EVALUATION QUESTION 7

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

EVALUATION QUESTION 6

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of consulting this product?

EVALUATION QUESTION 5

How did you attract/address your audience your audience?

EVALUATION QUESTION 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

EVALUATION QUESTION 3

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product?

EVALUATION QUESTION 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

EVALUATION QUESTION 1

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

FINAL CUT AUDIENCE FEEDBACK

This is audience feedback for the final version of Unforeseen Emissary. We have acknowledged the criticisms and enhanced the liked things in accordance to the comments from the previous audience feedback. The people I chose to interview are still in our range of audience - 16 and above. (Richard, Babatunde, Loveline, Edna and Teddy) I deviated from the questions slightly from the previous interviews to confront more of an insight to their opinion.                          

FINAL CUT OF OPENING SEQUENCE

UNFORESEEN EMISSARY





SHOT LIST:

Over The Shoulder

Over The Shoulder

Shot/Reverse Shot

Close Up/Shot/Reverse Shot

Close Up

Extreme Close Up

POV/Tracking Shot

POV/Tracking Shot

POV/Tracking Shot

Long Shot

Long Shot

Low Angle Shot

Two Shot

Two Shot

High Angle Shot

High Angle Shot

                                               

ROUGH CUT AUDIENCE FEEDBACK

Here is footage of our target audience being interviewed after just watching our rough cut version of our production 'Unforeseen Emissary'. I asked 3 questions after informing them of what our project is about:

 - What do you think of the opening sequence?
 - Was a good thriller?
 - What did you like about it?
 - What didn't you like about it?

The people I interviewed people who are as closest to our target audience as possible. I asked Jay (18), Jack (17), Malak (17) and Kalvin (16).

EFFECT OF LIGHTING

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY 

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy sustains a low-key lighting throughout the film. It preserves the dark, unnerving feel of the narrative. It also relays the constant mystery applied in the pursuit of the mole and shows the sheer confusion the characters are enduring. Furthermore is gives an insight of their isolation within their pursuit of the mole as it gives rise to the notion of "trusting nobody".

SOMETHING ABOUT MARY

In Something About Mary, high-key lighting is applied all throughout the film. It suggests an optimistic feel as the narrative revolves around a protagonist trying to get the girl. The high-key lighting is also useful as the film reverts back to the past between the central character and the girl to illustrate the naivety and child-like feel of their younger days. The high-key lighting is also used to accentuate the slap-stick comedic element to the story. It could even to used to emphasize the confusion of 4 conflicting character going after the same girl.

 



LIMITLESS

Limitless utilizes both the high-key lighting and the low-key lighting and exploits them to provide a great sense of depth to the narrative. The low-key lighting are shown in the parts when the protagonist, Eddie Morra, is not using the 'limitless' drug whereas the high-key lighting is used when he is on the drug. The differ in lighting provides this deeper insight to the narrative as the low-key reinforces the nihilism and depressed life Eddie has and the high-key is used to convey and accentuate the feel of success and transcendence.

MOOD BOARD

A mood board is a type of poster design that may consist of images, text, and samples of objects in a composition of the choice of the mood board creator. Designers and others use mood boards to develop their design concepts and to communicate to other members of the design team. Mood boards are often used by graphic designers to enable a person to illustrate visually the direction of style which they are pursuing. However, mood boards can also be used to visually explain a certain style of writing, or an imaginary setting for a storyline. In short, mood boards are not limited to visual subjects, but serve as a visual tool to quickly inform others of the overall 'feel' that a designer is trying to achieve. Our mood board consists of the 'feel' we as a group are trying to convey in our production.


Mood Board

ANTAGONIST

The definition of an antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend. In other words, 'A person, or a group of people who oppose the main character, or the main characters. In the classic style of story wherein the action consists of a hero fighting a villain, the two can be regarded as protagonist and antagonist, respectively.

With the dialogue in Unforeseen Emissary we establish a clear antagonist, an opposition to the protagonist, Agent Smith. This makes the narrative of the film more appealing and adds an enticing element as there seems be subtle hints of history between the antagonist and protagonist with the shock of the "what?!" in the end. We veil the antagonist in mystery and darkness due to the fact that we only refer to him with "he", never revealing his name.

Here are some conventional antagonists that act as clear oppositions to the central character:

Lee Van Cleef - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Colonel Miles - Avatar

Joker - The Dark Knight

ANALYSIS OF OPENING SEQUENCE 3

I have analysed the opening sequence of 1991 horror/mystery-thriller Silence of the Lambs. This is because it is rather similar in terms of pace and feeling and also because this is something I hope to achieve regarding the amount of subtext and intricate but subtle story-telling. ANALYSIS of Silence of the Lambs

ROUGH CUT EVALUATION

My class had conducted a group evaluation after a screening of our rough cut. My group then leaded some questions involving what went well and even better ifs. These points were regarding camera work, title sequence, the conventions met and some general points.I have accumulated the responses on a Prezi.

