Evaluation Video

The above video is our evaluation for our media production, further information is provided in a post below.

Evaluation Overview

For our evalutation we plan to make a powerpoint presentation with each thing we did, along with answering all of the evaluation questions.

From reasearch collected on our blog we benefited as we were able to establish which film company we could suggest for releasing our production.

As well as this, research from existing film openings could influence for things such as titles, we took inspiration from 'The Butterfly Effect' for our titles along with deciding to use bright lighting rather than dark in our production.

Final Piece.

The above video is our final procuction for our film opening.

The main actress in this is: Eleanor Ward

It was written, filmed and edited by: Millie Waters and Savanna Kirkpatrick

Location: Burton Latimer, both indoors and outdoors.

We used a HD Canon DSLR Camera.

Analysis of Film Opening (THE STRANGERS)

Within the opening sequence for 'The Strangers' title scenes and non-diegetic voice over is used to immidiately build fear and suspense as the man speaks in a slow, low-tone voice and says that the true events told in the story are 'still not entirely known'.

An empty black frama is shown alongside diegetic sounds of a car engine which again keeps audiences in fear and questioning what they are about to see. Tracking is used and edited to be in slow motion as we see what seems like a view from inside a car viewing an array of houses. Natural light is used however the light is clearly from ths sun which is going down, this may connote the idea of a coming of darkness or evil. As well as this, dark natural tones are also shown so that shadows can be used to intensify the mysterious feel of the opening. Non-diegetic, high pitch noise is played during this scene until it again, fades to black.

During another empty black frame, we hear a woman on the phone to police who seems extremely distressed and full of fright. Alongside the blackness, the woman builds suspense as she sounds irrational and is breathing very heavily as if she has been through high amounts of stress. Continuing with this sound, the scene switches to daylight again where we see a hole which has been smashed through a car window, the cracks are giving off steam or smoke which suggests that it is fresh and we are witnessing the scene just as an extreme event has taken place.

Two boys are shown entering the scene, the light outside is shown however as the long shot shows them walking into the house, the inside is shadowed as if they are walking into a pit of darkness; again building intense suspense. Warm light is shown as the camera focuses on close ups of an array of objects, the camera work is not still to make it appear more natural. However the camera switches to another warm scene, yet the image shows a knife covered in blood, this further brings mystery and thrill into the production as the camera work and editing is natural and calm however the audio is still fearsome and of an intense police call. As the volume of the police call intensifies, more and more blood is shown and we are able to hear the woman breathing intensely, until we suddenly see a shot of blood on the walls and the unknown woman claiming she sees 'blood everywhere.' This abrupt end is a typical convention of a thriller as no particular violence or gore is shown however there is an element of mystery as to what we as an audience have just witnessed.

Analysis of Film Opening. (THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT)

'The Butterfly Effect' begins in an unknown environment which has extremely dark lighting, we are unaware of the environment which the character is in however we can see him behind blinds which makes him half-visible and almost distorted. Non-diegetic sound, artificial sound is used to build intensity, the sound used is unnatural which suggests a supernatural or inhuman nature within the storyline. Tracking us used to show the main character (Evan) running to find an entrance to the room however in terms of editing, slow motion effects are used to exaggerate and highlight the dramatic nature of the scene and again distort the image on the screen.

Non-diegetic and diegetic sound meet as percussion music intensifies and a drum beat thuds as the door slams open. Throughout this opening sequence, the non-diegetic sound intensifies and lowers alongside the picture. Once Evan enters the room, we notice he is in a hospital uniform which suggests he is either an authority figure or a patient, we soon assume he is either trying to escape from a bad situation or save himself as he rushes and shot reverse shots are rapid pace along with the panning and tracking used as he manoeuvres in the room.

Digetic sound becomes a main feature in the opening as Evan begins to read aloud what he is writing on the paper, yet we are still aware of his situation or a storyline which we should expect. Intensity builds as the audience can also hear outside voices whom seem to be searching for Evan and they wonder whether he is in trouble, or danger. Suspense is also built as Evan is extremely out of breath and is writing at high speed, the camera switches to him writing and zooms in as he writes that he needs to 'save her'. Audiences are then aware that his intentions are to protect or save a female and we are given a brief outline of what to expect later in the production.

