Issues During Filming.

We have now officially filmed all of our footage for our Opening Sequence. During this filming process we have encountered quite a few issues. The first issue was that we didn't have the correct number of boys to film and therefore we have had to make a few slight changes to our storyboard. Instead of filming 4 different boys from different backgrounds we have only used 3. This consequently means that we will not be using the 4 split screen. 

The next issue we found was that we could not film in the location that we initially intended to. We wanted to use a council estate but due to lack of time and organisation we were unable to. We found a alternative location that although is not exactly what we initially had in mind, reflects the same atmosphere, and similarly represents our genre. 

Soundtrack Change.

We have decided that we need a continuous soundtrack underneath our Opening Sequence, rather than different soundtracks for each character. This will help the sequence to appear more fluid, and help to attract and hold viewer attention.

Filming.

All together our filming took 3 days: On the first day of filming, we filmed our first boy. During this time, we experimented with different angles and shots. This helped us to establish what would work, and what wouldn't. For example, we found that following our character down the stairs was harder than we first anticipated, and so consequently, this shot features only for  a brief moment of time in our Opening Sequence.

During the second day of filming, we shot the next 2 characters. This meant a change of location. This day of filming went relatively smoothly, the only problem being uneven ground surface whilst filming the first of the 2 boys. Unfortunately, this is evident in our final shots. However, there were many positives taken from this shoot, including the fact that the location chosen was very aesthetically pleasing. Whilst filming the final individual shots, we found that the filming took longer than we had thought it would due to lack of concentration... 


During the third and final day of filming, it was time to bring all of the characters together in one location. Fortunately for us the weather was perfect, providing not only fantastic lighting, but a light hearted mood on set. After approximately an hour of filming, we had successfully shot all of our final scenes, and ultimately finished filming entirely.

Filming Dates.

We currently have 2 weeks left until the final deadline (March 9) for our Opening Sequence. Unfortunately, up until now we have been unable to film due to a shortage of equipment.
We plan to begin filming as soon as possible. When filming is complete we plan to use the remaining time to edit the footage. We estimate that filming should take no longer than 3 days, leaving us enough days to edit thoroughly. 

Saul Bass.

Saul Bass (May 8, 1920 – April 25, 1996) was a graphic designer and filmmaker, best known for his design of film posters and motion picture title sequences. Bass became widely known in the film industry after creating the title sequence for Otto Preminger's 'The Man With The Golden Arm' (1955). 
The subject of the film was a jazz musician's struggle to overcome his heroin addiction, a taboo subject in the mid-'50s. Bass decided to create a controversial    title sequence to match the film's controversial subject. He chose the arm as the central image, as the arm is a strong image relating to drug addiction. The titles featured an animated, white on black paper cut-out arm of a heroin addict. As he expected, it caused quite a sensation.

"You remember that the film was about drug addiction, and the symbol that is the arm, in it's jagged form express the jarring disjointed existence of the drug addict..."- Saul Bass.

"North By Northwest" - 1959.

"PSYCHO" - 1960.

"Not With My Wife, You Don't!" - 1966.

These examples of Saul's work show how he uses the genre of the film as the base for it's title font and format of the sequence... for example, "PSYCHO", the suspense/horror by Alfred Hitchcock is dark and disjointed, representing the plot to come. This is in stark contrast to the titles of "Not With My Wife You Don't!" a comedy starring Tony Curtis, which uses vivid colouring and animated characters to liven it's opening titles.   

Storyboard: Part 2.

This is the second part of our storyboard.

Mood board.

This mood board contains images and text that we will use as influences for our opening sequence. Settings such as council estates and flats, as well as groups of young people are all things we hope to include. These are representative of a social realism piece. 

Kidulthood Opening Sequence Analysis: Prezi.

Kidulthood Opening Sequence. on Prezi

We then turned our analysis into a Prezi in order to give the viewers of our blog a visual aid. Hopefully this makes the analysis clearer and easier to understand. 

Kidulthood Opening Sequence Analysis.

We chose the first 2 minutes of 'Kidulthood' as an influential opening sequence as it is a modern social realism piece that follows the lives of a group of teenagers living in London. This is much like the storyline we hope to produce in our opening sequence. We analysed titles and music etc. in detail in order to get an idea of what makes a creative and effective opening sequence.