STORYBOARD

Jobs:
Renee, Kelly, Zoe, and Chiara: Coming up with the story, and how it will flow
Zoe: Drawing and captions


Our movie opens by following a girl walking into a dimly lit area (dolly shot). She then slides down and sits on the ground, the camera shot revealing that she is bloody and bruised. The shot then zooms in to a close up of her face, where you can clearly see her shaking. As it closes up, flashbacks from earlier are being revealed, showing seconds from previous events that led her to be where she is now. The tension builds as the scenes flash back faster, building as much tension as possible before the scene cuts, and shows a black screen with the words "24 hours earlier.", which is the end of the opening and what would be the beginning of the movie/story.

BRAINSTORMING

“Rise”: 

-I like how the music became louder and more clear when the actor put his headphones on
-There were a lot of close-ups, and they liked to focus on one specific object frequently throughout the movie opening
-It showed the actor playing soccer from several different angles, and although this was a cool effect, I felt that too much of the opening was just him playing soccer
-The end scene where it showed an extreme close-up really left me wondering what history the two characters had, and why they seemed so angry at each other. However, I feel that more dialogue would’ve been more effective in captivating an audience.

“Offline”:

-I honestly found this movie opening very weird, and I didn’t like it that much
-It was extremely predictable
-Too much simultaneity in the editing. 3 or 4 is enough, but it cut back and forth over 10 times.
-The music fit the theme, which tried to build suspense, however it didn’t leave me wanting more or wondering what was going on. It’s pretty clear a girl accidentally (or purposefully) shared her location on an instagram post and a creep saw it and kidnapped her. There was no mystery, and usually horror is just that.

“Dear Lover”:

-This was really really good, and super captivating. There was always something happening, and right from the start I wondered why she ran away, and where she is now.
-The sound editing is really good, from the music, to the girl narrating to the clip of her girlfriend speaking to an off-screen character.
-The ending was really good, how she said “let’s start from the beginning”. This got me interested in her entire story, making me want to watch the rest of the movie.

“Dare to Thrill”:

-This was really good, the editing was incredible. With the upbeat music mixed with the sound of the car drifting and the kids screaming, this gets me excited, and I want to be there with them
-The camera angles also contributed to the exciting vibe of the movie opening. When the car drove on the main road, the camera angle showed different parts of the car, and then followed it at one point making me feel like i was in a car following behind them.
-The ending actually made me really excited, I genuinely wanted to see the rest of the movie. My mind came up with a million possibilities of what could be in the back of the car.

“Always Watching”:

-This one has good editing, but was a little confusing and awkward. I think it was the acting, especially by the antagonist. He just had this weird smirk on his face that made it more funny rather than scary or intimidating
-The music was a little overpowering, and though it fit the theme it was blasting in my ears, but then the dialogue was too quiet when compared to this music.
-I wasn’t really left wondering what the story was by the end, I just felt like he was an obsessive psychopath and I didn’t really need a background story to explain that.
-Because I felt that the editing and transitions were really good, the only thing that would have to change would be the volume of the music and the facial expressions of the actor.

“The Blue Boar”:

-This actually made me really uncomfortable and I hated it.
-The song was very unnecessary and along with her terrible and very weird facial expressions, this made the opening very awkward to watch.
-It made absolutely no sense
-The creature she made with sticks at the end was confusing. I don’t know if this was the goal of the group, but it just made the whole thing even weirder than it was before.

“White Coat”:

-This was really well made. The effects were outstanding, and everything from the music to the visuals made this opening super suspenseful
-I like how the sound of the boiling water was emphasized to bring out some diegetic sound

“Stalker”:

-I hated this it was not good
-The sound effects were so corny and terrible
-The plot was not suspenseful and honestly a little stupid
-The camerawork and angles was also terrible, and did not create any suspense, as a thriller should.

“Nostalgia”:

-The overall idea was very nice, however the shaky camera made it a little hard to understand what the director wanted the audience to focus on
-The music fit nicely with the theme
-I like how the young girl represented her in the past, and this was shown through the fact that they were wearing the same clothes
-This left me wondering what each item represented, and what it meant to her

“Lost & Found”:

-Sound quality wasn’t very great, especially when the dialogue came
-The transition between people was very good though, and smooth
-Everything else was kind of bad, there really wasn’t anything that left me wanting more


Overall, these film openings have showed me what to do and what not to do. It’s clear that a good story makes all the difference. I need to focus on sound, because that also makes the opening more immersive. And I need to stick to a clear genre.

