Title Research: Avengers

How many titles played throughout the opening sequence?

For the opening scene they had lots of titles that presented the jobs that created the film, but also gave the credit to the people that occupied the job. This includes casters, costume design and scriptwriters. In total, the opening scene for Avengers had 29 titles which each either introduced the movie workers or the companies that took part in the production of the film as well as director, Joss Whedon

What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?
The main images shown in the opening sequence are clouds. Clouds and hurricane patterns are shown spinning in and out of the screen. This most likely represents the chaos that occurs when clouds come together such as The Avengers coming as one.

What connotations do the images carry?
They create a feeling of catastrophe or disaster. This might be coming in upcoming scenes or foreshadowing to a bigger picture.

How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
The thriller genre usually includes some intense moments that could are suspenseful and or mind-bending. In this case it’s going to be one common factor that impacts the team of Avengers. The images of hurricanes and black and stormy clouds can signify that they are going to eventually lead to a dangerous situation for the main characters. The film might be how the character deals with this problem that is potentially life threatening and that is a normal convention in thriller movies.

How does this film establish an enigma from the outset?
Opening scenes set the mood for the entire movie. Thriller movies have exciting or intriguing introductions to grasp the attention of its viewer. The Avengers' introduction uses intense upbeat music to keep the audience interested and watching.No story line or characters have been given, just images to set the tone for the film.

What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?.
By using intense footage they can grasp the viewer's attention by having them try and figure out what it means. The lighting and sound can dramatize these aspects and increase the impact.

How has technology been used effectively? You want to consider camera angles, transitions and editing techniques.
The CGI graphics made clouds and storms. The transitions and editing made the scene come together as a whole to present an opening sequence that captures and keep an audience invested in the film.

Title Research: Split

The next film I analyzed is the film Split. This film was released by Universal Studios in 2016. The film was directed by M. Night Shyamalan.

How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?
The opening scene has 22 titles in total. This starts off with producers, cast, other workers, and like always ends with its director, M. Night Shyamalan.

What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?
In between the titles, a scene of a woman being transported through a hallway is shown. This scene continues to reoccur in between the titles as they flash.

What connotations do the images carry?
This image adds a mysterious and ominous tone to the scene. This indicates that the film might be confusing or more of a psychological thriller. The scenes flashing also add a sense of urgency. The sense of urgency combined with mystery is the origin of a true thriller.

How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
The man with a mask is a sign of a thriller. The secret adds to the suspenseful aspect of a thriller film. This along with quick movements, such as the titles quickly flashing. These two add a sense of urgency or suspense to the scene.

How does this film establish an enigma from the outset?
The mysterious woman being transported through the halls is an odd image we don't usually see.The film establishes an enigma from the beginning by cutting in the middle of the scene of the man with the mask. The man is clearly up to no good, and by cutting right as the audience is about to see what occurs, it builds mystery and hype to continue watching.These scenes being flashed add a sense of suspense as the viewers do not understand what is happening. 

What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?
Adding suspense and grabbing the attention is important for the first two minutes of a film. This can be achieved with the lighting, pacing, acting and music. The music was very eerie as it sets the moody tone for the film. These factors all create the urgency and suspense a thriller film should have.

How has technology been used effectively? You want to consider camera angles, transitions and editing techniques.
The camera angles did not play an impact since most of the opening sequence was computer-generated text. The letters connected to each other, which is ironic hence the name. The editing was interesting in that regard since it refers to the movie's theme. The flashing transitions also contribute to this.

Title Research: Seven

The next film I chose to analyze is Seven. I chose this film due to its glitched, dark header. The film came out in 1995 and stars Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. The film was directed by David Fincher

How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?
The opening scene has 42 titles in total. The producers started off, then mentioning actors, roles with more than one person and finally the director, David Fincher. The titles played fast and even glitched on and off the frame.

What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?
On multiple occasions a shot of a dirty hand handling a needle is shown. The hands threading the needle, puncturing the fabric, and reaping it are all shown. Although I immediately do not know the significance, it may be explained later in the film.

