The School Of Rock Opening Cedits

 

 

 School of Rock is a 2003 American musical comedy film directed by Richard Linklater, written by Mike White, and starring Jack Black.

 

The opening sequence is one of the most memorable in music films.

 

The ways in which the titles appear on screen are creative and different from the normal conventions. The titles are physically embedded into clothing, posters and lighting. This is a technique Paddy and myself are going to use in our opening scene. Also like in The School of Rock, we will have a mixture of physical and editing titles.

 

The main reason we have decided to produce our titles in this way is to reflect the main character-similar to in The School of Rock (these titles reflect the main theme of the film-rock music).

 

We have 7 titles to include in the opening scene. The first is the production company which we will present on the girls t shirt at the very beginning. The second is who the music is by, which we will have come up on an iPod screen. The third is the starring actor, which will appear on the wall as the main character on the bike goes past acting as a wipe. The fourth is editing which will appear on a badge on the back of the boys bag. The fifth is the producer which will be presented on a poster on the boys bedroom wall. The sixth is the director which the boy will type on a typewriter and the seventh is the name of the film (Cemetery Gates) which will also be typed on the type writer.

 

 

 

 

Costume

This is the decided costume for the main a male character in the opening sequence. The costume is very typical teenage boy clothing but has a slightly different style to it. This is the type of character we want to create in our media product. 

Casting

Main character 

Ben Pilston 

Age:18

Hair Colour: brown

Eye Colour: dark green 

Height: 5ft 10"

Location for Opening Sequence

1)Cemetery gates - Woodstock

2) Shipton Road- Woodstock

This road is great for our opening sequence as it shows the residential houses and a small town atmosphere that we want to create. An element we could include if we carried on with the film would be the main character wanting to get out of the small town they've always lived in and go somewhere new and stimulating. Similar to some elements of 'Cemetery Junction', a British coming-of-age comedy drama (the genre we aspire to portray).

Furthermore, this area includes lots of smaller roads with corner to go round. This will be useful when filming so that when we want the character to be in a certain place but previous to this shot they are in another place too far away from where we want them to be, corners will enable us to keep the continuity of the scene as the audience does not know what is around the corner meaning we can just then film in the new desired location.

The area in which the house we are going to film in is located on a quiet road with all fairly uniform housing. This adds to the idea of the character being bored with their current way of life.

 

The bedroom we are usual is very stereo typical teenage boys. We will add props like posters, radio, type writer and cigarettes to represent the character.

Storyboard

This is our storyboard for our opening scene. The purpose of having a stporyboard suring pre-production is so that when it comes to shooting we have a clear guide of the shots that need to be filmed and a plan to stick to. The storyboard helps to visualise how the shots will fit together and flow. When shooting we may not 100% stick to the storyboard but the storyboard is good basis to start from.

Leave a comment about what you think!

Script

Purpose

The purpose of the opening scene is to show the genre and give the audience expectations for the rest of the film

Genre

The genre is the british coming of age comedy drama. This is makes it a lot like the films 'Submarine' and 'Cemetery Junction'. 

Audience

The audience is going to be young people between the ages of 14 and 20. This target audience is in relation to the characters and story line and who can relate or connect to the film.

Content

1) The actor will be riding a bike

2) He will be riding in a medium sized town in a residential area

3) It will be a male actor

4) It has to include titles and we have thought of the best ways of doing this. We aim to integrate them as part of the clip to emphasise the genre and mood

5) The soundtrack will be upbeat, british and sung by a male singer. This is because the actor will be male and the music will therefore suit him more

Limitations

The music cannot be copyrighted and the weather could be a huge limitation because it might mean we have to delay the filming if it is different

Forest Gump opening scene

 

 

Forest Gump is a 1994 American romantic comedy-drama base on the 1986 novel under the same name. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks, Forest Gump has become one of the most well known films in history.

The storyline depicts several decade of the life of Forest Gump; a simple man with a good heart that has witnessed and sometimes influence some of the biggest historical events of the 20th century. 

The iconic opening scene follows a feather floating through the air. This section presents the initial setting for the film- a fairly busy town in America (you can tell by the yellow taxi and the cars driving on the right side of the road). There are large buildings; very stereotypical southern America architecture. 

The titles come up in a simple font to reflect the character of Forest. This idea of the titles reflecting the central character is an idea we have been influenced by when planning out opening scene. 

The feathers may symbolise Forest's journey the film will present. I associate feather with the words pure, good and simple - traits found in Forest Gump. 

 

Creative Team Research

I have researched the roles and their purpose that are needed to create a film. This is what I found out...

Executive Producer - Responsible for the overall production.

Writer - Writes the script.

Producer - Is in charge on set/

Director - They give people instructions on set.

Production Manager - Manages the production and regulates the cost of delivering the expected film.

Storyboard Artist - Produces the storyboard for the film.

Camera Operator - Professional operator of a film camera, in charge of the all the camera work.

