My main role in the production of the film

I didn't do any of the acting as I don't like being on film. Instead I did the filming and helped out with the production especially when it came to establishing different ways to get a shot if we had encountered some kind of problem such as Anna becoming visible as the Stalker in the shot or a certain angle not allowing the action to be captured due to the blocking of the people in the scene.

I was most happy doing the filming for the opening sequence and felt I did a good job of it making the most of the situation we had. Also, I feel the people I was filming made it a lot more easier as they were really easy to work with and although they enjoyed messing around, at the same time they were always willing to listen to both myself and each other and eager to take on board any criticisms or changes anyone wanted to make. Further to this, the person who played Ted, Perry, despite not gaining anything from being in our film or letting us use his house, he was really eager to help and a lovely person which made the experience feel a lot more like fun rather than work. We got all the shots we needed and completely captured the essence we wanted for our film very quickly.

Group filming - personal response

Today we filmed our opening sequence. I feel it went really well and we got all the shots we needed. Also, we managed to do it in just an hour and a half - being that it was very cold this was great!
However, when filming we encountered a few problems. I felt maybe we could have done it even quicker with more concentration which may have ensured we got more shots of different things just in case we decide we don't like one of the ones we have. Also, we got into some trouble with a man who didn't like us filming around his area and began shouting swear words and threatening to call the police on us. This made me quite nervous and kind of put me off wanting to film anywhere around that area although thankfully, we had got all the shots we needed to create our sequence.

Overall though, I think it was a really good day and I'm really pleased with the footage we got as I think it went exactly as we planned. I'm looking forward to putting it all together and seeing what my peers think of it as I am really proud of it and the work that went into it.

 Above you can see a photo of the house that we used for the main body of the film. 

 This is a photo of me and Lucy setting up the camera before filming the establishing shot of Perry's (Ted) house.

 Lucy teaching me how to use her camera - I did the main amount of filming whilst Anna, Lucy and Perry did the acting. Anna and Lucy between them took most of the photos.

 Anna (the Stalker) looking in from the window. This was one of our problems - how to conceal her from Mandy and Ted whilst making her obvious to the audience.

 The room in which the date was taking place in with Anna already on watch.

 The camera set up for a tracking shot of Ted and Mandy going into the living room. I found it quite difficult manouvering a tripod whilst keeping the camera steady.

 Filming set up of the main date section - an attempt at catching a view from Anna's eyeline whilst portraying the happy emotions in the date.

 Perry Vazquez (Ted) and Lucy Findlater (Mandy) in character as a couple.

 The mallet used by the Stalker to murder Mandy

 The Cast
Perry Vazquez - Ted
Lucy Findlater - Mandy
Anna Wylde - the Stalker

Meetings 1 - 3 (Pre filming)

When we first discussed the ideas for our opening sequence, I really liked the idea of creating a thriller and setting it in the Victorian era, however when we did some research and looked at cost of getting the costume and props the idea of doing something set in the Victorian era lost its appeal. Then we came up with the idea of 70s/80s and that sounded slightly unusual to fit with a thriller genre so when the idea of having a stalker who may or may not kill the girlfriend of the boy she's in love with it sounded very unusual but like something that could work and would be interesting. It's also not something that is done very often and therefore would appeal to people more as its something new and unique.

When we eventually decided on doing the 80s for our era, I was really pleased with that as we could have a lot more fun with the costume, background music, make up and props of our group. The film could be  made to look like something its not to start off with and therefore really intrigue the audience.

We then began storyboarding our opening sequence and deciding what settings and props we would need. As of now, we are all set to film and have arranged to do so on Sunday 29th January. This will mean that as of next Monday we will be ready to begin editing our film together. I am slightly worried that we only have 3 weeks left and no footage although we have a very clear idea of where we're going and what we need to do.

Preliminary Sequence - Did you feed the fish?

Harry Potter soundclip

Before we begun our opening sequence, we created a soundclip to go with Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince's opening sequence.

We did this using Garageband in preparation for when we had to add sound to our opening sequence so we could get used to fitting sound to action. Also, we did this to help us to get to know our way around GarageBand and all the different things that it can do and how we can use these to our advantage.

