Evaluation Question: 7

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

At the beginning of the time which we started planning and getting ready to get ideas together to produce a film opening sequence we had to make a practise clip (preliminary task). The aim of this task was to show the progression which we had made throughout the project compared to our final product.

The skills which we had learnt while completing the preliminary task was mainly the filming and editing which we had to complete and produce to see what our skills were like at the beginning of the project compared to what our final product looked like. This task helped show us different ways of editing to help the clip fit the type of genre which our media product was portraying. Also the task helped us figure out different types of shots which look good and give off certain effects which will be needed throughout the opening sequence. For example, close up shots of the meat being cut and red wine being poured in a glass in our opening sequence, this helps to build up the tension for the audience, thinking about what is going to happen next.

Throughout the whole of the prelim task there was quite a few different bits of weaknesses. One type of weakness which was the quality of the filming such as the lighting and blurriness, some parts of the filming was really dark and fuzzy and you couldn’t really see exactly what was going on and then it went to parts where it was quite clear – such as when walking up the corridor and then going into the classroom. Another part of weakness was that the people who featured in the opening sequence didn’t hold the ending position long enough so the ending of that particular scene is cut of quite quickly and  you don’t really hear what the last words are which are being said.

We have ensured that out final product doesn’t have these type of weakness’s, we made sure of this by having a red head lighting kit, this gave our opening sequence quite a balanced lighting source the whole way though the sequence where the lighting is needed such as when the meat is being cut and the wine being poured into the glass. Then to make sure that we get the correct cut in the right place once we had filmed we carried on filming for a couple more seconds after it had finished, this is so we made sure we had enough time for it to fit in and that nothing had been cut off because there wasn’t enough time for it to finish.

Overall I have learnt main skills which are needed to make a good film opening sequence, such as making sure the lighting is equal throughout and that you have a few more seconds extra filming after a scene we had just shot. Some of the main things which are essential to make sure you have a good media product is that you have planned what you want to do so you can just do it and get it done quickly – also making sure that you have all your props and clothing which needs to be used ready for when you need to use them. 

Evaluation Question: 6

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


To help put our final product together we used many different software's and many different pieces of equipment to finish it. Throughout our time of creating our opening sequence we used FinalCut Express, LiveType, YouTube, Blogger, Photoshop, Wordle, Prezi, Digital Video Camera, Camera Stand and a Voice Recorder.


If we didn't have these piece's of equipment (and we used the computer software's on an iMac) we wouldn't of been able to complete the opening sequence.


Firstly, 'FinalCut Express' was the main software we used on completing our final product. We used this to edit our whole opening sequence to how we wanted it and we used this to create our focus groups. It was fairly simple using it because I had used it before so I was able to help my group immensely when it came to editing. As time grew on and we used it nearly everyday the rest of my group were able to pick it up and could use it just like me, they were able to think of an idea and put it in there without even asking which is helpful for me because if I was doing something else, they wouldn't have to bother me. Whilst using this software, we were able to use video transitions which is putting the scenes together in a professional way and making it look like an actual film opening sequence. After we found our sound we imported it onto this software which again was fairly simple as i had previous experience on it. 


To create our title credits we used a software called 'LiveType', and this wasn't a software I was familiar with. We had a lesson to become familiar with it and we was able to use it understand how it works helping us gain experience for creating our final product and for future reference. We each played around with the software and we created a title credit each and we showed each other to see what they looked like and to see if we could use any in our actual film opening sequence. We didn't end up using any however we each took idea's from them and made a group one together so we each had input and we was all happy and contributed towards it. We then began to create a credit for each group member and for any people who starred in our product. We imported the final credits onto FinalCut and we then added them to any part of it we thought looked best and kept them.

For our research and planning we mainly used Blogger, of course, and Prezi which helped our blog not be dull and have a variety of formats so it wasn't the same and we could show that we used each of the software's and are experienced in using them. Prezi was fairly simple to use, we had experience on it from our previous media coursework so we knew how to use it. It is a straight forward website however it was a bit confusing at first, I needed help at the start but when I got it I quickly grew to become quick and smart at it so I could use it in future on my own without a problem. I used this specific website for when I did research, for example, we I researched into film genres I was able to put all the information on one document and all the pictures together so it was easy to use and be easily understandable. 


