Audience And Institution Essay

To what extent is digital distribution vital to the film industry?

The way that people receive information has always affected how important and impactful that information can become in their lives. In the case of films, accessibility has always been a major factor in that equation. At the height of cinema, going to the theatre was an activity mainly enjoyed by whole families but as we entered a more digital age the way that audiences received movies changed dramatically. At the turn of the 21st century, we were introduced to DVDs, and as time continued accessibility broaden the reach of audiences around the world. Now in our current world watching a movie can be done almost anywhere where one has internet access. Though some may disagree, digital distribution has become one of the most vital things within the film industry because it controls the kinds of audiences that a film can attract and the profits that the film can produce. 

A film is not made to cater to everyone, films are made with certain audiences in mind. The way that the film is distributed can be a clear indicator of what kind of narrative the film is planning to explore. While most blockbuster films get wide releases into theaters like AMC or Regal, films that are indie and obscure are usually released into specific film festivals or into specific streaming sites. A substantial amount of Blockbuster movies are released in theatres before anything else. For example, on the opening weekend of the latest Avengers movie, Avengers: Endgame, which was released in summer 2019, was shown in approximately 58,000 AMC theatres within the united states. The movie followed a well-known plot that was easily understood by the general public. As a result, when distributing the film the number of people that went to see it was more important than who came to see the film. The opposite can be said for the realist thriller The Lobster which a sundance release. Though both films gartered positive reviews the distribution played a key role in getting those reviews. Since the movie the lobster follows a lesser-known genre; the film was only distributed to people who would be familiar with not only the concept of realism but also comfortable with the unfamiliar and unnerving scenes that are portrayed in the film. While Avenger: Endgame gartered more money than The Lobster both films were successes to their respective audiences due to their distribution methods. 

While positive reviews are great, the film industry, like any other industry, runs on profits; digital distribution is a vital part of how much profit they will gain. As we progress forward there has been an increase in the proliferation of hardware and content. People now value comfort over experience and so streaming platforms are now more popular than movie theatres. As a result, more and more producers are releasing their films straight to streaming platforms because it provides a more direct and instant form of profit. An example of this is the 2018 sci-fi film Annihilation. This film was first released in theatres and did horribly in the box office. After some time, Netflix bought the movie and it was shown there. Surprisingly, the movie did very well on that platform. You would think that the movie was not interesting enough to grab the movie go’ ers attention but the different platforms that it was distributed to shows that the demographic that the movie was for was not reached originally.  When distributing the films, having knowledge about how films are being primarily viewed assists people in choosing low-risk options. An example of this that is seen is the influx of comedian specials being released to Netflix first. They have noticed that in order to gain the most profit from your film, distributing it to a place that will help your film succeed. 

The distribution of films plays an important role in how successful the movie is yet, that stage is extremely overlooked. A movie can have an amazing plot but without proper distribution to one’s intended audience, a great movie can instantly turn into a box office flop. With the proper digital distribution, a movie can get to it’s intended demographic and succeed while accumulating a great amount of profit.

Game of Thrones Extract Practice Essay

In this extract, I believe that the author's vision was for Lord Stannis and Sir Davos to be the underdogs and have a 'Never-say-never' spirit. The one boat filled with ragged men entering the city looks little compared to the big city that is shown. Throughout the extract, many, obvious, aspects lay out the idea that Lord Stannis needs the help of the Iron Bank and is in a not so lovely position. It is the not so obvious aspects of the extract that makes this into an underdog like theme.
When they are first introduced into the scene there are many aerial shots happening. These aerial shots made them and their ship look inferior in comparison to the city they were going into. That scene was full of ambient sounds and everyone seemed so busy and hectic, it seemed to have no structure. The massive Spartan statue and seemingly calm, beautiful city that is seen when the aerial shot happens further enforces that idea of them being two completely different environments. They have no power when compared to the city they are entering. After that, the setting changes to an empty hall with very dim lighting. This scene is also where the dialogue starts.
Dialogue is a way that the director can get their point of the scene across. This is one of the obvious aspects that I mentioned before. While the dialogue helps give the audience more context on what is happening it does not show the 'Never say never' attitude that the characters have explicitly. The first thing that is obvious about this new scene is dim lighting. I noticed that the places in which the lighting was especially dim, that character seemed to lack confidence or power in the situation. Sir Davos is barely seen when he is first introduced while Lord Stannis' face is seen clearly even though he is right next to him. This shows the importance of each character at the moment to the audience.
After a little bit of dialogue, three men walk into the scene. Unlike Lord Stannis and Sir Davos, their movements were followed, their footsteps were heard. This shows that they have some level of importance which requires them to receive that much attention in comparison to Stannis and Davos. Before those men walked into the scene there were many wide shots which made them seem smaller than they are, somewhat similar to the aerial shots from before. When they arrived suddenly the wide shots turned into mid shots and close-ups. These are the subtle details that show the power structure in the room. When they arrived suddenly both Stannis and Davos were nearly impossible to see because of the dim lighting while the three men of the Iron Bank were clearly seen.
As the scene continued with more dialogue you begin to notice the constant changes in camera position. You notice that there is a slight difference in the height of the people. The three men sitting in the throne-like chairs are, ever so slightly, looking down on Stannis and Davos, while it may not be drastic you can tell that this plays a major role in them maintaining their power. They seem more condescending to Sir Davos when he is sitting down under their gaze in comparison to when Davos approached them confidently while standing. At first, I thought that I was only looking into it too hard until I noticed something. When placed at a higher angle, that actor specifically was clearer to see. It could simply "just be the lighting from the windows" but it seemed more deliberate.
This theory was finally confirmed in the last part of the extract when Sir Davos started fighting back. When he stood up he suddenly was clear as day. He is in relatively the same place as when the scene started but the sudden confidence and 'shift in power' caused the director to have more light shined on him. The Iron Bank men who did not move at all since the extract started seemed to get darker, meaning that they were losing the power that they had before in this situation. If that was not proof enough for me, when the action match happened at the end, the first time it has happened for Sir Davos since the three Iron Bank men walked in, Lord Stannis, who was in front of a window, still did not have the same light on him as Sir Davos did.
The director's vision for these scenes was done in a way that was almost unnoticeable. They used subtle techniques to establish the power structure that was happening in that empty hall. It was not only the dialogue or the use of the throne-like chairs that established who had the most power. It was the use of the subtle high angles and the very precise lighting that would also let the audience know the constant changing of power that was happening within that scene. If I only looked at the dialogue and props used in this scene, I would not have been able to see the very present theme of 'Never say never.' Even when under the condescending eyes of the Iron Bank, who kept denying them, Sir Davos never succumbed to their power, he never gave up.

