Genre Research Silence of the Lambs

For my fourth and final title research movie I decided to go with the 1919 Johnathan Damme movie Silence of the Lambs. It is a movie that stars Jodie Foster stars as Clarice Starling, a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into a case and that Starling, as an attractive young woman, may be just the bait to draw him out. Through looking at some other horror movies and ones that came up when I searched Get Out, Split, and Insidious Art of the Titles provided me with the title sequencing and intro of this movie. Art of the Titles is strictly based on showing just the openings of movies and for this movie it was about five minutes long. 

How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?
The opening five minutes of this movie included thirty three different opening titles including that of producers, actors, music supervisors and more.

What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?

Unlike that of the past movies I've research, this intro was rather long and focused very mainly on one character and her actions as a Police Academy student. You could tell she was strongly dedicated to her line of work and training as basically the entire opening sequence is her running and training. You can tell she is part of the Police Academy as it says it on her clothing and she is called into one of the offices by her "boss".

What Connotations do these images carry?

The main connotation I got from this was the power and personality this woman most likely contains. You can see she is very strong as she tackle obstacle courses and her clothes show off her hard work as she is dripping in sweat. It also emphasize a type of independence she posses as she is all alone training and facing the course. As well as most likely a top student of the academy as during the middle of the training she is called into the office of most likely one of the superior officers.

How is the Genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
The genre of horror/thriller.mystery isn't very much enforced in this beginning sequence as it doesn't instill any type of fear or mystery in the viewer. The only mystery I seemed to have maybe picked up on is why is the police officer calling this trainee into his office? Did she do something bad? I it for good behavior? We are unsure. Other than that I did not catch any sense of fear or danger lurking and wasn't too strongly enticed. Of course, knowing that this was a horror movie would most likely make someone want to continue watching to see what occurs but this intro being more of a backstory for the rest of the movie doesn't do a great job of presenting the horror genre. 

How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?

The enigma just like the portrayal of the genre in this intro isn't very prominent. There is really no sense of mystery, puzzling, or difficulty of understanding. The actions were straight forward and simple easy for the reader to understand and interpret as it isn't something out of the ordinary for many day to day life. Of course not everybody is a part of the police academy going through obstacle and training courses but it is not difficult to understand what she is doing and what is occurs gig these scenes.

What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience? 

The opening sequence doesn't follow or include many strategies of enticing horror movie audiences. If someone was to walk into that move not knowing what it was, seeing any trailers, or having a slight idea of it they would not assume its horror. It has little to no aspect of scary, fear for life, danger concepts and only has a slight  bit of mystery.

How was technology been used effectively?
The use of camera movements helps to really portray what happening to the person who the camera is focusing on. For example, following the charter and she climbs up the hill by rope. Or as she conquered the rope tower climbing over it and flipping back down. The sounds emphasizes her running steps on the gravel rocky road. 

Title Research Insidious

As my third Title Research Movie I decided to go with the 2010 movie Insidious. Through watching my other two opening sequences I was recommenced by Art of the Titles website to each the opening sequence for Insidious which is another horror movie. The opening sequence and fist few minutes of this movie includes important pieces such as actors who star in this movie, casting directors, directors, producers, music supervisors etc. 

How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?
The opening minute and a half  of this movie included thirty four different opening titles including that of producers, actors, music supervisors and more.

What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?

The opening scene of the movie focused mainly on following around different aspects of a room and enticing the viewer with various uses of strong, "scary" music. The entire opening was set in a black and white filter with red, sort of dripping and bloody, text. There was no particular main main aspect of this intro rather than a them e it follow oof keeping details similar and the same. There was a transition shot that seemed to have included some animation at the very beginning that was the lightbulb hanging at the top of the ceiling. 

What Connotations do these images carry?

The main connotation I got from this was very hideous in the sense that it was frightening. I had started watching this opening sequence last night and had to stop myself fro watching it because I got so scared. There is a strong image around the middle of the opening of a scary, almost rotted woman holding a doll. This excites a strong sense of far in the viewer and beginning to strongly introduce that idea that this movie is very horror filed and going to take some scary turns along the way. 