Blogger was straightforward also. It is easily layed out so you can tell what to click on and doesn't become confusing when writing a post as it is a similar layout to Microsoft Word. It is better to use for all my coursework as it doesn't become lost and I know where everything is, also it is all organised and I know nothing has been touched or played around with. Also, we was able to embed Prezi presentations and YouTube videos so we could show everything we mean't when describing it. For example, in one of my posts 'Test Shots' I described each test shot we wanted to do then showed a visual so they knew what I was on about.


Again, YouTube was handy because it is such a big site so it literally has anything you want on there. It helped me give a clearer understanding for when I was explaining specific things and also, it helped me do my analysis for my film opening sequences and I could say 'at 1:43 they used the close-up because...' and it would be easier for me and you!


I wouldn't of been able to make our opening sequence if we didn't have any digital video cameras. These were fairly simple to use and also they helped me gain experience on using them and helping me get good shots, such as close-ups, a trombone shot and others and I was lucky to be able to gain this experience for the future.




Lastly, I was able to use the video camera for creating the director's commentary and to also add sound effects to our final product to give it that little bit of realism for the audience and to also give the shot that little bit more detail to make the opening sequence perfect.






Overall I feel I have gained a lot of experience and feel privileged to be able to use these and they will help me in the future and our skills and abilities of using these types of technologies have increased and improved since the start of our opening sequence task.

Evaluation Question: 5

Evaluation Question 5 on Prezi

Evaluation Question: 4

Who would be the audience for your media product (Film opening sequence)? on Prezi

Evaluation Question: 3

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why? on Prezi

Evaluation Question: 2

Evaluation Question 2 on Prezi

Evaluation Question: 1

Media product using conventions on Prezi

Director's Commentary

This is the directors commentary from me and my group. We explained parts of the video and why we used, we did this because we justified why we used particular parts for our opening sequence and we explained it in detail.

Final Focus Group

From this video I have learned what aspects are good about our opening sequence and what we could of improved. It helped us because we had an audience's opinion and we were able to discuss and evaluate ourselves and we were able to realise what we could do better in the future. We learned that we successfully showed the genre of our film idea and we used different signifiers such as using the colour red and we chose sharp noises for credits etc.

Final Opening Sequence - 'Last Date'

This is our final video which everything is done including the editing, filming, sound and everything else that needed to be included. We did this to the best of our ability and we was able to reach our goal of completing an opening sequence to our standards that we imagined in our head many months ago. We are all positive and happy with the way it turned out and we are excited to be able to post it onto our blog.

Production Blog: 4

Working As A Group:


Working as a group was easy because we all knew each other well and we were all friends and we each knew what each other liked, we was each supportive towards each other in giving ideas and helping each other out when we needed it. On the first day of filming it went well as we each had a role and we each wanted to take part and contribute within the group but after it got hard some of us started to feel the pressure and didn't want to contribute as much. When we started to film other days because we needed more footage it was minaly me and Danielle but that was only because Jess had work commitments so we was fine about that but Luke wasn't heard of but we ignored it and got on with our work. Again we needed to film and us three were there and we just got on with the rest of the filming ready for finishing our opening sequence. The atmosphere changed when it came to the lessons where we were editing because Luke didn't contribute as much where as Me, Jess and and Danielle did most of the work and managed to complete most of the coursework and filming between the three of us. When we started to evaluate everything, we didn't really work as a group and we mainly done our individual blog entries apart from me and Danielle who worked together to take less stress of each other. 

Production Blog: 3

In order to get our opening sequence to the standards our group wanted it, we needed to put as much time into it as we possibly could. This meant important to each of us so we used as much free time we could spend on it as we could to achieve the grade we want.

When we started doing it we wanted to get as much done as possible but we didn't sit down and talk about who was doing what or how we were all going to do the work. We left it too late before we could worry about splitting the work up and getting it done, so I chose to do as much as possible and so did Jess and Danielle and we completed the research and planning in the given time. I thought some parts were fairly easy and some were hard and that's when we came together as a group and sat down and all went through it so we could get it done quickly and easily. Once we realised that this helped us, we knew what to do for future to get our work done and on time. We made a plan to who's doing what and we each knew each other's free time by communicating every day and using all of our free periods to complete the work. 