Opening Sequence Idea

To decide what to do for our opening sequence was a very difficult task as we found it hard to select what to do from our ideas of modern day, Victorian and the last century. However, we decided very quickly what genre we wanted to do and have stuck to that throughout the brainstorming of our ideas. AEventually we decided that we want to base our sequence in the 70s/80s and that it is going to be a horror. We came to this decision through thinking of the practical elements of creating a different time and how much money each would cost to create. However we always wanted to be original and set it in a different time and through looking through our wardrobes and researching the time, we realised that this idea would be cost free and easy to do as we had asked a friend from outside of our group to help us by acting and letting us use his house.

We have 3 people acting in our sequence and one of the group filming it. We are going to use props of 70s/80s clothing and someone's house as our scene. The story is a couple (girlfriend and boyfriend) at his house watching a film together, getting very close. However, there is a girl, his stalker, watching from outside through the window who is infatuated with the boy. She is so obsessed with him that she takes it upon herself to get rid of his girlfriend altogether by attacking her as she makes her way home. The stalker is carrying an axe and as the girl leaves she begins to follow her down an alley. When they are definitely completely isolated, the stalker pulls out the axe, the screen goes black and you hear a scream. The next thing the audience will see is the axe and the girl on the floor and a smile from the stalker before she calmly walks away leaving the dramatic scene behind her including the murder weapon.

We are going to use a few different locations in order to reflect the girl's journey home as well as a lot of different camera shots including shot reverse shot, extreme close ups, long shots and establishing shots.

Preliminary Excercise - Did You Feed The Fish?

When the group (Myself, Anna, Lucy and Madihah) were given the sequence, we immediately decided that we wanted to incorperate some comedy. 

We started on making our story board and planning - writing down the props that were to be used, who would be what character, the clothing and location. We came up with an idea that we thought would work well. We thought the camera shots we decided to use fit with the slightly satirical feeling we were going for and would effectively capture the moment and the emotions we were trying to get across. We decided how we were going to film it, and wrote down what we were going to film first and where and how
However, when it came to the day we were filming, the location we had decided on was not open.

So we thought fast and decided to use the rooftops of a department store in New Malden, kept safe and watched by a member of staff, we filmed from the end of the sequence to the start as we found this was easier. While filming we did come across some problems as my camera went out of battery but luckily we had two other cameras with us so we could continue filming.

We tried the same shot a few times but changed them each time so they looked as good as we could make them. I believe the editing went well and we produced a good piece of work, although we could of planned better by checking the opening and closing date of our building of choice. Our original storyboard was not used entirely; we did keep most of the clips and shots we wanted to use, but had to change a few because of the change of building. Also, the weather was, although aesthetically right, the wind was very loud therefore making the audible sound of the actress's voices harder to make out. 
Overall, I was really pleased with the group and with our sequence and felt it as very good for a first attempt at creating a proper sequence.

Initial Planning Ideas for Opening Sequence

Group 12A4

Catherine, Anna & Lucy

So far, we have decided that we want the genre to be horror but have not decided on a definite storyline yet. We want to keep it simple to avoid any complications within filming or editing. However, we also want some kind of unusual theme when it comes to props and clothing (eg Victorian). We also want the opening sequence to give a clear idea of what the film is about but whilst not giving too much away. We have had a couple of minor problems such as deciding on a location as we want it to be original.

Phantom of the Opera Opening

'Begins when an opera ghost terrorizes the cast and crew of the French Opera House while tutoring a chorus girl. He finally drives the lead soprano crazy so she and her friend leave. The girl is able to sing lead one night but the soprano doesn't want her show stolen so she comes back. The ghost demands they keep giving his protégé lead roles. Meanwhile, His pupil falls in love with the Vicomte de Chagny, but the Phantom is in love with Christine, his student. The Phantom is outraged by their love and kidnaps Christine to be his eternal bride.'

This film begins with a black screen where gold writing fades into it; this clearly contrasts with the black background and makes the text stand out. It also immediately catches the audiences eye as it is the only thing on screen and therefore seems a lot more sinister. It is also the first thing in the film that they see and therefore sets the tone of the film. There is some faint background noise, although it is unclear what this is which makes the audience immediately curious.