How is the Genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
For one the dark and gloomy grey filter/lighting suggest a feeling of danger and misery or sadness. Not the bright happy colors you would typically see if something good is going to happen. As well as the music in the background is very high pitched and solemn. The music is also echo in a sense as if it was to never go away. This alludes and introduces a type of queasy feeling viewers are going to get watching this movie. The intricate expression of sounds also alludes to complete silence and quietness.

How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?

The dark and gloomy grey filter/ lighting suggest a feeling of danger and misery or sadness. Not the bright happy colors you would typically see if something good is going to happen. Some mysterious questioning aspects begin the the first seconds of the movie when a mysterious, almost rotten character seems to be hiding in a closet holding a creepy doll. This scene then cuts to a blank screen beginning to introduce movie studios etc. leaving the viewer confused as to what had just happened. Also the fact that the end of the opening sequence there is a woman waking up in her bed lie she knew where she was bt the beginning of the sequence shows creatures living in her home. The woman wakes up with no care as if she wasn't aware that such things were inhabiting her home.

What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience? 

It keeps with the theme of what genre the movie is which falls into a more horror/thriller aspect. Things that are mysterious, scary, out of the ordinary, and sometimes on events or people you are typically wanted to stay away form during your years of childhood and development. The opening sequence of the movie does a very goos job and contrasting and falling into many of those things as it is something that in rather out of the ordinary. The showing of a child sleeping and haunting monsters. Then the mother and family waking up without a care as if they didn't know what was gun gun around them in the darkness of the night. Creatures living in their home, haunting and stalking them. The family being completely unaware. It entices the viewer to see what's to come an hoe the family finds out.

How was technology been used effectively?
The use of camera movements helps to really portray what happening to the person who the camera is focusing on. Fr example the way the camera moves around the house and the different rooms as if it was "walking through" does a good job of showing how and where weird creatures may be lurking around the house. It also portrays a sense of distance and length the characters are from one another. There is a child and a mom and through the way the camera movies we can see that they are somewhat far from each other. This can emphasize a sense of danger as if they are so far apart, especially the child as they tend to be the "targets" in scary movies, that they are more vulnerable to being attacked and not getting help quick enough. 

Title Research Split

For my second title research movie I decided to go with the M. Night Shyamalan movie Split. The first of the movie series which includes "Glass" as its sequel. Through looking at some other horror movies and ones that came up when I searched Get Out Art of the Titles provided me with the title sequencing and intro of this movie. Art of the Titles is strictly based on showing just the openings of movies and for this movie it was about one and a half minutes long. 

How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?
The opening minute and a half  of this movie included twenty two different opening titles including that of producers, actors, music supervisors and more.

What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?

Unlike that of Get Out, this intro was rather short and didn't focus mainly o and clear aspects, more motion (as in walking) features through a hallway. If anything the most prominent and most repeated feature was that of a black screen to project names, producers, directors, casting agents, music supervisors etc. There was another scene that was repeated which was the walking and, as if someone was looking up at lights, in a dark/ gloomy hallway at a hospital or underground tunnel/ basement.

What Connotations do these images carry?

The main connotation I got from this was soothing rather literal as it was shown through the opening. What I had seen and what was "given" to me was a girl almost as if she was knocked out on a d=bed or a stretcher being rolled through a hospital hallway. It seems as thought that person taking her had bad intentions because through the haziness you could tell the person wasn't wearing typical nurse/ hospital attire. The end of the opening also shows her waking up laying down and seeming lost as if she was taken there against her will. The very beginning also shows a man with a mask over his face reaching to to grab someone in the passenger seat of his car. This helped me to understand that it was most likely the girl being taken in the bed and waking up in a mysterious place.

How is the Genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
For one the dark and gloomy almost orange yellowy lighting suggest a feeling of danger and misery or sadness. Not the bright happy colors you would typically see if something good is going to happen. As well as the music in the background is very high pitched and solemn. The music is also echo in a sense as if it was to never go away. This alludes and introduces a type of queasy feeling viewers are going to get watching this movie. The intricate expression of sounds also alludes to complete silence and quietness. The wheels of the stretcher going along the ground and the heavy breathing for the person moving the stretcher.

