Opening Sequence Feedback

After I had finished my opening sequence, I asked multiple people to give feedback on what they thought about my opening sequence, based upon certain questions.

Response 1:

I think that the opening sequence meets it's purpose of giving a representation of teenagers and in being entertaining. The media language is mostly clear, with slightly lower camera angles making the character seem powerful and intimidating. The visuals are appropriate as the setting fits with the idea that the character is a teenager, but a variation in costume and location would have been better. I feel that the target audience is targeted well, as males are attracted because of the use of weapons and with the genre being action. The opening sequence looks quite good overall with a variety of camera shots, but different locations could have been used as well. The technical qualities are also good, with the text giving us an insight into the main character, and the sound adding to the overall atmosphere and tone. The opening sequence compares well to the storyboard, with most of the key technical and visual aspects covered, except for the appearing text.

Response 2:

The sequence meets the purpose of creating enigma, as we don't get a full insight into who the main character is. The camera shots give us a connection to the main character with the camera being close to the main character, but a wider variety could have been used, such as more low angles to make the character intimidating and dangerous. The target audience has been targeted quite well because the film is action, which is usually associated with males, but could have been more explicit in hobbies and interests. The aesthetics could have been better in terms of location, but it is still appropriate. The technical aspects are quite good with the transitions, sound and titles. It compares to the storyboard well as all of the camera shots are the same, and most elements are covered.

BBFC Research

BBFC Research

Hypodermic Needle Theory

Hypodermic Needle Theory

Title Sequence Research

Before creating my title sequence for my opening sequence, I conducted research into opening titles to get an idea on what it should look like.

First I researched institutions production company titles to get an idea on the sort of things I should try and include.

When researching production company titles, I gathered that a lot of production companies link their institution name to the logo that they have. For example, Universal use a globe and Paramount use a mountain. The graphic on screen is directly linked to the name of the company, so I plan on using this idea when creating my production company titles.

For the title of my film, I plan on using a rain effect to contrast with the dark themes of the film. I plan to create my opening titles on After Effects, but don't have any knowledge or past experience with the software. Through researching and looking at tutorials, I know that in order to add an effect you needed to add a solid, and place the effect on top. I researched how to create a rain effect, and found out that there was an effect on After Effects called 'CC Rain' which I could use to create rain. The rain effect appeared to be relatively easy to use and looked realistic as well.

 

In my opening sequence, I want to have a sense of enigma, where the audience are not sure why the main character is embarking on a certain mission. I looked at various opening sequences, and found some which used enigma to entice the audience to watch more. The opening sequence to 'Se7en' uses enigma, as we are unable to see who the character is, and are uninformed as to what he is doing, enticing us to continue watching to see if these details are revealed.

 

 

During the opening sequence, we are only shown the characters hands, whilst he performs strange tasks It creates confusion and enigma for the audience.

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Representing Social Groups

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Whilst using After Effects to create my opening sequence, I learnt about using masks as a tool. In my opening sequence, text appears on screen that corresponds with what the main character is typing. I did this as it connects the audience with the main character, as we get an insight into what he is doing.



In order for the audience to understand that we are seeing what he is typing, I wanted to make the text appear as if it is being typed. To this I needed the letters to appear one by one, and through research I discovered that I could use a mask. Masks will hide parts of the object, depending on how you set. To make the letters appear one by one, I animated the mask to reveal the letters quickly in succession by enlarging the mask to reveal one of the letters each time. I did this until each letter was revealed, making sure to move the clip forward each time.