Opening Sequence

Opening Sequence

Here is our completed opening sequence. After days of filming, and many hours of editing, we have finally got what we could get into a two and a half minute video. Despite taking very long to film, due to our constantly changing ideas, we are happy with what we have produced.

Rebellion - Outtakes

Along with our opening sequence came our blooper reel. With a lot of filming, came a lot of mishaps, and many of them may not be recognisable from the actual opening sequence because that was when it was more in the style of an opening sequence. Nevertheless, it came out quite funny.

Evaluation question 7: Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to your full production?

In the video above, the four members of our group discuss question seven of the evaluation.

We decided to film it in that manor so that any point we thought of would be talked about. We did this as we thought if we were to type up an answer we might leave out any good points which we thought may be irrelevant, even if they aren't.

Evaluation Question 6: What have you learnt about technologies and the process of constructing this product?

The Prezi above shows which computer software we used and how they helped construct our product.

Evaluation question 5. How did you attract/address your audience?

During the production stages of our opening sequence, we carried out a survey in which we asked a random group of people, what they would like to see within an action film, for example, gun fights, fist fights etc. After collecting our data, we were able to incorporate a few of the factors that were asked for from the group of people we asked. We managed to include a fist fight within our sequence, as well as a gun battle. These are to items that the survey participants asked for. These are the main ways we attracted our audience during the production of our opening sequence.

We also asked 2 members of our class, which songs we should use for which part of the sequence. We used one of their choices, and one which we selected. We used a slow, mellow style of music for the introduction of the main characters, which was chosen by our classmates. We selected Power by Kanye West for the main fight scene and gun battle. Kanye West is also a popular artist who's music is favoured among teenagers and young adults, who make up our target audience. We used Power as it is one of his more famous song and will be easily recognised. These were the two most popular choices for music, making it another way we attracted our audience.

Evaluation question 4: Who would be the audience for your media product?

In the video above, the four members of our group discuss question four of the evaluation.

We decided to film it in that manor so that any point we thought of would be talked about. We did this as we thought if we were to type up an answer we might leave out any good points which we thought may be irrelevant, even if they aren't. For example, our discussion of about social class could have been left out as we were  not in agreement about the topic.

Evaluation Question 3: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why? (think about the companies you learnt about for institutions and audiences)

In the video above, the four members of our group discuss question three of the evaluation.

We decided to film it in that manor so that any point we thought of would be talked about. We did this as we thought if we were to type up an answer we might leave out any good points which we thought may be irrelevant, even if they aren't.

Evaluation Question 2: How does your media product represent different social groups?

The Prezi above highlights the main points we thought about while answering question 2.

We felt that we couldn't put our characters into more specific social groups as we haven't learnt enough about them in the short opening sequence. We also included Males, even though they aren't a social group, as our opening sequence only features male characters and everything they do is stereotypically associated with males.

Evalutation Question 1: In what ways does your media product (opening sequence) use, develop or challenge forms and conventions from real media?

In the video above, the four members of our group discuss question one of the evaluation.

We decided to film it in that manor so that any point we thought of would be talked about. We did this as we thought if we were to type up an answer we might leave out any good points which we thought may be irrelevant, even if they aren't.

Target Audience Feedback

The video above shows our target audience (teenagers and young adults aged 16-21) answering questions about our opening sequence, which they just watched.

They all enjoyed it and said they would definitely watch the film if it were produced into a full movie. They stated that they were really impressed by the editing, especially the gun shots and the soundtrack.

We also showed our opening sequence to some of our male audience and they seemed a lot more enthusiastic and excited to see the full film. They were mainly attracted by the fight scenes, gun shots and the scenario of a group friends who were caught up in a war.

Logo Feedback

We selected three pairs from our class to review our logo.

The logo was played to them on a laptop and their initial reactions were recorded. They were then asked the three following questions:

What did you like about the logo?
What did you think of the colours?
What didn't you like about the logo?

The main thing they liked about our logo were the smoke grenades and the smoke effect. We added that as we thought it suited out Action genre, and they agreed.