How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?

Again, the dark and gloomy almost orange yellowy lighting suggest a feeling of danger and misery or sadness. Not the bright happy colors you would typically see if something good is going to happen. Some mysterious questioning aspects begin the the first seconds of the movie when a character seems to strangle or grab someone agains their wishes. This scene then cuts to a blanc screen beginning to introduce movie studios etc. leaving the viewer confused as to what had just happened. Also the fact that the end of the opening sequence is the a girl waking up in a. mysterious, rather dark room, opening her eyes slowly as if she didn't know or feel that she was asleep, or possibly knocked out. The girl seemed extremely confused and at a loss of memory looking around trying to figure out where she was and how she had got there.

What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience? 

It keeps with the theme of what genre the movie is which falls into a more horror/thriller aspect. Things that are mysterious, scary, out of the ordinary, and sometimes on events or people you are typically wanted to stay away form during your years of childhood and development. The opening sequence of the movie does a very goos job and contrasting and falling into many of those things as it is something that in rather out of the ordinary. A girl being attacked, knocked out, and taken on a stretcher into a place that set not familiar with by a person she doesn't know is a min aspect of making this movie mysterious and enticing the viewer within the first few minutes.

How was technology been used effectively?
The use of camera movements helps to really portray what happening to the person who the camera is focusing on. For example, the very beginning is a POV shot of someone sitting in the passenger seat of a car looking over to see someone launch at their face. The camera does a good job of portraying that speed the head as it movies and it's backing away as the character comes closer. As well as some low angle shots when the girl in on the stretcher being dragged. These shots show the person behind her pulling the stretcher taking it "farther into the darkness'. This does a good job and showing the power and authority this taller figure has and how they have the control in this situation. 

Title Research Get Out

As my first Title Research Movie I decided to go with the 2017 movie Get Out. By going through some pages and searching I found the opening sequence for Get Out on Art of the Titles. The website provides just the opening sequence which is about three and a half minutes long.

How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?
The opening minutes of this movie included twenty seven different opening titles including that of producers, actors, music supervisors and more.

What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?
Most of the imagery you saw around three quarters of it all is woods and nature.As if you are in a car looking out of the widow at all the trees you are passing on an empty road.

What Connotations do these images carry?
This can show or represent solidarity, isolation, and loneliness in the woods all alone and lost. This is most likely setting the tone for the rest of the movie as it is horror. Giving the viewer an idea of whats to come next.

How is the Genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
The genre isn't super reinforced in these few opening sequences except for in the very beginning and for the woodsy parts. The very beginning shows someone getting in their car and driving off in the middle of the night in a secluded neighborhood. The opening also shows many happy things like a happy couple together and baked good inducing happiness and smiles. Therefore the viewer can exactly tell it is horror or can get the idea that a sudden twist is to come.

How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?
Enigma is strongly established just through the first few pieces of the opening and basically the prioritized images of the opening sequence. Those being the tracking shots through the woods and the mysterious man or woman getting in the car and driving off into darkness in the very beginning.

What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience? 
I don't think and didn't see many prominent or common strategies being used as this movie seems to be more about the twist in the movie that isn't expected. I can see how using a strategy of starting the movie on more of a light, heartfelt note can be used as a strategy to trick the viewer into thinking everything will be okay. As well as having the audience assume the two first characters seen are the main ones and something will happen to them in the end. Otherwise, I didn't see many conventional and typical features of a horror movie being used in this opening sequence. This gives me the idea, and most likely any other viewer that the movie is one of those that starts off fine and turns into something very creepy and distraught as new discoveries come about and stories are unraveled.

How was technology been used effectively?
The tracking shot used very prominently in the woods and basically the most prominent piece of the opening sequence is portrayed very well. It helps to show or give the reader and idea of a car driving past the woods waiting for something to happen, building up tension. This also was a good setup for titles being placed in and gave a clear, concise background making everything easy to read. The pan at the bakery showing the baked good did a good job of 1. just showing off the food and giving the viewer an idea of a delicious bakery insinuating delicious smells. As well as give a good pan to then close up on the woman who can be assumed to be one of the main characters buying the pastries and introducing the first character.

