Tuesday 24 April 2012

Narrative & Sequence - Screen Based Design

My current brief is to create a screen based narrative based that will function as a title sequence for a narrative of your choice.
This new brief is focused on creating an Opening Title Sequence to any film/book or it could even be my own creation! 
Here are some examples that have really got me inspired as Title Sequences.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcp9Ysi75f0
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
James Bond - The World is not Enough (2003)

James Bond - Quantum of Solace (2009)

Sherlock Holmes (2010)  Ending Credits

Se7en (1995)


Iron Man (2008)  Ending Credits


Catch Me If You Can (2003)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2Xi3ioasik&feature=fvwrel 
Reservoir Dogs (1993)

I have been looking at different frames and key shots that make up Title Sequences. I would like to present my own set of frames and key shots from my Title Sequence when it is finished. I just hope that I can excite viewers into watching my Title Sequence or at least the original film.


The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo


James Bond - Casino Royale


James Bond - Quantum of Solace



 Sherlock Holmes 


Catch Me If You Can 


Reservoir Dogs 



Experimental Effects


I know a lot of people who love the Sherlock Holmes Title Sequence, including myself. What I don't understand is why this amazing Title Sequence has been placed at the end of the film!   
                                                                                
This is the original version and style of the Sherlock Holmes Title Sequence.

This image was made using 3 layers. I created the background myself, then added a version similar to the original and then pasted black paint using "paint bucket tool" to give a spilt ink effect.


Statement of Intent

For this project I am aiming to produce a remake of the Title Sequence "I Am Legend" as I feel the original could have been so much more. I want my Sequence to excite the audience into watching the film and fill them with suspense for what is to come. 

Before deciding on "I Am Legend" I had a few different ideas that I was still choosing between. Mainly creating a longer Sequence but within Maidstone high streets for "I Am Legend" or creating a more improved version of "The Shining". With "The Shining" I felt that it looked a bit novice and could have been handled in different ways, especially with the typefaces and credits. However, I planned to keep the original music from "The Shining" as I don't think you could improve on it. If anything that is whats makes that particular Sequence memorable. At the time I wanted to see if I could achieve producing a horror/thriller genre Title Sequence and filling my viewing audience with not necessarily fear but suspense. In the end I abandoned the idea for "The Shining".

The main concept that excited me the most was gathering film footage from a desolate and abandoned city, or in Maidstone's case a town where the populace would not be around during filming. This meant I would have to gather the footage in the early hours of the morning.

I gathered my footage on a rainy morning between 4.00am to 6.00am.






These pictures were taken within the last few shots that were filmed. I think this was the perfect location to film the ending of my Title Sequence because of the tall buildings that surrounded the camera angle and the darkness just added to the effects and feeling of the whole shot.

My Title Sequence in Frames
The following frames are the main frames of my Title Sequence "I Am Legend (Maidstone rendition)". I wanted the audience to get the feeling of not being followed, but on the lookout for danger and as in the original film "Darkseekers". That is why I felt it best to not have the film anymore "jumpy" than it already is, but to cut round corners sharply and have the Titles come into the Sequence quickly and unexpectedly. Thus having the appearance of a horror/thriller genre and hopefully, achieving suspense and an anticipated vibe. It was recommended to me to gather footage before piecing together a storyboard, which was best because I knew how I wanted my film to be but more experimentation would be required. So I plan to use these screenshots as a storyboard and I will put my Sequence together from these.






















Below is the original I Am Legend typeface. In the film it cuts to the font and slowly zooms in on it. However with my version I wanted to have a nervous and scared feeling given. 



Made in Motion, I think I have achieved a frustrating yet satisfying outcome with the typeface.




This short film was produced as an experiment with small amounts of footage to see if it was possible to create a horror sort of ambience and keep the viewing audience in suspense. 


The Final Outcome as a Title Sequence


I am ecstatic with my final outcome. I decided not to make the film itself too jumpy as to not frustrate the audience with the footage constantly being pushed into their faces. I also wanted the audience to get a sense of danger and suspense and wanting them to be enticed into watching the actual film if they have not already seen it for themselves.

Saturday 21 April 2012

Page Turner Competition

Having submitted my own entry for the Page Turner Competition at the Turner Contemporary Gallery in Margate Kent, I didn't really expect to win let alone be shortlisted. The brief seemed to have boundaries but once I got into it I realised that it could be as open as I wanted it to be as long as I submitted a short detailed evaluation. Below is a picture of the Turner Contemporary. 

The gallery provided a room for the winning entries of the competition and gave a description explaining the brief and theme that all the winners had to work with.

                                     

To be honest, I was disappointed with the layout in which all the winning works had been displayed. Every piece had been mounted on foam board and had been laminated. I understand that this could have been done to prevent the artwork from being damaged in any way, but it did ruin the quality. I was hoping the entries would have been printed onto A3 but were instead printed onto A4.


                                     


Below is my submission, entitled "Prejudice Never Wins", A3 Silk Screen. The evaluation I handed in explains the title a bit more and also why my entry may have a somewhat dark approach to the olympic brief, but there were reasons why I chose this. Under the print is my evaluation.

The artwork I am submitting represents how I feel about how all countries and cultures, can come together every four years to compete fairly and without prejudice. No matter how much discrimination there is in the world, people come from every corner to honour their countries. The duration of the olympics allows everyone to come together from every nation and forget about the discrimination in the world. I wish for my submission to focus on one basic fact; "We are all alike, on the inside".


To me, this represents courage and determination. 
Original Artwork Size: A3 420 x 297mm (width x height).