FILM INSPIRATIONS
As part of our research, it was important to overlook at other action films which share a similar concept of the plot of our film opening. Evaluating other films and investigating the types of shots used provided us a understanding with the essential camera elements within a action film. These are a few examples of the films we reviewed.
As part of our research, it was important to overlook at other action films which share a similar concept of the plot of our film opening. Evaluating other films and investigating the types of shots used provided us a understanding with the essential camera elements within a action film. These are a few examples of the films we reviewed.
TAKEN (2008)
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Taken' was our main inspiration for our film opening idea. This was our main idea due to Liam Neeson’s character losing someone close to him which causes his revenge. Also Liam Neeson’s character uses a phone to talk to the people who took the person he cares about as he is doing in this close up. In our film opening we have similar ideas as our main character looses someone he cares about, also our main character speaks to the ‘evil/bad’ people. This close up of Liam Neeson on the phone is a shot which my group and i intend to use as it focuses on the characters face allowing the audience to know how the character is feeling while the main objective is him on the phone which is what we want in our film opening. However instead of it being dark in our opening, we will make it lighter so that it is clearer to see and will be easier to film.
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This shot was also inspired from 'Taken'. The camera shot is a point of view shot of the girl under the bed looking at what it is in front of her, all that she can see. For our film opening my group and i are planning to use this but slightly differently. We like the idea however we would not use it as a point of view shot, only to show the audience what is going on in the scene. We would place the camera on the floor so that only feet can be seen and vaguely a body too.
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Another shot from 'Taken' is this. We like the idea of this shot as it focuses on the main character through the use of a focus pull to show the characters facial expressions as he has a gun pointed at him which leaves the audience tense. In our film opening we will use this for the victim to show what it going to happen and so that is leaves the audience on edge.
![Picture](/uploads/3/9/4/4/39442989/3943165.png?309)
This shot from 'Taken' shows the audience what is going to happen next, it portrays the fight scene coming up. In our opening scene we would use this so the audience know what is going on and know that this scene is where the action comes in so that it sticks to its set genre - action.
SKYFALL 007 (2012)
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'Skyfall 007' was our next inspiration as James bond was a spy, one of our main characters is a spy so James Bond is an influence. This over the shoulder shot is what we intend to use because it shows that Bond is against the people around him who intend to attack him, this shot would show our main character being intimidated and vulnerable which is what we want to achieve in our film opening. This is what would happen in our scene because the person who gets attacked is attacked and surrounded by 3 people. This image would portray that there is going to be a fight scene which allows the audience to know and keep up with what is going on in the scene.
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This high angle shot from 'Skyfall' is used to show that the person is the scene is being looked down on and is seen as a victim through the use of a high angle shot. In our opening scene we intend to use this so that one of our main characters is a real victim and the audience knows this and can feel sympathy for the character. Also in this shot the audience can focus on the character as he is the only one on screen so he is the main priority, it allows the audience to see his facial expressions which shows how he is feeling, as a victim.
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In this scene of 'Skyfall' over the shoulder shot is used, we see James Bond through a mirror which draws attention to his facial features and expressions, we intend to use this camera shot in our own production, as before the spy goes to get changed he shall go in the bathroom and be engrossed in paranoia, panicking over whether or not the Russian mafia are coming to find him.
JACK REACHER (2012)
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The first shot we decided to pick out from Jack Reacher was over the shoulder shot, in this scene you observe the victim having to speak to her compatriot through the phone, it helps to portray the power/recessive relationship, we find this shot inspirational because in our opening the spy' would be able to hear the entire situation over the phone and would feel powerless which mirrors the same scenario in Jack Reacher
![Picture](/uploads/3/9/4/4/39442989/6461328.png?323)
In this specific camera shot, the mobile phone is being focused on, it signifies that the mobile phone is playing a key part in order for the scene to continue, in our opening the mobile phone would be vital in order for both brothers to communicate with each other, and we would attempt to use different camera shots to focus on the phone, this would allow the audience to recognize the importance of the device.
![Picture](/uploads/3/9/4/4/39442989/1020083.png?321)
Lastly, the final shot we chose to use from Jack Reacher was an extreme close-up shot, in this scene the camera is focus on Tom Cruise and his facial expression, we would use this same camera shot in our production, when the spy hears and receives the news of his brother being killed, he would then attempt to threaten the Russian Mafia, find them and then in effect kill them.