Watch the Titles

Forget the Film, Watch the Titles! is a project dedicated to the art of title design and its creators. Launched in 2006, the recently renewed website features a growing collection of over 200 title sequences and behind-the-scenes content, offering a unique glimpse into the people, ideas and processes behind their creation. A fantastic USP is the ongoing series of short documentaries about the world’s leading title designers. Some things I learned and saw was that 1. Many title sequences are designed to be strictly informative and present the cast and crew. Others are created to give the audience a taste of what’s to come. But some transcend their proper function to become landmarks of popular culture and cultural symbols of their time. For example, Saul Bass’ Anatomy of a Murder, Iginio Lardani’s The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, and Kyle Cooper’s title sequence for Se7en have all left a mark on culture as a whole. I saw on this website how, unlike art of the titles, they organized and categorized the work they had better and more efficiently. This website included TV shows and had a section where you could watch and research just TV shows instead of movies. It also had sections for feature films, student projects, video games, event titles, and french fridays. Just like art of the studios this website also included sections to look for designers and studios and also ad a search. I did however find the same issue with this website as the last and that was that it had no organization of genres. I couldn't look at specifically horror or specifically thriller. The inclusion of the search bar does help but for someone like me who isn't fully familiar with movies, movie names, and genres movies fall into it is a little difficult.

Art of the Titles

Art of the Title is an online publication dedicated to title sequence design, spanning the film, television, conference, and video game industries. The publication is both an educational and historical resource and a contemporary publication, focusing on the creative process behind the design of title sequences. While I was on here I was able to discover and watch, or re-watch some of the opening sequences of different movies. I selected many movies that fell into the genre of the one I wanted to create, which was horror. I did this because I felt it would give me a better idea and more of a perspective on what to do rather than just winging it. I was able to learn that many intros for horror movies really aren't THAT scary and the titling or font of the text isn't always was entices the viewer. I also learned that spreading out names and aspects of the opening minutes is best that way the viewer isn't overwhelmed with information. It also showed mt how you can fit in names and stuff with other aspects of the intro and ways to do it without interfering with the opening sequence. As well as how the opening sequence doesn't always necessarily have to be something with actors and can be many pictures, or a map, or something that gives background to up coming events. I saw how the website included many movies and genres I had never even thought or known about. It was also very spread out and in a loose term messy. There was horror mixed with comedy, or animation and many movies I saw I had never heard of. This made it somewhat confusing for me as I wasn't exactly sure of what to look for. I did like, however, how you could choose or search different designers and studios if you were looking for something specific. As well as, even thought not withing my knowledge it included many different movies which is nice if you ar ejsut looking for some examples. 