We used orange as our main colour for our logo. The reviewers said it was vibrant and bold. This also fits in with the Action genre.

There were two main issues that were identified. The first was that the smoke suddenly cuts out instead of fading. We were able to fix it so it fades away slower, however it would always cut towards the end due to the certain smoke effect that we chose. The other problem the text under our logo was too spaced out. We reduced the spacing as much as we could while still maintaining our original idea of having the text far apart to replicate other logos such as Disney Pictures and Columbia Pictures.

Challenges and Achievements

We faced A LOT of challenges while filming, mainly due to the fact that we chose a school as our setting. This meant that it was difficult for us to find empty classrooms to film in. We also couldn't film much during school times as our costumes and prop guns would scare the younger years, which unfortunately did happen a couple of times. To prevent this from happening we created signs (such as the one below) which we put up on doors of classrooms and in the corridors which we were filming in.

Time was also another massive factor we didn't anticipate when filming. We assumed it would take us  unto 30 mins to film each shot, but in reality we had to stay behind for hours to film a scene which we decided not to include. This is mainly because of our high hopes and vivid imagination, we wanted everything to be perfect.

The most difficult scene to shoot was the fight scene. This is because we got our friends, who weren't media students, to act for us after school. After getting the first two shots wrong, we all grew impatient and frustrated. It ended up taking almost 3 hours to film that scene but it did end up being one of our greatest achievements.

Blog Feedback

We feel that this is a fair judgement as, although we put in a lot of time and effort into the work, we do have tasks to catch up on. This is mainly because we keep going back to previous tasks to improve them and make them as good as we possibly can.

Task Fourteen: Production Company Logo

The logo you see above, is the logo we have chosen to use for our production company, we have decided to name it GMYC Films. We have chosen an orange colour for the logo, as it stands out well, and reflects a mysterious, dangerous atmosphere, linking with the genre of our opening sequence. This logo idea was completely made up by our group and was drawn by hand By Michael and Charlie and was fixed up by Yassir and George. As this logo was entirely made up, there was no real inspiration from other company logos.

These logos above were some initial ideas our group had, and we drew them up in order for us to decide which one worked best. Each member of the group decided to draw one logo each and at the end of our ideas session, we ended up with the finished logo hat you see below. It is a developed version of idea 1, however it also incorporates all of the logos in some way, as all of them had at least one good quality that was easy to adapt into one final image. It is the initials of everone in the group, but it is put into a spray-paint style, which is unique to us as no other companies have done this. Additionally, the 'y' and the 'c' are combined into one which is eye-catching.

This logo below is our moving image that represents our company logo. We have used orange smoke grenades that link well to the action theme of our opening sequence. Moreover the colour of the smoke could link to a dangerous atmosphere, making it a clear choice for us.

Completed logo
Below is our final interpretation of the GMYC logo. As you can see, we have now added in writing to the bottom of the logo to make it look more busy and less bland. Also we have made a few touch ups to the smoke and smoke grenades to make it clearer to the viewer.

Task Thirteen: Filming Schedule

This picture above is our filming schedule. The scenes we are filming during these 2 shooting sessions, are ones that contain our main characters. However, there are a few extra shots that contain extra characters from outside our media group. We are aiming to use an extra 5 characters from outside the group, for the fight scene within our opening sequence. There will be an additional sheet with extra characters names and filming times on, when they have been finalised.

We intend to spend a maximum of around 2 hours 30 minutes filming our opening sequence, however due to our location and the times it is available, it may take longer.

Task Twelve: Storyboard

This storyboard shows the main shots that will be included in our opening sequence. Since making this storyboard, minor changes have been made. This means scenes such as the first scene with the panning camera has been slightly altered. Also, the last shot which includes one of the characters (Odin) pulling his mask down to say his final line has been taken away completely, due to the fact that we believed it was getting to a point where there was too much dialogue, and our opening sequence was becoming more of a short film.

