Planning: Props

For our opening sequence will need many different props as our opening sequence has a lot of close ups on objects which will be used as enigmas for the audience
Props we will need are:

• Lifelike Gun

• Military Medals/Badges

• Family Photo
• Clue Board

• Police Badge

Planning: Character Costume

In our opening sequence the only present character will be our main protagonist. As mentioned he is a  detective for the police force and he is very cocky and humorous. To be able to portray this character we will need to get a appropriate costume for our actor to wear as our character will have his own style. I've envisioned him to still look professional but have his own twist on his attire, for example, id like him to wear a shirt and tie with smart trousers and shoes which would look appropriate for his job. However, instead of wearing a smart blazer to complete the suit, he could wear a leather or bomber jacket which will show his less formal side.

 
Brad Pitts Character of 'David Mills' from the movie 'Se7en' inspired me as his look shows what we would like to portray in our main character. His character in the movie is also very similar to the character we want to portray in our opening sequence. The compassion Mills exhibits translates into a overconfident or cocky behavior to the rest of the cops. Mills is a character controlled by emotion and throughout the film will show short-tempered responses. His costume helps portray the kind of person he is.David Mills wants to make a difference in the world. He fought to be assigned to a busier area, so that he could work big cases. He is dedicated and highly motivated, though a little over his head in the case depicted in Se7en. Admittedly, the film shows a once in a lifetime case, that would try any investigator. He is by nature hotheaded and impatient. He is prone to losing his temper and acting out violently when frustrated. As Sommerset puts it, he feeds off his emotions. Though this does not always serve him well, it also makes him physically courageous and a very dogged adversary. David Mills is younger and more athletic than his counterpart, and as a result he is more prone to physical action. He states that he has been involved in at least one shootout while on the job, and mentions other accomplishments. His physical stats are impressive for an essentially average guy. He engages in a long foot chase and running gun battle with John Doe in the second act of the film, and shows considerable speed and ability.

Discussion for our opening sequence

Our Main Character.

As stated in my film idea, we would like our main character to have a cocky and humorous personality and is very good at his job working for the police as a detective. To be able to bring this character to life we will need a actor to play him, so therefore i have researched multiple actors who id think would suit the role.

1. Ryan Reynolds- Ryan Reynolds found huge success when he played the lead role in the Tim Miller film, Deadpool. In Deadpool, Ryan plays a cocky and humorous anti-hero, which is similar to the character we would like to portray. Ryan has also been in other comedies such as 'The Proposal' and 'R.I.P.D'.
2. Channing Tatum- Channing has played in many action movies such as 'White House Down' and 'G.I Joe'. He is also well known for his roles in '21' and '22 jump street'. I personally feel he will suit the role as he is successful in the action-comedy genre.
3. Mark Wahlberg- Mark has experience working in action movies. He also plays roles in comedy movies such as 'Daddy's Home' and 'The Other Guys.' His role in 'The Other Guys' stood out for me as he plays detective alongside Will Farrell with a comical character. This is what we are looking for our lead role,
4. Will Farrell- As mentioned, Will Farrell plays a comedic detective in 'The Other Guys' alongside Mark Wahlberg which is what we are looking for. But unlike Mark Wahlberg, Will Farrell has been in a vast amount of comedy films, which I think will help get the comedy element of our film to its best if Will was to play the part.
5. Paul Rudd- Paul has played in many comedy films such as 'I Love You, Man', 'Role Models' and 'The 40-Year-Old Virgin' which will be good for the comedy element of our film, but his role that stood out the most for me was his role as 'Scott Lang' in 'Ant-Man' where he plays a superhero who can fight and has a comical personality. This is why Paul Rudd would be good for our film.
6. Kevin Hart- Kevin Harts roles in 'Ride along 1 &2' and 'Central Intelligence' are main reasons why he is a candidate for our lead role. In both these films he plays a extremely funny character alongside a 'tough' partner (Dwayne Johnson and Ice Cube) whilst trying to fight enemies. His comical personality is a main reason why i would like him to take the lead role.