Lighting Director - In charge of all the lighting on set.

Sound Technician - In charge of all the sound in a film, making sure that all the levels and sounds are right.

Actors/Actresses - People who play the characters in a film.

Editors - People that are in charge of and determines the final content of a text.

Some examples of members of a creative team that have inspired me are directors Wes Anderson and Richard Ayoade. Anderson is a more experience director and is responsible for many quirky, cult classics such as Moonrise Kingdom and Rushmore. Ayoade has only recently ventured into the world of directing, he formerly was an actor best known for being in The IT Crowd. Ayoade directed the film that has inspired my own media production the most which is Submarine. 

Freaks and Geeks

Lately I've become obsessed with 'Freaks and Geeks'. An American teen comedy-drama tv series. The show centres around Lindsey Weir and her younger brother Sam, who both attend the same high school set in the 80's. Lindsey and her friends are labelled 'freaks' and Sam and his friends 'geeks'. 

Freaks and geeks was the starting block for huge actors now such as James Franco, Jason Segal, Seth Rogan, and Busy Phillips. 



The show aired in 1999-2000 on NBC. Although 18 episodes were filmed only 12 were aired. A second series was never an option due to lack of viewing. 

The show later became a cult hit. The series appeared on Time magazine's 2007 "100 Greatest Shows of All Time" list, as well as placing 3rd on their list of the greatest television shows of the 2000s.

The show combines comedy and drama perfectly, presenting the ups and downs of being a teenager. I find the story lines creative and clever, always making me want more when the programme finishes. 

Linking more to my task, the opening credits for freaks and geeks to me is brilliant. Teaming a rocking soundtrack and the always traumatic experience of school photos-it really captures high school (secondary school to us brits) perfectly. 

x

'Juno' Opening Sequence

Juno is a 2007 comedy drama directed by Jason Reitman. The film follows the journey of a teenage girls  unwanted pregnancy and the decisions she has to make along the way.

The opening scene uses a mixture of animation, graphics and real life acting to create an effective, memorable two and a half minutes.

Teamed with upbeat music, the opening sequence shows the genre (comedy), hints at elements of the rest of the film (characters, props ect) and a clear idea of the location (a small American town).

The titles in the clip have inspired Paddy and myself for our own opening sequence. As Juno walks pst the wall the text comes up. We thought for our sequence we would imclude this as the character on the bike goes past.

Additonally, the use pf graphics is also an element that we may include. The treatment is another element that we've taken on board as it is bright and naturalistic.

The Pitch

On the 11/11/13 Paddy and I discussed the main body of our opening scene project. This is what we came up with.

 

The Main Task

The Brief

Create an opening scene of a fiction film. It must be 2 minutes long and include titles and soundtrack.

An opening scene can determine the genre of film and can hint at significant events or aspects of the film.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo has a very dark opening sequence with hints of what the film may include. For example, the black ink running could symbolise the tattoo and the technology such as the keyboard and wires suggest there are elements of computers in the film. The lighting and colours suggest action genre.



Napoleon dynamite is an example of a very different opening scene. The lighting is bright and the colours used are also. The use of food and other everyday objects suggests a comedy genre.





http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/napoleon-dynamite/ 

500 Days of Summer 'Sid and Nancy' Clip

This is my groups recreation of a clip from '500 Days of Summer'. This task challenged our filming and editing skills. As a group, we worked well to be accurate to the original clip and with each of us covering different elements. Ben mainly focused on pre-production (storyboarding), Elliot on production (filming and directing the shoot) and Me post production (editing).

This is the original clip we recreated.

Preliminary Task

The Brief

To create a clip showing someone open a door, walk into a room, sit down, and have a conversation with someone. Making sure match on action, 180 degree rule and shot-reverse shot is accurate.


This is what my group came up with, enjoy!

Submarine 'under the bridge' clip analysis

This clip is from the Submarine, a 2010 British coming-of-age comedy-drama film adapted from the 2008 novel of the same name by Joe Dunthorne.

The first shot in this clip is an extreme close up of Jordanna, Yasmin Paige. This creates an intense atmosphere and engages the audience well. It then cuts to a panning medium long shot of Oliver, Craig Roberts. Throughout this clip, and rest of the film, the directer, Richard Ayoade, uses a lot of reverse angle shots. This gives the effect of looking at one character to an other through the eyes of each character.

The camera zooms in on both characters, Oliver first. This is very effective in making the audience focus on certain features. In the clip, you are drawn to both of their facial expressions. Jordanna looks confident and in control where as Oliver looks worried and vulnerable, showing the dynamics between the two characters at this point.

Again, the director choses to use a reverse shot during the two characters dialogue, this makes it easier to follow the conversation.

Finally, the high angle shot when Oliver kneels down is effective in showing the power dynamics between Oliver and Jordanna. It puts Oliver in a state of vulnerability and Jordanna in a possition of power.

