Title Sequences

Reservoir Dogs Title Sequence

As part of the research for my main task I analysed the title sequence of Reservoir Dogs.

Before the slow motion introduction of the characters the screen blacks out and shows the director. This makes it obvious to the audience who directed the film. The advantages of this as opposed to something incorporated into the scene is the clarity it gives you. However a disadvantage is that it can take away from the momentum of the opening.

In this title sequence it shows the group walking in slow motion towards the camera whilst it shows the actor of each character. The text pops up on the screen and stays for a few seconds before fading out. Two of the more important characters in the film were the first to come up on the screen. Presenting the names this way was particularly effective because it makes it very obvious to the audience which character is being acted by who.

An aspect about this clip that was interesting and that I feel that we could apply to our clip was the score. The use of the song made the clip seem exciting and puts the audience in the mood for the rest of the film. Additionally, the catchy feel of the song is something which leaves the movie in the audiences minds as they have the song stuck in their head which they then relate back to the movie. This is definitely something that I would be looking to incorporate into my video task.

At the end of the slow motion introduction of the characters it shows us the title of the film in the same plain text as the rest of the scene. It is also capitalized which makes it prominent and it swipes up the screen. Like most of the text used in the opening scene it is mainly there for clarity and it isn't incorporated into the scene with complicated editing.

Pulp Fiction Title Sequence

The start of the Pulp Fiction title sequence is a freeze frame of the previous scene and text appears on the screen telling you the producers of the film. This is effective, similarly to Reservoir Dogs, because it is clear and easy to comprehend. The font of the text is something that is also used later within the title sequence and the continuity makes the sequence seem professional and the originality gives the sequence a unique feel and makes it identifiable. Whilst making our own font for the video task may be unrealistic I think it would be a good idea to get a unique looking font to use in it. 

The name of the director then comes up in a similar way and also fades out. The use of the fading out within the sequence makes it easier on the eye. 

After this the name of the film comes up. It is in a large font which fills the most of the screen. This would be to make it clear the importance of this part; it is the title of the film. A bright yellow and red color scheme is used which makes the text stand out and makes it even more clear to the audience. Then the title of the film slowly begins to shrink in such a way which makes it look like it is getting further away from the front of the screen and the names of the actors begin to come up.

The name of the actors are placed on top of the shrinking 'Pulp Fiction' text in a white font. This makes it easy to read on top of the background. This is something that I feel we will need to watch for within our own task. The titles need to be readable otherwise they may as well not be there at all. The names of the actors pop up onto the screen, remain for a few seconds and then pop off again. The titles being there long enough to be readable is again something that I feel we should incorporate into our scene. Another method of showing the actors also used within this clip is simply having the names role up the screen. 

Within this sequence, music is used in a similar way to Reservoir Dogs. It sets the tone for the film and gets you excited for it. In this clip, two songs are used. This may have been done to represent the slightly more difficult to follow story line comparatively to others. Another interesting aspect about the music is the way that the music changes from one track to another. It uses radio static to give the impression that the channel is changing and this is metaphoric for the non-linear chronology we see in the film. Additionally the use of the radio static gives for a smooth transition between the two tracks without having to lose the fast paced feel of the scene.  

Jackie Brown Title Sequence 

The start of this title sequence introduces the production companies before fading into the start of a scene. The rest of the titles play over the start of this first scene. The name of the director comes up after this and fades out in the same manner as Pulp Fiction's opening scene.

The main character of the scene comes into the shot and the name of her actor appears in a yellow/orange font. The same font is used throughout the title sequence which gives a professional feel to the clip. 

Then we see the main character moving along against the background and more names of actors come up on the screen allowing you enough time to read the name before moving onto the next actor. 

After this, there are a few different shots showing the main character heading somewhere and more actors come up in the same way. They are all placed in positions which don't hide the face of the main character. This is something that we need to do with our clip; make sure that (if we have the titles on a scene) they don't take away from what happens on the screen. 

The use of music in the opening sequence is this time metaphorical towards what happens in the film. It gives a message of what happens in the film and this would be ideal for us to have in our clip as it adds another layer of meaning to the scene and makes it more interesting and rewatchable. 

Conclusion

Having watched all of the title sequences, one common theme is that the main characters' actors come up first and sometimes in bigger font than the other actors. This is prominent in the Jackie Brown and Pulp Fiction title sequences. One thing I noticed in the Reservoir Dogs sequence is that the order in which the names came up generally corresponded with the importance of the characters within the film.

