AOTT evaluation

1. Summarise your film idea. Provide a brief synopsis and outline what happens in your film opening.
   
   In our film opening Ela has to stay behind after school to meet with her mentor but the school is empty. The mentor (Mario) turns out to be a psychopath killing all his mentees through different forms of torture but in the opening sequence you only see him kill Ela with a compass. He then washes his hands in the toilets as if it's a normal act. This is quite sinister and scary.
   
2. What kind of information has been included in your film opening?
   
   - Credits, eg. starring Mario Louka
   - Antagonist
   - Title
   - The main shots that will give the audience a clear idea of the genre
   - Protagonist
   - Setting
   - Genre signifiers
   
   
3. How do the titles link to the main film idea
   
   The titles are in a typewriter kind of font which is common in many horror films and it's almost always recognisable for the audience so they can figure out what genre the film is. The positioning of the titles means it doesn't cover any of the action and doesn't take away from the focus being on the shots.  title itself, we thought was very sinister as a mentor is someone you trust to help you through but in this case it's the opposite so we're going against stereotypes in order to make the film more scary.
   
   
4. Summarise the expected audience reaction. What should the audience be thinking by the end of your opening? Is your opening clear or ambiguous?
   
   We want the audience to be in suspense as our grid is quite enigmatic as they can't really tell the whole story from the images. By the end out our opening the audience should be thinking what will happen next and whether or not Mario will get away with it. Their heads should be full of unanswered questions about the plot so that they have the interest to carry on watching it. However, the genre is clearly connoted through the typeface, blurred image of his eyes, the blood on the compass and the low key lighting. Our grid connotes the genre well and since there is a picture of Ela it also suggests that Mario had something to do with her killing. I think our opening is therefore pretty clear.
   
5. Identify three things that you included in your grid that are important in the construction of an opening sequence and explain their role in understanding the film?
   
   - Introducing the main characters. This is important so that the audience know who to focus on and who the action is based around. In this case we have used binary opposites to illustrate that Mario is the antagonist and Ela is the protagonist.
   
   - Setting the genre. The genre needs to be established very early on as it plays a vital part in the way   the film pans out and if the genre is not clearly established in the opening few scenes then the audience are going to be confused.
   
   - Setting the scene. This is also very important as the audience need to know where the action is unfolding and here we can clearly see that it is a school location.
   
6. How effective is your project as a film opening? Explain your answer.
   I think our film opening is quite effective because it connotes the genre of horror really well and the audience can piece the shots together to figure out what happens in the opening sequence of this film. The blurred eyes of the protagonist in the middle draws all the attention to him highlighting to us that he is one of the main characters and the fact that it as extreme close up of his eyes and blurred signifies the fear of the unknown and connotes the genre really well. The blood dripping off the compass, the dead body, typeface, washing blood away are all genre signifiers as well. We edited the images so that they are low key lit and sort of in the shadows to further hint at the genre. Overall I think our film opening works really well. 

Continuity Exercise Evaluation

1. What techniques did you try and use to aid the narrative flow (continuity) of your sequence?
   
   
   We tried to use a variety of techniques to aid the continuity of our sequence such as the establishing shot which was used to make it clear to the audience where they are and to set the scene for the forthcoming action. We also did a reverse zoom on Iggy skipping out of the school as this sort of puts the audience in the situation and helps aid the narrative flow. We attempted the 30 degree rule where the shots were varied so as to avoid a jump cut and confuse the audience. We also had a few match on actions but some of them didn't work very well without a few minutes in the editing suite.

    2.  In hindsight what could you have done differently to aid the narrative flow (continuity) of your sequence?

• In the first shot there was a slight pan to the left which could have been a slight pan to the right as the actors were sitting on the right so it makes more sense.
• There was a big jump from the 2nd to the 3rd shot so we could have cut from the master shot to the mid shot in the end
• The reverse shot could have been a bit shorter
• Iggy fell twice so the match on action between the fourth and the fifth shot was wrong and in order to fix that shot 4 should have been him falling and then shot 5 of him on the floor lying in discomfort.

Film Opening Analysis

The Hunger Games

1. Identify the film and its genre
   The film is called 'The Hunger Games' and it is an action/thriller film.
   
   
2. Identify where the story takes place and the timescale
   
   The story is set in the future with futuristic hovercrafts and various technology advances such as holographic presentations. It is set in America in a town called Panem, in District 12. It is also set in the Capitol.
   
