for young children. Anti-social or potentially  dangerous behaviour which young children may copy must be clearly disapproved of and no realistic or easily accessible weapons are to be included.
Violence: Violence should be generally very mild. Mild violence will be acceptable if justified by context (i.e. wholly unrealistic, comedic, animated).

What is the 180 Degree Rule?

The 180 Degree Rule is a rule in shooting and editing in which the camera is kept on one side of the action. The rule is designed to ensure that other cameras that are running are not in shot and to keep the shots flowing nicely, especially when filming a conversation between two people that involves over the shoulder shots. The camera must never cross the line/ axis of action and if it does, it risks giving the impressions the actors role has been reversed.

Websites on Film Noir

http://www.filmnoirfoundation.org/home.html

http://americanfilmnoir.com/

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Film_Noir

These websites are really helpful in teaching the key codes and conventions of film noir, also giving examples of various features and iconography that helped inspire our own opening title sequence within the genre.

Codes and Conventions of an OTS

Codes and conventions of opening sequences from kcasmedia

This is a slideshare that represents the key codes and conventions of an OTS, this is very useful to us when deciding what we need to include in our own sequence. 

Analysis of an Opening Title Sequence

Abertura: American Horror Story - Asylum from Televisual on Vimeo.

This is the opening title sequence to the third season of the popular horror drama, 'American Horror Story'. The season was first aired on 'FX Horror' on the 17th of October 2012. Each season the show follows a different narrative in a different time period, but it often uses the same actors to play characters in each season and many say that this relates to how all the seasons will culminate. This 'OTS' is from the third season, 'Asylum', which based in a 1960s mental asylum.

This opening is just over one minute in length and is made up entirely of dis-jointed and highly-stylised shots of character and setting. The titles appear on screen in a signature bold font on a black background that is seen in all the seasons.


The sequence is very concept driven and does not display much information about the characters or plot. The dark lighting and disconcerting music create a creepy atmosphere that conforms with the horror genre.

The pace of shots is synced to the changes in tempo of the music, which makes the sequence flow and immerse the audience, which is essential to the horror genre.

The titles are set at regular intervals and start by introducing the main actors featured in the show. It ends with the show title which is typical in most opening title sequences, especially those for television programmes.

The sequence creates an enigma for the show by only representing the theme and not introducing any of the characters or plot through anything other than fast-paced shots that say very little about the characters in question. This draws audience attention as they will want to discover the characters in the show.

Sudden crescendos in the music are designed to shock the audience and create a foreboding atmosphere that will scare the audience. This is a well known musical technique in the horror genre, but is particularly interesting here as it is such a sudden contrast from the low-level clanging sounds in the rest of the track.

Aladdin: A Film Noir - Photo shoot

In order to further our understanding of the genre, we experimented with the elements of mie-en-scene with in Film noir.

During this activity we learned about the effects shadowed lighting had on how we would edit into black and white and change other aspects of color-balance. For example, when editing the photos involving a lighter flame we had to experiment with the contrast levels in the image so not to lose the sharp angles of the shadowing once we had added black and white filters. Converting a traditional story into the film noir genre helped us with our understanding of typical plots and characters in film noir.

     

Continuity Task

The Conversation -

This is the continuity task I filmed with Emily and Lily. We planned the camera angles together and I controlled the camerawork. We took the 180 degree rule into account by keeping the tripod in a central position and turning the camera.

We also included a shot reverse shot editing technique to show a connection between the characters and an action match on Lily opening and closing the door.

We used this exercise to practice continuity and how we ensure that camera angles do not contradict each other.

History of Film Noir and Stock Characters

Film Noir, french for 'Black Film', is a highly stylized cinematic technique often used in Hollywood crime dramas. It is a style of film that focuses on cynical attitudes and sexual desire, using narratives connected to 1940s-50s gangsters and the 'party scene' around the prohibition in america.

This visual style derives from German expressionist cinematography, and many of the prototypical stories where inspired by the huge amount of crime fiction that emerged in America during the great depression.

As all genres do, Film Noir has several stock characters that are seen throughout the genre.











- The Anti-Hero -  A protagonist who is distinguished by flaws in their character rather than positive traits.


- The Femme Fatale - A deceptive villainess that often deceives or seduces the Anti-Hero to benefit her own plans. (French translation for fatal women.



