Art of the Title Evaluation

Summarise your film idea. Provide a brief synopsis and outline what happens in your film opening.
The concept behind our film is that there is something following the protagonist. It is intended that the audience does not know what this thing is until the end of the opening credits. The protagonist wanders around to a variety of different places, but the pursuer is still present. We decided that we wanted this pursuer to be something quite sinister and disturbing, which is why we opted for a teddy bear. The teddy bear follows the protagonist in the distance before revealing itself in the final shot.

What kind of information has been included in your film opening?
In our opening, we wanted to achieve to things. The first was to have a clear connotation of genre. We wanted the audience to be able to recognise the genre of Horror quickly and concisely. The other purpose of the opening was to establish the scene and hint towards the presence of the teddy bear. In order to achieve this, we used a lot of scenic shots to create a wider sense of setting. We were also able to introduce the teddy bear by showing him in the distance of the first few shots.

How do the titles link to the main film idea?
The titles are used to provide institutional information such as the actors, director and producers. We chose to use these scenic shots as the background for our title as showing the production information over a different shot would draw the attention away from the action. The scenic shots are also intended to suggest isolation, as this is a key theme in many horror films. By removing other people from a large environment, it makes the audience believe that something big will happen.

Summarise the expected audience reaction. What should the audience be thinking by the end of your opening? Is your opening clear or ambiguous?
As said before, the focus of the film is on the pursuer. Therefore the audience's reaction to the start of the opening should be confusion, as they should not be able to recognise what it is in the background. Furthermore, a teddy bear is something that would be very out of place in a traditional horror film. This means that it is unlikely the audience would understand the identity of the pursuer until later on in the trailer. The audience can get a better look at the teddy bear in the middle of the opening and may even begin to recognise it. However, it is still left ambiguous until the end of the opening. The film's name is revealed and the identity of the pursuer becomes understood. However, this presents enigma codes to the audience. Why is the teddy bear pursuing the protagonist? What is the teddy bear capable of? What link is there between the protagonist and the teddy bear? Although the identity of the teddy bear is revealed, there is a lot of information about it that is withheld. These are the kinds of questions that we wanted the audience to be asking themselves.

Identify three things that you included in your grid that are important in the construction of an opening sequence and explain their role in understanding the film.
The first significant shot is the very first one, as it introduces the presence of a second party alongside the protagonist. However, the shot is constructed to make the identity of the pursuer unknown. This shot appears early on in the opening to establish this fear of the unknown for the audience to question until the end of the opening sequence. The role of the shot is to establish the setting, the main character, and the presence of a pursuer.
The next important shot is the fourth shot, which shows an empty area and includes institutional information. Not only is this information necessary, but it allows the audience to question the significance of the empty shot. This shot is intended to highlight the isolated setting, and I believe it is the shot that achieves this the most effectively out of the scenic shots.

The final shot which is important in the opening sequence's construction is the final shot. The identity of the teddy bear is revealed and a variety of questions are presented to the audience. Furthermore, the final shot lends itself to narrative codes beyond enigma codes. What is the connotation of the bear sitting on the shoulder? What themes can we associate a teddy bear with in reference to our culture and how are they applicable here? The intention of revealing the teddy bear at the end of the opening was to introduce more questions to the audience. Therefore I think this shot is significant in understanding the film. Another shot that deserves a mention is the second shot, as it gives the audience a clue towards the identity of the teddy bear. Giving the audience hints towards details of the film is important, as it allows for the audience to speculate why the information is given to them.

How effective is your project as a film opening? Explain your answer.
The genre of the film is made easily identifiable by the low-key lighting present in the opening. Furthermore, the framing of each shot is constructed to draw the audience's attention to the teddy bear. The isolation of the following shots are used to build up suspense before the reveal of the pursuer. The opening has many conventions of horror films and these are made identifiable by the audience. However, there are things I would change if I were to repeat the activity. The font we chose was not the best choice for a horror film and if I had more time would be something that I would alter. The second change I would make would be to add more graphical effects, such as a darker gradient near the teddy bear. The last adjustment I would make would be tidying the fifth shot, as we ran out of time when editing the shot.

Continuity Sequence Evaluation

What technique did you try to use to aid the narrative flow of your sequence?
The first technique we used was an establishing shot of the building. It's purpose was to introduce the audience to the setting and to act as an anchor for the other shots, so that the audience would always understand where the action is taking place. The shot panned to the right, followed by a shot of Mario running to the left. This was to close the distance between the two shots. The next shot shows Mario noticing the water. We tried to make the cup of water a focal image by positioning it in the foreground, with Mario walking towards it from the background. We used a close-up to show the happiness Mario was experiencing after seeing the cup of water with some indication that he was picking it up. Furthermore, we were effectively able to match what Mario was looking at in-between shots. Our penultimate shot was of Mario tripping, accidentally dropping the water in front of him. The shot panned down to keep the focus on the action. Our final shot acted as a response to the accident, showing Mario's disappointment and frustration towards his blunder. We kept Mario's positioning the same in order to sustain a flow from the previous shot. In conclusion, I feel as though our sequence had a clear narrative flow and contained some very effective shots, such as the establishing shot, the close up and the shot before it.

