Types of Typography used in Titles

In media the use of typography and titles can be key to making or breaking an audiences attention withing seconds. Picking the right typography for your titles is really important, the aesthetics have to just right to make the rigth impact on the audience. If the titles dont fit or look weird it can cause the film/program to look cheap or like it has had very little effort put into it. That is not what you want your audience to think when they are first seeing your film!

Your titles can also set the atmosphere for the film. If the titles are pink with curvy typography then the audience can have the preconception that it is more then likely going to be a romance film. Where as on the other hand, horror films are going to be harsh, bold and more than likely in various shades of red and black.

This video shows typography throughout the years:

Film production

A production logo is a special logo that they use to produce and advertise a film. By showing this to the audience they know that it is a creation of theirs. This logo is how they are identified.

Examples:

Plot diagram

Shows each stage in a film and where they come throughout the film.

BBFC

Insurgent codes and conventions

Conventions of a film opening	Codes used to convey this convention (e.g. technical, symbolic, written)
The Hook!	The hook for me happens when I see the establishing shit showing the city of Chicago in ruins. This tells me that there had been something very serious happened. The slow music and narration that are also in this part help to make the audience understand why the city looks the way it does.
Set the scene (time? Setting?)	In the future. It quickly tells the audience about what the film is about as well as showing images to back this up. It is also clear that it is in the future because we know that this is not how Chicago look now.
Introduce characters	Kate Winslet is the first actor seen. She is the biggest, well known star  in the film. She is the narrator at this point in the film, telling the audience about the situation.
Introduce the genre	The genre is shown through the ruins of the city. The sci-fi feel is clear as soon as things appear on the screen because the first image is made from pixels. The action genre is also shown when it cuts to inner city shots at 40 seconds in.
Credits	The credits appear on the screen in a white font. These are all production credits. these appear at the beginning of the openings and then at the end the title of the film comes on 'INSURGENT'.

19th November 2015

Today we had a team meeting to discuss our storyline. We wanted to establish what we were going to do shots wise as well as possible locations and routes to get to those locations. We also discussed different technical points for each shot.

19th November 2015

Today we met up and discussed the basic outline for the film opening. We drew up a story board and plans for what possible shots we could have and places things would be set up in the room. We did this before writing up a script.

Understanding the importance of sound in films

Diegetic sound - Sound that comes from an object and that exists within the world of the text. Music coming from a car stereo for example.

Non diegetic sound - Sound that does not exist in the world of the text. A musical soundtrack for example.

On screen sound - Diegetic sound that comes from objects observable within the frame.

Off screen sound - Diegetic sound that comes from objects not seen within the frame. For example, the sound of a car approaching a house on the road outside as we view the interior.

Parrallel sound (synchronous) - Sound or music which matches the kind of action on the screen, for example a romantic ballad during a love scene.

Contrapuntal sound (asynchronous) - Sound or music which does not match the action on the screen, for example an upbeat piece of music during a sad scene.

Understanding editing in films

Action match - Matching the two actions together e.g walking down the stairs.

Continuity - The action carries on, continuous.

Cross cutting - Alternating scenes that are happening at the same time but in different locations. The pace gradually gets faster and tension builds.

Cutaways - An action, a different action or scene and then back to the original action.

Cutting - To show realism, for example in conversations.

Dissolve - Where an image appears underneath another so both can be seen until there is just one.

Ellipsis - To take out the boring parts.

Eyeline Match - 3 shots, 1. characters face, 2. what they are looking at, 3. their reaction.

Fade in, fade out - Fades slowly into black and the next shot is shown.

Graphic Match - When 2 shots match graphically, often with an over lap transition, e.g Red traffic light turning into the sun.

Insert - Inserting a different shot from a different angle, doesnt cover the master shot. (acts as extra information)

Jump cut - To shorten a scene, e.g going down the stairs.

Long take - Creates a slower pace and conveys intensity and intimacy.

Non continuity - A miss match of scenes.

Parallel editing - 2 shots showing at once.

Post production - the editing after shooting.

Short take - Quick action shots (2 seconds). Conveys urgency e.g chase sequence.

Shot/reverse shot - Switching between 2 shots to show a conversation.

Slow motion - A shot is slowed down.

Superimposition - When 1 image is laid on top of another.

Visual effects - Distortion of the image for effect.

Wipe - A bar either horizontally or vertically come across the screen and the scene changes with the bar.

Understanding camera angles and movement in films

Establishing Shot (EST)

• This establishes where the action takes place and sets the scene
• Often an exterior shot
• Usually a wide shot 

Wide Shot (WS)

• Often but not always used as an establishing shot
• The point of this shot is to show the subject's surroundings

Long Shot (LS)

• A shot which shows all or most of a fairly large subjects, for example a person and usually much of the surroundings

Medium Long Shot (MLS)

• Knees to head with some background

Medium Shot (MS)

• Waist to head

Medium Two Shot (M2S)

• Similar to a MS but with two people

Medium Close Up (MCU)

• Head and shoulders

Close Up (CU)

• Shows a characters face
• Used to show emotion

Big Close Up (BCU)

• Forehead to chin
• Used to show extreme emotion

Extreme Close Up (ECU)

• A very tight shot, for example someone's eye or a door handle

Over The Shoulder (OTS)

• Used during a conversation
• MCU and the other persons shoulder/head/back etc

Overhead Shot (OH)

• Camera will be directly over the objects/actors

High Angle (H/A)

• Could be used to make the object/person look powerless

Low Angle (L/A)

• Could be used to make the object/person powerful

Deep Shot (DS)

• When something is in the foreground and something else is in the background

The role of different people on the titles

Producer - plays a vital role in the television, film and video industries. A producer will over see each project from start to finish and may also be involved in the marketing and distribution of the piece

Executive producer - to over see the work of the producer on behalf of the studio, the financiers or the distributors. They will make sure that the film is complete on time, within budget and to agreed artistic and technical standards.

