Monday 13 December 2010

Location

We have decided to film the majority of the opening in a house, this house will not be very big and will be very cluttered/ dirty. Her parents are very eccentric so there will be arts and crafts and little bits and bobs everywhere. The house will be surrounded in fields and country lanes as the family like to be outdoors.


The inside of the house will generally be clean but a little cluttered. The house is always chaos in the morning as people have forgotten where they have put their belongings. This explains why Chandler always seems to be late and disorganised.

Wednesday 8 December 2010

Soundtrack

We have decided to make our soundtrack to the film Barbie Girl by Aqua. We have decided this as it is very girly and is now classed as a cheesy, out of date and an unpopular song. This will play for the opening credits and as she is getting ready for school. We have chosen this song in particular as she likes to think that she looks like Barbie and is also popular like Barbie.




Other Sounds
After the starting credits we have decided to add in another song "riding dirty" by Chamillioanre. We have chosen this as it is not something that she would usually listen to. It also reflects on her character as she thinks she is cool when she is not. The song will be playing while she is riding to school on her bicycle this is good as the song is about "cruising" (riding) in a car however she thinks she is cool when in fact she is a loser.




However since starting this I have discovered that using these soundtracks would be copyright. I have now decided to make our own soundtrack for the opening. I will be using garage band to make this, I will also be doing the vocals as I will be playing chandler.

Friday 19 November 2010

Sex Drugs and Rock and Disco Balls

We decided to look at the Chick Flick genre, because of this we decided to make a film based on school life and how peoples image are perceived. We decided to look at how High Schools always seem to have different clicks such as the popular pretty kids, the sporty kids, the nerdy kids, the emo/scene kids and the drama/musical kids. This type of film is very popular with teenage girls as they can relate to the scenarios in this genre. We have also decided to set it in high school as it gives a wider audience intake for our company as older women will want to watch as they would have been through the same thing. Also younger girls will want to watch as they will be anticipating high school life. By adding some comedy to the film we again widen our audience consumption as men will be more willing to watch it with their girlfriends, friends or other halves.


Our film will be based on a teenage girl and the surroundings of her life in and out of High School. Our main character Chandler is a nerd who likes to think she is cool the other popular girls pick up on this and make fun of her at any opportunity.  The scene will start with Chandler getting up for school and dancing around as she is clumsy she falls as she does she sees her watch and realises she is late for school.  she forgets to take off a sticker on her nose, she travels to school on a bike which has a breakfast bowl on the front, she thinks that this is a clever invention. This adds a bit of comedy to the film as anybody with common sense know that its nearly impossible for cereal to stay in a bowl on a bike all the way to school. As Chandler leaves she goes through the country side this will be in slow motion as she thinks she looks cool. At this point the credits will start to appear. Throughout the opening sequence "riding dirty" will be played we will do this by add SFX in post production.

What I have learnt from my chosen genre

 By watching different chick flicks I could see what content most chick flicks tended to have which would help me when coming to create and film my opening to a film. Many of the chick flicks i watched tend to stick towards the same kind of conventions, many were based on teenage girls, love life, rivarly between "popular" and "loser", cheerleaders and a end of year celebration such as prom. Other chick flicks which have older characters in the film usually have the subject of having to mature, managing to get over an obstacle and getting maried. All chick flicks seem to have a happy ending as that is what the audience wants, girls want to see a light hearted story or a deep love story where everything works out and has a happy ending. Many chick flicks seem to be a mature version of a fairy tale as they have the same layout of having a character that has to face obstacles but manages to get over them and have her happy ending. I will introduce most of these elements into my film to make it fit into  the chick flick genre.

Monday 15 November 2010

Material Girls



The first thing we see is a lion roaring this is the logo for Metro Goldwyn Mayer. The second production company is Maverick their logo is two silver people. We hear Material Girl being played as this happens we see a medium close up on two different girls, who are sisters, in front of a white backdrop. We can see that they are at some sort of photo shoot or filming for an advert.The screen slides along to the two girls walking alongside each other in a medium close up. The screen then splits into four sectors in two of the sectors each girl is doing their make up in a close up. All four sectors are  then used in the same style. The screen is then split into thirds where they use a close up of her doing her mascara on two sectors then on the third one an extreme close up is used of her lip gloss. The screen freezes then zooms out and they are on a billboard for a cosmetics company. This then pans down to a high angle shot of New York traffic as this happens the credits start to appear.