When it came to filming we each took it seriously and made a timetable of when we were free so we could each be there and give our ideas of what we want in our opening sequence. Even though we felt like we were doing really well in keeping time we didn't realise that we need a lot more of the filming, so we was in a bit of a rush to get it finished and probably should of spent more time on getting all the shots we want.

Whilst we was filming, we decided to get all the credits out the way so didn't have to worry about them in the future and fix them if they needed it when we put it all together rather than creating them from scratch. Also, the production logo was made very early on so again we didn't have to worry about it last minute and it helped us get that one step closer of completing our opening sequence.

The editing went well, because we had been using it and getting familiar with the software we was pretty much on our way of getting it completed and we each had pictures of in our head of what its going to look like. Even if we were alone we each did a bit to getting closer and closer to completing our final product.

In Conclusion, to start of our time management skills were not the best but as we got into it and realised how important it is we got our stuff together and got on with it as much as we can to complete it. I have learned that it is best to get everything planned at the beginning rather than leaving things to later and have to rush to get it finished.

Production Blog: 2

Problems During Filming/Editing and How We Solved Them:


Problems During Filming: When we started filming we were all motivated to do it because this is the first time we were allowed to take the cameras away and film what we want and we thought it would be fun and easy. After about an hour into it we was struggling of what to film, we planned it out all before hand and we were so sure of our idea but coming to doing the filming we didn't know how to get the shots what we wanted. We had to go back and do a lot of planning again and thinking outside the box so it is something we can achieve and something we want. This was very difficult and people became less motivated in our group and didn't want to do as much filming as we possibly could. However, the rest of the group got on with it and we filmed what we wanted and got it done in the time given. Also, other problems during filming were giving away too much and not getting the shots we wanted. We planned in our heads to get different shots of the romantic dinner but there was too much lighting coming through the windows which then lit up the room and showing that there wasn't actually anyone in the chair, this was very difficult to overcome so we had to changed the idea just a tad to where you don't see the chair and you don't see the man.


Problems with Editing: Fortunately, we didn't have many problems with the editing because I had some experience with the software and I was able to do most of the filming that the group wanted. However, we did have a problem of putting what shot where and how to link them, this was hard so we ended up with it being non-continuous, leaving an uneasy feeling for the audience and for them to be disorientated and intrigued to see what is going to happen next because it is unpredictable. 

Production Blog: 1

On the first day of filming we were excited to be filming, we got to our location with all of our props ready and we started to film, we got most of the shots we wanted and realised they were not the best shots so we decided to take back what we had, upload it and see if we can edit them to make them look good but it didn't work.


Me and Danielle then overcome this by re-doing the shots and getting what we need, this was essential that we done this otherwise we would not of had anything to edit or show. When we filmed again, we found the best thing to do was to get as many close-up shots as we could because then we didn't have any of the problems such as stuff being moved in the background and it kept the whole secret of what was going on in the shot and the mysteriousness of it. This helped us a lot because we did get all of the shots and we started to get our opening sequence going and getting the shots we wanted.


As we were editing them the group decided we need something more to make it more appealing for the audience so myself, Danielle and Jess decided to film during our own time to get what we want which was filming the girl in a mysterious place and to get close-ups and sound effects of her and her screaming. We chose to use a young girl because it makes the audience more sympathetic for the character and also makes them want to watch to find out what happens to her. We thought this was a good idea because it will leave the audience feeling guilty that they don't know what happened to her so they will want to watch it.


We did this and achieved this well and it fitted in superb in our opening sequence, it gave it a worrying feel for the audience and it makes them more interested in what they are watching. I feel it helped us achieve finishing our opening sequence because it gave us stability in finishing it and we chose to keep it to the end because it is what the film is about.

Research into Film Companies

I did some research into the film companies to find out background information that I thought could help me develop my opening sequence. I took  note of the genres that the film companies mainly focused on and I took note of how diverse the genres could be that they chose and why this helps there company grow and expand and become huge in the film industry.

