Titanic Sweded

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Sweded Films

A Sweded film is similar to a spoof, usually using the most well known scenes in a film and summarising them to make it last no more than about five minutes. Typically, no soundtrack, titles or any other effects are added afterwards, and are all filmed with the footage.

Two examples of sweded films:

Edward Scissor Hands

Ghostbusters (from the film Be Kind Rewind)

Dexter title sequence re-edit: Evaluation

1. Summarise the conventions of title sequences that were most important to this task.
Title sequences are important for crediting the people behind the scenes as well as on screen in a film, and can also be used to help establish the genre through using a certain font, colour or technique. They should add to the sequence rather than distract the viewer from what is happening, but can be the main feature of the sequence, depending on what kind of opening it is.

2. How did your group plan to edit the title sequence? (consider timings, industry requirements etc). 
The task was simple enough for us to complete it in the one lesson we were given, so there was no need to plan out how much time to spend on each aspect of the editing. We took it in turns to do one title each at a time, rotating round our group of three. We planned on having quite a few titles as lots are needed to credit the main people involved. At the beginning of the task, we thought we should have titles constantly on the screen over the shots, but after testing this by having one credit last for two shots, we decided it looked a bit strange and so decided to only have titles over shots that lasted long enough.

3. Explain the creative decisions made by your group.
Our group agreed that we wanted the titles to portray the genre, which in this case was crime/horror/thriller. We took some inspiration from the main 'Dexter' title card at the beginning, and decided to use a grungy font in a dark red, a colour which reflects the violence of the programme and ties in with the bloody images featured in the title shots. The actual footage was a very important part to this sequence and we didn't want to distract from it too much, so we decided that the best place for most titles would be the bottom or the corners of the screen. They were still visible, but it is obvious that they are not intended to be the main focus.

 4. How does your re-edit compare to the original?
Our edit fits the genre well and our ideas were creative, but I think that the original title sequence is more effective. The original uses different transitions for each title and a simpler font, which doesn't distract the eye as much as ours does, and the transitions we chose to use were all simple fade ins and fade outs, which aren't as creative or interesting. The original also contains more titles than our version due to time constraints, and I think this adds to its effectiveness as it is more informative, which is one of the main purposes of a title sequence. However, our titles are more continuous in size and placement and so flow better throughout the sequence.

Preliminary Task Evaluation

1) Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?

Our task was to plan, film and edit a sequence that includes continuity techniques. I worked with Audrey and Brandon, and although none of us were keen on being the actors at first we eventually decided that they would play the characters in our scene as they study Drama. This left most of the camera work and directing to me, except for when filming the shots Brandon wasn't in and he took over the camera. While planning, we made sure each member of our group had their ideas heard, and that everyone was happy with each aspect before moving on. We divided the editing between us equally to make sure that we all experienced using the software and contributing to the finished product.

2) How did you plan your sequence? What processes did you use? What theories did you try to take in to account?
We started by discussing our ideas, which at first were non-existent, but we agreed that we wanted a sequence that appears to be of a serious genre, but turns out to be comedy. Eventually it was Brandon who came up with the idea for the character's dialogue to be taken from song lyrics and spoken dramatically. The song we chose was We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together by Taylor Swift, the lyrics of which are very well known, so the audience will know straight away that it is intended to be funny. This also meant that our sequence was really easy to script and so overall, the planning didn't take us very long.
We drew the storyboard bit by bit as we checked first that the shots would work in the space we planned to use. From our storyboard we devised a shot list and a shoot board so that it was clear to all of us which shots we needed to film and how many different set ups were needed for those shots.
While planning our shots we tried to take in to account what was needed for a continuity sequence to flow well, such as match on action and sticking to the 180 degree/30 degree rule. We found that we had to make adjustments from some of our original shot ideas as they broke these rules and would have ruined the narrative flow.

3) What technology did you use to complete the task, and how did you use it?
The equipment we used to film our shots were: a Canon HV30 camera, a tripod, headphones, a shotgun microphone and a clapperboard. As I was the only member in my group not acting, my role largely involved operating this equipment, but as I had used similar equipment for GCSE Media projects I didn't find it too challenging.
Editing using Adobe Premier Pro was fairly simple. We imported our clips, selected the best take of each shot, cut them down using in points and out points, and dragged them in to the right order on the timeline. We had to watch it through a number of times to make sure it flowed nicely, which it did after we had made some changes. Then we played about with the grading until we were happy with the colour, rendered it and exported. The main principles of it are similar to editing software I had used before, but I found it useful to be able to expand my editing skills.

4)What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?
When planning our sequence we had to carefully plan where to place the camera to get the right angles and/or distance for the shots we wanted. Most shots worked out fine without needing to make any changes, and for others it just meant moving tables and chairs out of the way.
While filming, we had to take in to account that the two other groups in our class also needed to film shots in the entrance to the media block, and so we had to organise our time well and film our shots efficiently so as not to delay other the groups' schedules. Working with time constraints wasn't much of a problem for our group as actually finished with time to spare. Another factor we had to take in to account when filming was the microphone picking up extra background noise, so we made sure that people not being filmed were quiet and didn't affect the sound in the shot being filmed.
Some of the shots we had planned to use didn't work as well as we had hoped when we came to edit them, and so some we scrapped and some we substituted with a shot from a different angle or a different take.

