evaluation question 7

evaluation question 6

evaluation question 5

evaluation question 4

evaluation question 3

evaluation question 2

evaluation question 1

Final cut - HIRED

Looking back to your preliminary task what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from to the full product?

We chose not to use shot revere shot as we didn't have any conversation nor did we want to reveal the main protagonist#s face. We now are more competent in using the camera. We now have an understanding of match on match action as we realised as match on match action and continuity is paparamount to keeping are media project believable and realistic. Such as the continuity of the main protagonist entering the car. However the flashbacks broke up continuity as it was part of the audience role to spot the enigmas and examine what was happening through the clues.

Audience feedback

When we asked for feedback on our roughcut we were told that:

•  It was a good engima  that the audience couldn't see the main protagonists face as it adds mystery.
• It was good how some of the credits were instilled in the surroundings, for example on the white board was some of the credits, however they were too hard to read and not really typical of the genre.
• There needs to be more transition shots particularly towards the end of the opening credits.
• There was box showing that the main protagonist was being watched by someone, however this needs to be more obvious such as a shot of someone watching separately and not in a split screen "24" style approach.
• The close up effect on the eye was excellent as it was clear and you didn't see the face of the main protagonist. It was useful as further enigmas were dropped in such as counting money and firing a gun. This was shot in black and white to signify that it was a flashback. There was some confusion as why there was a split screen towards the end.

From this I have learned that overall I have a strong opening credits footage, however I do need to add more transition shots as well as possibly rectify the split screen towards the end. 

Rough cut

In our rough cut we changed many things such as our font, it didn't suit how our opening credits was suppose to be. It also didn't match with the props, costumes and sequence which is dark. Furthermore we tried to incorporate some of the credits into the props such as the white board. However this didn't catch the audiences eye on feedback from the audience. Additionally it was hard to read and yet again wasn't bold or clear which would go along with a thriller storyline. We changed our music to a more darker tone of music. We also slowed done some scenes to give the appearance that the main protagonist is very methodical and careful in very movement he makes. Particularly when planning his route and circling the targets. This scene being slowed down also raises the importance of this scene in his preparation.

Production Company- Clear Vision

We chose clear Vision as our production company, as they are based in the local area where filming takes place. This good for helping support the local economy and makes logistical sense being nearby as well. It will also raise the profile for the film in the local area as well. It is also part of our ethics in giving bad to the local economy as well as area. This is like channel 4 films is an independent film company just like clear vision therefore we would be similar to this.

A picture of the opening title sequence of clear vision

Soundtrack

Our opening will include both diegetic and non diegetic sound, the diegetic sound will be made by our various surroundings when we are filming, for example cars, car doors, guns clocking and guns firing. Our non-diegetic sound will be created on GarageBand which we planned to use in the very beginning of the opening credits and throughout. We aimed to create a tense a thrilling music to match our genre of a violent thriller as well as what is going on in our opening credits.  

Age rating

The Guidelines at ‘12A’/12’ say ‘There

APPROX RUNNING MINUTES - 2

RELEASE DATE - 21/03/2014

BBFC INSIGHT into Hired -GENRE - Thriller, Drama, Crime

15 for bloody violence, gory sciences, glamorization of illegal activities and one gory image and strong violence. 

The Guidelines at 12A/12 say There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood, but occasional gory moments may be permitted if justified by context. we didn't think this would be an appropriate rating as our film is scheduled to include shots of people people being killed in various ways, It contains an emphasis on injury and blood that would be inappropriate below 15. The reason the film is not rated an 18 is that it only has few violent / distressing scenes not a series of them.Neither is there a series of explicit material or images throught the film such as drug use or sex. Hired it was rated 15 for bloody violence, gory sciences, glamorization of illegal activities and one gory image and strong violence. 

Comparing Hired to Memento

Memento is another thriller that we have studied and taken inspiration from, we have studied the level of violence in the film. Which is very similar to Memento, in fact it was given the same as rating as our film. Memento was rated 15 because it "Contains strong language, once very strong, violence, sex & drug references". As for Hired it was rated 15 for bloody violence, gory sciences, glamorization of illegal activities and one gory image and strong violence.  

Title of our opening

Name of film-

We had a number of possible names for the film,  So the title that was chosen was HIRED as it was simple and straight to the point. So Hired was used as it represents that he has a job or contract to fulfil.  There is also a third party behind events that take place in both the film and opening credits.

Names rejected-

Agent 30 was a possible option describing the codename for the main protagonist. However this was too similar to agent 47 from the Hitman series. The three little pigs was another option which described the three targets that were circled and were seen as his targets. However this was not chosen as it didn't have an obvious connection to a film about a Hitman let alone a thriller.

Target Audiance

As you can see the age rating singles out anybody below the age of 15. This means that it is aimed at young adults as well as teenagers over 15. It is not so much of an action film it is more of an action thriller so action scenes do tend to be minimised. It is more of an intellectual film so would be aimed at intellectuals individuals, figuring out what exactly is happening ( like the film Memento). As for gender the  gender is aimed at males due to the violence and nature of the film, however it would appeal to certain female individuals. However this film is aimed to appeal to 15 year olds with the violent scenes. Furthermore the storyline is meant to be entertaining for older teenagers as the shock value of the violent scenes will help sell this film to 15-20 year olds.

