First Day Filming

During a free lesson on Tuesday, me, Sam and Max filmed the one of the flashbacks that feature near the end of our opening. We found an office in school that wasn't being used because the owner was teaching and it was a suitable location what with the positioning of the door and the desks inside, fitting with the way I had imagined it looking.
This went very well and we managed to film different angles of the same shot so that when it comes to editing, we have a choice of which ones we wish to use and which will look more interesting.


At 5:30, we met at the end of the road we were filming on. I had brought the storyboards and a make-shift clapper board to use to make the distinction between scenes easier when uploading the film onto Final Cut, the software we're using to edit. 
We had problems with lighting, as the street lights weren't as bright as we had first thought, yet shining artificial light from a torch, didn't look realistic and ruined the effect of the shot, so our only option is to edit it brighter afterwards.
There was also the problem with passers by and cars, which meant we had to wait for them to pass before continuing filming, and the problem of the weather. The majority of the filming is completed, but the last section of filming was abandoned for another day as the temperature had dropped and it was too cold to act or hold the camera properly. 
I helped with the clapper board and setting up shots. I didn't do any filming, but next time I am hoping to take on this role a bit more. 


We have also begun editing the shots we have filmed, and are learning new ways of editing the shots each time we go on. For example, learning how to brighten up a shot but keeping the contrast with it at the same time. 

Production Company Name

As part of editing our opening sequence we have to include a production name and credits. As a group we discussed different names for our production company including "Two Ducks Full" and "Fire", before eventually settling on "Hollow Productions". "Two Ducks Full" made our film sound like it was going to be funny and the complete opposite to what it was intended and we felt that the name "Hollow" showed a similarity to the dark, dramatic opening sequence and didn't ruin our overall effect. It is also short and quick to say, so will stay in the viewers mind, but can also be related to someone dark and mysterious which keeps it tied into our film.

Plans For Filming And Shooting

The majority of our opening sequence is located outside on the street, so we needed to find a location that would be suitable for the shots needed. We chose a street in Loughton that was long enough for the character to be followed down, but also had a location at the top that overlooked the surrounding area, and as far as Canary Wharf in London, which was excellent for our establishing shot. 
We planned to film on Sunday 6th, at 5:30, as we needed it to be dark for our shots. However, we encountered a problem, as we had left the storyboards in the folder at school and so couldn't progress with filming without it. We re-scheduled to Tuesday 8th.
The flashbacks, which are featured in our opening, need to be filmed inside and so we have planned to film inside a school office during a free lesson on Tuesday. 
So that we don't need to involve other people and try and keep up with different people as well as our own group, I am taking on the role of the girl in the flashbacks, and Sam and Max are taking on the role of the two male characters. 

What Have Learnt From the Preliminary Sequence

After doing the short activity, working on the preliminary sequence, it is clear which shots are going to be difficult and which ones are going to be more difficult. As we have used final cut express to edit this and will be using it to edit our opening sequence, we have learnt how to use different styles of editing and now know how to edit our opening sequence and which ideas we have may be harder to bring into the opening and whether we will have to change them or not.
The use of the panning shot in our preliminary sequence helped us to confidently decide on keeping the panning shot at the beginning of our opening and we have also decided to use the over the shoulder shot as it created suspense in the right place and so will hopefully create the suspense we intend to create in our opening sequence.

Preliminary Sequence

This is my groups preliminary sequence that we put together before filming our opening sequence to get used to how the cameras and tripods work and also to use different shots and movements and see if any of these we would use in our opening and if any would make our opening sequence look interesting.

Decisions on Genre and Storyline

Individually, we came up with ideas for the genre of our film and a possible storyline for this genre. I came up with an idea for the opening of a chick flick, as I believed most people would create an idea for a horror and wanted to try something different. Other members of my group came up with ideas for a thriller or action film and also included a few shot types that would add interest to our opening sequence, and as a group we decided that horror was too much of an easy option and that the male members of my group wouldn't really enjoy making a chick flick. 
During the process of coming up with a storyline, Max and Sam both had exams and so me and Aisha were left with the task of coming up with a storyline and presenting it to the others when they were back. We decided that the storyline me and Aisha had come up with was interesting and we would be able to include different shot types and styles of editing to keep it thrilling, which is the primary genre of our opening. We could now start work on our storyboard.