Rough Cut Audience Feedback on Prezi

ROUGH CUT

This is a rough cut of our final production of the opening sequence. Here we have established our finalized ideas.

DIALOGUE REDRAFT

Dialogue:
(Protagonist = Agent Smith  / Second MI5 agent = Agent Johnson)

Smith:      How are you?
Johnson:  I'm fine. One thing led to another, but I'm just glad it's sorted now.
Smith:      'Sorted'?
Johnson:  Yeah, he's dead now.
Smith:      He's still out there.
Johnson:  What?!

2nd Redraft

Johnson:  Glad you can make it.
Smith:       I haven't got much time S, can you hurry it up. You know I'm not supposed to be here
Johnson:   I need you to do one more thing for me, one more mission. (Leaning his hand on Johnson's shoulder then places other hand on Smith's other shoulder) ...She'd want you to do it.
Smith:       She's not here anymore! I quit a long time ago... I'll see ya' S.

FAKE BLOOD

This is us making fake blood for our production to increase the authenticity of the mise-en-scene.

COSTUMES

Costumes

OPENING SEQUENCES ARE IMPORTANT

Why are opening sequences so important to not only the film itself but the entire film industry?

Well simply put, its an introduction to the what comes next, a beginning to a story and no story is made without a beginning. Opening sequences are the foundation to an arc and it bears so much significance beyond our first glance. It exhibits implicitly and subtly many features of the narrative of the whole film in that 2 minutes. It effectively defines the movie and, despite the trailer, shows the audience what the film is going to be about or what the film is going to revolve around.

Opening sequences, with consideration, are potentially an important contribution to the film industry. It bears the same intention of what a trailer does for the audience however it does not reveal much but it does reveal a significant amount of the subtext and serves as a taster to the audience. And regarding the position it bears within a narrative, it is responsible for being a beginning of story which is rather vital.

SHOOTING SCRIPT (DRAFT 2)

Diegetic sound of the alarm clock going off is heard fading in. An extreme close up on the protagonist's eyes in the beginning showing him opening his eyes. Low-key lighting in the room. Alarm clock is still heard as he sits up from his bed and a high angle shot is applied showing him in a crouched position sitting on the bed with dried blood on his hands and chest. An over-the-shoulder shot is then used behind him facing a picture of him and the girl (possible Red Herring) which then switches to a close-up of the framed picture. The surrounding consists of alcohol bottles and messy, desolate bedroom. Alarm is still ringing and shown in the shot. The diegetic sound of the alarm is still heard until a cut into a close up is applied onto the alarm clock being smacked out of the frame abruptly.

We cut to the hallway where the protagonist steps out from the door to the toilet. A zoom out/zoom in is used revealing only his torso and hands to show the blood stains using a dolly which he then walks to the left into the bathroom. He leans his stretched out arm onto the wall tiles seeming rather distressed and trouble as he has a shower and the water drips off which we see seeping in the drain with a close-up shot. We then cut to him wiping the vapor off the mirror and for the first time, using medium, 3/4 shot, revealing his face from the mirror and also a close-up of the face. He sighs depressingly.


A cut into a long shot, tracking shot of the main character walking along the pavement is used. A match on action is then implemented to show him clutching the door knob and opening the door with a close up of the door knob. He then sits on the chair on the computer in front of him using an over-the-shoulder shot and uses the computer. A close-up is used to show the central character using the computer displaying an intense expression on his face.

Diegetic sound of the conversation between the main character and another MI5 agent slowly interrupts the composition with the central character on the computer until the conversation is fully introduced by a cut in with a close up of the protagonist speaking. We then establish a shot/reverse shot by cutting into another close up shot of the other MI5 agent speaking with the protagonist. A non-diegetic track of an ambient, ominous effect will play throughout the dialogue.

Dialogue:
(Protagonist = Agent 1  / Second MI5 agent = Agent 2)

Agent 1: How is she?
Agent 2: I'm sorry to have to say this...
Agent 1: I assume she's under you're protection.
Agent 2: You're being discharged...
Agent 1: (slight pause) Why...?
Agent 2: (another slight pause) There was noth-
Agent 1: (furiously interrupts) After I went through all that crap just to get her! Why am I being kicked off the service?!
Agent 2: She's-
Agent 1: You know! You know what I had to do to complete the mission, goddamn it!
Agent 2: (Without hesitation) She's dead, agent...

The camera will stop on the protagonist in a close up position and very slowly zoom into his intense facial expression. The diegetic sound of the street slowly fades away and the non-diegetic sound of the ambient effect will fade into an increasingly loud train/airplane sound. All sound will abruptly stop and cut into an extreme close up of the protagonist's eyes with very low key lighting.

MUSIC ANALYSIS

THE DARK KNIGHT - WHY SO SERIOUS?



