Our Title Design

The opening credits of my film will appear in a gothic, but creepy, Victorian font. They will appear in random places on the screen. We envision the font to look like it came from an old, dusty novel title

Working Title: The title will probably be Tea Time, although it could change later. We would like the title to be in a font similar to this:

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We would like our titles to fade onto the screen very slowly. We want it to feel like the titles are "creeping up" on you. They will fade off after about 3 seconds.

We are thinking that the color of the titles should be red or a yellow, gold-ish color and the movie title should be black. We think it should be relatively dark to contrast with the very pink, girly room we will be filming in.

We want the title font size to be smaller than the person's name. So it should look something like: 

directed by

Adriana Lee-Fook

Planning

Location: 

We will be filming at my Adriana's house. Her room matches the description of the room in our script and she also has all the props we need: dolls, teapots, and clothes. 

Participants: 

The actor for this film will be me (Adriana). I will be the cameraman Faith and the editor will be Adrian. I'm probably the best choice to be the actor because all the costumes belong to me and are my size. Adrian is tech savvy and good with editing, so he will be the main editor. That leaves me to handle the camera!

Health and Safety: 

This film has little risks, but there is one. In one scene, we have a tea kettle go off on the stove and we will be handling hot water to get shots of steam. We've researched what the first aid procedure for a burn is and it says to run the burn under cold water and bandage it. We are filming near my kitchen, so we'll have a sink near-by.

Schedule:

I have band practice every Tuesday and Thursday, with some impromptu practices and events on the weekends. I have work every Monday and Friday in the evenings. Adrian has football conditioning everyday after school. Our schedules are pretty busy and conflicting. We have decided the best time to film would be during our spring break because Adrian and Adriana will be free from school activities and I can come during the day before work. We need to stick to our schedule tightly because of our hectic lives!

2/8/22: research different movie genre options and pick a genre

2/14/22: Research three movies in selected genre

2/18/22: Research title designs in selected genre

2/25/22: Write script, plan out film, and plan title design

3/4/22: Draw storyboard

3/21 & 3/23: Filming time!

3/25 : Edit our film

3/25- 4/15: group will finalize film and make any final changes

Back-Up Plan:

We will be filming inside, so there is no need to worry about weather. The thing that is most likely going to cause issues is our respective schedules and not being able to film on planned days. If this happens, we will plan to sacrifice a Sunday because that is when everyone is off. We didn't want to work on a Sunday because some people use that day to spend with family, so we will use it as a last resort. If even Sunday doesn't work, me or Adrian will probably sacrifice a practice from our respective activity to film. 

Storyboard

 

Script

Scene One:

*Establishing shot of girls room

Setting: in a teenage girl's room. It's very girly; pink but with a dark atmosphere. Jane, 16 years old, is in her night gown getting ready for an event. The atmosphere is empty and eerie.

*Melancholia starts playing

A mid shot shows Abel going in front of her mirror and starting to brush her hair.

Scene Two:

*Mid-shot of Abel's back rummaging through her closet

- She throws three dresses on her bed. She takes a look at each of them and picks her choice.

ABEL: this one.

Scene Three:

- Abel is humming, sitting at her vanity. 

*Close-up shots of her putting on make-up 

*Diegetic sound of tea kettle going off

- Abel notices and stands up to check on it.

Scene Four:

*A tracking shot shows Abel holding a tray with 4 empty tea cups on it.

*She places the cups on the table and pours tea in them using close-up shots

*Abel finally sits at the end of the table. An over-the-shoulder shot reveals 3 dolls sitting at the table with her.

*A pan-shot shows each doll with labels on their heads. Each label has a name.

*A mid shot shows Abel drinking the tea. But, she notices something off about the tea. She looks down at it and notices it's blood.

*A close-up reveals the blood in the cup and on her mouth.

Scene Five

Abel suddenly wakes up in a panic. It was all a dream.

*A close-up shot shows her springing up from her nightmare.

