Richard Morrison

PRODUCTION BRIEF

Project name: Spencer
Length: 1minute 45 seconds
Deadline: Friday 11th Febuary
Group members and their role: Shaun, Ola, Danny
Brief overview of content: English gangster flick
Target audience: 18's
Possible scheduling publishing suggestion: Summer block buster
Products researched:
Outside view of sequence:
Genericcodes and conventions:
Resource constraints:

Typography

Rock n Rolla

Evaluation

(part 1)

Our brief for our project was to specifically create an opening title sequence which was detailed to a genre.

We were basically fed up of the regular film genres chosen for frequently in past media projects which were mainly horror and we wanted to not have the same type of genre, along with many other students. We wanted to branch out and do something, which hasn’t really been done. After many ideas which had been verbally brainstormed we came to a decision of doing a British gangster/thriller genre. The title of the sequence was concluded within the group and was decided; ‘Spencer’. As soon as this name was mentioned we knew straight away that it would compliment what was trying to be achieved and the name in its own way said a lot about the character and the type of personality which can be associated with it. The film begins with Spencer walking through double doors with his bodyguards. We then see him continue his journey through the shots making his way to what is reviled at the end of the sequenced; an arranged meeting with an enemy. The treatment seemed a simple task but we wanted to utilize the opportunity to not fall into the clichéd category of a British gangster film for example ‘lock stock and two smoking barrels’ which was a British gangster but was more comical and light hearted; this is not how we wanted our sequence to be portray. Starting with the apparel of the cast we decided to go for the clean cut look which we see Spencer and his guards in suits which could be compared to ‘Pulp Fiction’. The reason for the choice of clothing was to let the audience make the assumption straight away that this is not a comedy it is a serious and business type environment. The clothing more specifically can be compared to the British film ‘Sexy Beast’ where the cast were mainly in suits or shirt and trousers. Also we kept his face mysterious until the end which again was done to wet the audience’s apatite to find out who this man actually was.

(part 2)

The target audience for our title sequence was mainly males from 16 to late 40’s. Being a British film it obvious that the title sequence will be viewed by British citizens however those also fans of British gangster films like America who were involved with the film ‘’Rock and Rolla’’ will also be able to enjoy the sequence. The habits of the audience will be to partake in a football related activity and use it as a form of enjoyment and exercise also taking a liking to gaming. Furthermore he will have been a regular visitor of the cinema and would have watched previous gangster films like Snatch and Scarface. Our pre-production was done in the form of various interviews with members of staff and also our piers within the class and sixth form. It was enlighting to see that nearly all interviewee’s had seen an gangster film however some weren’t not really familiar and we felt that they weren’t committed gangster film fans therefore disclosed their contribution.

(part 3)

We were aware and had a clear insight on the genre of our film but we felt that we needed research into the distribution companies relating to our genre. Paramount was the distribution company of the household name gangster film, The Godfather. We felt that this company would be good because of not only its involvement of such a big film but also were involved in other immense films.  Another well known gangster film Goodfellas which was connected to the Warner Bros Company was a choice we decided would be great mostly for its common appearance of many films worldwide. Warner Bros was the choice we concluded on as we felt it would be the best company because of its enormity and worldly known name.

(part 4)

I believe that we have a very good understanding of our genre and we were very sure of our project in which the way it compares strongly with the conventions of real media products. There have been a numerous selection of gangster films which have been put out there and we felt we should offer our idea forward as a competitor and be up their in a real media product perspective. The narrative for our sequence was not an action packed opening, it involved Spencer making his way to a soon to be victim of murder. Many ideas was discussed which at the beginning we felt could be implemented in to the sequence. However we felt that by giving a subtle feel to it and not overdoing it in the sequence it draws the audience; in a way that takes them on a journey where they must seek the end therefore fulfilling what we are trying to achieve which is interesting the target audience. Using an example of drawing an audience through a journey a great example of this would be in the film Sweeney Todd which the blood is almost hypnotizing and draws you in and you want to know what it means and where it goes. Watching our title sequence straight away it should be clear of what genre it is. We wanted to make sure the target audience knew what type of film it was straight away. In the sequence you see Spencer between two bodyguards straight away by being in the middle it reflects his authority of being the important one also its as if he is protected from both sides his left and his right. In many films the main person is always accompanied by guards. Because it was a British gangster film we felt we must stick to it and agreed a British Spencer should be chosen; this again being a more realistic scenario and this was a convention and also controlled by specific selection. To extend the point of realism, in snatch Brad Pitt plays the role of a traveller and in my view a well known American actor was unrealistic and didn’t really seem believable; actor Vinnie Jones won’t look believable in a romance. Looking at the camera angles along with shots and movements, we included various angles like over the shoulder and mid-shots. By deciding to keep his identity hidden the close up shot was only used when revealing his face at the end so we controlled specifically which type of shot would be used. We used different shots like subtle transitions along with fast transitions again making the audience feel uneasy but calm at times which relates to our character Spencer who we portray as subtly insane. We wanted the sound to also play a big part in the sequence which starts off steady but heightens as the sequence continues by doing this it creates an intense environment of something about to reach breaking point which again reflects on our character Spencer.  

