Rough Draft of Storyboard

Because we decided to draw the storyboard digitally, we created a rough sketch of the frames which we then can alter depending on any changes.

Idea Change

After receiving feedback from our overall idea for the film opening, we decided to change the idea slightly in terms of narrative to create a more understandable story line as well as a better enigma.
The location and shots will still be the same as well as the similar narrative as the man is still kidnapped, but we now have to cast one other person. The colour palette will also be slightly changed as well as the sound palette as we will not use the music we included

2ND IDEA

The same tracking shot from the initial idea is being used, but now from the outside to establish clearly that it is a shop that the location is in.
The camera tracks through the shop, with closeups of various objects which could link to the protagonist or narrative in some way.
Over the tracking movements, the non-dietetic sound of voicemail recordings are being played, from the protagonists wife, daughter, boss, doctor etc. giving insight to the audience what kind of a person he is.
Like before, the camera shows the body using closeups shots and wide shots, he gets ups staggering and is in a dazed state.
He looks down and sees he has a drip in his hand, he pulls it out. This shows he has been drugged, the reason why he is acting like this.
Suddenly he stumbles to the ground, on his hands and knees, and a woman comes down the stairs, who is the shop owner and begins to look around for something, she very briefly acknowledges the man's existence but doesn't react to it, creating a strange reaction and enigma to the audience.
Seeing the woman, the man tries to crawl over to her and tries to make noise, which comes out as very slurred speech, which isn't understandable.
She ignores him and goes back up the stairs with what she was looking for, and leaves him in darkness.

Sound/Colour Palette and 9 Shots

9 SHOTS

1) Tracking movement through the building and into the basement
2) Long shot of the basement, showing a man lying on the ground in the middle of the frame
3) High angle/Ariel shot of him waking and getting up, staggering
4) Mid shot of mirror, showing him standing up and gaining balance
5) Mid shot of the man from behind, walking into the main area and starting to look around/explore
6) Close up of half of his torso and hand trailing over objects
7) Mid-close up of man's face and shoulders from the side or 3/4 behind, showing a scared/confused expression
8) High angle of man stopping at the base of stairs, looking up
9) Slightly low angle and mid shot of another man, at top of the stairs, showing his dominant role compared to the vulnerability of the protagonist.



COLOUR PALETTE 

This colour palette shows the most prominent colours to be shown in our film opening. The black and white will be used for the title and credit scenes, inspired by the block colour screens shown in Stanley Kubrick's 'A Clockwork Orange'. The brown will be accompanied with many other warm shades, and this is the main colour scheme in the building we are filming in. The pink and red will be used as lighting in the basement.

SOUND PALETTE

• A voicemail message recording will be used over the tracking shots through the building at the beginning of the opening, the variation of messages from different types of people will give indication into the narrative and what the protagonist is like.
• 1930's jazz music  may be used when the protagonist is exploring the room he is in, he could turn a radio/ put a cassette in a tape player. This music will juxtapose with the confusing and frightening atmosphere he is in. Contrapuntal sound is fairly common in horror films, and this will create a sense of perhaps fear and confusion.
• White noise or a sound similar  might be combined with the jazz music to highlight the disorientation that the protagonist is experiencing.

Film Idea Research

IT FOLLOWS, DIR DAVID ROBERT MITCHELL (2014)

Despite having the narrative of a horror film, 'It Follows' includes a range of shots, movements and lighting that are not conventional to most horror films. The overall feel to the film is almost retro, with the neon red lighting in some scenes and simple tracking movements accompanied by little or no sound. This provides inspiration for our film opening, especially as the tracking shots were positioned so what was in the frame was symmetrical, linking to our idea of the camera tracking through the house to the basement. 

I feel we could follow what this film has done by subverting the common conventions of horror with the stereotypical low key lighting and close ups. Instead 'It Follows' includes a range of lighting, of which some scenes are with neon red or pink lighting, which is very rarely seen in films of this genre. Despite the narrative and genre being different to what our film opening idea is, the cinematography, lighting and sound are useful for us to take inspiration from.