A Night OutCCR

This is the Creative Critical Reflection of my movie opening A Night Out.

A Night Out (Movie Opening)

This is the movie opening that my partner and I put together. The name of this movie is A Night Out. The genre of this film is Thriller. We took advantage of the ambient sounds that we had and interchanged it with the soundtrack that we used. In comparison to our commercial, this film included dialogue and handheld shots that gave the film more variety. 

Starbucks Commercial

This is the first commercial that my partner and I filmed. We filmed the voiceover from the computer speaker, that is why it is so scratchy. The voice-over will have a description of the tea and talk about the details, like the size and affordability. I play the actor in this commercial. 

Social Distancing = No Filming :(

We have been advised to participate in social distancing. Because of the coronavirus, it is unwise to leave your house unless you’re going to essential locations. My partner and I only had one little scene that we wanted to reshoot but unfortunately, we haven’t been able to. in this case we didn’t really know what to do. Because the coronavirus is affecting the whole world I wasn’t even sure if my project would even be accepted. luckily our whole movie is done, albeit not to our standards. We had some scenes we wanted to reshoot because it caused a bit of confusion when we showed it to others. Since we can’t do that, it’s best that we have a coherent movie at the moment. I edited the whole movie together so my partner is in charge of making the titles and inserting them. My partner went over what I edited together and asked for changes and at the moment I am waiting for the titles to be done.  After it’s done I can review it and make the final touches. By the time the final product comes out, the movie would have been reviewed three to four times by different people. In the meantime, I started on my CCR. I started by revisiting my previous projects, the commercial and music video. I looked at the CCR’s of those and searched for differences and similarities between what I did then and now. That helped refresh my memory and made it easier to write my CCR. Even though our Cambridge tests have been canceled it’s best to continue putting out work. I wouldn’t want all my hard work to go to waste. I’ve improved a lot when it came to editing my work so I would like to have it shown. While my teachers are not completely sure about what the end result of this will be I am going to continue working towards the original end goal to make this whole year worth it. 

Music = MANY Problems

For our film, having a song integrated into your opening sequence was mandatory. A couple of problems came with that though. Many songs that could be found on YouTube or that my partner and I were familiar with all were copyrighted. Copyright is the exclusive legal right, given to an originator or an assignee to print, publish, perform, film, or record literary, artistic, or musical material, and to authorize others to do the same. This meant that we had to find a song to use that went with our genre. There were two ways that we could’ve gone about this: we could’ve contacted an artist that we knew and ask permission to use their music in our film or get royalty-free music. I preferred the latter. Since I did most of the editing I had to look for the music. The first thing I did was go on YouTube and try to find some royalty-free music that would go with our film. When I first started this we had not filmed yet. This made it harder to find a song that was not only royalty-free but would go with the scenes that were taking place. After searching for some time, I found a song called tense suspense alternative mix on Spotify. I found it on a playlist that solely had copyright free music. To double-check, I went through the description and even emailed the owner of that playlist to make sure that the song was royalty-free. After getting a confirmation I planned on putting it into the film after we edited. When it came time to insert it into the film I ran into some problems. The main problem was that I was unable to get the track from Spotify and into the film. While editing I found that I have very little patience and absolutely no idea how to get the intended track into the film therefore, I decided to find another song. In turn, I went right back to YouTube and look up more royalty-free music. I ended up finding a website named FesliyanStudios.com which, allowed me to download any track that I wanted from the website. The website made it very clear that it was safe and okay to use the music in my film, seeing as it’s not an ad or anything to gain money. I then downloaded the track dark fog onto my computer and then transferred it into my phone, where I was editing the film.  I decided to play the track throughout the whole film; for scenes where I wanted it to be more prominent, I lowered the ambient sounds of that scene. If I didn’t want it to be heard at all I would just cut the sound out for that specific section of the film. While the journey to getting the track was tedious, it was very easy to incorporate it into my film. 

