journal week 3

This lesson we looked at the Saul Bass case study and then had to research for our own case study. We had to choose our own title sequence designer and do a case study presentation on them. This lesson helped us construct ideas for our title sequence. While doing a case study om our chosen designer I was able to explore various title sequences. This helped me to think about the typography and visual images for our title sequence.

We analyzed Dawn of the Dead which made me think and decide how important the title sequence is before the film as it gives you an idea of the storyline and suggests the genre of the film. Also it shows us how to analyze the enigma in the title sequences.

The Saul Bass case study helped me to understand where the designs of title sequences came from and how Saul Bass became a title sequence designer. I really liked watching the title sequences that Saul Bass designed because they showed the story line and the genre of the film, but it didnt give everything away. I think Saul Bass is a very good title designer and has inspired my choice for my title sequence.

journal week 1 and 2

This week we learnt about all the different aspects of title sequences. Also when looking at title sequences you have to analyze the typography and how it is important within the title sequence, also the visual images and what they show, what enigma does the title sequence create, also what it gives away and finally the music and does it contrast with the images.
We looked at various title sequences such as:

• catch me if you can
• seven
• lord of war
• zombieland

As homework and extra research and looked up more title sequences and analyzed them;

• sweeny todd
• step up
• stomp the yard
• honey i shrunk the kids 
• the dreamers
• killing of the mockingbird

All of these title sequences are all very different but all of them give away the genre through looking at the typography and the visual images. I found it difficult to relate the typography and visual images together but really enjoyed analyzing the title sequences as i have never noticed every aspect of a title sequence.

analysing Title sequences- Lord of war

• The music in this title sequence is happy and contrasts with the pictures.
• I find this title sequence interesting because its from the point of the view of the bullet.
• It looks like the title sequence is in 3D.
• The ending of this title sequence is sad and very powerful. It also seems very sudden and happens quickly.
• The bullet seems to be traveling around the world before it reaches its destination.
• This title sequence shows the journey of the bullet and its not how you would expect it to be.
• The whole concept of the title sequence comes across as shocking.

Saul Bass case study

• Born in 1920 in Bronx district of New York.
• He was a graphic designer.
• In 1946 he moved to LA to get away from creative constraints imposed on him in New York.
• In 1950 he opened his own studio- mostly working in advertising.
• In 1954 he designed the poster and title sequence for Carmen Jones.
• Studied at the Arts London league.
• In 1955 he made his first mark on a film.
• Best known for his use of geometric shapes and their symbolism.

Saul Bass Case Study

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How to write a perfect pitch

What your film is about?

• write one short sentence about your film and reference other films.
• 3 second pitch
• Write about the messages and themes of the film
• Use Todorov's theory

Use these questions to outline a perfect pitch

• What genre is your film?
• What other films in this genre have inspired your film?
• Who is your target audience?
• When will your film be released?
• How much money will your film cost?
• How much will your film make?
• Who will star in your film?
• Who will direct your film?

analyzing title sequences- stomp the yard

The typography is plain but it sticks out and becomes part of the visuals. Stomp the yard comes out of the screen with a black background so it stands out more. The visuals in this opening sequence are exciting and suggests the narrative of the film. It doesn't give away everything which means it creates enigma for the audience. You could ask the questions:

• Why are they dancing? 
• How do they feel when they dance?
• Where are they dancing?

The type of dancing in this film could suggest the genre of the film gangs/violence and street dancing. The type of dancing could reflect the personality of the main character. This could relate to our title sequence for 'Change The Beat' because it shows the competitive side of our character. Our title sequence also starts of with a competition taking place ending with a tragedy which effects the main characters life one way or another.

Change the beat !!!!!

View more presentations from beckybushell.


This is the presentation for our coursework to show all the information about our film. In Shaun's lesson we had to present this presentation to the class and made sure we answered all the pitch perfect questions. The feedback we got from Shaun was telling us to tell the audience the overview of the film before we revealed everything else and to explain the film in more detail. I thought our presentation could of used more detail and more references to other films but we did answer all the questions asked.