SALT (2010)
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This is a screenshot showing a bloody broken glass piece which was used to kill someone in a Salt film scene. A weapon can be shown in the beginning of the film opening to foreshadow the audience, give them a glimpse that this weapon may be used later on during the sequence. It also gives a clear understanding of the type of genre used. In the film, it is a close-up shot, the camera being focused on the blood drops with the broken glass piece being in the blur.
![Picture](/uploads/3/9/4/4/39442989/4345905.png?312)
This is another screenshot from Salt which implies the female character is vulnerable, the close up shot shows the character being bloody from a fight scene. It can be effectively used as a low-angle shot in our film opening when the spy character is beaten by the Russian Mafia as it will show the audience where the man was hurt on his face, along with the facial expressions. The viewers can identify the character as being in a position of weakness.
![Picture](/uploads/3/9/4/4/39442989/4457182.png?307)
This camera shot shows the female character lying down on the floor, it is a close-up shot showing her being taken down in the fight scene. It is a clear indication that the fight scene has now ended. This can be used in our opening scene as the ending to show that the spy wasn't able to resist the Russian Mafia and is close to being dead. In this shot, Evelyn Salt (Angeline Jolie)'s facial expressions are shown with the blood emphasised.
COMPANY SPONSORSHIP
For our film opening, my group and I thought about which institution we would like to use. Our choices are: 'Warner Brothers'. We chose this one because we felt that Warner Bros are well known and big in the media because of this. It would make our film opening have a wider range of interest as the institution used are well known and not small/unknown.
We also considered to use our own institution which is called 'Enigma Entertainment'. The word 'Enigma' represents a subject which is difficult to understand which adds clear implications to our film opening being in the mysterious action genre.
Warner Brothers and Enigma Entertainment:
We also considered to use our own institution which is called 'Enigma Entertainment'. The word 'Enigma' represents a subject which is difficult to understand which adds clear implications to our film opening being in the mysterious action genre.
Warner Brothers and Enigma Entertainment:
Warner brothers was founded 4th April 1923 however previously it was linked with music so it was used to be called 'Warner Bros Record' until their industry become diverse and Warner Bros decided to only focus on films. This film company has been around for a long time, therefore is well known for its successes. Warner bros is an American record label, we found this useful because the majority of the population who enjoy films watch American films rather than others such as British, this is because they are known for making better films and the best actors tend to act in them. This company does not have a specific or major genre that it shows in a film so it varies, therefore our genre of action will fit in.
Enigma Entertainment is our own production company which was featured in the The Last Call film opening. It represents our Action and Mystery genre, as the definition of Enigma is a mysterious subject. This is a clear implication that the production we are using specialises in the genre our film is in.
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THE QUESTIONNAIRE AND RESULTS.
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This is our questionnaire which we asked a variety of people. our sample consisted of 36 participants both male and female. The questionnaire consisted of several questions which allowed us to gain specific information which would aid us in achieving the best possible movie opening. This research that we collected provided us with an idea on what the audience would prefer in a movie film opening.
From this we found out that our main target audience was teenagers. This was useful because as we are teenagers ourselves as a team we felt we could relate more and so we would be able to provide the audience with a better film opening of what they would prefer to watch and be entertained by.
![Picture](/uploads/3/9/4/4/39442989/8784653.png?197)
From this pie chart we were able to see the age of people who answered our questionnaire. This pie chart helps us know who our target audience is, the majority being 15-21 so teenagers and young adults. As teenagers ourselves we have a good idea of what films are liked and why, this was an advantage for us.
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Also from this second pie chart we can see the gender of participants which answered the questionnaire. The majority was female however not by a large amount (6 participants’ difference). We chose to use an overall amount of thirty four people, this helped us to achieve a varied amount on opinion but also it helped us to keep the results accurate and reliable.
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From these pie charts, we can see that action is a very well-liked genre with our target audience. This is beneficial to us as our genre is action based. In graph 3 the results show that ‘thriller/action’ is one of the most liked genres in our choices given, however the ‘other’ could be a wide range of other films so it is possible that ‘thriller/action’ is the highest scoring genre
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Due to the fact that graph 3 is both thriller and action connected, in graph 4 we went to more detail just about our film and asked the question only about action. 74% of our participants said that they do enjoy action so this again worked in our favour as they will be interested to watch our film opening.