Missing Actor

This weekend we managed to film more clips to improve the quality of the original film. The first problem that we ran into was that Michelle was going out of town. My partner and I both work so this was the only time we could’ve filmed. So we ended up filming at my partner's pool. Instead of it being at Michelle apartment complex with two floors and a more open layout, it was at my partner's house. We knew that our film couldn’t be very different from our original script so we improvised a lot to make everything fit. the original plan was to just have Michelle and Naelys act while my partner and I solely film and direct. That wasn’t the case though. When we found out that Michelle was not going to be available we immediately started scouting different actors but none of them were available. In that case, I ended up playing Michelle and my partner played Jackie. Since we weren’t fully prepared to be playing these roles we weren’t equipped with different clothes to switch into. This created some difficulties when filming. We’d have to be positioned in uncomfortable ways to avoid catching noticeable features. Seeing that it was only three of us and I had majorly worked on the visual aspects of the movie it was a bit aggravating to not have things come out the way I wanted it. Not to mention, we had to film on our phones because of our missing actor. While we could’ve still filmed with the tripod and camera it would’ve taken entirely too much time to do so. We were filming at night so the time period we had to film was very little. As much as I wanted to get everything right that night it was nearly impossible to do. We are planning on filming the car scene one more time because it was quite confusing because you could see that I was playing the mother even though I was playing Michelle originally. If we get lucky, we can get Michelle to come film with us and it might come out better. 

iMovie over Pinnacle Studios

For this blog, I took the original clips and edited them together. I used the software iMovie to edit my clips together. When filming both my partner and I filmed certain scenes. seeing that I am usually the one in charge of editing I asked her to send the scenes to me. The first thing that I did was put all the scenes in a folder in my photo album. After that, I imported them into the iMovie app. I tried to put them in chronological order when inserting them. I followed the storyboard that we made when inserting the clips. I had a lot of difficulties doing this because I had to do all of this on my phone. However, it was still far easier than using pinnacle studios. So as I put each scene in I cut them down to the necessary length that I needed and just combined them all. My main goal was to have the clips put in chronological order. The first thing that I noticed was that the ambient sounds were very loud. So using the sound section of iMovie I was able to control how loud the sound of the scenes was. At this time there were no transitions put in yet so I tried to make the sound flow as smoothly as possible.  For scenes that had no dialogue, I let the ambient sounds be at the forefront. They usually stayed in between the 30% and the 50% mark. Because we filmed so late at night, the crickets and katydids were very loud and could clearly be heard throughout the film. In scenes with dialogue, the voices easily drowned out all of the ambient sounds.  For specific scenes, like scene 13, I had to record a voice memo of the dragging sound and then placed that memo on top of the clip. To do that I also had to detach the original sound on the clip. I did that for certain scenes where I really wanted specific sounds to be heard. 

Final Task Re-shoot

For this blog, I took the critiques that my peer reviewer had and re-shot some scenes. One problem that the peer reviewer noted was that some scenes didn’t go together perfectly. For example, in the scene where Michelle was finding Naelys, it was filmed twice. One by myself as the actor and the next by my partner as the actor. When going over the clips, the beginning of my partners was better than mine. The ending of mine was better than hers therefore, I put them together there were some parts that needed to be edited together better. another problem that my peer reviewer pointed out was that the car scene was too dark.  that makes sense because we initially just used the light of A streetlamp. When we re-shot the same scene we decided to use the light that comes from the car and the flashlight on the phone to help brighten up the location.  after seeing how well this turned out, we decided to reshoot some other scenes using the same method. we had a scene where we show the bat being dragged across the floor. to put more light on the bat One of the actors and I flashed our light on it while my partner dragged the bat across the floor. this helped with our overall visibility. I decided to transfer the video onto my computer and to test the visibility of the scenes I watched it near a window. after re-shooting a scene I would do this so we could adjust the lighting as we go. another thing that we focused on was improving our sound. When initially shooting all the dialogue was recorded through voice memos on our phone. when putting together the scenes I put the voices over the take. However, when listening to it later it ended up sounding like voiceovers, Which makes the scene sound artificial and a bit tacky. therefore when we started re-shooting we made sure that we spoke loud enough so the dialogue would be heard over the ambient sounds and the soundtrack that was going to be put over the film.  I said before we did avoid filming with a tripod. However, after speaking with our peer reviewer, they mentioned that for certain scenes it would be better to use a tripod purely for steady purposes. so for one of the scenes where Michelle is walking out into the darkness, instead of it being a handheld shot we shot it on the tripod. Well, this didn’t really do much to help our storyline we didn’t notice the difference it made in the film. however, because the rest of the shots were handheld shots that seem to be still wouldn’t really match the rest of the scenes that we had already filmed. 

