Psycho-Title analysis: 1960 & 1998

Psycho was a film published in 1960 by Alfred Hitchcock s, and therefore was produced in black and white, however in 1998 a remake was made but Universal pictures and Imagine entertainment.

Psycho 1960:

During the opening we do not see any physical action being performed by actors instead we only have the movement of the titles as well as non-deigetic sound.Also each title is individually formulated by a white line structure which swipes across the screen in a fast fashion:

This is the structure that the animation upholds in order to show the title transition, it involves a random and unpredictable transition , of which can appear from top/bottom/left/right but the titles titles only ever exit the screen in the opposite direction from where they appeared. This not only adds mystery, but in association with the high pitched sound in the background creates an alert audience, it also makes the audience feel nervous as the title itself "Psycho" is the biggest title on screen throughout the opening sequence and it is also the also the the only title here all the words on screen are bold, therefore exemplifying the importance of this word upon the film.(a word which illustrates insanity and danger to the audience once again making them feel nervous)

And until 32 seconds the tiles stick to this pattern but shortly after they begin sprouting randomly which also coincides with the ever increasing prosodic pitch of the non-diegetic sound playing in the background. As well as the transition constantly changing the titles themselves begin erratically changing their appearance, evidently shown in this picture the title at the top has reshaped before the audience has a chance to read it properly, this title also only ends up staying on the screen for approximately 2 seconds- this contrasts dramatically against another title featured at 41 seconds in- which ends up staying on the screen for 5 seconds , and almost begins to feel awkward as it then does not keep up with the fast paced nature of the violin in the background

Titles Research & Production Company Research

Today I analysed the significance of titles upon an opening as well as the impact of colour and font.

 

(1) Se7en:  The titles adopt a white colour scheme which alternatives between brightness and shade, this effect ultimately disorientates the audience and makes the titles appear jagged, almost as if they

are made from electricity

 

(2) Insidious: The titles for insidious represent those of a stereotypical horror, in the sense that they are red, bold and cover the majority of the screen, and the low key lighting used creates shadows effectively but i think the main focus is on the devil-like font that has been used as it clearly mimics the storyline (likely to be about a demon and possession)

 

(3) Silent Hill: The chalk effect used doesn't directly illustrate the horror genre however with the contrasting shadows and even spread across the screen, we as the audience feel confused as well as unnerved as a result of this, and the white title itself also creates a sense of worry given the brightness and contrasting nature of them.

 

(4) The Nesting: By not only using a red font colour the title itself comes across as ghostly given the curly and free flowing nature of the title, but in particular the "T" on both the "the" and Nesting" appear to look like tombstones, therefore implicating that death will be apparent during the film.

 

(5) Saw: Once again we see the use of white writing which contrasts again the murky black background, this effect is often used to concentrate the audiences focus on the titles, during this example blood is flicked across the screen, therefore foreshadowing gore and death throughout, this effect is something I think would suit my production but I am unsure if such visual effects will be available for me to use.

 

(6) Annabelle: A shadow is created out of the title , as a result of the shadow effect the audience are self consciously aware of the shadows in the film, but also the the name itself "Annabelle" is an old fashioned name which therefore implies that the film will be quite traditional in its conventions as well as storyline.

 

(7) The Purge: This title contrasts against the last as it is much more technology based- we make this assumption based on the security camera perspective we see during the opening, also the background looks similar to something you would see on a screen, therefore indicating the technological aspects of the film.

 

(8) Dracula: The thin and silver-toned titles come across as elegant, perhaps something not normally associated with Dracula (a well known antagonist in the horror genre) therefore we have to consider that despite the proliferation of filming technologies growing, the classic/traditional conventions of the horror genre have not been lost.

 

(9) Halloween: Typically given the conventions of Halloween its no surprise the colour is in orange, given that the festive celebration always involves pumpkins, however the simple orange title could be leading the audience into a false sense of security.

 

(10)Silence of the lambs: I think that with this example its a case of simplicity- for example the black filling of the already bulky font- implies a sense of danger, whilst the white outline could create the idea of an illness as perhaps it represents the pale and ghostly appearance of the antagonist

Potential titles & Updated story board

This is one of my first sketches of our main title, I specifically used a stitch-like affect to resemble strong capabilities of our antagonist as stitches are often used to heal a heavy/open wound, which would therefore reflect the resilient physical attributes of our antagonist. The jagged and uneven size of each letter as well as the individuality of each letter further represents our antagonist as a character unlike any other, and therefore the audience will be weary of his capabilities. Especially as they have never encountered him before. Whilst also maintaining a scared affect throughout as well we can further illustrate that perhaps these scars are a symbol of experience and that they should be worried about this character. But also that scars are representations of gradual mistreatment, and therefore is another thing that the audience should be apprehensive of: Also the stitch effect is used to reflect our antagonist in the sense that he is a character who can cause pain, because typically stitches are used to treat an open wound- which would reflect the gruesome capabilities of our antagonist. But it also shows how he has overcome an excessive amount of pain in order to still be alive and therefore could suggest he is seeking revenge.Perhaps the stitches resemble the failed abductions of the antagonist and the only way to mask these failures is by claiming revenge.    



