Creating Ideas Power Point

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06Ht6-Cw0RI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q3dpPWXGO8

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/12/19/30-unforgettable-movie-title-sequences/

http://thisisnotadvertising.wordpress.com/2012/10/11/26-movie-opening-sequence-with-a-great-idea/

Analysis of previous HH opening title sequence

 Analysis of Chrysalis

I really liked this opening title sequence because of the simplicity of it. The use of lights, fog and hands pushing against a clear material create a uneasy atmosphere because it gives the impression that someone is trying to escape. The intensity of it starts relatively slow and builds when the lights start flashing and the fog appears which makes the scene more chaotic this then settles when they start breaking out of the shell they seem to be in. I like that there was variation in intensity because it keeps the audience engaged. Even though this one was part of the 'thriller' section I think it comes off as more scifi which I prefer to horror or thriller. I especially love the use of lights, I think when natural lighting is used outside for example the filming ends up looking like amateur work so I prefer when colours are used or filters are placed over the images because it will be what the audience members are used to seeing. I'm  not sure if I prefer the title to come at the begining or the end because if it came at the start then the audience will be able to have a rough idea of what the genre might be like but if it came at the end then it would keep them guessing so I'm not sure where I stand on that. I enjoy scifis but I think for my opening title scene I would prefer to do something, not neccissarily real as it could have supernatural elements like witches, but more real world and not in the studio but I would definitely change the colour of the shots somehow. 

Creating Ideas - Netflix Documentaries

Inspired by fantastic fungi on Netflix

A film that explores the connection to earth through witchcraft and various occult practices. A girl that is born into a witch family with her two mothers and is part of their local coven. She tried to deny her powers for most of her life and push them down hoping they would go away because she was scared of what they would do - after an incident when she was younger and her brother died where she blamed herself for her release of power even though it wasn't entirely her fault and there was other components in play where the power hungry witch that doesn’t belong to a coven attempted to draw her power out of her. The story would unfold with her accepting her power and learning through the coven how to use herbs and such for healing and how to connect to the earth and respect it. For an action scene where she finally understands how to use her power and how strong she is she spellbinds the greedy witch so that they cannot practice anymore. She uses nature to get in touch with her ancestors and spirit guides. for a love plot line maybe she meets a boy from a different coven and he also teaches her what he knows and they slowly form a close relationship.

 The opening title sequence would consist of close up images of her hands, herbs hanging up, old large books, close up of her eyes and face and the boys face and eyes, old houses, candles, there would be a non-diegetic soundtrack behind and the images would overlay each other so that you can see multiple at a time but the opacity is turned down for example with each of the characters eyes as they each looks up the images and overlayed so they appear to be looking up at each other. A good example of this is the opening title sequence to 'a discovery of witches'. 

The documentary talked about all of the connections underground and how trees and plants actually communicate and help each other when they need extra water etc, this got me thinking about connecting to the earth and how much we don’t yet know about the earth. They said that we know more about space than we do about the fungi that live underground connecting every life form together. There was an amazing part that showed a form of fungi that actually absorbed and oil spill and turned it into fuel for it to live therefore un-polluting the area. 

Previous Students Opening Title Sequences

 What I have noticed and opinions:

Most of the opening title sequences are dark thrillers/horrors which I think would be fun to film but I think it is difficult to be original because a lot of horros have the same concept and have already been done. 

I really like the ones that have minimal to no dialogue because it makes it seem more like an actual opening title sequence with various close ups and perhaps introducing one or two characters but keeping it to a minimum. The other thing I noticed it that the title sequences that have altered the colour of the image look more professional that those that haven't. I think it looks better when there is a filter over the image if it is filmed outdoors for example to change the saturation, brightness etc to fit the atmosphere of the piece. The simpler ones worked better than the ones that were filled with action and tried to put as much as they could into it. There were some that I got a bit bored of so I think it is important to have a captivating series of images right at the start so the viewer doesn't lose interest. I don't particularly like the ones that have guns featured in them because I just found it to be rather boring and over used. I like the ones that use interesting editing feautures because it adds that final touch that makes it seem more professional with overlapping images, different paces, dissolves etc. I enjoyed the different genre ones like the scifi one of the people in cocoon like structures waking up and trying to escape. I would definitley like to do a different genre to horror or thriller and instead do a love story,coming of age story or something that has a message to it that young people can connect to. The other ones that I enjoyed were where characters are carrying out an action and the camera takes various close ups of the different objects and the person. 