Genre Research US

US was a movie created by Jordan Peele as a follow up, not sequel, to his first movie Get Out. Get Out was a super successful movie in the box office which gave a very frightening twist to the racist white people america used to be overpopulated of. The follow -up to Get Out was the movie US which is about a family who has just recently moved and a demented form of their doppelgänger family begins haunting the and trying to kill them. Us is a 2019 American horror film written and directed by Jordan Peele, starring Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Evan Alex, Elisabeth Moss, and Tim Heidecker. The film follows Adelaide Wilson (Wyong’o) and her family, who are attacked by a group of menacing doppelgängers. Common camera angles are Reverse Shots, Close up, Tracking-pan Shots, Zoom Shots, Wide Shot, Low Angle Shot, Over the shoulder Shot, Hand held Camera Horror, Birds Eye view shot, Cantered Angle. Common Lighting is Uplighting, Silhouette, Spotlighting, Underexposure, Harsh light (hard light, chiaroscuro, Prominent and projected shadow, Shooting through objects (internal frames, Shooting through elements. The common theme among all of these different lighting methods is that they all obscure or distort reality in some way. The suspense and tension that is built during a dramatic and horrifying scene keeps the audience on their toes and coming back for more. Horror films work because of the editors’ efforts and decisions. The horror genre is one place where the editor needs to meticulously work their craft in order to get a desired outcome from the audience. Even better still, a video editor can translate the lessons learned from cutting a horror piece into building dynamic tension into almost any video. In turn, the video editor hooks their audience, grabbing ahold of their attention. Common editing used in this movie is usually fade to black and straight cuts. Fading to black gives a mysterious and tense feel and may make the audience feel at unease. They suggest fear of the unknown giving the audience what they may experience in the film and tell them not everything is right, even when it seems to be. Straight cuts are very basic but allow for fast paced shots and potentially jump scares. Common sound is One unsettling and hidden “sound” that is given credit for freaking out an audience is infrasound—a low-frequency sound that cannot be heard, but literally unsettles human beings down to our bones. Some things I really enjoyed about this movie was the soundtrack. Jordan Peele is very good at picking music for these movies and is able to pick a single song that fits the movie which is the one that you recognize it by. Like Frozen has Let it Go and Into the Unknown, Us has its song as well. Some things I didn't enjoy of felt were somewhat of a let down was that it didn't meet my expectations interns of scare and "oh my god' factor as the first movie Get Out did. Jordan Peele did amazing in portraying a very eerie and creepy way but the scariness factor wasn't there for me. I still thought it was an amazing movie but it could've been done better.

Genre Research Annabelle

Annabelle is a movie that focuses on a demented doll whose name is Annabelle. Hence the name of the movie. The concept of the movie is based on a  true story of a raggedy anne doll which wa possessed and haunting families. The doll and its movie spans to other horror movies which have the same concept like the conjuring. Annabelle is a 2014 American supernatural horror film directed by John R. Leonetti, written by Gary Dauberman and produced by Peter Safran and James Wan. It is a prequel to 2013's The Conjuring and the second installment in the Conjuring Universe franchise. The film was inspired by a story of a doll named Annabelle told by Ed and Lorraine Warren. The film stars Annabelle Wallis, Ward Horton, and Alfre Woodard.Common camera angles are Reverse Shots, Close up, Tracking-pan Shots, Zoom Shots, Wide Shot, Low Angle Shot, Over the shoulder Shot, Hand held Camera Horror, Birds Eye view shot, Cantered Angle. Common Lighting is Uplighting, Silhouette, Spotlighting, Underexposure, Harsh light (hard light, chiaroscuro, Prominent and projected shadow, Shooting through objects (internal frames, Shooting through elements. The common theme among all of these different lighting methods is that they all obscure or distort reality in some way. The suspense and tension that is built during a dramatic and horrifying scene keeps the audience on their toes and coming back for more. Horror films work because of the editors’ efforts and decisions. The horror genre is one place where the editor needs to meticulously work their craft in order to get a desired outcome from the audience. Even better still, a video editor can translate the lessons learned from cutting a horror piece into building dynamic tension into almost any video. In turn, the video editor hooks their audience, grabbing ahold of their attention. Common editing used in this movie is usually fade to black and straight cuts. Fading to black gives a mysterious and tense feel and may make the audience feel at unease. They suggest fear of the unknown giving the audience what they may experience in the film and tell them not everything is right, even when it seems to be. Straight cuts are very basic but allow for fast paced shots and potentially jump scares. Common sound is One unsettling and hidden “sound” that is given credit for freaking out an audience is infrasound—a low-frequency sound that cannot be heard, but literally unsettles human beings down to our bones. Some things I really enjoyed about this movie was the fact that they were able to make it as realistic as possible in including vey similar aspect of the real life events that occurred. The way in which they found actors to portray Ed and Lorraine Warren. As well as how in the credits they put on pictures of the actual event and detailed date information. Some things I didn't enjoy is that although the dll they made was extremely scary they did not stay true to the ragged anne doll" theme. The real doll is a raggedy anne and I would've preferred much more to see the a version of the demoted doll rather than a character they made up themselves

