Wanted Poster - Prop

Antagonist Costume

The costume below follows the description of the previous plan of the Antagonists outfit, however a few minor changes were made. Instead of wearing a hat, a hood is worn over the Antagonist's head in order to create the stereotypical 'gangster' look. In addition to this, we decided that wearing gloves wasn't necessary, as the characters hand gestures and positioning would allow the audience to read his emotions better, as they weren't able to see his face. For example if clenched his fists that would mean that he was tense, which would create tension for the viewers.

Plain Black Trousers 

The black trousers were worn to blend in with the rest of the outfit, as it consisted of black attire. This added to the mysterious look, and allowed the Antagonist to camouflage himself into the cool background of the Opening Sequence. We also wanted to ensure that it was believable that the Protagonist didn’t see the Antagonist whilst travelling to see C.I Warnett, therefore we decided that his attire best suited a darker colour.

Patterned Black Hoodie

The idea behind wearing a patterned black hoodie instead of a plain black one allowed the character to be distinguished from any other people wearing a black tracksuit whilst we were filming, as it is a colour that is commonly worn. In addition to this, it adds to the suspicion of the narrative, as the intentions of the character remain unknown throughout the Opening Sequence. The image of the skeleton was also intended to increase the scarcity factor, as this particular figure is known to appear when a person’s life is about to be taken.

Black Leather Shoes

The decision to wear these leather black shoes was a last minute choice, as previously trainers were intended to be worn. The fact that these shoes were worn with a tracksuit suggests that the character doesn’t own a pair of trainers, possibly because they cannot afford them. In addition to this, the narrative demonstrates that the Antagonist was wanted for a previous crime, suggesting that as a result of this they find it hard to receive and maintain a job. As a consequence they have little money to spend on luxury items such as trainers.

Protagonist costume

Originally we wanted our Protagonist to have a particularly sophisticated look, which would demonstrate his position of authority. This was created by wearing formal attire, in which we chose a grey suit and tie with a classic pair of black leather shoes. When it came to filming we decided to maintain this look and proceed with the filming, as it would demonstrate the fact that he was on his way to, or coming back from work - without giving away too much about his intentions.

Grey Blazer

Previously the choice of the suit colour was out of black and blue, however due to the fact that the Antagonist was wearing black, we agreed that the Protagonist should wear a lighter colour to demonstrate that they are a Protagonist in helping the story proceed. In addition to this, the grey appeared a lot more sophisticated when worn, therefore we decided that it would be best to go with this colour. 

Grey Trousers

The grey trousers work in conjunction with the grey blazer, as the suit was intended to be matching. Again, the grey colour looked a lot more sophisticated than black, which is why we decided to portray our character with this look. A member of our group also suggested that the Protagonist could wear formal grey shorts with this look, due to the fact that the sun was out and shorts are also very smart too. However our character was intend to remain unidentified throughout the Opening Sequence, therefore this suggestion was dismissed.

     Grey tie

Similarly to the rest of the suit, the tie is black and grey. We decided that the Protagonist should wear these two colours, as it connotes his professionalism and it also adds to the suspicion of the Opening Sequence due to the colour black.

Black shoes

Although the Protagonist's shoes were in the shot of the camera on several occasions, they were rarely visible due to the length of the camera shot (mid-shot, long-shot). As a result we decided that the character should be portrayed in either black, or grey shoes.

When it came to filming, we decided that it might have been an idea to portray this character in black shoes, as black is a dark and mysterious colour, and would add to the suspicion of his ways. 

Antagonist Costume (plan)

Chief Inspectors Costume (plan)

Costume Idea 

                                   

Protagonist Costume (plan)

Opening Sequence - Filming Locations

West Wickham Train Station

Sandpits Road (Woods Scene)

                             

 Entrance to Shirley High School

Potential Filming Locations

Train station

The woods location

Reception/Office

Main Task - Camera Shot List

 

Main Task Story Proposal

Premise: Determined to receive answers for all that was lost, can the PROTAGONIST provide her with what she has been longing for? 

Narrative: During her youth, C.I WARNETT’S father, who was also a Chief Inspector, was murdered by the ANTAGONIST. The ANTAGONIST was never brought to justice, leaving family and friends of the victim deeply saddened and angry. Now that she is in a position of authority, she believes that it is now time to track down her father’s murder to receive the answers she and many others have wanted to acquire for many years of their life. 