INSPIRATION FOR OUR GENRE

My group decided to do our film opening project on the horror genre. I feel that fear is a good way to captivate an audience, and keep them engaged throughout the movie. Suspense is a key factor in all horror movies. Suspense does a good job of keeping everybody on the edge of their seats, waiting for something to happen. I love the horror genre because I can never get bored watching a good horror movie. Some incredible openings I have seen were in the movies US (Jordan Peele, 2019) and It (Andrés Muschietti, 2017).

I was first introduced to the horror genre at a young age-my friends loved watching horror movies, but I was always too scared. However, oddly enough, I really enjoyed reading books in the horror genre. Once I got to high school, I decided to go see my first horror movie, "Get Out" and since then I've had a love/hate relationship with the horror genre. I hate being jumped at, and scared, but I absolutely LOVE the incredible effects and music that go into a horror movie. So nowadays, whenever a new horror movie comes out, I go see it-but I make sure to bring a couple of friends!

The film openings from the two movies I previously stated are the main source of inspiration for how I want my group to approach our own film opening. I want to focus on captivating the audience from the start, and then leaving them wanting more and asking questions at the end. For example, in the film opening for US, a little girl is shown walking on the Santa Cruz pier with her parents, and then wandering off on her own. She went onto the beach, and walked into a hall of mirrors, where she got lost and encountered a little girl who looks exactly like her. Then, the scene cut off. This movie opening left me asking a number of questions: Who is the other little girl? What did she do with her? Where did she come from? The lack of music and dark setting added to the suspense, keeping me interested.

Another example is in the movie It. The movie opens with a scene that sets the mood for the rest of the movie-Georgie's death. Georgie's death was an iconic scene in both the 1990 original and the 2019 remake. Georgie goes outside on a rainy day, and runs alongside his paper boat that he put in running water when suddenly-the boat fell into a sewer. This is where Pennywise's character is introduced, and he bites off Georgie's arm and pulls him into the sewer after tricking him into thinking he'll get his boat back. This movie opening stands out to me because it is a scene that everybody knows all too well, but was done so well with all of the elements of a horror movie that it left the audience wanting more. The dark setting, suspenseful music, and scary effects and character truly made this opening scene terrifying.

Overall, my inspiration came from a culmination of different movies that left me wanting to come back and rewatch it again. It is important to focus on including the elements of the horror genre, but to also keep it unique and suspenseful, so the audience doesn't get bored, but rather excited to see the rest of the movie. This is what I hope to achieve with my group in our movie opening.

MY FILM OPENING PROJECT: GENRE AND GROUP MEMBERS

GENRE OF PROJECT: Our group decided to do the horror genre for our movie opening

GROUP MEMBERS: Renee Listrom, Zoe Orgass, Kelly Gonzalez, (Chiara Junkroski)

FILM OPENING RESEARCH #2: AVENGERS INFINITY WAR

Avengers Infinity War: Anthony Russo

How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?

One: Marvel Studios

What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?

The image of space and the ship that Thor, Loki, and Thanos are on is prioritized in the opening scene, as is the Tesseract.

What connotations do the images carry?

Space carries a neutral connotation-space is where a majority of the film takes place. Thor, Loki, and Thanos carry more of a negative connotation, as does the Tesseract. Loki ends up being killed by Thanos, the Tesseract was taken, and this marks the beginning of the war, and the conflict of the movie.

How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?

The action genre is reinforced right from the start, with fights, deaths, and loud noises and music. The setting in space with a chaotic spaceship, the bloody, and dirty makeup, and the dark lighting are all symbolic and technical codes that reinforce the action genre.

How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?

From the start viewers are wondering why Thanos wants the Tesseract, and what he intends to do with it. This establishes an enigma from the outset.

What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?

The directors included three very large characters in the opening scene, and killed off two important people from the start, drawing in the audience and already making them emotional. The fact that these big, well-known characters were included really appeals to the target audience.

How has technology been used effectively? You might want to consider camera angles, transitions and editing techniques.

