Children's Film: Final Opening Sequence

Children's Film: Editing Day 3

We finished the editing process today. All the cuts were finished yesterday, so we added in the transitions and music and sound effects. We decided to put all of the audio files into one Garageband file so that we could simply cut it in Final Cut Express, and would prevent us from having to import multiple files. Credits and a title have also been added giving the names of Director, Producer, Editor etc.

Now that the editing process is complete we have our footage cut and flowing, with credits, music and sound effects all at appropriate times. We have made sure that the music/sound effects doesn't overpower the dialogue parts of the sequence, and have decided to subtly lower the music when dialogue begins.

Adding credits

I mentioned earlier, in a post here, that we would have to check that the classification of the film. Going back to our post on classification, we have decided that the best classification for our opening sequence is PG. Earlier I thought that we may need to change the classification to U, however, looking back at the classification rules PG is more suitable. This is because the threats represented by the villain show no outcome, and mild discrimination is shown in the reality school scene when the apple is thrown out of Jeremy's hand. Therefore PG is more suitable, and it's better to choose this classification to be safe.

Note: Our classification is PG.

BLOG OF THE WEEK!

Congratulations! You are blog of the week for this week. Your blog is detailed and varied, so keep up the good work.

Tanya

Children's Film: Editing Day 2

Adding a Transition.

Toady we finished off any cutting we needed to complete, along with the soundtrack and sound effects. We found that after cutting we found that we needed to further cut footage to make the sequence 2 minutes. We were also able to add some transitions in to make the sequence more active and interesting, however, we have not completed this yet.

Well on schedule, but in our final editing day we need to consider the following: credits at the opening, importing soundtrack and sound effects, adding more transitions and adding any other finishing touches to the sequence.

Children's Film: Editing Music

We worked on the music and sound effects for our children's film. First we did research on the kind of music used in children films and what techniques are used in chase scenes. We then took these ideas and incorporated them into our music.

We used GarageBand and found clips of music that we felt fit with our video and made it slightly comical to help lighten the mood and make it more family friendly. we added in fills in the drums and piano solos to keep the music interesting and to add dynamics to our piece.

We also made music for our 'western-style scene' where their is a confrontation between the two supernatural characters. For this we researched more films and examples of old western-films. For example,  the iconic scene in "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" which you can see below. We then went back to GarageBand and found music to best suite our scene. Sound effects were also found on GarageBand. For example, the sound effect when the main character wakes from his dream and the background noise in the corridor.

Our music on GarageBand

Children's Film: Editing Day 1

Today we began our editing process, and also began to create the music the soundtrack and sound effects for our sequence.

The most important thing which we began to do today was cutting the footage up. This ensured that we had a flowing sequence of different shots, this will enable us to add in any transitions of effects that we need later. The footage was originals about 6 minutes in total as we had filmed the same shots several times to ensure that we got the best we could, after finishing all the cutting we have about 2 - 3 minutes. Our aim is to get the opening sequence as close to 2 minutes as possible.

Cut footage

 We also began to create the soundtrack and effects for the sequence. Three pieces of music are needed: the chase scene (which also the music used for opening the sequence), a western style piece, and some background music or sound effects for the reality/school scene at the end. Sound effects will be used at different point in the sequence to show the magic weapons, and the transition from dream to reality via the main character waking up. All the soundtrack and sound effects will be created using Garageband so the music is all original.

Editing the Time-line.

Children's Film: Filming Day 2

During filming day two we completed our the rest of the filming. As we have completed the superhero scene, in which the main character is dreaming, we are now able to move onto reality in a school environment. In the filming on day two we were able to film the classroom scene, where our main character wakes up from his dream. We then see a short corridor scene, which includes the 'apple' which we saw in the previous superhero scene. This will enable the audience to see that this character is in-fact the same character as before - just in a different situation/scene. During the corridor scene the apple is destroyed by an by-passer which shows the destruction of hope for the main character. The opening sequence ends shortly after this.

Overall we managed to complete this quickly as the shots were fairly short. We have tried to use a variety of angles to show hierarchy between the teacher and student, we have also used panning, and some different shot distances. From both days of filming I believe that we have used a huge variety of techniques which will make the opening sequence more interesting for the young audience.

We finished the filming day by importing/capturing our footage from the camera onto the computer, which we will be editing in upcoming lessons.

Children's Film: Filming Day 1

Today we began filming our children's film opening sequence. So far we are right on schedule and have been able to finish all of our superhero scene. We were very careful to follow our plan as closely as possible, and tried to use a wide range of angles and locations.

Before our filming began we sorted out the costumes, which I have posted about here. We all brought in a range of different items to create the costumes, which I think have turned out really well.