Theme: How is the she supposed to move on without knowing why?

Format: The Opening Sequence to a 90 minute film.

Tone: The Opening Sequence is set in the daytime where the PROTAGONIST is travelling to make a visit to his boss, whilst being followed by the ANTAGONIST. The ANTAGONIST appears to know something that the PROTAGONIST doesn’t.

Character(s): A depressed Chief Inspector, 40, who finally builds up the confidence to track down her father’s murderer, in order to receive the answers she has been longing for.

The Protagonist, who is a young man that has no real story demonstrated regarding his life throughout the narrative, other than of course his job. His main focus is to follow the orders in which he was given in order to fulfil his duty.

The Antagonist, a very mysterious characters, who's intentions remain unknown throughout the Opening Sequence of the narrative. 

Script for our Main Task

INT. OFFICE. DAY

The Protagonist is walking into the office to present his boss with a document.

After presenting C.I. Warnett with a poster:

C.I. WARNETT:

Well, you know what to do.

How we decided on our Filming Locations

Deciding on where to film wasn't something we agreed on right away, as for a long time we were still trying to piece together the perfect ideas to use in our Opening Sequence. However, once we had done this, we believed that the our antagonist should travel to get to his Chief, C.I. Warnett, and deliver the document. As a result we believed that a train station would be interesting to capture, as it would emphasise the lengths our antagonist was willing to go to track down the man on the document. Filming at West Wickham Train Station was ideal for us, as it wasn't as busy as some of the closer stations such as East Croydon, therefore this made our filming sessions run a lot smoother. 

The second location we filmed in was a woods, as in films they typically connote danger, which was what our protagonist was potentially under when he was being followed. Therefore it added a threat, even though the antagonist hadn't actually harmed the protagonist.

Our third and final filming locations were at Shirley High School, where we filmed the outside entrance of the school, the doors before the main entrance within the School, and an office within the school. We believed that this would represent a professional environment for our antagonist to meet with his professor, who was clearly demonstrated to be of importance.

Opening Sequence - Characters Names

We were finding it very difficult to decide upon names for our characters, as we had not yet put together any of our Opening Sequence; therefore we decided that coming to a decision would be best left to our forth group member, Tenisha. In order to make her decision easier, we wrote a few names down ourselves in which we believed suited our characters description in some way, shape or form, and handed the list over for the ultimate decision to be made. 

Shortly after we each had our names, or did we? 

Tenisha decided that it would be best that Robert (our Protagonist) and Rowland (our Antagonist) shouldn't actually have a name throughout our Opening Sequence. Her argument revolved around leaving an enigma code, and causing our audience to question who these mystery characters were. On deciding the name for my character, Tenisha narrowed the three names down into one, selecting C.I. Warnett. Her argument for the decision on this name, was due to the fact that it was professional and original. 
Although the characters will not have names throughout the Opening Sequence, we have left the option open for further discussion on whether the characters should have names further along in the narrative. However for now as we are only doing the Opening of a film for our Main Task, we are happy to declare that these are our final decisions. 

Main Task - Storyboard

Proposed Production Names

Based on our discussion as a group about which genre we should choose, we decided to select a name from one of the four categories above: Thriller, Drama, Mystery and the different names that we came up with ourselves. We decided that it would be best to create a mind map like the one above, as it would allow us to easily narrow down a name for our production company, as the way we have presented the options allows for them to be viewed all at once.  

How the Questionnaire will benefit our Main Task

Creating a questionnaire gives us a chance, as a group, to decide on a select few questions we would like to find out the answers to. In order to do this we will each put forward several questions which will hopefully enable us to decide on a film genre for our Opening Sequence. After we have decided on the genre, we will then be able to look at other questions such as: who are our target audience and what do they like to see within that particular genre. Is it the thrill in horrors that keep them captivated, or the maybe even the humour within a comedy film? Ideally we believe that the questionnaire will work as an incentive to our work, as it will allow us to answer the questions in which all film makers want to know in order to provide the best content for their viewers. 

