Storyboard of Opening Sequence Plan

First Draft of Script

Running footsteps, panting from Jamal out of breath running away from gang.

Gang chasing and shouting at Jamal using threatening language.

Jamal comes to a dead end and turns around and faces the gang who have now caught up with him.

Jamal: No, no wait please, I said I’ll get you your money, I just need time!

Tyrone moves slowly towards Jamal up in his face

Tyrone: Bruv you’ve had enough time, its over

Jamal: hang hang on, my boy has got it

Tyrone: oh your boys got it?

Tyrone turns around to the gang laughing

Tyrone: he says his boys got it…

Gang burst into laughs alongside Tyrone, then Tyrone turns back towards Jamal

Tyrone: what do you think this is, do you think this is a game? are you taking me for some sort of dickhead cuz?

Jamal struggles to get his words out..

Jamal: nah nah im begging my boy-

Tyrone: I don’t give a shit if your ‘boy’ or any other wasteman has my money. You owe me and now your gonna have to pay up boy

Gang start shouting towards Jamal more threats, Tyrone steps back and lets gang start to hit and beat up Jamal, Tyrone walks forward then pulls out knife and begins to stab Jamal. Gang continue shouting, suddenly woman screams gang turn around.

Gang member: oi T we need get out of here

Gang member: just leave him now man

Gang and Tyrone run and Jamal is left bleeding on floor.

Camera zooms towards Jamal’s face who’s practically dead on the floor.

Jamal narration:

Jamal Sean D’Marco born September 17th 1994 at 4:03am.

Jamal Sean D’Marco deceased September 16th 2012 at 2:37am

Who da thought, I didn’t even make it to my 18th birthday..

I had so much ahead of me.. well that’s what my mum would say.

If only she knew what I was really like..

*flash backs to past*

Come to think of it now it was inevitable really that I was gonna end up like this, but this aint how I wanted it to end up, this aint what I wanted at all.

“I’ll probably be punished for hard living” – Tupac  

AS Film Opening Sequences Questionnaires

Strangled - Filming Experiment

This was our second attempt at a filming task. The task itself was to create a thirty second short film involving the use of hands in a genre of our choice. We decided to make it a thriller genre and involve quite an angry/scary concept towards the whole clip, we showed this by using a range of jump cuts and close up shots to symbolise the craziness and the anger of the actor. We also combined LiveType into our work, which we used for the title of the clip and the actor's name. I think the title itself was more effective for the clip as it worked well with the theme, compared to the actor's name credits as that didn't really fit in the genre and appeared quite ineffective. I think that has helped us a lot as we now know what works well together and how to embed our footage with credits and titles. 

Johnoi - Zooming Practice for Opening Sequence

For this task, we decided to try out our zooming techniques as this was one of our ideas which we would like to incorporate into our opening sequence. We found it quite beneficial practicing this, as we realised that we found it quite difficult to get the zoom in and out slow and steady whilst holding it as a hand held shot. We placed the camera on the floor and zoomed in and out, and we also found that with this the camera on the floor, it wasn't high enough to get our actors full face in the frame whilst it was zoomed in. From practicing filming this, we have learnt that we shall need to find a way to zoom in and out without it jolting or zooming in/out too fast as we want a slow zoom to show the tension and dramatic effect. 

Live Type Experimenting

Media Plan to Opening Sequence

Actors:

Roger Dos Santos                                     

Rashid Abraham

Gerald Chigariro

Johnoi Joseph

Kwasi Yeboah

Edward Mauricio

Jeffrey Hunter

Locations:

http://www.locationworks.com/library.php?cat=09&area=132,0

Graffiti Tunnel - Central London

Cycle Path - London SE

Mise-en-scene:

Costumes:

Gang members: black hoodies + black or blue jeans, chains, trainers etc. However Leader Gang member must look distinct from the group.

Victim: Grey hoodie, blue jeans and a jacket. 

Opening sequence:

• ·       Non-linear sequence
• ·       Blacked out screen, sound effects of someone running sound effects of person breathing heavily etc.
• ·       Flashes of the victim getting violently abused through the camera effect of P.O.V (sound effects of stabbing). For each stabs actors name coming up onto the screen with a black background.
• ·       Shallow focus of victim beaten to death on the ground dead, Zoom in towards the victims face showing a tight frame.  Gang members surrounding the victim body.
• ·       Whilst victim dead on the ground, sound effects + visual lighting of police sirens, people mourning.
• ·       Then opening to victims flash back and a narrative voice over, with visual images before the incident.
• ·       After the flashback, a dissolve then view of London with the film title.