Comparing the three title sequences, I noticed that Pulp Fiction is the only one that does not put any titles over a clip. For example in Reservoir Dogs you can see each of the character's actors over their face as they walk. However nothing like this is present in Pulp Fiction. Slightly different to the Reservoir Dogs style is the Jackie Brown title sequence which shows all of the credits over a clip of Jackie Brown walking through the airport. This could be to represent her character as the focal point whereas in Reservoir Dogs it appears that all of the characters have more of a role to play, judging from the title sequence at least.

One thing that I would like to incorporate into my own title sequence is the titles being more a part of a scene as opposed to the black background that is shown in Pulp Fiction.

Prelim Task and Evaluation

THIS IS MY FINAL PRELIM VIDEO

After making my final prelim video, I had a group of people from my class watch the clip to review it and give me feedback and what did or didn't work.

All of my reviewers say that I have met the criteria necessary for the task. It has match on action on the door opening scene, shot reverse shot during conversation and our conversation has followed the 180 degree rule. In terms of the elements that the main task that would be marked on, the reviews and my personal opinion is that we met some of the criteria but not all of them. The use of camera was generally controlled and I think that the narrative makes sense. However, I feel that the use of mise-en-scene could be improved and this is one of the targets my peer review group identified.There is a game of monopoly in the background of our scene that we couldn't disturb but we could have tried to have avoided getting it into our shots, which would have been possible. 

One of the things that was identified as good in our clip was the use of shot reverse shot to show the different facial expressions in our conversations. This helped to build the narrative of our clip as it showed the emotions of our characters. One other thing the peer review group identified as a positive aspect of the clip was the close up shot on the table when we drop the money and drugs onto the table. It highlighted the importance of this within our scene. 

To improve our scene, one of the main aspects that I and the review group felt that we could improve on was the continuity within the clip. There is one part of the clip in which I was holding the drugs in one hand and then it cut to the next shot and it was in my other hand without showing any change in hand which made the clip hard to follow. Another thing that was left out of the clip entirely was sound and the review group highlighted that a score over the beginning of the clip would help build the tension and that it was something that was very typical of the genre. I agree with this advice and feel that adding a score over the clip would add to the meaning and narrative of the clip and this is something that I will definitely look to add into the main task. 

My Prelim Task Plan

The aspects of my Prelim that I am going to discuss are Setting, Costume, Props and Storyboard.

Photos of the room we chose

Setting: The setting that I have chosen for my prelim is an office type room next to our classroom. The difference between the photos above and the way we want it to look during the clip are simply removing the things on the wall which make it look like a school or college and removing some of the chairs and tables. The reason that we have chosen this room is because it is quite small enclosed space and could be quite easy to make dark to a desired level. These things would be useful for our genre in particular because it is easier to paint it as the sort of place that a gangster may hang around and partake in illegal activity. Also, there is a hallway leading up to it which could look like an alleyway where you might find a criminal.

My (Left) Costume and Charlie's (Right)

Costume: In my research I found that a lot of high profile criminals tended to be wearing smart clothing. Therefore both me and Charlie are going to be wearing a shirt and a coloured tie. This should give us the chance to both look like organized criminals and also express our characters. For example I am going to be wearing a purple tie which has connotations of affluence and Charlie is going to be wearing a red tie which could suggest a violent aspect to his character.

Props: The main prop that we are going to need for our prelim is a bag with something in it that resembles cocaine. We could use sugar or flour or something similar. This is because our characters are doing a drug deal and to make it look authentic and serious (fitting with the genre) it needs to look right. Another thing our group is considering is having posters of rappers, who are represented as gangsters by the media a lot, in the room to suggest that these are the people our characters idolize and look up to. However we are also debating whether or not a gangster would actually want a poster of one of these people in their personal space.

Storyboard: This is the initial line of events that we have planned for our prelim. There will first be a scene where I am walking down the hallway towards the room. At this point, we are not intending to show my face to give my character a shady feel. This could be done with a low angle shot from behind. This would mask my identity whilst also giving my character a high status suggesting that he is both mysterious and powerful. This could immediately show my character as a criminal.

There also needs to be a shot of me opening the door as part of my criteria. I think that the best way we could do this would be a close up of my hand on the door handle. This would maintain the lack of identity that my character has.

Then, I think a good way to include both an over the shoulder shot in conversation and the match on action would be to show me walking through the door with an over the shoulder shot of Charlie's character. This would also have the effect of empowering Charlie's character. With the over the shoulder shot, I am approaching him and my identity is revealed to him (as well as the audience) reducing my status and implying that I am there to try and bargain with him, or at least that he has the power in this situation. Still using the same shot I would sit down in the chair in front of him.

Then there is going to be dialogue initiated by him which ends in me buying drugs from him. To show the exchange of money and drugs I would use a medium shot of us both sat in the chairs putting them both on the table.