This is an orchestral masterpiece in my opinion. This incorporates and abides by many of the conventions seen in spy-thrillers that contribute to the narrative greatly. It sustains so much suspense and on-the-edge tension with the mass violins congestion slowly overlapping each other and growing louder and louder until it abruptly reaches a halts and transitions into a  faster paced, series of short bursts of violins and irregular trumps of loud drums. I believe this is great as it projects such a dark and ominous energy and somewhat brilliant for our production due to the levels of suspicion and mystery we are trying to achieve.



Here the 'Why So Serious?' OST is implemented in the scene where the Joker crashes the party and ridicules and threatens a member of the party. The music syncs in well with the narrative as it coincides and accentuates the distorted aura we get from the disturbing speech the Joker gives. The violins grow louder and louder as his knife nears the mans face and his voice becomes bigger. The soundtrack really does make an effect to the music as it brings an exaggeration to the conduction of the scene and provides more of an impact for the audience.

EQUIPMENT

Film cameras are used and produced today, especially for the production of full feature movies. Film cameras take a series of images; "frame". This is accomplished through an intermittent mechanism. The frames are later played back in a movie projector at a specific speed, called the "frame rate". While viewing, a person's eyes and brain merge the separate pictures together to create the illusion of motion.

As a class we are lucky enough to be using the latest handheld sony cameras that really make it easy to film and upload videos. Our teacher gave us a quick demonstration on how the battery works and what we needed to do to change certain settings. After the tutorial we used the camera to film the preliminary task and got a real feel of how they responded to certain lighting and movements. As a group we decided that the main priorites to dow ith the camera was the charging of it, safety and making sure the seeting configured to the scenes we needed to shoot.

A tripod is a portable three-legged frame, used as a platform for supporting the weight and maintaining the stability of some other object. A tripod provides stability against downward forces, horizontal forces and moments about the vertical axis. The positioning of the three feet away from the vertical centre allows the tripod better leverage for resisting lateral forces. Tripods have the disadvantage of being heavy and bulky although they can be used with large equipment.

Lighting illuminates the performers and artists in a live theatre, dance, or musical performance, and is selected and arranged to create dramatic effects. Dimmers, colored filters, reflectors, lenses, motorized or manually aimed lamps, and different kinds of flood and spot lights are among the tools used by a stage lighting designer to produce the desired effects. A set of lighting cues are prepared so that the lighting operator can control the lights in step with the performance.

A camera dolly is a piece of filmmaking production equipment designed to create smooth camera movements. The camera is mounted to the dolly and the camera operator and focus puller or camera assistant, usually ride on the dolly to operate the camera.

Sound recording is a re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording. Acoustic analog recording is achieved by a small microphone diaphragm that can detect changes in atmospheric pressure and record them as a graphic representation of the sound waves on a medium such as a phonograph.

MOTION

Motion is a software application produced by Apple Inc. It is used to create and edit motion graphics, titling for video production and film production, and 2D and 3D compositing for visual effects.


Features of Motion include the ability to create custom particle effects and to add filters, effects and animations in real time. Motion has the ability to address up to 32 GB of RAM and GPU acceleration at 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit float color depths. Motion 2 can also integrate with a MIDI keyboard, so that parameters can be controlled by keys or faders; this opens up the possibility real time parameter input into Motion. In addition Motion 3 now allows for complete 2D and 3D compositing in a multiplane environment.


I believe this would be rather useful for our production as it provides a professional presentation of text, which we can then implement our title of the film. With the appropriate theme and template, we can give the sense of professionalism and more credibility for our production. 

We have applied this with our opening credits to impose a further sense of professionalism:

FINAL CUT PRO

Final Cut Pro is a video editing software developed by Macromedia Inc. and thenApple Inc. The software allows users to log and transfer video onto a hard drive, where it can be edited, processed, and output to a wide variety of formats. Final Cut Pro has developed a large and expanding user base, mainly video hobbyists and independent filmmakers. In later years especially, made inroads with film and television editors.

AUDIENCE RESEARCH 2

I have made another audience research into an opening sequence. I issued a questionnaire to 3 people who have recently watched James Bond: Casino Royale and the questions are regarding the opening sequence of the film and asking what they thought about it's relevance to the thriller genre.

Here is the outline of the interview:


Did you think it was a good film?


1) Yeah, it was a great film. I loved the action scenes and the whole story. It was so 'James Bond' if you know what I mean; the sophisticatedness, the classyness, the suspense, the action, the romance. They did everything right except one thing in my opinion. Ironically; James Bond himself. I don't think the actor portrayed they entire concept and legacy of James Bond well enough. But other than that, its good.

2) It was good but not the best film and definitely not the best James Bond film. As he said, there was a legacy that they had to pull off if they were gonna introduce a new actor and I think they didn't quite cut it to be honest. But I'm not saying that it was bad, I enjoyed the movie, but not an amazing one.