In addition, one of the fight scenes had to be scrapped because of timing issues, and more conclusive scenes such as picking up the package have been taken away so that less is revealed about the story, leaving the audience in suspense.

Changes Made

The changes below have been made to our initial ideas.


Characters (Changed on Script)

• Radar changed to Oracle
• Jupiter changed to Odin
• Jester changed to Reaper

Costume

• We have added Armour Reinforced Gloves to the list of costume we will wear.
• Odin will be wearing a bag on his back which he will carry the package in.

Props

• We will use an extra 2 Magnum Pistols which will be wielded by Hades.
•  Each member of the team will also have a walkie talkie/radio on them. Oracle's radio will be placed on the table beside his computer
• Suitcase/ large box has been changed to a small silver locked box.

Location

• Instead of using the open alley way near the front of the building, we have decided to use a alley way which is located in the rear of the building which is smaller and more conspicuous.

Changes to Script

We have removed most of the dialogue as our opening sequence was beginning to look more like a short film. In addition to that we also added a narration throughout the sequence. This gives the audience a more clear understanding of the backstory of our opening sequence.

Task Eleven: Script

V  E  N  G  A  N  C  E 

KEY:
STAGE DIRECTIONS / SOUNDS
TRANSITIONS
SETTING
DIALOGUE

DARKNESS.     (Music starts.).


Establishing shot over the London Skyline.

Ext. Rundown Classroom (Base)

FADE IN.   Shot is targeted on Hulk as he loads his shotgun. 3 brief flashes in time are shown whilst Odin narrates to introduce Hulk's character.

Hulk picks up a pistol lying on the table before Reaper comes into shot and snatches it from Hulk. 3 brief flashes in time of Reaper.

Camera follows Reaper whilst Odin continues to narrate in the background.

Camera stops at Oracle who is working on a laptop. 2 brief flashes in time to show what Oracle specialises in.

Odin comes into shot and loads his gun. 3 brief flashes in time to introduce him.

Odin continues to narrate and talks about their main enemy. Brief cut to mystery enemy (Hades)

Camera follows Odin and Oracle before stopping at the whiteboard where the group have made their mark with a picture of The Grim Reaper and Incredible Hulk, and writing that reads, "The KFF was here" (KFF = Killing For Freedom. The group name) FADE OUT.






FADE IN. Shows Odin and Hulk taking out two guards whilst Odin still narrates what the objective is. 

Cuts to Reaper searching through lockers, trying to look for the package. The door to the room then opens in slow motion. 

(Music fades out)




(New music starts. Power - Kanye West)

Shows Hulk and Odin burst through two doors as they fire their guns.

Cuts to Reaper being captured by guards, only to start a fight scene which ends with all guards dead. 

Multiple quick cuts of all of the characters are then shown, going along with the beat of the music to add a dramatic feel.

Ends with Odin throwing a flash grenade through a door. 

White explosion then cuts to black with music still playing. 

Hook kicks in and the title is show. *REBELLION*



Odin's Narration: It’s been six months since the war started. There’s only 4 of us left now, and we’ve taken an abandoned school as our base. This is Hulk. Well, that’s what we call him anyway. He’s not very bright, but he’s the muscle of our group and definitely comes in handy. He loves that shotgun. Says he uses it because he “wants to see the enemy die up close and personal’… That’s Reaper. He’s obsessed with that pistol. (Reaper: It's all I need) Something about it having sentimental value. You don’t wanna get on the wrong side of him though. He’s got a mellow attitude but he’s a deadly fighter. That guy is Oracle. He’s our eye in the sky. A computer genius with a sharp mentality. He pretty much runs the show from behind the scenes. Oh and that’s me. They call me Odin. I guess I lead the way for the group. I like to keep the team’s moral up and make sure no one steps out of line. Our main enemy group is lead by a man they call Hades. If we want to stop him and the war from progressing, we need to collect a hard drive which stores valuable information. We call ourselves the KFF. We kill for freedom... We had to get in there, get the package and get out. There wasn't many guards and hardly any surveillance. Me and Hulk went through the main entrance, while Reaper went round the back to look for the package in some classrooms. Sounded simple… But we didn’t know what lay ahead. All we want is piece. But if we want that… We might just have to break some rules…

Task Ten: Costume Choice

C O S T U M E   C H O I C E S

The costumes we have chosen to use within our opening sequence are predominantly black. The black colour is used in order to appear stealthy and subtle. We are going to use black hoodies and black balaclavas to cover our faces, giving a sense of hidden identity.

