Ola Samson-Jay

(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.