Editing First Week

For the first week of editing, my group uploaded the clips into Adobe Premiere Pro. We trimmed clips that were too long, sequenced the clips, and color graded. For the first clip we wanted the video to be cool toned and dark to show that the protagonist was going on an early morning run. However, one issue we came across was that lowering the exposure reduced the quality of the video and increased the noise. To combat this, I decided to keep the original exposure and just adjust the temperature to make it cool toned. Other than the coloring, we did not run into any other issues. We are going to add the title and credits over the first clip of Josh running down the street. We will most likely use a white bold arial font for the title. The credits will be in smaller font. We are also going to have diegetic music playing. Josh is supposed to be running with headphones in. The music we will have playing will be the music that Josh is listening to from his phone. We haven't decided on a song yet, but it will most likely be an uplifitng song that is ideal for a workout. As far as transitions go, we will only be using cuts. So far, we do not need to do additional fliming. 

Filming Second Week

This week my group and I filmed the shots involving mysterious car that Josh sees on his morning run. We got an establishing shot of a street on Marco that Josh will be running down. We got a medium shot of the car on the side of the road.We got a point-of-view shot of the wheel. We decided to only show the hands on the wheel to keep an element of mystery within the film opening. Josh does not know who the driver is and neither will the audience until the end. Again, my group will re-film everything together when it is darker out, but we wanted to get an idea of what the shots would look like before filming early in the morning.

Filming First Week

These images show the first scene in our film openings. Josh is running in the morning, unassuming of any threats. This is before Josh sees a car with the headlights on and no driver in the seat. There were no immediate issues we noticed while filming, however we did realize that we intended the opening scene to be darker outside than what is shown in these photos. Our group decided that we would re-film the opening to get the correct lighting that matched our artistc vision. The camera was shaky so in the future we want to use a stabilizer. We also want to color grade to the shots to get them to be more cool tones to add the the mysterious feel.

 These images show the final scene of the opening where Josh gets hit over the head with a baseball bat. He is on the ground unconscious and then the scene cuts to black. Again, we want to re-film this shot because we want the location to be in a basement instead of the sidewalk. We know someone with a basement and it should not be an issue to get the ideal location for this scene. Overall, filming was a good experience. We now have a better understanding of what our vision looks like on screen. I am excited to see the changes that we want to make!

Preparing to FIlm

Actors: Our actors will be Josh as the protagonist and Erin as the antagonist.
Costumes: Josh's costume will be atheletic clothing, such as running shorts and a hoodie.
Props: Headphones in for Josh to use while he runs, a car that will be following him, and a baseball bat that Erin will use to knock Josh out.
Location: Our filming location will be a street on Marco Island. Our second location is in our friend's basement, who also lives on Marco Island.
Date: We agreed that any upcomning weekend will be good to film.
Scripts: We do not have any dialogue in our film opening.
Film Equipment: A DSLR, a tripod, and a stabilizer.

storyboard

My group decided to begin the movie opening with an establishing shot of of the location, which will be in a suburban community. Josh, the protagonist will be going for an early morning run. There will be diegetic sound playing from josh's headphones. The scene will then cut to the perspective from the car as Josh passes by. Then we will cut to a medium shot of the car parked along the side of the road. The headlights will be on but the car will be empty. Josh will approach the car to investigate it. Once he realizes that there is no driver, he continues running but he is spooked.  As he runs he hears a noise and turns around. The car is gone. Josh's pace continues and the non-diegetic music intensifies to make the audience feel anxious. In a close up shot, Josh stops to catch a breath and he is it over the head with a bat. Josh will wake up in a basement. The music will cut and the opening will end there.

Brainstorming

Things I want in my film opening

• A variety of shots
• Close-ups on key elements of the murder scene (blood, fingerprints, weapon)
• Panning shots of the aftermath
• Over the shoulder shots of the detective investigating
• Non Diegetic music
• Eerie music to give a suspicious tone and make the audience feel off balance
• Digestic sound
• Emphasis on certain elements of the scene (ringing phone, footsteps on wood)
• Color grading
• Cool tones
• Lighting
• High contrast, low key lighting

Based off of watching the example film openings, I realized that there are certain elements that my group can do to make our film look more professional. I think a variety of different angles and shots will keep the audience engaged and make the film look better overall. I also think that sound will be an easy way to enhance the experience and emphasize certain points. The non diegetic sound will add a feeling of suspense. Lastly, color grading and lighting will be easy to manipulate in post-production, but still make the film look exponentially better. I think that cool tones and low key lighting will make the movie feel dark and dangerous. Because my group is doing a mystery/detective film, I think we should open with the aftermath of the scene so that, theoretically, the film would work backwards to solve the crime. By showing the damage in the opening, the audience will be immediately engaged and will keep watching to figure out who did it.

Q3 Week 1 - What Inspired You?