Timing
First production logo fades in and out,  0.00-0.10
Second production logo fades in and out, 0.11-0.21
First and second actor, 0.22
"Arclight films presents" fades in and fades out, 1.16- 1.19
"Maverick films & Rafter H Entertainment" fades in and out, 1.20- 1.25
" In association  with Patriot Pictures LLC & Concept Entertainment" fades in and out, 1.26-1.29


Sunday 14 November 2010

House Bunny



House Bunny's production company's are Columbia this is the first thing that appears on the screen, the logo is the statue of liberty in colour. The next thing that appears on the screen is Happy Madison Productions, this logo is a golf ball on a tee which gets hit into the screen and cracks. The screen first starts with a sepia photo album flicking through different pictures of the same girl growing up. Over this there is a narration of the girls voice telling us the story of her early life. This then cuts to a fairy tale book flicking pages changing the fairy tale each time this suggests that she didn't have a normal upbringing and that she isn't very intelligent. This then again cuts back to the album this time she is getting prettier she starts to tell the audience that because she got pretty she was able to find a family and home. This family turns out to be playboy bunnies and the house is the playboy house. The book then closes and we see a clear blue sky which begins the opening credits. In yellow it reads Columbia Pictures presents, the change over of words is used by an inflatable ball going across the screen. It goes on to introduce Relativity Media A Happy Madison Production. The camera pans down from the sky and goes into an extreme long shot of a pool party. A long shot is then used to introduce the main character. This opening is very useful as we already know everything about the main character, what she has been through, what she does for a living and how she has changed. .

Friday 5 November 2010

Confessions of a Shopaholic



The first thing that appears on the screen is Touch Screen Pictures logo which is a black circle with a lightening bolt going through it, it then goes on to Jerry Brukheimer Films which leads down a road on a desert with a thunderstorm this then becomes a still photo of lightening hitting a tree for their logo. It starts off with a birds eye view of children sitting in a store looking at shoes. In pink writing appears Touchstone Pictures and Jerry Brukheimer presents, then appears the title "Confessions of a Shopaholic" in pink glittery writing. The camera pans left over different shoes which are all fashionable and expensive. While this happens a narrative cuts over the top of the main character describing her childhood of buying shoes. How she had to get ugly cheap ones instead of the nicer ones. Throughout this scene names of the cast appear in the same pink font. As the camera pans across it comes to a stop at someone wearing big brown shoes, this shot then changes to a low angle shot of the girl with her mum and a sales assistant looking over her shoulders, this goes onto a long shot of other children who are fashionable and wearing pretty shoes they start to make fun of her. As the girls looks at them it changes to a medium shot of the main character. This cuts to a point of view shot of the main character and her mother walking through a high street. We see the main character stare into a shop window of expensive clothes in fascination. As she walks into the shops the women are in slow-motion trying on dresses.  We then see a medium low angle shot of a woman in a white dress and a tiara. This cuts to a high angle shot of a woman buying and paying for clothes using a credit card while the main character looks on. The narrator goes on to say how she used to love watching the women paying with "magic cards" and how she never thought she would own twelve of her own. As she says this it cuts to her walking down a high street,  grown up  and wearing expensive and fashionable clothes. This opening is good as we know who appears in the film straight away, we also know how she has always loved fashion, how she wasn't able to buy expensive or fashionable clothes.

Timing
"Touchstone Pictures" fades in and out, 0.00-0.11
"Jerry Burkheimer films" appears and blacks out, 0.12-0.20
"Touchstone Pictures & Jerry Burkheimer films presents" fades in and out, 0.24-0.26
"Confessions of a Shopaholic" fades in and out, 0.28-0.31
1st actor name fades in and out, 0.32-0.34
2nd actor name fades in and out, 0.35-0.37
3rd actor name fades in and out, 0.54-0.56
4th actor name fades in and out, 0.57-0.59
5th actor name fades in and out, 1.04-1.07
6th actor name fades in and out, 1.09-1.11
7th actor name fades in and out, 1.13-1.15
8th actor name fades in and out, 1.21-1.23
9th actor name fades in and out, 1.24-2.26
10th actor name fades in and out. 1.31

Friday 17 September 2010

Ice age


Ice age starts with a landscape view of a snow covered ground, snow is falling down, we then start to see some sort of creature running in the snow.  We then see him try to bury an acorn several times and failing, we then see him try out investigate different places he could bury it. Once he has found a suitable place he buries it but as he does this the ice cracks all around him causing an avalanche. We see the little creature trying to get his acorn out of the ground before the ice and snow comes. We then see a birds eye view of him running away and the ice following him. He manages to escape but has fallen to a place which is now covered in grass as he lands and is safe he is trampled on by many different animals who are going further south as the ice age is hitting. This then cuts to the opening credits.