Title Sequence Research: Zombieland.

Comedy doesn't get much blacker and darker than in Zombieland and these opening credits gloriously capture that fact. Metallica's 'For whom the bell tolls' sets the heavy metal mood while image after image of over the top zombie attacks set the tone for the wild ride that is to come for the audience. The red text represents connotations of blood which the audience will be hoping to see during the movie.During the sequence a sign that reads "the end is near" in the wide shot seen on the left gives the film an apocalyptic feel and, paired with the shot of zombie like people, suggests that a zombie apocalypse is vital to the film's plot. We also see the first name of an actor starring in it and the font used disappears off screen by burning away, conveying destruction.Another wide shot of three men and a burning car again continues the theme of anarchy and chaos as we see several notes of money launched into the air carelessly and a bloody person clashing with a riot shield, showing that this disaster is widespread and affecting all classes of people. These shots continue the idea that the narrative involves a zombie outbreak that destroys normality in this populated community.The title of the film confirms the zombie apocalypse narrative and continues the characterization of victims and zombies along with the theme of violence as we see a man smashing glass to get away from a zombie woman.

Title Sequence Research: Lord Of War

The opening Credits of the film Lord of war show the life of a single bullet, from its creation to its use which is to kill a child in a war torn country. Set entirely from the bullets eye view and set to the Buffalo Springfield song 'For what its worth' (which is used contrapuntally) , the credits set the viewer for a movie about the illegal arms trade. The white font of the text contrasts with the images of the bullets being made as the white has connotations of innocence.The font can also gives connotations of war and which relates to the title of the film and this also gives the audience an idea about what they are going to see in the movie as its suggests conflict and Russia which hints at a important part of the film.The sequence then moves to a shot of the production line, showing the metal casing of a soon to be bullet. Low key lighting, enhanced by a blue filter creates a dark atmosphere, giving off vibes which makes the audience uncomfortable. The tone of the clip represents the tone of the film, and the audience know this right from the start. The gold casing of the bullet shows the glamorous side to war, connoting the money and the power behind the act of crime; and the only light being reflected off it makes the audiences attention solely on this. This is what the film is about. The filth of the factory contrasts to the delicate copper plating running through it, reflecting the light of the factory. I can tell that the bullet is valued more than the workers or factory that makes it, they are just mules to be used and thrown away. The machine that creates the bullet has overcome the use for people, and that in the industrial struggle they are in, the bullet rules over men. The production stage of a bullet reflects the life it has, how it can start and end, just like the sequence when shot, how it can leave the barrel of the gun, and then end at its final destination; or relate to the life it has taken. The soldier who started by being trained to kill, and the end when a bullet reaches its target destination, and ends the life of its self and the soldier.

This shot introduces the camera work that has taken place, unknown to us before, we actually view the bullet in first person, giving it an identity, and forcing the viewer to forge a relationship with the bullet. this gives us a much more in depth understanding of the power it holds, as you see the delicate process that takes place. The metallic gold color shows the struggle between good and evil, as the contrast of the factory, just like before, represents the cold war that is taking place, and the effect it has on the world. The title 'LORD of WAR' comes on the screen, instantly confirming to the audience that this is actually about war, and not just a common relation with the term 'war', just like many films are. The size of the text is over shadowed by the presence of the bullet, towering over the letters, stating authority. The font isn't fancy. It doesn't need to be, the words that it says is just enough. It has no point to prove, and no means to over complicate the mise-en-scene of the shot. 

