Post Production Part 2

A reflect on our editing of our final sequence. 

We created tension with the first shot which had a long duration. We made the decision that once the fighting started we wanted to make quick cuts, to add to the action genre. We tried to make our editing choices so that our target audience of males between 18-19 would want to keep watching. We didn't reveal the main killers face, we did this by cropping the shot. This leaves room for curiosity. We also gave the main female actress a lot of screen time as she is very pretty and would appeal to our target audience. 

We made our titles by following the original template. After trying out a few different types we agreed collectively on a white colour. We then read each title quickly to set the duration. We did this so slow readers would have the chance to read them but each title isn't too long for the average person. We made our titles appear at the start and at the end of the sequence so the middle of the opening sequence was just focused on the action. 

At the start we did come across a few issues do to with our audio. Saskia made a piece of music from home for us to use in our sequence. However, once we put it with the visuals it just didn't work together. We needed to find a solution, because all audio needed to be finished that day. 

So, we started by picking foley sounds to match the visuals. This included finding sounds such fighting, punches, guns clicking, deep breaths and bodies falling. Once we had matched all the sounds to the visuals on the timeline, we added a low level of air conditioning buzzing into the space to give the audio depth. Once we had done that we got an un-copyrighted piece of club music, added reverb and other audio techniques to make the music sound as though it was coming from inside the club, rather than a soundtrack. This made the sequence look realistic and made the viewer feel like they were inside the club themselves. 

We included an effect where in the first shot it starts off slow and then over 40 seconds it gets quicker and quicker so by the end it is playing in real time. The gradual effect makes the main female actress look terrified and almost still a bit drunk. On the part of the opening sequence when Mike gets hit with a hammer we did two takes. One where theres no makeup on Mike and one where he has a gory wound on his forehead. We made half of the hit in reverse so it looked like the hammer did that effect.  

I feel really happy with how our title sequence turned out. I think after over coming the audio issues everything came together perfectly.  I loved the especially loved the lighting and concept of our idea. 

Post Production - Part 1

Firstly in our editing process we went over the raw footage found the the area called rushes. After reviewing all our footage we then dragged our favourite shots onto the timeline. If we had more footage we would have created another folder to put all the shots we wanted but we have very little time, so given that we don't have hours of footage this proved to be quicker. Once we had done that we duplicated the timeline so if we wanted to go back or find the original clip it would be easy. 

After watching the footage back we noticed a few mistakes. When our main actor Ted hits our victim Raff across the face you can clearly see he doesn't actually hit his face, making the sequence look unrealistic. We discovered that we can actually crop the frame a bit higher, so you don't actually see the hit. We had the same problem when Ted hits the gun out of Mikes hand. This issue this time was the the subjects were in the middle of the frame, so we couldn't slightly cut the shot. We found our way around it by speeding up the duration of the clip and using fast editing techniques to hide the hit.

We made the choice of sticking with the first backwards panning shot for the first 30-40 seconds without any cut aways. We did this to add tension and give time for titles to appear etc. After that clip we began doing fast cuts in the action. 

If we look back on our story board, it is quite different. We originally started with the girl crying and then a cut away to the club and dead bodies. We had the idea of going back and fourth several times before we introduced the main killer. It is interesting how much our idea has changed, even in the first 30-40 seconds of editing. However, I much prefer the way we shot it.

Another choice we made in the first couple days of editing was to include a reverse shot to convey that Mike had been hit with a hammer. We did the same motion but one take without gory makeup and one with. We then stuck them together and put the second take in reverse to make it look like the hit had made this effect. This technique worked well and helped support the idea that the main killer Ted was ruthless and experienced in killing. 

Mise En Scene - Opening Sequence

For our opening sequence Saskia and I created a video on Mise En Scene to explain why we used certain costumes, props, facial expressions, location and body language. 

Review of our Opening Sequence Shoot Day

 Overall, our test shoot went really well. We had a few small problems we had to sort out, but we are all happy with how we worked as a team, how the actors worked and how all our organisation came together. as a team, how the actors worked and how all our organisation came together.  