5)How successful was your sequence? Please identify what worked well, and with hindsight, what would you improve/do differently?
Our sequence was quite successful as we managed to abide by the rules of continuity for the most part. For example, the two shots of Audrey walking through the door, one from outside the room and one from inside, present good match on action, and I would say that our use of shot reverse sot links the dialogue well, without any overlapping or gaps. However, at some points such as at 00:12 seconds, where we broke the rules of continuity. It cuts from a shot where Brandon's arms are folded to one of a different angle where they are open, which is confusing for the audience and may distract from the effectiveness of the sequence. Therefore, in hindsight, we should have rehearsed the character's movements as well as the dialogue to ensure that we could match up the shots.
If we were to do something differently, I would have planned more interesting shots to open with, as the wide shot is pretty basic and I don't think we were challenging ourselves to be as creative as we could be.

6)What have you learnt from completing this task? Looking ahead, how will this learning be significant when completing the rest of your foundation coursework, do you think?
I have learnt that the rules of continuity seem simple in theory, but are a lot more effort to stick to when put in to practice. This, however, has helped me to understand the importance of continuity and I will be able to use the techniques learned in this to benefit future projects.

Art of the Title Grid Activity

Our film, The Art of Alchemy, is a thriller which follows the life of a school boy experimenting in a secret lab to create a drug which could potentially prolong human life. The opening introduces the protagonist and the main setting of the film, and suggests the genre to be a mix of thriller, crime and horror. It also shows the audience who was involved in making the film and ends with the title being revealed.

The font used for the titles is fairly simple so as not to distract from the shots in the opening, which provide most of the information. The colours used establishes the tone of the film by representing two main themes in the story: dark and perhaps disturbing.

The opening is intended to be ambiguous in order to intrigue the audience. Most of the shots are close ups which focus the eye on important information without revealing to much; this keeps the audience's attention as they want to find out more about the character and the plot.

Three things that we included in the grid that are important to the construction of an opening sequence:

• We opened with an establishing shot of Louis entering a room underground which tells the audience that he is a main character and suggests that the dark underground room is an important location in the film.
• The close up shots of objects in the lab and the angles used establish the genre as they are supposed to make the viewer feel uncomfortable, which is typical of the thriller genre. This sets the tone for the rest of the film.
• The titles naming the director, producer, actor and the film title are very important to the film as they inform the audience who helped to create the film and revealing the title gives the audience more clues as to what the film is about.

Film opening continuity analysis

• The scene opens with a wide shot which establishes where the scene is set, what time of day, etc. This moves in to a tracking shot to follow the carriages, which shows that they are a main focus in the scene.
• The camera zooms in to the carriage to show to characters sitting face to face. The side the characters are shown from doesn't change throughout the opening sequence and so doesn't break the 180-degree rule, which is essential for continuity.
• Then there are close-up shots of the characters loading their guns to show that it is significant; they are preparing for something. This gives the viewer an idea of what is going on as there is no dialogue to convey the story.
• The next few shots are a sequence of cross cutting between  tracking shots of the main character, Sherlock, running from or towards something, and the shots following the carriages. The tracking shot allows the viewer to follow the story as it happens and the cross cutting suggests that the two separate scenes are happening simultaneously. 
• Match on action is used between a shot of Sherlock jumping off a wall and the shot it cuts to, of him landing. This is helpful because it means the story can flow easily while still using a variety of different shots and types of framing.

Accident Sequence - Continuity

a) What techniques did you specifically use to create continuity (narrative flow) in your accident sequence?

The first shot is a pan following Matt walking down a corridor. This establishes the setting and focuses on at least one of the main characters so that the viewer knows the story will take place in a school and that this character is involved.

The second shot shows Seb's feet as he is running down the stairs, which creates suspense for the viewer as they haven't seen this character's face yet, and also adds pace to the narrative as he is obviously in a hurry.

The next shot cross-cuts back to an over the shoulder shot of Matt, still walking down the corridor, to show his point of view of the situation. The feel of this shot is calmer and slower paced, which helps to convey that the two scenes are happening separately.

Then it cuts to a wide shot which shows the corridor and the stairs, and the characters bumping in to each other. This puts in to perspective for the viewer where the shot is taken in relation to where the characters were before.

The last shot is a low angle shot that shows Matt lying on the floor where he was knocked down and Seb running away. This shows the outcome of the 'accident' and finishes off the story we were trying to tell.

b) In hindsight, what could you do to improve the continuity of the sequence?

I would change the type of shot we used for the final shot as it isn't clear that Seb is running in the same direction he was running in in previous shots. I would also use a wide shot to establish the location rather than a panning shot as it provides more information about the setting and could be used as a master shot to cut back to, to make it obvious where everything is happening.