Timeline of credits in an opening sequence

I looked at The Purge's opening sequence and noted down the timings and the names of the credits and created a timeline. By doing this i could get an idea of how to time my credits correctly, for instance how long one credit should appear for and how many should be displayed at once. This has influenced my opening sequence as i am now able to figure out a clear and sensible order the credits should go in. Not only by looking at the timings and order of the credits have helped but also looking at the style of the credits for example the font, colour and size have also benefited me. As the genre of my opening sequence is thriller i need to choose appropriate credit styles to link to the genre. So by looking at a thriller such as The Purge i am able to now design credits that are suitable and effective. 

BFI Study Day

From the BFI study day i learnt a number of things, the first thing we explored was the conventions of film openings which are involved in a title opening sequence. Peter Fraser explained there are 5 aspects these were: 

• Genre  
• Narrative (enigma) 
• Character 
• Atmosphere 
• Setting 

With this we analysed several opening sequences such as ' Catch me if you can' and ' Dawn of the dead' to see what aspect they focused on the most. We identified that Dawn of the dead was more focused on setting. This exercise helped me decide which aspect i should concentrate on more for when it comes to making my opening sequence. Afterwards we analysed previous students opening sequences from this we highlighted and discussed what the strengths and weaknesses were and had to give them a grade. Recurring issues were things like showing too much of the plot, not involving any titles and a bad use of sound. Fraser stated the importance of sound and how it played a vital part as the opening sequence should have about 50% sound. The music should also be appropriate and fit the genre. By examining other students work and picking apart its good and bad points means i can look out for them recurring issues when doing my opening sequence so i can avoid making the same mistakes. 

The last speaker, Jake Hume the producer of 'Sixteen' helped me understand more about film distribution as from the question and answer session we became more aware of the struggle to get films on the market and to even get noticed. Finally Peter Fraser gave us tips on how to make our opening sequence to the highest of standards. Overall the study trip was largely beneficial and i learnt a lot.

Peter Fraser's Blog 
http://petesmediablog.blogspot.co.uk/

Below is the powerpoints which Peter created in order to help us understand better.

Here was the brief outline of what the BFI stuff day consisted of:

Opening Title Sequence Memento Recreation

For our recreation of an opening sequence our group decided to recreate Memento, this opening sequence we identified to be one of the simpler ones we focused on. Due to a limited locations due to us filming at school it meant it was more difficult to match memento completely. However with the resources we had we made alterations. Although with some of the props used in Memento weren't in our recreation we made this up by using the editing techniques it used. For instance the vehicle movement being reversed. Overall from this task I learnt how to make do with what you have and how to film non stationary objects, in this case the bus.

Continuity Editing

ESTABLISHING SHOT:  


An establishing shot is a long shot or an extreme long shot, mainly involving loose framing. This shot enables the audience to become familiar with the setting and location before the characters are introduced. The purpose of an establishing shot is to show spatial relations between  important figures or objects, overall setting the scene.

SHOT-REVERSE-SHOT:

A shot reverse shot is when two shots is often used when two characters are having a conversation. It is then edited together so it alternates between the characters.

CROSS-CUTTING:
This is when shots are edited so it alternates shots which are happening simultaneously, this is achieved by the camera cutting away from one action to another. 

MATCH ON ACTION:
Match on action is a term used when the camera perspective changes into a different shot but still maintaining a flow. For instance from our demonstration it shows two different times however it looks like they are happening at the same time, this overall makes it more interesting due to the variation in shots being used. 

 SHOT-REVERSE-SHOT:

A shot reverse shot is when two shots is often used when two characters are having a conversation. It is then edited together so it alternates between the characters.
   
180° RULE
 An 180° rule is a basic guideline where the angle between any two following shots should not exceed 180°. This is to make sure relationships between people or objects are maintained. When using the 180° rule it is important not to cross the 'line of vision' as this would result in the audience becoming confused by the scene.
The axis is there to connect the characters ensuring the camera is kept on one side for every single shot. If the camera was to pass over the axis it would be 'jumping/crossing the line'

30° RULE
The 30° rule is when the angle between any two shots that should not be less than 30° by the change in perspective it ensures the shots are varied meaning it avoids a jump cut.

This is when the shots are edited so they alternate whilst they are occurring simultaneously , this is achieved by the camera cutting from one action to another. Cross cutting is often used to create a suspense.

EYE LINE MATCH :
An eye line match is a shot where a character looks at something off-screen which is then closely followed by a cut to what that character was looking at. This is also seen when a character is looking in the direction the other character was addressing them in.

RE-ESTABLISHING SHOT:

A re-establishing shot is when the camera returns to the location once a character has used dialogue, this is to help give a sense of the surroundings the character is involved in.

Textual Analysis Of An Opening Sequence

History Of Opening Sequences

An open sequence is featured at the beginning of a film this usually where information such as the title, cast members and key production members are displayed. They give hints towards the the tone and theme of the film for the audience so they have some idea of what they are about to watch. When it comes to opening sequences it basically sets up the film and it gives the first impression and because of this they are very important. 





Important points from this video:

• Thomas Edison -  1897 First showed company name by text board, from this most opening sequences start with the company name. 
• Development of sound saw a big change to opening sequences meaning actors and actresses started  making appearances in the beginning of the film. 
• Due to television less people went to the cinemas meaning film companies had to gain the audiences back by creating elaborately designed opening sequences 
• 1950 became miniature films themselves 
• Saul Bass - great designer
• 1978 introduction to computer technology saw the first digitally generated title
• 1980 graphic interfaces became available for designers 
• 1990s after effects meant opening sequences became advanced - easier to visualize 

Conventions Of Opening Sequences