What connotations do the images carry?
The images are all dim, fast and send an eerie mood. This creates a negative or somber tone to the film and the images presented in it.

How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
The genre thriller is made of suspense and intensity. The film Seven uses dark fast clips to build suspense and curiosity. The constant glitching adds a sense of uneasiness to the montage. These moods are created through dark lighting, needles, and dirty hands.

How does this film establish an enigma from the outset?
The editors gave the audience enough scenery to get them hooked but does not give any of the story line away. This leaves viewers with several questions. What is he sowing? Who is he and why are his hands dirty? Why is everything glitching? These questions keep viewers entertained while they are watching names being shown.

What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?
By keeping the opening sequence mysterious and dim, they can appear to their target audience. Their target audience in this case would be an adult seeking an intriguing, mind-bending film. They keep the takes mature and mysterious to achieve this target audience. This includes lighting, editing, timing and music choice.

How has technology been used effectively? You want to consider camera angles, transitions and editing techniques.
In my personal opinion, I am most impressed by the editing. The names glitched on and of the screen at fast paces but it looks smooth. For the time this was produced, the graphics were well done and unique.

Title Research:Hostage

       I now decided to watch some films to see the conventions and usage of titles. There is no way of categorizing titles by genre so I chose the first one that looked like a thriller. The header for the film was black and red with the word hostage in bold letters, hinting to me it was a thriller. The clip has grand orchestral music playing. Titles were in bold letters in contrasting colors to stand out.This clip had a total of 36 titles throughout the opening sequence. I noticed it began with the creators, presented the actors, mentioned other roles and ended with the director. The names were shown long enough to read, but changed relatively quickly. The pacing and music made the film seem like a promising thriller. Titles were placed on guns, buildings, walls, steps, cars and other city things. The titles were edited with bold letters in contrasting colors. The overall contrast of the opening title sequence added an uneasy intensity to the film.
    What really stood out to me from this opening title sequence was the scenery. The opening scene was an animated montage of establishing images. The city establishing shots were prioritized to set a stage for the film. The clips were all black,white and red. The scenery included buildings, fences, jail cells, and barbed wires. The scenery also showed guns, streets, stairs, cars, and men, all animated in the three-tone scheme.These add a negative connotation to the film suggesting war or violence.  Although the scenery expects intense upbeat or hard-core music, an orchestral theme played. This added emotion to these intense opening images. Scenes were shown of men pointing guns and charging into buildings. The montage of buildings and city scenes created an establishing scene of the type of city that the film will occurring in while presenting titles. Although no characters or storyline are introduced, an outside view of the story. The producers used bright colors and contrast to engage the audience into the film. Technology definitely played a role in this intro with its animated realism as well as using 3D text to blend with the setting. The most interesting part in my opinion is the transition between the opening sequence and the beginning of the film. The animated image posed with a gun in hand, hand over head. The scene did a graphic match to an actor doing the same positioning. The combination of film, editing and animation all made the opening scene of the film Hostage interesting and exciting.

Title Reseach: Watch the Titles

         While continuing my research, I came across another website. This website is called Watch the Titles. This website has many opening scenes available to study. These clips vary in genre and length. They have examples from films and television shows over various years. They featured movies I have seen before such as "Kung Fu Panda" and "Pink Panther". The clips give a reference to many opening scenes of varying genres. This website is very similar to Art of the Title. Art of the Title and Watch the titles are both very similar in their content. Some clips can clearly indicate what genre the film is in. Other clips were more ambiguous with their titles. There were between 15- 50 titles of the film clips I viewed. Animation films had more titles than live-action. The last credited was usually the director. Viewing these clips gave me a guideline for my title sequence.