Camera Test Shots

This is a clip of a variety of camera shots including close up, long shot, medium shot, high angle, low angle and dutch angle.

Enjoy!



Camera Movement

There are six main camera movements in cinematography. Pan, crab track, zoom, ped up and tilt up.

Panning

The camera swivels (in the same base position) to follow a moving subject. A space is left in front of the subject: the pan 'leads' rather than 'trails'. A pan usually begins and ends with a few seconds of still picture to give greater impact. The speed of a pan across a subject creates a particular mood as well as establishing the viewer's relationship with the subject. 'Hosepiping' is continually panning across from one person to another; it looks clumsy.

Crabbing

A term similar to truck which usually means for a handheld camera operator to walk sideways (like a crab). With the advent of stabilised camera mounts it's largely a directors choice whether to say truck or crab.
Tracking

Roughly synonymous with the dolly shot, but often defined more specifically as movement which stays a constant distance from the action, especially side-to-side movement.

Zooming

Technically this isn't a camera move, but a change in the lens focal length with gives the illusion of moving the camera closer or further away.

Pedestal

Moving the camera position vertically with respect to the subject

Tilt

Vertical movement of the camera angle, i.e. pointing the camera up and down (as opposed to moving the whole camera up and down).

Camera Shots

I have recently learnt about the different aspects of film language. In particular camera shots.

Hear are some examples of each camera shot and their purpose.

Extreme Close Up



This short helps intensify the dialogue at this point. Extreme close ups cut everything else out from the shot except the subject the director wants you to look at. T he audience focus' just on her face and in turn what she is saying.


Big Close Up

Again, this helps intensify the shot. Big Close ups often include all of the face and some shoulder. This still pulls your attention to the subject.

Close Up

Close ups are very effective in presenting a character. They can often incorporate props and slight background. In this example, this shot compliments the directors goal of drawing your eye to the spoon and her eyes.

Medium close up

Medium close ups show the face more clearly, without getting uncomfortably close. This shot often includes full head and shoulders and again is very effective in presenting a character for the first time.

Medium shot

It is mainly used for a scene when it is desirable to see the subjects' facial expressions in the context of their body language. As well as being a comfortable, emotionally neutral shot, the mid shot allows room for hand gestures and a bit of movement

Medium Long shot

This frames the whole subject from the knees up and shows the subject in relation to the surroundings. Also known as plan américain. This example is very effective as the background compliments the subject very well and creates a mystical atmosphere.


Long shot

Long shots typically shows the entire object or human figure and is usually intended to place it in some relation to its surroundings. This shot may show the viewers the building where the action will take place.

Extreme Long Shot













An extreme long shot contains a large amount of landscape. It is often used at the beginning of a scene or a film to establish general location. This is also known as an establishing shot. The subject is small in the overall image

High Angle Shot












A high angle shot is when the camera angle is located above the eye line. With this type of angle, the camera looks down on the subject and the point of focus often get "swallowed up" by the setting. High angle shots also make the figure or object seem vulnerable or powerless.

Low angle shot













A low angle shot does the opposite. It makes the subject took powerful and in control. The camera is positioned anywhere below the eye line, looking up. This creates this effect.

Birds eye view












The scene is shown from directly above. This is a completely different and somewhat unnatural point of view which can be used for dramatic effect or for showing a different spatial perspective.
In drama it can be used to show the positions and motions of different characters and objects, enabling the viewer to see things the characters can't.

Dutch Angle













This camera shot where the camera is tilted off to one side so that the shot is composed with vertical lines at an angle to the side of the frame often used to portray the psychological uneasiness or tension in the subject being filmed. A Dutch angle differs from a high-angle shot and low-angle shot in that those refer to placement of the camera in height relative to the subject.

Eye level shot













A fairly neutral shot; the camera is positioned as though it is a human actually observing a scene, so that eg actors' heads are on a level with the focus. The camera will be placed approximately five to six feet from the ground.

Reverse angle shot





























This shot views the action from the opposite side of the previous shot, as during a conversation between two actors, giving the effect of looking from one actor to the other.

Analysis of the Car Park Scene in 'Get Carter'(1971)

Today in the lesson we watched a clip of Mike Hodges' 1971 film 'Get Carter'.
 

The exercise was to take on board the film language used to show character, relationships, location, genre and narrative. I found most striking how characters are presented and what the audience could infer from this.

Firstly Jack, Micheal Caine, looks into the camera lens in a menacing way- straight away suggesting he is going to cause trouble.

 The second frame shows three men. All in suits situated in a warehouse; suggesting they may be business men (This idea is supported by the use of location. Large concrete building in an urban area.). In this frame it is clear that Cliff, Bryan Mosley, is a main character because of a few factors.

• He is wearing a different coloured suit to the others, implying a different power to the other two men.
• He is closer to the camera and more in shot than the others. Showing he is of importance and the director wants you to pay attention to him. In terms of the 'rule of thirds' Mosley is situated perfectly to get your attention from the start.