The Dark Knight Opening Sequence

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Released: 2008
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger and Aaron Eckhart

The start of this opening shows the back of a man on the corner of a street holding a clown mask at a mid shot low angle.  The main focus is on this mask which immediately shows the audience that clowns are going to be a  main feature throughout this film. This feature then becomes more apparent when a car pulls up and the men inside are all wearing clown masks as well. They're talking about the robbery that is about to take place and mention the name of the head guy, 'the joker', which immediately makes the audience ask who the joker is and how they are going to get away with it. At the same time there is the use of high angles and low angles as other robbers are making their way across the city on a high wire, which also establishes the setting for the film. There are no credits in this opening. The concentration is all on the main bank robbery.
The lighting is mainly natural with only some key lighting within the actual bank. The only colour present in the opening is that of the school buses at the end and the colours on the clown masks which makes them stand out and be the main focus of the film.
At the end, the joker reveals himself, as an extreme close up and we immediately recognise this face and know that this man is going to be a main focus through the rest of the film.

Juno Opening Sequence

Genre: Romantic Comedy
Released: 2007
Directed by: Jason Reitman
Starring: Ellen Page, Michael Cera and Jennifer Garner

The video above of the Juno opening sequence doesn't actually show the start of the opening where the scene for the film is set and important information that the audience need to know will be revealed. We learn that the main character Juno, who is using a voice over to tell us the story, likes a guy at her school and they decide to have sex together. However, we later learn that she has become pregnant which is the bases for the rest of the film. The main part of the opening, which is featured above, is the credits and opening song. If you listen to the lyrics, it fits in with the relationship theme of the film and the fact that the main character only wants this boy; 'All I Want is You'.
The sequence goes from reality into a cartoon strip, where the different frames have been drawn over to create the unusual effect. This helps to establish the audience as being younger, with the childish like drawings and also makes it more fun and interesting for the audience to look at.
The opening follows a girl drinking Sunny D, so we immediately recognise her as the main character and the Sunny D drink is relevant shortly after when she takes a pregnancy test. The credits are also presented throughout the whole opening, not all in one place, which adds variety and keeps the main focus on the actual opening. There are also boys running in the background every now and again throughout the sequence, the colour of their shorts stands out against the dim coloured background and we later learn that these are the group of boys that Junos 'lover' runs with every morning and they feature as a main theme throughout the film.

Cleaner Opening Sequence Analysis

Genre: Crime/Thriller
Released: 2007
Directed by: Renny Harlin
Starring: Samuel.L.Jackson, Eva Mendes, Ed Harris

This film opening shows many narrative functions. It introduces us to the main character and what he does for a living. This is shown through the use of a voice over coming from the main character, which becomes more clear as the opening sequence progresses. He uses the first person narrative, me, I etc, to show he is talking about himself. The credits of the opening appear on the image, they're not placed on a different shot on a plain coloured background, and they aren't all shown all at once, they are spaced out along the sequence, to keep it simple and not throw too much information at the audience in one go.
The use of a sound bridge at the beginning of the opening, makes the production company name less boring to look at on its own and also gives the audience a feel to what might be coming up next in the opening and for the film itself.
There is also an establishing shot that allows the audience to see the setting for the film. It is a modern city and the colour looks as if it has been washed out, suggesting a more dull, dismal city, as opposed to a more lively, vibrant one. The camera mainly stays at lower or higher angles, to get a better perspective on different situations, and also to hide the main characters face until the end of the opening when a close up shot of his face is used to tell the audience that this was the man speaking and this is the face that you need to remember, because he is the main character.
At the beginning the camera follows the characters at a low angle, whilst the sinister music continues to play, suggesting something is about to happen and keeps the suspense building. The music and the short story also help to show the main themes and style of the film. It shows the film is based around death and the music helps to show that it's mysterious and sinister, as if something in the film is not going to be right. The shots are simple and kept in an everyday life flat, with no additional lighting. The only other place the camera moves to is the cleaners van and the street outside, this avoids confusion and doesn't add too much to the film too soon; it spreads it across the film.
However, after the short story introduction, the line, 'death is tragic', different music begins to play, which is more up beat and jazzy, explaining the good sides of death. The music is contrapuntal, as it is a happy song, being played to a sombre situation. This change of music could represent the characters feelings towards his job and also the fact that he isn't ashamed about the way he feels. The lyrics, 'tell me something good', also fit in with the side of the story the voice over is now telling, which is the good side of death and the benefits people get from it. There is also the us of graphic match. In the van, the character lifts up a sheet and shakes it, this then becomes a sheet inside the house that he is shaking down onto a table. This more up beat side to the opening suggests to the audience that it is no longer as sinister as before, but is still a mystery as to why we need to know about this mans job in order to watch the rest of the film.