Then, the screen lights up a bit more with a candle (almost a fade in) and we see the title of the film, which matches the colour of the candle and seems to set a scene of a horror genre. The non digetic music is also quite high and haunting, reinforcing the horror genre that seems to have been previously incinuated by the darkness of the beginning credits on the black background. The camera then zooms into the candle, and the title fades out to reveal a black and white photo of 20th century Paris. The image is in sepia, although people are moving in it which seems peculiar and unnerves the audience.

The non digetic music continues as the camera pans into the focal point of the image; a cathedral and the colour of the image changes from sepia to black and white. These are both quite bland colours and ordinarily would be quite dull to watch, however due to the fact this is accompanied by the eerie music, the audience is still interested as they want to know what will happen next and why they are made to feel nervous in this way.

As we get closer and closer to the action, the non digetic music fades out and we get the digetic sound of the hubub of Paris. This is a new sound to the audience and therefore intrigues them more and forces them to ask themselves questions such as why were they made to feel so nervous and on edge and now they appear to be entering a troublefree time. By the time the camera has stopped moving, the audience is staring at a horse and carriage, in particular the door, and see a close up of crest of some sort so that they wonder what this means. Then the shot changes to a close up of someone's feet, who let the passenger of the carriage out, however it remains close ups of their feet or torso and the audience does not see the person's face which makes the audience wonder why and what influence they will have on the film and what happens during the film.

It then goes to a medium shot of the person being taken into the catherdral, however it is taken from behind so we still don't know what they look like therefore leaving the audience in the dark as to who he is and the judgement they can make as to whether or not he is a protagonist. The camera then pans out to the sign on the cathedral telling us that the audience is about to be taken into an auction. This is to remind them of the situation the characters in the film are in.

The black and white colouring has now become sinister as the camera, once inside the cathedral is shooting through a ripped drape, which connotates that something bad has happened and once again the audience becomes nervous and unsure. This reminds the viewer that this is a horror film and they should be feeling scares and nervous in this environment as they have no idea who they are looking for with regards to the protagonist and antagonist.

The person we saw being wheeled into the cathedral is then seen again, although it is done at a long shot. There is more digetic sound of one of the characters in the film talking but we cannot see who it is, however the audience can hear it is the person running the auction and become even more tense as they still know nothing about the man whose presence was made so known through the close ups and follow through to the auction room.

We then see a pan of the room that the auction is being held in. This is used to emphasise the time that the film is set in as we can see the old set up of the room. Then the audience is shown that it isn't a very busy auction however they cannot see the man they had become so curious about, raising their suspicions further as to who he is and what he is doing there. Then they see a medium shot of a woman on her own, letting them know that she has some kind of influential role in the film. She is dressed in quite dark clothes and her facial expressions are quite suspicious therefore raising the audience's awareness surrounding her despite knowing nothing about her. After this, we finally see the man in the chair, at a medium shot. We can tell that the woman seen previously was staring at him (180 degree rule) which tells the audience that there is some kind of relationship between them although we do not know what that is at the time. There is then a shot reverse shot between the pair making us wonder whether or not this is a hostile relationship. This continues until they make eye contact, the intensity increasing before the director decides to show us the man running the auction at a long shot before going back to the pair again for another shot reverse shot. This is to give the audience 'time to breathe' temporarily before returning to the action.

We are then shown a close up of a plastic monkey on top of a box with symbals clapping them together which is quite unnerving and raises the tension the audience is feeling further. The pair then get into a battle to buy the monkey box and the audience sees more shot reverse shots. It is clear they are both quite well off which makes us wonder what altercation could have gone on between them or people they are friends or related to. The man then wins, which we see in a mid shot as he releases a sigh of relief however it shot then changes to a close up of the woman, who does not look annoyed but instead is very gracious which confuses the audience as to what their relationship is. It can't be that hostile or she wouldn't have been so elegant about losing.

There is a medium shot of the monkey box being given to the man, which forces the audience to consider whether or not there is something particularly special about it, if it is of some sentimental value to the pair. This is exaggerated by a close up of the box, then a close up of the man's face after he gets it given to him. There is also some non digetic music, which is quite haunting not unlike the look on the monkey's face which once again creates suspense in the audience.

