The Pitch

We pitched our opening sequence idea to the rest of the class to gain audience feedback and to find out if there was anything we could do to improve our film and make it more appealing to an audience.
     The pitch was successful and most of the class said they enjoyed th efilm idea, with plot and costumes being a recurring positive aspect. The negative feedback wasn't greatly helpful as it was more to do with the way we had pitched the opening sequence as oppose to being about the opening sequence itself. One group suggested we did a comic element to the sequence to appeal to a wider audience and we tried to incorporate that into filming without disrupting the initial idea.

Organisation of Resources

The first thing we set out to organising was costume for the opening sequence. We did extensive research into existing films that fit the sub-genre of spy films that we aimed to conform. This led us to films such as "Charlie's Angels" and "Mission Impossible". We discovered that the traditional attire for spies is nearly always black, tight fitting clothing, so we attempted to add this to our film. We also added sunglasses to add a "cool and suave" aspect to the characters and the female actors wore high heels to make them appear more slick and agile.

 Props were also a huge part of our title sequence as they were key in helping to communicate the crime genre and "spy" sub-genre. Typical props used in spy films are guns, sunglasses, gadgets etc. and this was extremely prominent in "Charlie's Angles" and "Mission Impossible." We incorporated guns and sunglasses into our title sequence but unfortunately did not have the time or budget for expensive and complicated gadgets. We used these to develop the spy sub-genre and to remain in keeping with similar films to attract an already established audience.






















The location scouting was pretty easy for our group to do as we had locations that we wanted to use already planned. We used the TV Studio in the college to film the interior parts of the title sequence, and Meg's house, a member of the group to film the exterior. 

The casting was a vital part of the title sequence as we were first unsure about the type of spy film we wanted to create. After finalising the storyline we decided to cast the 4 group members as the main characters. We were aiming to have the suave edge that Charlie's Angels portrayed and felt this would be better done with the actors we had. We also decided against bringing in extras as they could be unreliable and would disrupt the filming process.


     Our opening sequence did not feature any dialogue so a script was not a vital part of the planning for our group. We used the storyboard to help us create a shot list and used that as our main resource and guide when filming, as oppose to a script.

Storyboard

Our storyboard consists of the basic outline of our opening sequence. We open with a car pulling up to a house, and 4 rebel spies emerging from the car. They are there to steal a piece of government information to expose the corrupt society. They retrieve their gear from the car and make their way to the house. The 4 scale the house to reach the garage roof where they search the office until the information is found. They then swiftly escape the house and drive off. We finished the opening sequence like this so the story could be continued if made into a full length feature film. 

Audience Research

We conducted audience research to get an insight into the minds of the audience. I compiled a questionnaire for  members of the class (the audience) to fill out to help gain knowledge of their understanding. The questions asked the age and sex of each member and their favourite genre of film; favourite film; favourite actor/actress; how often they watch films; if their favourite actor influenced their film choice; if trailers influenced their film choice and what they wouldn't want to see in a film.


From the results it is clear to see that older actors are preferred, most people watch films weekly and trailers influence 100% of the audience surveyed. To improve my readings I would obviously survey a wider range of people. We have tried to incorporate some of the audiences values into our opening sequence but struggled to add in horror or rom-com element, the audiences 2 favourite genres. We did manage to incorporate action into our sub-genre of spy films, but older actors were hard to bring into the project.

Audience Research Results

Media Institutions Research

The are many distribution companies that distribute films internationally. Some are based in the UK and some in the United States. Distribution companies decide the release of the film e.g. date of release, selected cinemas, when it is released on DVD/Blu-Ray. They also decide on the marketing of the film e.g. posters/billboards, trailers, TV spots, publicity - red carpet invites. Finally they decide on the delivery to the cinema.

There are two types of distribution companies. Major Studio companies usually have the money, resources and equpment to produce and distribute films. These include:

• Universal Pictures
• Paramount Pictures
• 20th Century Fox

The other type of distribution company is an Independent Studio company. These produce small scale, budget films and rely on funding from the major studios to produce and release films. Films such as Bridget Jones' Diary, Notting Hill and Love Actually were all produced in Independent Studios and recieved funding from larger companies to be able to release on the scale they did. Independent companies include:

• StudioCanal
• Working Title Films

I feel that our film would be produced by an Independent Company but may recieve funding from studios such as Universal of 20th Century Fox for international distribution.

Films always carry age restrictions on them to determine which audience is deemed suitable to view the film. In the UK the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) determine the age rating of the film through a board of members, who view the film and decide on the classification. In the UK, currently, the age restrictions are:

• U (Universal, suitable for all ages)
• PG (Parental Guidance, suitable for children any age but may require parental supervision)
• 12A (Suitable for children under 12 but only with a parent)
• 12 (Suitable for viewers over 12 only)
• 15 (Suitable for viewers over 15 only)
• 18 (Suitable for viewers over 18 only)

I feel our film would be a 12 or 15 classification as, although the opening sequence does not, the rest of the film may contain explicit language and violence.

Mood Board

Our mood board is a collection of images which reflect our initial ideas and inspiration for our crime opening sequence. We placed inspirational films on it e.g. James Bond as it is in the same sub-genre as our film. We also placed costume inspiration and location and prop examples that we may be able to replicate for our film.

Titles

A title sequence is a major part of the film, as it can set the genre and tone of the film within the first 5 minutes of viewing. Traditional conventions of a title sequence are:

• Producer
• Actors names
• Director
• Title
• Crew

The purpose of the title sequence is to inform the audience of the title of the film and give them some information as to the people that put the film together. It sets up the story, as it is how the film opens, and we need to be wary when making our films as to whether the story can be continued from the opening sequence. Some films choose to integrate their opening titles into the film e.g. Mr and Mrs Smith, Harry Potter etc. However, some films choose to have a title sequence dedicated to just the credits e.g. James Bond franchise and Star Wars.

The genre can also be conveyed through the title sequence in a variety of ways. The typeface and type of titles used can help to convey the genre e.g. spiky, rigid writing for horror or crime films, but a bubbly, softer typeface is more suited to a romantic comedy. How it opens can also convey the genre, whether it be a kiss, a car chase or a death. Another important factor for communicating genre to the audience is the music/sounds played during the opening. Rock, harder music could convey a crime film whereas pop songs or classical music could portray an entirely different genre.

After looking through numerous titles to channel into ours, we have chosen to integrate our titles into the opening action of the film to prevent the audience from becoming bored after watching just titles. The links below are for some film sequences that I found pretty effective.

"The Spy Who Loved Me" Opening Sequence

"X-Men" Opening Sequence

"Mr and Mrs Smith" Opening Sequence