Analysis of 'Snatch' Opening Sequence

Snatch. (2000)

Director: Guy Ritchie

Writer: Guy Ritchie

Sound:

The music is running all the way through the clip and is non diegetic. The music that is used is quite upbeat and gives an impression of whatever they are doing and shows they are up to no good. Throughout the clip nothing else can be heard other than the music, until the very end when the clip goes back to the first character holding the diamond and we can hear him 'kissing' the diamond and placing it in his briefcase. This emphasises to us from the opening sequence that the whole film should be revolving around this one diamond and all the characters that we are shown in clip have a part to play also.

Mise-En-Scene:

The opening sequence of this film indicates what type of charcters they all are as we are all introduced to them. Most of them are all quite a typical shift lopking type of character and from what we can see they all appear to be crooks and all involved in some sort of crime going on.

Most of them are all wearing suits but with their top buttons undone to imply that they are trying to pull off the 'business man' type of look but are not actually a 'business man' you can trust. They are all quite agressive looking and men who you would not double cross or want to fall out with.There is no females within the opening sequence, implying that perhaps there is no need for them in the type of jobs they are doing, and seems quite a very stereotypical film with the males dominating and 'running' everything.

Props that have been used the whole way through, has been money and the diamond. This shows how this is all the characters seem to care about and focus on and gives us an idea to what the film is revolved around. 

Camera: 

There are many camera angles that have been used in this opening sequence, however most of them are fairly similar and are medium shots showing each of the characters from the waist upwards. This is usually because all the characters being shown are sitting down at a desk, giving the audience an idea that each of these characters have a type of authority and power over whoever the person is behind the camera behind the desk. There are also a lot o f quick camera movements that move from one scene to the next indicating that whatever the characters do, they do quickly and sneakily. 

Editing: 

The editing of the opening sequence is quick paced and is all done quick. It involves a lot of zooms and spinning shots, this could be linked with the confusion of the characters and what they do and gives us a sense as an audience that they are all over the place. The opening sequence also features a strongly photoshopped pictures of the characters when it pauses onto them and shows their name. 

Titles:
The titles for this opening sequence are quite simple and in a plain font. The title of the film is in front of a image of a diamond which the whole film is based on, the chase of the diamond which explains to the audience the importance of the diamond and signifies this is something of great relevance throughout the whole film.

Analysis of 'John Tucker Must Die' Opening Sequence

John Tucker Must Die (2006)

Director: Betty Thomas

Writer: Jeff Lowell

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSFXDOA8iXg up to 4:18

Sound:

the non-diagetic sounds can firstly be heard loudly with a happy up beat sound with clapping and drumming whilst the main credits are being shown including the title. I believe that they have used this type of music to resemble the comedy that you will then hear from the characters voice over. The music is quite upbeat and would be the type of music you would hear for a younger target audience type of film.  When the voice over then can be heard above the non-diagetic music, the music plays more quietly so that her voice can be heard. The voice over is of a typical teenage American girl, and sounds like what you'd expect from this type of film, as the character seems fairly down to earth and quite comical with what she is saying. Also with what she is saying, some of the audience may resemble with whats she saying. She also mentions a key part about love, indicating that this film has a romantic side to it, resembling its 'Rom-Com' genre. As the scene carries on, they use different type of music such as a 'rock and roll' type of song playing over the scene that cannot be heard within the film, until you get to the school sports hall, where you can hear the cheering and screaming from the basketball fans watching the game and the songs that can be heard from the 'school band'.

Mise-en-Scene:

The opening of this film shows different locations but is generally set within a school environment, or where a teenager would hang about, like their house. This shows that the film is do with every day lives within teenagers, and is just a film based on teenage affairs. The outfit that the main female character is wearing when we first see her, shows her to be in a larger crowd and just one of a number with no real attention on her, quite timid and childish with her hair still in pig-tails and in clothes such a dungarees or a long sleeved shirt. We also get to see from the character of 'John Tucker' how he is quite a ladies man and has all the attention within his sports hall and in the school enviroment. We also are shown three other female main characters, each with different styles and personalities, indicating the different stereotypes and the different cultures all teenagers are from.