Title Research: The Conjuring 2

 The Conjuring 2

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

There are a total of 20 different titles that are displayed in the opening sequence of 'The Conjuring 2'

• Director

• Screenplay

• Producers

• Executive Producers

• Executive Producer

• Based on characters created by

• Director Of Photography

• Production Designer

• Edited by

• Visual Effects Supervisor

• Actors

• Casting by

• Costumes Designed by

• Music by

• Music Supervisor

• A 'New Line Cinema' Presentation

• In Association With 'Ratpac-Dune Entertainment'

• A 'Safran Company' / 'Atomic Monster' Production

• A 'James Wan' Film

• Movie Title

What connotation do the images carry?

The pictures that are shown in the title sequence give an eerie and uneasy feeling. Most of the pictures are normal group pictures/ portraits, but some pictures show broken objects and frantic scenes that make the audience feel fear.

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

The genre is reinforced in the title sequence through the audio being played in the background. The audio used in the background of the title sequence are the actual audio recording from the people that the movie is based on. This audio recording gives a very uneasy feeling. Combined with the picture displayed on screen and the sudden scary transitions between them. You can tell from the title sequence alone that the movie falls in the horror genre.

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

One convention used in this title sequence is the dark lighting, the low dark lighting is what helps set the spooky/ gloomy mood needed for a horror movie. Another convention is the use of still long shot camera angles/ pictures, this is used to help set a realistic feeling for the audience. Also the use of the sound in the background, that also helps with the realism and uneasy feeling.

Title Research: The Shining

 The Shining 

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

The opening sequence of 'The Shining' contains 8 different titles.

• A 'Stanley Kubrick' Film

• Movie Title 'THE SHINING'

• Actors

• Executive Producers

• Based upon a novel by 'Stephen King'

• Produced in association with 'The Producer Circle Company'

• Screenplay by

• Produced and Directed by 'Stanley Kubrick'

What connotation do the images carry?

The images are very simplistic, the whole opening scene is just a bunch of extreme long shot/ extreme long tracking shots. Just a car driving along a road that is in a mountain valley. The only feeling this gives the audience is mainly a feeling of realism.

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

In the title sequence the soundtrack that plays is the most significant technique used. The sound is very ominous, with a very slow pace. Very loud at some points then very quiet at others. This is used to give an uneasy feeling for the audience, along with a feeling of strong anticipation. From what is displayed on the screen, you probably wouldn't be able to tell that the movie is a horror one. But you would definitely be able to by the music.

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

The main convention used to appeal to the horror genre audience is the type of music. The slow gloomy sound gives the audience an uneasy feeling that fits perfectly with a horror movie.

Title Research: Killer Klowns from Outer Space

 For my title design research, I decided to watch the opening sequence of Killer Klowns from Outer Space.

1. How many titles are displayed during the opening sequence of the film? Which ones?

There were 21 titles in total. These titles included

• Production companies

• Actors

• The title of the movie

• Music producers

• Casting directors

• Associate Producers

• Special effects

• Editors

• Art director

• Production designers

• Director of photography

• Writers

• Executive producers

• Director

2. What connotations do the images carry?

The title sequence opened with images of people at a popular dining spot. There are a bunch of teenagers having fun and enjoying themselves. The bright lights and fun colors give the viewers feelings of amusement and youth. The environment then transitions into being more shady and dark. It shows a few teenagers in a secluded area and underage drinking. The mood is more chill and makes the audience feel like they are up to no good. The darkness is also unsettling and adds a bit of suspense. Lastly, an ice cream truck drives by the teenagers. The truck has a creepy clown on top of it. The darkness and the creepy clown image makes the viewers feel like something is about to happen to the teenagers, especially since the movie is named "killer klowns."

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

One thing that stuck out to me was the title of the movie. The title was red, edgy, and sharp. This gave me an image of killing and knives in my head. Additionally, the movie opens with eerie music, which sparks terror in the listener. Having the movie take place at night and in a remote area also reinforces the horror genre. The dark lighting limits the audiences senses and sparks suspense.

4. What conventions are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience? 

I would imagine the target audience for this movie are young adults and people who are into gore and creepy themes in movies. The movies uses young actors so the audience can relate to the characters. The costumes, or clothes, worn by the actors places the audience in their shoes. The image of a creepy clown also appeals to the audience, due to their interest in horror themes.

