creative task 4: Remake the opening of a coming of age film

This task involved us recreating the opening sequence to a coming of age film. My group came up with the decision that we'd recreate the opening to the famous Breakfast Club, shot by shot.


This is the official opening scene of The Breakfast Club




This is the remake we made for The Breakfast Club

Script

Storyboard

Learning comment 
Even though we just copied an opening sequence, i learnt that it takes a lot of planning and perpetration to actually film a already made scene. You need to find the locations used and find or work out the dialogue in the scenes shown. By creating a storyboard it was fairly straightforward in the respect of finding locations and props available to be used while in school hours. The film is set in a school which made this task a little easier as we were able to do it in lesson, our school has all of the equipment we needed which was rewarding as we didn't need to go out of our path to recreate the shots. For our firs ever recreation personally i feel it was quite successful, we were unable to create a perfect replica of the original opening sequence due to the fact that school our school either didn't have the correct locations or because we're not allowed to damage the schools property. For example in the original, there was a scene where a student has etched "I'm eating my head" into a desk. The non-diegetic sound is also nearly spot on to the original, however the music we've used doesn't sync perfectly, as you can see in the original the song there is  little introduction before the piece actually plays but in ours as soon as the video starts, so does the music. This is also a issue because the man narrating in the 1987 version starts during the introduction but as we don't have any introduction we weren't capable to do that. The music is very loud throughout our recreation, when the two characters in the car start talking the music is supposed to fade into a faint tune, with the editing software we used, we were unable to incorporate this editing technique into ours. This makes the characters voices very quite and can make it sometimes very hard to hear the dialogue.

Task 5: Director case study

Greg Mottola

Learning comment
I have learnt from the research of Greg Mottola that by using well established and successful actors, even in your first film, it gains the public eye and makes more people aware the film. This means profits go up and with that critic reviews are positive. I have also learnt that simple editing techniques such as the wipe can be a very smooth and clean transaction to the next scene. It also takes no time at all to realize that you've moved on in the plot and something new's about to happen. What i have learned mos about his work is that music is very important in a trailer as it can give context away and helps build your understanding on the plot. For example, in Paul, i knew they were in different parts of america as there was a folk song in the background, this can suggest that they're traveling as you would normally hear a song like that while camping or traveling. The music also tells you when the film is set. In Adventureland the music was very 80's, this fitted perfectly with the 80's text which was also shown. the colours, shapes and font were all indicators that the film was set in the 80's.
 

Films directed by Greg Mottola

Paul

Superbad

Adventureland

Task 4: Producers and Distributers

Learning comment
From doing this task i have realized that the big directors and distributors din't tend to create coming of age films due to the fact that they tend to produce a smaller box office figure. This has allowed me to think of a realistic distributor such as Film 4. Film 4 are not part of the big 6, they also make coming of age films and other independent movies. This task has also reinforced by knowlege on what distributors and producers do and how they're completely different. it's also made me appreciate the making of films and how hard work and critical planning can have a huge impact on the outcome of the film.

Task 11: Preliminary Task

Our Preliminary Task
Our preliminary task was to combine match on action and shot-reverse-shot while keeping the 180-degree rule, we also included a point of view shot. This was our hardest task so far as we needed more thought, planning and structure. We kept t easy and simple by just doing a normal conversation, we didn't want to over complicate things as this the first time that we have combined all 3 shots together.

This is the storyboard for our video

Credit to Alex Hall for making it.

What went well?
-Our Shot-reverse-shots were well edited and looked effortless, looked like we had 2 cameras recording the conversation.
-We used a variety of different camera angles and shots in our video. for example we used pan, wide angles and a few point of view shots. This is effective because it's not boring to watch and the different angles and shots creative a different perspective and puts you in the characters shoes. The wide angles can mean that more of the setting can be seen. This gives a clearer understanding of our surroundings.

What didn't go well?
-We used a room that echos a lot, this interferes with our dialogue as some parts are very hard to hear. Also when the characters speak to each other it's very quite. We could have countered this issue while editing.
-Some shots weren't edited correctly and this gives a lack of continuity and a seamlessness to it. For example when Tom says " lets go" he pulls his chair out. The next shot shows him pulling the chair out again. 
-The final shot is filmed incorrectly as the camera is aimed at my legs instead of my head. this gives the final part of the video a amateur feel to it, this is a simple mistake that could have easily haven been changed and re-filmed.