Title Research: Art of the Title

To understand exactly how a titles can start off a movie, I am using the website the Art of the Title. This is a website that contains the opening scenes of films from various genres. It has movies and television shows categorized by directors and genres. Research is important to find the order of the titles, the count , and the positioning of the titles. The first two minutes of a film set the tone for the rest. Art of the Title had many films that I knew of such as Black Panther. The website even gives short summaries of the opening scene. They have several posts, even one ranking the best opening credits of 2019. The website was not the easiest to manage but it gets the point across.The films featured were in good quality and were about 2 minutes each. The variety and relevance to the genres are well. The thriller genre has very fast pace to it. There are montages with names flashing in many.  I found you can kind of tell which films fall in what genre. The thriller titles are presented in a more exciting or suspenseful way than a drama or romance.

Genre Research: Joker

       For the final film I decided to analyze is the movie Joker. Joker is a film that came out in 2019 and follows the backstory of DC villain, The Joker. The movie was produced by Todd Phillips, Warner Brothers, and DC Comics. The film was a drama-crime thriller since most of the movie was about the psychology and mind of how a man became a ruthless villain. The film was part of the Batman Universe, guaranteeing success, resulting in over a billion dollars at the box office. The film was a dramatic-crime which is different than most DC Comics films but was emotional for a thriller.

        The camera work on this film was well. This was mostly a drama in my mind so there were some but no too many intense action scenes. Most shots were medium but some low angles, pans, eye-level, and many close shots were used. The close shots were used to show emotion, such as looking sadly out a window. Reaction scenes were shown a lot especially since the Joker had a laughing condition. One notorious scene, was a tracking shot down stairs in New York City. Most characters dressed relatively normal for New York City, suit and ties, except his coworkers and him, since they worked as clowns. The lighting was normal for the majority of the movie, matching the setting, but some scenes such as the medical scene had low lighting as well as the night scenes were dim. In one scene, Joker is seen in a taxi riding through Times Square. The neon lights and rain made the scene incredibly impact. The acting was spectacular in this film.Joaquin Phoenix starred in the film as Joker,where he did a phenomenal job. He portrayed his character as the messed up clown that the world is against but he made such an emotional impression, even the audience felt empathy for him. The makeup was notorious for his character, clown face paint with a huge smile painted. Additional special effects makeup were used. The props featured were everyday objects and weapons. This is common for horror or thriller movies. The setting was in New York City. The sound was great in this film. They used a suspenseful score to elevate the mood they were trying to interpret. Although the music during suspenseful scenes set the tone for the film. There were some piano songs and some snare drums playing during close shots to show emotion. There was orchestral themes playing throughout the entire film. The editing used many cross cutting and montages as well as establishing shots. They used a lot of reaction shots and close shots go show Joker’s reaction to how the world really was and how harsh and cruel people treated him. The overall production of the movie did a good job of dropping clues of a bigger picture which is what makes this film stand out so much. 

       This movie was under the drama sub genre of Thrillers. The conventions shown in Thrillers, suspense, violence, and plot twists, were all shown throughout the film. I liked that the film was intense and made the audience connect with a ruthless villain to really understand why he is how he is. The film challenged the conventions of a thriller by adding an emotional element to the science fiction realm of a thriller film.

Genre Research: Get Out

   For the next film I decided to analyze I chose the movie Get Out. Get Out came out in 2017 and was produced by Jordan Peele.This movie was more a psychological thriller but I decided this would be great to study since it is undoubtedly considered a thriller. Get out was a movie about a racist family that invites the daughter’s boyfriend over to perform illegal surgeries to transform him into a slave.  The film was unique, innovative, surprising and overall suspenseful. The film challenged thriller conventions by bringing inhistory of slaves and racism, which is not presented in most thriller films.