Final Task Peer Review

For the peer review, I reviewed group 15. The first thing that I noticed about the film is that there is really good sound. The dialogue was never covered by any background sounds and the sound that they wanted to be heard was heard clearly. Even background sounds seemed intentional in the storyline. The lighting of the film was also done very well. While I’m not completely sure about the genre of the film or the story that they are trying to get across, for the actions taking place within the scenes; the lighting is appropriate. However, a drawback of this can be that the lighting is too drastic. While yes, every lighting that I saw matched the setting however, having the screen constantly switch from really bright to really dark isn’t the best thing. Now again, I am only saying this because I’m still not completely sure of the genre and this may be a convention of your genre and if it is, it was done well. At the moment, because the genre of the film is not explicitly clear, I can’t come to that conclusion just yet. For example, one scene is of an actor walking outside, it was very sunny and bright. The audience was led to believe, in the previous scenes, that this film is taking place in the morning therefore, the lighting was appropriate. Another aspect of the film that I noticed immediately was that it lacked titles. The film was one minute and 14 seconds long, which is below the correct length necessary, so I assumed that they maybe did not finish. This would explain the lack of titles. I also noticed that it lacked a clear storyline or genre. While watching the film I was trying to guess what type of movie this would turn out to be however, I never figured it out. Those aspects of the storyline may be in parts that I haven’t seen yet, however, with a time limit of two minutes I would expect to see at least some of the intended genre embedded into the film already. I am not sure if this editing was rushed; some shots just seemed to be put in there without meaning. While they did check off the boxes of 'shots necessary for the film they didn’t seem to have significance in the film. An example of this is at around 57 seconds into the film there was an establishing shot. The shot makes sense for the change in the location however, right after, there was an extreme close-up that flashed for a couple of seconds and didn’t really seem to make sense. Transitions like these come off as untidy and choppy. It does not help the storyline seem cohesive.

The Beginning of the End

Throughout the week I did manage to film the car scenes. In my last two blogs, I explained that I was going to start filming in my car. On Wednesday did all the car scenes and today I started editing. I first started my editing on studio pinnacle. This application is available for free on the school computer in my media class so, I tried to have everything ready. As usual, pinnacle studios took forever to work. I arranged the scenes that I filmed in order and edited each one. The minute I retrieved a computer I hooked my phone up to it. I recorded the best that I could on there and I think it came out pretty good. I put them into a specific folder for the movie and started the time-consuming task of using pinnacle studios. After it loaded up I imported all of the clips into pinnacle studios. I imported four scenes into the software and started tweaking with them. Before doing this at school, I edited a sample at home with those same four scenes. I used iMovie instead of pinnacle studios at home. With iMovie, I found it easier to edit and get what I want to be done. I prefer it over pinnacle studios and if I can’t use it to turn in my final, I plan on using it to at least make sample films. Since I have a limited amount of time in class to use pinnacle studies I think that iMovie is the best bet for me to get things done efficiently. Using iMovie first, I cropped down the clips to exactly what we would need to emphasize that this is a film under the Thriller genre. For certain shots, I slowed them down just a little so they are smoother. For others, I sped them up to replicate human actions when it is a point of view shot. Of course, that was easy to make on iMovie and my goal was to replicate that same sample with pinnacle studios. The first thing I did was crop all of the scenes that I imported and merged them together to keep it as continuous as possible. Seeing as those four scenes are the end of the film it wasn’t too much work. I saved the final result and exported it back into my file so I could see the end result. 

Car Filming

So this weekend I also didn’t get to film the main chunk of the video like I wanted to. It rained again and I worked all weekend. However, the free time that I did have, I put it into filming the car scenes. The setting of the movie was at night so I had to wait throughout the day to finally record that part. During that time I added more onto the storyboard so I can get more details in. While the official filming date is still on the 29th of February I did manage to shoot some mini shots. I showed my partner the shoots taken and we decided on more shots that could be filmed before the official filming day. This took the help of my friend Naelys who is also one of the main characters in the film. I decided to record on my phone so my partner and I wouldn't have to deal with the checking out process for the cameras. It was fine for my friend Naelys to sit in for that scene because the actor was never seen. The first thing I did was go over the shooting script and pick out the car scenes. Those ended up being scene 20 to 24. While it is just four scenes, I believe that getting easy scenes like that out of the way is the most important thing to do. We are planning on filming at night so we have a limited amount of time to film. In order to stay safe, we would be filming at 7'oclock in order to get the night sky but it is still not too late. Depending on the quality of the phone video, it might be included in the final product. Seeing that the whole film will be taking place at night I knew that we'd, Naelys and I, would have to wait until 7o'clock before we even thought of filming. Once the sun started to set we got into my car and I started setting up the scene. The only problem that could occur is the lighting being too low and the camera is unsteady. In that case, I took extra measures. I moved my car right under two streetlights, which will be similar to the actual thing, so we had good lighting. I also made sure the setting that is seen from the windshield wouldn't be different from when we film in the official location.