![Picture](/uploads/3/9/4/4/39442989/6595578.png?187)
This question was very important as it helped us know how to engage our audience when it came to the action scene. By knowing whether our target audience preferred a fist fight or a shooting scene we could use the majority vote in our film opening. Our original idea was a fist fight and the majority of participants chose our first idea so this allowed us to stick to our original plan.
This question was very important as it helped us know how to engage our audience when it came to the action scene. By knowing whether our target audience preferred a fist fight or a shooting scene we could use the majority vote in our film opening. Our original idea was a fist fight and the majority of participants chose our first idea so this allowed us to stick to our original plan.
THE DRAFT OF THE STORYBOARD
The Final Storyboard:
Shot Number: 1
Duration: 5 seconds. Camera shot angle/movement: Mid-angle shot. Description: In this shot, the masked men will be walking towards the hotel. The camera will be placed near the premises to show the men walking. It is an effective villain opening scene. Sound: The Soundtrack will be played during this scene. Shot Number: 2 Duration: 3 seconds. Camera shot angle/movement: High-angle shot. Description: In this shot, Harvey is shown to be using his phone and he is portrayed as being busy and unaware of the current situation. Sound: The Soundtrack will be played during this scene. Shot Number: 3 Duration: 2 seconds. Camera shot angle/movement: Mid-angle shot. Description: In this shot, Harvey can see the masked men approaching the hotel, which makes him worried. It shows the audience what Harvey is noticing. Sound: The Soundtrack will be played during this scene. Shot Number: 4 Duration: 5 seconds. Camera shot angle/movement: Close-up Shot. Description: In this shot, Harvey can be seen calling Trevor for help as the masked men approach the premises. The name Trevor is shown, which indicates to the audience, an introduction to a new character. Sound: The Soundtrack will be played during this scene. Shot Number: 5 Duration: 3 seconds. Camera shot angle/movement: Close-up Shot. Description: In this shot, Harvey is speaking to Trevor, and telling him that the two men are here, this builds up tension for the audience to know what happens next. Sound: The Soundtrack will be played during this scene and dialogue will be present. Shot Number: 6 Duration: 5 seconds. Camera shot angle/movement: Wide-angle shot. Description: In this shot, the masked men are shown to enter the hotel building, along with Trevor's response to Harvey's call. Sound: The Soundtrack will be played during this scene and a Voiceover Shot Number: 7 Duration: 2 seconds. Camera shot angle/movement: Close-up Shot. Description: In this shot, the scene is continued to showing the feet of the masked men, exaggerating the fact that the men are approaching Harvey quickly. Sound: The Soundtrack will be played during this scene. Shot Number: 8 Duration: 6 seconds. Camera shot angle/movement: Wide-angle shot. Description: In this shot, the audience can see that Harvey is becoming tense and more worried and telling Trevor that he is wrong about doubting his brother about the men intruding the hotel. Sound: The Soundtrack and dialogue will be played during this scene. Shot Number: 9 Duration: 4 seconds. Camera shot angle/movement: Mid-angle shot. Description: In this shot, it is shown that the two masked men are coming up the stairs to look for Harvey's hotel room and one of the men points towards the direction. Sound: The Soundtrack will be played during this scene. Shot Number: 11 Duration: 10 seconds. Camera shot angle/movement: Close-up shot. Description: In this shot, it is shown that Trevor is having a important conversation with Harvey about what to do, and how to tackle the situation if the masked men are about to come. It is an introduction of a new character. Sound: The Soundtrack will be played during this scene, along with dialogue. Shot Number: 12 Duration: 3 seconds. Camera shot angle/movement: Mid-angle shot. Description: In this shot, it is shown that the Mafia men have successfully infiltrated the room and found Harvey. Sound: The Soundtrack will be played during this scene, along with the door sound effects. Shot Number: 13 Duration: 1 second. Camera shot angle/movement: Close-up shot. Description: In this shot, Harvey is shown shocked and tense, now that he has seen the masked men enter his room. He is scared and petrified and he does not know what to do. Sound: The Soundtrack will be played during this scene. Shot Number: 14 Duration: 3 seconds. Camera shot angle/movement: Mid-angle shot. Description: In this shot, the two masked men are shown in front of Harvey and spoken with high intimidation. They are presented as fearless, powerful and dominant in this shot. Sound: The