We have chosen to use this basic balaclava in order for our characters to appear stealthy and professional. Moreover, this balaclava could represent a sense of danger and suspense, a main feeling we want the audience to experience from our opening sequence.

These two pictures above are broadly similar to the costumes we have chosen to use for our opening sequence. the black clothing could give the impression that we are more professional than your average mercenary. the black gloves show our professionalism on how we cover our tracks. this is matched with back shoes and trousers.

There is only one differing costume from the rest, and that is the costume of Hades. He will wear a grey suit and a black button-up shirt, representing a 'Godfather' figure. Similarly

Task Nine: Casting Shots

Below are the profiles for our characters:

Name: Michael Nyame
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Height: 5"8
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Brown
Preferred Hand: Right
Character(s): Reaper

We have chosen to cast Michael as the character 'Reaper' because of his sarcastic personality and dry humour. Moreover, his overall deadpan facial expression, posture and physique fits well with the idea of a stereotypical sarcastic person, as his character generally has the stance and face of someone who will not easily crack a smile. We want the character of Reaper to be someone that is quick on his feet, and easy to act stealthily with during missions. When choosing the characters for our opening sequence, we concluded that Michael best suited this character.


Name: Charlie Netherclift
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Height: 5"9.5
Hair Colour: Dark Brown
Eye Colour: Blue/grey
Preferred Hand: Right
Character(s): Odin

The character of 'Odin' portrays the stereotypical leader of an army or militia, as he is bossy, but always has the best interests for him and his team. We have chosen Charlie for this character because he gives a sense of a leadership, and we feel that the character of 'Odin' somewhat reflects Charlie's confident yet laid back personality.


Name: Yassir Elbashir
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Height: 5"11
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Brown
Preferred Hand: Ambidextrous 
Character(s): Oracle/Hades

Yassir's Characters, 'Oracle' and 'Hades' are contrasting characters. Oracle is the 'eye in the sky' for the rebel squad, and is a computer whiz which is similar to Yassir's traits as he is knowledgeable with a computer. On the other hand is 'Hades' who is the commander of the enemy group that the KVA are at war with. Hades was a good role for Yassir as he has the serious look on his face and fits in with the type of clothing we want him to wear. Yassir did not chose the role, the role chose Yassir.


Name: George Skeet
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Height: 6"3
Hair Colour: Dirty Blonde
Preferred Hand: Right
Character(s): Hulk

We chose George for the role of 'Hulk', plainly because of his size. 'Hulk' is the strongest member of the group. However, his mentality lets him down, due to the fact that he is not that intelligent, however, due to his size and strength, he is a valuable member of the unit.

Task Eight: Location Shots

Location

We took various shots around the school. These pictures may be used as location shots for our opening sequence. 

Alley way

We took this picture because we felt that it will be a good spot for one of our main scenes within the opening sequence which involves someone dropping a package off to the main group. We thought this location was best because it is well hidden and secretive. This adds a sense of realism to the scene.

School Entrance

We chose this location because it shows the main entrance to the setting which will become significant when using any establishing shots. It will also be used as a place for the characters to meet before doing a mission or objective.

Classroom

The classroom was chosen for consideration as one of our main base of operation. for the actual filming of the sequence the tables will be flipped and posters will be ripped down to make it look more like a place of war environment. 

stairs

We chose the stairs as a location because we thought that it would look good for a scene that involves all of the characters running up the stairs with their weapons. This would be a tense scene (possibly a chase scene) to make the sequence more dramatic.