Rainy Weekend = No filming :(

This presidents’ day weekend seemed promising. I had a four day weekend which would give me ample time to start filming right? WRONG, I was so sorry wrong, this whole weekend it rained. All-day and night it rained. This completely ruined any chance of filming. Since our film would take place around night time there was some hope that I’d be able to film at night some days but it wasn’t possible at all. The one weekend that I could hope that Florida would be all sun it ended up being all rain. That was so disappointing honestly. I still have 3 more weeks to film which I believe is very doable. My partner and I  both work so it’s kind of hard to coordinate when we will film. The time limit helped us come up with an efficient schedule to film. We plan the finish the initial shoot on the first day of filming. For this, I took off of work on the 29th to have an official day of filming. While I wait for that day, I will be trying to get the clips that don’t need specific characters in it. I want to make sure I have enough clips to go through with editing. For example, in scene 14 and 20, the only thing seeing is a bat raising so I can film that scene now without being in the official filming location. I also can film the scenes in the car because the setting isn’t shown so that part can be filmed anywhere. Even the phone call scene, which are the ending scenes to the opening sequence, can be filmed now because they’ll take more editing. Even though I wish I could’ve gone to the official filming spot, I can still get a lot done without going there yet. 

Planning Blog: Storyboard

In this PowerPoint, I have included my storyboard. My group members and I have collaborated on the storyboard. We drew the storyboard, scene by scene based on the shooting script. Each page has six pictures and each box is supposed to represent six seconds of the film. The PowerPoint consists of a total of 10 slides and nine of those slides have a page from the storyboard. Under each box, it shows what is going on if the picture is hard to understand, like if there is a backshot. Each box is numbered to avoid any confusion when it is time to film. The storyboard will be brought with us to the set so the film can be produced the way we have been planning. The illustration expresses the visual aspect that the shooting script lacked. The shooting script made the drawing process of the whole storyboarding process like we had planned. The storyboard will not include the shooting directions like normal. We will use a printed copy of the shooting script to have all of the shooting directions and dialogue.

Planning Blog: Title Design

   In this PowerPoint, I am explaining the title design that will be in the film. In the first slide, I am presenting the creators of the PowerPoint and what the Powerpoint will be about. In the second slide, I listed the titles in their right order along with the information that goes will that certain title. In the third slide, I am showing how the titles will look. In that slide I also say the specific directions to avoid any confusion during the editing process or creation of the storyboards. In the last slide, I explained the purpose of the design of my titles. Initially, I looked up a bloody font generator, but it was too complicated. The font generator would not let me copy and paste. Instead, I required me to download the image of the font I had typed out. I figured this would be too difficult to do during the editing process, so I scrapped the idea. After that, I decided to "play around" with the fonts on google slides and go from there. 

Planning Blog: Locations, Participants, Health, and Schedule

   
  In this PowerPoint, I am showing the additional components of the film. I am explaining the location, health, schedule, and participants. I have also included images of all the participants and locations that will be used in the entire film. For the location, I have inserted the two places that we will film. For the participants, I am showing everyone who will be in the movie and what their role in. Everything from the PowerPoint is final, except for the schedule. The dates and things we do from the schedule are subjected to change. Some things may change from the schedule, because the weather may not permit us to film, or the participants may not be able to meet a certain day. Two out of the four participants have a job so it may be difficult to find days that will fit everyone's schedule. We plan on requesting a day or two off from work if necessary. 

Planning Blog: Sound and Dialouge

In this PowerPoint, I am planning out the script for the film. For this script, I will include the variation of sounds, dialogue, and music that will be heard throughout the film. I am planning all of these details before we shoot the film, so it facilitates the whole filming and editing process. Making a script is far better than figuring out on the spot how we will film and what sounds will be in the film. We will arrive at the scene knowing how everything is going to happen. In the script, I have also included if the sound and music are dietetic or not. I have stated how strong the intensity of sounds will be, like if how quiet or loud. In the script, I also state which type of music will be in the film. The script is final for the most part; we will not have any major changes. If we decide it is best to add or remove something, that will be done, otherwise, everything is final.
 

Planning Blog: Shooting Script

In this PowerPoint, I am simply planning out the shooting script for the film. Then in another PowerPoint, I will plan out the other components of the film. I am planning before we shoot the film, so it facilitates the whole filming process. Rather than figuring out on the spot how we will film, we will arrive to the scene knowing what is going to happen. In regards to knowing what will happen, I will also know which camera movements and angles we will do. Each slide represents each scene that we intend on filming. The slides will show the camera movements and angles, but also what makes up the whole scene. This script will include some of the sound and dialogue that will go into the film. All of the dialogue and sounds will be described in the next PowerPoint to avoid any sort of confusion or possible "mix-ups." I am planning on having the PowerPoint be between 10 to 20 slides, which represents a scene.


