Close Analysis - Horror Openings (Due 3rd November)

TASK - Due TUESDAY, 3rd NOVEMBER
Your next research task is to investigate and analyse 5 horror film openings. One of the films you must include is Alfred Hitchcock's classic horror, 'Psycho'. The opening sequence to this film was created by legendary designer, Saul Bass.


Your research should include analysis of 5 horror opening and should address the following points:

Action (this can include dialogue, imagery/iconography etc...)
Print styles (font type, colours, how the credits appear etc...)
Music/sound

Your research should consider how these three elements contribute to the atmosphere created in the opening and how they indicate the genre of the film to the audience. 

Here is an example of how you might set out your work:

 

And here are some openings you may want to use:

Evil Dead

Dawn of the Dead

Alien 3

Cape Fear

General Codes and Conventions of Film Openings - Due Nov 3rd

As mentioned, your coursework will consist of you developing your own 2 minute opening sequence of a feature film. In order to do this, it is essential you understand the conventions of film openings so you may apply these to your own work.

TASK:
Undertake research to establish the codes and conventions (elements you usually find) of opening sequences. You should reference a minimum of 6 feature length films. Below are some sequences you may choose to use.

Legally Blonde Opening
Amadeus Opening
Pride & Prejudice Opening
Hulk
Cabin in the Woods
Kung Fu Panda

You may choose additional title sequences - but be careful not to use trailers or ending credits. It must be the first 2 - 4 minutes of a feature film.

As you watch, make notes on the usual elements that are found in an opening sequence. You should consider:

• CONVENTIONS OF CREDITS - what information is given in the text and what order does it tend to be in (e.g. production company? Actors names? Writers? Director? etc...)
• NARRATIVE - what is introduced to us in these first few moments? Are we dropped straight into the action? Is the setting of the film established? Are we introduced to main characters?
• STYLE OF FONTS - is any consideration given to the print style of the fonts? Does it fit with the genre or tone of the film?
• SOUND - consider how sound is used in an opening. Is music used? If so, how is it used/what purpose does it serve? Is dialogue used? Again, think about how and to what purpose. Is a voice over used?

As always, you should be considering carefully how to present your findings. There are many ways you may wish to approach this task - annotated screengrabs from the various films (see below), a Prezi using the 4 areas you have been asked to look at as your headings, a talking heads video (you speaking to camera and using inserts of your screen grabs) etc...

EXAMPLE:

 Having watched a variety of film openings, I have found one common convention to be displaying the production company's logo at the very start of the film. Furthermore, the production company logo appears to be used in such a way as to establish the genre and tone of the film.

 For example, the Dreamworks logo to the left starts with a Chinese style figure jumping on the moon. This turns into the familiar DW logo. This indicates the martial arts aspect of the film - but also an element of fun.

ETC....





OR a PPT with grabs and text boxes:

Here are some screengrabs from last year's students:

This is the opening of a Prezi presentation

This student used screengrabs

Iconic Film Openings - the work of Saul Bass (Due 20th Oct)

Research Task - Due on your blog by Tuesday, 20th October

On your blog you must produce a full and accurate account of Saul Bass and his work. You should include supporting images, stills and video clips.

You will need to research the following:
An overview of who Saul Bass is with some general biography details (e.g. D.O.B, nationality, early works etc…)

• Full details of Saul Bass career and what he was famous for

• Other film maker’s opinions of Saul Bass and his work

• Saul Bass’ own views on the importance of film openings

• Think about the key to his success, summing up his style and your opinions of his work

This post should be fully comprehensive and you are expected to use more than one source for your information. YOU MUST NOT COPY & PASTE FROM ANY SITES – this is part of your coursework, if any sections are copy and pasted you could be accused of plagiarism and disqualified from the course.

Here are some useful websites:

http://www.notcoming.com/saulbass/index2.php

http://www.digitalmediafx.com/Features/saulbass.html

http://saulbass.tv/

http://www.logodesignlove.com/all-about-saul-bass

Work Progress

Here is the current state of affairs in terms of work progress. Please check that you have everything. If you are highlighted as missing something, post to your blog ASAP!

Preliminary Task - An Evaluation (due 13th October)

Once you have posted your video to your blog, you need to evaluate your work.

Answer the following questions:
- What worked well and why?
- What did not work? Identify areas that need improving.
- What do you need to improve on for your main coursework piece (e.g. technical issues, camera work, contributing more in your group, planning process etc...)

Your responses should be well structured and comprehensive. You should also utilize visual aids such as screen grabs from your prelim task video.