(part 5)

The genre of our film was gangster/thriller and we specifically did things in certain ways to construct the representation of our project. The typography which was chosen wasn’t as clear cut as it set out to be. We researched in depth different styles of typography and finally chose the best one. Our typography had to meet strict criteria which were; for it to be sharp edged and professional. Again because of the genre of our film it would have not made sense to have calligraphy writing this may have misled the target audience and we wanted to keep them engrossed. The iconography which we used was the suit and smart approach this was done because of the often referral of a suit having something to do with a business environment and we felt by using this symbolizes the type of film this would be. The editing was done very tight and we used some sudden transitions; this was a decision which we thought would allow the audience to reflect on the type of character Spencer is and almost allows the audience to feel claustrophobic. The music linked in quite well with our sequence as it is fairly modern however fits good with the journey of Spencer through the sequence and it intensifies as it goes along again it does so in sync with Spencer’ journey to the victim.  

(part 6)

The audience research which we carried out through interviews I felt we met the requirements to satisfy our audience. The way in which we have set up our film as a British gangster we have merged the everyday gangster film with our own perspective and made it a bit different. The music also aided in modernizing the sequence but also having some of the usual conventions of the gangster genre. We received a very good response to our sequence teacher John Purday said ‘’it is very sharp shot well also you haven’t tried to over do it’’. Another student Samuel when shown said ‘’ it’s different and not the same horror project we see so regularly I think I will be very interested if the film came out’’. The audience feedback was very positive and we felt that we reached our target audience. However things can always be improved and comments where made about our time keeping at the beginning of the project and this can be an area in which we can improve and by doing so if not from the beginning we may have made more scenarios for Spencer before he reaches the victim.   

(part 7)

At the start of our project we knew wanted to use a handheld camera along with a tripod to avoid unsteady and unwanted movement. We also decided to use a type of transportation for the tripod which helped us keep our shots smooth and flowing slickly. The editing and the uploading of our sequence were done on the Apple Mac. The sequence was first put on Imovie but we felt that we should refer it to final cut pro to make sure that everything was perfect and nothing was an anomaly when compared to the other shots. The Final Cut Pro was exceptionally useful to us, it allowed us to tamper with the sound, the lighting and the transitional fades; it aided us in making our sequence a success. I have learnt that technology also plays a part in a good project that it is not only the filming and the camera shots, it is important you have the correct programs which can give you great results.  

(part 8)

Speaking about the project in general I think we had a very good idea and made a smart choice of straying away from the typically chosen horror genre. I think our sequence was very original and hadn’t been done in the way that we did previously. I thought our time spent together was productive although losing one of our members for a short spell this didn’t sink the boat on our project and we dealt with the set back very well. The area where improvement could have been made for me was our commitment not only to the sequence but also the deadline and maybe paying more attention to the date the project is due in. Moreover i believe that we all had very strong opinions and were all satisfied with the end result. The blogging was done to the best of our abilities and i felt that the team did exceptionally well with trying to find a balance between socialising outside school and doing work from home.

To conclude it has been a great experience of creating the sequence and seeing the good reception we have got from our target audience.

Distrabution Company Openings

The Team

Shaun put himself forward to be one of the guards and i and the group decided this will be a good choice because of his height and stature. 

I didn't know Daniel before we put the team together but i thought his clean-cut look was very fitting to the role he was playing. His sharpness was what we was looking for to fit the role correctly for Spencer.

I worked with Si-hin before and me and the group though that he will be able to play the character of the victim. No offense to Si-hin but we believe his build and stature resembles those who will be victims instead of a British gangster. Si-hin also was very helpful and was very co-operative.  

We approached Joe Beale as we as a group knew that he would be a perfect fit for one of our body-guards his rough facial and hard stature was an undoubtedly great choice to be part of the cast in our title sequence.   

Danny Hackett has the most experience behind the camera in the group and has brought forward a good contribution with using the equipment we need to make our title sequence a success. 

 I was another one working behind the scenes and was involved in giving my opinion on the choices to be made on our title sequence.

STORY BOARD

This is the new and updated storyboard.

JOURNAL

Today i uploaded the prduction logos also me and Danny took
a look at our title sequence and how we can improve it. Me and Danny came
to a conclusion to use the Warner Bros company at the begining of our film
because it is popular with films like The Godfather and others. Me and Danny
are quite annoyed at the fact one of our member went M.I.A but it happens and
me and Danny are trying to deal with it.

Production Logo

DECISIONS............ DECISIONS !