In terms of lighting, another film with a similar style is 'drive' (2011). The common use of the neon lighting would also be useful for our film opening.
Similarly to the opening of 'It Follows', we wanted little or no dialogue, and the sound of radio static and the stations being tuned as the camera tracks through the house.

CONVENTIONS OF A FILM OPENING

 as well as establishing the protagonist, genre, and narrative. This can be done through spoken dialogue, narration, mise en scene etc.

• The primary purpose of a film opening is to capture the audience's attention to encourage them to continue watching.
• It can last up to 5 minutes
• Enigmas tend to be created, also to draw the audience in and to leave them with the curiosity of what actually happens in the film.
• They establish the film's genre, narrative and protagonists. This can be done by using actors which are commonly featured in a certain genre (for example, Jennifer Aniston is associated with rom coms, so when seen in a film opening, it would be assumed that the film is a romantic comedy if the other conventions fit with that genre.), or themes that appear, which can also hint to the narrative of the film. Sound is very important to film openings and the music 
• Starts showing key credits in a certain order such as:

- Studio name
- Production company
- Producer's name
- Star actors/actresses 
- Film Title
- Other featured actors/actresses
- Music composer
- Production crew
- Story by
- Writers
- Director

Importance of Opening Shots

The opening shots to a film are incredibly important, establishing the film's initial ideas and perhaps narrative. 

John Hughes' 'The Breakfast Club' (1985) opens with a long shot of a high school, evident with the lettering 'SHERMER HIGH SCHOOL' positioned at the front of the building and the narration of the exact location of it: Shermer, Illnois, 60062. This shot immediately establishes the premise that this film is set in a high school, or involves a teenage environment, yet the building is derelict and empty, with a bleak colour pallet to portray this. The plain look to this shot juxtaposes with the association that a high school would be crowded with teenagers and teachers, but the narration tells us the date of 'Saturday, March 24th', indicating that this is the image of the school when students are not studying.But this does not give the reason why this school is being shown on a weekend, creating an enigma of what would happen there on this particular Saturday, yet it can be assumed that something important or memorable with occur there that day, which will be remembered after the weekend back on Monday. This opening shot is transitioned when the black credit screen in front of it smashes into fragments like glass, as if something had been thrown at it, supporting the stereotype that teenagers are of a rebellious nature, and suggests that students are being kept in school on the Saturday for this certain type of behaviour. The narrator's voice is a teenage male, indicating that he perhaps is one of the students at this high school, and one of the characters or protagonist in this film.
Non diegetic sound is playing in the shot, and the music is consistent throughout, which is playing the song 'Don't You (Forget About Me)' by Simple Minds. The music is upbeat and catchy, again linking to the stereotype that teenagers are interested in pop music as well as reflecting the young and exciting lives they lead in this particular period of their life, contrasting to the bleak and almost dismal look of the school, suggesting that this school will obstruct the student/s break from school.

In the film 'Little Miss Sunshine' (2006), the opening shot is an extreme close up of a young girl's transfixed eyes on a screen. She is wearing large, thick rimmed glasses, in which the reflection of a woman on Television can be seen, connoting that this is what she wants herself to be, and how she wants to be perceived as. Her eyes resemble those of innocence and wonder, symbolising her aspiration to be like this woman, which can link to the narrative and themes of this film of ambitions and trying to pursue them, this girl being one of those people. There is diegetic and non-diegetic sound, the sound coming from the television tells the audience that is a pageant or competition of some kind, as a winner is mentioned, and judging by the age and gender of the child, it is assumed that it is probably a prize won by one's beauty.This could imply problems later in the narrative, as stereotypically speaking, this girl is not the type of child to be entered into beauty pageants appearance wise. Her huge glasses give her a look which is fairly dorky, and because through her eyes she appears innocent, childlike and almost angelic, it means what she see's is her dream, it isn't who she naturally is. The non-diegetic sound is calming background music, giving a soft and gentle atmosphere to the shot, especially as the focus is a young child.This again connotes childness and the almost naive nature of the girl and along with her attentive gaze, it shows that the only thing she simply wants in her life at that moment is on the screen.