We began our preparation with the day before. We began arranging props and gathering materials from around school. Some of these probs included tables, chairs, tablecloths, hammers and various other props. We realised on the Sunday we didn’t have as much fake blood as we hoped, so we bought some extra on Amazon with next day delivery which arrived in time. We also made sure our story boards and shot list were up to scratch and ready to go as a guideline for our shoot. Then on the Monday we emailed all our cast to remind them of costumes and timings for the following shoot day. In one the emails to Hannah we asked if she could bring in a few backup dresses as the one we had brought in was quite small and could be too revealing. We wanted a dress that she would feel comfortable in and be able to focus purely on the acting and not feel self-conscious. We also had the make the decision of what t-shirt our main character Ted was going to wear. After seeing both white and black we decided to choose the white t-shirt as it would stand out more under his leather jacket.

Then on Monday morning we began setting up the ‘club’ before the actors arrived. We moved screens, set up lights and placed chairs, empty alcohol bottles and glasses around the set. We then got Hannah to try on the different dresses and decided on a long green dress she brought in. After that, I did Raffie and Hannah’s makeup (blood) while Saskia and Danny set up the camera equipment, so we didn’t waste time.   

What went well in our shoot was our set and lighting. The LED light tunnels we used were especially effective. We managed to create nice shadows of different light colours on Hannahs face especially. Our set looked quite realistic. We used the backwall of the studio, which was light blue bright work, but it actually looked like the back wall of a club. The various props we had organised the day before came in handy when adding tiny details such as wine bottles, glasses and chairs tipped over to make it look like a fight had just taken place.  

When we began filming, we used our story board as a guide, but we did not stick to it as much as we thought. After talking through the sequence, we began having more ideas, we still used the same concept but changed some shots and ideas within the story. We added more bodies and weapons to make our opening sequence more action full and entertaining. We also added some contrasting shots like a slow backwards track at the start and then later, fast pans or cuts. We needed to adjust the shutter depending on how fast the movement in the shot was. On the few shots I helped Saskia on the camera, while she panned, I did a focus pull so that everything from the start of the pan to the end was in focus, this was the first time I had done this, but with a little bit of advice from Matt it went really well. 

The camera workshops we did with Matt were extremely useful when it came to setting up the camera, recording in focus, adjusting settings such as iso and exposure. Matt also talked to us about being organised and productive. As the director I would yell ‘stand by’ ‘roll camera’ (rolling) ‘action.’ These ques were really good for everyone to be ready. Before filming we were a bit worried because Hannah is one of our good friends, and we didn’t want to get distracted by casting her in our opening sequence. But when we were in the studio, we all worked collaboratively and professionally, we didn’t get distracted as we all knew this was our course work and is important.   

I think as the director I did my job well and got involved as much as possible. I tried to keep everyone on task and ensure the continuity of the sequence was kept. I hope that everyone had enjoyable time while also working hard and focusing on the sequence.  

We came across the problem of how to make our stunts realistic. We didn’t research how to create hits and action look realistic. So, on the shoot day we had to choreograph a fight between Ted and Mike. This took a little bit of time; it would have been better if we did this in our organisation so on the day, we could have just told the actors their fight (movements). If I were to do another opening sequence, I would make sure I had an idea of how I would want the movement or action to look.  

My favourite part of the day was seeing all our organisation and vision come together, overall, we are happy with how our shoot day went and I enjoyed working behind the camera and having the ability to be creative and try different ideas out.  

I'm excited for when it comes to editing our sequence and seeing our final product. I’m aware of the challenges of editing which may occur, such as finding the right soundtrack and creating the foley sounds, we may also struggle to make the opening sequence flow.  

 

While we had free moments on our shoot day, we took some behind the scenes videos. 

Here is a behind scenes video I edited. 

Saul Bass

Saul Bass is an American graphic designer who created a new, inventive style of title sequences. He began to make creative title sequences that captured the audiences attention and set up the narrative for the rest of the film. His Wife Elaine worked along side Saul and more recently has been commended for her involvement of his works. 

