Preparation and Filming - Day 1

Preparation and Filming- Day 1 

During the first week after half term, our group started to film some parts of the title sequence. On the Tuesday Kaan and Kallum rented out a camera and took it to Goals with them to film Kallum's little brother (who is playing younger Jack) to film him taking shots at goal. This is the first part of showing the transition of Jack and how he has progressed as a footballer. It also shows how he is better off financially because Jack will be wearing his Tottenham shirt (the team he got scouted for) whereas Kallum's brother is wearing his local football team's kit.

                                      

                               

Genre Analysis Drama/Sport

Goal II

In the title sequence for the film goal, star power is used heavily throughout the title sequence. This is because the film is a football film and it wants to use football's biggest stars at the time to attract an audience to watch the film. Well known footballers were used in the title sequence such as Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi, Roberto Carlos and David Beckham, as pictured below. Including these galaticos in the title sequence would automatically attract football fans to watch the film, as it did with myself.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Furthermore, in this title sequence archive footage is used from a game that occurred between Barcelona and Real Madrid in which it finished 3-0 to Barcelona. This is quite conventional for a film with the sub-genre of sport to include archive footage in the title sequence because it is a effective method of giving background knowledge of the protagonist/other characters and it is also an effective way of setting up the narrative, which is known as a prologue.

In addition, an orchestral soundtrack was used in this title sequence and this is unconventional for a film with a sub-genre of sport. This is because when a footage of a football game is being shown then you can usually hear the crowd or the players talking. This soundtrack is contrapuntal because the orchestral music does not fit in with the footage shown. However, an orchestral soundtrack could have been used because it is typically a European style of music and the setting of the title sequence was Spain and the majority of the film is also set in Spain.

Narrative Structure of Title Sequence

Todorov's Narrative Structure

Here is the narrative structure in which my group's title sequence will follow. This theory was created by Tzvetan Todorov.

• Equilibrium - This is where Jack, the protagonist, is at school, his mum is a single mum, they are not well off and Jack has an interest in football but he is unable to fully pursue his dream of being a professional footballer due to the fact he doesn't have good football boots and has no encouragement. His PE teacher acts like a father figure to him and encourages him to keep on following his dreams. He has a contact who is a scout for Tottenham Hotspur and organises and trial for Jack. Jack then gets signed by Tottenham and has the ability to buy nice football boots.

• Disruption - Jack starts to let the fame get to his head and some of his friends start to lose patience with him.  

• Disequilibrium - Jack gets injured playing for Tottenham and the person who injured him was one of his bullies from Secondary School. Jack breaks his ankle and is out for a lengthy amount of time, whilst he is recovering a friend of his visits him a lot and they get closer.

• Attempt to restore Equilibrium - Jack is recovering from his injury and is striving to hit the form he once hit. His aim is to return for the cup final. His girlfriend says to him that she doesn't want him to behave like he did before.

• New Equilibrium - Jack returns for the cup final, against the team in which he broke his ankle against. Jack scores the winning goal.

General Research into Title Sequences

Title Sequences

Titles and opening sequence of a new fiction film to last a maximum of 2 minutes.

Foundation Portfolio - 120 marks

• Research and Planning - 40 marks
• Construction - 60 marks
• Evaluation - 20 marks

General research into title sequences

The Incredible Hulk - Thriller/Action (2008) Prologue

• Newspapers
• Pins, photos, classified evidence (props)
• Point of view from the protagonist (The Hulk)
• X-Rays
• Live action scenes telling the audience the narrative
• Setting up motifs
• Romantic subplot - flashbacks
• Intense parallel soundtrack - non-diegetic

Love Actually's title sequence is unconventional because it does not introduce ay characters or the narrative, but it is showing archive footage and this sets up the universal theme of the film.

David Fincher's "Seven" (1995) Title sequence - Kyle Cooper

• Close-up of the antagonist
• Parallel soundtrack
• Same font used throughout the title sequence- small writing - handwritten typography -part of the narrative
• Flashing - out of focus  
• Pictures
• Abstract and raw look and effect
• Insight into the character (the antagonist)
  
  

  

                                                   

This title sequence stands out from most other title sequences produced due to the typography that is used. It is not big and bold and in the centre of the screen but it is small and on the side of the screen. This is very unconventional for big films because they usually have the protagonist's name in the centre of the screen to emphasise star power. An effect is also added where they flicker, this could possibly be to emphasise the names. Furthermore, the antagonist features throughout the title sequence and in this the audience gets some knowledge of how his character is.

In addition, the audience also gets some knowledge on the antagonist due to the things he is doing and using to create his "portfolio" of the one person he is obsessed about. He was using sharp objects and sharpening with his fingers, this shows the extent the antagonist is willing to go to in order to maintain his agenda. Images in the title sequence of him cutting film, writing and drawing a person's face was also shown. This tells the audience that the antagonist is after someone and that all of the things he is doing in the title sequence is about that one person.

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

• Filming the revealing of the title - drawn with crayon - indicates young character
• Close-up
• Grabbing on a dolly
• Moving slowly past props
• In and out of focus

Dr Strange Love (1964)

• Handwritten - big and bold - fills the entirety of the screen
• Two images blending in with each other - dissolve

Vertigo (1958)

• Extreme close-up
• Parallel soundtrack
• Moving text

American Psycho (2000)

• Visual at the beginning and then establishes some of the characters and some of the narrative
  
  

  

Kyle Cooper

Kyle Cooper

Kyle Cooper studied interior architecture at the University of Massachusetts and he then went on to study graphic design at Yale University. In 1988, he received his Master in Fine Arts. He has directed and produced over 150 title and VFX sequences. One of those being the title sequence for Se7en, which could be proclaimed as one of his most famous pieces of work. Other title sequences he produced was; The Spider-Man Trilogy, The Walking Dead and American Horror Story.  The great success and positive feedback on the Superman and Spider-Man title sequences grabbed Marvel's attention and this resulted him directing and producing the title sequences for other superhero films such as The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man. Cooper has also had great successes with television such as producing and directing the title sequences for Sherlock Holmes and Vegas, Elementary. Typically, his title sequences are very dark coloured, fast paced, manic and mysterious.

In this two part interview Kyle Cooper is talking about title design.

Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6kE0FccYkM

Part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSwTZZWux4g

Specification

Specification

Preliminary exercise: Continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule.

Main task: the titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes.

All video and audio material must be original, produced by the candidate(s), with the exception of music or audio effects from a copyright-free source. Both preliminary and main tasks may be done individually or as a group. Maximum four members to a group. 

Continuity Sequence

Continuity Sequence

Here is the continuity sequence I produced with Kaan, Tolani and Kallum. The idea of the continuity sequence was that Tolani was being questioned for the murder of her husband. Kaan was the police officer who was questioning her and trying to get her to admit that it was her who killed her husband. After a while Kallum, who played the role of another police officer, came in to the questioning room to inform Kaan that there was a situation. With Kaan leaving Tolani received a text message telling her to get out of there and it finishes with her escaping out of the building. We used a number of shots, such as shot reverse shot of the conversation with Kaan and Tolani, 180 degree angle of the conversation and a match on action shot of the door handle being opened.