Research & Planning: Music Used In Films

In most films, there is a music score which is original music written specifically to accompany a film. I researched into films which had interesting soundtrack music which is played in the background during the duration of the film to get familiar with how it is adapted to fit in with the film itself. This type of music is often used to give the film a smooth flow from start to end, i want to include music in my film opening which suits its purpose in terms of the genre and how the story unfolds.

"Inception" theme music

The music score for this movie links with it's story line and adds suspense to each scene as it plays in the background during most of the movie.This type of music is known as non-diegetic, as it is created by the imaginary world of film, specifically for this film. The 'Inception' theme music has a very slow pace and beat to it, connoting a form and tone of sadness which drives the movie on throughout. As it's instrumental, you can hear the effect of the instruments which adds additional suspense with the music building up to a climax. I like how this type of music fits in well with it's stroy as it shows that there's purpose for everything that's happening and justifies each scene. For our film opening, i want to have music in the background which plays along well with the theme of our genre and story itself.

Research & Planning: Genres

Wide range of genres

Film genres give the audience an insight of what the movie and plot line may consist of. I researched into all of the categorized film genres that are in the film world to give me ideas on what kind of genre I want my film to follow.









http://www.imdb.com/genre/
The imbd website lists and consists of all the possible categorized film genres which come under each particular theme. For an example, there can be a comedy themed movie which is romance based, which is also known as a rom com; an example of a rom com: "The Proposal." I like the concept of how various genres can be combined to give a final outcome, when making my film opening I will consider combining two contrasting genres that could work well together e.g. thriller and crime.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/bfi-news/genres-where-draw-line
From this website, it described each genre briefly and gave several examples of movies which fit into that specific genre.

Research & Planning: Film Opening Analysis: Quantum of Solace

 "Quantum of Solace"

 In terms of sound, there is non-diegetic music playing in the background, which sets the scene of the movie from the start. It creates suspense as it's quite slow and generates enigma. The establishing shot of the ocean at the beginning sets the scene with the suspension of the music in the background. 







Throughout the opening scene, a lot of snappy cuts are used, which shows time passing in a fast form and can create confusion. Close up shots of the car are portrayed from different angles, showing the audience all perspectives to build up the scene. I like how it breaks into the title sequence with a different tone and dynamic connoting a more action themed mood to it. I like the fonts used in the titles because they look elegant and efficient making the movie look more professional, i will consider using this concept in my film opening.

Research & Planning: Film Certification

Film Certifications

To research into certification of films, i visited the bbfc website which stands for British Board of Film Certification.Website: www.bbfc.co.uk - This website gave me an insight of the various boundaries of each age group and the range of aspects that each category consists of. Additionally, researching into certification gave me thoughts on who my target audience may be for my film and which rating would be applied appropriately. 

At U there is very mild language, with very brief intimacy and violence. At 12, there may be strong language which is infrequent, sexual scenes are briefly shown and moderate violence which does'nt dwell into too much detail. At 15, each aspect is at a stronger level, portraying elements in stronger detail, also the horror genre falls in this category commonly. At R18, themes are so graphic and explicit that only licensed adult users are allowed to view the films. 



On the other hand, regarding our film/opening, we decided to give it a rating of 12A as it may contain elements in the story which are too bewildering and confusing for a child to see and the story plot is quite advanced in terms of a young child understanding. A parent may need to be with a young child while viewing this movie as it contains some emotional upsetting scenes.

Main Task Brief & Thoughts

Main task: the titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes.

My initial thoughts on the main task were that it was going to be fun to produce, however it will require a lot of work to get it to the highest standard possible. I decided to start research and planning right at the start to get a clear insight of what the existing film openings look like from a range of genres. Any instant ideas that come to thought, i will make note of and expand on them as i continue research and planning. I am really excited to start working on the task because i have many idea's for the film including the genre, camera shots, mise en scene and sound. 

Research & Planning: Film Opening Analysis: Various Genres

"Se7en"

An establishing shot (wide) is used showing the bedroom, setting the scene. In terms of mise en scene, its quite a dark atmosphere which can create a enigmatic feel to it, additionally,the lighting is low key creating shadows. This dark lighting could foreshadow a negative element which is soon to approach later in the movie. A low shot has been used which could suppose that someone is watching and the way the shot has been composed with the door open, could suggest someone is intruding into his privacy.The character in this shot is reading and his bedroom consists of old fashioned furniture e.g. the book shelf, which suggests that the man is intelligent and sophisticated, this can represent and reflect his age. Off screen diegetic sound is used, you can hear noise outside e.g. police sirens this could suggest that he lives in the city, which connotes crime. On screen non diegetic sound of the metronome (ticking), this can create suspense as it could suggest that the man is waiting for something to happen. The main theme music (which is non diegetic) clearly indicates that the movie comes under the horror/thriller genre as it has a eerie feel to it. In terms of the titling used, the font is very sharp and edgy which can make the audience feel unsettled and scared. Throughout the clip, a series of extreme close up shots are used which are snappy creating mystery and tension for the audience. At the end of the opening credits another establishing shot is used of the city to set the tone for the next scene.

"Twilight"
Many establishing shots are used to set the scene and show the audience the journey that the character follows. At the start, a long shot of a car driving along the road is shown followed by a mid-shot of the character in the car with the setting in the background through the window. I like how non-diegetic music and diegetic music are combined for the film opening, for example, you can hear the car/aeroplane (ambient sounds) as well as the soundtrack playing in the background. I like how all of it ties in together and how the sound is positioned in the correct areas, as it adds a more realistic feel to it. The distributor name fades out and the camerea begins to tilt upwards over the rocks, i like how this has been edited. When the title "Twilight" is faded in onto the screen, an establishing shot of a forest is in the background setting the scene from the constasting warm orange colour that had been portrayed before the titles. A voice over is used which makes elements of the story and character clear to the audience. The tone of voice suggests a sad tone to the story additionally with the cold colours presented. In terms of mise en scene, the colours used in the opening are very contrasting, the colours towards the beginning are warm and bright as it shows a sunny setting and location, however, the film in general has a cold tinted blue colour to it, which could connote a negative mood. In the car, a mid-shot (two-shot) is used to show the characters and a panning shot is used when each person talks. When the character leaves the car, she is holding a cactus which is very contrasting to the setting she is in. At the end of the clip, a panning shot is used to show an overview of her bedroom from the eye line match of the girl.

In terms of credits, the opening sequence of Breaking Dawn Part 2 are quite interesting as the font is covered over by a smooth font, which i find really effective and the non-diegetic music creates mystery as it's quite a slow pace and slowly builds up, generating suspense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1-Aw2yZWaEU

"Easy A"
In the mise en scene, the scene opens with bright colours that are portrayed which connotes a happy tone and mood. A long shot is used to show the people walking in a high school atmosphere, I like way the opening credits are displayed along the ground throughout the scene, as it's very controversial supposed to a horror genre. The non-diegetic music playing in the background is very upbeat and creates a positive mood, suggesting that the movie may be a comedy. The speed of the person talking in the voice over is very fast and up to the point, with a relatively sarcastic tone which engages the audience. I like the tracking shot used which follows on from each person who is captured in the shot because it gives the opening scene a smooth flow. I like how the main actor is shown at the end of the clip as supposed to being displayed at the beginning as it sets the scene for the rest of the movie.