Title Research: Dead Silence

 Dead silence is about a man Jamie who lost his wife, Mary, a murdered ventriloquist ion there creepy town, Raven Fair. The opening sequence of the film contained the production compnay, studio, film title, actors, music creator, costume designer, editors, production designers, director of photography, and executive producers. It also included who the story, casting, screenplay, and movie was directed by. In the scene the focus is directed on the creation of the doll and a description of where the word ventriloquist came from. When creating the doll it starts by showing the light of a fire to brighten the room to the carving of the doll's face. After the carving the eyes are placed into the open eye sockets and the makeup as well as clothing being placed. These images give off a very unsettling feeling because they bring a very superficial being to .life. As you see the doll gain human like characteristics especially as the eyes develop it is very creepy. By having the outset in a dark environment with minimal light and a creation of a creepy doll it resembles the horror genre. By creating the feeling of fear it embodies the genre, horror. Typically a horror's target audience are people who want to enjoy thrills and stimulation. By providing an opening scene that slowly shows the mysterious doll being built it grasps the audience's attention from the start. As they learn more and more the viewers will crave for more thrilling content. Also, at the end of the opening sequence where the doll's body zooms all the way to its face and into its eye it deeply questions the doll’s soul. It enters into this black darkness that leaves viewers questioning. The technology was used effectively here and when the outset was edited into an old time grainy video as well. This provides backstory that this could be a old time tale that has built from ancient origin.

Title Website Research

To be honest, when I first heard the about a title design I was very confused! This was the first time I have even heard of that term in film. So when I learned that I needed to include it in my final task, I knew I needed to research what exactly a title design is! I ended up finding two websites that helped clarify.

The first website I found was called artofthetitle.com. Finding this website was like finding gold. It has tons of title designs from every genre, decade, and title designer you can imagine! They had title design from some of my favorite movies! Some of the favorites that I spotted were Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Aquaman, and Venom. One neat feature of this website is the many categories it sorts its title designs. They organize them by designer, studio, nominations and more. This makes it easier to navigate their website and conduct thorough research. 

The other website I found is called watchthetitles.com. This website is similar to the previous one and even has unique categories like "student project" and "video game" title designs. I'm so glad I came across these two websites. They have given me many phenomenal examples of title sequences and helped clarify what exactly a title design is. They help prelude the film by using expressive motion-graphics. They are crucial for setting the tone of the movie and prepares the audience for what they are about to experience. Titles sequences are basically the first impression of a movie! If a person is not intrigued by the opening sequence or doesn't like it, they probably won't tune in for the rest of the movie.

Genre Research: Us

 I just watched US, directed Jordyn Peele, as a part of my genre research. After researching the codes and conventions for the horror genre, I couldn't help but spot a lot of them in this movie.

This movie used costumes to differentiate between the good guys and the villain's. When the audience sees someone wearing a red jumpsuit, they knew who was the doppelganger. This detail becomes important towards the end of the movie, when the mom's reveal that their roles are switched. Lighting is an important factor in creating the movie's suspense. Dark, creepy lighting sparks fear in the audience because of the potential dangers in the shadows. The actors also don't know what's lurking in the shadows too, so the audience feeds off of the actor's "fear." I also thought the use of minimal make-up in the movie was a different approach, since many horror movies use make-up for ghosts and ghouls. I think this movie wanted to look as real as possible in order for the audience to connect. Making the humans look normal makes the movie arguably scarier because these villains look just like normal people. However, the setting of the movie was a common feature found in horror movies. It took place in a secluded, remote area. This allows the characters to run into conflict without much obstacles. Scissors were the main prop, and the most recognizable feature of this movie. The iconic, long, sharp scissors became a staple of Us and follows the common horror convention: having weapons as props.

The biggest editing feature of this movie was editing the same actor and making them appear to be separate people. The doppelganger villains are what Us is known for. This movie also edits a lot of zoom-ins to show the actors frightened face.

A common shot that appeared in this film were close-ups. Specifically, the close-ups would commonly show tears running down the actor's, Lupita Nyung'o, face. The shot showed her crying with a seemingly straight face. This shows the audience that she doesn't want to show her fear, but it can't but leak out, letting the audience connect with her and feel her intense emotions.