Casting director - organises the casting of actors for all the roles in a film. This involves working closely with the director and producer to understand their requirements and suggesting ideal artists for each role, as well as arranging and conducting interviews and auditions.

Cinematographer - the chief over the camera crews working on a film and television and is responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions.

Costume designer - a fashion professional who is responsible for creating the look and mood for actors in film, television and stage.

Production designer - responsible for the visual concept of a film, television or theatre production. They create a design for sets, locations, graphics, props, lighting, camera angles and costume while working closely with the director and producer.

Screenwriter - produce highly creative writing to strict deadlines. They work with a script development team to create a finished product. Sometimes producers bring in an additional screenwriter to improve parts of the screenplay.

Editor - polishes and refines the shots and directs the focus of the story or article or movie along a particular course. They cut out what doesn't fit to the story. They enhance major points and draw attention to places where the audience should look.

Composer - writes and directs original music to produce aural entertainment. The scores written need to be technically correct in order to create flawless performances by the musicians and ensembles. 

Set designer - in charge of designing and creating the sets that appear in films, on television as well as in theatre. The role involves working and communicating with directors, producers, costumes designers and other members of staff.

Actor - plays a character in film, television or theatre. There are main actors and extras who appear in the background to usually make the scene more realistic.

Director - directs the making of the film. Generally controls a films artistic and dramatic aspects and visualises the script while telling the technical crew and actors what to do.

Preliminary Exercise

We included all 3 techniques:

• Match on action: When I was going into my locker to get a folder
• 180 degree rule: It appear through out because I always walked from left to right and was shown during shot/reverse shot
• Shot/reverse shot: This was shown during the conversation between Kelbie and I

However the transitions were not smooth and there was some continuity when a different arm went to open the door at the beginning. Next time I will make sure this is correct and the continuity is smooth.

Codes and Conventions

Codes:

Media students identify three categories of codes that may be used to

convey meanings in media messages:

TECHNICAL CODES Include camera techniques, framing, depth of field, Mise en scene, editing,  lighting and sound.

SYMBOLIC CODES Refers to objects, setting, body language, clothing and colour.

WRITTEN CODES In the form of headlines, captions, speech bubbles and language style.

Conventions:

Conventions are the generally accepted ways of doing something, in the case of media texts, they are generally accepted patterns of code that communicate a particular message.

There are general conventions in any medium, such as the use of quotes in a print article, but conventions are also genre specific. For example, in Westerns fights scenes are generally shot from a low angle, the setting is usually dusty and desolate, even the sounds used within the scene are conventional, such as castanets, or some sort of whistle.

The purpose: The purpose of a film opening is to show action and begin the viewers interest so they get immediately hooked into the film. The film opening will also clearly state the genre of the film, you will also most likely see either the protagonist or antagonist.

Timing conventions: Most film openings are around 2 minutes long. However major blockbusters may be up to 5 minutes.

Set the scene Year of setting, location etc.

Introduce the key characters: Protagonist, Antagonist, sidekick etc.

Introduce pre plot or beginning of the narrative. Establishes platform/ scene.

Key credits Such as production company, logos and director.

Usually starts with equilibrium. A key event will occur. 

Titles for The Conjuring

The text is skinny and all in capitals, possibly a Calibri font. The font appears in both black and white and is shown over old photos and newspaper articles. All of the titles are shown over a projector that lights them up, giving us a clearer image. The images shown are also in black and white. Each title either fades in and out or is placed onto the projector, one on top of the other. Some of the titles are obvious but others look as if they are part of the background text already shown. The whole title sequence has a worn out effect and scratches on the projector and some individual slides.

Main exercise

The titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of 2 minutes.

180 Degree rule

For the 180 Degree rule an imaginary line is created which is perpendicular to the cameras view point and called the axis. The axis connects two characters and the camera always stays on one side of it for each shot in the scene. The camera can only move 180 degrees along the axis. Breaking this rule is referred to as 'crossing the line'. Crossing the line can cause confusion for the audience due to the image being flipped meaning that if two characters are shown from the front and the rule is then broken, the character who was originally on the right would now be on the left. This could also mean that the characters eye lines would not match in both shots. Because the rule had been broken the other character looks like they are looking in the wrong direction in which they should be looking
An example of this is:

Shot / Reverse shot

Shot and Reverse shot is a technique that is most commonly use in conversation. It shows one character looking at another and then the second character is seen to look back. This camera technique is used when characters are facing each other; each shot normally includes the back of the head of the character in which they are speaking to, this is seen due to the camera being behind one of their shoulders. 

Examples of Shot and Reverse shot:

Match on action

Match on action consists of two or more shots that connect together. This is where a characters action is broken up into different shots, often coming from a different perspective than the previous. This is a simple yet effective technique that is used a lot due to it preventing any disruption in the scene, this will mean that it will continue to flow smoothly.
An example of match on action would be :

Preliminary exercise

Produce a continuity exercise which involves a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom the exchange a couple of lines of dialogue. The task should demonstrate;

• Match on action
• Shot/reverse shot
• 180 degree rule