 

Title Research: Splice

Splice from Watch The Titles

How many titles are displayed during the open sequences of the film?
   In the opening sequence of Splice, 24 titles were shown. Some embedded into parts of the sequence while some just appear.
What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?
   The sequence seems to take place in a human-like body. The veins are the main focus of the sequence. There is no definite image, like a full body or face, shown.
What connotations do the images carry?
    The dark images that showed in the sequence gave off very eerie feelings. They show only a glimpse as to what the film would be about. 
 How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
   The genre of the movie Splice is a thriller. The low lighting and blurry view leave the audience with curiosity about the plot of the movie. The music also helps reinforce the genre. The music's deep note and varying increases and decreases of volume also manage to build suspense.
How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?
   As mentioned before, the blurry, dark lighting and suspenseful music give the audience a good feel for the genre of the movie. The use of the irregular font catches the attention of the audience because this is something new. The constant motion of pulsing from the camera makes the audience feel like the movement happening in the opening sequence is supposed to be them. The blurry screen and bubbles from underwater make it seem like the opening sequence isn't just title screens put together but a connection to the plot of the movie. As a person who has never seen this movie before, the opening sequence seems really eerie to me yet it draws me in to know more.
What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?
    The film doesn't really do much to appeal to thriller fans. The opening sequence was really simple therefore the low lighting and suspenseful music can give the thriller fans what they are looking for. The cameras' nonstop motion gave off a distortion feel to reinforce the fact that this film will be a thriller.
How has technology been used effectively? You want to consider camera angles, transitions, and editing techniques. 

      This sequence used technology for the whole opening. This opening was an animation of some kind so technology played a big part. The editors really used what they had to make the opening as eerie as possible. The names that were revealed were not in the regular font but seemingly engraved in the body that us, the audience, was traveling through.

Title Research: The Final Destination

The first movie opening sequence I am researching is The Final Destination edited by PIC From watchthetitles.com

How many titles are displayed during the open sequences of the film?
   In the opening sequence of The Final Destination 21 titles are shown.


What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?
  In the opening sequence, the first image that is prioritized is the  X-Ray of a skull being smashed by a ladder. Then a pole from the ladder becomes a broken pole that goes through another skull. The next prioritized image is a bobbed wire slicing through a body. After that, the next prioritized one is a car flipping over and all of the car parts flying around. Another image that came directly after was someone being choked with a wire and right after it, a falling knife goes into a body. After that, a flying fan comes straight to the front of the screen. After that, there is something different added to the scenes. Other than the title screen this screen included blood. Many scenes after including blood which added more depth to the dull green sequence. The next prioritized image is a head being filled with nails and next, it was a falling machine. After that, there is a train which is mimicking a crash when it went through the titles on the screen. Another prioritized scene is an explosion happening, which is emphasized with the use of color to accentuate the blast.


What connotations do the images carry?
  The Final Destination is the fourth installment of the Final Destination series and the images that were shown throughout the sequence are meant to invoke nostalgia, from fans of the series, or interest from new watchers.
 How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
    The genre of this movie is a thriller/slasher. The genre thriller is a genre that has the flexibility to make the audience feel many ways. The use of fast-moving scenes, slowing down to emphasize the focal point. From the outset, the editors used XRAY versions of the body to give the sequence a more suspenseful mood.  
How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?
    If the audience of the movie never seen the series before they will not understand all of the seemingly random death scenes. 
What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?
   The audience of the movie is usually gore and horror fans and the use of the inverted filter and the human skeleton, which are things generally associated with 'scary' themes. The editors used this fact to their advantage and made an opening sequence that fully effused both the genres.
How has technology been used effectively? You want to consider camera angles, transitions, and editing techniques. 

     The opening sequence for this movie if fully digital. The technology was the main and most essential instrument. Every angle and transitions are done by putting the scenes together and making them have an impact. The editing is used to tell a story and the parts that are sped up help the audience understand the whole concept of the movie. 

Title Research: The Conjuring 2

The Conjuring 2 from "Art of the Title"


How many titles are displayed during the open sequences to the film?
   In the opening sequences of the film, there was a total of 31 titles displayed. 
What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?
   The images prioritized in the opening sequence are based on significance.  By simply viewing the titles,one can conclude that the Hodgsons are going to be important to the film (possibly the protagonists). The Warrens are featured early on as well, so they may be important to the film as well. In contrast, there is an image of a priest shown around the middle so he may not be as important as the Warrens or Hodgsons. Studies show that people are less likely to remember things presented in the middle,which may explain the priest's significance in the film. 
What connotations do the images carry?
   The Hodgsons seem like a nice family and there is an image of them with their children. This may lead one to believe that the Hodgsons aren't up to anything sinister, so they are likely to be the protagonists. Meanwhile, there is an evil-looking nun shown to be the very last image of the opening sequence. We are meant to remember the nun, which is why she fades in and out slower than the other images in the opening. 
 How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
   The genre is reinforced mainly reinforced through visual keys that induce a tense premonition. The film title designer uses constant flashing on images that will be significant later in the film with a vintage looking filter. Regardless of whether you're an avid thriller film viewer on not, one can assume that the film is a thriller simply by looking at the titles. None of the images in the title are bright and pleasant, so it leads you to assume that the film will not be very pleasant either. 
How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?
   The film does not establish an enigma. There is nothing mysterious or difficult to understand from just viewing the opening sequence. 
What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?
   The target audience of the Conjuring series tends to like real thrillers that contain lots of mystery and suspense. The film title designer achieves this goal through using vintage looking filters to achieve the look of mystery. Then the "suspense" part comes when you see the scary nun at the very end of the opening sequence. 
How has technology been used effectively? You want to consider camera angles, transitions and editing techniques.