The feature I enjoyed watching the most was the close up of Nyung'o's face. The close-up combined with her brilliant acting left me with chills. I enjoyed the editing of a doppelganger, but I don't think I would use that for my final task. It seems too advanced for my group and I to accomplish! Every single I spotted was utilized brilliantly and contributed to this excellent movie!

Genre Research: The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

I just watched The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It as a part of my genre research. After researching the codes and conventions for the horror genre, I couldn't help but spot a lot of them in the movie.

Once camera shot I saw a lot was a point-of-view shot. For example, when Arne Johnson was looking around in his house for a ghost, the camera viewed the house from his perspective. This made the audience feel the fear and anxiety Arne felt when searching his home. Another common camera movement was a tracking shot. The movie used it a lot for jump scares and revealing demons in the shadows. For instance, Arne finishes searching his and doesn't fin anything, thinking that everything is normal. The camera moves in the same direction as he and reveals a demon in front of him. This camera technique inserts the audience deeper into Arne's point-of-view because we are experiencing the same scares, at the same time, as Arne.

Furthermore, this movie contained many common horror mis-en-scene components. They used lots of dark and gloomy lighting. The shadows created by the dark lighting creates suspension and fear because the audience doesn't know what will pop out at them. They also used "dead" looking makeup for the ghouls that pop out at Arne. Additionally, they used common horror movie props like blood, knives, and occult items.

Another common occurrence I found was the use of sound. When Lorraine Warren was having a vision in the woods, the music would get louder as an event builds up. Then, when there is a moment of suspense, the music goes silent. Finally, when the jump scare happens, the music gets extremely loud to emphasize the fear.

The two editing features I saw in the movie was a zoom-in and a cut. One example of a zoom was featuring the scared expression of Lorraine Warren when she saw discovered something frightening. The movie made a lot of cuts in between scenes, whether for a jump scare or to leave the audience in suspense.

The features I liked most in this movie was the use of dark lighting and the zoom-ins of the actors scared expressions. I really want to incorporate these methods in my film. Even though I like this feature, I probably wouldn't use scary make-up in our film because I feel like none of us are talented enough to make it look untacky.

Genre Research: It Chapter Two

After watching It Chapter Two, we noticed a variety of elements that umbrella the horror genre. This movie had tracking shots, point of view shots, tilts, pans, and close ups. We all enjoyed the close ups and tracking shots because it created a chilling suspense towards it. Whenever the clown was making an appearance the close up on him made it very frightening. For example, when Bill was stuck in the House of Mirrors at the carnival with the clown the close ups made it very scary. As you saw the clown repeatedly bang is head into the mirrors vividly, it drew my attention and made us feel as if we were apart of the movie. The fear really creeps in when you believe you are in that character's position. Additionally when It the clown arrives there is always a non diegetic sound that associates with him. As the audience when that sound plays you know he is about to arrive. We did enjoy this because it makes you want to protect the characters in the movie when that song arrives. As for the pan and tilt it gave a good summary of the setting. When another scene was going to occur the pan and tilt introduced the viewers to the next setting. Without all of these elements the movie would seem very lifeless and not feel like a horror film. When it came to the dark lightning since the contrast was not very extreme the surprising scares made it even more thrilling. Not being able to see what will come at you can create that nervousness in the audience, making the scene very dramatic. As the audience we really want to incorporate these elements as we want to make our audience feel what we felt. Although the whole point of a horror is too create frightening content, we do not want to include anything that is too gory and could possibly be unappealing to our viewers. In the movie when there were close ups, they usually showed very bloody imagery that could drive an audience away.

Our Decision

After a lengthy discussion about the three genres that have been researched, my partners and I have decided to choose horror. When we brainstormed ideas, we were left with two ways to interpret our pitch. We thought about approaching our idea with horror at first. The pitch is about a girl who lives in a creepy town and finds herself in a creepy forest, obviously having horror undertones. However, we thought about approaching this idea in an unconventional way: comedy.