3) It wasn't that good of a film. In the end it was just mindless action that kind of got in the way of the story, not to mention that there was no believability in the film and that's what ruined it for me. I couldn't get to grips with the story because it was so uncanny, and I'm aware that every James Bond film is pretty much filled with action and cars and some more ridiculous stuff, but it was the way they told the story what made it conceivable. But hey, thats my opinion.


Did you think it was a good thriller?


1) Yeah, it was a damn good thriller in comparison with other thrillers. Thrillers like Seven or Body Of Lies are great because it was a lot of suspense and action and mystery and I believe Casino Royale truly achieved those aspects.

2) Basing my knowledge on other thrillers like Salt and The Bourne series, it was a pretty good. It had action, it had sexyness, it had drama, it had tension. It had all those things to keep that the viewer on the edge of their seats and I loved it. In terms of how Casino Royale did in reaching the goals that makes it a thriller, it did good and I proper enjoyed it.

3) Casino Royale did great in sustaining the conventions of a thriller but it missed out, in what I believe, a golden rule in what makes a thriller interesting - Believability. I'm sorry that I keep on banging on about this but thats what makes the thrill in thrillers, the fact that it could very well happen to you! Thrillers like Inception sure does seem to be out there but they had the explanations and science which makes it somewhat conceivable.


What do you think of the opening sequence?


1) Oh wow that was such an amazing opening sequence. Such mystery, such tension. That truly put me on the edge of my seat there. That was such a good chase scene that followed after that tracking segment of the scene. And man, that was a  great way to introduce the James Bond. Brilliant.

2) That was a great way to open a film, the amount of action that was cramped in that one sequence was awesome.

3) Two people running by a construction site making their way to a top of a crane and ending up destroying the place and making a series of explosions was ridiculous. So much so, I sorta laughed. And theres my point on conceivability. But really though, I loved watching it. But I felt detached rather than being indulged and thats why it should be believable.

LOCATIONS

We conducted a group discussion regarding the location of where we are going to shoot our production. I have contemplated where we can add vital aspects to the mise-en-scene in order to project our narrative as much as possible and what can complement the conventions exhibited in a spy-thriller.

We have decided, for reasons of convenience, to use Chelsea Academy, an old factory and one of our group members apartment. Once considered and slightly altered, it can provide a brilliant location which is appropriate for our narrative.

CHELSEA ACADEMY

Lots Road
London
SW10 0AB

This place is rather convenient for us as our production takes place here and also it provides a political and manufactured atmosphere. This suggests a sense of professionalism and seriousness which is essential for our spy theme throughout our narrative.










 


THE OLD FACTORY


Lots Road
London
SW10 0AB


This factory is the old London Underground power station and has been abandoned for various decades. This adds a rather ominous feel to the narrative and can very well help us carry out the conventions of a spy-thriller. This is where the conversation between the protagonist and the other MI5 agent will happen and it the emptiness of the area will certainly provide a ominous and dangerous atmosphere for the scene.

THE APARTMENT

12 Lambeth Towers
Kennington Road
London

This is one of our group members apartment (Ricardo Da Silva). This is just a standard bedroom and bathroom we can use. We will be implementing various props and items to present a suitable mise-en-scene for our opening sequence.

EVALUATION

Questions for evaluating my animatic:


 - What did I learn from my research into animatics? What are they and why are they used?

Animatics are basically drawn frames that are simply animated together in order to convey a shot-by-shot presentation and give an idea to what the final piece could potentially be. After research of what animatics are, I believe this is vital in our production towards our final piece. Animatics for our opening sequence is the closest thing we can do to visualize our ideas.

 - What are they key conventions / form of an animatic?

Animatics often are illustrated with pens or pencils and not put into motion but placed together with a shot-by-shot nature.

 - What are the benefits of using an animatic in my planning for the thriller title sequence? Who will see it and why?

The benefits of using an animatic is that me and my group can visualize our ideas into the drawings and we can get a feel of what our opening sequence could potentially be. This animatic will only be shown to the producers (me and my group) rather than our audience as this is just a prototype for our final piece. Once we have taken in all considerations by other research we have conducted such as the audience research and what they want in a thriller, then we can commence filming the real thing.

 - How did you plan your animatic?

Each of the group members were issues with a template. The template involved a space of which we draw the frames and boxes where we include information about each shot like sound, camera position, lighting, etc. Once we have finished it we have chosen the best one among ourselves and added further information to it.

 - Which programmes did you use to create your animatic? How did you create the sounds?

We used Final Cut to produce our animatic. Final Cut had some sounds appropriate to our animatic such as the ambient sound effect and the footsteps. Then for shots like the shower frame and the computer frame we have made our own sounds from a recorder. We used the recorder to makes sounds from the shower and keyboard sounds.