The angle the bullet is pointing in the next shot proves the point of destruction. We see workers working the production line, making sure every bullet is perfect enough to kill. Its this deadly accuracy, and precision that makes these weapons the most destructive in the world, killing more people than any other.  Numerous bullets flood the line, showing the mass scale of the operation. Sparks fly from machinery connoting the death and mayhem they create. The light passing through the window high lights the open world, and how these weapons are going to be released upon it. It also shows how poverty can affect the way people need jobs. The workers in this scene wont earn much, and I doubt their doing it for the passion of making bullet's. During war people are forced to do things they wouldn't normally do, making them at the mercy of their bosses and ranking officers, and especially in the production of weapons, they do not hesitate to eliminate you if you do not do a good job.

Title Sequence Research: The Shining.

The opening setting may seem like a holiday, but The Shining's destination is no vacation. The omniscient overhead camerawork and ominous soundtrack soon tell the audience that the people in the car we are following are in big trouble.The long shots show that there is no civilization for miles which puts the main characters at risk when seeking help as it will be impossible to find it, Even the ice blue credits scrolling across the screen can seem haunting as it can symbolize cold heartedness and evil. The destination is then revealed and seems to be a mansion sized house which can be big enough to get lost in. From this the audience can tell that a lot of stuff will go on in that house.

Genre Film Case Studies

For our fiction film opening scene, i would like our group to create a film with the genre action-comedy.To show that i know the conventions im going to work with, i have studied 2 films of this genre. These 2 films are Central Intelligence (2016) and Deadpool (2016).

'Central Intelligence' Rawson Marshall Thurber (2016):

-Setting: The setting of this scene is in a tall building full of offices where wealthy people would work. Money and high expensiveness is usual convention seen in action films and the audience will know that the people working in the setting are most likely to be highly paid. As the scene plays out, much of the setting is destroyed by the guns being shot and the fighting. The audience will expect to see this as damaging of expensive items is another convention of action.

- Iconography: Action films tend to have some sort of iconography such as gadgets, guns and expensive suits etc. and all of these can be seen in this scene. In action comedies, the weapons used can seem quite over the top or very irregular, for example in this scene Bob Stone (Dwayne Johnson) uses a Banana to help defeat the man he is fighting. Also the clothing the characters are wearing make them look smart and professional, however, Bob Stone seems to be the toughest guy in this scene and is known to be a CIA member but his clothes do not make him seem smart and professional at all which can seem humorous. This is an an example of hyper-masculinity for Dwayne Johnsons character. 

-Character: Generic Characters in action-comedy can become traditional action heroes. The main characters in action-comedy can usually be partners and this can be seen in films such as 'Bad Boys, Hot Fuzz and 21 jump street,(buddy films) a partnership also takes place in this film between Bob Stone and Calvin Joyner (Kevin Hart). there is usually many faults and differences about the 2 characters which can make the relationship comical for the audience and this can be seen with the 2 main chracters of this film.

-Narrative: The opening of many action comedies show how the two characters got to know each other. The begin of this movie shows the 2 characters during there time in high school. Calvin was a extremely popular student who was loved by everyone but Bob was very unpopular and was embarrassed in front of everyone as he thrown out naked in front of the whole school during an assembly. Calvin felt bad for bob so he handed him his jacket to help him. Bob then contacts him later in life and they meet up which is where the partnership begins to start.

'Deadpool' Tim Miller (2016):

-Setting: The setting of this scene takes place on a motorway in a big city. A city is usually a ideal setting for a action movie and the motorway has potential in producing many conventions such as high destruction. This also puts many innocent people who live in the city at danger.

-iconography: Weapons are a common iconography in action movies. The character of Deadpool shows this as the audience can see the wide range of weapons he has on him such as a gun and two huge swords on his back. This makes deadpool look as if he is ready to kill, which is unusual for a superhero movie. The car chase and fight show more conventions of action, however deadpool seems to not be taking the moment seriously as he fights the antagonists which makes the scene more comical.