This is a good example of where the colour in the picture has been changed to add atmosphere.   -->

This opening title sequence called 'chrysalis' is one of my favourites because I think they way they used the lighting was really clever and very little is given away which leaves the audience with questions but they still managed to set the scene and clearly communicate the genre.

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How to develop ideas - Austin Kleon

To get creative ideas flowing:

 10 significant texts:

• perks of being a wall flower
• Maze runner
• Ammonite
• breaking bad
• the outsiders
• fault in our stars
• shadow and bone
• we were liars
• tuck everlasting

Connections between the list:

• things that make me cry
• aesthetically filmed/environment
• things I was OBSESSED with
• strong friendships
• rebellion

Austin Kleon wrote multiple books called 'steal like an artist', 'show your work!', 'keep going' and 'newspaper blackout'. He speaks for organizations such as Pixar, Google, SXSW, TEDx, and The Economist. He used to worked as a librarian, a web designer, and an advertising copywriter.

Steal like an artist involves:

1. Steal like an artist.
2. Don’t wait until you know who you are to get started.
3. Write the book you want to read.
4. Use your hands.
5. Side projects and hobbies are important.
6. The secret: do good work and share it with people.
7. Geography is no longer our master.
8. Be nice. (The world is a small town.)
9. Be boring. (It’s the only way to get work done.)
10. Creativity is subtraction.

Show your work involves:

1. You don’t have to be a genius.
2. Think process, not product.
3. Share something small every day.
4. Open up your cabinet of curiosities.
5. Tell good stories.
6. Teach what you know.
7. Don’t turn into human spam.
8. Learn to take a punch.
9. Sell out.
10. Stick around.

Keep going involves:

1. Every day is Groundhog Day.
2. Build a bliss station.
3. Forget the noun, do the verb.
4. Make gifts.
5. The ordinary + extra attention = the extraordinary
6. Slay the art monsters.
7. You’re allowed to change your mind. 
8. When in doubt, tidy up.
9. Demons hate fresh air.
10. Plant your garden.

Together the three books make up a trilogy that teaches you how to be more creative your everyday life and get your work noticed and appreciated. He also has this philosophy of asking yourself 'what if...' to get ideas flowing and just go with whatever comes to mind and see where you end up.

Websites used to research:

About Austin Kleon - Austin Kleon

Austin Kleon - Wikipedia

Kyle Cooper Research

 Kyle Cooper

• Born on Friday 13^th 1962 in Salem, Massachusetts
• As a child spent most of his days obsessed with sketching monsters
• Received MFA from Yale school of Art
•  Was the creative director at R/Greenberg Associates from 1988-1996
• Founded Imaginary Forces and then Prologue films
• Seven Emmy nominations and two win
• Has a “bold and unexpected style, conjuring emotional responses through his captivating narrative”
• He has directed over 350 main title sequences
• He enjoys title sequences because of the “juxtaposition of images in film” and prefers it to print design because “print design can provide great single moments, but I wanted to work with a sequence that had a beginning, middle and end"

 

What I find interesting and visually appealing about his work:

• He does a lot of designs where he mixes reality with drawings and other effects which makes it visually engaging because it is something the audience members don't see in real life which makes them curious. 
• Most of his work has titles or images that come out at the audience to reveal something or change the scene which draws the audience in.
• Some of the titles he has done turn into butterflies or appear through a sparkle which will likely link to the context of the film and gives the audience a flavour of what is to come.
• He layers a lot of images and moves the text around the screen in interesting ways that are often satisfying to watch.

Kyle Cooper's opening title sequence of 'American Horror Story - Hotel'

The opening title sequence of AHS hotel is incredibly enganging and while the images are chilling and shocking the audience feels as though they can't look away and are drawn to it through some type of morbid curiosity. The first scene where the camera is focused on the hands in the wall is interupted by flashes of white light and the editing jumps around so that the hands change possition in a jerky motion. The camera then jumps out so that the audience look through a peephole so the hands are in the centre of the shot and when they reach out suddenly it acts as a jump scare. The fast paced editing and constant flashing and jumping images along with the jarring soundtrack assaults the audiences senses and actually becomes hard to bear and is severley unsettling. I think it is very effective because it perfectly introduces the series and sets the tone. The red glowing text reflects the signs used outside hotels and the use of excessive amounts of blood indicates what the series will involve. The unusual images of children and creatures climbing out of beds and the fitful mmovements creates an uncomfortable feeling in the viewers stomach which makes them apprihensive for what it to come.

Websites used for research:

Kyle Cooper - IMDb

Kyle Cooper - Wikipedia

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