In Danny Boyle's 'Slumdog Millionaire' (2008), the initial shot the audience sees is a slow panning movement from an extreme close up of the protagonist's shoulder to his face. The extreme close up and the distant and worried expression on his face shows the intensity in the situation he is in. This shot is also over the shoulder of another man, who is blowing smoke into the man's face. Although the body is not in focus and the camera is concentrated on the man's face, it is clear that he is a victim to the person in front of him due to his dazed and serious expression. By blowing smoke into his face, this generally signifies an act of interrogation and threat, intimidating the protagonist and asserting his dominance and authority to him. Judging by the out of focus positioning of the other man, the protagonist The tense atmosphere is heightened when it is realised that he is in peril.

Low-key lighting is used with a golden/yellow tone, relating to money and riches which could give a clue about the narrative and perhaps the situation he is in. The warm colours could also suggest the climate they are in, which would be one with a lot of heat since the lighting emphasises the sweat on his face. It can be assumed that because of the heat and the warm rich tones of yellow and gold, that the film is set in India, as well as because Dev Patel is Indian so plays roles in films set in the country. The only sound heard is diegetic, and is the sound of the smoke being blown in the protagonist's face. The absence of any other sound creates a tense and awkward atmosphere as the sound being heard is the single thing that can be concentrated on.

Initial Idea 2

Initial Idea 1

In the first film idea, we took inspiration from film openings such as 'A Clockwork Orange' (Stanley Kubrick), 'Lost River' (Ryan Gosling) and the author of 'Requiem For a Dream' Hubert Selby Jr. These films are of a drama genre, from the tension and enigma created in these film openings.

We had some inspiration with the type of lighting and colour pallet used in 'Lost River', which includes pink/red neon type lighting. This could connote a sense of danger and perhaps desire, contrasting to the fact the protagonist is alone. The opening shot will have warm colours including yellows and browns, but then descending down the stairs to a room partially filled with red light. 

The opening scene will begin with symmetrical framing, and a tracking movement through the inside of a house, which is filled with strange and random objects, similar to an antique shop. The lighting will change from an artificial white/yellow light to neon pink/red and darker as the camera descends down a flight of stairs to what seems like a basement. Through all of this, the diegetic sound  of a radio being attempted to be tuned will be heard, different sounds of static and types of music will be heard, increasing in volume as the camera tracks through the building. Once in the basement, close up or mid shots will be shown of certain objects in the room with credits added to the shot during post production. A calendar is shown with what is presumably that days date with 'Phase 1' written on it. At some point the sound of tuning ceases as someone finds a radio station playing 1920's music. A man appears from behind the staircase, who is in his around middle age and looks like he has seen better days. This man starts to dance to the music, but not in time and in a jerky and unusual fashion, giving the atmosphere that something is not right and this man is perhaps not in the right mindset.

We were inspired by mise en scene and set design, shown in the 'A Clockwork Orange' opening, where the audience are easily introduced to the surrounding location, immediately giving a sense of a dystopian time and the strange yet stark portrayal of sexuality, Along with the sound and the portrayal of the characters, the opening gives a ominous atmosphere, which is something we are aiming to achieve with this idea.

Moodboard for film openings

MOODBOARD

Preliminary Task

STORYBOARD

When creating our storyboard, we did not consider using any tracking or panning movements, as only had a tripod and we felt that by trying to achieve a movement whilst filming would result in shakiness with the film which wouldn't run smoothly. We decided on using many close up and mid shots as these are used to create tension (especially close up shots) which is a common convention used in crime films, which we based out preliminary task off of. We also had to redraw our storyboard as we were told the sketches were not detailed enough, so we completed our storyboard with more detail.