Discussion of titles

We originally planned to involve our credits by setting them on objects such as the whiteboard , for example the directors names would be wrote in marker pen on the main protagonists, the actors starring within the sequence would be put on credits that would put in desecrate credits. However this didn't match with a thriller genre particularly. It needs to be hard a dark which matches are props, costumes, character and narrative. 

Shot List

These is the list of all the shots that we have within our opening sequence of hired

Extreme close up of a hand on a computer mouse,Point of view shot of the Gate opening,
Point of view shot of crossing out the pictures,
extreme Close up of the eye,

Point of view shot of the of flash back of cleaning the gun,
Point of view shot of the reflection of the eye,
Point of view shot of the gun in the car,
Point of view shot of the map,
Point of view shot of the counting money,
Point of view shot driving the car ,
close up of shoe of the main protagonist,
Over the shoulder shot of the protagonist, 
Tracking shot of the protagonist walking,
tracking shot of the protagonist walking to the car,
close up shot of the gun going off,
over the shoulder shot of the guns being loaded,
low angel shot of the of the protagonist firing the gun,
a steady cam shot of the car driving off,
Mid shot of the protagonist walking to the door,
long shot of the of the protagonist opening the door,

Props

Costumes

Black slim fit suit- Was used as it slim so represents that the hitman is successful and well dressed and presented through it being tailored. The suit is also black connoting to death.

Black gloves- We didn’t include this because we didn’t want to seem as suspicious and stereotypical as usual assassins in the thriller genre this allowed more mystery and created an enigma within our thriller opening.

Filming schedule

Day: 1 

Was preliminary shots of the opening scene which was the gate opening of the anti-heroes mansion. No characters or props was used during this scene or during this day of filming. 

Day: 2 

Involved the use of a number of props- black tuxedo, Fiat punto as the car, Mp5 assault rifle, pistol, board of targets, map and ammo cases. The location used was the main protagonists mansion both the front, back, inside his study and his garage. We decided to shoot on an overcast day for the weather as it creates an ominous feeling and adds suspense. We had photos of targets to add enigmas to the story, the map had the same affect. 

Day: 3

Involved filming flash backs, inside the car driving and the anti hero entering the targets house. The props used- black tuxedo, Fiat punt, pistol, black leather shoes, £340 worth of £20 notes.  The weather again was overcast therefore added suspense and darkness. We had flashbacks of a gun go off, counting money and someone cleaning a gun. This all leaves enigmas just like the opening credits of Seven. This brings all the hallmarks of a thriller. 

Locations shots

The opening scene is an establishing shot of the protagonists house, we chose to use a large house which tells us that the protagonist is wealthy. we used a low angel shot (pictured below) to add significance and a intimidating affect.

This is a picture of the inside of the protagonists garage, where we discover that he keeps his weapons that he uses to kill his targets, this scene confirms the audiences enigma of what he does, as along with the previous scenes it is now fairly obvious that he is some sort of assassin.

We chose to use a small black car for the filming as the colour black often signifies death as well as class.

Casino Royale Analysis

 The title sequence is around 4 minutes which is significantly long compared to most other modern thrillers such as seven and Momento. I think this is because they wanted to keep the titles the same since the older movies as Casino Royale is the 23rd bond installment and chronologically is the start of James bond series, therefore there wasn't that iconic gun barrel scene at the beginning of every James bond installment. Therefore its only shown once he has accomplished his first kill.     

The establishing shot is also accompanied by the place name (Prague) in the bottom left hand corner to indicate to the audience what country they are in.The use of the low angel shot adds presence and significance to the building. 

 This sequence is in black and white to indicate that its in the past and has already happened. There is no sound at this point apart from ambient sound such as footsteps and the lift door. This helps introduce the audience to the main protagonist. There are many enigma codes set at this point such as who is the man and why does he look tense and on edge?

When in conversation there are flashbacks (within the flashback) to the past. The scene is very white which contrasts the dark black scene in the office.

After the initial opening scene the usual Bond style animated title sequence starts. It signify the tone of the film with many fight scenes later on in the films been shown in animation and as playing cards or poker and signify a casino. It goes well with the title (Casino Royale) and the theme of the film. The non-diagetic sound the plays along side this is a song called “you know my name”. The credits list many names with job titles, they appear in this order: production company, main stars, writer of the book that the film was based on, co-stars, associate producer, sound unit director, costume designer, editor, director of photography, production designer, writer/singer and producer of the song being played along with the director of music for the whole of the film, executive producers and then a repetition of the novel writer. As most films do the credits end with the producer and the director last. It then finishes with a computer screen stating “OO7 status confirmed”. This is a link to both the opening credits and the rest of the film showing to the audience how James Bond got his “OO” status. This shows a time difference as well as a lapse in time.