Learning comment
From this task i have learned that you must be very patient with the editing and you must show resilience, the editing can be frustrating as you must get every shot cropped down to the correct size so that the previous shot and the shot after run smoothly and look effortless. However editing is crucial and you can't just think that it's going to always be easy. For a couple of shots we were close to re-filming parts. We had cut our video to short so when it came to editing, it was nearly impossible to match the scenes so the dialogue in the previous scene wasn't the same as the next. next time we will won't cut straight away, hopefully this will help us overcome the problem. I've also learnt that you must take time planing scenes, having a storyboard to look at while filming is extremely useful, it allows you to get the shots correct and what type of camera angle you're using. It also makes it slightly easier when editing because we know how we want it to look like.

Task 3: Conventions of opening sequence

Juno
This is my reverse storyboard for the coming of age film called 'Juno'. 

Juno ‘reverse’ storyboard from Adam Tanner

Ferris Bueller's Day Off
This is a reverse storyboard for the coming to age film 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off'. Credit to Tom Constable for making this.

Media task 2 presentation. from Tom Constable

Learning comment
From analysing these opening sequences, i have learned that different camera angles, sounds, mise en scene and typography can create an interesting and entreating opening sequence for different target audiences. It's also given me a idea of how i need to involve different camera angles, sounds, mise en scene and typography into my own opening sequence to make it the best it can be. Through analysing these opening sequences, its made me think about how much we should expose of the  

Creative Task 2: Match on Action

The Match on Action shot

In today's lesson we learnt about a new concept in film called the 'match on action' shot. This is an editing technique for continuity editing in which one shot cuts to another shot portraying the action of the subject in the first . For example bending over to tie a shoe lace.

In today's lesson we learned how this shot is used in movies and how it's used for effectiveness. We were then set a task to try and make a short scene where we match on action 7 times. This made us familiar with the editing skills needed and how easy it is to actually use. Here is what my group came up with in today's lesson. 

What went well
-Most of our shots had a decent fluidity to them and many shots matched to the shot before and after.
-We didn't need to worry about background noise matching as we put a simple melody across the whole video.
-It looked as if we had a second camera filming, this makes the video look effortless and as if we had no cuts.

What we could improve in order to make it a better video
-We could have lowered the volume of the music as i feel it's very overpowering.
-Some clips lacked in continuity as the editing didn't quite match up or the acting wasn't as good as other shots for example, when tom stands up after tying u his shoe lace he just stands up instead of walking. This makes the clip look very wrong and doesn't fit.  

Learning Comment
This creative task taught me that the match on action is very effective and I've learnt how to use it. It has also taught me how to embed music and sound effects into videos, the music prevents there being a awkward silence when there is no dialogue.

Creative Task 1 : Shot Reverse Shot

My Creative Task 1.

The 180 degree rule

In today's lesson we used the 180 degree rule for the first time. The 180 degree rule is a concept in film where if there is dialogue between two people you must both stay on one side of a invisible straight line, this must not be broken, if it is broken it's called 'crossing the line' this then becomes a reverse shot. This type of shot can be particularity effective if the scene or characters role becomes confused or abnormal.

In a part of the lesson, we went out in small groups to try and use the 180 degree rule correctly and effectively. It was fairly hard to use as it was brand new to me but after a while it stars to feel normal and you understand how well it looks on video. It's very easy to forget about the rule and just film it in different positions every time. Below is the small edit we made using this concept and the storyboard we used to create the scenario. 

 The Storyboard for our video 

Our Movie using shot reverse shot



Learning Comment
This piece of work was challenging because of how accurate you have to be with every scene. It was really hard to remember to not break the 180 rule. If you do break the rule the video would have looked wrong and the video wouldn't flow as it's meant to. We also had issues with getting the camera  to focus on the correct person, this was frustrating as we were made to re shoot more times than needed. A huge issue was filming in portrait at the beginning, this was the issue when it came to editing the video as the picture was very narrow with black on the edges.We had a few audio problems where we couldn't hear the voice of the actor, this means we had to wait for the wind to die down which wasn't easy. We needed to correct this and therefore re did the whole video again. When filming shot reverse shot it's essential to keep the same costume, hair style and background. The recorder also needed to be positioned in the same place and the actors to be stances exactly the same in most of the shots. When it came to the edit, we found it difficult to order the videos in order because we did so many of the same shots and takes. In some shots it was extremely hard to crop the video to the point where we only wanted to hear certain parts, for example when Alex spoke I replied almost straight away. This caused a very annoying issue which was hard to overcome.
If I had the chance or opportunity to re-do this video, i would try harder to make it more accurate and look as if we've done it with 2 cameras.