 - What challenges did you face when producing your animatic? how did you overcome these?

We initially thought that we might have to take photo's of each drawing. This would be time consuming and the pictures would not be very clear. However we overcame this by using a scanner to scan the sheets therefore we have proper clarity of the illustrations and it was much more time efficient.

 -  How will you now improve your finished piece, based on this feedback?

After considering the animatic, there are definitely some improvements we can acknowledge for the sake of our final piece. We can consider the camera angles and movements during the start of the opening sequence to not show the protagonist's face. When the protagonist wipes the vapor off the mirror, adjusting the camera angle to ensure that the camera is not seen in the reflection. Lastly, how to elongate the narrative to reach the 2 minute marker for our assignment.


Questions for evaluating my shooting script:


 - What did I learn from my research into shooting scripts? What are they and why are they used?

Shooting scripts are meant to give a good and detailed insight of what the production will comprise of. It includes things such as the camera work, lighting, sound, editing and the dialogue as well as where and how the characters are placed and what they do. From my research into shooting scripts I have learnt that shooting scripts are rather important to everybody involved in a production as we are all provided a suggestion of how we should conduct the opening sequence.

 - What are the benefits of designing a shooting script for my product? Who will see it and why?

The shooting script is given to everybody involved in the production as it serves as a guideline of how to make the film. After Once we have taken in all considerations by other research we have conducted such as the audience research and what they want in a thriller, then we can make a few changes to the script and commence filming the real thing.

 - How did you plan your shooting script? what did you need to consider in doing this?

We had a group meeting regarding the shooting script. In that meeting, we had accumulated all our ideas and made a compromise of how the script should be. While doing this, we took into consideration of the film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy as it is our main film of reference and we need to know how they have conveyed their narrative.

 - What challenges did you face when producing your shooting script? how did you overcome these?

Everyone in our group had conflicting ideas which we all felt somewhat passionate about to some degree. But after a long time considering and acknowledging each others thoughts we all came to a compromise by referencing Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and its relevance to the conventions in a spy-thriller and what our audience wants from our audience research.

 - How will you now improve your finished piece, based on what you have learnt from completing this task?

We will now improve our final piece with a proper sense of direction in our production and a good sense of intensity in our dialogue with something we can all be happy about.

OUR ANIMATIC

We have produced an animatic of our final piece. This is the outline of what our vision of the opening sequence comprises of. In comparison with what the opening sequence will be realistically, it seems short and concise. However this is an animatic without any dialogue and frames in motion and it provides us with a good conception of what the opening sequence would look like once put into practice.

SHOOTING SCRIPT

Diegetic sound of the alarm clock going off is heard fading in. An extreme close up on the protagonist's eyes in the beginning showing him opening his eyes. Low-key lighting in the room. Alarm clock is still heard as he sits up from his bed and a medium shot is applied without fully showing his face. The surrounding consists of empty alcohol bottles and messy, desolate bedroom. Alarm is still ringing and shown in the shot. The diegetic sound of the alarm is still heard until a cut into a close up is applied onto the alarm clock being smacked out of the frame abruptly.

We then cut into the central character having a shower as the camera pans through the frame slowly. We then cut to him wiping the vapor off the mirror and for the first time, using medium, 3/4 shot, revealing his face from the mirror showing the scars and bruises on his face. He sighs depressingly.

A cut into a long shot, tracking shot of the main character walking along the pavement is used. A match on action is then implemented to show him clutching the door knob and opening the door with a close up of the door knob. He then sits on the chair on the computer in front of him using an over-the-shoulder shot and uses the computer. A close-up is used to show the central character using the computer displaying an intense expression on his face.

Diegetic sound of the conversation between the main character and another MI5 agent slowly interrupts the composition with the central character on the computer until the conversation is fully introduced by a cut in with a close up of the protagonist speaking. We then establish a shot/reverse shot by cutting into another close up shot of the other MI5 agent speaking with the protagonist. A non-diegetic track of an ambient, ominous effect will play throughout the dialogue.

Dialogue:
(Protagonist = Agent 1  / Second MI5 agent = Agent 2)

Agent 1: How is she?
Agent 2: I'm sorry to have to say this...
Agent 1: I assume she's under you're protection.
Agent 2: You're being discharged...
Agent 1: (slight pause) Why...?
Agent 2: (another slight pause) There was noth-
Agent 1: (furiously interrupts) After I went through all that crap just to get her! Why am I being kicked off the service?!
Agent 2: She's-
Agent 1: You know! You know what I had to do to complete the mission, goddamn it!
Agent 2: (Without hesitation) She's dead, agent...

The camera will stop on the protagonist in a close up position and very slowly zoom into his intense facial expression. The diegetic sound of the street slowly fades away and the non-diegetic sound of the ambient effect will fade into an increasingly loud train/airplane sound. All sound will abruptly stop and cut into an extreme close up of the protagonist's eyes with very low key lighting.