-Character: As mentioned, Deadpools character does not seem to take serious moments seriously, when in fights he can give funny one liners and has attitude as if there is no fight going on at all. This shows that he if very comfortable when fighting and shows that he is used to it. His character is alos betrayed as a anti-hero which contrasts with the genre of the film having a sub-genre of a superhero movie.
-Narrative: The film is about the character of Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) who has fond out that he has late stages of cancer after finding the love of his life. He is told that he can be cured however it turns out to have haunting side effects, even though he is now immortal, Wade has been left with terrible mutated skin. Therefore, before returning to his girlfriend he must find the man that done this to him, Francis, who can allegedly turn him back to normal.

Our Production Schedule

The Art of the Title Sequence

Titles In Silent Film Link

Words and lettering played an enormous role in films of the silent era. Film titles made their appearance in the earliest silent films, along with letter cards (or inter-titles), which provided context. These cards were the responsibility of the lettering artist, who collaborated with the scriptwriter and director to create narrative continuity so that audiences could follow what they were seeing. Distinct from these inter-titles was the film’s main title, a vehicle of particular concern to film producers because of the legal, copyright and marketing information this footage had to bear.

From this part of the article, i have learned that words and lettering were very significant in telling the story and providing context in silent films due to the fact that they had no sound. I found this interesting as we don't see this today because we have the technology to produce sound and tell a story, however, in the silent era the lettering artist, the scriptwriter and the director had to come together to create the right text to make sure that the film made sense for the audience. This would mean that if the text was not there or did not make sense,the whole film would fail and the audience will not understand the narrative plot.

A great draftsman and visual storyteller, Saul Bass ran the gamut of techniques for his title sequences: montage, live action, cut-out paper animation, typography in motion, to name a few. Whatever technique he used, Bass summarized the film as a metaphor that often shone with creativity. (In January 2010, David Peters, Kai Christmann and Dav Rauch, all of Design Films, gave two presentations on the work of Saul Bass at the 12th Future Film Festival in Bologna, Italy.)

I find this part interesting as it tells me that Saul Bass is one of the first to use many techniques such as montages, live action and cut-out paper animation in his title sequences and they ''often shone with creativity.'' He inspired many of today's film makers and has had a massive impact on films and there title sequences.

The Digital Era, And Modern Trends In Film Title Design Link

Every sphere of contemporary life — and especially the film business — has been affected by computers. For designers, creating film titles meant participating in the apprenticeship tradition — learning by doing, on the job; that continued unabated into the mid-1990s. At that time, dynamic openers by Kyle Cooper and others showed what the next generation of design-educated, film-literate, tech-savvy creatives could do. That apprenticeship tradition has largely been overshadowed by the rise of popular technology, the Internet-enabled archiving of everything and the plethora of schools that propagate countless design disciplines. Most significantly, we see designers working like filmmakers and filmmakers working like designers.

This part of the article tells me that technology has had a vast impact on the film business since the digital era began, it would allow designers to find new techniques to make there title sequences better. People such as Kyle Cooper were able to show the next generation of film creators what they could do and helped make films what they are today using the technology provided. However, today technology has taken over apprenticeships in the film business as it has lead to filmmaking and designing come into one job, and has made less opportunities for a new generation of film creators.

The potential of digital graphics and typography has attracted some of the most creative minds to motion design. Pixar and Disney have reserved crucial parts in the branding of their films for the title sequences. Using animated characters to introduce viewers to the story became a popular trend. Such talented graphic designers as Susan Bradley (Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., WALL-E, Ratatouille), Jaimi Caliri (Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events), Dave Nalle (Corpse Bride), Michael Riley (The Back-Up Plan, Kung Fu Panda) and Michael Curtis (Brother Bear) use all manner of tools to test different approaches to designing titles. One thing these individuals have in common is a drive to find a strong metaphor and tell an exciting story with their sequences.

