Opening Sequence Script

This is the initial script that I wrote for out opening sequence. I wrote it as an instructional piece for our actors, camera operators and ourselves to help us film in an efficient and fluent manner when the days comes to begin practical development and begin the filming process. It can be acknowledged that there is zero dialogue, which is rather unbecoming of a movie script, but as our title sequence is going to be entirely without talking, of course, no dialogue is needed in the script. This activity helped me to understand the level of detailed needed to write a script that is based entirely on setting, camera work, movement and action rather than dialogue, which helped me think more deeply about the passage of our film; which shots will follow which shots and what the actors will be doing at each point of the sequence.

Requisite Items for Opening Sequence

In this activity I made a list of all the props and costumes that will be required to make my opening sequence, as well as all of the costumes for each characters and the technical resources, such as cameras and lighting devices, that we will also need. During this activity I discovered just how many props are needed, even for a very shot piece for cinematography, and how deeply one needs to think about the less noticeable features of a film before the engage in producing it.

Screenshots from inspirational films

In order to get a few ideas on how I should film my piece, I took screenshots from films I feel influenced by, so as to gain inspiration on lighting, mise en scene, camera angles, etc.

Codes and conventions of thriller films

Codes and Conventions of Thriller Films Presentation In this task I set out to discover what themes were mutually present in most thriller films, in order to have a better understanding of what I should use in my opening sequence to more identifiable as thriller film to my audience. During this task I learned that thriller films use race-against-time situations in order to manipulate the audience into feeling more tense whilst watching the film. I also leaned that the antagonist of such films is also generally sadistic, brutal and psychologically disturbed. 

Look at iconic directors in your chosen genre – what inspiration can you take from these directors?

One of the most iconic and inspirational directors of the thriller genre was Alfred Hitchcock, who synthesized various formulas on how to suspense within in a film, and thus creating a greater sense of thrill for the film as a whole. One of his techniques was to, when introducing a character, follow said character with the camera and add a slight variation in the music, so as to highlight said character's importance, creating a link between character and audience from which a gripping plot would follow. Similarly, Hitchcock was famous for using a technique in which he'd show us a characters reaction to seeing something just before showing us what they are reacting to, which creates a sense of enigma and consequential suspense. I found many more of his directing techniques through videos and interviews on Youtube.

 

Analysis of what directors seek to establish in opening sequences

This is a graph that I made that shows what part of a film is established in what order during the opening sequences of various thriller movies. I made this in order to help me decide what I want to reveal about my film in what order during my opening sequence, based on the orders found in other thrillers. During this activity I learned that there is no specific order that should be acknowledged when revealing information about a film during the opening sequence, as this graph clearly shows there is little correlation between the order of information establishment in these 6 films.    

Timeline of Credits in 'Dial m for Murder'

 

This is a timeline that I made after having watched the opening sequence to Alfred Hitchcock's 'Dial M for Murder', that maps the order in which the titles and film credits are shown. I did this in order to have a better understanding of when a film credit should appear and in what order they people should be credited in, so as to use a similar order for my sequence to make it appear more professional. From this activity I learned that the production/distribution company logo should appear first, followed by the name of the director.  also learned that the names of the people responsible for the mise en scene elements of the film (the makeup artists, lighting operators, set designers, etc) should be credited toward the end of the title sequence.

Initial Title Sequence Idea

Our idea for our opening sequence is to begin by showing two men dressed in retro clothing, sitting closely, drinking wine and laughing in a house. The shot would then cut to a close-up of one of the men's ears with the other man whispering suggestively into it. The two men then stand up and begin to go upstairs. At this point the shot cuts to a close up of a car wheel pulling up to the house, the shot stays on the wheel as we hear the engine turn off, the door open then close, and then sound of high heeled shoes on the pavement.  The shot then cuts back to the men in the room, laughing and continuing to drink as they begin to embrace each other. At this point there is a close-up of one of the men taking off a wedding ring. Here it can be inferred that the men are engaging in an affair. The shot  then cuts to the women who exited the car entering the house, with her face cleverly covered by household objects (lamps, door, cupboards). The woman is then seen dropping her wallet, with the shot then cutting to a close-up of the wallet open on the floor, revealing her police ID. A hand comes and picks it up. The shot then cuts to the men upstairs again, who are continuing to embrace and nearing the bed. One of them knocks a picture frame over (containing a picture of the man and his wife), which we see fall off the bedside table. The shot then quickly cuts back to the woman downstairs hearing the sound of the picture frame hitting the ground and looking up towards the bedroom whilst gripping her gun. The shots then cuts back and forth between the woman slowly going upstairs and the men in the bedroom. The rate at which the cuts take place increases, building tension until the shot cuts to a close-up of the picture frame of the floor, with a crack over the face of the husband. The shot then cuts to the woman bursting through the door, her face obscured by the shoulder of one of the men, and shooting her husband.