Assessment of other student Title sequences

Above is the marking criteria for a video task. I have looked at a video on you tube to assess using the marking criteria.

 

 

This video was done for AS coursework by the people involved.

 

 

Holding shot steady

In the first clip, students are in a dark room with what looks like a Luigi board. In this shot there is no camera movement at all. There is a lot of camera movement (shaking) when the clip changes to letters spelling out words and peoples faces. However the movement if very strong and watching i got the feeling this movement was done for effect and looked really good and worked well in the video. When the shot changes from the faces, the camera once again remains perfectly still. After this, the clip changes to a group of people walking. When the group is being filmed from a distance there is no camera movement. However one person is being filmed walking using an over the shoulder lot. There is some un intended camera movement here as the person holding the camera and filming walks behind the person being filmed. This is the only bad and un intended camera movement in the video. I think the movement of the camera is excellent in this video and comes under a level 4.

 

 

Framing shot appropriately

I think the shots are really good in this video. When filming of the group takes place all the people are central. No one is off frame and all the people involved can be seen. There is also no unnecessary background. The screen is always full and everything is perfectly laid out so the viewer can see everything that is going on. There is never any wasted space on the screen. 

 

Variety of shot distances 

A lot of different shots are used in this video. The shots i noticed were:

• Establishing shot (When the people enter the building and when walking outside)
• Wide Shot (when walking outside)
• Long shot (the people walking outside)
• Medium close up (The faces of the people when camera is shaking)
• close up (when looking at the Luigi board)
• extreme close up (shots of people eyes)
• over head shot (looking down at the people in the dark room)
• Low angle (looking up at the person in the window in the dark room)
• Deep shot (people walking)
• Medium shot (when the girl has rope put round her neck)
 
Because there is such a wide range of camera shots, i would say this would come under the level 4.
 
 
Appropriate Material for the task
I think at the vary start in the darkened room is the strongest point of this video regarding showing the theme of horror. The rest of the video does not show much in the way of horror. . However the horror type filming is shown for over half of the video. All the footage show is very strong and the idea is carried out through out the video. I think this ares would come under level 3.
 
Selecting mise en scene  
I think the mise en scene is good in this video. At the start quite a few props are used.
• Luigi board
• cards
•  rope
• a candle
• book

I think all these props were uses really well and all help relevance to what was going on. No prop seemed out of place or unused. They also help the viewer get an idea of what is happening, what is going on and what the students are doing.

 

The costumes are very basic but then i think that is all that is needed for this video. The people involved just wore what they were wearing but seeing as they were playing students anyway, not costumes were truly needed. I think for mise en scene, the video could be graded a level 4.

 

Editing for meaning to the viewer 

 In this video, at the start the footage is sped up. I think this is a really good affect and it makes the movements a lot sharper and looks really affective with whats happening in the clip. It also keeps the views focus and makes what they are watching more interesting rather then a lot of slow movement.

Short lack fade outs and fades in are also used during this time which adds to the affect. It adds something different to watching the same thing constantly and creates a good contrast between the fast movement ans slow blackouts. This footage was also made black and white which fits whats happening perfectly and makes it seem aerie fitting the theme of horror. The theme is also brought out when the footage of a girls face and then her being strangled are merged as it adds a ghost looking affect. The use of a heat camera effect, although only use very quickly and for a short time, still adds great affect to the video and adds a bit of interest. The main part of editing is getting the clips placed together correctly involving movement match. I saw no problems with movement match in this video. Because of this and the range of editing skills used i think this would come under level 4.

Varied shot transitions, captions and other effects
There is not a range of shot transitions but the transitions, although quite quick cuts do not seen untidy. There is no judders between cuts and movement continues to be smooth. The transitions from clip to clip are very well done.
I think the placing of captions and texts are very poor. The names of people involved appear on hands and i think they look very out of place and randomly put there. They don't blend in the the surrounding much but at the same time they don't really stand out. At one point text is placed over a girls thumb and it is not in line with her thumb but instead quite wonky. I think this takes away the affect of the wording being there. Also the text font used never remains constant which i feel looks quite bad. I think this will come under level 2.

Use of sound with images and editing
There is really aerie music used during the start of the opening sequence. I think this music fits really well with what is going on on screen and ties in the theme of horror. I think the music also fits with the actions that can be seen as the speed of the music is in time with the speed at which things are happening and movement is being made. The music also ends well and it does not fade into the conversation but also does not end to abruptly. When the people in the video are talking their voice and what they are saying can be herd really well and very clearly. This is important in a video and the sound for this video is really well done. There is a point where the clip changes but a voice can still be herd. However that voice fades out really well and effectively. I think the sound for this video would come under level 4.   

 
Using titles appropriately
I think the title is really well used in this clip. I like how all the focus is on the title as it is the only thing that can be seen on screen. This makes the title stand out. I think this would come under level 4.

Conclusion
I think this is a very strong, well presented video where all the shot sizes and editing was used correctly. I think improvements could be made with the text.

Director Wes Craven

Wes Craven is a Director, Writer and producer. He writes and directs mostly horror films.

Background

Wed was born in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio on August 2nd 1939. The first film he wrote, directed and edited himself was 'The Last House on the Left' which was released in 1972.

Films 

Wes wrote and directed 'Nightmare on Elm Street' which was released in 1984. However he did not go on to direct the 5 sequels to this film.

In 1996, Wes Craven became very successful with his film release of 'Scream'. This film became the winner of MTV best movie award. Wes almost turned down the opportunity to direct 'Scream' because the first scene reminded him too much of his first film 'The Last House on the Left'.