Corridor

We decided to use the corridor as one of the locations because it leads up to the main base which is the classroom. Many of the shots will be filmed in corridors as it adds a claustrophobic feel which makes the audience feel like they are really there.

Classroom with computers

This is another idea for the type of classroom we want to film in. It has a lot of computers which will be involved in our sequence for one of the characters who specialises in computing. We liked the idea of this character having more than one computer to work with. However, we are still considering this and it is not definite.

Task Seven: Target Audience Data and Research

Our opening sequence is aimed predominantly at the age categories of 15-25. We feel that this is a suitable age to base our film around, as it would contain violence, explicit language and brief scenes of gory images. We also feel that the film would appeal more to the male genre than the female genre, due to the content we will show within our opening sequence. We have chosen to conduct a survey to find out who our best target audience would be.

Below is a survey for you to conduct to tie your opinions on a target audience.

We used these questions in hope that it will help us decide on who our final target audience will be. The results are below.

As you can see from the votes given below, our films opening sequence will not be aimed at any specific gender, but more aimed at a 12 to 18 year old age group. Moreover, will we use gun fights, and potentially a car chase in order to raise audience satisfaction levels. The overall age rating of our film will be certificate 15 from the BBFC rating system.

Task Six: 25 Word Pitch

Our film is about rebels fighting to win their town back. However one of the members is killed and the rest go out for revenge.

Task Five: Initial Ideas

Within this prezi, we have displayed our initial ideas towards our opening sequence.


The general information within our prezi on our initial ideas, shows the overall choice of genre we are using for our opening sequence.

Genre : The genre we have chosen to use for our opening sequence is 'Action'.

How will the sequence fit the genre? : The opening sequence will fit the genre through the use of certain props, camera angles and costume.

What will happen in our opening sequence? : In our opening sequence, we will show a a package hookup that goes wrong and turns into a robbery.

Actors : We have chosen to use the members of our group to star in the opening sequence.
              Yassir : Hades (antagonist - face unseen) / Radar (Computer Wiz)
              Charlie : Jupiter (Team Leader)
              Michael : Jester (Hard man that cracks the occasional sarcastic comment)- Dies in the opening sequence.
              George : Hulk - (tough guy).

Props : Guns : AK47.
                        Pistol x2.
                        Pump action Shotgun.

       Costume : Balaclavas.
                        Black clothing.
                     
General items : Suitcase or large box.
                          Large white cloth.

Location : We have chosen to film in and around the school grounds.
         
                     

Task Four: Inspiration from real media

For task four we had to present what inspired our ideas from real media. We decided to use Prezi to portray our ideas because it makes it look more presentable.


We used different forms of media to inspire our ideas such as; The Expendables movie, The Assassin's Creed video game series and the Revolution TV series. Similarly we used a variety of different forms of action movies such as spy based films like The Bourne Supremacy and heavy conflict based films such as The Expendables.


After viewing our inspiration ideas we have concluded that our opening sequence will be a heavy conflict/spy based film set in a war stricken town. The three characters would have been three close friends before the war who are now fighting to protect their home town.

Task Three: Mood Board

For task three we created a mood board display our general ideas to the genre in question.

From this mood board we put together a collage of pictures that we believed would relate to our opening sequence. For example, we used the Bourne Identity because it inspired us to use fastbacks in our opening sequence. We also used the Assassin's Creed games because we liked the idea of someone important being killed near the start of the film. Another one that links to our idea is Red Dawn because we liked the idea of having an individual group of rebels who go by their own accord. Similarly, we used the Expendables because it is once again a group of people who are effectively a private army, which is what we wanted to do. For Pulp Fiction we liked the idea of two partners trying to bring justice. This is similar to our idea because we are a group of mercenaries trying to restore order in the war.

Task Two: What is an Opening Sequence?

