Film company logos

I looked at the variety of different film companies, and noted that these are the first thing you are presented with and they give the company the film is made by as well as making the audience aware of the genre. I looked at common themes that state them as production company logos and analysed the differences between them that make them so iconic and distinguishable.

Similarities I found where that many featured an image in conjunction with text, which not only makes it more memorable but also more exciting and eye catching. I found that all the text anchored the image. An example would be ‘DreamWorks’ which features a picture of a boy fishing off the moon, this is rather make-believe and anchors the idea of dreams. A further example would be ‘Focus features’ which presents the background of circles which are out of focus. Also much of the text is short and simple so therefore this makes it very bold blunt and memorable. This is key as would make people remember and hopefully watch further films made by them. An example of this would be like ‘Universal’ and ‘Paramount’ which are easy and simple words. Moreover the images that are used are rather unreal and create a sense that you are entering another world whereby anything is achievable. For example the iconic image of the flying horse in the clouds for ‘Tristar’. Also may of the logos are central perhaps giving them prominence and importance. An example would be ‘Lionsgate’ whereby the text is located in the middle of the screen. As well this the text is always horizontal perhaps making it easy to read like ‘Pathe’. Another common trait is the use of colour. Usually at the most 4 colours are used and the colours are mainly primary colours. Blue it’s the most commonly used colour featured in mainly like ‘DreamWorks’ and ‘New line cinema’.

They do have differences though like a variety of different fonts are used. Some fonts are rather bold like ‘Miramax’ whereas some are more fluid and soft like ‘Paramount’. The text also varies in size with some being small like ‘working title’ in contrast to some being a lot larger like ‘Europia’. A further difference is that they represent varying genre backgrounds like ‘Warner independent pictures’ represent thriller and horror ideas with the use of black, red and sharp edges whereas ‘Walt Disney pictures’ represents a family genre shown by light colours and soft edges as well as a fairy-tale castle.  

Film titles

Credits of a film are very important not only are they located at the end of the film but also at the beginning. Even since the 1980s, the film’s opening titles usually highlighted the major actors and crew where the ending credits featured the extensive cast and crew, this is still followed today. The titles are either laid over the picture or featured in a separate sequence at the end. The titles are in a specific order allowing for the audience to become aware of the different roles in the making and producing of the film in an order of importance. The conventional order is as follows: studio, production company, director and the main actors.
The title in any film has great importance and therefore I researched and analysed various titles  enabling me to get some inspiration for my own. Not only is the name import but also how it is first disabled to the audience in the opening sequence.

The title can set the tone for a screenplay as well as giving people a reason to see it. An excellent title indicates what the movie entails and should make the audience wish to watch it. I discovered that an unsuccessful title is one that makes you question the genre of the film.I found some movie titles just describes the character’s name like ‘Wall.e’, ‘Anne Hall’ and ‘Barry Linton’. These Titles enable the potential audience to know the character but not necessary what their involvement or what the storyline is. However unless it states a famous name then this is still very misleading and can be misinterpreted. Or a title might give you the type of people it involves rather than specifics like ‘The Warriors’, ‘Gladiator’ or ’12 Angry men’. This allows the audience to gather a bit more as hints to you perhaps the type of story you’re about to watch- ‘Gladiator’ will undoubtedly involve fighting. Also I found some title just state the setting or location like ‘The apartment’ and ‘Titanic’. This give the audience the background yet leaves it to the audience to imagine what may occur there. Like ‘The apartment’ intrigues the audience to wonder what can occur in an apartment. Some also state the time when the film was set like ‘2012’ which when released in 2010  it attracted the audience to watch due to the film related to is something that could occurs within their lifetime. These intrigue the audience but give little away. Other titles describe the atmosphere. An example would be ‘There will be blood’ which is clearly going to involve pain.
I have discovered a successful title tells the potential audience just enough about your story to intrigue them without revealing too much. I have decided to call my film ‘Dead end’. I decided this as felt this gives the audience the set atmosphere of death and entrapment but leaves it much to the audience to pick it apart and understand further connections.
The presentation of the title in the opening sequence is also key. Overall I found some key trends like the use of specific colours can reveal the genre- the use of red is commonly used in bloody horror titles like ‘Scream’ and 'Evil dead'. Also the size of the font is usually large leading the audience to focus on it. I analysed some specific film titles. I looked at ‘Hot fuzz’s’ title. The title is wrote in silver which shows authority and perhaps as it has a reflect looks like a metal or a gun; this could show authority and perhaps conflict. Also the fount is in capitals again showing authority and power perhaps showing during the film there is a power struggle. A police badge forms the centre or the ‘o’ this reaves the police involvement and because it features in the title then perhaps this is a very key part. The background the font is laid on is black which signals evil and darkness as well as the unknown. The dark is used in many horror and thriller films and therefore perhaps relates part of the film to these genres. The police badge and the use of fuzz (a derogatory slang word for police) in the title anchor the police reference fully. Hot could have several meaning however perhaps relating to police being hot on the chance or on the other end of the spectrum that police are ‘hot’!I also analysed the title of ‘Wild child’ which is in capitals and has the colour scheme of gold and purple. The title also follows typical traits of chick flicks with easy to read thick writing. The capitals could represent the ‘child’s’ importance in the narrative. The gold and purple reflect the genre of a chick flick and perhaps females are the main characters, as purple is classed as quite a feminine colour. The gold could show that money is a key aspect within the film. ‘Wild’ appears to label the ‘child’ and therefore the idea of recklessness becomes perhaps a feature in the film. I also analysed ‘Scream’ whereby the opening sequences cuts to a black screen and the title appears on the screen central. This gives it great strength and forces the audience’s attention on this. The black background also gives a sense of the unknown or not everything is revealed. The text font has a rather jagged edge giving it the appearance of being battered or hurt. It also is written in capitals and appears as if it is giving you a demand. Inceptions title is very clever in the way it incorporates various lines to create the outline. The lines could show confusion and a lack of direction much replicating a maze and could show that the film is full of confusion. This could perhaps show a journey and perhaps a thriller. The colour of black used to in the background shows there is unknown concepts within the film and adds to the mystery. The font seems to be cut into the background creating a three dimensional image making it very  ‘Inception’ indicates cutting something up and has a future reference.