      The camera work on this film was well done. This was not an action film so there wasn’t many intense action scenes. Most shots were medium but some low angles, pans, eye-level, and many close shots were used. One scene, where the mother was trying to hypnotize the boyfriend had a very psychedelic and overall uneasiness mood due to the zooms and speed. Most characters dressed relatively normal, but some of the older white people dressed like old people; hats, scarves, stockings, etc. The lighting was normal for the majority of the movie, matching the setting, but some scenes such as the medical scene had low lighting as well as the night scenes were dim. The acting was spectacular in this film. Daniel Kaluuya starred in the film as Chris, where he did a phenomenal job. He portrayed his character as the confused boyfriend but he made such an emotional impression, even the audience was confused. The makeup was normal again except wounds such as cuts. The props featured were everyday household objects since he was in a house. This is common for horror or thriller movies. The setting was in upstate New York but was in a rural neighborhood in a forest. The sound was great in this film.The film featured songs from Childish Gambino and Bill Medley. They used a suspenseful score to elevate the mood they were trying to interpret. Although the music during suspenseful scenes set the tone for the film. There were some piano songs and some snare drums playing during close shots to show emotion. The editing used many cross cutting and montages as well as establishing shots. They used a lot of reaction shots and close shots go show Chris’ reaction while absorbing his environment The overall production of the movie did a good job of dropping clues of a bigger picture which is what makes this film stand out so much. 

       This movie was under the horror sub genre of Thrillers. The conventions shown in Thrillers, suspense, violence, and plot twists, were all shown throughout the film. I liked that the film was intense and mind-bending. The film challenged the conventions of a thriller by adding a political perspective with the racist element of a horror-thriller film.

Genre Research- Bad Boys for Life

      For the second film I decided to analyze I chose the movie bad boys for life. This movie was more a crime thriller but I decided this would be one of the best to study since my thriller is under the crime genre as well. Bad boys for life took place in Miami and it was about two cops. These two cops worked on a case of a huge drug cartel shipment. The film was based on two characters, Mike and Marcus, and your brotherhood through the Miami police Department force. The movie featured mainly action scenes, emotional scenes, funny scenes, and overall left the audience on the edge of their seat, wondering was coming next.  

       The camera work on this film was amazing. Whether it was a high-speed car chase or a montage of a car, this filmed checked every box for the film category. Most shots were medium but some low angles, tilts, eye-level, and even dutch shots were used. One scene really stood out to me since I had never seen anything like it. One character was shooting the roof but the the bullets were trying to kill the character on the second floor right above her. The camera turned 90 degrees sideways to show the type of kill she was attempting. The costumes for Mike were very extra, such as purple suits or embroidered jackets. Most characters dressed relatively normal except for the police force, opting for the traditional blue and badge. The lighting was normal for the majority of the movie, matching the setting, but towards the end, a scene where a house was on fire, the lighting was well represented and showed emotion through the scene. The acting was such a great duo. With Martin Lawrence and Will Smith, the film was hilarious for a thriller. Although, some fresh faces such as Vanessa Hudgens and Charles Melton made the movie updated from its previous film shot in 2003. The makeup was normal again except wounds such as cuts and gun shots. The props featured many cars, guns, money and drugs. These are common for crime or thriller movies. The setting was in Miami, Florida but featured hotels, nightclubs, homes, and the famous Ocean Drive. Some scenes also took place in Mexico City. The sound was great in this film. The soundtrack was produced by Dj Khaled, following his appearance in the film. The music was upbeat and really resonated with Miami well. Although the music during suspenseful scenes set the tone for the film. 

       This movie was under the action sub genre of Thrillers. The conventions shown in Thrillers, suspense, violence, and plot twists, were all shown throughout the film. I liked that the film was intense and upbeat. The film challenged the conventions of a thriller by adding a comedic perspective with the hilarious Martin Lawrence.