FILMING

During the filming of our preliminary task, we ran into some difficulties regarding lighting, continuity and differences in the script. Whilst filming, it was noticed that the lighting in the room did not have any contrast and we decided to turn the lights at the front of the room off and film the shots we had again, so we achieved high-key lighting where Tom was sitting to draw focus on him, making him the dominant in that shot. We also had to make sure we were filming shots near the door when no one was walking past, as the contrast in lighting in the room and outside created shadows from other students and teachers passing the classroom. 

We also had to ensure that the actions of the actors were continuous, such as Archie picking up the piece of paper in frame 9, and him getting up in the same position from the floor as he approached the table. When he rose from the floor, his hands had to be in the same position as they were in the previous shot, but I feel we managed to accomplish that well.Tom's hands and posture had to remain the same throughout the task, which was fairly easy as he was sitting still at the table. We also managed to keep the 180 degree rule whilst they engaged in conversation with shot reverse shot.

There were a few differences between the script and the final result. A line was not said in the preliminary that we included in the script. For example, we did not include the line "these have been chosen especially for you", and instead of Archie walking towards the table, he rolled across the floor to add a bit of humour. Some camera angles and positioning of the actors were different, such as the angle in frame 3 where Archie is facing Tom. In the storyboard the camera was positioned on the left side of Archie, but when filming we placed it on the right hand side, as Tom and the table was clearer to see within that frame than if we had positioned the camera on the other side. In frame 2, the shot was meant to be a front view of close up shot of Archie walking into the room, but we decided on filming from the side with a slightly high angle. 

EDITING

One problem we had whilst editing was the sound. A lot of the shots where Archie was speaking we used close ups or mid shots, so his voice was a lot louder than Tom's, especially when he said "Agent", as the shot was a close up of the back of Archie's head, who was across the room from Tom, so his voice appeared a lot quieter than Archie's. We managed to fix this issue by detaching and raising the audio when Tom spoke. The very last frame we had planned in the storyboard we decided to edit out, as whilst filming, students were walking past the door due to the lesson ending, which meant the continuity of the shot was ruined. So we chose to extend the length of frame 15 until the door had shut, so it did include the last frame of the close up of the door shutting, except it was a mid/long shot.

A strength we had was to change the colour gradient to a blue tint, as we felt the colour saturation was too warm, and did not match the tense or distant atmosphere in the video. This resulted in the video looking a little colder and something that one would see in a crime or spy film.

Analysing Codes and Conventions of Film Openings

In the last lesson we examined the openings to the films Halloween, Amelie and Trainspotting. Each of these films are of a different genre. 'Halloween' (1978) is horror, 'Amelie' (2001) is a romantic comedy and 'Trainspotting' (1996) is drama.

HALLOWEEN (1978)

Sound and tension tracker for 'Halloween' opening

By drawing a sound and tension tracker, I could pick out the points in the opening where diegetic and non diegetic sound creates suspense and fear in the audience. The POV that is used in this opening enforces the audience to witness whatever is happening and only gives insight to what that character  who's eyes they are seeing through is experiencing.  As the killer moves round the house and sees the upstairs light turn off, a sudden high pitched sound occurs, immediately heightening the suspense and foreshadowing that something bad will happen. This film opening does not include as much sound as the opening for 'Trainspotting' and 'Amelie' does, but this absence of sound heightens the level of intensity and emotion, as only a high pitched sound can be heard for the majority of the opening as the character is moving through the house. The only diegetic sound that is heard is the boyfriend suggesting to the girl that they go upstairs, the girl screaming and the parents asking "Michael?" at the end of the scene.

Iconography of a Jack-o'-lantern

The view of a young couple in a living room from outside

Also like the other film trailers we looked at, the opening had established a dark colour palette with low-key lighting, which is a typical convention for the genre of horror. This is also because the scene is set at night: also a common convention for a murder to happen. Tension rises as the killer enters the house and gets a knife from a drawer in the kitchen, as he is walking up the stairs the lighting is very low and the audience can almost see nothing, creating a more ominous atmosphere with the fear something may suddenly happen.