My group decided to do a detective/mystery film opening. We like movies that are centered around solving a problem or uncovering who committed a crime. It makes us think and try to solve the mystery along with the detective. Personally, I really enjoyed the movie Memento, directed by Christopher Nolan. I really like how the film tells a story in reverse. The story ends in the beginning and starts at the end. I think this type of editing works really well for the plot. The film opens with a close up shot of a Polaroid. The Polaroid is jarring because it shows a bloody crime scene. The audience's attention is immediately piqued. As the film opening progresses, the Polaroid looks as it is developing and the hands shake it. This adds another layer to the opening because it implies that the crime is recent. Then, another twist is layered on top because the audience realizes that the film is actually disappearing to white because the events are unfolding in reverse. The camera tilts up to reveal the face of the man who's holding the camera. His face is covered in blood. The camera cuts to a low shot of the blood dripping on the floor. Then it cuts to a ground level shot  of a bullet on the floor. The opening quickly throws the audience into the scene, giving them many questions to consider. Did he kill someone? Why is he taking a photo? It is a trophy because he is a serial killer? There are so many questions that arise within the first couple minutes, people are compelled to keep watching.

Another movie that inspired my group to choose to do a detective/mystery is Murder on the Orient Express. The film opens with an aerial view of the Waiting Wall in Jerusalem. The music intensifies at the camera cuts to a medium shot of a boy in blue running through the streets. He is holding eggs and is rushing to bring them to a chef. The chef then flips a timer for four minutes to cook the eggs. The eggs are brought to a man who immediately refuses them. The audience only sees the back side of the man who refuses the eggs. The boy runs back again to fetch more eggs. The music is still intense to make the scene feel a sense of urgency. When the guy comes back they serve “two perfect eggs” and we finally see the man who is being served. He is very meticulous. He takes out a ruler and measures the eggs. This film opening is unique for a detective/mystery film because it does not involve any depictions of crime. In fact, the crime aspect of the plot doesn’t come in until later on in the film. The opening doesn’t even clearly show that the man inspecting the eggs is a detective. All we can infer is that he has a keen eye. This unique approach to a film opening is what keeps the audience interested.

group members

I'm working with Lily Rosenblum, Josh Young, and Erin Watson. Our genre is mystery/detective.

Film Opening Research #2 - Seven

how many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?

"New Line Cinema" is the only title displayed.

what images are prioritized in the opening sequence?

The policeman and the crime scene is prioritized, especially the blood and the bodies.

what connotations do the images carry?

The policeman is apart of the police force that is trying to capture the serial killer, making him the protagonist. The crime scene is the carnege from the killer, who is the antoganist. These images convey a sense of good vs. evil and man vs. society conflicts. 

how is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?

Seven is a detetctive/mystery film. The dark lighting makes the film feel mysterious and ominous. The close up of the police badge clues in the audience that it is a detetive movie. The panning shot of the bodies on the ground also are a dead giveaway that this movie is centered around findng a serial killer. 

how does the film establish an enigma from the outset?

The crime scene and the bodies on the floor are a clear indicator of an enigma from the onset. The enigma is the serial killer.

what strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?

The dark lighting, digestic sound of the sirens and cars honking, and the close ups of the crime scene all appeal to the target audience by creating a sense of mystery and overall dark mood. The target audience for crime/mystery would genreally be intersted in these images and sounds. 

how has technology been used effectively? 

The digestic sound of the sirens wailing and the vehicles honking immediately grabs the audience's attention. 

Film Opening Research #1 - The Golden Compass

how many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?
Three titles: one saying "New Line Cinema", "Ingenious Film Partners" and another saying "The Golden Compass".

what images are prioritized in the opening sequence?
Bright Lights are prioritized because they are supposed to be the "dust", which is essentially someone's soul. Animals, called daemons are also prioritized because they serve as companions to people in the universe that the movie takes place in.  

what connotations do the images carry?
The bright lights and dust symbolize a person's soul.
The animals are spiritually linked to people. The animals represent a person's personality.

The Aurora Lights symbolize a passage to another world.

how is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
The genre is fantasy. The talking animals and the contrast between the dark city and the bright lights reaffirm the magic of the universe. The close up of the witches and the talking polar bears also reaffirm that this is a fantasy film.

how does the film establish an enigma from the outset?
The film establishes an enigma from the onset because it immediately cuts to a scene of children playing. They are chasing each other while the adults yell at them to behave. The kids are chasing the protagonist, Lyra. This chase sets the tone for the rest of the movie. Lyra is racing against time throughout the movie because she is trying to save children from being magically severed from their daemons. 

what strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?

The film immediately cuts to images of magical dust, witches, and talking animals to appeal to those who like fantasy.

how has technology been used effectively? 

Technology has been used effectively with the CGI. The animals that have been used throughout the film, such as the ice bears, are somewhat realistic looking. The close-up shots used are effective because they capture the happiness and sense of wonder in the children who are playing. The voice over is effective because it explains the universe of the Golden Compass but is still engaging because the images of the dust, witches, and animals captivate the audience. 

My Favorite Genre Powerpoint