Casino Royale - Opening Sequence

Again, this film starts of with the production companies, however they are both in black and white, so it catches the audiences attention as they think something is wrong.  The first scene is also black and white which makes it seem serious and has enigma.  It comes up with where they are in the corner as it might be important to the movie or it is not obvious where they are.  One of the reasons you can tell its an action movie is the music, although very quite it builds a lot of tension and suspense.  The use of lighter black and white for the fighting scene shows that it is a back flash and the fighting confirms to the audience that it is going to be an action movie.

Now You See Me - Opening Sequence

The production companies are shown first like most movies and then it repeats them over the first scene.  The music playing sounds mystical and it quite basic at the beginning but at the end of the first scene it gets more upbeat, this is not the normal type of music for an action/crime movie but it gets the audience intrigued.  You know it is going to be about magic because the first two scenes are both magic tricks and this gives the audience a clue to what the film might entail.

(First 2 minutes)

The Dark Knight Rises - Opening Sequence

The Dark Knight Rises, starts off like most films with the production companies, but it has its own music backing them.  The music sounds slightly creepy but mystifying.  They haven't shown the name of the film, however, this movie is aimed at people who have watched batman movies before, so people would already know what the name is.  Before the first scene starts, it looks like glass or ice is slowly cracking and there is a sound bridge of a man speaking.  The cracking of the glass/ice maybe foreseeing things that happen later in the movie.  The first scene of the movie is reminding you of what happened on the last movie, so you understand what goes on and if someone hasn't watched it before, they know it means something to the film.  The scene after is, them following a car down a field and you see inside, there are army looking me, so you can get a feel of what the movie is going to be a bout.  We later learn there are hostages in the car and this tells the audience that  it is going to be an action movie.

(I couldn't find a clip of the first two minutes but the link below is the movie in full and I just analysed the first 2 minutes.)

http://megashare.sh/watch-the-dark-knight-rises-online-TlRZeU13PT0

Preliminary Sequence Evaluation

What went well?

I thought that we had a wide range of shots and that the continuity edits were good.  This made the sequence more interesting.  The combination of shots when Lucy answered the phone worked really well, I thought and when she was walking though the door, the shots we used looked good.  We also worked hard to try and not break the 180 degrees rule and that paid off, as you could tell which way the characters were looking/walking all the time.  We also used natural lighting, so we didn't have to worry about something not being seen when it was meant to e.t.c. 

Criticisms

Although our continuity with shots were good, the costumes and weather changed in the sequence, this is because we filmed over two days.  Another criticism is that when Lucy answered the phone we saw that she pressed 'hang up' and not 'answer', so we either should have got her to actually answer it or done a shot that doesn't show how she's answering the call.  In the feedback someone also said that the shot of me walking was too long and we should have used different shots or just cut it shorter.

Do I agree?

Yes, because as a group we saw those things wrong with it but we didn't have time to go back and re-film them.  If we could of, we would have.  We need to take this into account for our actual sequence se we can make sure we have enough time to go back and re-film if we need to.

Organisation

We didn't have much time to plan it in the first place, so we did a lot of improvising.  We only really had enough time to get a story line down and work out where we were going to film.  Not having a script slowed us down though, as a bit of time and thought has to go into a script.  However, we used what we could find and it worked.  For example the shot of Lucy's feet walking, was first shot with a skate board under the camera, but after looking back at it we realised we couldn't use it as it was too shaky and noisy.  So we managed to find some rope and a lid and stuck the camera on there and it came out pretty decent.

How to improve?

We could improve by making sure we are fully prepared for shooting with a script e.t.c and that everybody knows when the filming days are so that everyone comes prepared.  We also need to use a wider variety of shots to keep the audience interested.  Next time, I think we should shoot inside as the weather is unpredictable and whatever happens the lightings never going to be the same one day to another, and shooting insides means that we wouldn't get unwanted noise like wind e.t.c.

Opening Sequence Ranking

1 - E8 - The Deception
I believe that this video is the best out of the ones that we were ranking because firstly, the story line was a really good idea and very clear.  Normally, using flashbacks complicates things, however, they did it very well and it was clear to the audience what was happening.  Secondly, they used interesting shots and the continuity of the shots was good.  Their titles and credits were also really good and it shows that they put a lot of effort in to them.  Lastly, the music was right for the genre and it didn't get too repetitive.

2 - C6 - Abduction
This was also very good opening sequence.  The music really built tension and created enigma.  The story line was also clear and the use of the 'hidden camera's' was a really good idea and it looked really realistic.  However, I don't think the titles and credits matched the genre of the sequence and they were too in-your-face

3 - E10 - The Slayer
I put 'The Slayer' at number 3 because some of the shots used were really dark and you couldn't really see what was going on.  This might have been deliberate but I thought that it was too dark.  Also the music got really repetitive at the end and it went on a bit too long.  However, they used some really interesting shots though out the sequence, especially at the beginning.  The story line was also really good and how they incorporated the titles was like how they would in real films.

4 - B2 - Snakes and Ladders
I thought that the titles were good and matched the genre and the same with the music.  The use of the tracking shot was really good and the shots of them getting ready were interesting.  However, i thought that it seemed more like a T.V. show and I didn't think the ending was very good.

5 - C7 - It Swings in Roundabouts
I put this one at number 5 because the story line was a good idea and titles were right for the genre.  The use of the music and the silence was really good and built tension.  The video that she was looking at had really good effects as well and made it seem creepy.  However, I wasn't sure, when she was seeing the girl, whether she thought she was actually seeing that or if it was a memory.  Also some of the shots at the beginning were not needed and it went on a bit long.