The movie opens with an establishing shot, showing the spaceship hovering in space. Low angle and high angle shots are used frequently when the action begins to show who has the power and who does not. For example, whenever Thanos is in the frame, there is a low angle shot being used, making him appear taller and more powerful than the others. The opposite goes for the other characters. When Thor is shown tied up in a chair, a high angle shot along with an eye level shot make Thor appear powerless and out of control.

FILM OPENING RESEARCH #1: US

US: Jordan Peele

How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?

Two: Universal and Monkeypaw Productions


What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?

An image of a TV showing a promotion for "Hands Across America", and an image of a bunny, which slowly zooms out to reveal more bunnies.


What connotations do the images carry?

The promotion on the TV is symbolic, for it shows exactly what happens throughout the movie-which viewers discover at the end. The bunnies are a hint to an image viewers see later on in the movie as well. The promotion has more of a negative connotation, while the bunnies are rather neutral. It also shows (before stating the title of the film and giving credentials) a little girl wandering on the Santa Cruz pier, and getting lost in a house of mirrors, where she saw her clone.


How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?

The horror/thriller genre is reinforced throughout the movie. The entire movie is symbolic. Everything means something, for example everybody above has a clone that they are "tethered" to. These clones live underground and do everything that their person does, and looks like them except they act like animals. When the main character finds the underground place where the clones live, there are bunnies hopping around (a symbol from the opening scene). The music also reinforces the genre, for it is creepy, a bit out of tune, and staccato.


How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?

The very first questions viewers ask are "what do the bunnies mean" and "what does Hands Across America have to do with anything?". The movie does an amazing job of establishing mystery and a good story from the start.


What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?

There isn't much dialogue or action in the opening scene, which builds suspense as it follows the girl down the pier onto the beach. By giving a story from the start, directors know that the audience's attention will be caught. This ensures that the film appeals to the audience.


How has technology been used effectively? You might want to consider camera angles, transitions and editing techniques.

There are many follow shots and close-ups, which makes the movie personal, and gives the audience a sense of how the character acts. As the girl walks down the pier, there is either a follow shot of a POV. Then when she sees her clone, it is a close-up shot, then it cuts to the title and credentials. 

ACTION POWERPOINT

HORROR VIDEO

Horror Video: Chiara and Kelly

HORROR POWERPOINT

AGENT CARTER

Agent Carter is a film centered around Peggy Carter, a secret agent for the Strategic Scientific Reserve, dedicated to fighting new atomic threats that have emerged after World War II. However, she finds herself working with sexist men, and this restricts her-holding her back from using her full potential at times.

Camera shots, angles, movement and composition are all extremely important aspects of a film. They create the feel of the entire movie. In Marvel's "Agent Carter", there are several camera shots and angles that are used to depict a different feeling. For example, at the opening scene of the clip there is a close-up shot of Captain America's face, showing his fear as the plane goes down. Following this, there is an establishing shot of the control center that Agent Carter is in. This sets the scene for the audience, and kind of shows the contrast between the chaotic crash and the quiet ship. Another good camera shot that creates a sense of emotion is a cutaway shot. As Agent Carter looks down at something, the audience doesn't know what is it. It then cuts to a picture of Steve Rogers that she looks at with a sad expression. This evokes a feeling of sadness in the audience. There is another establishing shot soon after the men leave after asking Peg to close up. It zooms out, showing her all alone in the dark room. This creates a sense of isolation and loneliness, showing how alone and mistreated she felt.

Camera shots and angles are not the only important aspects of a film. Editing is also extremely important in creating a good flow and transition throughout. For example, the contrast being used at the beginning of the clip displays two completely different things happening at the same time. Agent Carter is in the control center talking to Steve Rogers. The scene cuts back and forth between Carter in the quiet control center to Rogers in the loud, chaotic plane. Another important edit would be simultaneity. In the scene where Agent Carter takes a call she's not technically supposed to, she confronts and gets in fight with these two men. The scene cuts between a security guard reading a magazine and listening to music, and Agent Carter fighting the two men. This happens several times before the scenes merge, building suspense.

Along with editing, sound adds a whole new level to a film; diegetic sound specifically, plays a big role. Diegetic sound is used throughout the clip, mainly to represent contrast. For example, regarding a few of the examples previously stated above, there is diegetic sound represented in both the scene with Peg talking to Steve Rogers and the fighting scene. Diegetic sound is sound that the characters on screen can hear. The sound helps to further enhance the contrast between the scenes. The best example would be the fight scene; the sound goes from the music that the security guard is blasting, to the grunts and hits of Agent Carter fighting the men.