An opening sequence is the beginning sequence to a film or television series, usually to draw in the audience. The opening sequence sets the scene to the film and usually presents the characters and may hint toward the plot in the film


The Dark Knight
For example, the opening sequence to The Dark Knight is an action-packed heist,  involving masked gunmen and the introduction to the main villain of the film. It includes an establishing shot of the bank in which they will perform the robbery and a dramatic, slow zoom into the villain's mask, creating tension and showing the opening plot to the movie. At first, there are many different characters, however, they slowly kill each other off, with the intention of getting the money for themselves. But the last man is killed by the main antagonist, the Joker. This presents the Joker as being a manipulative and well thought out character, he is seen to be psychopathic but very clever, with no remorse.

Establishing shot of the city bank

Slow zoom to the Antagonist's mask

Se7en
For the opening sequence to the film Seven, there is a constant use of distorted transition between scenes. Also the background music used in the sequence has a slow tempo that correlates with the actions in the sequence. The tempo of the music speeds up and gets louder the further it goes into the video. The music is like a cluster random noises brought together to create tension and give the audience a sense of fear. In the sequence, the unidentified character is performing sadistic acts such as using a razor blade to take the skin off his fingers supposedly so that his fingerprints can't be traced. Every shot is a close up, combined with quick cuts to increase the suspense of what he's planning.

Close-up of the unidentified character's pen whilst writing

Use of distorted images

The Bourne Supremacy

The opening sequence to Bourne Supremacy involves similar scenes to the Seven opening title, however this time it becomes clear that the main character that is being focused on is the Protagonist, in contrast to Seven which seems to be more of an Antagonist. The similarity between Seven and Bourne Supremacy is the distorted transitions and quick cuts between scenes. This also links to the idea for our own opening sequence, as it involves flashbacks o past events which link to the main storyline and give the audience an idea of the backstory to the film. It also involves the use of non-diagetic sounds, such as the narrator talking in the background which creates tension as it leads to the main plot. Once again, this opening sequence uses many close-ups between scenes. The opening sequence is very dynamic and also includes shaky handheld shots to make the audience feel like they are really there.

Handheld shot

Forrest Gump
This time we see something different. The opening sequence to Forrest Gump is very calm and is at a steady pace. The entire sequence is a close-up following shot of a feather falling from the sky and landing on Forest Gump's shoe, whilst this happens, we can see Forrest Gump's home town in the background, therefore it is also technically an establishing shot. The feather landing on Forrest's shoe establishes him as the main character of the film. The feather is also symbolism of forest Gump's calm nature. There is also a panning shot up to Forests Gump's face when the feather lands on his shoe. The entire scene is done in one shot with no cuts or transitions used.

First close-up shot of the feather, with 'Paramount Pictures Presents' in the foreground.

Establishing shot of Forrest Gump's home town.

Panning shot as Forrest picks up the feather.

Mid-shot of Forrest Gump's face to establish him as the main character.

UP
Another calm opening sequence is the one that is used for the movie UP. This movie is an animation using CGI which makes it different to the other films we have analysed. It involves an elderly man who has a flashback to when he was a child. In the scene he is watching a movie at the cinema about his idol. The use of this long flashback is similar to what we want to use in our opening sequence as it sets the tone to the story and lets the audience understand what has happened in the character's past. It includes a close up of the man as a young boy to introduce him as the main character.

Close up of the main character when he was young.

Constant cuts from character's face to the cinema screen.

Task One: AS Preliminary Task

For our preliminary task we had to complete a continuity task which involved filming a video which demonstrated a match on action shot, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule.

The video above was our first attempt at the preliminary task. However we felt it was rushed and not produced to the best of our ability. This can be seen as our shot/reverse shot isn't clear and what is happening in the clip isn't clear to the audience. The only dialogue we included was a single question which we also felt wasn't enough.

The video above is the improved version of our preliminary task. Within this video we used a variety of different camera shots, such as a match on action shot. This can be seen when George and Michael walk through the door. We also use a shot / reverse shot. This is right at the beginning of the clip when Michael and George are exchanging dialogue, which shows the audience who's addressing who. We also considered the 180 degree rule when filming our short clip, in order not to confuse which side each character was on. We originally had difficulty filming, due to lack of space and time, however, the video shown above, is the improved version of our original efforts.