Soundtrack will be played during this scene, along with dialogue. Shot Number: 15 Duration: 2 seconds. Camera shot angle/movement: Mid-angle shot. Description: In this shot, a fight scene starts to take place, with the masked men attacking Harvey. Starting with a punch to the character's face. Sound: The Soundtrack will be played during this scene, along with the fighting sound effects. Shot Number: 16 Duration: 1 second. Camera shot angle/movement: Mid-angle shot. Description: In this shot, it is shown that one of the masked men have placed Harvey against the wall, and the fight scene has continued. Sound: The Soundtrack will be played during this scene, along with the sound effects. Shot Number: 17 Duration: 4 seconds. Camera shot angle/movement: Mid-angle shot. Description: In this shot, Harvey is been shown to be strangled by the masked men until the man provides him with the intel information. Once Harvey does not comply, the masked man says to his companion to get the gun. Sound: The Soundtrack will be played during this scene, along with dialogue. Shot Number: 18 Duration: 2 seconds. Camera shot angle/movement: Mid-angle shot. Description: This is a similar shot as the previous one, except that another side of the camera angle is used. Sound: The Soundtrack will be played during this scene, along with dialogue. Shot Number: 19 Duration: 4 seconds. Camera shot angle/movement: Over the shoulder shot. Description: In this shot, Harvey is asked by the masked men to speak his last words, he directs his love to his brother on the phone (which he still hears). Harvey dies. Sound: The Soundtrack will be played during this scene, dialogue and sound effects are present. Shot Number: 20 Duration: 1 second. Camera shot angle/movement: High-angle shot. Description: In this shot, Harvey's phone is shown, it is presented to the audience that Trevor is hearing whats going on. Sound: The Soundtrack will be played during this scene. Shot Number: 21 Duration: 3 seconds. Camera shot angle/movement: Mid-angle shot. Description: In this shot, Harvey can is shown on the floor dead, while the masked man speaks to Trevor on the phone. Sound: The Soundtrack will be played during this scene, along with dialogue. Shot Number: 22 Duration: 2 seconds. Camera shot angle/movement: Close-up shot. Description: In this shot, it is shown that the masked men are trying to obtain the hard-drive from Harvey's blazer. Sound: The Soundtrack will be played during this scene. Shot Number: 23 Duration: 2 seconds. Camera shot angle/movement: Close-up shot. Description: In this shot, Harvey is shown dead, with a gunshot to his head, ending the film opening. Sound: The Soundtrack will be played during this scene. |
Shotlist:
The draft of the Script:
Below is our draft script. As a group we decided on what our two actors would say. Due to it being an action film we did not want to much dialogue as it would not interest the audience so we tried to keep it to a minimal whilst giving the audience enough so that they understand what is going on. As the script is quite short we are adding action scenes, a fight scene to be specific which will be the main scene in our film opening, we feel that this will engage with the audience more.
As this is a draft script we have not yet written it in the correct text format, also we may change and add some lines whilst we are filming however this is our basic script which we will follow by. As we are filming we will alter the script and show the changes we have made and then write up the final script.
Below is our draft script. As a group we decided on what our two actors would say. Due to it being an action film we did not want to much dialogue as it would not interest the audience so we tried to keep it to a minimal whilst giving the audience enough so that they understand what is going on. As the script is quite short we are adding action scenes, a fight scene to be specific which will be the main scene in our film opening, we feel that this will engage with the audience more.
As this is a draft script we have not yet written it in the correct text format, also we may change and add some lines whilst we are filming however this is our basic script which we will follow by. As we are filming we will alter the script and show the changes we have made and then write up the final script.
The Final Script:
Above is our final script. We made several changes from the original draft to the final, we found that the dialogue was too much in our draft so we changed it so that we would have more time for the action to take place and so that the audience would not get bored. Also when writing the final script the text used was 'courier' as this is what script writers use, we tried to make the script look as professional as we could make it so that it did not look amateur compared to a professional, which is why we also included 'INT'.