From filming today I think that our classification might need to be changed from PG to U. This is because we have not used any discrimination and have used minimal violence, and so I believe that the opening sequence would better fit into the U classification. We will later confirm this.

Children's Film: Costumes

As earlier discussed we need to create some costumes for our superhero and villain. Today we all brought in superhero items and possible costumes parts to dress our actors in. We also remembered to get the 'magic-apple' ready for filming on both days, and also the burger which we would need for the villain.

On the right you can see a photo of our superhero. The clothing is very bright coloured, this will immediately engage and attract the young audience. It also follows a theme of red and white, these are colors which the audience can then relate to later. It might even relate well to the apple which is also typically red. The superhero also wears a gold mask, this protects his identity without completely covering his face, the young children will be able to understand who this character is later on when he's out of this dream. The cape is quite a stereotypical part of a superhero costume, for example, like Superman. Some young children will immediately relate our superhero with Superman, and for some this might even be the item of clothing that disguises them as a superhero. Our actor, George, is also wearing a wig. The reason for this is that later the superhero will be seen as an everyday student, but he's a bit of an outsider and so we are using this wig so he is easily distinguishable.


Later our superhero exits the scene, and will still be wearing the wig so that the young audience can remember who this character is. It's extremely important that we make the transition from the superhero scene to the real-life scene as smooth and obvious as possible, or at least as evil.

We also had a villain, he is wearing a evil-scientist style lab coat, glasses, devil horns, and a black cape which create this 'Dr Evil' effect. The devil horns are probably the item which make tell the audience that this is a villain. This scientist-style look is very stereotypical of villains. Frankenstein is an example, however small children are extremely unlikely to have watched this. The villain's weapon is a burger, this is crucial to our plot as it teaches a moral - healthy eating.

Later on our villain will be reusing the lab coat and glasses when he plays a teacher character. Again the audience will be able to relate to where the main character got this dream from.

Children's Film: Health & Safety (Filming)

Here are some guidelines which we considered when we were filming:

• Other classes - do not make too much noise.
• Location - Safe and appropriate places
• Traffic - Be aware of the traffic going through car park

Here are the guidelines we considered regarding use of the equipment:

• Keep all equipment together
• Carry everything in it's case
• Make sure the tape is rewound before you begin taping
• Capture shots more than once
• Don't leave the camera switched on, as this wastes battery

Children's Film: Target Audience

Our children's film will be aimed at both male and females, as it has aspects within it that will appeal to both genders, especially the comical aspects and the storyline. Our film is a PG (Parental Guidance) but will be bordering Universal (U), this means that the film can be enjoyed by all ages, especially as our film is aimed at a younger audience around the ages 5-10 years old. The reasoning behind this is that whilst the action is filmed in a comedic way, the action brings a 'Mild Threat' level of violence which is acceptable for a Universal (U) classification as well as a Parental Guidance (PG) certification.

The target audience will be interested in school life and they may also be concerned about bullying, as many of the audience would have recently started school. The film brings across the issues of bullying
to condemn bullying, this provides a moral message for children that bullying is wrong. This is not the only moral message that the opening sequence will teach the young audience, there is also morals of justice, good vs bad, and personal growth as a character.

Children's Film: Script

It's very important that we have some dialogue in our opening sequence, and so in this post we will be planning the script for the characters. This is going to be greatly helpful when we begin filming next week. Until shot 10 there will be no dialogue, simply music and possibly some sound effects. When we reach the western-style showdown dialogue will obviously begin, it continues through into the next part of the sequence taking place in the classroom.

Villain: Nowhere to run now.
Hero: You will never defeat me.
Villain: Oh yes I will you snibering child.
Hero: Yeah but you forgot about my magic apple  (apple appears in his hand)
Villain: ...Luckily I am prepared this time (burger appears in his hand)
Hero: No!!!
Villain: All you have to do is eat the burger. (repeats)

Scene fades to black. The villain's words echo as we enter a classroom with a boy sleeping on his desk.  It appears that there is no-one else in the room.

Teacher: (Walks over to boy)...Jeremy... Jeremy.
Jeremy: What? (waking up)
Teacher: Jeremy, you fell asleep. Class has finished.
Jeremy: Oh...really? (looks around classroom)
Teacher: Yes, it's lunch time. (picks up burger)
Jeremy: (Looks at teacher in shock, looks like the villain)

Jeremy exits the classroom. Walks down a corridor, and gets an apple out of his bag. It's knocked about of his hand by someone else.

This is just a basic idea of how the script will go. Obviously, whoever plays the superhero will be the boy in the classroom, and the villain will be the teacher.