Editing

The whole opening credits scene of Casino Royal is black and white, this is effective because the main character James Bond before he has killed anybody yet and fully reached initiation into his OO status. So this shows him innocence and visualizes to the audience what stage he is at. When he looks back on his first kill it is also in black and white, this is effective and common because it marks the difference in time for the audience. This also indicates that the audience is witnessing a flashbacks and a difference in time as well. The editing is messy and quick reflecting the fight and James Bonds emotions. This is because it is his first kill so he isn't used to killing people in a quick efficient way

Camera work

In terms of camera work there is a large selection of different camera shots. There is an establishing shot of the building where Bond is going to meet the protagonist this helps set the scene present the audience where the characters, are to make the story line easier to comprehend and follow later on in the film as well as during the opening credits. There are lots of close ups in the first two minutes on all the characters faces, mostly James and the protagonist who has been double dealing and selling secrets. This is to show emotion as they are clearly in a confrontation and the close ups can give the audience and insight of characters intentions and what they are feeling. There is a shot that shows both character om either side of the rooms represents the difference in both characters and the different situations they find themselves in. It also displays a standoff that both characters are in and how they are opposing each other as well.

Dexter title sequence analysis

Although this is a TV analysis it  helped us to get ideas.

The main theme throughout the title sequence is the idea of death and this is shown through the use of blood itself and other related objects.  This represents Dexter as the T.V program reflects him as a cold, gruesome killer who is living a double life as both villain and hero.

Settings and props

The title sequence is set in what seems to be his own apartment, the opening scene takes place in his bedroom where he is sleeping until disturbed by the first representation of blood, a mosquito, a blood sucking pest. That is until he squats it dead with precision. This shows that he is an accurate and perhaps an unexpected killer. The sequence then takes to the kitchen where we see a blood orange almost being ‘gutted’ in the juicer, followed by at first what seems to be flesh being cut into pieces with a big knife, which we later realize it was a thick piece of bacon. The final scene inside the apartment takes place in the bathroom where we see shaving his beard; he manages to cut himself which causes blood to drip from his face onto the contrasting white sink. The way he was holding his neck whilst shaving connotes strangulation as he secured his hand around his neck. Whilst in the bathroom we see an over the shoulder shot of him looking into a fogged up mirror, this still continues to hide his identity from us as his face has yet to be revealed, as well as showing us that he lives two lifestyles.

Costume hair and makeup

He has quite a rugged look about him with his rough casual beard and messy hair, this shows his masculine dominance, he being topless also shows this. There is limited make up used during the title sequence, the only bit used is the blood that drips down his neck.

Facial expression and body language

The body language used by Dexter is quite violent and aggressive. The simplest tasks such as cutting a blood orange in half was done in a destructive way, using a very large, jiggered edge kitchen knife. Or cutting up a piece of bacon in a quite gruesome manor. Whilst squatting the mosquito he showed how precise and accurate he is in his killings. The only time we see a facial expression of Dexter, is when we first see his face, a cold looking, no presence of an expression and quite innocent.

Lighting and colour

The main colour scheme present in the title sequence includes red, black and grey. The colour red in particular represents the idea of blood and death, as does black and grey, which are quite morbid and dull. These colours contrast with each other like the two lives that he lives, completely opposing. One day solving crimes, taking people to justice, and then the next gruesomely murdering the ones that escape justice.

 Use of music

The music used in the title sequence is non-diegetic sound, used to create a certain mood; in this case the music used is like 80’s jazz, subtle yet dignified. It wouldn’t be the music you would expect from a typical crime drama. It keeps the viewer intrigued into what is going to happen.

Memento analysis

The very first few seconds of the opening of Memento create multiple enigmas for the audience, it makes us think about questions like; who is he? Why has he killed him? And who has he killed? These answers are slowly unwrapped throughout the film. Time then starts to rewind giving us the insight to what is exactly going on. The Mise en scene helps us to understand what the movie is going to be about, the director uses extreme close up shots of significant items such as the broken glasses, blood, a Polaroid photo and an empty bullet casing. These props all fit into what would be a stereotypical crime/thriller, as well as fulfilling the codes and conventions of a thriller narrative. The Polaroid photo in particular is probably the most noteworthy prop used throughout the opening and across the entire film, during the opening scenes we see him holding a developing photo but it soon turns into nothing; this connotes his illness of memory loss and explains to us as the audience why he is constantly taking photos.

The titles used are of a light blue colour which stand out against the bloody red background, the colour blue is often associated with health, healing, tranquility and  understanding.These ideas of tranquility and understanding  contradict with the protagonist as we see that he is never at peace as he is always confused and unstable with his surroundings and situations.

The cameras angles used intensify the situation throughout the opening, the majority of them being close ups or extreme close ups of significant objects such as the Polaroid picture as mentioned before. But we also see a point of view shot being used whilst the protagonist shoots the antagonist, this shot shows the barrel of the gun pointing down to his head which portrays weakness among him. A very low tilt shot is also used which would have been in perspective of the victim who looks up to the antagonist, this shot shows a sense of dominance among the protagonist.

The non diagetic music used fulfills the conventions of the thriller genre as it sets the atmosphere, the music used is mysterious and theatrical which doesn't give any clues to the viewer about what is going to happen. Strings are used to build up the suspense like most thrillers do, the music starts off quiet and gradually builds up until the gunshot is fired.