Our time plan

Target Audience research summary

The target audience for our opening title sequence will be predominantly eighteen and above, but not particularly suitable for ‘older’ age viewers.

This is because our chosen genre is a psychological horror, which younger viewers may find distressing, and older viewers may not appreciate as much, or in the same way as eighteen to forty years might do.

The target audience is predominantly eighteen and above because this genre is only really suitable for that age, and the fact that most horrors have a certificate of eighteen may show this and that it is a popular type of movie for this age.

The sexuality of the audience who choose to watch this genre will be generally straight males, this is because the dominant ideology is that they behave in quite a feminine way and as such won’t appreciate this genre as much.

No ethnic group could be insulted in any way by this genre and psychological horror is suitable for any ethnicity. 

Genre research summary

The font style is generally created with a hand drawn and 'scratchy' effect. The transitions are particularly effective as the way they vibrate then disappear  gives it an edgy effect that matches the genre. The time the text is there for is generally quite short and is always active. (Moving around). Which adds to the 'edgy' effect.

http://www.artofthetitle.com/tag/se7en/

The sound is not really a track as such, more a collection of sinister noises which works well when taking the genre into account. There are also a lot of stabs of noises.

In this title sequence we see no character, but the fact that we only see sinister and deformed hands is worth commenting on as it makes the whole atmosphere more tense and mysterious.

The makers of the sequence have not given away many clues as to where it is set, or who is there, or what they are wearing etc, but the lighting that is used is predominantly chiaroscuro which makes the set more mysterious. And the small parts of the set that we do see, seem to be very sinister, almost like an abandoned hospital.

A lot of very tight close ups are used to create an enigma which makes us think a lot about many aspects of the editing and sequence in general.

The Shining title sequence analysis

The use of camera techniques in this opening sequence are utilized to good effect, the wide open establishing shots throughout connote a feeling of isolation which gives a sense of the great outdoors and reinforces the type of genre which is psychological horror. The crane shots used above the lone car travelling through a narrow mountain road help the audience to gain a sense that the car is being watched by ‘something’, this creates an eerie atmosphere which is very effective.
Some of the landscape in the first establishing shot could be symbolic and further emphasize this theme of isolation, which is a key point throughout the film. There is a lone island in the middle of vast lake which depicts this; also the location is further enhanced for the genre by the dark murky water which surrounds the island.
The soundtrack used is one of the most effective theme tunes used in any psychological horror film to date, the high pitched diegetic music really helps to create a feeling of panic, horror and suspense.
The type of text, including colour and font, is the weakest point to comment upon throughout the title sequence. The colour which is light blue, really doesn’t suit the genre or general atmosphere, however the way it’s just a block font actually breaks the suspense, which sets the film up to drop straight into the action and horror after a certain period of time which could be very effective. But the reality is that the text is very boring and does not fulfil its purpose.
The lighting used is just natural light with no filters or artificial lighting, this goes little way towards contributing to the atmosphere and does not compliment the films genre, but it could be used to create a false sense of comfort for a sudden shock when the film reaches the tense parts.
Overall I think it is a fairly average title sequence which does little to compliment the genre and create the correct the emotions.

Se7en Title sequence analysis

   The use of colours in this title sequence is one of the most notable features. The colours used give off a monochrome effect which may imply a feeling of despair and mystery, but the colour scheme also includes hints of red which may connote anger and violence and give the audience a sense of what the film is based around and what emotions are involved. These colours used together match the general atmosphere we get from the sequence and suit the genre of psychological horror well.

   The font type and size of text used is another interesting point to comment on. We see fairly small font sized used which creates a sense of difficulty and awkwardness which is further enhanced by the effect added to the text which is a small vibration and a quick flash, then it disappears. These motions may connote feelings of panic and fear and help give the title sequence more meaning and depth. This flash also leaves a sort of subliminal effect or after shock because it is very sharp, concise editing which keeps the target audience engaged. The font type, which is jagged, further cements the genre and matches it. The fact that the names and text disappear so quickly also gives a great sense of mystery and gives us a feeling that dramatic events lie ahead.