   The opening sequence for this film is entirely digital. The technology was the main and most essential instrument. Every angle and transitions are done by putting the scenes together and making them have an impact. The editing is used to tell a story and the parts that are sped up help the audience understand the whole concept of the movie. 

Title Research: Halloween

Halloween from "Art of the Title"


How many titles are displayed during the open sequences to the film?
   There are 27 titles being displayed in the opening sequence of the film.
What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?
   The opening sequence lacks images. It simply shows the names of the people in the film and the people involved in the film making process. There is also a pumpkin going from rotten to ripe throughout the opening sequence.
What connotations do the images carry?
   The images do not present connotations of any sort. It is a rather meaningless opening sequence for a thriller film. However, the pumpkin must have a significant meaning to the film since it is shown on every title page.
 How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
   Upon seeing the pumpkin's development, the viewer will assume that the film is a horror or thriller film (which it's both). The viewer would also know that it is a thriller when the actress, Jamie Lee Curtis, appears. She is known for acting in many thriller films and television shows. 
How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?
   The opening sequence establishes an enigma through showing the pumpkin going from rotten to fresh. It creates an enigma because it leaves the viewer wondering why that's happening and what that has to do with the film. 
What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?
   The film lacks appealing strategies to target audiences. But one can conclude that if this film is part of a series, the pumpkin plays an important role to bringing the audience back. It appears that name-dropping is an important strategy, since the names of some actors are listed even before the producers.
How has technology been used effectively? You want to consider camera angles, transitions and editing techniques.
   The opening sequence of this film is completely digital. The technology was the main and most essential instrument. Every angle and transitions are done by putting the scenes together and making them have an impact. The editing is used to tell a story and the parts that are sped up help the audience understand the whole concept of the movie. 

Title Research: Watch The Titles Website

The website that I am using to help better understand what title openings look like and most importantly, what titles go into the opening sequence. When you first go into the website you will see a slideshow of different opening sequences you can watch. The final task that I must produce is an opening sequence, and the titles are an very essential part of the sequence. While going through the opening sequences on the website, I realized that the majority of the film's opening sequences are horror or thriller. In the feature film area of the title sequences all of the film openings they have. When you pick a film opening you get more than just the title. First, you see a mini description of who made the opening sequence. and then a quick description of the movie. Further down the line, you can also see interviews that they did with the opening scene designer. The reason as to why the creators did what they did to make the opening is explained and the intent behind everything is shown. If you scroll down further you actually get to see the storyboard that was created for the opening scene. It is really nice to see all the work and the many storyboards put into making just two minutes. At the very end, there is a mini autobiography about the creators of the sequence. This site is truly personable and full of information when it comes to titles. It doesn't just provide its audience with a sequence and a dictionary definition but multiple aspects of the art are learned from the creators themselves.

Title Research: Art of The Title Website

I am using the "Art of Title" website to research titles for the final task. On this website, I can look at film studios, designers, titles, and interviews about movies. This website facilitates the process of researching titles since it has many movies. However, this website just shows the titles rather than the actual content of the movie. The only issue with the website it that one has to look up the movie titles to see which genre it is and if it is a film or a television show. Out of all of the title research websites that exist, this was one of the two websites that I chose due to its simplicity. I like how the content is straightforward and it only gives the necessary information. I dislike that this website does not have every movie that I would want to research. Luckily, I intend on researching another website for that very reason. I like that this website has interviews relating to the movie. Prior to utilizing this resourceful website, the concept of film titles was unclear to me. Art of the Title has helped expand my knowledge of film components. 

Genre Research: The Prodigy

1. The whole movie was filled to the brim with two shots and closeups. This film also featured many tracking shots to represent the passage of time and movement. At times, tracking shots helped contribute to the build-up of suspense. Around the beginning of the movie, there was also a lot of shot-reverse shots to facilitate the viewer following the conversation. The amount of zooms in this movie is extensive and I believe that it was done to build up tension and suspense. 

2. The acting was nothing out of the ordinary. I expected them to play their role this way and they remained in character the whole time. The makeup was kept to a minimum for all of the actors to add to the “realism” of the film, this seems to be a common theme in thriller movies. Like the makeup, the costumes in the film were ordinary to have the same effect of realism. This film did not seem to have any typical props that would usually be featured in thrillers. In this film, the most important prop was the voice tape. Most of the film took place in the protagonist’s home. When it wasn’t in or by her home, the setting was going at the doctor's building, like by the woods or escaping it. The lighting throughout the movie was bright during the time of character development, but it was low during the suspenseful parts.

3. The film’s sound consists mostly of dialogue and “tense” music. The tense music helps enhance the scenes in regards to suspense and tension. If it weren’t for the added tense music, the film wouldn’t have the same sense of thriller that it does with the music added. The dialogue simply explains what is going on in the film. The music splaying lowly throughout the whole film and as the scene gets more intense the music gets louder.

4.  The edit that I noticed the most throughout the film was jump cuts. Jump cuts are usually used to help create distortion or confusion, usually after a confrontation or encounter with the antagonist. Like many thrillers, this film also featured shot-reverse shot editing. Throughout this film, they were shown to be over the shoulder and used during conversations. Near the resolution of the movie, the use of dissolve was used to really emphasize the long journey the mom took and the dedication the mom had.