Some of the biggest companies such as Disney and Pixar have used their title sequences to make their movies more successful and recognisable. They would introduce the audience to the characters and tell a story to get the audience interested. Designers such as Susan Bradley, Dave Nalle and Micheal Curtis are all successful graphic designers for Disney and Pixar but all have their differences when creating their titles. However they all are able to tell a story which draws the audience into the story even more as their sequences are perfect.

Reconnaissance

Here are our images from our chosen location for our opening sequence. We are going to film most of our opening sequence in the bedroom, then when the main character goes down stairs we will mainly film the rest in the kitchen. Areas such as the the kitchen and bedroom were quite small which would mean that we would need to work out where we would put the cameras to try to get the best angles and shots.

Updated Storyboard - Animatic

Story Boards

Shot List

Here are the shots we are going to use in our opening sequence:

1. A steady cam to show the main character in bed, the steady cam will slowly zoom in to a phone on a table beside the character.
2. A close-up shot on the phone to reveal the time of the alarm going off, the camera will stay in place as the phone is taken away and put back in place by the main protagonist.
3. A low close up on the characters feet as he gets out of bed and walks away.
4. An over the shoulder shot of our main protagonist looking at clues on a wall.
5. A close up of a shower head/ tap turning on.
6. An close up on the back of the main protagonists head as he puts on a shower cap.
7. A close up of the character walking out of the bath room with a towel over his face.
8. An over the shoulder shot of the character walking towards his bedroom.
9. A close of the character buttoning up his shirt.
10. A close up of him putting on his tie.
11. A pan shot of the character selecting a blazer from his wardrobe.
12. A medium close up of the blazer being thrown on his bed.
13. A shot of the characters hand selecting a leather /or bomber jacket from his wardrobe.
14. A shot from behind of the protagonist putting his jacket on.
15. A low shot of the characters feet walking down the stairs.
16. A close up of the main character stepping on a kids toy at the bottom of the stairs.
17.  An over the shoulder shot the character looking in a set of drawers.
18. A close up of a Police detective badge in the characters hand.
19. *Character puts down badge* Close up on a Photo of a women and young girl (His wife and daughter)
20. A close up of his hand turning on a kettle.
21. A shot of the kettle boiling.
22. A close up of him filling up his mug.
23.  Close up of character putting down mug and taking gun beside it.
24. Low shot of the character walking down hallway, camera slowly rises up.
25. Close up on characters face, finally revealing the main character. 

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Sequence Designer Research: Kyle Cooper

Kyle Cooper is a director and designer of film title sequences.

He holds an MFA in graphic design from the Yale school of art, where he studied under graphic Paul Rand, as well as a BFA from the university of Massachusetts at amherst. In 1996 he co-founded and named creative agency imaginary forces. He has directed and produced more than 150 film title and VFX sequences, including Se7en, spider-man, and the mummy. In 2001, he directed a feature film, new port south.

He moved on to found Prologue Films in 2003, with which he has created title sequences for The Incredible Hulk, Final Destination 5, and The Walking Dead. In 2008, he was a finalist in the National Design Awards. He has earned five Emmy Award nominations and one win for his work on the 81st Annual Academy Awards. He also holds the title of Honorary Royal Designer for Industry from the Royal Society of Arts in London.

Contemporary titles/opening vs. Older titles/opening

Kyle Cooper reinvented the title sequence for David Fincher's Se7en in 1995. Therefore i'm going to be comparing the opening of Se7en with a film that was released many years before, Dr. Strangelove (1964).
 




The editing techniques and music used in Se7en make it seem very demonic and mysterious which relates to the genre of the movie. The same can be said about Dr. Strangelove as the music and images can relate to what the audience will see. However , you can clearly see a big advancement in technology over time. This makes the the opening for Se7en a lot better than the opening for Dr. Strangelove. An example of a change in the title sequences would be the text. The text in Se7en seems to flash and move around and relate to the the genre but in Dr. Strangelove the text just appears on the screen.

