Evaluation Link

My evaluation has been completed and is available at the following URL:
http://tinyurl.com/zdkxhe3

Also, below is the link to watch the final product itself:
https://youtu.be/jsdrnZCAhv0

Mise-en-scène in our movie opening

Sound:

There is very little variety in sound in our opening sequence. For the majority of the sequence, we have muted the raw audio footage and overlaid a music track. Near the end we may make use of diegetic sound to trigger the cutting off of the soundtrack, and from the end of that shot there is no sound, as the following shots are simply end credits, and obviously follow on from the cutoff.

Props:

Props only make a significant part at the end of the sequence, where out detective turns the radio off and all audio stops. Throughout the rest of the opening sequence, there is no real impact from props.

Costume:

Our detective wears a suit, to emphasise his importance and the fact that he is the main character. The detective's lover wears casual clothes, as he is clearly at home, and so wearing smart clothes would seem a bit ridiculous. The killer wears inconspicuous casual-ish clothes, and a large coat with the hood raises, in order to conceal their identity. And finally, our victim is also wearing a suit to show that he is someone of importance, and this in turn makes the crime seem worse or more significant.

Lighting:

We will be making use of natural lighting for the most part, as most of our scenes are filmed outdoors. This restricts us in a few ways, as shooting over multiple days and maintaining continuity is a challenge due to differing weather conditions.

Location:

As mentioned above and in previous blog posts, the vast majority of the shots are outside, though all exterior shots are filmed at and around Portishead marina.

Editing

In our movie opening we want to attempt to create the sense that our detective is being followed, or stalked, by the camera. We don't want to do this to incite any sort of fear, but instead use it to give the idea that no one can be trusted, and that the walls have eyes and ears. You may be able to see some of these ideas coming out in our story board. In order to create this sort of feel we want to utilise fade in and fade outs. For example we are tracking parallel to where our main character is walking and as he passes out of view and the screen is filled by a full shot of a brick wall. We will then fade out to black then back out of black in a different shot. For example the detective walking away from the camera. At the very end of the film opening we want to have again a fade to black and have a poof of steam or smoke cross the screen to reveal the title; Dark coffee. To create this effect we can use inbuilt CGI or Sony Vegas, the editing software we intend to use. Aside from some of these more complex and difficult shots we will be using normal cuts but also some cut aways from the murderer walking down a lane to her crime scene and then back again.

Draft for the script

Dark Coffee

*Fade in from black as smooth jazz begins*

*Dan is walking the streets of portishead*

Archie: Portishead …. a dirty little seaside town, once the jewel of the south west, it’s since fallen into the gutter and now swims with the same filth and villainy as our cousins over the sea. We once walked in the garden of eden amongst those perfect trees, ascended the stairs to heaven and  were held in the arms of the angel yet no more … But all is not yet lost, one man Detective Frost, on loan from scotland yard, has just arrived,  and is going to check on his lover’s well being, their love is unknown and could get them into trouble with the locals. SPeaking of the locals, the town is in a state of panic. a series of murders have taken place and the killer, or killers, are still at large The details of these murders could turn the stomach of a hardened detective. while in other news the *click …. static …. silence*

Storyboard

Story Board from M1DWAN

Gaining permission to use music

My partner (Oli Knight) contacted Garry Schyman, a massively talented composer who worked on all of the Bioshock games sound tracks as well as the sound track for the game shadow of Mordor. If he replies and allows us to use his song "Welcome to rapture" that will be the music that will appear as the backing track to the film opening.

Beginning ideas & themes

Beginning ideas and themes

Weather season:
Autum/winter
Rainy/ foggy/ overcast

Setting:
Harbour
New developments

Time period:
Present day

Characters:
Grizzeled old cop
Love interest
Criminal

Victim
Moods:
Dark & Grimy

Music:
Bioshock OST - Welcome to Rapture

Crime:
Water based
Drowning

The opening will be cutting between the murder/crime and the present day with the detective arriving and looking at the scene.