Task 2: History of Coming-to-age films

Here is my TimeToast work for the history of Coming-of-age films. Click the link to view my full timeline.

click here to open my timeline
Learning comment
From this task I have learnt that there is a common theme in both newer and older coming-of-age films. In older films, the narrative isn't very serious and is based around a group of people (normally). They all have a joint importance in the film and the film revolves the group, for example, The breakfast club. Its about 5 people in a detention and they learn about each others lives. However, in newer coming-of-age films, the narrative is more serious and has a meaning is based on a single character and the film revolves mostly about that character, for example, Juno. This is based entirely on one teenage girl who got pregnant and is planning on a abortion or adoption. Which is a very serious topic. I have also learnt that coming-of-age aren't new and have been around since 1967 and have developed a lot since then.

Task 1: Coming-of-age opening sequences

Opening sequences from different genres  

1) Juno, 2007 Directed by Jason Reitman 

Text
The font of the title is very basic and looks like a young child has drawn it. All the text has a 3D effect on it. The text and the general setting has many tiny white blotches suggesting that its been coloured in by a colouring pencil also suggesting it's done by a young child or a early teenager. The text looks like something you'd see in a cartoon as somebody has drawn and coloured it in, this links well with the cartoon setting that Juno is in and you can see walking down a cartoon road. The background that she isn't completely coloured in further suggesting that children have drawn the setting, it could also suggest immaturity because its cartoon and unfinished. The font,size and colour of text can help us determine the target audience. The font is simple and clear meaning it's straightforward for young children to read, they use the same font the whole way through the opening credits. The size is large meaning that it catches your eye and means you can actually read it effortlessly. The colours used in the credits are block colours. The colour changes after every credit. The target audience is for young children up to the teenage years.

Dialogue and Sound
The opening sequence doesn't include any dialogue whatsoever, The whole opening sequence has a Indie folk/ Country song called " All i want is you" played by Barry Louis Polisar. This is a form of non-diegetic sound this means the sound has been added into the clip, usually through sound effects and music. However at the very start when the music just starts you can hear a group of boys running past Juno, this is a diegeric sound as its not been added nor a sound effect. The song playing could tell us a bit about the area she lives in and how her life is going. As the song is a Country or Indie folk it could imply that she lives in southern America where it originated from. The music only properly kicks in when the harmonica starts to be played, as soon this happens she walks behind a tree. The tree changes everything from reality to a cartoon. This has the impact of telling the audience that things are bad in her real world but as soon as she crosses into the cartoon world things start to get better, shown by the uplift in the music. we can also clearly see this by looking at her facial expressions. In the real world she seems bothered by something and has a frown on her face. when she crosses into the cartoon world, she has a smile on her face. Then when the music ends, she comes out from her cartoon world and she walks straight into a drug store.

characters and costumes
Juno, the main character of the film is the only person we actually know who is going to have a role in the film. There are a bunch of boys who run past her at the start and then a man and woman at the end when she reaches the drug store. apart from them two shots, Juno is the only person seen in the whole opening credits. Every shot has Juno in it, this suggests that she is a very important character and will play a huge role in the story line. The camera doesn't leave the sight of Juno in the opening sequence. The clothing she wears during this scene is very casual; something a typical teenager would wear, however it looks like she's not a typical girl as the clothes she's wearing look quite masculine, she's wearing scruffy clothes, this could tell us about her financial state. She also walks to the drug store with a carton or Sunny D. This is something many teenagers do so it could relate back to the target audience of this film.

Institutional Elements and Narrative
I don't really think that any part of the opening sequence gives away any part of the narrative as it's only one girl on her own with a Sunny D bottle. However at the end of the opening sequence she does walk into a drug store. This single scene could give leave the audience thinking why does she need to go into the drug store and if Juno has something wrong with her. The first institutional element of this film that is mentioned is the production company "Fox Searchlight Pictures." This is before anything so it allows the audience to know the studios that were used. Some production companies are better than others. The last institutional element mentioned is the director Jason Reitman, it's important to put the director's name last because it's maybe the most important role when putting a film together.

Conclusion 
Overall, I think the opening to Juno is creative in the fact that it tells you or shows you the target audience straight way. The opening sequence doesn't give away any of the story which means the audience must watch ore to know the plot and characters. Personally i think the song compliments the opening sequence as it fits perfectly when her life goes from reality to cartoon. I think the starting sequence is really unique and gives it a edge from other films that have the same or similar story line.