6 - E7 - Rundown
I thought that the story line and the beginning of the sequence brought this down.  The running and action shots were really good, I especially liked the overhead shot and when they were running into the camera.  However, like i said before, the story line was unclear and the beginning was not good.

7 - B1 - Bacterium
For this one, I thought that they used a good range on interesting shots and the story line was clear.  The music was good as well.  However, it got a bit boring after a while, it felt like it had been dragged out too long.

8 - C7 - Graves
The voice over at the beginning was really good and the story line was a good idea.  However, I didn't think that the music always suited the genre and it whole sequence was quite short.  Also, some of the camera movements were shaky and jolty.

9 - A2 - Chroniker
With 'Chroniker' the shots they used were decent and the splits screens were a good idea but there were way to many of them.  The story line was not clear and the music wasn't great.  Also the voice over was a bit too long.

10 - B6 - The Resistance
The story would have been good if they had done it properly.  The shot reverse shot did not work at all, it looked like they were talking into the camera, the continuity was bad and the camera work was shaky.

11 - E9 - 1962
I didn't really understand the story line, the shot reverse shot wasn't great and the continuity wasn't great.  Also, there wasn't really any tension and the end was bad.

Secrets and Lies Analysis

Camera Movements

Panning -



Panning is where the camera is on a fixed point and turns horizontally.  This movement is great when you want the audience to get a feel of your surroundings or to follow an object or person to see where they are going.

Tilt -



Tilting is where you move the camera lens up or down while keeping its horizontal axis constant.  This movement is useful when maybe you want the audience to see what a character is wearing or to introduce a character or to show where someone is going.

Dolly -



Dolly is the motion towards or motion from, normally on some kind of track or vehicle.  This can create a flowing effect without any unwanted camera movement, if it is done correctly.

Zoom In/Out -



Zooming involves changing the focal length of the lens to make the subject appear closer or further away in the frame.  This is one of the most used camera movements.  This movement will sometimes be used to that the audience knows what the main object of that shot is or just to make the shot more interesting.

Handheld -



Handheld is used to either make the audience feel more involved as it seems more realistic, like you are actually following someone or it is used when sometimes the action is moving too quickly or too unpredictably for the camera to be on a tripod.

Crane -



Crane shots are used when the shot needs to be looking down on the subjects/objects in the frame.  A crane is used to lift the camera (and operator, if bit's big enough) from low to high shooting positions or vice versa.

Steadicam -



Steadicam is used when you want a steady, gliding effect without having to use very expensive equipment, even when moving across very uneven ground, as it absorbs shakes, jerks and bumps in the camera movement,

Aerial -



The aerial shot is normally done by a special helicopter and is used to show big areas of landscape or something on top of buildings or high places so the audience get a feel for how high up it is.

Pull Focus -



The pull focus is where you are shifting the focus from the foreground to the background or vice versa and is one of the most popular effects in film and television.  This shot is normally used to see what is going on in front or behind an object or character.

Track -



The tracking shot is used to follow subjects and objects in the frame and anything can be used to do this shot, from dollys to handheld.

Framing/Shot Distance

There are many different types of shots that you can use, and they are all used for a reason, to maybe get a reaction, to give the viewer a feel for how big something is, e.t.c.

• This is a Extreme Close Up (ECU) - 

This shot is to get right in and up close to something, to get extreme detail.  This shot could be used in a dramatic scene, to create suspension.

In this shot, the extreme close up was used to show what he was seeing, by the reflection in his glasses.  Half his face is in the dark which creates mystery and it could mean that he has a dark side to him.  A little bit of the shot shows the setting in which he is in and in this case it is raining and dark.  This is used to make the scene more intense and mysterious.

• This is a Close Up (CU) -

 In this shot, a certain feature or part of the subject takes up most of the frame. A close-up of a person emphasizes their emotional state and the viewer is drawn into the subject's personal space and shares their feelings.

In this scene, the use of the close up shot means that you can see that this character has no emotion and the use of make up on this person is very good, because it creates a false emotion for the character.

• This is a Medium/Close Up Shot (MCS) - 

The medium closeup is half way between a mid shot and a close up. This shot shows the face more clearly, without getting uncomfortably close.

In this scene, because of the use of the medium close up shot, you can see that she is troubled and has a lot on her mind.  Behind her is just black and there is a shadow cast on one side of her face, this could signify that something has happened to her in the past and this is what's troubling her.

• This is a Medium Shot (MS) - 

The mid shot shows some part of the subject in more detail, whilst still showing enough for the audience to feel as if they were looking at the whole subject.  The medium shot is appropriate when the subject is speaking without too much emotion or intense concentration. 

In this shot, they have used a medium shot to not only get the emotion on the characters face, but also the state in which he is in.  He has obviously been on the ground a lot, maybe due to fighting or an explosion.  He also has cuts on his face and body indicating that he has been hit or thrown down.

• This is a Long Shot (LS) - 

In the long shot, the subject takes up the full frame.  Obviously the subject doesn't take up the whole width and height of the frame, since this is as close as we can get without losing any part of the people in the scene.

 This long shot is used to get both the characters in and their surroundings .  They are down an alley way, maybe starting off their day as they have coffee.  They are both well dress, signifying, they are not short of money, and they have jobs in which they need to smartly dressed for.  Both their body languages indicates that they are in happy and they are comfortably around each other, because of how close they are standing to one another.