Luckily the group had the variety to choose from different styles for our logos ; we though it would be good to have a fairly wide range from which we could choose from. we are still in strong debate which logo to use

Additional features

UNFORTUNATELY Whilst recording some footage was lost by it being recorded over, there is nothing we can do about this incident and unfortunately time does not allow for us re-shoot the shots that were lost.

However an idea that was brought forward was a voice over of non-digetic sound which will be just a simple monologue just to add that extra information piece of information for the audience. We just think this will be a great addition to our title sequence and add more of a professional feel.

An example of what we are trying to achieve Has been implemented into the film GOODFELLAS.

WATCH (2:40 - 5:51)

Editing process

Editing process

Here are some print screens of the editing process, firstly we imported the footage via imovie and did rough cuts then we imported it into Final Cut Pro. 

Danny has been showing me the ropes with editing and this has been an enjoyable experience.  

Updates In Typography

SPENCER

The previous production typography has been axed. This has happened due to the font giving off the impression of being too American based; which resemble a American High School feeling. The font shown above was selected in replacement to the previous one because we believe it is a bit sharper and isn't really a block edged font. We also felt it has it has an identity which really related to our title sequence. A font we was also looking to resemble was the Pulp Fiction which was a very straight forward font but also relates to the contents of the film.

Examples Of Shots

The location we was looking at was a skyline from canary. this type of shot is seen regularly in the filming industry by also setting the location of where the film is set. However the idea we are going for by using the location is to let the audience aware of what type of titles sequence we are shooting like a sense of upper class environment also a feel of sophistication.

1:03 - 2:43



As a group we collectively thought it woud be good if we had a london skyline time lapse shot; this would most deffinately be a good addition to our title sequence. moreover there are time issues but time should allow for us to get all ur shots.

Roles And Actors

Spencer: Daniel Burrough

Guards: Shaun Butler, Joe Beale, Ola Odebunmi

Woman: TBC

Prisoner: Sihin Tuong

Directed/Produced: Danny Hackett

Typography

There has been in a change in the typography we used. We used the idea of the title from the Godfather.It is very basic black background and white text; very simple but also affective. We never was trying to over exaggerate by using various colors and a font which has been either scratched in and other effects we wanted something very simple and basic to reflect on our title sequence.

Possible Shooting Locations

This is outside the school building this place was chosen due to us feeling it would be a great pathway to open our title sequence. This is a location i was halfway happy about this location due to the football pitches just creeping into the shot making it seem unrealistic.

I was really keen on this, the double doors are extremely common in any types of films involving someone with power. Also it is quite dark and merges with genre of our film to create the effect we are intending.

This was a possible opening sequence. We as a group collectively thought this would be a very great shot to use, having someone coming out of a lift. 

I was happy with this shot it was inside then school premesis but due the set out of it with all the photos on the wall it also looks like a good location due to the legnth of the corridor.

Music Idea

After we found out that we had to pay for any copyrighted music which was most definitely out of the question we had to look for an alternative. Shaun had friends in the music department which has come in handy because a song is not copyrighted as long as it is a cover version. Basically we have this option and the group have made a song and sounds promising from what i have heard, so when time allows i shall hear it.

Demographics of our title sequence/film

After i did research into the genre of gangster films we then decided as a group some important demographics; these are below.

Age range: 18-35
Gender: Male
Psychographics: This would be  males with a dedication to big gangster films like scarface and the godfather. mainly will be young male adults and those edging towards the 30's age range. 

STORY BOARD

Journal   07/01/2011

Today in class we had to explain to the group or idseas and get feedback. Danny showed the class his
blog to show our story board and Shaun spoke about what the film is actually about. The feed back was encouraging. The typography which we chose drew some attention because the class though that we should maybe use another one however, after explaingng the idea we was going for they agreed. Mr Purday said we have a strong idea.

GET CARTER

Looking at Get Carter again referring to the genre of our film i chose this example because it is a different type of style. This type of title sequence is a cartoon and still has the affect on the audience of making them fully aware of what the film is about. I liked this idea however, this kind of title sequence requires skill to draw and unfortunately no one in my group including me doesn't have that skill also on the time it may take to create a sequence similar to this will take time and may affect our time planning.

Film Ideas

This is a title sequence which particularly caught me and my group, this is due to the way the characters are recognized; this is done in a way that whilst the characters are doing an action the camera is froze and their name comes in. I really like this idea due to it being not just names coming in it actually is putting names to faces and allows the audience to be fully aware of who is who.

MUSIC

The Beatles - Helter Skelter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpLs0Wt6an4&feature=player_embedded

 Rex - Get It On 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4HQbRuWJUU&feature=player_embedded

The Smiths - This Charming Man
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R99r3NrjbOA&feature=player_embedded

Spencer Davis Group - The Man
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POCUgBSVENQ&feature=player_embedded


These are the songs we have chosen as a group to use in our title sequence however a problem is that the music os copywrited.