2) Into The Wild, 2007, Directed by Sean Penn




Text 
The first two lines of text appear on screen in a very musty yellow with a small red outline and the font is as if somebody is writing it onto paper. When the handwriting says "Into The Wild" it slowly changes from handwriting into blocked text. This is clever as the previous writing looks like a normal diary entry but stops and goes into large green block writing. The text is also very informal further suggesting it could be a diary entry. The text throughout the opening sequence is very easy to read as it's all in block colours. The colour is a green that doesn't get blended into the surroundings because the man who's walking in the opening scene is in snow and ice so the green doesn't blend with any other colours, however, the green could tell us that when the snow melts there are trees, grass and plants underneath it. The font looks like a 1990s type font which could give away the era of when this film is set or the time period this film happened. it's a very bland font, this gives away no target audience or any information about the character shown in the opening sequence. Personally the text in yellow has been used so that the main character doesn't need to talk. It acts like a narrator even there is so speech.

Dialogue and Sound
The whole opening sequence has no dialogue, this links with Juno as they both have no speaking in the opening sequence. The majority of the opening has the song "Long Nights" by Eddie Vedder playing; it sounds like country and slightly western. The music only starts when he has entered the wild. The 30 seconds before are of him getting to the wild but as soon as he loses his connection with civilization the music starts. The music picks up when he can be seen surviving in the wild. this can give us the picture that the man has been successful at surviving and could give away some important aspects of the main plot. This is a form of non-diegetic sound as it's been added into the film. For about half a minuet at the start, there is no music. The only thing you can hear is diegetic sound, in this case the strong wind whistling. You can also hear his heavy boots wondering through the snow. this gives us a better understanding of his situation. Then through the music you can hear him falling into water as his kit splashes the water. You then hear gunshots as the man shoots at a rabbit. Like the title, this is living in the wild.

Characters and Costumes
They don't tell us the name of the only man and person in the whole opening sequence ;we do get to know that he is the main character due to him being the only person in the whole opening. The man is wearing a huge backpack covered in essentials such as water cartons, sleeping mat and a few blankets. He is also carrying a rifle which could be used for protection or to attack his prey for food in order to survive on his own in the harsh weather that we can clearly see he's in. he's wearing snow boots which gives the audience a clear understanding that he knows what he's doing and that he's prepared for what's to come. On the side of his backpack he has another pair of boots. he also wears a waterproof coat with what looks like bear fur. His facial hair and his hair on his head looks very scruffy and long, this could suggest that he's been living like this for a long time or he wants to look different to normal men. Also by going into the wild to survive is different to what a typical man wants in life.

Institutional Elements and Narrative

I think this opening sequence could give away some points about the overall plot, for example at the end of this sequence the camera zooms on to a mountain range which could suggest that this is where he wants to end up while in the wild. He also had a pair of walking boots on the side of his backpack; this could indicate that he's going to be on the road and other places along his journey, not just in the harsh conditions that he is encountering at the time he is in the snow.  The first institutional element we see is Emile Hirsch who portrays the main character, unlike many opening sequences the production company isn't mentioned at all. The last institutional element is the director Sean Penn. 

Conclusion

Personally I think that Into The Wild's opening sequence is very entreating, it makes the audience want to watch more by showing different parts if the film at the beginning. It makes you want to find out about what happens on his travel and journey. I think the target audience is aimed at teenagers around 14-17, i think this because it's about how life can change and if you make the correct decisions in life. i think he's chosen to go out on his own but there must be a reason why he's travelling without anybody else.

3) Submarine, 2010, Directed by Richard Ayoade 

   

Text
The only text in the opening sequence is the film's production company and other picture companies associated with the film. It has every letter spaced out giving it a retro and old-ish look about it, it also comes very fast, it's just shooting a bedroom and then suddenly the screen changes blue with the spaced out white letters. It then cuts back to the bedroom after a few seconds. This means the audience must read the text because that's all on the screen and as it's so fast you don't expect it. Personally i'm not too keen on the text because the letters are too spaced and you only have a few seconds to try and read it. The colours go hand in hand with each other, the white really stands out on the blue background, they have used blue because that's the colour of the sea, where submarines travel The font size allows it to be very clear. On the other hand, i feel that its too simple and boring. Towards the end of the opening sequence the letters "Submarine" are in lines and columns of 3x3. This is very appealing to the eye and you can see extremely clearly what the films name is.

