Opening sequence - Inspiration- Seven

Here is a clip from the opening of our film and a clip from the opening of 'Seven'. We got our inspiration from the opening of the film  'Seven' which is a psychological thriller. The opening sets the tone for the film and we believe that this is the best way to introduce the film.

Our clip



And here is the opening to the film 'Seven'

Flashback scene- Editing and Filming- New skills acquired.

Today we went out to film the Flashback scene of our opening sequence. In this scene the main character John gets a flash back of him investigating a crime scene with his sidekick (Jack). Recalls himself having a chat with Jack as he works and asking him about life in general. Jack then bring up the illuminati and John starts to get defensive.

The location was perfect for the scene and we chose the right time to film.

Editing this scene was more challenging than the rest. the scene is meant to be a flashback so it was very important that we made it look like a flashback to avoid confusing the audience. We went through a variety of transition and non of them worked. We decided to adjust the colour of the footage and overlay two effects. In the end an Indian red tint did the job.

There was a lot of background sound so we selectively muted some of the background sound. Just when the scene was being shot an ambulance went by and the serine added a good effect to the scene. Overall we are very happy with how it all turned out and we had a good time filming and editing the scene. And most importantly we learnt new skills and found out about new tricks we could use on Final cut pro X.

Opening sequence- Editing- Sample

Here is the first part of the opening sequence we have done so far. We have not included the credits yet because we are still in the process of editing. We sat together as a team and conducted some research on the illuminati and found the images on Google. We also recorded some of the footage ourselves. The clip was created on final cut pro and we used a variety of transitions and effects such as the static effect, window pane (to create the illusion of rain or tears), bloom (which made the transitions smoother).
The sound was found on YouTube after doing our sound research. It suits the footage and adds a sense of mystery and danger.

Filming the first scene

Today we filmed the first scene and the third scene in Donna's house. In the first scene the main character (John) wakes up from an unexpected nap. The camera zooms out so the audience can see he's in his home office, sitting behind his desk. Also on the wall we can see a number of posters and notes which represents his research and gives the audience the idea that he is obsessed. He lights a cigarette, and looks at the wall. We quickly noticed that we had to make some changes after we got the the house. We found a large round swivel chair that we agreed would be better for the scene and also instead of him lighting a cigarette we decided it would be best if he slowly walked out of the room onto the balcony to light the cigarette.

We also made some changes to the third scene. In the third scene John gets up from his chair and walks towards the kitchen. He then opens the fridge. Just then he sees a shadow behind him. He then starts panicking and reaches out for his phone. He calls his mate (Jack) and begs him to help but Jack thinks he's crazy and hangs up the phone. John then runs back t his office and notices that all hos research has been removed off of the wall.

 First of all as the director of the opening I noticed some flaws and decided to change the scene slightly with the consent of my team mates. Instead of walking into the kitchen I thought it would be best if he walked onto the balcony. And instead of seeing a shadow I thought it would be best if two hooded men in black came along and threatened his life, this way the scene will be more thrilling and also we wanted to move away from the 'horror film' look. John then gets scared after seeing the men and runs back into the house he picks up his phone and calls his mate Jack and walks out of the office. By the time he walks back into the home office he notices that all the papers on the wall has vanished.

Status Quo- Opening credits- Inspiration.

After the sound research we decided to do more research on the illuminati. We researched their logos and watched some videos and films based on the culture. We found some amazing photos which goes well with the theme. We also took some pictures of a pile of newspapers and in our opinion this makes the scene look cluttered which adds to the sense of obsession.  These pictures will be used in the opening credits of the film to set the tone. The pictures will appear and disappear swiftly in the blink of an eye. This gives the audience an idea of the secret which the actors are reluctant to mention throughout the film.

After finding and taking the pictures we added some special effects to the picture to add to the thriller genre. The pictures were too crisp, clear and bright so we added a dark tint to the footage and a rainfall effect. Before we found the right effect we experimented with a variety of effects like a vintage look, an old western look. We then moved on to the title sequence of the film. We tried a variety of fonts and colours but after some research we decided to use a bold red. We decided to position the title in the middle of the screen to grab the attention of the viewers. After the audience have seen the title it will then burst into flames and disappear swiftly.  We then added the music to the footage to help hold it all together. We also experimented with sound and added a variety of effects to it, like fade in and out, volume changes etc.

Overall I think the making of the opening credits was successful and it co ordinates with the theme of the project. I believe it serves its purpose well, which is to mention the names of the people that contributed to the making of the project, set the mood and tone of the film and gives the audience an idea of what to expect. The opening credits was inspired by the film seven which is uniquely presented. At first we see a mysterious hand flicking the pages of a note book. Even before we see the footage we are greeted with a sinister sound track which attracts the attention of the viewer. The soundtrack  compliments the images on the screen well. The soundtrack adds to the suspense thus making the sequence more exciting to watch. The lighting is very well done and it goes well with the soundtrack and the activities going on on screen. The background light is very dim which adds to the film noir effect. Throughout the sequence I can noticed that the camera angle is set to close up or extreme close up. This is used so that the audience can focus on the horrifying things that is going on the screen and noting else. This gives them clues of what will happen in the film and sets the tone of the film.