   
3. Summarise what happens in the sequence in chronological order. How significant to the story telling is the order of events?
   At the beginning of the opening sequence there is an establishing shot of District 12 where we can see the run down houses and the dirty streets. Katniss goes to hunt. We then see an interview between a presenter and the host of the Hunger Games. There is a stark contrast in setting as the capitol looks very weird with very weird wealthy people. We see Katniss (main character) comforting her sister as she has just had a nightmare.. After this it is the reaping. Katniss's younger sister's name is called out but Katniss refused to let that happen and volunteers herself to be this years tribute for the Hunger Games. Then a boy is picked (Peeta Mallark) and the opening scene finishes with both Katniss and Peter shaking each others hands. The order of the story is important as it builds up tension slowly and the slow reveal of information about characters and settings.
   
   
4. Do events link to each other or are the distinct, unconnected events?
   
   The events link to each other but are also sort of distinct. You can work out the different scenes but there is chronology to it so that the distinctive events link up to form the story as a whole.
   
   
5. Which characters are introduced and what are their roles in the film? How do we find this information out?

• Katniss Everdeen - she is the main character in this film and we can tell this as most of the opening scenes are based around her. She also comes to the rescue of her sister which is typical of the good main character to do. It also foreshadows that she will be doing a lot more saving throughout the film.
• Peeta Mallark - he will be Katniss' supporting male character as he is also sharing the stage with her and the opening scene closes with them shaking hands. We can see he is very innocent by his facial expression and we can deduce that these two characters have some past history as Katniss has a vague flashback when he comes onto the stage
• Primrose Everdeen - she is the sister of Katniss and we can see that Katniss is very protective of her as she comfots her after her nightmare and also puts her life on the line to save her sisters. This kind of suggests that something bad will happen to her in the future as she is Katniss' weak point and cares for her a lot. The antagonist will do something to hurt Primrose in order to hurt Katniss. 
• Mum - she is there as a moral support for both her daughters but we can see the hurt expression on her face when Primrose's name is called and her comforting her daughter after Katniss volunteers
  herself.
  
  6. How much information is revealed and how is it revealed to the audience? What is deliberately withheld?
  
  There is a slow reveal of information but the audience still doesn't fully know what will happen in the rest of the movie. The fact that Katniss volunteered herself shocked us as she is the very first volunteer from their district. We are introduced to the main characters, the settings and the genre. The director has intentionally withheld important information about how brutal the Hunger Games are in order to build up the action and keep the audience hooked.
  
  7. What do you think the audience needs to know at the start of your film? Explain your answer.
• I think the audience need to know the main characters as the story will be based around them and it is important to establish them very early on in the film.
• I also think the main setting needs to be revealed, so an establishing shot, showing us the area that we are in and so that the audience get a feel of where the rest of the film will be shot.
• The genre needs to be clearly identified as the story will be based around this and if the audience are unclear at the start as to what the genre is then they are more likely to be confused throughout the film. 

My Film Still

1. Analyse your chosen shot and identify in what way it could be described as signifying your chosen genre?

The genre we were trying to connote was a mix between a presidential drama and thriller. Mario was supposed to be a maleficent president who rules the country in favour of him so that his every decision only makes a positive impact on him. This shot signifies our chosen genre as Mario is in the foreground and looks very powerful and evil. The fact that he's standing behind a podium also adds to this effect. The grey curtains in the background also add a sense of mystery as the audience do not know what is behind them and the slight smirk on his face suggests he's up to something. The way in which he's gripping the edges of the podium also reinstates his authority and his facial expression signifies the evil intent in his actions. The old and rustic podium also helps to add to this effect. 

2. What did you actually do to achieve this effect?

• Low angle shot to make him look very powerful 
• Mysterious and smirky facial expression to hint at his real character
• Old and rustic podium to help hint at his evilness
• Foregrounding him as the focal image makes the audience focus on just him 
• The grey curtains in the background keeps the audience wondering.

3. How did you intend the audience to 'read' or interpret you still - what meanings were you attempting to communicate?

• That there's more to this character than meets the eye
• He's evil 
• Something bad is going to happen soon and the president will be the cause behind it
• Not everyone in a powerful authoritative position will use their power for the greater good

4. Identify what is successful about your shot?

• Signifies the evil nature of Mario 
• The low angle shot makes him seem powerful 
• The composition of the shot with Mario in the foreground and the big grey curtains in the background
• The framing (mid-shot, angled) 

5. What would you do differently in hindsight?

In hindsight, I would change the lighting a bit as the high key lighting doesn't really help connote the genre. I would have half his face in light but the other half in shadow which will make it even more obvious to the audience what kinds of character he is.