Group Work

Yesterday we worked on our storyboard. We will be done with it by Friday. Hopefully...

Final Idea for the opening sequence of thriller

Last week my group and I finally completed the script for our opening sequence. We thought of the conspiracy theory that was perfect for the ending of our sequence: Area 51. It is both mysterious and spooky which is exactly what we need. So the film starts with normal guy is in an empty parking lot He is waiting in his “Nissan type” car for something to happen. He knows that there is an event which is going to happen at the specific time any minute now. From the overview of his car we can see that he pretty much lives in his car. His blanket, bunch of food leftovers, all those objects indicate that he spends his life on the road chasing “something”. Very important maneuver is that in the passenger seat next to him the camera zooms on a pile books on conspiracy theories which feeds the audience with more detail about our mysterious character. He waits for that event in anticipation, tries to switch a radio to get more relaxed but no matter what channel he turns he cannot find signal. He looks at his watch, its ticking rapidly as the tension builds up. The time has come and the character leaves his car, walks steadily straight, counting the amount of steps he makes. He finally reaches “the spot”. The character knows that there is a specific invisible barrier that prevents him from going through so therefore he tries to push the gravity of it with his both hands, when he is finally able to “break that invisible barrier” and open the portal, it leads him to “Area 51”. We know this because the scenery is as “deserty” as the Nevada since the Area 51 is based in there and also there is a sign that says “ WARNING Area 51”. He puts his oxygen mask on and makes his way to the area, the portal closes but the camera is still fixated on the disappearing figure that is now lost in the desert scenery. This idea was heavily inspired by my favorite film "Donnie Darko". This idea was approved by Matt, one of the Media Studies teachers and we cannot wait to shoot our sequence! I have a feeling its going to be great.

The part that inspired me from Donnie Darko

New Addition to our Dream Team

Today Bo has joined our Media group. This is exciting because now it means that we have another person who can contribute ideas towards the final AS opening sequence project. With four of us working on the sequence, the workload will be easier and also more fun. 

Discussing ideas with media teachers

Yesterday we have spoken to Matt about the three ideas my group and I have prepared.  Going to the editing suite, where the discussion was held, we were prepared for our ideas to get scraped down all together but the meeting went better then we thought it would. Although Matt didn’t like the opening sequence of “The Act”, he thought it was too theatrical and too similar to the “Awolnation” music clip, also he suggested that Emma’s idea about a psychopath wont be terrifying or thrilling enough due to the non-originality of the plot, Matt liked the idea of “Taped”.  He liked a lot the idea of knowing something about the specific events that the others are not familiar with which was the running theme in the Taped. Though the idea of CCTV is not realistic due to it filming so slow and that it will slow down the chase and the thrill the chase would have brought. So it was crucial for us to modify it. In the future lessons we will be discussing what kind of the event will be happening in the sequence. Seb and I came up with the idea of an alien invasion that a regular guy in the car was viewing and had the chance to film. In order for our opening sequence not to look foolish, we thought that we could portray the alien invasion with the use of white light exposing like in the Awolnation Sail music video. On Monday, Emma, Seb and I will discuss other ideas for the opening sequences that we will be able to present the following week to the media teachers. 

Ilya Vostrov/The russian artist

Ilya Vostrov is a Russian digital effects artist best known for work on opening sequences of Russian films like "The Black Lightening", "The irony of an event: Continuation", "Turkish Gambit", "Day Watch" and "Night watch".  He often collaborates with Russian director Timur Bekmambetov who created films like "Wanted", both Night and Day Watch and "Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter. Vostrov's work on Night Watch (2004) became highly acclaimed and some of the Russian filmmakers even considered his effects as an innovation for Russian cinematography. Many people including me liked the way he brought the horror of mythology into his opening sequences. He creates the perfect start for the movie making the audience happy to be in the cinema or at home watching this very film.

Here is a clip from the popular Russian Film Night Watch:

Kyle Cooper and his work

Kyle Cooper is an American title designer who introduced his opening credits and advertisements as an art form to us for the first time in 1994. His groundbreaking title sequences like "Seven" and "Spiderman " have changed the way we view the title design today. Cooper's sequences are considered to be one of the most important innovations in the history of design.

 Among Seven and Spiderman, one of his memorable works include an opening sequence from a horror-drama television series called "American Horror Story". I like it a lot because it reminds me of "Seven" opening sequence, the music is as frightening and as provocative, there are a lot of spooky objects along with pictures just like in "Seven" but unlike the 1995 opening title phenomenon, American Horror Story has a fresh feel to it. This time, the location and the setting of the light play the important part in setting the dark tone in order to prepare its viewers for such experience. The location of the house gives the audience the feeling that along with the ominous objects, we are trapped in the old basement as well. With the help of dimmed lighting, the objects are presented in the aphotic light. The viewers when watching this main title feel lonely and forgotten in the terrifying manor that brings the thrill and the imagery to the viewers. The main titles are shown very big and are stylized in the antique fashion making them memorable. When the titles along with the pictures get burned in the hungry flame, the audience thinks that the fire will play a big part later in the series, that maybe the house will trap the unfortunate family and burn them alive. 

Another creation that is done by Kyle Cooper is an opening credit for Mandate Pictures. To me, this intro is very memorable and mysterious. The use of the drumming noise that brings the audience's attention is used very successfully. It captured my attention from the beginning. The surrealistic location and the group of people trapped in a drum at first puts the viewers off-balance but then when they see it again, they start to appreciate its creativity more. One of Kyle Cooper's famous techniques often used in his graphic designs is movement and here in this piece of work that technique is clearly shown. When the group of people from this clip, walk confidently toward the audience and get surprisingly trapped in the drum shocks the viewers but that little maneuver made me like this opening credit even more. The image of little girl at the end is very interesting too, it leaves the audience wondering about its meaning and the idea behind it.

Kyle Cooper's opening sequence for cartoon "Rango" shows the graphic designer's capability of doing variety of works. I particularly enjoy the bright use of colors in the sequence that help to indicate the events that will happen in the near future of this animation film. Since the main character is a chameleon, Rango changes color with the location he’s in in this opening sequence. This is a smart and bold trick. The music on the background tells us that this cartoon will be taking place in the Old West. In the nutshell, this opening sequence gives the audience a lot of clues about "Rango" and prepares the viewers since the animation is targeted at kids, it’s important that from the opening sequence children can follow easily the plot of the cartoon.