DreamWorks Animation:

The first film company I looked at is DreamWorks. I chose to look at this specific company because it is one company that bases their genre on animation and it shows how big they have become even though they are dominating one part of there possible audience which is children and they are also a huge company because they target families and include humor for adults and other specific audiences.

These films are one of the most popular films on earth, they each earned a huge amount of money which gave the company many opportunities to advertise their products and to be able to create many more which they did, and this is how these films became worldwide-known.

20th Century Fox:

This film production company is also another huge company that has the financial backing to be able to afford to advertise their products and even start creating different merchandise for their product such as clothes for the films, posters, toys and more and this will also expand their audience and increase their income for the film.

Again, these films are old and new and are still being played on the latest movie channels today. Also, they each are sequels and have created Home Alone 2, etc and this shows how rich the film company is and how well they are earning money. Also, advertising is a huge way of creating attention for each of their product and they do this well because they are financially capable.

Warner Bros. Pictures:

Warner Bros is one of the most famous film companies in the world, because they started a long time ago when films were just starting to be made, they were able to build their reputation up and earn a lot of money for the future. Also, because it is such a huge company, people were able to invest into it helping it become more financially stable and were able to start of creating movies for the world. They then grew to make some of the best movies of all time.

Harry Potter is one of the best films made ever and even though that is one opinion, it shows that it is so successful by the 8 films it made within 10 years. Free Willy, Batman and Lethal Weapon are again all examples of leading films within the industry. This shows how rich and powerful one film can be that it can lead a huge success for the company to then go and create another 10 films including its own advertisement and merchandise.

Music Evaluation

The music we used in our opening sequence is very classical and eery. It gives the opening sequence an uncomfortable feel and it creates tension within the audience. Also, it is contrapuntal sound because it is relaxing and calm however what we are seeing is creepy and chilling. I feel this is a good technique because it gives off a daunting feeling creating narrative-enigma leaving the audience wanting to watch on, but scared at the same time. Below is the music we used for our opening sequence.

Test Shots - Camera Techniques

Here are some test shots the we did to try and see if we can do them and if we can add them to our blog.


Pull Focus: we did this to reveal something in the background that is important within the film such as a murder weapon. We found this easy after we knew how to do it and we did multiple shots to perfect it.


Here is an example of the shot:


Tracking Shot: we did this to create what is being filmed have the audiences attention and make them look at every detail so they know exactly what is happening:


Here is an example of the shot:


Whip Pan: we chose to do this to show our skill and to gain experience, also it helps us if we found it to be a good shot and we might use it in our opening sequence if we want to.


Here is an example of the shot:


Trombone shot: we chose this because we thought it is effective and good to put in our sequence. Also, because we don't see many of them in films we thought it would be good to stand out from others and make the audience remember it. 


Here is an example of the shot:


Here is our attempt:
We did different shots which we thought would suit best into our opening sequence and also we tried to recreate some of the shots to show our abilities. We chose to do more close-ups because we included these the most into our opening sequence to show the mystery of the shot and wanting the audience to find out more.

Live Type Trials

During our lessons we started to focus on making a production logo and we tried out different ways to present it. Here is our first idea that we thought of for our production logo that we thought would also suit our genre:

IDEA 1:

Here is the video of one of our ideas for our production logo, firstly each letter glows white from the start of dash to the end of productions highlighting the word and allowing the audience to focus on it. Also, it creates it to be more mysterious suiting our genre.

Then, after all the letters have been highlighted, they shake to create the effect of it being unstable and jolty so the audience become firm and get a hint of what the genre is going to be. Also, it again emphasises the name and sticks in the audience's head so they know what its called for future reference and also it encodes our text and signifies that it is going to be a thriller/crime.

After, all the shaking and glowing, the words then start to fade out along with the clapper board so the audience know it has finished and know the film is about to start. Again, it becomes mysterious and unsettling to the audience because they would also wonder where has it gone and is anything going to pop out at them.

IDEA 2:

In this version, we decided to welcome each letter in by being highlighted red and landing on the clapper board one at a time. We thought this would be better because the colour is red with suits our genre of being dangerous and also it is quite bold and stands out from the background ensuring that the audience will remember our production logo and what it is called.