The Hangover


The film opens to workers getting out flower arrangements from a white van this is very apparent that it's for a wedding. This then cuts to a wedding cake slowly panning over to a wedding dress, we then here a voice mail tone. This then cuts to outside where the wedding chairs are being set up it then looks towards a window, we then appear to be in that room where we see the bride phoning different men and it going to voice mail again. Her mother then asks if she has heard anything the father then cuts in to say that its Vegas and the bachelor party. The father is then interrupted by the phone fringing as she answers it cuts to the person on the end of the line who is in Vegas and appears to be hurt and with other men. He tells the bride how they have messed everything up and they cant find the groom. He tells the bride that the wedding cant go ahead he then looks up to the sky and the credits start to roll. This opening is very effective as it shows that the bachelor party didn't go to plan and really make the audience want to carry on watching to see what has happened.

Role Models


The film opens to a man in a suit waiting outside a Minotaur energy drink company, he then is joined by a man who is his work colleague this man is dressed in a t shirt and jeans. There is a very distinctive contrast between the two men, one is very serious and dressed in professionally and the other is very immature and dressed casually. This then cuts to the two men in a "Minotaur" van pulling up outside a high school, the man that was casually dressed is now in Minotaur costume and they are entering the school. Once they have gotten out the car it cuts to the two men standing in front the school giving a talk on how to stay off drugs and drink energy drinks instead. The scene keeps cutting to them at different schools giving the same lecture each time they are drinking more and more of the energy drink. After this it cuts to them in the car the pair are obviously very different. It is also apparent that the man in the suit does not enjoy his job. The opening introduces the main characters but also shows the audience how different they are and how this could cause confrontation later on.

Madagascar

    
Madagascar opens to a zebra swinging on a rope, he then jumps off this to run past rows of penguins singing. The zebra then begins to leap over a hole, he continues running to a lake where we see a lion begin to follow him. The lion jumps in front of him and yells surprise this then cuts to the same two animals in the zoo and the zebra falling off a treadmill, the zebra was day dreaming. The lion wishes him happy birthday, they appear to be good friends with each other which captures the audiences attention as in the wild the zebra would be his prey. The zebra then begins to tell his friend how he longs to be in the wild and has become bored of zoo life. It is apparent that the lion is very comfortable with zoo life as he is the main attraction. As the zoo opens we are introduced to the hippo and giraffe. This opening is very effective as straight away we know that the zebra wants to be out in the wild again, we also see the main characters and are introduced to them straight away. The audience also know from the opening that the if they do go to the wild there will be confrontations as the lion doesn't want to go and is best friends with what would be his prey in the wild.

Monday 13 September 2010

UP.


UP opens to a child watching an adventure film and being very inspired by this, it then starts to show this child growing up. In the opening sequence we learn about the villain who is a famous adventurer who's quest was to find a very rare species of bird. We then watch the young child grow up, fall in love, get married and become old. We see from each stage of his life how he met his wife, who was also very intrigued by adventures.We see that the couple have a scrap book of adventures, his wife dies and he then starts to look at the adventure book and decides to go on the adventure his hero never came back from.

paranormal activity



Paranormal activity opens to a woman pulling up to a house this then cuts to her husband setting up the camera. Once the lady is in the house it is apparent that she is spooked by her surroundings. Her husband questions her about her past and what she thinks is happening to her. This then is interrupted by the door being knocked, a priest enters, from him entering we know that he is going to exoricise the house. The priest quickly leaves telling the couple that the demon has to great a power to send back to hell. This is very effective as we now know that this demon is very dangerous and cannot be stopped. She then begins to tell the story of how she has always been followed by some sort of demon. This opening is very effective as from the start we know that something demonic is following her, we also know that the poltergeist is going to start to become more active as the husband starts to film the room as well. 

Sunday 12 September 2010

Texas Chainsaw Massacre


Texas Chainsaw Massacre  is based on true events which already captures the audiences attention. The film opens to a man narrating, he relives the true story of the massacre. It is filmed in grainy black and white this is used when looking at the house, the crime scene, the bodies and the lab which examined the bodies. This then cuts to live footage of a policemen searching the house. The opening is also accompanied with a soundtrack this is very low and quietens as the narrator begins to speak. Once the man has finished the narrative it cuts to footage of a group of young adults on a road trip, this suggests these people are going to get into the same trouble as the others. The opening to the film is very effective from the very beginning the audience's attention is captured.  The black and white grainy footage is used with the narrative very effectively too exaggerate the horror of the story. I would say that the best thing about the opening is the narrative as it lets the audience know the story before they watch it this grabs the audiences attention and makes them watch in anticipation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scHVkYLi7IE&feature=fvst