Timetable Router: Film and Editing:
Timetable Router: Film and Editing:
For the timetable, as a group we had suggested to space out all the filming and editing. So the day we film a part of our movie opening, we will edit it and fix it up for the next two days. This is so we clearly know what we need in our next filming session so we don't fall behind, and complete it within this week region of 2nd March-8th March. We had also decided to do the most complex scenes first so that we can more time to edit and change any bits which don't fit in well. This will allow us to make the difficult edits etc. look more professional, leaving the easy shots to do later which won't take us as long as it usually does.
Location Film Opening:
Location Film Opening:
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We have chosen two location settings for our film opening. One of which is Tyra's house and other is a Hotel. Here is a brief detail of our locations:
Tyra's house: using a house makes the film opening look more realistic. Realism engages the audience more as they see it from the characters perspective. It also shows that the character is a hard-working man as he pays for a house on his own, without any sort of help. This also shows the character who lives in the spy is shown to be a undercover Spy. So, with him living in a house shows that he tries to live a normal life even if he has to live something different when he is undercover at his job role. This shows one individual living two different lives, trying to blend in with other normal people as well as being a hidden undercover person. Hotel: The hotel we are going to use is Homestay hotel, this is important as he is in a business trip. This links to his character profile as he is a hard-working lawyer and travels around the world more often. And the Hotel connotes his wealth to be rich. This location is relevant as it links in comparison to the characters profile. The hotel is in good condition as so looks expensive, linking this to the characters personality/job of being wealthy. The character is a on a business trip and so a hotel shows relevance that he is always travelling around the world, which in this case is Las Vegas. The scene for this shot is for the scene of the murder. |
Props:
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Gun - In our film opening, we are going to use a gun. This is because our genre is action and there is going to be a murder scene throughout it. Considering we have only 2 minutes to produce this we need the murder of the individual to be quick, and so a gun will enable us to save a lot of time. We have ordered a gun from e-bay which had cost of £6.00. When buying this we had made sure that it seemed realistic to avoid any lack of realism in our film opening.
Brief Case - A brief case helps to link Trevor's character profile and personality of the movie to this prop. As Trevor is said to be a undercover spy, so the suit helps to hide his identity to not get exposed to the surroundings. The brief case also makes sure that Trevor does not loose character throughout the scene. Balaclava -We have also ordered a Balaclava, this is for each of the killers who will be attacking. There will be 2 killers, each balaclava is the price of £2.39. This will allow the audience to feel as if it is a professional action scene as they are well prepared and organised for what is going to happen next. It also allows the killers to be left anonymous, having an anonymous group of characters engages the audience to think more about who it may be and why they are doing what they are. Building up suspense, suspense in a movie makes it strong as it convinces the audience to continue on watching the movie after the film opening. Fake blood - We have ordered 470ml of fake blood for £9.00 from e-bay. This again contributes to realism of the movie as using ketchup or red food colouring will not be as realistic. This will lead to the audience loosing interesting and not believing the story line to be a true, giving it a bad review. |
Character Profile:
Name: Harvey Spectre
Gender: Male Age: 22 Nationality/ ethnicity : British Pakistani Occupation: Lawyer Relatives: Mother - died in car accident Father - died in car accident Brother - Trevor spectre Relationship status: single Hometown: Hertfordshire Location: Hertfordshire Eye Colour: Brown Hair Colour: Brown Hobbies: Running Likes: Law profession Dislikes: Past Life Name: Trevor Spectre Gender: Male Age: 24 Nationality/ ethnicity : British Pakistani Occupation: Spy - MI5 Relatives: Mother - Died in car accident Father - Died in car accident Brother - Harvey spectre Relationship status: single Hometown: Hertfordshire Location: Hertfordshire Eye colour: Brown Hair colour: Black Hobbies: Gambling Likes: Conflicting situations Dislikes: Past life |
Costume:
Mafia: We have given the bad characters of our film opening to be wearing a darkened black colour clothing. This will allow the audience to understand the story line of what is going to happen without it being explained. As the all black people in Balaclava's represents something bad is going to happen in the following film opening. As the bad people are wearing one colour and a much darker colour compared to Harvey and Trevor, it shows the difference in the characters personality and actions.
Harvey & Trevor: The two main focused characters in our film opening will be wearing a costume of suits. This is because as shown in the character profile they are rich and professional characters. And so they need to stand out and look like good characters. We have done this by separating their personalities and how they present themselves differently to how the bad people do so. |