Questionnaire Analysis

Questions:

How often do you watch films (per week)  
I don't watch any       Once or twice             Three to four times         Five or more times
              0                              8                                    1                                       1
What is your favourite genre of film?
       
Action           Drama      Thriller         Other
4                         0                   0                   7
What do you enjoy most about films?

Setting    Storyline    Characters    Actors      Music     Other
2                   8                      6                  4             4               1
On a scale of 1-5, what do you rate a drama thriller    
  
#1         #2           #3             #4               #5
2            0             3               3                 1
What local venue would you watch a drama/thriller screening?

Pantomine      Cinema      Both      None
2                           7                0             1

Out of the 10 people who did this questionnaire:

80% or 8/10 watch films once or twice a week.
10% or 1/10 watch films three to four times a week.
10% or 1/10 watch films five or more times a week.

64% have other genres that are their favourite e.g fantasy, comedy, music/musicals, adventure
compared to 36% whose favourite genres fall under our main genre of Drama/thriller e.g. Action

Out of the 10 people;
32% enjoy a good storyline in the movie
24% believe that character development or good characters make a good movie
16% believe that the actors' delivery of lines and emotions make a enjoyable movie
16% enjoy a movie more if it has enjoyable or recognizable music
8% believe that a good setting/environment make a movie enjoyable
4% believe that lighting/editing make up a good or great movie

Out of the 10 people, we wanted to know their personal thoughts on the drama/thriller genre as we were basing the main task on these genres. These was the result:

22% rated the genres an one out of five due to the mash up of genres leading to poorly written and awkwardly acted lines and cliches that can make the genres boring or hard to watch.
34% rated the genres a three out of five saying that films with these genres aren't bad but may need to be improved by adding a better storyline so more people can enjoy the film.
33% rated the genres a four out of five saying that these types of films are quite enjoyable and don't particularly need any improvement as they are fine as they are.
11% rated the genres a solid five out of five saying that the films are prefect and no faults.

Out of the 10 people, we wanted to know in the end if thy would view a screening of a drama/thriller movie. This was the results:
70% or 7/10 of the people would watch a drama/thriller in a cinema.
20% or 2/10 of the people said they would view it at a local venue (pantomine, fair).
10% or 1/10 of the people wouldn't watch a drama/thriller in either type of venue.

Main Task - Questionnaires

 

Mind Map of Production Ideas

Questionnaire (Draft)

BBFC Certifications Research

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is the United Kingdom’s film and video regulator, which provides age ratings to inform its audiences about the availability of a film to them. The organisation is a designated body, and therefore has legal powers to rate, and occasionally cut and reject works. It was established in 1912 by several members of the film industry, in order to manage their own censorship, in oppose to the government doing so. The first time the BBFC began operating, was on the 1^st January 1913, under the Cinematography Act 1909. The board’s legal basis was the Cinematography Act, which required all cinemas to be licenced under the Act, in order to operate. This was mainly for safety purposes, as it was common that nitrate fires would break out in unsuitable venues, due to a lack of restriction.

In terms of films that are shown in cinemas, local authorities have the final legal authorisation over who can view which film. However, a lot of the time local authorities accept the board’s recommendation for the certificate of a film.

Below is a list of the current certificates:

U - A ‘U’ rated film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and above. They should be set with a positive framework, and any discriminatory behaviour, sex, bad language threat and violence is typically not included.  

PG - A Parental Guidance film is a general viewing; however some scenes may be unsuitable for your children. When a film is rated with a PG certificate, it should not upset viewers from ages eight and above. Accompanied children of any other age are welcome; consequently, parents must consider whether the film is suitable for the child.  

12A - Audiences from the age of twelve and above are welcome to watch 12A films. Parents accompanying a child to a 12A film must consider whether the content is suitable for the child. It is very important that parents do accompany their children if they are under the age of 12, as the cinema could lose their licence if they are not being supervised. Scenes of strong language and references to sex may be included, but should not go beyond what is suitable for young teenagers. Moderate violence is acceptable, and some horror films are given this particular certificate.

12 - This certificate is very similar to that of the certificate above, where no children under the age of twelve shall be admitted to any exhibition. However, as children cannot definitely be accompanied by an adult outside of viewings, it is permitted to only sell a 12 film to persons of this age and above.