Genre Research- The Equalizer

         The Equalizer is a mystery/thriller. The story follows a vigilante named Robert. Robert, a retired man seeking a peaceful life comes out of his shell to protect a young woman forced into prostitution by the Russian mob. He is a skilled killer, and protects this young woman as if she were his own.This film features many action scenes and suspenseful scenes, categorizing it as a thriller. The movie used many long shots for fight scenes and walking scenes. The close shots and medium-close-ups were used during conversations. Like in many thrillers, when an object with significance was shown, such as a gun, the camera would go tight for a close up. The movements included tracking shots, high and low angles, and my personal favorite reaction shots. When something significant happened such as a gunshot, the camera would zoom into a character’s reaction, showing emotion and attachment to the action.
              Now lets move onto CLAMPS. The costumes were detailed to the setting. Robert worked at a Lowes so he wore his work uniform in some scenes. The young woman wore very seductive clothing, since she was a prostitute. The Russian mob members wore clothes such as sneakers and leather jackets. The lighting was low and dim in almost all of the scenes of the entire movie. The acting was very well in this movie; Robert was a very emotionless character on the surface but his emotions inside came out at the right times, mastered by Denzel Washington in this film. The makeup was dramatic for the prostitutes but the rest of the characters  used special effects makeup for cuts, gunshots and other wounds. The props included guns, alcoholic drinks, money and many more props that are usually in crime movies. The setting included; an apartment, a diner, a strip club,  the streets of a city, and a Lowes. The lighting in the film matched the mood; dark and suspenseful. The sound was intense for this film. Suspenseful score, ambient cars, and dramatic gunshots were all used in this film to establish a suspenseful theme as well as a dark mood.
           The movie followed many conventions of a typical thriller; dark lighting, suspenseful music and intense action scenes. I liked this adaptation of a thriller film because it was exciting and well-produced. I did not like some parts of this film such as the lack of character background on some character. In like the thriller genre because the movies are exciting and suspenseful but  they can also challenge your mind and make you think. The film was more an action-thriller than a psychological thriller but due to its conventions, it qualifies as a thriller. The overall production of the movie sent out the message and mood the directors were aiming for.

Genre Research: Final Task

               After conducting research I have come to the conclusion of which genre I would like to shoot this film. An action film would be hard to conduct with a lack of liquid resources. The story is too simple to be a drama, due to lack of complex characters or emotions. That leads me to believe a thriller would be the best genre for this film. The story is about two assassins coming together when plotted against each other. This story needs to be told in an exciting, suspenseful way and a thriller is just that. This genre is titled to many great films, such as "The Widows" and "A Simple Favor".

Genre Research Continuation Blogs

       DRAMA 
         In film, drama is a genre that focuses on a narrative in a serious tone rather than a humorous one. Dramas are made to tell a story while making the audiences feel emotions and attachment to the story. Common angles are eye level shots at medium or close shots to show reactions or to emphasize emotions. Costumes and makeup vary based on time period and setting of the narrative. Props and settings also vary on the situations characters are put through, but in most dramas they are either normal everyday items or a weapon of some type. Acting must me spot on in dramas, if the actors can not believe it, neither will the viewer. Lighting is typical to be dim in sad settings while brighter in more fun, light scenes. The elements of a drama are a story line, maybe romantic or to teach a lesson, in a serious tone. The sounds include dialogue, a score and ambient sound. I enjoy this genre because it emotionally invests viewers to a story line therefore a connection is made. I do not like genres personally because the story lines may get predictive or repetitive. Some examples of this genre are famous hits such as "The Godfather", "Rocky", and "Moonlight".

   THRILLER
      My personal favorite genre is a good thriller. Thrillers are realistic and exciting. Thrillers overlap over several genres depending on the type. Some thrillers can classify as horror films while others classify as dramas. The camera angles on thrillers are average but can feature some dutch angles to throw viewers off. Costumes and makeup are adapted to fit the setting but special effects makeup may use for "wounds" or "supernatural creature". Acting usually needs to be realistic to be just as excited or shocked as the characters. Thriller elements vary on the type but most are exciting, to cause shock or to make the viewer think deeper into the meaning. Common sounds are sounds of suspense, such as the Jaws theme when a shark is bound to attack. I love this genre because it is interesting and is an exciting drama. It tells a story in an exciting way that adds a different perspective to the meaning. I think some thrillers get too confusing sometimes though, which can make some viewers lost. Example films would be "Get Out", "Us", and "Inception".

These two genres can either overlap and classify similar movies or can completely repel such as a love story and a gory thriller. They both are a narrative approach to a story but they tell them in different ways. Dramas tend to be more direct with voice-overs and chronological order. Thrillers tend to twist stories and leave the viewer to interpret the film.