COMPANY RESEARCH

We have conducted a group discussion on what to name our production company and have concluded a respectable name that would suit our production of a thriller opening sequence would be Celluloid Pictures. However, for us to be a company we would need a feel and some knowledge of what sort of production companies, similar to what we want ours to be, does in the process of film production.

WARP FILMS


Launched in 2001, Warp Films leads the way in exciting and original British Filmmaking. The company has been behind an array of critically acclaimed and award winning films, including several BAFTAs. These productions include Rubber Johnny, Dead Man's Shoes, This Is England, Donkey Punch, A Complete History of My Sexual Failures and Four Lions. 

Warp films is an independent company and why I think Celluloid Pictures should be linked with it is because it has a rather vast freedom on what their narrative could institute as it is not burdened with the thought of profit as some mainstream film companies do like 20th Century Fox or Universal. The brilliance of having a niche audience is the fact that it enables such artistic value in the story; there are no boundaries in its narrative.  





Four Lions certainly is a good example as it tackles the issues of terrorism in the UK. This is of course a rather serious and controversial topic which mainstream media would often avoid. However, as Warp Films attracts a small and niche audience, they have more freedom to convey such a narrative. It even goes as far as to veil the controversy of terrorism with humor and slap-stick comedy.

WORKING TITLE

Despite the fact that Working Title is part conglomerate, their aspect of independence is something to aspire to. Their narrative often falls into a feel of sophistication, something we would like to incorporate in our production as the element of sophistication is somewhat significant to a spy-thriller.



Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is our main film of reference and this movie is what I believe is perfect example of how to emulate the feel of sophistication in a spy-thriller. The various aspects of conventions instituted in a thriller is all applied in the film which conveys such a suspenseful and vintage look to the production.

TITLE OF PRODUCTION

So far our group remains indecisive of what to name our film. Therefore we have turned our attention to other films names in order to accumulate some knowledge as to how these names of the films were thought up.

The James Bond series were based on the novels from Ian Fleming. It was said that there was a team of people alongside him who's soul purpose was to think of names to assign to the books. These often resulted to iconic, spring-off-the-tongue names that caught their audiences eyes; ideal for mass appeal as it was cool, unusual and always an eye-catcher.


For example: Quantum Of Solace. This essentially means once depicted: Littleness of regret/concern. This is, in my opinion, a wonderful name as it conveys such sophisticated connotations purely of how they have worded it and of course the sophisticated manner is rather linked with the narrative of the film. The title also compliments the presentation of James Bond in the poster, and in the film, as though he seems like a person of high class, he holds a weapon in clear sight and is surrounded by a desolate area, leaving us to ponder with the question of whether he had caused such a destruction. This generates a rather cryptic and mysterious sense.



Another example would be GoldenEye. GoldenEye acts in accordance with the whole notion of ambiguity in James Bond titles. As gold carries connotations of wealth and riches, we are left with various questions due to the obscurity of its meaning such as whether there is value in observation or someone in the film literally has a golden eye. Either way it is interesting, thought provoking and draws the mass' attention.





We have finally came to an agreement that would suffice as an appropriate and interesting name, Unforeseen Emissary. I believe this is a great name as it complements the narrative of our production with its sophisticated wording. It essentially means an unexpected special mission/diplomatic representative which is rather linked to our narrative and secret-service theme.

PRELIMINARY TASK

This is the preliminary task which indicates all the continuity aspects of which we wish to implement in our final production of the opening sequence. The three continuity features outlined in the preliminary task are shot/reverse shot, match on action and keeping within the 180 degree rule.




EVALUATION:

During the start of the clip where Ricardo walks in from outside there are several problems present. The position of the camera is slightly tilted giving an unprofessional look to the production. Also, his face as been cut off from nearing the end of the first shot.

As Ricardo grabs the door handle, we establish a match-on-action shot however, it seems as if he grabs the door too slowly. However, when he walks through the door and the camera moves onto a long/medium shot of him coming through the door, it looks good in terms of continuity.

The continuity of the clip is staggered however when Ricardo walk through the hallway into the door as there  seems to be some repeat or backtrack of him coming through as seen through the window next to the door.

The shot/reverse shot is established between me and Ricardo during the exchange of dialogue. I believe we have sustained a good sense of continuity due to the variety of the shots exhibited and also the flow of the conversation. It is also good as we succeeded in not breaking the 180 degree rule allowing for assert the same right/left relationship and assuring professionalism.

MISE EN SCENE

Mise-en-scene is a vital part for our opening sequence as it translates a further insight to our narrative. This is a good feature of the film we need to invest our consideration and thought into as it can induce some depth to our final piece. But what exactly is Mise-en-scene?:

Mise-en-scene is a term used in film to describe everything that you can hear and see on the screen at any time when watching a film.  The director’s choices of:

·     lighting;

·     scenery and setting;

·     costumes;

·     props;

·     camera shots and camera angles;

·     body-language of actors;

·     sound effects;

·     music,

All help to create a particular atmosphere appropriate for the plot.  The director uses mise-en-scene to help enhance the audience’s understanding of a film and his/her decisions about what should and should not be seen on the screen will affect the overall tone of the piece. 

