film openings
TRANSCRIPT
making film openings
www.petesmediablog.blogspot.com
@petesmediablog
Dave Brailsford
“ I t ’s important to understand the ‘aggregation of marginal gains’. Put simply….how small improvements in a number of different aspects of what we do can have a huge impact to the overall performance of the team.”
Dave Brailsford
lots of small things add up to get you better marks
9 Steps to best results!
Strengths and Weaknesses?
Strengths and Weaknesses?
Step 1: take stock
• what’s the task?
• what’s the assessment?
• what’s the timeframe?
• what’s the equipment?
task and assessment
• Titles and opening of a new fiction film
• up to 2 minutes
• 20 marks Research and Planning
• 60 marks Construction
• 20 marks Evaluation
timeframe and equipment
• build your skills
• build up your research
• build up your planning
• give yourselves time to shoot and edit
• keep evidence throughout the whole process
Step 2: set up a blog
• and keep evidence of everything you do!
Step 3: build up skills
• sound
• camerawork
• editing
foley
preliminary task
prelim- what did you learn?
re-make
re-make
ident
make a production company ident
make a production company ident
Step 4: investigate
• what do film openings actually look like?
• what does other student work look like?
• what do you need to know about titles?
• how are you going to do something that stands out?
key features
• genre
• narrative (enigma)
• character
• atmosphere
• setting
film openings to look at?
• start general
• home in on specific
• make your research focussed and relevant
which are key here?
• genre
• narrative
• character
• atmosphere
• setting
influence of Saul Bass
which are key here?
• genre
• narrative
• character
• atmosphere
• setting
which are key here?
• genre
• narrative
• character
• atmosphere
• setting
search for student film openings on youtube
and vimeo (G321)
titles exercise
Step 5: brainstorm ideas
• possible scenarios for pitches/treatments
• 25 word pitch
• moodboard treatment
• peer and teacher feedback
• realistic expectations- keep it simple
Step 6: planning
• experimenting with camera and editing
• recce shots of locations
• examples of shots, costumes, props, etc onto blog
• post-it storyboard, animatic, moodboard
• logistics planning- including risk assessment
Step 7: the shoot
• people, places, props, costumes
• rehearsing, directing
• equipment, jobs on the day
• keeping a record of the process
Step 8: edit
• all having a voice/hand in it
• screengrabs of process
• importance of audio and titles
• foley - not just music
• rough cut deadline and peer feedback
big picture before fine detail
Step 9: evaluation
• seven guiding questions
• 20 of the 100 marks
• need to be creative in execution
• digital depth
• act on teacher advice!
six most common student film openings
• Saw: victim tied up in shed
• Scream: hooded stalker follows female victim
• Se7en: killer sticks knife in polaroid photos
• Lock, Stock: gangsters play cards and kill each other
• Waking up: clean teeth, brush hair, leave house
• Flashback or Flash forward: “2 weeks later...”
six most common problems
• looks more like a trailer or a short film
• insufficient titles
• poor sound, poor lighting
• poorly directed actors, not costumed
• confusing for the viewer
• uses one of the six common openings(badly)
you are the ref- what score and why?
Level 1: minimal ability 0-23 Level 2: basic ability 24-35
Level 3: proficient 36-47 Level 4: excellent 48-60
score out of 60? why?
Level 1: minimal 0-23 Level 2: basic 24-35
Level 3: proficient 36-47 Level 4: excellent 48-60
score out of 60? why?
this one?
Level 1: minimal 0-23 Level 2: basic 24-35
Level 3: proficient 36-47 Level 4: excellent 48-60
score out of 60? why?
this one?
Level 1: minimal 0-23 Level 2: basic 24-35
Level 3: proficient 36-47 Level 4: excellent 48-60
score out of 60? why?
this one?
Level 1: minimal 0-23 Level 2: basic 24-35
Level 3: proficient 36-47 Level 4: excellent 48-60
score out of 60? why?
key advice
• plan for everything
• keep all the evidence
• avoid the obvious
• pay attention to detail
• make your blog varied
• learn from other work
www.petesmediablog.blogspot.com
@petesmediablog