Genre Research It

It is a movie that was first created in 1990 and centers around a clown character who’s name is Pennywise. He lives in the sewers and only comes back to the town he haunts every 27 years. He’s extremely scary as he goes around eating so many people in the town and having them disappear. The movie has an original and it’s remake came out in 2017 with a sequel in 2019. Common camera angles are Reverse Shots, Close up, Tracking-pan Shots, Zoom Shots, Wide Shot, Low Angle Shot, Over the shoulder Shot, Hand held Camera Horror, Birds Eye view shot, Cantered Angle. Common Lighting is Uplighting, Silhouette, Spotlighting, Underexposure, Harsh light (hard light, chiaroscuro, Prominent and projected shadow, Shooting through objects (internal frames, Shooting through elements. The common theme among all of these different lighting methods is that they all obscure or distort reality in some way. The suspense and tension that is built during a dramatic and horrifying scene keeps the audience on their toes and coming back for more. Horror films work because of the editors’ efforts and decisions. The horror genre is one place where the editor needs to meticulously work their craft in order to get a desired outcome from the audience. Even better still, a video editor can translate the lessons learned from cutting a horror piece into building dynamic tension into almost any video. In turn, the video editor hooks their audience, grabbing ahold of their attention. Common editing used in this movie is usually fade to black and straight cuts. Fading to black gives a mysterious and tense feel and may make the audience feel at unease. They suggest fear of the unknown giving the audience what they may experience in the film and tell them not everything is right, even when it seems to be. Straight cuts are very basic but allow for fast paced shots and potentially jump scares. Common sound is One unsettling and hidden “sound” that is given credit for freaking out an audience is infrasound—a low-frequency sound that cannot be heard, but literally unsettles human beings down to our bones. Common actors in this movie are Bill Skarsgard who plays pen whose himself. Filling him are the adults and kids that play the ones trying to defeat penny wise.  Some parts of this movie I really enjoyed were how they were able to create such “ugly” scenes portraying pennywise as the monster he is. In the first movie they made a scene where his movie opened so wide before he consumed a kid and I thought that was very good. As well as how they amante to create that fear factor with the music they use and the following of one character at a time seeing what’s going to happen to them. There wasn’t much I didn’t enjoy on these movies however I felt that in the beginning they could created a bit more character attachment to Georgie the little boy that dies first in order for the Kids to discover pennywise and defeat him. 

Genre Research Saw

Saw movies were a series of movies beginning to be made in 2004. They were centered around a demented doll character that was controlled by a man and would make people hurt themselves. It would trap people and would only let them leave after they had hurt themselves or another in the same position as them. Common camera angles are Reverse Shots, Close up, Tracking-pan Shots, Zoom Shots, Wide Shot, Low Angle Shot, Over the shoulder Shot, Hand held Camera Horror, Birds Eye view shot, Cantered Angle. Common Lighting is Uplighting, Silhouette, Spotlighting, Underexposure, Harsh light (hard light, chiaroscuro, Prominent and projected shadow, Shooting through objects (internal frames, Shooting through elements. The common theme among all of these different lighting methods is that they all obscure or distort reality in some way. Common actors include one Tobin Bell as he is the only one who is seen consistently throughout all of the Saw franchise movies. Tobin Bell plays the character Jigsaw in all the movies whilst victims rotate throughout. Therefore Tobin Bell being Jigsaw is the only reappearing actor in each of the movies. In saw movies editing was mostly used as cutaways as the movie followed character most of the time. What we can see however, is when these movies were released much software was old and didn’t have many capabilities so editing is choppy and now can be see as unlikeable by many.  In the movie Saw there were various aspects I did enjoy as it was always keeping me enticed and waiting for what was to happen next. Some stuff I didn’t like that much was how they always prolonged or explained the background of each character and how they became to be chosen. Manny of the times the informations isn’t very relevant and only takes away from the true aspect of what the movie is. Of course the use of blood and pain is necessary as they are what centers the whole point of this movie which os something that can be appreciated or much disliked depending on the type of viewer you are. 

Genre Research Powerpoint

For this powerpoint/project we researched common aspects of different movie genres. My groups specific genre to research was Musicals. Musicals like movie musicals not theater musicals like that. As a main example for our genre High School Musical and that's what we based our common features of a musical on. We looked at things like camera angles and movement for example. We also took a look at stuff that makes the scenery like common mis en scene and lighting. The project was taken as a group so we decided to split it up among the four of us each taking 3-4 slides. The last feature we placed on our project was add music to create emphasis.  