- The Redemptive Women - A beautiful women that assists the Anti-Hero in his adventures and is often the love interest in the feature. 

R+P - Costume

Here are some quick sketches for mine and Emily's costume designs. She will be playing Jasmine and I will play the genderbent Jafar.

R+P - Aladdin: A Film Noir

In class we have begun to apply the characters and key conversions of the Film Noir genre. We were asked to a pick a movie and adapt the plot and characters so that it resembled that of a Film Noir.

Emily and I choose to adapt the Disney cartoon 'Aladdin'. We started by listing our characters and roughing out a basic plot line.

Anti-Hero/Protaginist: Aladdin
Redemptive women: Jasmine
Femme Fatale: Jafar (Genderbent)

Aladdin has been in jail for several convictions of thievery. His sentence is over and he plans to turn over a new leaf. Unfortunately, he is enchanted by a sorceress named Jafar who seduces him back into a life of crime. The kind and beautiful Jasmine saves Aladdin from Jafar and they live happily ever after...etc.

An A-Z of Me

This is an alphabet of everything about me.

When asked to create something to introduce myself, I was a little stumped on what I could do. I was watching some Video Bloggers on youtube and I saw a tag called 'A-Z of Me'. I loved the idea and made the video that night. It took a few hours to edit but I am very happy with it and I hope you like it.

The Lion King 'Sweded'

I started my research by looking at examples and information of the site swededfilm.com

The site showed me lots of Sweded Films that inspired ideas and helped me figure out some techniques, like using paper signs for the titles and credits.

I thought that a disney animation would be the easiest and most effective to swede, as I knew the story lines and had toys and figures from most of the movies. Emily and I decided to do 'The Lion King' after I saw this sweded version using puppets.



We wanted to film as quickly as we could to try and make something that was funny and un planned. I used every clip we filmed and did no editing other than putting the clips together.

We had a lot of fun making it :)

4. 500 Days of Summer (2009)

The main reason I like this film is the stilted way it shows the process of falling in and out of love. The displaced order of events and harshly realistic acting made a film that made me laugh and cry and feel every emotion the main character felt. It was one of the movies that made me want to act and direct or just be involved with making something so amazing and thought-provoking. The director (Marc Webb) is a great director and pulls of the non-linear narrative of the story with such finesse that the movie's not confusing or boring and kept me on the edge of my seat.

3. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

I grew up loving Tim Burton movies and their gothic appeal, so when I saw 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' I couldn't help but the love it. The dark stop-motion animation was stunning and also had an independent female lead (Sally) that in some ways helped to save the main character (Jack Skellington) from the repercussions of his decisions. The songs were beautifully composed and helped introduce me to some of my favourite musical genres. The fantasy plot-line told the story of the 'Pumpkin' king of Halloween town having existential crisis that resulted in the kidnap of Santa and near ruining of christmas. The film showed me that even clever and powerful people make mistakes and I still watch it every christmas.

2. Alice in Wonderland (1951)

I first watched this film when very young and adored it. The wacky characters and beautiful Technicolor animation was hypnotising and enthralled me. Since then, I read the book and watched many of the other adaptations, but watching the Disney classic still gives me this huge sense of nostalgia and happiness. Alice was one of the first female leads in a movie that I related to, there was nothing special about her, she was just normal girl thrown into this weird world where up was down and down was up. She didn't chose to go on those adventures, she was just pulled into it but she kept going and he rational thinking and quick wits made her independent and strong, unlike all the the other 'heroines' Disney had to offer.

1. Donnie Darko (2001)

This film is incredibly important to me. The way it blended so many amazing genres into a clever and original plot along with its killer 80s soundtrack and beautiful cinematography made it (in my opinion) the best movie ever made. It stared as a psychotic thriller with elements of Comedy, Coming-of-age, and Sci-Fi. I fell in love with characters and clever plot and that paired with the witty social commentary on the world around teenagers and the split between the supposed 'sane' and 'insane' made this film something I still watch again and again.

Top Ten Favourite Movies

1. Donnie Darko (2001)

2. Alice in Wonderland (1951)

3.The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

4. 500 Days of Summer (2009)

5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

6. The Truman Show (1998)

7. Suicide Room (2011)

8. School of Rock (2003)

9. Submarine (2010)

10. Singing in the Rain (1952)