The titles used are natural however distorted which is a frequent theme within this opening. The colours are almost like an x-ray and although butterflies are natural creatures, the colours and lighting make them appear artificial.

Analysis of film opening. (PROM NIGHT)

Pre-released and recorded audio is used in the beginning of this sequence and the titles used are simple, showing simply the production company and names of actors/producers included. Dark lighting is used and the main filming is shown from both within the house, and just outside of the house and the main character revealed she does not want to go to try-outs due to 'everything that has happened' which leaves the audience questioning what has happened, or is going to happen. A variety of angles are shown as she goes through doors and the music becomes mysterious, slow and eerie. Side, and direct front angles are used so that the audience questions where, or whether or not someone may be lurking behind her which is conveyed through the lighting and sound also. The main character (Donna) calls for her dad or anyone else whom may be within the house but no one answers, until a panning shot establishes that her dad is in fact hidden behind the sofa, dead. Music becomes more intense and angles quickly change when Donna moves up the stairs and into other rooms, the music suddenly becomes more abrupt as she trips over a baseball bat which is used to make audiences jump or become frightened. Donna groans at her brother for leaving it out for her to trip on, oblivious to what is actually going on. As she moves to her brothers room to tell him about what just happened, she see's him lying still and assumes he is asleep until again the music intensifies and she rolls him over to find that he is actually dead. The use of music and dark lighting may be used to have adrenaline flowing through the audiences bodies so that they become more filled with fear and suspense as to the situation they are about to witness. Donna overhears a man demanding for her mother to tell her where she is, but her mother insists that she is out. Donna proceeds to hide under the bed and the camera stays fixed on her face to show her emotion, further into this scene her mother is thrown onto the floor by the bed and an unknown character is on top of her, threatening to kill her unless he was made aware of Donnas location. Using close up shots of both Donna and her mothers face is successfully showing the deep emotion and fear they are both experiencing so that this can be reflected on the audience. As her mother is killed by the unknown antagonist, donnas emotions are shown close up as she watched her mothers murder, this adds both fear and empathy to the audiences emotions however they are still wondering who this killer is. Once he is shown, he appears very stereotypical of a murderer, he appears untidy, dirty and almost as if he has been hidden away from reality for some time. Audio is used in continuous and slow paced form during this scene so that the attention is on the picture rather than the sound but there is an unconscious noise still building upon tension. Donna runs out to the front door to shout for police and the music builds again, until the camera pans to behind her, and we see the murderer.

In my production i should consider highly the music that i use and ensure it is always in time with the picture as well as being relevant. Also, panning and a variety of camera angles should be considered as it is effective in terms of building suspense and misleading audiences.

Analysis of film opening. (PULP FICTION)

The scene immediately begins with a man and a woman, sitting and discussing what seems like a normal conversation within a normal environment, the mise en scene is precise and the setting looks natural and fitting to the time the film is set. The female character is polite to the staff and seem's friendly until the topic of discussion is subtlety made clear; they are thieves. Use of strong language and aggressive body language within the man shows his power within their life style and what appears to be over the woman, as she claims she doesn't want to kill anyone, she still somehow seems innocent despite her helping to plot a robbery. Both characters have a strong accent and are not particularly or noticeably attractive which fits the stereotypes of villains as they are not admired and are usually somewhat ugly, or disfigured; despite not being either of these two, the actors are shown scruffy and do not look particularly high in class. Despite her earlier innocence, the female character soon lights up with excitement at the thought of a new kind of robbery, a restaurant and balances their relationship with a gentle nature still despite the males aggression and rude attitude to the waitress. 

The simplicity of the scene helps to focus the attention on the discussing the couple are having, an understanding is quickly developed and this is something we should consider when creating our production. The contrast between the initial conversation, before getting out their guns and starting the robbery is both unexpected and interesting as it catches the audience off guard. Although our hook will be an unexpected murder, we should still take note of this opening as the audience is totally mislead and caught off guard, especially when the woman becomes aggressive, threatening and powerful which opposes all stereotypes she fitted into at the beginning.