15 - Strictly viewers aged fifteen and above can view films that have a 15 rated certificate. In terms of the themes involved there are no restrictions, and there is no limit to the amount of strong language that is used within the film. A 15 rated film may also contain scenes of strong language, violence, sexual nudity and drug taking.  However, any scenes of sexual nudity will not be very detailed. 

18 - No one under the age of eighteen is allowed to buy, rent, or watch films with this certificate. No themes are prohibited with this certificate, as adults should be free to choose their own entertainment – bearing in mind that it is not illegal or harmful content. As a result, some of the themes that are covered in 18 films may include; strong violence, gore, strong horror, etc. Drug taking may also be included; however it must in no way be promoted or portrayed as something that should be done.

R18 - This certificate is legally restricted, containing strong fetish material and explicit sexual scenes. Films may only be shown in licenced cinemas to adults, and video works may be sold to adults only in licenced sex shops. These films are not permitted to be sold online. 

Jobs in the Film Industry

The different jobs in the film industry are as follows: 

Director - The director is responsible for multiple jobs regarding the production of the film itself, such as organising the content within the narrative. This means managing the action so that the continuity editing runs smoothly, and ensuring it makes sense when everything is pieced together. They also have a role of selecting the location of the film, so where it should be based, and managing the technical side of it, such as the positioning of instruments like lighting stands and cameras, and even choosing the soundtrack(s)! As you can probably tell, the director is one of the most important aspects in the stages of production.  

Screenwriter/Writer - The role of a Screenwriter is to create screenplays for films. They provide the blueprint for the Producer, Director, Production Designer, Composer and Editor, Cast and Crew. The screenplay should enable whoever is reading it to imagine how the film will function on screen. In fact, it should feature fascinating characters, an excitable plot, and a great idea for a marketable film. 

Producer - A film producer creates the terms and conditions for film-making. By this I mean they control all aspects regarding fund raising, hiring, personnel, and agree on how to distribute the film. However, this would also depend on the type of company, as an independent company would have another company distribute the film for them. it is also possible that there may be more than one producer involved in the making of a film. The roles and responsibilities can be divided up equally, or depending on their specialities(which is most common).

Executive Producer - An executive producer is someone who has played a financial or creative role in the production of a film, as opposed to being involved with the technical side of things. 

Makeup Artist - Makeup Artists are briefed by Chief Makeup Artists, who initially provide detailed notes about the characters within the production. This ensures that they know everything about the characters whereabouts, in case they need to adjust their look in any way. Occasionally they may only receive a rough brief. Under this circumstance they must produce their own script breakdown, and research and create their own design notes. They assist with supporting actors, and depending on the schedule, they may look after a number of Actors throughout the shoot. In addition to this, they are responsible for maintaining the continuity of their given look. 

Production Manager - Production managers organise the business and financial side of things, such as sorting out employment issues. They are also in charge of how the production budget is spent, ensuring that everything runs smoothly throughout the filming process.  The role of a Production Manager is vital, as any faults in their work can be detrimental, resulting in delays on the release, and maybe event costly expenses.  

Film Editor – The role of a film editor involves the piecing together of recorded raw material, into a finished product which is then suitable for broadcasting. The footage may include aspects such as sound, dialogue, graphics, special effects, and more. The job of a Film Editor is crucial in the stages of production, as their experience depends on the end result. 

Special Effects Supervisor – The special effects that we see within the production of films today are typically computer generated, which have transformed film forever. Special effects are anything that gets blown up, smashed or destroyed. They also cover artificial weather and atmospheric effects. The Special Effects Supervisor will work closely with the production designer and art designer to establish the content of the shot. 

Costume Designer – The idea of a costume designer is to help define the overall look of films. They also work closely with Production Designers in ensuring that costumes fit properly, and are worn to create an effect with the assistance of the lighting and camera angles they are portrayed with. During the Pre-Production stages, Costume designers work with actors to see how many characters are involved in each part of the film. This is to ensure that outfits are delivered to the characters when they are needed, and ongoing maintenance is achieved. This is done by breaking down the script. In addition to this, Costume Designers play a role in the financial side of things, as they must ensure that accurate financial records are kept, and weekly expenditure reports are produced. 