Saul is a pioneer for title sequence design. Some of his more famous title sequences are Carmen Jones (1954) - 

Some others include. The Big Knife (1955), a James Bond film, The Racers (1955), The Seven Year Itch (1955), The Shrike (1955).

Elanie Bass began her film career before meeting Saul Bass, It is only until more recently that her ideas and involvement has become more recognised to the public. Some works this created or worked collaboratively with Saul were West Side Story 1961, Walk on the Wild Side 1962 and Nine Hours to Rama 1963 to name a few.  

Saul is well known not only because he started creative title sequences and logos but he also won Oscars for Best Documentary in 1969, Live Action Short Film 1980 and Live Action Short Film 1978.  

Saul Bass was always inspired by his parents but one individual that influenced him was Gyorgy Kepes, a painter, graphic designer and photographer who taught Saul Bass. 

Saul then went on to work with famous film makers such as Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick and Otto Preminger. 

A small example of his creativity in his work is In Good Fellas, the titles arrive and leave like moving cars the transitions are paired with the sound of cars driving by quickly. She sets up the first scene well as it's in a car. 

Another small example would be In Anatomy of a Murderer Bass designed the credits / titles to appear inside the various body parts with a grey theme. This is syncapated to the rhythm of the soundtrack. 

One sequence I particularly enjoyed was West Side Story, Bass designed the titles so they were apart of the characters world. They are engraved into doors and written on signs. They matches the teenage based theme of the film. It gives off a city / urban feel. They are creative in the sense that they are incorporated in the New York vibe of the film. It works well because the credits aren't obvious, you need to look amongst  the chaos of words and letters to see who was involved in the film. The greyish colour of the handwritten front adds to the teenage rebel tone. The transitions are clever and the information smoothly travels side to side or fade in or out to another surface with writing. This ending credits may have influenced other ending credits or title sequences. One I thought could have been Grease. Although the writing and font are different the credits are still involved in the world of the characters. They appear on signs billboards and posters. The titles also gives off the same city vibe. 

West Side Story,

Grease

 

BBFC

The BBFC (also known as the British Board Of Film Classification) put age recommendations on films. They are a regulation board. Regulation boards control a particular set of products within a certain industry. The BBFC set rules on what can and can't be put into films. However, they don't always get it right and viewers can complain. In the Uk films cannot be released unless it has gone through BBFC and has received an age rating. 

Here is list of all the things the BBFC consider..

Violence 

Sex / Nudity 

Obscene language 

Discriminatory language 

Self Harm

Criminal activity 

Dangerous behaviour 

Drugs 

Child actors 

Strobe lighting 

It is important to consider whether the film is real acting or animation. Usually animated films can get away with having more violence because it isn't happening 'in real life.' A lower age certificate is given to animated films. It is also taken into consideration of how the issue is handled. For example a film about drugs where it is seen as a big problem and take seriously will have a lower age rating than a film about drugs not showing the consequences and seen as 'harmless' Another example could be on violence. Is this seen as normal? Or is this out of this fantasy? Is it glamorous or is it realistic? 

An example of this is when the Hunger Games got their film accessed for a certificate. They wanted to create a 12a film so that the film could appeal to younger kids as well as adults. The BBFC decided that the beginning scene had too much violence as it showed children with weapons fighting, it was rewarded a 15. The Huger games then went back to do a re-edit

The Hunger Games then re-edited the scene so that less blood was shown on weapons and that the killings were faster and less graphic. They also took out some of the diegetic sound of screaming and yelling to turn down the scary 'tone.' 

They were then re-assessed and were awarded a 12a.

It is not always that the BBFC get this right, sometimes they have released certificates that audiences have complained for. 

The different ratings include:

Universal - which us suitable for all. All categories should be very mild. 

12A - suitable for 12 year olds and older. Sex is brief and discreetly shown. Moderate violence but no clearly showing of injuries. Drugs, alcohol and language kept minimal or brief-they should not glamourise them.

15- 15 and above. Under 15s cannot watch a 15 rated film at the cinema or purchase 15 rated DVD. Sex may be shown but in little detail. Violence may be strong but no in detail gory shots. Drugs and alcohol may be shown (aside from hard drug use) but should not be promoted. Strong language can be used. There are no constraints on nudity. 

