Here are the initial storyboards created for the two idents my group wanted in our final titles. We decided to draw out storyboards of our idents first, because they gave us a chance to consider how our ideas would appear onscreen as one sequence. Creating story boards for our idents was important because it helped my group plan how we would make our idents. Also the storyboards gave us the opportunity to realise if our idea's could realistically be created like professional looking idents.
Final Idents
Below I've embedded from my YouTube two idents I've created for my groups final project using Final Cut Pro. My group decided that it would be more conventional to have two idents in our film opening, because when researching openings we found that it was very common for films to have two production company's.
We also decided that it would be conventional to have one ident representing a larger generic film production company and have another ident specifically for a film company that only produces horror films.
Ident 1
This ident it meant to represent a large film production company. We've chosen to use a cloudscape in this ident as it's quite conventional in large production companies idents and logos. For example Lionsgate, DreamWorks, Paramount, TriStar and Columbia all have cloudscapes and skies within their idents. Using cloudscapes connote that our production company is well rounded, and creates a variety of films. Furthermore, a cloudscape implies that the production company creates imaginative films and it's quite prestigious.
All though this ident is meant to represent a large film company we've also tried to make this ident alternative, to link to the horror genre film we are creating. To make the ident alternative we added a red tint onto the cloud scapes to connote that the film has bloodshed and danger within it's narrative. This ident was inspired by Lionsgate's alternative horror themed ident that they use in their horror films.
Ident 2
It's quite conventional for films to have two production companies so my group decided to create two opening idents for our final project. Our second ident represents a small production company that only creates horror films. To relate to the horror genre this ident has a black and red colour scheme which connotes that this company is creates thrilling and gruesome films. A red mist of blood sprays on screen in slow motion and then fades out into a black background in the ident. The title 'Eerie Entertainment' appears centered on screen and fades in and out of the ident alongside the red mist of blood that reverses off screen. A thrilling sound track was added to the ident to make it seem more scary and intriguing for viewers. The sound track was taken from the copyright free sound effects website Sound Crate.
This ident was inspired by similar horror production companies like 'Dimension Films' who produced the 'Scream' series.
Like Dimension films ident we've kept to a simple black background and text that flies into the center of the screen.
In today's lesson I learnt that an ident allows production companies to identify that they have helped create a film or TV show. Alternative idents can also help reinforce the genre of a film and also give viewers an insight into the story line of the film. Additionally, idents can somewhat start a film early and catch audiences attentions at the start of a movie; a 20 second ident can set a films mood and tone before a film has fully begun. Here is a link to a website I've used to research idents
Lionsgate
Below are two Lionsgate ident's used in the opening scenes of the films they produce. I've chosen to look at Lionsgate because the company is a leading horror film company. Considering that they are a large horror film company looking at their ident may help me gain ideas when creating my own horror ident for my final project.
Design
The video above is Lionsgate's most recent film ident and it lasts 22 seconds long. At the start of the ident clogs and gears are denoted and they are the main focus of the shot. The camera pans around the gears denoting the gears all moving together and then the camera zooms out. The camera appears to move further away from the gears and continues to zoom out. The clogs are then shown moving through a key hole in a door, the camera continues to reverse zoom and then two majestic doors are thrown open. A flash of light shines through the doors and then the doors fully open denoting the word 'LIONSGATE' above clouds. The word 'LIONSGATE' is in the center of the screen denoted floating above clouds in emboldened capitalized sans serif font. Intention
The gears and clogs in the ident could connote that Lionsgate ceates films which are complex. The metallic colours used in the gears and the door connote that Lionsgate is prestige company. The use of the gears within a key hole and then the doors opening could be a connotation of 'opening' up viewers imaginations. The clouds-cape could be a connotation of the heavens; heaven is unknown to people and so this suggests that Lionsgate like to imagine and discover the unknown in their films. More so, the light colours clouds could be a symbol of hope and beauty.
Lionsgate Alternative Ident
Design
The is an alternative Lionsgate ident I've found online that is commonly used in Lionsgates horror films. The ident starts off the same as the original Lionsgate ident denoting gears moving on screen with panning and the a reverse zoom with the camera moving backwards. However, the colour shceme in this ident differs from the original unlike the original dark red hue colours are used. The clogs are broze and rusty looking instead of looking metallic and clean like the original.The background colours are also much darker in this ident with orange, brown and red hues. The doors in this opening are also very dark and they don't have the prestigious lavish look which is denoted in the original ident. Unlike the original ident the clouds-cape is coloured red and dark brown and the text in the center of the screen is a dark grey. At the end of this ident the clouds-cape's dark red colours glow to a bright red with the text remaining in the center of the screen. Intention
The dominant red colour scheme connotes danger, violence and is very eyecatching. More so, the red colour scheme suggests that Lionsgate is creating a film with bloodshed, and so the colours used in this ident reflect the genre of the film. The camera denoting rusty,dark coloured gears also connotes that Lionsgate is creating a dark and mysterious film. Furthermore, the gates opening to a red clouded sky connotes idea's of hell and darkness, which again implies that a film using this ident has an eerie dark story line.