The other films Wes directed are:

• Scream 4 - 2011
• My Soul to Take - 2010
• Paris, Je t'aime - 2006
• Red Eye - 2005
• Cursed - 2005
• Scream 3 - 2000
• Music of the Heart - 1999
• Scream 2 - 1997
• Scream - 1996
• Vampire in Brooklyn - 1995
• New Nightmare - 1994
• The People Under the Stairs - 1991
• Night Visions (TV Movie) - 1990
• Shocker - 1989
• The Serpent and the Rainbow - 1988
• The Twilight Zone Saga - 1985-1986
• Deadly Friend - 1986
• Chiller (TV Movie) - 1985
• A Nightmare on Elm Street - 1984
• The Hills Have Eyes part 2 - 1984
• Invitation to Hell - 1984
• Swamp Thing - 1982
• Deadly Blessing - 1981
• Stranger in Our House - 1978
• The Hills Have Eyes - 1977
• The Fireworks Women - 1975
• The Last House on the Left - 1972

 Here is the trailer for Wes's latest film, Scream 4.


This is the triler for another one of the films Wes Directed, 'My Soul to Take'

Techniques

Wes Cravens films have been described on the IMDb website to challenge audiences with "bold visions". Wes was also said to have reinvented the genre of youth horror.

Trade mark techniques from  Wes's film include:

• The use of elaborate booby traps to catch the villain
•  strong female characters are within the film
• films include un-glamorous deceptions of sadistic and realistic brutal killers
• films include brutal and graphic violence
• the villains are often deformed and monstrous looking
• his films contain important social issues
• children getting deformed or murdered by the villain  

Director Review for opening of Cabin in the Woods

Cabin in the woods

http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/the-cabin-in-the-woods/

Director: Drew Goddard

Drew Goddard says that the original idea for this film was that there would be no title sequence and the film would start with the view of a copy machine. There was a certainty however of having the title of ‘Cabin in the Woods’ appear during a conversation about baby proofing a house.  The director said, because the start of the film seems irrelevant, he was “delighted by the idea that the audience might think they walked into the wrong film”. Drew Goddard said this was kind of the idea, to trick the audience.   However, this became a concern when it was sent to the studio.  The production company found a way to keep the brake room scene and still make the audience aware they were in the correct film and there was the theme of horror in the film. This was where the blood scene came in.

Drew wanted a sense of history involved in the title sequence to suggest “other themes were at play” which is why the historic images were used in the blood scene.  The idea was to like sacrifice into the film, the director said he wanted it in a historical context and “feel bloody”.

A choice was made of when to cut from the blood scene to the break room scene based on the music used. The music used during the blood scene was described by the director to “build and swell” and the choice was made too cut to the break room scene when the music reached its crescendo. This would be a sudden stop.  Drew said this “sets the tone immediately “and shows the audience what type of film it is.

 

With the blood scene, the decision was made for CGI not to be used because it would seem slick.
Instead the choice was made for ink to be used to create the ‘blood’.  A trial and error technique was used with trying to get the correct consistency to make the ink look like blood when filming. Because the camera moves from one puddle to the next, the ink had to be easy to guide. The technique that was used was shooting chocolate into relief moulds that were made out of blue play doh. This way the blue could be keyed out and changed to red and they got the correct effect.

 

What people expect to see in horror films

Title Sequence Analysis

Cabin in the Woods 2011

 

http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/the-cabin-in-the-woods/

 

 

Aspects that makes a good title sequence include:

• The music
• the images shown
• the colours that are used
• the type of text used
• how the genre is show 
 

Analysis of Cabin In The Woods


Music
The music used at the the start of the title sequence is very eerie  and the type of music that is associated with the theme of horror. Seeing as the theme for this particular film is horror, it fits well. It sounds quite mysterious. The music also end very abruptly.  

What is shown?
At the very start of the title sequence, images of puddles of blood spreading on a surface are shown. This suggests straight away some form of horror and perhaps death is present in the film. This also gives the viewer an incite in what to expect later on. Inside the puddles of blood there are, what look like, Egyptian drawings. This suggests the type of horror in the film might have something to do with a curse or legions. Everything shown is related to the film its self. After this sequence, the film starts immediately introducing the viewer into the storyline. We meet some of the characters and begin to get a idea of what the film is about and the charterers involved. No horror is suggested here but as suggested from the sequence at the very start, this is something that will appear later on.

Colours
the colours used at the very start of the title sequence are colours associated with horror. These colours are blacks and reds. These colours suggest gloom and red, especially in horror films, is instantly related to blood. However, the gloomy colours end when the main footage starts. All the colours are bright and there is no suggestion of gloom at all. This suggests the film starts off light and quite happy and the gloom  and horror comes later on.

Text  
The text is red and bold. it fades in and out, which is effective; it looks good at the start with the blood and maintains its effectiveness in the opening clip, even with the bright lighting.There are several points where the text is smugged or has a splattered effect around it. This suggests the idea of blood and links back to the theme of horror; although no horror is shown it is still suggested through the text. The title of the film appears unexpectedly during footage of men talking. Mixed with the sound of people screaming, and the speed with which it appears may make some of the audience jump, which is something associated with horror films. Although the text appears over footage, attention is not drawn away from the text, as the colour and positioning of the text make it stand out.

How Genre is Suggested
With the start of the main footage the theme of horror is not strongly shown; it is only before the main footage starts and through the text design that it is suggested. It does not affect the title sequence, which is strongly related to the film, it it hints, using the blood at the start, that horror will be introduced at a later point.