Children's Film: Shot List

Here is a the list of shots that we shall be using in our sequence. The shot list contains information on the shot framing, the action that takes place in that shot and other mise-en-scene information such as props, costume and location. We created a shot-list because, for example if Sam, who drew the storyboard was unable to be with us to film, then this provides an accurate description of what we need to film what the shot should look like and what what should mise-en-scene should look like.

Childrens Film: Chase Sequence Ideas

The Chase sequence that will appear in our sequence is inspired by a Benny Hill show, a British TV comedy show that appeared between 1951 and 1991 which involved slapstick comedy in their sketches
which were reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin and Keystone kops which both appeared in the early 20th century. Below is an example of a Charlie Chaplin chase scene from 1928.



As we can see in this chase scene. It involves a lot of slapstick comedy and sped-up action to create a more humorous tone.  

This scene has been re-created many times in many different TV shows and movies. Notably Scooby-doo, the Children's TV show often involved this scene in many of their episodes. Below is a recreation of this sequence by the Childrens TV show, Scooby doo.



As we can see in the Scooby-doo re-creation also involves sped up shots and a bit of slapstick comedy as well to create a humorous and comedic effect.


As we can tell from analysing the two different sequences to make a effective chase scene, then it should Involve up-beat music, sped-up shots, humorous slapstick comedy and the sequence should also be edited to provide humorous narrative during the sequence.

Children's Film: Filming Time Use

Today we have discussed in our group how we will use props and costumes in advance of filming. This will help us get to work quickly and to use our time effectively to film everything we need.

Day 1: In the media studies corridor and outside, behind C-block.
On day one we will focus on filming the chase/ superhero scene. This is because it will be the hardest part to film and will take the most amount of time. It also means we will only have to bring the costumes in at least one day (unless we don't finish filming that part). We will need to bring in bright clothes and a face mask for the superhero and dark clothes and a face mask for the bad-guy. On top of this we will buy an apple and a burger from the school canteen.

Day 2: In the C-block corridor
On day two we will finish up and bits we had not finished from the superhero scene. Unfortunately, if we do not get it finished on the first day we will have to bring the costumes and props in for another day. After this we will focus on the classroom and corridor scenes. We will not need as many props for this scene, but we will need an apple and a bag for the 'school kid' to hold to make him look like a student. We will also give him some big glasses to make him look like a stereotypical school nerd.


Day 3: C-block corridor and media classroom
On day three of filming we will finish up any scenes that have not yet been completed in the class room and corridor scenes. This will involve bring in the props like we had to in the previous days. however, our superhero scene should be complete by then and so the costumes for that would not be necessary. Once we finish on that day we will start capturing our video from the video and editing the video in final cut express.

Childrens Film: Storyboard

Here is the storyboard for our sequence.

Children's Film: Timeline for our Sequence

We are now beginning to create a final idea for our sequence. Here we will be detailing the timeline of events that will take place during the sequence. You will notice that the ideas have developed from the initial plot ideas which are here.

The sequence will begin with a superhero character, who is also the protagonist and main character, chasing/being chased by a villain character in an action chase scene. This 'chase' will follow the conventions of a comedy sequence by filming in the style of "Benny Hill" style chase sequence. In these shots; the music will be up-tempo and quite comical to fit in with the "Benny Hill" style, we will also have diagetic sound of fast moving footsteps to make the chase more realistic. This comic opening and upbeat music will quickly engage the audience, which will then lead them into the film as it will keep them interested. Below is an example of a "Benny Hill" style chase sequence.



In the next part of our sequence we see the chase come to an end, as the characters have reached a dead end. The two characters are now forced to have a showdown following the conventions western style showdown.The music will have a having a building tempo to build intensity in this part of sequence. The costumes used in these parts of the sequence will be bright for the superhero but dark for the villain so the audience can see who is the good-guy and who is the bad-guy. The props used for this sequence will be food, for the super-hero will be carrying a "magic apple" whilst the villain will be carrying a "evil burger" this make it easy for the audience to draw contrasts between the characters. Whilst this is quite comical, it brings the importance of healthy eating to the audience. The superhero will be pinned in a corner by the villain, he will be shouting "no, no, no..." as the villain tries to force him to eat the "evil burger".

The next scene takes place in a classroom, where the main character has been dreaming everything that the audience has seen before. As he is woken up my his teacher we see that he is an unconfident, outcast who is picked upon by other students. This is a large contrast from his dream of being a superhero, this could possibly be because he wants be more popular etc. This part of the sequence will have the diagetic sounds of a classroom with no non-diagetic music in the background. We see the villain we saw in the dream turns out to look just like the boy's teacher. We see the main character walk out of the classroom and into a corridor, from this we can tell he is an outsider because he is being pushed around and appears different to the other students. He stops at a window-sill to retrieve an apple from is bag when another student knocks it out his hands. This brings the moral issue of bullying to the audience's attention. the very last shot will be the close up of the apple on the floor which will tie the whole of the opening sequence to a close.