General Research into Title sequences

A title sequence is the method by which films or television programmes present their title, key production and cast members, utilising conceptual visuals and sound. It typically includes the text of the opening credits, and helps establish the setting and tone of the program. It may consist of live action, animation, music, still images, and/or graphics.
Since the invention of the cinematograph, simple title cards were used to begin and end silent film presentations in order to identify both the film and the production company involved, and to act as a signal to viewers that the film had started and then finished. In silent cinema, title cards of intertitles were used throughout to convey dialogue and plot, and it is in some of these early short films that we see the first examples of title sequences themselves, being quite literally a series of title cards shown at the beginning of a film. With the arrival of sound, the sequence was usually accompanied by a musical prelude or overture.
There have been several such pivotal moments in title design history. The introduction of digital technologies in the late 1980s and early 1990s to film and television changed both industries, and accordingly the 1990s saw a resurgence in title design. Ironically, a key sequence in this resurgence was the main title to David Finchers Seven, designed by Kyle Cooper, which was created using primarily analogue means. Soon thereafter, television followed suit and networks like HBO began to develop more cinematic experiences for television, including more elaborate and considered title sequences. For example, when The sopranos  first aired in 1999, it was only the second hour-long television drama that HBO had ever produced. Its title sequence "helped lend the show a credibility and gravitas normally reserved for cinema, giving it a stronger foothold in the mind and memory of the audience."

Order of Titles:

1. Name of Studio Distributing film.
2. Name of production company.
3. Producers name
4. Directors name
5. Cast
6. Name of film
7. Casting by
8.  music, composer 
9. Production designer
10. At this point it can vary; you might see makeup, costume, or visual effects credits here or skip to the next few credits. At this point it should vary based on what is most important to the movie.

Film Idea.

Equilibrium-  The life of a crime fighting detective who has a wealthy life and family (Wife and daughter). The main character has a cocky and humorous attitude but is also very down to earth and a all round nice guy who gets along with everyone and he is VERY good at his job.

Disruption- Whilst attempting to stop a bank robbery , one of the criminals are accidentally killed by the main character (he does not intend to kill anyone,therefor, he feels guilty for what he has done) and the other criminals manage to get away whilst the main character is distracted by the fact that he has killed someone. The other criminals go back to their hideout and tell their boss (main antagonist) that one of their men have been killed, however the man who had been killed turns out to be the main antagonists brother. This leads to him wanted revenge and therefor he gets his men to kidnap his wife and daughter.

Recognition of Disruption- After discovering the kidnapping of his family, he begins searching for them by putting all evidence together and finds and questions people who could be linked to the kidnapping of his family(he is left a note saying that if he tells the police department about the kidnapping, his family will be killed, leaving him to search on his own.). However the police department need him to help find the bank robbers but he refuses causing him to loose his job (at this point he doesn't realise that the bank robbers and the kidnappers are the same people.)

Attempt to Repair Disruption- After finding the evidence, he then discovers where the kidnappers are and he now knows that they are the same people who robbed the bank, but he still refuses to tell the police due to the consequences.(whilst this is happening the police then solve that where the bank robbers are and begin to make their way to the hideout, unaware that the main character is also there.) After getting through all the criminals, he finds his family tied up and 'thinks' that he has succeeded. This is when the min antagonist comes in and attacks the main character from behind, knocking him unconscious. He then wakes up tied up with his family and the main antagonist then tells him why he is doing what he is doing (for killing his brother.) The antagonist then points a gun at his daughter with his finger on the trigger, the police department then burst in and shoot him dead but are shocked to see the main character tied up with his family but they are now saved.

Reinstatement of disruption- The main character is given his job back by the police department  and is back with his family and the bank robbers are arrested. At the end we see the main character visiting the graves of the main antagonist and his bother with the head of the police department however only brings flowers for the man he killed. He is asked 'why' by the head of the police department and replies with ''unlike his brother, he dident deserve to die''

Our Continuity Sequence.