Dialogue and Sound
This opening sequence opens with the Film 4 logo and the music, It then has a long pause where there's no sound at all. Then when the camera is panning around you can start to hear seagulls, this is a deliberate sound as the film is called Submarine and the noise we can hear is a flock of seagulls. The seagulls stop and a few seconds later a narrator starts talking, he says "Most people think of themselves as individuals, that there's nobody on the planet like them. This though motivates them to get out of bed, eat food and walk around like nothing is wrong. My name's Oliver Tate." after he says this you can hear a distinct ticking of a clock. A few seconds of the clock ticking the song "Stuck On The Puzzle" by Alex Turner plays until the end of the sequence.

Characters and costumes
Oliver Tate is sat in his bedroom at the start of this sequence; we know he's the main character due to him being the only one who we see in the opening. He's also the only person who speaks in the opening suggesting that the film is based about his life. He's wearing casual clothes and his clothing doesn't suggest that he is important or that he has anything special about him. His hair is also like normal boys at the age he is. He is stood next to the ocean and looking over to the horizon on his own. This could suggest that he's lonely or just finds it peaceful to be alone next to the sea. This could tell us about his personality and what his emotions are like.

Institutional Elements and Narrative
I don't think that any of the opening sequence gives away of the main plot for this movie. Nothing really happens to tell us anything about any of the story line. However the part where he says "Most people see themselves as individuals, that there's nobody on the planet like them." I think tells us that he is like other people and how he's no different to anybody else.

Conclusion
I think that submarine has a unusual plot and that this film is different to many others. Judging by the opening scene this film looks like its target audience is for teenagers because I think it could relate to many people the same age as the main character. I also think that this opening passage leaves many questions and hypothesis for the viewer; this makes me want to continue watching the film.

4) Saving Private Ryan, 1998, Directed by Steven Spielberg


Text
The text is very simple but very effective. It's white letters on a black background. The text starts straight away which gives the impression that this film is going to be fast paced war film. The text is in all capitals, just like how the writing from a typewriter in World War 2. The font is a very simple yet gives the opening of the film a very serious feel, as does the music. We haven't seen any characters yet but the black background and the white text gives it the feeling like we're in World War 2 as back then films were shot in black and white. It's very easy to read due to the simplicity of the font and colours used. Throughout the rest of the opening, no text is used; the scene after the text is a very emotional one. They left the text out so you only focus on what's happening in the cemetery.

Dialogue and Sounds
Straight away as soon as the first credit appears on screen, iconic patriotic music plays, this plays through the whole sequence making it a scene of importance. You then hear the American flag in the wind. This straight away makes you reflect on the people who have died for their country.
There is no dialogue in the whole opening, just the music, this builds up the tension and surprise of what happens in every next scene. You expect there to be some speaking because the man's with his family and he's thinking about something very upsetting so normally your family comfort you but he want doesn't want that, he just wants to reflect. You can hear him sniffling and crying. This really shakes the audiences emotions watching a old man cry at the plagues of his fallen friends. The music fades and then you hear the sound of waves washing up on the beach.

Characters and Costumes
An unknown man is walking to the cemetery along a path, you can clearly see that he isn't comfortable but he wants to go through with seeing where his fallen friends or family members have had their names engraved into little white little crosses. The man who is still unknown is a typical old man wearing a polo shirt, chinos and a overcoat. He has his family behind him keeping their distance watching how he copes. He finds the one that he's looking for and falls to his knees. This clearly indicates how much this person meant to him and how cruel the war really was. As of the starting sequence we don't get a clear understanding of who this character is and why this part plays a part in the film.

Institutional Elements and Narrative
The opening sequence doesn't give away any of the film's plot or any of the characters. This makes you want to watch more and find out who this man really is. It makes you think about the men and women who served for their country. The first institutional element is producing companies in this case Paramount Pictures and DreamWork Pictures. They don't include Steven Spielberg or any other name in the opening sequence. The last institutional element is another film company called Mutual Film Company. This is yet another film company who have worked on Saving Private Ryan.

Conclusion 
I feel that Saving Private Ryan is going to have a very emotional story line and filled with action of what war really like, I think the film starts off showing a lot of war and how harsh D-Day was. Judging by the opening sequence I thing the target audience is teenagers and above. I feel that based on the staring scene this could apply to anybody who watches it as long they have an interest in war.

Learning Comment
This task has taught me that sounds, text, costumes and the characters can tell you a great amount of information about the film, not necessary the plot but instead where it's set and the type of film its going to be. i have also learnt that having the first couple of minuets without dialogue can be very effective. This way it can't give away anything like accents and maybe parts of the plot. The different camera angles and use of lighting really sets a mood or atmosphere. Before this task i didn't know the effect that the text has on screen and how usually the ext links into the plot or the name of film. this has taught me that the directors and producers don't just put random fonts and sizes, they actually have to think about it.