Analyzing title sequences- step up

The typography in this sequence is not very big and is not interesting. It is white and only appears in the corners of the screen. this then makes you focus on the visual images. The images reveal what type of dance will be shown throughout the title sequence. Also it doesn't reveal the other story lines that may occur within the film.
The two types of dance contrast each other but the music brings both the different types of dances together and they fit together to make something special. This can also suggest the two different types of characters and how they come together to become friends. Also it could show the street dance for the character that is strong willed, open minded and angry whereas the other character is quiet, shy and very kind hearted.
There is a lot of pair work in the dancing which could suggest there will be an element of romance between two of the characters.
In this title sequence there is two different colour schemes; one is very light hearted and girlie whereas the other one is dark and dull. This could represent the personalities of the characters.
The music is very upbeat and sets an exciting tone.
This relates to our title sequence for change the beat because it shows the styles of dance and thats what we will give away in the title sequence. Also it will show the different character types which is also what we want to show in our title sequence.

Audiences and institutions

Aims: To be able to indicate how film distribution works.
           To begin to understand the difference between the US and UK film systems.

Keywords:
Producers
Distributors
Exhibitor
Studios

What is the purpose of a film distributor ?

• Promotes film
• Marketing
• Synergy
• Advertise the film
• Home release
• Delivers the film to the audience
• Tests the film
• Promotes the film to the cinemas
• Premiers 

A film distributor is the link between the producer and the exhibitors (the cinema chains, Tv networks); their aim is to get as many people as possible to see the film.

The distributor markets the film and develops an appropriate advertising campaign.

To market successfully the distributor has to target the appropriate audience.

This can be easy if there is a star, but harder in the case of low- budget independent films.

There are primary and secondary audiences

Analysing Title sequences- Catch me if you can

• The lettering is rounded and very fluid and flows from one scene into another.
• The pictures are simple but have an element of comedy in them.
• The background colours are very light hearted, so when the audience watches this title it makes them feel relaxed and suggests its going to be a happy film.
• There is a mysterious piece of music being played throughout the title sequence to suggest that there could be a secret within the storyline.
• If you focus on one character within the title sequence you can see he keeps changing his appearance and his activities he does throughout the day.
• The animation creates links between the characters and suggests there could be a chase on in the film.
• The clothing on one character suggests it could be an undercover policeman.
• Also the title links with the animations of the title sequence to suggest there is going to be a chase throughout the film.
• The colour of the typography is very relaxing and light hearted.
• The animation suggests there is action whereas the background and the typography suggest that its going to be a happy film.

Analysing Title sequences- seven

• This title sequence comes across as very professional and business like.
• The typography looks as if it has been scratched onto the screen and is part of the film.
• The colours are old, rusty and dull- it is a variety of browns, greys and whites.
• The visuals in the sequence make you feel very uncomfortable as the guy is cuuting the top of his finger, the reason for this may be so that no one can trace his finger prints if he does something wrong.
• This suggests to the audience that the guy is clearly trying to evade someone trying to capture him or find him.
• The visuals at the beginning of the sequence shows someone writing in a book which coulld suggest someone is writing notes for a plan to escape from somewhere or plan a crime.
• The music in this sequence its edgy and sharp and makes me feel uncomfortable.
• The music once again feels uncomfortable with the drum symbols used and all the rattling and knocking used within the sound track.
• The sequence shows a sense of insecurity as they show visual images of sharp tools and only shows the hands of the character.
• The typography also looks like it is part of an olden day newspaper.
• The sharp cuts between each image also makes me feel uncomfortable because they are very sudden and you do not know what to expect.
• The different shots do not make much sense and i dont really know what is going to happen in the film.
• In conclusion I think the purpose of this title sequence is to make the audience feel uncomfortable and insecure so they can have an idea of how they are going to feel throughout the film and the different situations that occur.

Order of Titles

• Studio
• (Director)
• Stars (in order/ reverse order of fame status)
• Name of film
• Crew
• Editor
• Writer (screenplay)
• Producer
• Director

Friday 4th November 2011-foundation portfolio in media

A title sequence is the method by which cinematic films or television programmes present their title, key production and cast members, or both, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound.