Analysis ending at 4:10

Juno Opening

'A tale told over four seasons, starting in autumn when Juno, a 16-year-old high-school junior in Minnesota, discovers she's pregnant after one event in a chair with her best friend, Bleeker. In the waiting room of an abortion clinic, the quirky and whip-sharp Juno decides to give birth and to place the child with an adoptive couple. She finds one in the PennySaver personals, contacts them, tells her dad and step-mother, and carries on with school. The chosen parents, upscale yuppies (one of whom is cool and laid back, the other meticulous and uptight), meet Juno, sign papers, and the year unfolds.'

The film opens with a black screen. The audience then hears (non digetic sound) what sounds like a pencil noise and the word 'Autumn' appears. This immediately sets the scene of where the story is beginning, then an extreme long shot of Ellen Page outside a house.It is sunset, and the extreme long shot seems to be used in place of an aerial shot to establish the setting; suburbs, nothing unusual. There is also some digetic sound of birdsong, reinforcing an average suburb.

The shot then switches to a long shot with Ellen Page (Juno) and a chair, telling the audience that there is something significant about this chair. Also, we can clearly see that Juno is drinking something from a bottle which the audience would immediately assume is alcohol, incinuating there is some form of dilemma she is facing. Then it changes again to a close up of Juno looking nostalgic, confirming there is a story surrounding that chair and her. Then there is some non digetic sound of Juno talking ('It started with a chair.') confirming that the chair is somehow involved in her dilemma. Then, non digetic music begins which is alternative and calm and fits the scenery very well, but also helps the audience to realise that the genres of this film are comedy and drama. The scene then switches again - it is a close up of Juno's legs, but we can see there is someone else in the background. Then we see Juno's underwear fall as a tracking shot of her approaching the other person begins. The audience also notices the chair; the one that was before Juno in the previous shot and it is therefore made clear that Juno is remeniscing on something that has happened.

The shot then switches again to a medim shot of Juno's face which zooms into a close up as she gets closer and closer to the other person. This makes it very clear to the audience what is about to happen (if it isn't clear enough already). It then switches to an extreme close up of Juno and Michael Cera's (Bleeker) nose and mouth followed by some digetic sound once Juno has her ear next to his mouth. Bleeker's voice sounds very young giving the scene the comedic value that was promised earlier in the opening sequence and reinforcing the comedy genre. Then, the shot changes position but remains a close up with the top of the chair being in the foreground reminding us of it, but Juno and Bleeker being in focus in the background as she leans in for a kiss.

The shot then changes again and the music stops, and the sound becomes digetic as we see a medium shot of a dog barking, making it appear as though he was interrupting Juno's thoughts. This once again shows the comedic genre of the film. Then there is a shot reverse shot between Juno, who has a go at the dog (Banana) and the chair, as there is some more non digetic sound if another line from Juno. Also, we see that Juno is drinking Sunny D, showing an immature side to both the character and the film. The audience begins to feel comfortable with the film at this point as they realise that, due to the immaturity shown, this will be a very straightforward to the point film with some comedy.

Then non digetic music begins again, and we see a long shot of Juno walking down the street which gradually turns into animation, but in a very simple form where you can see the artist's individual sketch lines. The titles are also included in these scenes with Juno's surroundings and almost go unnoticed; the main reason they are noticeable is because of the size. The colours used are few and far between with small fragments of each image containing colour. Juno is always coloured in; despite wearing bland colours, they look a lot brighter in contrast with the white background she is in. The title of the film however, compared to most of the other text is very noticeable as it accompanies Juno in a long shot and flashes between very bright colours.

Up to this point, Juno's facial expressions have appeared quite sombre although as she walks down the street she is smiling to herself. This is reinforced by the previous image of a blue sky with birds flying over it. Throughout this title sequence, the audience are led to believe that this is a very alternative film. This is exaaggerated by the way that everything is put together, especially the title sequence as it is shot from a variety of angles and how the artist's work is so simplistic but yet so effective in the way it establishes Juno's location. Also, due to the fact it is quite lengthy it manages to make the crediting to the actors and other roles within the film quite interesting as it makes us ask questions as to where Juno is going, as she walks past numerous shops on her travels. It keeps the audience guessing as we are given no hint as to where she is going. Also, due to the fact we see runners in a particular uniform we wonder what significance they have to the film.