First Genre Research

This power point is about the common conventions you will find in action genre of films. The lighting is somewhat natural but dramatic during intense scenes such as important discussions or fight scenes. Angles are usually close but show wide shots during fights and feature establishing shots.My favorite aspect of this genre is the conflict that keeps the audience guessing. This genre is entertaining but can get somewhat repetitive in their angles and scenes. The sounds feature sounds such as crashes or explosions to create a realistic effect or theme music to set an overall mood for the scenes.Some example films would be Spiderman, Transformers, and Fast & Furious. Action movies are very common blockbusters since they keep audiences excited.

Pitch Perfect

              Now that I have formulated some pitch ideas, I now need to narrow it down to the one that I would like to create. To make this decision there are several factors I should consider. I need to select an idea that I can produce with the resources I have. This pitch needs to be do-able with my time frame as well. Out of my three pitches I have decided to rule out the one about blackface and ignorant people in society. There is nothing wrong with this pitch, I just believe that its a story that needs more than two minutes to develop and leave viewers wondering.My two pitch ideas are the ones I need to choose from. The first one is a psychological thriller about sleep paralysis and the inability to decipher between a fantasy and reality. My next pitch idea is about long lost twin assassins assigned to each other.
          I love the idea of the psychological  thriller. It was inspired to me one night when I could not fall asleep. Inspired by Billie Eilish's discussion of her own sleep paralysis as well as other distorting films such as Inception. The idea is unique and can be very interesting, but it will not be very easy to create. I have no idea where to begin with this film. I also believe I do not have the resources needed to create the film because it would be very confusing. All in all I love this idea for its uniqueness and differentiation of other films.
       My next pitch is a crime thriller. The idea came to me when a friend and I were discussing our favorite films. I love crime movies and I wanted to take inspiration from the film Mr. and Mrs. Smith. The idea would be two assassins that are long-lost twins being assigned to assassinate each other. Will they choose family or their duty? This film would be very fun to create. I would show clues hinting toward their unknown relationship. Although this film would need more cast, that might cause an issue because the other pitch only requires one person cast.
        And the winner is...Drum roll please...The two assassins! This pitch ideas is my favorite because of the story and accessibility I have to create it. I genuinely am very excited to created this film. When story boarding I will pay very close attention to detail as well as not giving too much information. I think this film idea is going to be the best choice for me and my resources.

Starting Final Task

Hey there! My name is Macy. I am 15 years old and I currently reside in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I have some likable attributes such as creativity and optimism but I can also be very talkative and bossy. My passions include photography and videography, as well as graphic design. I plan on studying business and finance later on in life, but for now I just take photos and edit them. Media studies is one of my favorite classes because I am doing what I love and have complete creative control. Personally, between you and I, I do not like working in groups. Not to say I am not a people person, because I have no issue socializing, I just like having control over things I am passionate about. I am a sophomore in high school, my favorite color is white, I have three brothers, and I would like to travel the world when I am a couple years older.

In this class I have learned a multitude of skills. First of all I have learned technical such as camera angles and movement. I have also learned movie making skills such as editing and storyboard-ing. We have also learned about the film world such as marketing and production. These skills have given us insight of the movie making process and the processes behind the camera. I am excited to use these editing skills as well as storyboard skills such as adding suspense and tension. By knowing how lighting and angles affect mood, I will arrange those to the best of my ability to create an overall mood. I like close up shots because I think they create a connection between the character and the audience.

Now that you know a little bit about me, let me tell you about this project. My task is to make the first two minutes of an original film. I have to begin with creating several pitch ideas to compare and decide which one to carry out. A pitch is a summary of a movie used to convince directors to adapt your idea into a film. An elevator pitch is the same thing but in around a sentence or two. I have three pitch ideas. My first idea is; two separated siblings grow up to be assassins and get assigned to kill each other. Whats more important; your family or your duty? My next idea is a psychological thriller about sleep paralysis and the inability to sleep. My final idea idea is a world where people that blackface and are racist get transported back in history and put in the role of the oppressed. These are my pitch ideas for the final task.