Lonely hearts is another film title I analysed this pictures a very lonely image as the black could represent emptiness. and isolation. The white text is all in capitals perhaps indication the boldness and the power of the heart. the title gives little away and does not indication the characters gender or personalities furthermore the text in centred perhaps again fixing the idea of loneliness and vulnerability. as the colour is mainly black this indicates the film has a dark message and therefore a horror or thriller.  

Risk Assessment

Production schedule

Task	What	Deadline
Storyboard	Draw story board and scan to put on blog.	01/02/13
Script	Radio reporter dialogue	05/02/13
Casting	Look at who will be able to play the roles and make sure they can attend the dates they are required	11/02/13
Filming	How Where What Who What equipment Medium shoot, zoom, extreme long shot  pan Quarry 2-7, 12-20 Nick, Liz Camera, Stand Close up shot, horizontal tracking, focus pull, POV, Handheld Quarry 8-11, 20-28 Nick, Liz Camera, stand Voice over House 1 Nick Camera	When 23/03/13 24/03/13 6/04/13
Editing	Upload all footage	25/03/13
	Edit each clip with the editing software	5/04/13
	Upload the music	6/04/13
	All editing finished	12/04/13
Evaluation		26/04/13

The script

Radio reporter: We interrupt this programme with an important update

                        More reports state the infected are attacking the healthy

                        Subsequently the epidemic spreading rapidly

                        The outlook is bleak,

                        Fight for your life,

                        It’s survival of the fittest

The pitch

A black screen is presented. Then my 'Foreign body studios' logo will appear. The soundtrack then quietly begins and the voiceover of a radio broadcast plays; this is panicked and describe that an infection has spread. It then straight cuts to a medium shot of a 'dead end' road sign. From now the music will louden and create the background to the opening throughout. A cut then presents a barren land, the continuing soundtrack will then increase in volume, whereby a single man is walking across he will be in the distance and there will be little movement apart from him.  He is going to be the only person left, or so he feels, who has not been contaminated. It then quickly cuts to multiple shots showing damaged locations, and images that further indicate the loss of life and activity. We then see the camera pan round as it shows more barren land again stapling he is lonelness. Close ups of his feet will show his constant movement and travel which adds tension making the audience believe he his heading into imminent danger. Then it cuts to perspective shots where he is running frantically and panicked, from the previous link of the radio report, the image of the eye and various other shot we gather that the zombie is the danger and that is what he is running from. Despite never fully seeing him we are aware of his presents through a cut to his perspective running after him, the tinted red screen will be symbolic of his perspective. The non diegetic music has increased in pace, frequency and tempo making it frantic. This builds but the protagonist then finds himself in a predicament when he reaches a cliff wall leaving him nowhere to go and at a 'Dead end'. Silence overwhelms creating an almost out of body event, and an exaggerated heart beat will play. Then it cuts to the title 'Dead end'.

I decided this idea over my others as felt it was more effective to focus on the narrative and camera angles rather then the characters to grasp the sense of a thriller. Furthermore I feel that it is less complicated than the other storyline and therefore I feel I can complete it more effectively. I also like the idea because it is full of suspension and intensity and I feel the audience will then be grasped into wanting more.