In terms of camera movement, I don't think that there should be too much of it. This is because I feel that way there will be more of an uneasy nature to the clip which would make it obvious that something that could make someone uncomfortable and I want to keep an element of mystery about the scene.

Research and Planning (Reservoir Dogs)

Another film I looked at was Reservoir Dogs. I felt that the organized crime genre has some parallels with the drug genre that we are looking to create. This is a still frame from the film:

This frame is from when they have a cop in the boot of their car. One thing that I found interesting about this was the choice of costume. They are all in suits which brings a sense of status to their characters because people with suits are generally dressed up to look smart for important events. When criminals wear clothing like this, it makes them seem important and as if their crime is something more of a big deal than petty theft that a regular person may commit. I might look to wear smart clothing in my clip to make my characters look like they are high status criminals, which is more interesting to watch.

Another aspect that is interesting is the fact that they are all smiling. This aspect of the actors' performance builds the idea that they are very casual about their crimes and the morality of it. This could imply that they have committed many crimes like this in the past and as a viewer it helps you build the picture of them as cold criminals. A nonchalant attitude towards crime is certainly something I want my characters to have and this aspect of performance could be a way to achieve this.

The fact that you can see Mr Blonde's gun clearly is a sign that he is quite open about his crimes. Whilst in America owning a gun isn't a crime, the fact that it is in plain sight shows that he is ready to use it at any moment. The use of props in this scene helps build an idea of their characters and appropriate props will be helpful for me in my prelim task.

Another part of this frame which adds to the genre is the POV shot of the man in the boot of the car. It creates a low angle shot on the criminals in the scene which makes them seem more powerful. Additionally the fact that you are placed in the eyes of the victim makes you more aware of what the criminals are doing and makes you more empathetic for the victim. This builds the image of the criminals as bad people even further. If I were to take any of the conventions of camera work from the this frame it would be the use of low or high angle shots to accurately create the sense of status I want certain characters to have.

Research and Planning

The first thing that I did in my research was look at this still image of a scene from Pulp Fiction. I feel that Pulp Fiction fits our genre. This is the picture:

As part of my analysis of the picture I looked at the mise-en-scene. One of the key aspects of this is the setting. I highlighted the fact that being in a cafe suggests that this kind of situation is usual for Jules. A cafe is a very casual and relaxed setting which some people may visit every day. This juxtaposes with the fact that a gun is being held at a person in this scene and this could build Jules' character as it shows he is not afraid to do this kind of thing in public. As the audience you think that Jules is a very powerful character is comfortable in any situation.

Another aspect of mise-en-scene that is evident, even in this still image is performance. Jules is lent over the table asserting his dominance over the guy he is interrogating. He is taking up more space on the table which suggests that he is intimidating the other character and perhaps an intimidating character himself. Additionally, the other character is backed more into his seat and has his hands on the table. This contrast of the characters highlights to the audience the fact that Jules is definitely in the position of power in the scene

The prop of the suitcase adds to the idea that Jules is a very assertive powerful character. He is guarding it from the other person which shows that he is not afraid of him and also possibly that he has something to hide. The contents of a suitcase like this is often something like a lot of money in this genre, and whilst in Pulp Fiction you don't know what is in the suitcase, the genre itself helps build Jules' character; in my own piece I think the use of a prop that is stereotypical may be a good thing to use to build the image of a crime genre.

My Prelim and Main Tasks

My Prelim and Main Tasks

For both of my tasks I have chosen to do the video brief. My group is myself, Charlie Adams and Jack Lucas. The genre we have chosen for the task is crime. My character is a hitman, Charlie's is a drug dealer and Jack's is a hacker.

As part of the prelim we have to include match on action. I am planning to do this as I walk into a room to buy drugs from Charlie. There will be a shot of me approaching the door, opening it, and then a shot of me on the other side of the door walking into the room. To incorporate the reverse shot into my prelim there is going to be a conversation between me and Charlie's character.

In the main task we are going to use the same genre and idea as the prelim task. For the opening sequence we are going to have film of all the characters mentioned above doing things related to their job. Then it will freeze, turn black and white and have names of both the characters and their actors on the screen. I feel that this would be effective as it puts the titles into the opening sequence meaning that we can make the most of our two minutes. Also I think the way we have chosen to put the titles in is effective and accurate to the crime genre.

Shots, Editing and Camera Movement

23/09/14

This is an evaluation of the shots and editing techniques I have learnt so far.

Camera shots

This is an extreme close up shot. It fills up the whole frame showing only the character's face. This shot can be useful in multiple genres because it highlights a character's emotions adding to the narrative of a drama.

This shot is a close up. It shows only the face but it does not fill the entire frame. This can useful in a similar way to an extreme close up, but may be more useful if the background to the shot is particularly interesting or necessary for the shot to have an emotional or story-telling importance.