Editing:

There is quite a bit of editing used within the opening sequence of John Tucker Must Die, such as freezes on frames jump cuts and action matches. I think these types of editing skills, like the freeze frames, emphasise with the audience and lets them get a direct feel of what the film is about. The action shot from when John Tucker puts the basketball in the net, emphasise what an impact it is meant to have on the other characters around him, and repeats the shame shot again and again in from different angles and directions to show this.

Camera:
There have been many camera angles and different shots used within the opening sequence. Many of them are mid shots to show the characters or tracking shots when John Tucker is playing basketball. The camera shots are quick and combined with editing are hard to follow. There have been many crane shots, or birds eye view shots used when the basketball is put in the net, and also when the cheerleader is dancing. I think that all the different camera shots used in the same scene shows the diversity of all the emotions that is going on and how busy it is meant to feel resembling teenage life.

Titles:
The titles that have been used are first shown right at the beginning of the scene and against a black background with a white font used that looks similar to a chalk board writing. This would implicate that perhaps the film is revolved around a school environment and has a lot to do with teenagers and gives the sense that the film the persona that it involves youth and has got a childish, unserious tone towards it. 
As the opening sequence carries on, the titles and credits are shown in the right or left hand bottom corner of the frame, still with the same font and colour, but just embedded within the scene showing the actors names etc. By having this at the beginning and within the scenes itself it is not that noticeable but still you can see it. 

Conventional Elements: 
The conventional elements that have been included in the opening sequence

• Titles 
• Opening credits
• Film companies

The locations change throughout the opening sequence but then are focused strongly around the school environment. The characters are diverse in their personalities yet all wear normal stereotypical teenage clothes. 

Analysis of 'Harry Brown' Opening Sequence

Harry Brown (2009) 

Director: Daniel Barber

Writer: Gary Young 

Sound: 

There is no non-diegetic sound in the opening of this film. What can be heard is the voices of the characters which appears to be quite muffled due to the fact that it is shown being recorded through a mobile phone. This emphasises the youth of today and how they use technology to communicate with one another and are always using them. At the beginning of the opening scene you can hear the voices of the characters whilst the black screen with credits is still being shown, this gives more of a tension towards the film as you then don’t actually know what is going on but can hear the gang shouting causing you to feel un-easy.

Mise-en-scene: 

The locations of which the opening sequence is filmed appears to be in a darkened tunnel. Its shown to be quite a grim area with lots of graffiti, which resembles the idea that the youth of today are troublesome and quite a bad environment to hang around. The scene goes on to showing two youths on a moped riding through an estate which is graphitised and shown to be a deprived area. 

The type of language they use in the opening scene is full of slang and ‘swear words’ towards one another emphasising once again their youth. The clothes that we see some of the characters wear are thick coats, ‘hoodies’ and hats covering their heads and scarves to cover their faces. They are all quite dark colours which is showing the menacing side towards this group of youths, and how they aren’t approachable and like to be hidden from society and not blend in. 

A prop that has been used is a bottle which they all then get one of the characters to then smoke out of, from this we can see it is something that shouldn’t be done and we immediately feel anxious to how they act. Another prop that has been used is the gun. The gun is used when two of the youths are on the mopeds and result in shooting an innocent woman in front of her child. By having this part involved in the opening sequence we can see that this film is going to show how society is corrupt and how people are not safe.

Camera: 

The camera angles are all hand-held shots which appear to be taken upon a video camera or mobile device. The shots are all shaky emphasising the shakiness within a teenagers life and the changes. From the camera angles, they change a lot and have different shots from close ups, to extreme close ups, to long shots and medium shots. 

Editing: 

Due to that most all of the footage of the scene is record on a mobile, there is little editing that is visible. There are jump cuts that are seen quite often from one video recording to the other and from where they appear to change the camera. From this we can see a lot of jump cuts, but the length of the shots are quite long as they are all suppose to be from one source of video. 

Titles: 

The titles that are shown are really with a really small and just a  plain font in white against a black background. This idea of having barely anything there gives a more dramatic effect towards the film and as the scene goes on the same style of the titles the same size appears still against the same background.