We also find out a lot about Juno as a character through the sequence as she is often looking to the sky, as though she is daydreaming. As well as this, she plays childish games like attempting to walk in a perfectly straight line, which if she wasn't carrying the bottle of Sunny D we would assume is a test of how drunk she might be. However, we assume this is a sign of her immaturity as a character and accept it as a part of the comedy genre of the film. Moreover, in some ways the drama genre of the film is exaggerated as the daydreaming and childish behaviour could be interpreted as a cover up for the dilemma she is experiencing or to block it out altogether. The animated title sequence could also be a representation of some of Juno's characteristics; as mentioned earlier, she is portrayed as a dreamer and as the background becomes 'real' again, Juno remains an animated character for a few seconds as she enters the shop, possibly demonstrating her dreamlike state and tendancies.

Once she enters the shop, she becomes very serious.. As she enters, there is a medium shot of the shopkeeper who clearly knows her and says '..back for another test?' telling the audience that Juno has clearly been in here a few times today for the same thing, which we then decisover in a close up is a pregnancy test. We also see there is another customer (medium shot) in the shop who, in contrast to Juno, appears much more likely to be pregnant than her. Juno then demonstrates her immaturity as she approaches the counter in an over the shoulder shot from the shopkeeper's point of view, by attempting to say that she remains unconvinced by the first test as 'the plus sign looked more like a division sign' once again enforcing the comedic aspect of the film.

As the shopkeeper takes the restroom key away from Juno, there is an over the shoulder shot from her viewpoint which makes the audience feel almost as though they were her and allows for a certain amount of sympathy towards our protagonist. However, the digetic sound continues in a conversation between the shopkeeper and Juno continues, and even though the shopkeeper is rather interefering and rude towards Juno, and the other girl in the shop gets involved with a crude comment in a very brief mid shot, once again to make us laugh, Juno bites back in what is quite a witty but also quite rude demand where she says 'Silencio, old man!' and goes on to continue to explain the Sunny D the audience had been so curious about - so she could use the restroom. At this point, after a shot reverse shot of the conversation consisting mainly of the shopkeeper and Juno which happens quite fast in order to assist in setting the pace of the film as quite fast, the shopkeeper gives in in an over the shoulder shot of him at a low angle and hands over the key. This is quite a confusing shot I feel, as usually a low angle shot is used to establish authority, he has just given in to a young girl who has no power over this situation.

This also tells the audience more about the main character in this film - it identifies her as being quite witty and also very demanding as in the shot reverse shot between her and the shopkeeper, there was a shot of her and him from the side, her with her hand out. This could also tell us, assisted by how annoyed she seems, some things about her background and how she may have always got what she wants and therefore does not respond well to not getting what she wants when she wants it.

Children of Men Opening

'The world's youngest citizen has just died at 18, and humankind is facing the likelihood of its own extinction. Set in and around a dystopian London fractious with violence and warring nationalistic sects, Children of Men follows the unexpected discovery of a lone pregnant woman and the desperate journey to deliver her to safety and restore faith for a future beyond those presently on Earth.'

For the first opening, I have chosen Children of Men.
It opens with a blank screen, with a voiceover that the audience can immediately tell is a news report. This means that the audience are forced to focus on what is being said over what is happening on the screen and therefore become immediately drawn into the film.
Then instead of any action, the first bit of movement on the screen is the credits, which flash up in white text drawing eyes immediately to it as it contrasts to the black background. Once they finish, the screen goes back to black again forcing the audience to once more, simply focus on the voiceover till the audience hears 'the youngest person on the planet' when a room of people immediately appear looking very concerned, worried and upset. This doesn't change, if anything it worsens as we see Clive Owen, the main protagonist, enter the cafe they're in and also stare (after ordering a coffee), very concerned, at the television. The lighting in the scene is quite dark, none of the colours are really too bright which immediately sets the tone of the darkness of the film, telling the audience that this is a thriller. Also, the fact that the film has opened with a news story of a murder further emphasises the thriller genre. Also, as we are told that we are in 2027, the film carries a certain sci-fi theme. This is emphasised by 'Baby Deigo, the youngest person in the world' dying at 18 as this is immensly abnormal to hear as we know a baby is born somewhere every second of the day.