Production Designer – Production Designers are responsible for the visual aspects of a film. They identify a design style for sets, locations, graphics, props, lighting, camera angles and costumes, whilst working with the director and producer. Once the idea is decided, designers usually come together and manage an art department, which includes a design and construction team. It is likely that often form a strong partnership with a particular director, who they may work with on many productions. 
Casting Director – The role of a Casting Director is to select the actors for the characters within the film. This will typically involve potential characters auditioning for a role. The Casting Director will then assess the performance of the candidate and give the role to the character(s) which is/are most suitable. In addition to this, they work with the director in providing the most suitable actors for the narrative.
Location Manager - The location manager will typically report directly to the production manager and/or assistant director, when they have decided on the final location(s) for the narrative to take place. This means getting permission to use the land or the premises where they intended to film. Location or permit fees, as well as labour costs to the production also need to be negotiated and then finalised, with all costs considered.

What I have learnt from Mapping

Mapping out the Opening Sequences that are currently displayed on my blogger, enabled me to develop an understanding of the different titles that are included in the production of a film. The film openings that I decided to watch, were films that I had previously seen, all consisting of different genres. This was because I believed the variation of the genres would give me a different result each time, enabling me to draw an accurate conclusion. Throughout the course of my investigation, I was able to notice the similar characteristics of the openings, in the way that the titles were displayed and the number in which they consisted of. This was of course until I re-watched the ‘Life of PI’ Opening sequence, to which I discovered that it actually contained quite a few more titles than the other two sequences that I had watched. At this point I understood that the number of titles usually ranged from a minimum of 6/7 titles to 24/26.

Overall mapping has allowed me to develop a better understanding of the codes and conventions of  the film openings, as each and every one represents a different genre of film, providing me with a guide of what to follow when it comes to applying the same techniques to our main task. The different genres I included were: Comedy, Teen film/Romance and Drama/Adventure which is very similar to genre of our task. 

In addition, from observation of the display of the titles, I have learnt that the majority of Film Openings include: 

·         Title and Production Titles

·         2-3 companies

·         Key Characters/Themes

·         Non-diegetic music

It is likely that our task will include approximately 15 titles, to be displayed throughout the Opening sequence. The time between the titles will be somewhat between 3 to 4 seconds, as it’ll give the viewer a chance to absorb the content on the screen before the next title appears.

Mapping - Grown Ups 2

00:12 - COLUMBIA 

00:17 - a SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY 

00:25 - Happy Madison PRODUCTIONS 

00:34 - Columbian Pictures PRESENTS 

00:38 - Happy Madison PRODUCTIONS 

00:41 - GROWN UPS 2

Mapping - Its a boy girl thing

00:07 - ICON

00:21 - rocket pictures 

00:27 - prospero pictures 

00:36 - ROCKET PICTURES PRESENTS

00:44 - IN ASSOCIATION WITH SCION FILMS AND ALLIANCE ATLANTIS 

00:51 - A ROCKET PICTURES | PROSPERO PICTURES PRODUCTION 

00:57 - A NICK HURRAN FILM

02:45 ITS A BOY | GIRL THING

Mapping – Life of Pi

0:01 – 20^th Century Fox

0:19 – A news corporation company

0:34 – Fox 2000 Pictures presents

0:41 – In association with Dune Entertainment

0:48 – And Ingenious Media

0:54 – a Haishang Films/ Gil Netter production

1:17 – Life of Pi

1:22 – Suraj Sharma

1:30 – Ivelan Khan

1:37 – Tabu

1:46 – Rafe Spall

1:54 – Gerald Depardieu

2:00 – Adil Hussain Ayush Tandon

2:07 – casting by Avykaufman, csa

2:13 – costume designer Arjun Bhasin

2:21 – music by Mychael Danna

2:28 – visual effects supervisor Bill Westenhofer

2:36 – Associate producers Jean-Christophe Castelli  William M.Connor

2:46 – co-producer David ee

2:53 – film editor Tim Squyres, a.c.e

2:59 – production designer David Gropman

3:07 – director of photography Glaudio Miranda, asc

3:15 – executive producer Dean Georgaris

3:26 – produced by Gill Netter Ang Lere David Womark

3:33 – based upon the novel by Yann Martel

3:41 – screenplay by David Magee

3:52 – directed by Ang Lee