Again, instead of having this as our first shot we decided to make it become our second effect of the scene. It highlights each letter with a glow of white making it stand out and making the audience take notice of it.

Finally, again each letter fades out and ends the scene and the clapper board also fades out leaving a blank screen so it can roll onto our first scene of our opening sequence.


We have thought of more ideas but we feel this is the best and we want it to not be to cliché or predictable so we stuck with this because it suits our standards.

LiveType Practise - "The Ninth Son"

This is a title that I made using the software 'LiveType'. I will be using this software when I edit my opening sequence and this is to help become familiar with it.

Live Type Practise

This video shows my abilities of using the camera and the software 'LiveType'. I was able to explore different camera angles such as hand-held shots, close-ups and tracking shots. I was able to explore different angles and it gave my group a chance to each have our own ideas included in the task. We was clearly able to use livetype as we included the title of the film and the date within the opening sequence.

Contingency Plan

During the making of this opening sequence, there are bound to be problems. To deal with these we need to think of anything that could happen in advance and make a back up plan.

Cast dropping out/Unreliable actors/Bad actors:
We have gained actors for our characters, one of them being in our group, so there will not be a problem if anything happens for her role. If anything did happen, we have a back up which is definite and she will not drop out. Luckily, that much acting isn't required because her mouth will be covered so there wouldn't be much speaking needed from her. But her body language and facial expressions is what we need. For the mans role, the actor has experience in acting and is very mature, he will take it seriously and will not care what people think. He will put in 110% effort and if he can't do it, then we have a back up actor who is able to do it also.

Crew being late/getting lost:
Before we leave to go to the location, we will meet up with everyone we need and certain times when we know everyone is free. We will assure the actors of where it is if they are running late and if they dont know where it is one of the group members will meet with them somewhere known and make their way to the location.

Locations not being able to be filmed/Too noisy/Having too many people in the background making noise:
Our locations are simple and effective and we wont need permission filming there. One of them is in someone's house and the other is in woods, deserted buildings or creepy places which will be public. Even if we do need permission to film, we will ask and if not find another suitable location. If the location is going to be near a main road or where people will visit, we will make sure its distant from public and people and making sure we will not be disturbed.

Battery running out on camera:
Every time we film, we will make sure of the battery and always charge it full before we leave. If we use it alot and it runs out on us, then we will have to charge it and revisit the location. If anything has changed such as the lighting or weather, we will refilm everything on that day and make sure nothing is changed when we come to putting all our filmed bits together.

Continuity problems:
Fortunately, I always take notice of every detail regarding this and i will make sure it will not happen in our opening sequence, i will write down everything as i go along to make sure everything runs perfectly. Also, we will take pictures of the location and actors so we can resemble them if we film on another day helping us over-come these problems.

Locations Recce

Locations for our opening sequence:


The first location is in a dining room, we have chosen to use this location as we want the sequence to be as real to life as possible. This will be the first scene, and the actual introductory of the sequence, and due to the fact it is a standard dining room, it will be used as the man’s point of view, and what he considers is happening. We will pull the table away from the wall and decorate it appropriately (with rose petals, candles etc.) we will also move anything in the background that we do not want to feature in the scene; this is to help the setting look current. Fortunately for us, because this dining room is in one of the group members house, it is improbable for any problems (such as lack of power points) to occur. However, it is likely that their family will be using the dining room around the time we want to film. We are going to overcome this by arranging an agreed time the dining room will be kept free with the people living in the house, allowing us to film during this space. 
Below are some pictures of the dining room we are going to use. 

The second location will be in a forest. We have selected this place as it isn’t an average setting where people are expected to have a meal. This creates extra suspension and makes the whole film seem more unique.  This setting will be the girl’s point of view and ultimately the reality of the situation. This will confuse the audience and make them question what is actually going on, and why the man is so content with what he is doing. We have to consider the restrictions of using this location, for example due to the fact it is open for the public we need to contemplate how we are going to avoid them in our filming. We have deliberated on this, and decided that we will film, and if at that certain time the location is busy, we will simply come back at a later time and film piece by piece until it is eventually finished. However, a forest will be very spacious so it is likely we will just be able to move somewhere else.

Below will be some pictures of the forest where our second location will be filmed soon.