Mise-en-scene is the final thing that really brings a movie together. A huge part of mise-en-scene that ties everything in Agent Carter together is setting. The setting takes place in New York City, in the 1940s, as can be seen by the costume (another element of mise-en-scene), and the staging and acting (the way people speak, and interact). The lighting throughout the clip is very low-key, bringing out the shadows and setting a dark tone for most of the clip, making everything eerie and mysterious, representing what an agent's job really entails-uncertainty and risk.

FILM ELEMENTS GRAPHIC ORGANIZER

MISE-EN-SCENE

I decided to make my post on the mise-en-scene in "Star Wars: A New Hope". I chose this movie because mise-en-scene makes the movie what  it is. 

One example of mise-en-scene in A New Hope is the setting. Of course, there is not only one setting, but some of the most memorable settings are the Cantina, and Luke and the twin suns. The cantina is messy, crowded, loud, and dark. This establishes the idea that it's a sort of "shady", or dangerous place to be.  In the twin suns scene, there is a serene, beautiful setting while Luke overlooks the sunset, reflecting on his idea to leave the farm.

The lighting throughout the movie also plays a huge role. Referring to the cantina scene again, the lighting would be considered low-key lighting. The frame is cast with large shadows, and it's hard to distinguish many details. However, when the alien's hand it cut off after he harasses Luke, the lighting gets noticeably brighter, but returns back to dark immediately after, showing almost a climax of the scene, then the dying back down. 

The costumes in Star Wars don't have the same effect on the movie as they do in most. In most movies, costumes set the time period. Here in star wars, they convey many thins such as economic status, good or evil, or personality. For example, darth vader wears all black and a mask. The fact that he is covered from head to toe completely gives off a mysterious vibe, seeing as the audience does not know what lies beneath the mask, and the black shows evil, in contrast to the white and tan colors that Luke Skywalker wears. Also the use of red and blue lightsabers (as seen in the fight scene between Darth Vader and Obi Wan) represent good (blue) and evil (red).

The spacing in Star Wars: A New Hope can be noticed in the fight between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader. When the scene begins, Obi-Wan enters a room, and his facial expression changes from slightly calm to concerned. However, you don't see what he's looking at until a few seconds afterwards. This is an example of offscreen space.

SOUND EDITS

https://youtu.be/cjWXO0noea4

          The first sound in our video was under the "contrast" master edit. This is an example of a non-diegetic sound. For the bird flying, we played the upbeat and suspenseful theme from Mission Impossible. For me sitting on the ground, we played Simon and Garfunkel's melancholy "The Sound of Silence". This represents the contrast between the bird flying freely in the air and me sitting bored on the ground.
          The second sound in our video was under the "symbolism" master edit. This is an example of music. Over the video of the American flag in nations square, we put the star spangled banner. When we zoomed out from the map of the United States, we just edited the music to sound more intense, and much louder. It is the same music, just altered, which represents the relationship in the two scenes, and the symbolism.
          The third sound was under the "simultaneity" master edit. This is an example of direct sound. The sound was not altered, there was no post synchronization dubbing and no non-diegetic sound. All of the sounds such as the quiet murmur from insider the classroom, and the loud buzz of the courtyard at lunch were left with the sounds that there were when it was recorded.
          The fourth sound was under the "parallelism" master edit. This is an example of synchronous sound. We played a song called "How You Feel" and chose the part that transitions from one rapper to another. When Kelly turns around one rapper says "Danny, how you feel?" and when I turn around the other rapper says, "I feel great". This is a representation of the change in scene/character, but a similar situation, which is why we kept the same song, just with different rappers conversing. This represents synchronous sound because it matches with our movements and the transition well.
          The fifth sound was under the "Leitmotif" master edit. This is an example of post synchronization dubbing. In the scene of my lizard standing there, we added the sound of crickets over it to emphasize the quiet thinking of the lizard. For the video of Kelly hitting and kicking the Trojan, we recorded the sound of us hitting metal hand rails in the school it make it sound like Kelly hitting the Trojan statue. There wasn't much sound coming from Kelly actually hitting it, which is why we hit the metal poles and added this over after to emphasize the sound it should be making to create the effect more.