Title analysis: Zombieland & Casting Info (Production log)

During the opening we don’t immediately see the titles; instead we are just brought to the attention of a montage sequence which signifies the story behind the film. The sequence includes graphic clips of death and gore, up to extreme standards which not only horrifies the audience- therefore complying with the genre of Horror, but also evokes sympathy from the audience as the feel sorry for the people involved. However after 43 seconds we experience our first title, but it is not relevant to the makers of the film instead it is relevant to the storyline, and adopts an imperative tone- which also makes the audience feel involved as well as informing the audience on how to behave during certain situations.   

Also each title is not only portrayed as humorous but also individual, for example: 

 
During the first title (cardiac- which means heart) we can see that the colour of the bold font is white which contrasts against the green setting, but also matches with the some of the setting (the white patches) also the movement of the titles remain stationary throughout, but pulsate in a heart-like manner whilst we hear the sound of a beating heart. All aspects of which converge with the Horror genre, apart from the colour.



Next we see the title Double tap, unlike the first title 
the title moves in unison with a zombie, but the titles are reversed as a result of a behind angle, and as the camera position flips so do the titles- which remain white until they are slightly tinted with blood- this gradual change between the first and second title could suggest the growing threat that the zombies pose to the narrative.





Title 3- Has a considerably darker appearance compared to the first two, but it still holds a realistic feature- in this case it's the darkness of the titles, with left side being dark and only made visible because of the white title (the same colour throughout), but as the words read along we can see a change in the brightness of the titles- which also coincides with the light in the far right corner. Also they enter the screen in a dramatic falling fashion, which may startle the audience due to the unexpected and sudden nature of the fall.



Title 4- Despite the title ( which still remains white) staying stationary throughout the last title of this sequence, it is the subject of a match on action, this involves a woman flying out of her front window and towards the low-angled camera, and then switches to an aerial shot of the same female character gliding vigorously along the ground.

However the main sequence of titles contrasts against those seen in the opening montage sequence, for example: despite the fact that they still are placed over the top of the action- which itself is in montage form, we can see a change in colour as well as shape.

These titles for example- are red and appear to be reflecting the above lighting of the sky. However these titles are accompanied by rock music in the background which gradually increases in volume as the opening progresses. Also the titles are directly deployed on top of the action in order to focus the audiences attention equally. This focus is maintained as the titles remain on the screen for a long time-and this time appears even longer as the sequence is now in slow motion.

And as the long take progresses we see that the man's falling arm disrupts the title, causing it to shatter and disorientate out of position-I like the idea of literal titles (that appear to be amongst the actual shot) however I know that it is a difficult effect to emulate, but if done correctly it represents the fragility of objects in the film- whilst creating an interactive aspect as well. Additionally it makes us feel apprehensive of fear we see. But more importantly the simple font of the titles contradict against the heavy rock music and violent scenes apparent in the background.

Also during the opening the merging of both comedy and dark humour is evident-specifically through the first wave of titles, as during this sequence we hear the humorous voice-over which makes a mockery of the people amongst the action. In particular the first title represents dark humour by contrasting the title (cardio) with the additional action of a fat character running for his life. Ultimately the titles are used to show the comedic irony happening during the action as well as the voice-over       

Here we can see the title of the film, which covers a similar proportion of the screen- but yet again we see the same font and red fill of the title, as well as a white outline (something that was not featured during the other titles) perhaps to highlight the title to the audience. But yet again we see the fragility of the titles, which illustrates the continuous lack of stability to the audience therefore making them feel nervous. This emotion is also something that I would evoke from my audience, and evidently shown in this image the antagonists in the background provoke this emotion as we as the audience feel sympathetic for the isolated character.   

Evaluation: Preliminary task

Evaluation- Preliminary task:

Success-

For me I think the planning in terms of storyline and production schedule was done to an appropriately high standard, and our preparation prior to filming was also sufficient- especially gathering actors and securing a location, as these were done quickly and confidently. I also think that two out of the three shots required were done to a good standard and eventually thanks to the acquirement of our actors we completed the preliminary task before deadline which meant that we could work on improvements and focus more time than predicted on editing.