This is a medium close up. This shot shows the upper body of the character. This could be useful because it gives room to show the body language of a character. In a sadder piece of television this could communicate as much as the face does and this shot allows that to be expressed. It is also good in conversations. Like I said before it shows most of how a person communicates which makes for more effective dialogue scenes.

This is a medium or a mid shot. This shot is a bit further out than a medium close up. This is also useful because it shows all of a characters ways of communicating. Additionally it shows more of the setting which could be good for scenes where a character is doing something on a table or with another prop which also needs to be shown, as well as what they are trying to say.

This is a long shot. It shows the whole body. It can give a better sense of height for a character who is stood on his own. It can also show the authority a certain character has other the others by the way he/she is stood around the others. Again, this shot includes more of the character's surroundings.

This is a long shot. It includes the whole body of the characters and is at a distance from them. This can be very useful when the surroundings of the characters is equally important as the characters themselves. This can be useful to set the scene of a part of the show. 

Somewhat similar to a long shot is the establishing shot. Usually even further out than the picture I managed to get, this shot focuses a lot more on the scene than the long shot. You usually see this at the start of movies or shows to completely set the scene.

This is a medium long shot. It is similar to the long shot except it is from the knees up. It is a good shot for showing a lot of a character and his surroundings at the same time.

The low angle shot is very useful for giving a character a heightened status. This is a common shot in super hero movies, or any piece of media where there is a character who is a main protagonist or antagonist. It makes the character in shot look taller than they are which gives them a more powerful look.

The over the shoulder shot is used when two characters are having a conversation. It allows the brain to register who the speaking character is talking to whilst also getting a full sense of how that character is expressing themselves. This is a pretty essential shot in almost any piece if drama with dialogue between characters.

The two shot is a shot where there are two characters in the shot. It can also be used for conversations or for showing the non verbal communication of two characters.

The pov (Point of View) shot is useful because it puts you in the eyes of a character. This could be used to give you more empathy for a character in a horror or an action movie or show. Combining this camera angle with a handheld camera technique puts you in the body of a character very effectively.

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The tilted shot could be useful to show the drama in the scene or perhaps that a character is a little bit eccentric or different. The tilted or canted angle is different from what you expect to see and therefore it throws you off a little bit. This foreshadows what is to come.

Camera techniques

This footage is not from a drama or a movie but I feel that it shows the handheld camera technique quite well. This footage is pov of the rider of the bike and it shows you what he is seeing. In the context of a tv show this would put you in shoes of a character, giving you an idea of the way they may be feeling. It goes well with the POV shot.

This YouTube video shows the tilt camera technique. The camera looks upwards on an axis, sort of like nodding your head. This could be useful in action or horrors where something tall is running towards the camera and characters. It also creates the effect of a low angle shot which gives the object or person that is being looked up at a higher status.

This YouTube video shows the pan camera technique. It is similar to a tilt however it is horizontal instead of vertical. It is good for showing a whole room and giving an evaluation of what is in it. You may see this technique when a character enters a room that they are unfamiliar with or is surprising to them. 

This YouTube video demonstrates the crane technique. The crane technique is like the tilt except instead of being fixed on an axis looking up, the camera itself actually moves up. This could be used when characters are on two different floors of a building to transition between the two. 

Camera Edits

This YouTube video shows several different editing techniques. The first one shown in the video (0:04-0:20) is jump cut editing. This breaks up gaps in conversations and makes the scene a lot more straight to the point, jumping forward through any gaps. 

The wipe edit is shown at 0:48 to 1:00. The wipe edit makes for a transition between two scenes and makes it obvious to the viewer that there is going to be a change. This edit technique is used a lot in films such as star wars.

Also, throughout the video, whenever an example clip has finished being shown, the video fades. This technique gives a clear ending to something which is obvious to the viewer. This could be used at the end of films as it fades to a title screen. The black that it fades into signifies an ending. 

Another technique which is in the video but isn't highlighted is the straight cut. At around the 0:10 mark there is a straight cut from one character speaking to another. The straight cut is useful in conversations because our brain can piece together the fact that the change in camera shot is still a continuation of the same scene, providing the 180 degree rule is followed.

This video shows the shot/reverse shot in Spiderman. This shot allows you to focus on both an object and the reaction of a character largely at the same time. As shown in this scene, it can also build drama. The frequent changing of shot to shot gives a manic feel which can be disconcerting to watch, in a way which indulges you further into the scene.

At around 0:30, this video shows the dissolve effect. Similarly to the wipe, it clearly shows a change in scene. However this edit is more gentle than the wipe and can perhaps play on the emotional side of a scene.