Basically, mise-en-scene is the director’s tool to stage events, giving him/her the opportunity to make the ultimate decisions about what the audience sees and hears in the movie.  It is the director’s way of adding detail to a film outside of the words an actor delivers in a script and is the equivalent of an author’s use of description in narrative to describe scenes and surroundings in depth.

TTSS PRODUCTION RESEARCH

Here is some background research regarding the production stage of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (our film of reference). This is important to know as we need to consider the what a company does such as Working Title prior to the movies release. 

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a recent film made by Working Title. Working Title had recently divulged their ambition to engulf a wider audience, enabling their films to reach a larger market and gain reach of a global standpoint. As a result to this, they have two major distributors, one based in the UK and the other in the US. StudioCanal UK (UK) and Focus Features (US). The production companies that had taken part in making this film are Working Title Films and StudioCanal.

Thomas Alfredson, a Swedish film director, is the one responsible for directing this film. He is internationally best known for the vampire thriller movie Let the Right One In (2009). Alfredson had received a Guldbagge award for best directing for both his 2005 Four Shades of Brown and the 2009 Let the Right One In.

The key people in the production of this movie lay mainly within the cast. Actors such as Gary Oldman and Colin Firth really supports Working Title’s notion to reach a global audience. These two actors are well renown and academy award winners in their credentials, which automatically heightens the status of the movie. Colin Firth and especially Gary Oldman have successfully broken through into the industry globally.

Peter Morgan initiated the project when he wrote a draft of the screenplay, which he offered to Working Title Films to produce. Morgan dropped out as the writer due to personal reasons, but still served as an executive producer. Following Morgan's departure, Working Title hired Peter Straughan and Bridget O'Connor to redraft the script. Tomas Alfredson was confirmed to direct on 9 July 2009. The production is his first English-language film. The film was backed financially by France's StudioCanal and had a budget corresponding to 30 million US dollars.

The film premiered in competition at the 68th Venice International Film Festival on 5 September 2011. StudioCanal UK distributed the film in the United Kingdom, where it was released on 16 September 2011. American rights were acquired by Universal Pictures, which have a permanent first-look deal with Working Title, and passed the rights to their subsidiary Focus Features. Focus plan to give the film a wide release in the United States on 9 December 2011.

STORYBOARD

Here is the storyboard me and my group wish to abide by throughout the production of our opening sequence:

ANIMATIC

An animatic is a is a comic-like guideline for the film. It's an indication of camera work, lighting, sound, etc. and is played in motion, frame after frame in order to project an accurate feel for what the final product could be. It involves either drawn picture or photographs along with brief notes. Gorrilaz, a popular music band, made an animatic for their music video Dirty Harry.

ANIMATIC:



FINAL PRODUCT:

There are very few inaccuracies from the animatic and the actual product but they are more or less the same.

ANALYSIS OF CAMERA WORK IN PSYCHO (1960)

Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller Psycho (1960) is the film that brought light to the iconic shower scene which had emulated many emotions in accordance to horror and fear. These two emotions are rather vital to the thriller genre and would prove rather useful and could very well provide considerations for me and my group's production. Therefore I have made an in-depth analysis of how the camera techniques had supported the momentous shower scene that had defined the thriller genre itself. This is because I believe it is about time we as a group should take into account the significance of camera work and how it can convey the horror and fear we need for our opening sequence.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VP5jEAP3K4
(The video i had referred to has disabled it's embedded code. Link is provided above)

In this extract of ‘Psycho’ we see a compilation of camera techniques. It exhibits numerous amounts of camera movements and transitions within its narrative. These techniques are to contribute with the rise of tension gradually meeting the crux of the scene and give a thrilling experience to the audience. Not only does it allow the audience to indulge in the tension being outputted from the scene, but it also relays the emotion from the characters onto us, among other things.

The extract begins with a character writing and then evaluating a sheet of paper which then she rips the piece of paper, starting the scene rather ominously as it suggests that the character wants to conceal it from everyone. A mid-shot is applied introducing the scene with Marion and showing the intensity of her body language as well as her facial expression. In this shot we see she is resting her head on her hand before she rips the paper into shreds. This implies to the audience that she is tired and worn out contributing to the narrative a further element of mystery as we are not quite sure as to why she feels this way. Once she rips the paper, she pauses as if pondering a thought as she then glances to the bathroom. From here the camera pans from one composition to another.