Failures-

As I can recall the failures of our preliminary task came as a result of filming, this is because we did not meet the high standards of shots that we were asked to, in particular the "Shot reverse shot" as in the end we did not film this shot to a high standards. The other failure was also with regards to filming as come our first day of filming, we only gathered a minimal amount of shots- I assume this to be because of a lack of experience and concentration from other members of the group and actors. Also during filming I felt isolated as the majority of task fulfilment was left to me as I essentially performed all the filming parts apart from acting. I was therefore disappointed with my groups efforts and believe the task would have been completed to a high standard had we not wasted valuable filming time. Another problem related to filming was the disorganisation of our filming schedule as we once again wasted filming time by organising a sufficient room, perhaps we should of done extensive research into information regarding: room opening and closing times, will supervision be required, will our props be accessible. These are all aspects I will consider in preparation for our main production. Also I feel that our only other downfall was our location as, in my opinion during the finished product it looked amateurish. But this was as a result of our requirement to change location.      

How to overcome these drawbacks for the future:

With regards to our drawbacks, I think given the spontaneity of the problems that perhaps more in depth research would have only helped a little, in order to achieve a better overall result we should donate more time towards filming. Also we should ensure all our required props are ready and available at our location in order to maximise production time, and perhaps we should identify a certain location that is always available when we require filming. These are also things that have already done prior to our production task and therefore we are showing a clear acknowledgement of our faults / drawbacks

Se7en Opening and title analysis: Film inspiration

Se7en Opening and title analysis:

 Once again we are invited to consider the enigma of the opening, this is brought up through the shallow focus as well as mysterious shadow that adds a haunting affect to each short take, also the titles clearly represent the Horror genre as the appear to have been scratched out vigorously. The faced-paced editing used throughout the opening scene builds tension as the audience never have a moment of calm, this affect is something I would like to emulate during my opening as the blinking between scenes not only converges with the Horror genre but also unnerves the audience as they become continuously distracted during the whole opening.

Furthermore the titles themselves also have a blinking effect, as well as their placement being irregular and unpredictable. This effect is successfully sustained throughout, and given the fast paced nature of the opening I still took notice of the titles, because during the opening the titles change size, shape, placement, speed(whilst on the screen) and colour (changes between the brightness of white. The colour of which was chosen well as it contrasts against the dark – shadow like action and movement in the background. Also the titles are always opposite the action on screen, but as a result of the quick jolt-like movement of the titles we as the audience take notice of both. I think this technique is effective in converging with the Horror genre as well as building tension, for this reason I will try to incorporate a similar style of opening in order to comply with the Horror genre.

Overall this glitch effect compliments the Horror genre and the use of erratic and mysterious behaviour throughout- mostly involving a black marker pen, is specifically creative and is something that I could like to use in my opening as not only does the black pen have stereotypical connotations of darkness but also presents the Horror genre in an inventive manner. 

Audience profile: The explorer

Audience profile research questionnaire : Establishing a pychographic - Detailed questions used to explore more about the target audeinces personality, this survey was performed online to gove us broader search results

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Memento Analysis & Production log

Audience Survey: Questionnaire analysis

This was my questionnaire, it was used to clarify my original predictions and to understand a variety of factors that may help me enhance my opening to the achieve customer satisfaction. For example I focused on my audiences fears in the hope that I could determine common / typical fears of my standard audience, and I also intended to gather information not only about gender but also about technology and tradition, as this could potentially be another factor that I include in my opening.

Audience Survey: Results and analysis

This is an example response gatherd from my audience questionnaire: Above

These are my overall results, to ensure that the test was not biased I asked an even amount of people (10) and each person was asked the same questions each time. And I also asked an even number of people from each gender, to ensure my results were not one-sided. From an analysis point of view i have decided to only discuss the questions i feel most relevant.

Evidently shown my ideal age is 18+ which coverges with my ideal audience as this means that they have more experience within the film industry. This will play an important role as it means I can included references towards other films / past events and they will understand the symbols such as Ted Bundy for example. Whereas I feel a more youthful audeince would struggle to undertand such refernces and instead would just seek action rather than an intruiging storyline. 

 

 

 

However during the results for genre it it clear that those surveyed only just prefer Horror, but I believe that if I could incorporate a sense of a thriller into my Horror that the two will bounce of each other well, and through fast-paced editing/non-diegetic music high in prosody I believe I can achieve this.

 

 

 

 

Lastly, I explored the fears that my target audience had and in doing so uncoverd some easily performed fears that I could exploit in order to surpass the definition of the horror genre which is ultimatley to scare. After consideration I have decided to try to include at least two of the fears given in the hope that this survey will mimick my target audeince on a smaller scale. If so I can acheive the Horror genre easily.