In hindsight, what could you have done differently to aid the narrative flow of your sequence?
Although there are strengths to our sequence, it is not without it's weaknesses. The second shot did not lead on from the establishing shot very well, as there was little correlation between the location in the second shot and the establishing shot before it. The third shot suffered from the same problem, as it was unclear how Mario reached his location near the building from the field in the previous shot. The next shot is fine, but the shot does not end quickly enough and you can hear some background noise. However, this is something that can be fixed during editing, so it should not be a problem when I am able to do so. The shot after has one issue; Mario's positioning changes slightly and his body is angled differently. This breaks the continuity. The last shot should also have something to differentiate it from the previous shot. These are the changes that I would make if I were to repeat the sequence.

Film Opening Analysis

Identify the film and it's genre.
The film I have chosen to analyse is Up. It is an animated, adventure-comedy film.

Identify where the film takes place and the time scale.
The film takes place in a North American city and covers a very broad time scale. The opening begins by showing us Carl at the age of eight and by the end of the opening sequence, 70 years have passed. Judging by the documentary at the start of the film, the time is likely to be sometime during the 1950s.

Summarise what happens in the sequence in chronological order.
How significant to the story is the story telling in the order of events?
The film starts with a documentary themed around the 1950s and we are introduced to the film's main character Carl. Carl is watching the documentary about an explorer named Charles Muntz and his expedition to Paradise Falls, an exotic region in South America. After the documentary, the comedy genre is reinforced by Carl's imagination, and how he pretends that he is an adventurer crossing the Grand Canyon when he is really just jumping over a crack in the pavement. Then we are introduced to a new character, Ellie, who is another avid fan of the adventurer Charles Muntz. The two children become fast friends due to their desire for adventure and after some more slapstick comedy a montage of their married life begins. The effective use of mise-en-scene shows us how close the two are, and despite all of the bad occurrences the two remain together. However, Ellie falls ill and passes away, leaving Carl with an old adventure book from their childhood. The opening of the film sets the scene for Carl's adventure to Paradise Falls.

Do the events link together or are they distinct, unconnected events?
The events are linked, starting from the first time Carl and Ellie meet and ending after Ellie's death. The events make us feel very attached to the characters as the montage makes them seem like a real couple with their own special forms of interaction such as the crossing of the heart gesture.Therefore Ellie's death at the end of the montage makes the audience question what comes next, as we have no idea what Carl is going to do without her anymore.

What characters are introduced and what are their roles in the play? How do we find this information out?

• Charles Muntz - Explorer and adventurer, Muntz acts as a role model for Carl. Although we do not actually see him in person, he is used to provide character development for Carl and Ellie.
• Carl - A fun-loving child with an active imagination and a fondness of adventure. He shares his desire for excitement with his friend and eventual wife, Ellie.
• Ellie - An excitable, energetic and eccentric tomboy with an unrivaled passion for adventurous antics.

We find this information out through the documentary at the start of the film and the events leading on from it, specifically the events in the abandoned house and the montage of Carl and Ellie's married life.

How much story information is revealed and how is it revealed? What is deliberately withheld?
The opening contains no information about the story of the film. However it does give us a lot of important insight into Carl's background as the purpose of the opening is to provide character development and to inform the audience about Carl's life before the events of the film. Knowing about Carl's past makes us wonder how his life will play out after the loss of his wife. Information about the main plot is withheld to us, but we can predict that Carl's adventures will take him to Paradise Falls from the information provided to us in the opening.

What does the audience need to know at the start of your film?
The purpose of the opening is to provide a backstory for Carl and to hint towards the main plot of the film. Therefore the opening intends to provide us with the following information:

• Story: How Carl and Ellie meet - Specifically, their shared interest in the explorer, Muntz. We are also shown a variety of key objects such as the "My Adventure Book", which appears throughout the film.
• Genre - The genres of comedy and adventure must be connoted and are done so through the documentary and during the credits.
• Clues towards the plot - The opening provides development to the main plot of the film and intends to 'hook' the audience with an unexpected event at the end of the opening. There is little information about the film's main plot, but it does give a number of clues such as the Adventure Book and Carl and Ellie's desire to travel to Paradise Falls.
• Credits - Important for institutional purposes.

Film Still Analysis

Narrative
The mise-en-scene of the shot is clearly designed to connote action. We can determine that Bond has just emerged from the Grand Bazaar behind him, due to the positioning of the crowd behind him and his grip on the motorbike as well as his facial expression and the angle of his head. By using a landmark in Istanbul for the setting, it creates a sense of thrill as we do not know what the hero will encounter in this unfamiliar location. The motorbike tells us that there has likely been a chase scene, but it is left ambiguous as to whether Bond is still in pursuit or not. Despite being a long shot, Bond is clearly made to be the most important figure. However the inclusion of the onlookers makes the scene more believable and therefore more exciting.

Genre
The genre of the film is made obvious in this shot. Bond's stance on the motorbike and the havoc within the crowd behind are identifiable conventions of an action film. Not only this, but Bond, the film’s hero, is the focal image and he is shown astride a motorbike. The audience is able to understand these conventions and use them to instantly recognise the genre. This shot is also effective at anchoring our understanding of Bond's role as the hero and as an 'alpha male' character.

Audience
The placement and framing of the shot are used effectively to reach to the audience, as the shot makes the audience feel immersed in the environment shown to us by making us feel included in the crowd of onlookers. In doing so, the audience feel involved in the action and are more likely to be immersed by the film's narrative. Furthermore, the shot occurs in an exotic, yet recognisable location which will be exciting for the audience without being too unfamiliar.