The inspiration we have for this idea is the film Scary Movie. We know that horror is commonly picked for the final task project, so we wanted to think outside the box. We discussed whether we have the talent to write a funny script and if it could be funny in only the first two minutes of a movie. We also discussed if any of us had the ability to deliver a funny script. After this talk, we ultimately decided that the film may not translate in the humorous way we want. We decided it’d be best if we just stuck to the obvious theme of our pitch: horror.

We also discussed making our pitch into a love story. We thought about using a “creepy town” as a situation to develop a love connection between two actors. However, our group wanted to stray away from the love stories because our last two projects had a love theme. We were tired of the romantic theme and wanted to try something new. Plus, we thought a romance theme would be difficult to convey in only two minutes as well.

After discussing the romance and comedy genres, our group knew we were probably going to lean towards the horror choice. It could be conveyed in two minutes and we all really connect with the horror movies. All of us enjoy the suspenseful feeling accompanied with watching films in this genre and want a chance to create it ourselves. 

So, our group has decided to choose the horror genre for our final task!

Genre Research: Horror

 One genre we were looking into was horror. I spent about 3 days researching the codes and conventions of this genre, and I think I have a pretty good understanding of it!

Some common camera angles in a horror film are:

extreme close-ups: emphasizes scared facial expressions

tilt: to show disorientation

establishing shot: establishes the films location

handheld: to make the shots look realistic

tracking shot: to follow the main character and build suspense

point-of-view: allows the audience to relate to the character and feel their emotions

dolling: makes the audience believe a character is being watched or followed, which contributes to fear.

Some common Mis-en-Scene:

secluded locations are a common setting to allow the main character to get harmed with little obstacles. They are usually dark and abandoned places.

the monsters or scary actor in horror films usually wear heavy make-up to make them look super-natural or unordinary. This can include blood.

the clothes for regular characters tend to stay away from bright, loud colors. They still to neutral colors to add to the depressing atmosphere of the movie. The clothes for the main antagonist, from killer to ghost, are usually in poor or "creepy" condition. This lets the audience know who the main offender is and lets them know who they should fear.

The lighting for horror movies usually include gloomy, dark colors to maintain a haunting feeling.

Some common sound/music trends are:

horror films often use dramatic music that gets louder when something is about to happen. This effect creates suspense.

Some common props in horror films include weapons, creepy objects, or occult items. This is due to the common theme of death and despair in horror films. Some of these items include:

knives

chainsaws

dolls

crosses

axes

blood

Some popular films in the horror genre include:

Annabelle

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Insidious

The conjuring

The Exorcism of Emily Rose

Overall, it was interesting to learn about the features and trends commonly used in horror movies. I personally enjoy horror movies a lot and I would enjoy using every convention I researched. I would be most excited to use the gloomy lighting and handheld camera technique. I feel like this would create a really cool product. The only thing I wouldn't be fond of using is the fake blood. I think it only looks good if applied in the right way and can look cheesy easily. Other than that, the codes and conventions for this genre are really fascinating!

Genre Research: Comedy

Common camera angles we can see The Push (Way Too Far) In, The Pull (Way Too Far) Out, Reveal movement, The Comparison Shot, The Perspective Shot and others. In comedy there aren't specific dress code, just casual normal clothing unless the character needs to dress silly. Lighting is commonly bright or natural light to keep a realistic environment.  Typically characters that are portrayed as "stupid" or “clumsy” to entertain the audience. Little to no makeup is used in comedy. Props are very important in comedy and usually includes props that hurt a character or humiliates them. The settings are usually large social areas that make it clear for the audience to see. In comedy everything is about timing and pace. Editing could be sped up to fit the pace of one scene then slowed down to match the pace for another. It really depends on the situation the characters are in. Diegetic sound such as dialogue needs to be heard in order to be laughed at. Non diegetic sounds can be used to place emphasis in certain scenes. Movies that are in the Comedy genre are "Dumb & Dumber", "Deadpool", "Superbad", "White Chicks" and "Ted". An element we would use from comedy are non diegetic sounds. Non diegetic sounds can help emphasize the importance of a scene or highlight a joke made by a character. We wouldn't want to include comedic characters. These characters wouldn't fit into our pitch and wouldn't help create the fear that the audience is supposed to feel.