Friday, 24 January 2014

Opening Titles Filming Stage



Us 4 in these 2 pics to the right and the top split the roles up in the final piece;
Me (white shirt guy in the middle)- focused on the electrical music , acting, and a large proportion of the 1st version of the opening
Sam (Hooded guy on the right)- did the final piece of editing for the 2nd revamped version of the opening titles, as well as playing the assassin
Bradley (white shirt guy to the left)- cameraman as well as minor acting and editing towards the 2nd version of the opening
Jack (white shirt guy to the right)- main cameraman and guy behind the typography/ credits of both tasks, and actor

 Last week, we begun the majority of the filming; making sure we kept the continuity in our hairstyles & outfits. A picture of me, Jack & Bradley (my peers) at the top shows us as typical-looking
 businessmen in a black & white clothing to set the thriller scene with the white corridor/ window scenes (quite area of the school; especially during lessons) we were going to have in the top of level of our school.
My friend Sam on the left is equip with his dark hooded Assassin look to contrast the other characters who are working with each other in some way, and as we've decided this opening should be recorded without a mic, and left with my made- up thriller music/ theme (that runs for 2 minutes), it's a good idea to have this contrast, so that the viewer can distinguish possibly who's the bad guy/ opposing side.

We will be probably uploading 1/2 video blogs soon about us explaining, as a group, our different roles, and what we have done to make the opening in a nutshell to these blogs.

After talking a lot between ourselves, we got my peer Jack primarily to guide/ direct what was happening in the opening, and regardless of planning a story before, we did make up what we were going to do on the spot, as we feel this works so much better for us if we plan what is going to happen and worry about the location on the day by mutually agreeing.

We planned and we have filmed a death scene to go in our titles, but if we come to the editing, and find that after a bit of research, not many other thriller opening have death scenes e.g. breaking of necks, we will probably scrap the strangling and leave the opening unclear as opening should be to an extent i.e. the hint that the assassin is probably going to kill the businessman (I).


Without planning exactly for any particular weather, it turned out to be raining outside by the window/ staircase we were going to film with me, Jack and Bradley (guys focusing on directing and filming this piece) meet up with a briefcase and move to our work stations whilst the Assassin is following us. If the rain is noticeable in the shot of the final opening, that would go well with a miserable, dark, black & white mood.
The filming studio, which is right next to the staircase (where the Assassin will come in to kill me whilst working at a desk) has got a lot of empty boxes and lightning dotted around which involved us having to move this stuff to the other end of the room away from the filming- specialized computer; the Tricast, so that nothing unnecessary was in shot of me walking to the desk, sitting down, and having my neck broken whilst working.

During filming the staircase/ window scene, we filmed a medium a shot of me in a smart/ broad posture gazing out of the window at the poring rain; waiting for Bradley to come up a staircase to hand me a case- and then with a silent, gestured discussion, Jack comes into shot and instructs us to follow him out of the shot down a corridor- leading me to singly go into the studio (my workplace to be unknowingly killed). With the staircase, the other camera filmed a shot of the Assassin in the corner of the shot looking up from the bottom the staircase; watching us 3 interact and walk off (pretty much a POV shot).
These shots where a lot of the characters and surroundings are still should make putting in the opening credits simple enough of a job in terms of similar colour, layout etc. etc.


Whilst filming in the studio, we noticed with all the lightning and other equipment was a health and safety hazard with their wires going across the floor, and likely to trip us up, so when we were moving all the stuff to one end of the studio, we made sure the odd wire was tucked/ put somewhere away from where I would be walking into the room and sitting down briskly.

For the studio, we turned the room light off and replaced it with a dim lighting facing me at the computer to make the screen's brightness stand out more, and the focus of the shot to the audience.
With my friend Sam's creativity, we got the 2 HD Cameras to film my death scene, by one of the cameras being hidden underneath of the 2 monitors looking up at me, as well as a medium shot of seeing me side on; having my neck broken by Sam- that way, when it comes to the editing, we have more choice in shots available.
We collectively set up dim lit lightning onto me whilst i'm working at the desk to give that dark/ eerie feel, and even a sense of insensitivity.

For the editing,  my peer Bradley and I  plan to share a role in the editing of the film, an fortunately I have the software adobe Premiere at home which should come in good use when working outside of lessons with my peers/ individually- with obviously coming to a general mutual agreement on what to include and how we should do it.


1 comment:

  1. Looking good Matthew - as we discussed, don't be afraid to use a range of digital techniques to bring the blog to life, and do incorporate your research work on thriller opening conventions.

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