DreamWorks
The second set of idents I've chosen to look at are by DreamWorks entertainment, I've chosen to look at this company as I feel that they are well known for creating alternative idents to relate to story lines and themes explored for each film they create. I could draw inspiration from this and create a unique alternative ident which clearly denotes the themes that my final project will include. I'm looking at two of DreamWorks idents because DreamWorks is a company that creates various alternative indents for each of their films in relation to their story lines. For example the Shrek movies have their own alternative idents under DreamWorks. I think an ident should relate to a films narrative and therefore it could be interesting to look at some of DreamWorks idents, as they can inspire and influence how I create my own ident for my final project.
Design
This ident is DreamWorks Home Entertainment most popular opening ident and it lasts 28 seconds long. The ident denotes a young boy sitting on the moon fishing from the sky. DreamWorks ident starts off with the camera tracking upwards from a reflection of the boys fishing rod in the water to clouds in the sky and then a boy sitting on the moon. The letters in 'DreamWorks' pan onscreen from right to left and then the title 'DreamWorks' appears centered on screen with a reverse zoom. 'DreamWorks' is denoted floating in the clouds. Intention
The notion of 'DreamWorks' up amongst the clouds could connote that DreamWorks is a company that makes imaginative films making the impossible seem possible. Also, the little boy on the moon could connote that DreamWorks creates films with children in mind, as their target audience, or that their movies aim to remind viewers of their childhood. The blue and white colour scheme relates to the sky and the clouds which again connotes imagination.
The Ring Altervative Ident
(click on the image to view the video)
The second ident I've chosen to look at is DreamWorks alternative ident for the horror film 'The Ring'. I've chose to look at this specific ident and DreamWorks doesn't usually make horror films and looking at a horror films ident will be relevant to my final project as I'm working under the horror genre. Design
Like the previous ident, the camera tracks upwards towards the sky and focuses in onto the young boy sitting on the moon fishing. However, instead of the simplistic calm blue and white colour scheme a black sky, grey gloomy clouds and a metallic glowing blue/white moon. The colours are much darker and gloomy than the original. The ident denotes a glitch/white noise in parts of the clip and then the moon is shown with another crescent half, which creates a mysterious full glowing circle on screen. Also, the sound of dripping water in a well is also used in this ident. Intention
The water sound effect, creates a tense eerie mood and the noise also foreshadows a dark storyline; sound effects are important in an ident as it makes a film impactful and engaging to viewers from the very start. The white noise in the ident connotes a dark storyline and also implies that the narrative in 'The Ring' could relate to an old movie or cassette. Also the white noise randomly appears onto screen and this could make viewers jump or grab their attention from the start of the film. The overall dark colourscheme connotes that 'The Ring' is a horror film with a dark narrative. From looking at this ident it's clear that editing and sound help reinforce a films genre and so, when creating my ident I should try and make the horror genre clear.
Researching film idents in todays lesson has been a good activity as it's made it clear to my group what the idents in our opening sequence should look like. Also the information found in this research can influence the design of my groups idents. It's important to look at examples of conventional idents like the ones above as it shows my group what we should aim to recreate in our project.
To gain further ideas and inspiration for creating the opening credits and scene of a horror film my group has decided to analyse two horror film openings.
The Cabin in the Woods
The first outline is on the film The Cabin in the Woods which my group member Beth and I worked on analyzing together.
Sweeny Todd
My group member Amy also chose to analyse the first two minutes of the horror film Sweeny Todd.
This activity was useful as it showed my group what is conventional of the opening titles and scene in the horror genre. So, carrying out this research helped inspire my group with ideas for our final project and showed us what a conventional 2 minute opening of a horror film is, helping us realise what we need to include in our project.
Above I've uploaded a SlideShare document entailing my groups first film pitch for our opening title sequence. The film pitch includes a synopsis of our horror films story line, indicates the resources and locations needed in our film and also includes information on the title of our film and its sub genre.
Below I've embedded a padlet document which includes feedback from my peers in relation to my treatment. This feedback is very important and can be very influential on how we create our horror film as a whole, as my group needs to meet our target audiences needs.
Created with Padlet
From looking at the padlet a few things need to be kept in mind and changed in our final treatment:
We need to avoid trying to fit too much of the narrative into the opening of the film, as it wouldn't be conventional and in reality the start of films don't have too much happening in them straight away
In our draft treatment we made a mistake with our films name and this error was pointed out by our peers, we mistakingly named it 'The Protagonist' but it's meant to be called 'The Perpetrator' so we need to make sure we change the name
Also one of my peers suggested that we make sure that the actor playing the 'Perpetrator' acts realistically, this could be difficult to film and so we decided to have the 'Perpetrators' perspective filmed from shaky point of view shots
This stage of audience feedback is very important as it makes it clear what the target audience of our film expect and what they would like to see in our opening. Also the feedback highlighted any overlooked errors in our draft and made it clear to us what was realistic to film and what the audience would find believable in our film.
Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.
Target Audience Questionnaire
I've embedded the questionnaire created by my group member Amy on SurveyMonkey that has questions that can help my group realise what our target audience likes and dislikes in horror films and their openings. This step is key in the research and planning stage prior to creating our final project as it allows us to realise who our target audience is and what they like to see in horror films. Also, this survey and its results can give my group ideas on what to include in our final projects storyline, that viewers would like to see. Analysis of Results
Below, I've embedded a Prezi presentation I have created to analyse the results gained from the target audience questionnaire. In the Prezi powerpoint I've wrote about what the results were from the main questions in our survey as well as, how the results will affect my groups final product.
Here is a presentation I've created that looks into the conventions of the horror genre. From creating this presentation, I've learnt about a variety of stereotypical conventions within horror movies. For example, dark lighting is a key convention of the genre. It was helpful to carry out this research as, I've now got a better idea of what to include within my final project to make it a success. The research task has also helped to spark some ideas of the narrative of my final project.
Certificate Ratings
Many horror films are rated 15 and 18. With horror films rated 15, the film can present strong threat and menace as long as story lines aren't too sexualised or sadistic. Strong gory imagery and narrative's aren't likely to be accepted within the 15 age rating.
The strongest and most extreme horror films are generally passed as being rated at 18. Horrors at this rating contain strong gore, sustained threats and menace and strong horror themes. Also, violence is very strong within 18 rated films.
From researching the certificate ratings, the ratings should be taken into consideration when aiming our final project. If my group wanted to aim our horror film at 15-17 year olds we would have to make sure we followed the 15/15A age ratings. So, we would have to make sure that the storyline for our film isn't too gory, brutal and violent. Also, the narrative can't involve strong violence or discriminatory language and behaviour.
However, if we wanted to aim our final project at 18 year olds then there's more room for a strong horror storyline. Things like strong violence, bad language and strong gore and blood are all allowed with an 18 certificate film.
So, we need to make sure we choose a specific target audience to make sure the film meets it's certificate age rating.
Horror genre timeline Here is a link to a time line created by my group member Beth, on dipity, that documents the horror genre and it's development over time. This helped me gain more insight into the genre as a whole and it's also given me further knowledge of horror films I can research before creating my final project.
My group member Amy has created a collage on the website Photovisi to look at iconography associated with the horror genre.
Horror iconography usually follows a pattern, using the same or similar iconography in order to make the genre identifiable to the audience. This means it makes it easier to label who is the protagonist and who is the antagonist through the iconography associated with them. Iconography can be a symbols that are featured in all horror movies. These include:
The Haunted House
Symbols of Death
Disfigured face
Masks
The screaming victim ('The final girl').
Murder weapon aka: Knife, meat cleaver, chainsaw etc.
Binary opposites of good vs evil.
Dark places.
Blood and bloody body parts.
Director Research:
My group member Beth also chose to research a famous horror films conventional to the genre. She chose to look at Wes Craven, as he has directed many famous horror films including many of the Scream series and Nightmare On Elm Street series. She has chose to answer the question in the form of an online slideshow made on the website,Zenfolio to demonstrate further research into our genre.
This genre research is very important in the creation of our project as it allowed us to become familiar with the conventions within the horror genre. Also some of the research helped us think about what kind of conventions we can include in our opening sequence and also what kind of horror film we want to create.
My group member Beth made this storyboard on the website StoryboardThat.com, for our preliminary task. She chose to use this website as it allowed us to create our storyboard online, something we have never used before. Storyboarding is a key process as it allows our group to plan and visualise how we will film our product shot by shot. The story board acts as a guideline in the filming process too, it's something we can refer back to to make sure we have all the shots needed in our task.
Script for the preliminary task:
[Character A walks into the room through the door. Character B is sitting at a table alone.]
Character B: Hey! You alright?
[Character A pulls out a chair across from B]
Character A: Hey, yeah. Why didn't you come to my party last week?
Character B: Nobody invited me. I thought it was weird you didn't invite me but, I didn't want to say anything.
Character A: Oh, sorry I thought you knew.
Character B: That's okay. I'll come to the next one
Character A: Yeah. I've got to go now, so bye.
Character B: Alright, see you later.
[Character A gets up from her chair and walks out of the room, opening the door on her way out, into the hallway.]
I've embedded a video of my preliminary task, where shot reverse shot, the 180 degree rule and match on action are all included in the clip. My group member Beth and I took the role of filming in the task and our group member Amy edited most of the footage. The clip features someone walking into a room and sitting down on a chair, engaging in a conversation with their friend and then walking out of the room. The preliminary task was a good opportunity to practice filming with a variety of techniques within one scene.
Task Evaluation:
I've embedded a Prezi presentation that my group has created together which presents a written evaluation of our preliminary task.
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