Genre Research Movie Opening Scene

For my movie which I've chosen a stalker story that will portray a sense of scaredness and suspension. I decided I want to go with a Horror genre to open my movie as I feel like it will entice viewers the best. Using something like a romance or a comedy wouldn't entice viewers as easily and quickly. Horror is a genre in which I can easily come up with new concepts to chance, replace or add into my opening sequence. Whilst many other genres must be carefully thought out before they are able to film them. Like action, comedy, romance, musicals, country etc. I also feel that with the horror aspect I can leave where’s wanting more creating suspension.

Genre Research 2 New Genres

A very common genre that has been becoming more popular lately is Horror. A horror film is a film that seeks to elicit fear for entertainment purposes. It was initially inspired by literature from authors like Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker, and Mary Shelley, horror has existed as a film genre for more than a century. Common camera angles in horror include: Close up’s in these types of genres are used to see reactions on the actor/actresses face. Tilt shots add a lot of dramatic tension to shots, and could simplify a supernatural being, for example, pushing or moving the camera. Low angle shots are very powerful in the way they can emphasize just how scary or intimidating a villain is. This shot is taken from the point of view of the character. Mise En Scene: Typically, in horror films, the setting is in a dark, rural location or somewhere deserted where nobody would be. Most places are abandoned and isolated. This creates a mystery and suspicion throughout the film. Common Editing: Common transitions that are used within horror trailers are usually fade to black and straight cuts. Fading to black gives the trailer a mysterious and tense feel and may make the audience feel at unease. They suggest fear of the unknown giving the audience what they may experience in the film and tell them not everything is right, even when it seems to be. Straight cuts are very basic but allow for fast paced shots and potentially jump scares. On the following slides are trailers that feature the fade to black transition effectively. Elements: Mystery, Imagination, Suspense, and Fear. Examples of Horror Movies are, It, Us, Get Out, Doctor Sleep, Ready or Not etc.

Another common genre is similar to Horror is Thriller. Thriller is a genre of fiction, having numerous, often overlapping subgenres. Thrillers are characterized and defined by the moods they elicit, giving viewers heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation and anxiety. Successful examples of thrillers are the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Common Camera Angles of Thrillers are: Close up and extreme close ups, High angle shots, Low angle shots, Canted angles, Wide shot, Panning shots. Mise en Scene: Weapons are one of the most common props in thrillers as there is usually a fight scene between the antagonist and the protagonist. Weapons convey danger and violence and so are commonly used to create tension and suspense in scenes. Common Editing: fast and slow paced editing in their films. This is very good at creating suspense, tension and also conveying emotions and/or representing characters. Most commonly, thrillers use fast and slow paced editing specifically to create suspense and tension within a scene. Elements: uses suspense, tension and excitement as its main elements. Thrillers heavily stimulate the viewers moods giving them a high level of anticipation, ultra- heightened expectation, uncertainty, surprise, anxiety and terror. Examples: The Dark Knight, Heat, Speed, Dirty Harry, The Rock Action etc.

Picking my Movie Pitch

For this project I have noted my three ideas for my movie down to two. Those being the stalker one and the love story gone wrong. I feel that even thought my top two are somewhat generic the murder mystery is something everybody can come up with quickly. I want to take my own spin on the stalker and love story gone wrong and already have ideas for how to do them. Other than the murder mystery being more generic it seems as thought that’s what’s portrayed now in large movie studios. Someone dies, police investigate, person continues to kill, series of movies is made. For example, the Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, and evening It series are all movies that fit into murder mystery “ways”. Of course they all include some stalking and the stereotype movie murderer identity but it’s all about killing and creeping. With my two topics I want to stray as far away as possible from that stuff which is why I chose them and why I feel they will be the best fri for me as a director, producer, editor etc. as well as the fact that I already have a vision for how I could film those helps greatly. 