  The soundtrack is just a diegetic collection of noises farther than actual music, and is very simple but effective. It uses a lot of stabs which help to create a dramatic effect and makes the title sequence in general very sinister. The tempo also helps to reinforce the fact that this film is a psychological horror, the slow tempo connotes a feeling of being helpless and trapped which is very effective.

   There are minimal camera work/shots used in this sequence, although the number of close ups may be something of significance, close ups always make the audience focus on a particular thing and give that object, or person, a particular meaning or emphasis, this links into the use of small objects e.g. needles and sharp objects, all these items are rusty and sinister, as well as all the other props, which fills us with a feeling of being squeamish and uncomfortable.

  The effect of mystery seems to be dominant throughout the title sequence of Se7en and is further enhanced by the fact that we don’t see any faces, other than pictures, the shots focus on what appear to be mutated, deformed hands, which of obviously relates to the genre, and gives us more to think about. Why are these hands deformed? Who’s are they? And will they become significant during the film?

   Chiaroscuro lighting is used to excellent effect and helps us to focus on particular areas and make us wonder what the darkness may be hiding. It again makes things tense, nervous and mysterious.

  Overall the techniques used in the title sequence are very effective and certainly match the genre and fulfil their purpose.

Evaluation.

There are many factors to consider before deciding if our project was an overall success.

The planning of our practical work went very well, considering there was a number of absenses from group members. We first outlined the camera/filming techniques we would need to use and added them to our blogs, this gave us a clear idea of how we needed to use the camera and where to position it etc.

We then came up with a birds-eye plan of the area in which we would be working. And keeping in mind the Line of interaction, we roughly planned the position in which our camera would be, this made it much easier when it came to the practical stage.

One of the most important things about our planning was the risk assessment. Aswell as being a legal requirement, it aslo gave us a clear idea of all the hazards and potential risks in our work space, and what we should do to avoid these.

I thought the filming and editing stage of our project went particularly well. We managed to get a number of good shots on all parts of the role play, and the camera work itself was particularly pleasing. It looks as though we placed the camera in exactly the right position on most occasions which made the final outcome a much higher quality. Things such as eye line level and tracking were enhanced through the camera work.

The editing stage of the project was a great deal more complicated that the other stages that the project inlcuded, but once we had a basic understanding of the software we could easily edit the film in the correct places to make the scene run smoothly and make it a high quality. Making sure to include techniques such as match on action etc.

Overall I think the project went well, and I am pleased with the final outcome.

Risk Assessment of film setting.

Hazard - Glass could smash and cause cuts. We must be careful.

Hazard - Slippery floor could cause slipping. We should wear appropriate footwear and don't run.

Hazard - Various objects could be knocked or tripped over and cause harm. We must watch where we are walking.

Hazard - Lights without correct covering. Could cause burns. We must not touch the lights.

Hazard - Radiator could cause burns if too hot. We must not touch it or try to control the temperature.

Hazard -Electrical Sockets can cause electric shocks. We must not touch with wet hands or any metal object.

Hazard - Door Stop could cause trips. We must watch where we are walking.

Hazard - Media equipment lying around could mean risk of trips. We must keep the equipment tidy and organised.

Story Board.

Continuity Editing.

One factor of continuity editing, is the 180 degree rule, which is also known as the line of interaction. This means the camera must stay on the same side of an imaginary line, which runs through the middle of the actors involved the actors involved. If the camera crosses this line it can be confusing for the audience, as the actors will no longer be facing each other or be looking in the same direction and so on ...


An example of this would be like watching a football game with the runner going to the right and all of a sudden we cut to him running to the left. It would make the viewer wonder if he was running the wrong way or not.

Match on action is also a critical part in the process of continuity editing. This is where an action that an actor is performing continues seamlessly through two cuts, which makes the cut invisible.


For example, a shot of someone tossing a ball can be edited to show two different views, while maintaining continuity by being sure that the second shot shows the arm of the subject in the same stage of its motion as it was left when cutting from the first shot.