POV with mask on

The killer then puts on a mask, covering the edges of the camera, putting the audience in an uncomfortable position as the relation between killer and watcher becomes more intimate. After murdering the girl, the killer walks downstairs and outside, where two adults approach him and pull of his mask, revealing that the murderer is a young boy, presumably the girls younger brother. The music becomes louder and busier, adding to the dramatic effect as the camera slowly zooms out, showing the boy standing there with a blank expression on his face.

The reveal who the killer was the whole time

AMELIE (2001)

Sound and emotion tracker for 'Amelie'

With 'Amelie', the scene opens with a cobbled road in a french town, accompanied with stereotypical French instruments such as the accordion, to establish the French setting of the film. Just like in 'Halloween', the opening begins with a still to set the scene, such as the front of the house where the murder takes place. Also like 'Halloween', the opening follows a linear narrative, but at a much faster pace, as it shows Amelie being born and growing up as a child. This supports the common convention in film opening that characters (usually the protagonist) are established quickly, which is important in this case as Amelie is the protagonist of the film, suggested by the film title. The opening shows that a mans best friend had just died, and at the exact time Amelie was born, this could suggest what kind of film 'Amelie' is, portraying that when one life ends, another begins.

Opening still of French road

Credits

In contrast to 'Halloween', the colour scheme is very different, displaying warm and very saturated colours and white flashes between shots of her childhood. Despite the difference in colour, both openings still follow the colour conventions and what they suggest in terms of genre and mood.

The piano music played is mellow and fairly calm, which accompanies close up shots of the young girl in a room doing things such as playing with dominoes, drinking through a straw, peeling glue off her finger and spinning a coi, giving the audience exaggerated insight of the protagonist. Unlike 'Halloween', where the absence of music creates suspense and fear, the non diegetic music creates a sense of innocence, as we are watching a child do things that children usually do. Enhanced diegetic sounds relating to these actions are also featured, such as squeaking, slurping through the straw and the sound of paper rustling. The editing shows that most of the scenes have been slightly sped up, just like the time lapse of her mothers stomach increasing in size when she was pregnant. The opening ends as the screen fades to white along with the music, clearly showing that the opening sequence is over, which is a common convention used in film openings.

Close up shot of Amelie

TRAINSPOTTING (1996)

Sound and intensity tracker for 'Trainspotting'

Compared to the last two films, the opening for 'Trainspotting' is non linear in narrative and is very faced paced. But they share similar conventions, such as the introduction to the characters, which is seen with the freeze frames of the character and their name. The first shot is also a still just like in 'Halloween' and 'Amelie', showing a city street in Scotland, before Renton and Spud run through it. The level of intensity is raised in all three openings at some point, such as the murder in 'Halloween', the baby being born in 'Amelie', and the drug use and fast paced running in 'Trainspotting'.

The non-diegetic sound added is upbeat music (Lust for Life by Iggy Pop), accompanied by a voice over narration by Renton, who seems to be the protagonist due to his voice being the one to narrate and the first to be introduced. The order in which the characters are introduced to the audience show us who is most important in the film and who's story we will follow the most. The voice over carries on to talk about life and what you choose in it such as a car, good health, insurance and your friends.Towards the end of the opening, he loses this positivity and tells the audience that he chose heroin instead of life as he lies on the floor and the camera zooms away from his body.

Opening shot

First introduction to a character

The lighting used in the beginning of the opening is natural, as it was hot in broad daylight, but other scenes include dim lighting as Renton takes drugs in a room, and contrasting light as they all play football at night with bright lights for them to see. As mentioned before, the opening for this film is fast paced, which can be seen throughout the scenes of them running down the street away from people, them playing football and the fast paced music to heighten the intensity.