• Introducing characters.
• Giving an idea of what the film is about- storyline, narrative.
• Genre.
• Setting- country, period.
• Sets mood and tone.
• FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE EVERYTHING

Codes and conventions of a title sequence

• Details of cast and crew
• The films title
• An introduction to character or character type
• Indicating place
• Indication of historical period
• Information regarding mood and tone
• Introduction to signature theme tune
• Information about the genre
• Questions that the viewers find intriguing (sets up enigma)
• Patterns and types of editing that will be echoed in the remainder of the film
• Mise en scene and cinematography that will be echoed or elaborated upon later in the film

Richard Morrison presentation

Richard Morrison

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As part of this lesson we were told to pick a title sequence designer from the list on artofthetitle and research all about that title sequence designer. I decided to choose Richard Morrison for my presentation. We had to include background information on the designer, films that they designed the title sequence for and analyze  two of his title sequences. I think I could of gone into more detail on analyzing the two films. I found it hard to compare the two title sequences as i couldn't find any similarities and found it hard to talk about all aspects of the typography.

Thursday 10th november- Dawn of the dead analysis (shauns lesson)

How is the genre of the film constructed?
Use of screeches, quick cuts of zombie blood filled faces, screams, dark background, happy music contrapuntal, typography and the iconography.

What do the opening titles show visually? How is narrative enigma created here?
News footage, people running, enigma is created because you are not fully sure what is going on. The questions that could be asked are: Is it a virus? Are these things dead or alive?

Why has Kyle Cooper chosen to use news footage?
To make it seem more realistic, everyone watches tv so it shows importance globally.

Where do these shots position the viewer?
Behind the camera so it seems like you are in the situation of the film.

zombieland analysis

Right from the start of the intro you see the typography in red, this connotes horror.Also it shows danger.The typography is also part of the scenes in intro, at the beginning of the scene you see a man jumping off a buliding to escape from the zombies that are chasing him from behind.

The typography appears beneath the man, the text then shatters into pieces as if he had actually fallen through it.The intro gives you the idea that there will be an invasion of zombies and that the will be fear and terror throughout the film.

As soon as the intro starts we hear the church bell which connotes deathb but as soon as the title start there is a beat of a drum which shows your thoughts about the film has changed. The sound of the drum could suggest the theme of violence.

The font is bold and in block capitals which suggests that there may be an urgent message of danger within this film also what you see in the intro is what will occur throughout the film. Also the typography shatters and wipes away as it is suggesting that the virus is spreading.

miss whittackers homework-- read article

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/10/04/the-art-of-the-film-title-throughout-cinema-history/

During the 1920s and ’30s, European cinema was deeply influenced by modernism, and aspects of this visual sensibility were brought to the US by filmmakers who were fleeing the Nazis.


The blackletter fonts in the opening credits were to evoke horror.Ribbon and flowery lettering show love and typography on a wanted poster suggested a western theme.


This is interesting because you can tell the genre of the film just by the colour and design of the typography in the title sequence.


Breakthrough ideas in titling, such as timing the typography to interact with metaphorical imagery or to create its own world, were largely innovations that came from outsiders to the Hollywood studio system.


This is interesting because they either use the typography as part of the title sequence, use it to pull you away from the visuals of the title sequence or are put in there just so you are able to see who is starring in the film.


If there were a hall of fame for film title design, Stephen Frankfurt’s sequence for the 1962 film “To Kill A Mocking Bird” would have a seat of honor.


Even though its in black and white it still gives modern happy music and suggests the genre of the film. The music contrasts the visuals and the typography is very small but professional like.


It could be argued that typography lost importance in this era of title design. The imagery behind the credits received a lot more attention.


I agree with this point as more audience members focus more on the visuals to give the storyline away and suggest the genre. The typography used to play a big part in title sequences by suggesting the genre and being made bigger for you to focus on them whereas now they are just an added part in the corner of title sequences.

continuity sequence review

The cuts between each shot was very clear and fluid. Also the different shots we used were very effective and the editing was very successful and showed our understanding of how to merge more than one shot together.The shots we used showed the characters meaning and emotion. The two shot shows both of the characters and interacting and showing reactions to what the other person is saying. We also used the over the shoulder shot effectively as it revealed the persons expressions from the prospective from the point of view of the other person.

I think to improve this sequence we could of used a better variety of shots to show more action and creativity. Also we could of made the sequence longer and more interesting. Even though it was a little sequence task we could of improved it lots and worked harder. We could of made the cuts a little more fluid to make the cuts less obvious.

continuity sequence