18 - recommended that 18 and over watch. Under 18s cannot watch an 18 rated film at the cinema or purchase 18 rated DVD. Most aspects of sex are allowed, if something is unacceptable in an 18 rated it will also be unacceptable in a R18. Drugs, alcohol, violence, nudity is allowed - however any extremes may be considered for an R18. The BBFC believe that adults should be able to chose their own entertainment.

We have given our opening sequence a 15. We have done this because none of the gory violence is shown. Although it will clear that someone is hitting another person with a hammer, it is not graphically shown. But the idea of the violence is clear. We have no dialogue, sex, nudity, drugs or in our opening sequence so we don't need to take these into consideration. There are implications of drinking with the empty beer bottles scattered around the club but this is very mild, and isn't encouraging the idea of abusing alcohol.

Our Genre and Other Film Comparisons / Conventions

 Today we are researching into the conventions of our genre. This is important because it will help us get inspiration as well as staying true to our genre.

The genre of our opening sequence is a thriller. We decided on this because it connects to the typical theme and expectations of the thriller genre.

Our Four Influences 

John Wick - 2014, Directed by Chad Stahelski and David Leitch. 

We chose John Wick because of the protagonist. Essentially John Wick is a mass murderer who kills everyone and anyone in his way. His status and coolness is shown through the reaction of the other characters. We are using a similar idea of the main character killing who ever he wants with the dead bodies on the ground. We also want to show that our main character is terrifying and intimidating by showing the girls reaction, where she is crying. We mostly chose this film for club scene, where he kills heaps of people with a gun. He is a skilled fighter who clearly has experience. We want the audience to think our main character is experienced in fighting and like John Wick will use any weapon he finds to get the job done. The neon lighting colours are similar, to our opening sequence with the blue, red and purple colours.  

As a group we also decided that we liked the contrapuntal soundtrack / music in this scene. 

No Body 2021, directed by Ilya Naishuller

We chose this film because of the main character, setting and props. A particular scene that made us choose the film was the bus fight scene. A group of men walk into a bus and begin to cause trouble. The fight takes place in a confined space (inside the bus) and he uses any weapons he find lying around to kill. However, he gives mercy to the girl. We are doing the same in our opening sequence, how main character lets the girl leave unharmed. In No Body, Hutch is seen as an anti hero, and a skilled fighter - as we can see, he can take down multiple people alone. The theme of violence is similar to our opening sequence. Both characters in no Body and our opening sequence have an element of mystery. 

Punisher 2017, Marvel TV and Netflix 

We chose two particular scenes that captures elements that we want in our opening sequence. Firstly the hammer fight scene, the man character uses a hammer as a weapon. We also want to use hammers as our weapon. 

Also the main character is experienced in fighting, like our main character.

Drive 2011, directed by Nicolas Winding 

We chose this film because of the main character. We took inspirations from his outfit. He is memorable for his jacket. We wanted to do a similar costume in the sense that our main character will be memorable and stand out. We also liked how the main character is seen as a cool person, he turns heads as he walks into the room.

All of these films/tv shows share a similar main character. All of them feature a male badass who are compitent in fighting and holding their ground alone agaisnt many other fighters. All my examples are all action heavy with violence involved. I think all these conventions are in the thriller genre because it's fast paced and exciting. A thriller usually includes violence, fighting, weapons, dark story telling but can also include dark elements. It keeps the audience on their toes while also having elements of mystery and horror. The impact on the viewer can make the audience think, or feel invested in the plot. Action and violence appeals to our target audience of males ages from 15-19.  Stereotypically that's what boys of that age are interested in. There are also elements from our examples that are different. All the settings are in completely different places from a club, to a bus, prison etc. Another element that is different is that the lighting varies. However we took inspiration from John Wick with the neon lighting. We also took inspiration from Punisher with the hammers and No Body with the action packed violence. Finally we were inspired by Drives main character jacket and want to replicate the memorable features it has.