5. The element of tension was shown clearly in the night scenes of the movie. During those times the audience really got to see the actual antagonist of the movie. The element of surprise was always present in the movie, especially at the end.

6. I liked the acting of the little boy, he did very well in playing an innocent boy who the audience would sympathize with and a monster of a man who deserved to die.

7. I disliked the ending and the mom. The mom was very predictable. She adhered to my belief that she'd be stubborn and try to solve everything herself. Also, in the end, the kid ended up winning. Because it also had horror mixed into the plot so I knew that the ending and it wasn't very pleasing.

Genre Research: A Simple Favor

1. This film featured man tracking shots to represent the passage of time and movement. At times, tracking shots helped contribute to the build-up of suspense. Another camera movement shown in the film was zooming; zooming was shown to emphasize a certain point of the film. As for the angles, most of it was an eye-line match and there were minimal low angles. There were a couple of high angles used to depict the differences of powers between the antagonist and protagonist. 

2. For the most part, this film followed the typical codes and conventions of a thriller. The protagonist was dressed in ordinary, bright clothes to portray as a typical person, but also innocent. In contrast, the antagonist was seen wearing lots of formal clothes, such as suits and leather gloves at times. The makeup was kept minimal for all of the actors to make then seem like regular people. All of the actors appeared to have played their part well. As for the lighting, the whole film consisted of bright, natural lighting - which is atypical for a thriller. For props, there were a lot of martinis throughout the movie which represents the “friendship” between the protagonist and antagonist. Knives and guns were shown on separate occasions to symbolize or actually show the protagonist being in danger. Most of the film was set in the home of the antagonist

3. Like all thriller films, this film featured some "tense" music when there was suspense happening or about to happen. In the home of the antagonist, there was french music being played most of the time, which set a creepy ambiance. Other than that, there were only diegetic sounds of walking or speaking.

4. The edit that I noticed the most throughout the film was jump cuts. Jump cuts are usually used to help create distortion or confusion, usually after a confrontation or encounter with the antagonist. Like many thrillers, this film also featured shot-reverse shot editing. Throughout this film, they were shown to be over the shoulder and used during conversations. Another significant edit was the amount of zooming throughout the film. It was vital to pay attention when there was a zoom because it usually signified something important.

5. The most prominent element of the thriller genre in this film was confusion. For most of the movie, you were led to believe something and then next thing you know, you are incorrect and something completely different is going on. This film lacked tension, which is an important element to all thrillers.

6. I liked the characters and the attempt to make the film thriller-like. There was “tense” music incorporated whenever something was supposed to be suspenseful, even if it wasn’t. Blake Lively is one of my favorite actors, so the fact that she was in the movie just made it better for me. 

7. I disliked the “plot twist.” During around half or three-fourths of the movie it seemed like the protagonist was on the same side as the antagonist, which I strongly disliked after she had tried to victimize herself that much. It created confusion and it lacked the thrill that I usually experience when watching thriller films.

Genre Research: Thelma

1. This film contained many zooms; zooming was shown to emphasize a certain point of the film. As for the angles, most of it was an eye-line match and there were minimal low angles. There were many pans and tilts between two characters to show the bond developing between them. There are multiple scenes with tracking shots to help bring the audience into the settings.

2. For the most part, this film followed the typical codes and conventions of a thriller. The protagonist was dressed in ordinary, clothes to portray as a typical person, but also innocent. The makeup was kept minimal for all of the actors to make then seem like regular people. All of the actors appeared to have played their part well. As for the lighting, the whole film consisted of low or natural lighting, never too bright - which is typical for a thriller. For props, there was a lot of relaxing and talking throughout the movie which represents the “friendship” between the protagonist and antagonist so couches and beds show up a lot as a place of comfort. Most of the film was set in the home of the protagonist.

3. Like all thriller films, this film featured some "tense" music when there was suspense happening or about to happen.  Other than that, there were diegetic sounds of everything happening on the screen, from chairs moving to just walking and talking.

4. The edit that I noticed the most throughout the film was jump cuts. Jump cuts are usually used to help create distortion or confusion, usually after a confrontation or encounter with the antagonist. Like many thrillers, this film also featured shot-reverse shot editing. Throughout this film, they were shown to be over the shoulder and used during conversations. Another significant edit was the amount of zooming throughout the film. It was vital to pay attention when there was a zoom because it usually signified something important. Another big demonstration of editing was the surrealism of the window taking the antagonist away.

5. The most prominent element of the thriller genre in this film was confusion. For most of the movie, you were led to believe something and then next thing you know, you are incorrect and something completely different is going on. This film had a lot of tension, which is an important element for all thrillers.

6. I liked the characters and the attempt to make the film thriller-like. There was “tense” music incorporated whenever something was supposed to be suspenseful, even if it wasn’t. Being able to hear everything going on made me more immersed in the movie.

7. I disliked the low lighting and constant tense music. It felt like they were trying a bit too hard to make the movie more suspenseful.