Se7en

In our last few lessons, we have been watching se7en, directed by David Fincher, as a class.

This opening sequence was ranked by IFC as the third greatest title sequence of all time, and is one of the most memorable:

The sequence is a montage of unnerving close ups, giving the viewers an insight into the killers mind, and an intimate view of his artistic expressions. The use of extreme close ups and jump cuts in the sequence creates an unsettling atmosphere, in conjunction with the sharp music in which a few short screams and disturbingly high pitched sounds can be distinctly heard. The editing done by Angus Wall, incorporated techniques such as fading, dissolving and superimposition to add to the abrupt, distorted and almost violent composition of the sequence. Here is the storyboard of the sequence, drawn by Wayne Coe:

The actual titles of the film looked almost hand drawn to reflect the idea of the audience seeing through the killers perspective, and they appear in roughly 4 second long flashes then are quickly wiped off the screen to reinforce the distressing atmosphere. Here are stills of the titles, designed and executed by Kyle Cooper:

The opening sequence for se7en is extremely effective in creating a thrilling atmosphere and mood for the rest of the film, and the techniques used help place a visual emphasis on significant details, which are revealed and explained later on in the movie. As a viewer, I was compelled by the sequence and in creating our two minute opening, my group hopes to use similar techniques to engage our audience. We have also taken away some ideas about how to present our titles more dexterously, to reflect the atmosphere we hope to create.

BFI vlog!

Here is some footage from our trip to the BFI, in which it is explained to me that I can't just call any bridge in London, London Bridge. (Thanks Tayla)

BFI trip!

Today our media class attended a session at the BFI, where the chief examiner for Media Studies, Pete Fraser, talked to us about how to create a good film opening.
He gave us some tips and tricks on how to include these 5 key aspects:

1. Genre
2. Narrative (enigma)
3. Character
4. Atmosphere
5. Setting

We watched a few examples of film openings, including Catch Me If You Can, Dawn of the Dead and Napoleon Dynamite and we were told to look out for the five key features mentioned above.
These examples are taken from three completely different genres, which is useful for general research into film openings and we found that all three openings incorporate these features in ways specific to the objective of the film. I found it helpful to look at these because it made me realize what has to go into our product, for it to look like the opening for an actual feature length film.

We also had a look at a few film openings done by Media Studies students in the past and assessed them, to highlight the good features and identify areas for improvement. This was useful because we were able to see which opening had the greatest impact on the audience and we learned a bit about what to avoid on filming days and how to add in our titles effectively.

Hannah Rothman, Associate Director of Create Advertising London, also spoke to us about creating trailers and her experiences within the media industry. She helped us establish the differences between trailers and film openings, so that our opening does not end up looking like a short film or trailer. We learned a lot about her journey into the media industry and what her job entails which was really interesting for me as I am considering a career in media. Here is a trailer which Rothman worked on:

We spent our afternoon in a session with Dexter Fletcher, an actor and director who started his career in one of the first and best films that I saw when I was younger, Bugsy Malone! We received advice on the best ways to shoot our two minute opening and the ideas and processes behind some of his own recent film productions. Here are the trailers for Wild Bill (2011) and Sunshine on Leith (2013) which we were shown the openings to:

My group in particular found today really inspiring, and after being told about some of the most common, cliché film openings previous students have produced, we have decided to change our idea and attempt to produce something a little more authentic!

Requiem for a dream: visual techniques

Requiem for a dream (2000) pulls it's audience into the harrowing lives of four addicts. The movie begins by introducing the mundane lives of these four unsatisfied characters, who are looking for a better life. Sara Goldfarb wants to be thinner and feel younger, while her son Harry, his girlfriend Marion and his best friend Tyrone hope to sell enough drugs to make a living. As the plot thickens, the horrifying effect of drugs on each character is shown by slowly replacing their original aspirations with an increasing demand for drugs which causes them to spiral out of control; a truly eye-opening experience for the audience. Aronofsky plays with the audiences' pathos and rather than giving us a direct message, he artistically presents the brutal reality of drug abuse through the dexterous use of visual techniques.

The use of close ups in the movie increase intensity - whether the shot is of a face, powder or even a remote, each close up creates visual depth. The close up of Marion's face after she has sex with someone who she is sickened by just for drug money, shows the vacant expression on her face as she looks down to signify her feelings of shame and worthlessness. The audience can literally feel her guilt as the shaky movement of the camera in the travelling shot creates a feeling of insecurity and desperation to get away.

The use of drugs is shown in a 'hip hop montage' stamped by Aronofsky, which is several quickly cut shots with a sound to match each shot. This sequence is repeated to familiarize the audience with this action, but also to reflect on how for each little time a drug is taken, every small moment of euphoria under its influence is followed by a longer, much more distressing come down.

The scene where Ms Goldfarb is walking down the street in her red dress at the beginning of Winter shows everyone except her in a hyperlapse, moving at a fast pace. This portrays not only her isolation and confusion in the world around her, but also her vulnerability as we are shown how no one is paying attention to her as she slowly disintegrates.

Split screens were also used to explore the depth of a relationship. When Harry and Marion are talking, the screens showed Harry on the left and Marion on the right. Harry's hands were shown touching Marion's skin in the right frame while Marion's were shown touching Harry's in the left. The viewer is compelled by the passionate dialogue which matches the embrace shown by these two characters, displaying their raw love for each other.

My favourite scene in the movie is the POV shot given through a fish eye lens, where the audience become the television and Ms Goldfarb looks up towards us. The low angle shot of her looking up at the screen illustrates how belittled she has become and it indicates that she has been subjected to her desire to be on television. When we look at a close up of her face through our own screens, it is as though we are absorbing her guilt for taking a double dose and her isolation when she is glued to the television. This divide is set up so that we not only feel the hopelessness of Ms Goldfarb, but our own hopelessness as an audience, we can't do anything to help the character on screen. However, the POV shot switching to a high angle shot also gives the audience a power over this character and we are reminded that we have the choice to take control of our lives and not end up like Ms Goldfarb, which emphasizes the underlying message of the movie in an extremely effective way.

I really hope to employ some of these visual techniques in our own two minute film opening, to establish a connection between the audience and the characters on screen while also creating an interesting viewing experience for the audience!