Today we went about updating our storyboard and adding a larger variation of shots, we did this prior to filming so we good go staright into production with a fresh mindset- after which we felt that we had completed our estimate shots as well as combining our knowledge to invent some more shots. Some of which we are really exited to edit!!!      

Audience feedback & self evaluation: Initial opening

Self evaluation: Initial Opening

Did we meet our aims?

In my opinion we successfully met our original idea, and obtained a few of the shots we wanted. And we managed our time well despite having a tight schedule. Also I think we reached our minimal target for our first draft- this was important as we had numerous problems we had to overcome throughout our planned filming progress such as: members of other groups misleading our recording camera, as well as our location not always being available and prepared, therefore it was important that we overcame these obstacles throughout our filming process. Nevertheless, I enjoyed filming for an extreme close up as I has never tried this shot before and felt as if it came our a success.Moreover it was important that we achieved our aim of performing/editing/filming our opening to a reasonably high standard and also gathered our minimal target of footage.In particular I am extremely happy to have achieved a tracking shot so soon in our production! At first I thought it would be hard to keep it steady, but luckily calmness enabled us to be as productive as possible, and I am also proud of the creativity behind our editing and when experimenting with it we added a slow motion effect and a spooky inwards shot transition.

  

Would you enjoy the film yourself?

Yes. I think I would enjoy watching the film, as being a predominantly horror/action viewer I feel it is vital to intrigue the audience as well as make them feel nervous, and I think that even the basic frame of our production contains enough information to lure the audience into a sense of false security. And our feedback suggested that despite the small time frame we had the basic outline that just needed to display more information- perhaps this was because we left almost too many enigma codes to be uncovered.

What changes can I see need to be made?

From my position, the most important factor is titles, as these can display further information-whilst converging with the horror genre. But other than our titles I would say we perhaps need to include a wider / vaster array of shots as well as perhaps describing our storyline in more depth (through the additional shots) and then our opening will be complete.

Audience feedback: First draft 

 

After our initial display we received the following feedback:

 

Positives:

• The music successfully converges with the horror genre and accompanies the action in the scene. 
• The combination of darkness and music makes for an uncomfortable viewing, which therefore matches the intentions of the opening.
• Good basic structure of a storyline.

Negatives:

• The shot transition subtracts from the originally created tension
• Slight confusion do to the lack of information/context
• Not enough shot variation 

After considering the positives and negatives, it clearly illustrates the importance of feedback otherwise the shot transition included could either have been a success or a failure-in this case failure), but with regards to the future we need to describe the context /reasoning behind the opening as well as including a wider variety of shots - of which we have already planned and will be including for our second draft. On the opposite side we also discovered we need to keep our music, and ensure we maintain the same levels of lighting, but more importantly that  our original idea was a deemed success   

Title analysis: Sinister

Title analysis: Sinister:

During sinister we see a lack of titles, apart from the main title. Perhaps this is done to focus the audience's attention on the importance of the actions in the background. The actions of which highlight the Horror genre to the audience, also in my opinion the subtle and quiet nature of the opening does not take away from the mysterious activity in the background. Furthermore special affects used to create a film-role effect work well in combination with the setting (a forest -which is a stereotypical location for murders in Horror films) as they create a enigma, and also make the audience feel helpless and weary of the potential dangers associated with the forest later on in the film. Additionally the lack of shot variation throughout the opening further focuses the attention of the action code as there is no change / action.

I may refrain from using such a technique in my opening as despite the slow and eerie music / setting effectively creating tension and a sense of nervousness, such a location would be hard to obtain let alone the expensive creation costs. And an alternative version if not done correctly could look amateurish and lacking in a storyline.

The title itself is definitely something I would like to emulate as the ghostly effect clearly identifies the genre of the film (Horror), whilst also creating a creepy and eerie tone, as the spontaneity of the title appearance shocks the audience through its unpredictability. This audience response is a vital factor in the opening of a horror as by intriguing the audience from the beginning it would be hard to lose audience focus, therefore taking this into consideration we need our opening to immediately intrigue the audience from the beginning. However despite this slow paced opening working well I think a faced-paced opening would be better as it adds speed- an aspect which I think is important in the opening of a Horror.      

Nevertheless as the opening continuous the viewer's perspective becomes disorientated by a flickering effect, and shortly after with several more flickers we see the immediate insertion of the title sinister which is accompanied by a web-like outline, a feature which mimics the distinctive feature of spider (which is an insect feared by many people), but the title itself also has makes use of a scratched outlook,  another theme seen in Horrors as they often represent a sense of permanence- and once again the audience will be apprehensive if this motif is seen again in the film. Moreover, once again the successful use of having the titles run across the screen during the opening has been used effectively, to coincide with the Horror genre. But overall the glitch-like appearance of the titles create mystery as well as complying with stereotypical horror titles, especially as we are unsure of who or what scratched out the titles in this aggressive manner shown.   

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