My first of the two options is a stalker type thriller movie. I want it to be more of a kidnapping stalker than just someone being watched. I want the viewer to be left hanging with suspense at the end of the two minutes I have. I feel this is very important especially with the type of movie that I am making because if you can’t entice the viewers and leave them wanting more then you’re not setting a good precedent for the possible rest of your movie. I see ways in which this could go wrong as there are t.v shows/ series like the Netflix Original YOU and other shows that are similar but in the ways that I want to put my own twist on it per se I think I can make it less generic than most movies of the sort. Knowing the ways in which my plan could downfall plays very well in my favor because it gives me a basis on what to think about when i’m filming and casting. It shows that I am aware of what could potentially go wrong and gives me the opportunity to fix my mistakes before I make them. This also goes for my other idea and contributed to my decision when I pick which of the two I want to do for my project. 

My second idea for my final project was a love story gone wrong. This would be more of a couple that’s deeply in love and one beginning to get distant whilst the other one begins to notice but doesn’t understand why. The one getting distant is starting to scare the other in ways in which they threaten to leave etc. However what the threatened one doesn’t realize is that these are all tactics into getting them to stay. This toxic relationship has gone downhill fast and is not boding well for one of them. In the end of my two minutes I want to show a passage of time from happy to sad in the couple. Leaving them on a cliffhanger of what’s to happen next as one of them is dragged away. We don’t know exactly what happened but if the movie was to continue it would start from the beginning of their story and all of the events that lead to the toxicity. 

After deliberating and finding different ways to portray each idea I have decided that I want to go with the stalker story. I see how both my ideas are possibly in portraying and i fell like I have a sold basis for both. However, the stalker one I have more of a vision of it in my head. I am already thinking of locations in which I want to film and the people I want to include that could act out the story the wya I want it to come across. I am very hopeful for the near future of how my project will go and hope this analysis works with he for the better and not for the worse. 

Start of Final Task

For this project, where we are working on the first two minutes of an original movie, I have decided to work alone. I chose not to work with a group because I find myself as a worker who likes to have full on control and don't want my ideas being questioned by other in a group. I am scared of the amount of workload in which I am going to have to handle myself but I am confident I will be able to portray what I want without hesitation and reliance on others. I do doubt myself in a few factors of getting everything done in a timely manner as well as not procrastinating. However, with the way in which I want to film and get everything done I'm sure I will be able to manage my time wisely. I see myself as a hard independent worker but I do have my downfall in some areas which it a worries me splitting from my group. I chose to split because on my past projects we never truly worked together and I as well as my other partner Macy were left with majority of the decisions and workload. Therefore, if I could handle it before I feel as thought I'll be able to handle it now.

Throughout my journey working and creating other projects like a commercial and a music video I feel like I've learned how to work with a camera to portray what I want and how to manage editing studios. For filming, instead of using the school issued camera and tripod I've been working and filming on my phone. Doing this has made it easier for me to film in some ways but also harder in others. I've learned that tilting the camera and moving different ways can express different types of scenery and events. However, it makes it harder to do tracking shots and moving ones because you don't have much of a sturdy base as you yourself are holding the camera. For now thought I am excited to see how I will handle working and editing on my own and the ways in which ill be able to direct others.

A pitch is a Hollywood term used to describe an idea where a film is encapsulated in 25 words or less. Usually said in once sentence and often referred to as an elevator pitch since they're commonly short and entice the listener very quickly. For me I want to work on some horror or thriller themes that are easy enough to work with and can entice an audience quickly. They also are easy to work with as you can leave anybody hung up with some suspense. I have three ideas/ topics that I think I could work with and portray really well. The first one is a murder mystery where a murder has been committed in town and the murderer is lurking around looking for its next victim and you don't n]know who exactly the murderer is while investigation is looking for him/her. My next idea is a love story gone wrong, two lovers, one gone insane goes on a hunt to kill the other. You follow the murderous one on their journey to find the other and kill him/her. Lastly, a stalker following and kidnapping its prey. The victim is just walking home from clubbing one night and suddenly gets kidnapped by the towns most unexpected person. You'd think everything could be fine but it turn nasty pretty quick.