We delve into Marion’s profile further as a mid/long-shot is applied when she leaves her seat, casually walking into the bathroom whilst holding the sheet of paper. This shot provides an insight in the relationship between Marion and her setting. The sense of security and lack of urgency in her posture and the way she walks suggests that there is a degree of comfort. The sense of comfort is ensured further as with this frame it becomes clear what she is wearing - a bath robe. However, the ominous feeling is once again met as the lights are off, supplementing a sense of concealment and solitude. The frame also shows that the only light emanating within the scene is from the bathroom, the room Marion is walking to, possibly suggesting a false sense of a hope as light carries connotations of salvation and hope. Inducing a juxtapostion with the climax of the scene.

The composition then cuts into a close-up shot of the toilet when Marion throws the ripped pieces of paper into it and flushes. The close-up shot imposes significance in the toilet, raising the question as to why she took that many precautions to hide whatever she wrote in the sheet of paper, implementing a further sense of unnerving mystery to the narrative. Prior to the close-up of the toilet, there were two abrupt cuts to from Marion walking to the bathroom into a clear shot of her being in the bathroom and then to the toilet as she throws the ripped pieces of paper into. This raises the pace of the scene giving a rise to the tension outputted by the composition.

An angle of sexual imagery is portrayed in the next frame as the camera cuts into a low-angle shot as Marion removes her bath robe and places it on top of the toilet. Aside from the sexual imagery being presented, we see that the toilet subtly induces another sense of concealment as Marion covers it with her bath robe. A crab shot, still sustaining a low-angle shot, is then used to track Marion as she moves into the shower then closing the blinds. An appliance of vulnerability is given as Marion is now naked, which foreshadows her sudden death in the scene. This is to impose empathy to the audience as throughout the scene so far the camera had focused intently on Marion, following every one of her movements, slowly constructing a sense fear and horror. This serves as a deeper impact onto the audience when she dies at the climax of this scene.

This particular part of the extract bears a series of camera techniques to give rise to the fear and horror in which the climax indulges in. Marion is introduced into the shower with a medium/close-up to establish that she is naked whereas also not revealing too much. This accentuates her sexual appeal, proposing sympathy for Marion, supplementing a more striking impact for the audience when she is brutally murdered. The mid/close-up also establishes the facial expression on Marion. As opposed to the beginning of the scene, Marion seems to be happy and frivolous suggesting that she is free from her bearings and troubles, decreasing the level of fear and horror. This, however, may increase the level of tension as Marion seems to be in a very vulnerable position and possibly signalling a turn of events as there was a continuous unnerving theme given by the varied pace of camera movements. Jump cuts are applied here as Marion showers and a shot/reserve shot is also applied between Marion and the shower cap to show that what she is focusing on. The fast pace of this composition deviates the audience’s attention and subtly constructs a sense of horror and fear. 

SHOOTING SCHEDULE

This shooting schedule, a guideline which incorporates the times, dates and location of when to film, maximizes the efficiency of which my group can work in. A shooting schedule is often indicated by the assistant director however we have not assigned such a role due to the small number of the group. Regardless, this would be rather helpful in order for us to remain time conscious as well as being as organised and prepared as possible.

  

Shooting Schedule

SOUND MOTIFS

This prezi elaborates the significance of sound (or even the lack of it) and the different types of sounds that can be used in a thriller.

ANALYSIS OF OPENING SEQUENCE 2

I have conducted an analysis of Mary Harron's psychological thriller American Psycho's opening sequence. This presentation is to illustrate how the mise en scene, as well as other things, and the narrative is conveyed and how this relates to it's genre.

Analysis of American Psycho

Here is a link to the opening sequence of American Psycho (2000):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGeAMVK75T4

RED HERRING

A Red Herring is seen quite often in thriller movies. A Red Herring's role is to serve as a distraction or to hinder the protagonist, which effectively both inhibits or seen as an addition to the narrative and the story telling.

It is still indecisive as to whether a Red Herring should be implemented in mine and my group's opening sequence. We certainly do have the means of including a Red Herring and I believe it would certainly add some dynamism to our narrative however it would be rather difficult to add something like a Red Herring to a 2 minute sequence as a Red Herring would require some elaboration in its role.

Katie Holmes & Harvey Dent - Dark Knight

Wai Lin - Tomorrow Never Dies

Jinx - Die Another Day

Mal - Inception

We have attempted to implement our own Red Herring into our narrative with the vague and implicit introduction of a women named 'Hanna'. This is an attempt to induce more depth and tension into the story and a minor form of character development as our Protagonist, 'Smith', exhibits an out-of-character moment in the state of shock which we aim to end the opening sequence in. 

Our opening sequence will tend to be rather slow-paced and mellow as we are trying to meet the convention of suspense that is often seen in spy-thrillers. By conveying such a depressing and low-pitched beginning, it will provide a greater shock once we introduce the Red Herring 'Hanna' among the dialogue as it will contribute a larger sense of immediacy to the narrative.