Then, as we see a montage of the victims life, we are able to hear people cry, in a medium camera shot of the television to show exactly what people are seeing. Also, the television is shot from a low angle which shows that the person being shown is of some influence and superiority in the minds of the people watching the news story about the baby, immediately giving the audience a sense of the 'future' of the world and reinforcing the sci-fi genre. The scene then switches to a medium tracking shot of Clive Owen leaving the cafe, as he turns around with a very sombre look on his face, and continuing with his everyday life unlike the people surrounding him who seem to be at a complete standstill. However, the audience are reminded of the situation of Baby Deigo with the shot of Clive Owen including another television still talking about his murder.

As he exits the cafe, the audience get their first glimpse of futuristic London and how bleak it is with the grey buldings and rubbish over the streets. There is also a building with a huge video of Bay Deigo running over it. There is then a long shot of  the street with Clive Owen in the centre third, ensuring that he remains what the audience focus on and the surroundings almost go unnoticed. As he stops walking to rest his coffee on an electricity box on the street, the camera tracks right up next to him, so we get a clear view of the alcohol he is adding to it and question why he is doing so.

The scene then tracks around him, so the audience is looking at a long shot, back the way he just walked as a huge explosion erupts from one of the buildings, followed by people screaming and a fire alarm. We also see a man who was thrown out of the building in the impact of the explosion into the road. This draws the audience in and makes them wonder why the explosion happened. It also makes us question whether or not Baby Deigo's murder was somehow involved as that is an image that has been pushed into our mind as it has been repetitively shown to us. We then see a woman walk out of the building that has just exploded, all the screams and alarms slowly getting quieter and quieter, holding her own arm. This is quite a haunting image and frightens the audience whilst making them want to continue to watch. The scene then changes to the title of the film 'Children of Men' in the same format as the credits had previously appeared; a black background with white writing. The simplisticness of this shot impacts on the audience quite heavily and makes them eager to watch more as the are still seeing the shot of the woman shown previously and the lack of movement in these title credits allows the viewer to not become distracted so quickly by something else, once again reinforcing the thriller genre.

Pleasantville Opening Analyisis (to 3 minutes)

Right at the beginning, the opening for Pleasantville is quite eratic in the way the shots are with a jagged change between what looks like different types of news reports and broadcasts which confuses the viewer and makes them wonder what the film is going to be about. From the colouring of the shots, we can tell that it is set in a different era. Also, by the fact that the one full shot we are allowed to see is either in a very odd colour or in black and white we can tell that this is meant to be set in a different decade. Furthermore the voiceover is a very American happy-clappy sounding voice. This sets a tone of something very forced and suggests perhaps there is something that has already happened that has challenged the equilibrium and created a problem in this seemingly perfect society. There is then a shot of text saying 'Once Upon a Time' which suggests there is going to be a fairytale theme to the story. This almost puts the viewer at ease with the situation after almost too much perfection in the first segment of the film. Then it restores to normal colour and a normal high school situation and shows establishing shots of what appears to be the main protagonist. There is a shot reverse shot with the protagonist, quite a dorky guy who appears very nervous as he talks to his crush, and the girl who doesn't seem too interested in the situation and as though he just wants to end the whole scenario as soon as she can. We then discover that in fact, he is not having a conversation with her but with himself instead as we see an over the shoulder shot of her quite a long way from him talking to someone who clearly has a higher social status than him and makes the girl appear very stereotypically 'out of his league'. We then see a long shot of all the characters that we have so far been introduced to so far which establishes statuses of the different chsracters and how they are linked or not so as the case may be. There is then an extreme long shot of what looks like a university lecture which slowly zooms into the main shot of the lectre where the man giving the talk has a very stereotypical teacher style droaning voice and doesn't seem at all enthusiastic about what he is doing with the children as much as he should be. The viewer can see fidgeting going on in the audience showing them that the students in the clip are clearly bored of what they are having to listen to and how they are being spoken to - in a monotone way that lacks any entertaining attention holding features. The last shot we see is almost a clone of the one previous, with a silent room and a monotone clear superior figure lecturing the children in the room where they look very bored and as though they aren't getting much out of the session. This leads the audience to feel the same way and as though they are inside that same room with no real feeling towards the situation or any of the people involved.