We are able to see several morals that the opening sequence is going to teach a young audience. They will learn about justice, good vs. evil, healthy eating, that bullying is wrong, but also the difficulties of an outcast. A person on the outside looking in.

This may seen very detailed and a lengthy sequence, but many of the shots we have described will be only a few seconds long. You can see a thorough shot-by-shot explanation of our sequence in the storyboards post here.

Children's Film: Inspector Gadget (Opening Credits)

The opening sequence of Inspector Gadget is based around mechanics, small gadgets and items.
The whole of the intro credits is about numerous small items e.g screws, bolts etc. that come together to form a giant 'G' (for gadget). This ties in with the name of the film and the main character and ties into the theme of the film as the film is about an inspector who invents mechanical parts to make his life easier but sometimes it does not always work out how he expected. 

 

Some of the objects involved in the opening sequence that make up the 'G' are children's toys. This helps children to relate and makes it more interesting for them. it is also colourful to attract the kids attension. Also the Disney logo has been altered to fit in the with theme of the film which is quite unusual. 

Children's Film: Music/Sound Analysis (Toy Story)

Music and sound is really important in a film as it helps the audience to understand what is happening, the mood, atmosphere and also represents the characters. Here we will be analyzing the music/sound used and how it shows the audience genre, narrative and character representation.

Genre: The music used in the opening sequence of Toy Story is orchestral and very dramatic as it shows a boy playing with his toys. This shows us that it's a fairly light-hearted film and gives us a feel of adventure. The toy that is first shown (Mr Potato-head) is meant to be the mean 'bad guy' in his game and so the music is very dark and evil sounding. When Woody (who is portrayed as the hero in his game) enters the scene the music changes to up beat optimistic music.  The music changes through out the scene depending on the events happening. This is to portray the feeling and mood of the scene and also has a comic element about it. It is funny because it is western music when the toys are in a boys room. Most importantly though we hear the extremely famous soundtrack "You've Got a Friend in Me" which is again quite upbeat and happy, which children would really enjoy.

Narrative: The whole scene is narrated by the boy playing with the toys. He does the voices of the characters, which reminds children of what they do.

Character representation: When Mr Potato-head is on screen there is dark evil music. This makes the audience think this character is bad. When Woody appears on screen there is happy, heroic music. This makes the audience think he is heroic. By doing this it gives the audience a very clear perception of what personality the characters are, it also adds suspense and drama to the scene.

Children's Film: Back to the Future (Micro-elements Analysis)

We've just watched the opening sequence of Back to the Future. We were asked to analyze the micro-elements of the sequence, which included sound, camera movement, camera angles, and distance/framing.

Below you can see the storyboard with some notes below explaining what we saw in the opening sequence.

Children's Film: Initial Plot Ideas

We have chosen to go with the PG classification to give us a wider range of possible ideas because there aren't as many restrictions as there is with a U classification.

Here are some initial ideas that we have for our plan - this is NOT the final plot.

Our opening sequence could follow a boy in his dream as a superhero, it will fairly stereotypical and exaggerated. There will be a western-like show down conversation between the main character (hero) and a villain, this will be followed by a chase which will be quite humorously to suit the audience. This action opening will continue before it comes to a point where the main character (hero) is cornered by the villian. This will be the point where we begin to hear voices and the audience will realize that this was actually all a dream. We see the main character sleep on his desk in class, the teacher has woken him up and everyone else is gone. The rest of this opening will follow the boy as he makes his way around the school - maybe has he goes in his bag or goes to his locker, as these are opportunities for us to learn things about the character. In every story there is always a problem, and so problem in ours could be fact that the main character is a bit of an outsider. It's important that we include lots of obvious information about the character, and what the story might be about, as well as showing an equilibrium throughout this opening.

As I said earlier I think the beginning show be a western-like show down filmed of the two superheroes. Hopefully it will look something like the example blow, but with different camera angles and setting.

Children's Film: Film Classification

All films are given a classification. In the UK the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) watches and assesses films so that they are given the correct classification. For our Children's film there are two options: Universal or Parental Guidance.


Universal (U) classification:

• Suitable for 5 years and above
• Positive moral framework
• Offers reassurance to any threat/horror
• Suitable for children to view alone
• No bad language or discrimination
• No drugs unless referred to for educational purposes
• No emphasis on realistic or accessible weapons
• No sexual content
• No dangerous behaviour which young children are likely to copy
• Violence in the Film must only resemble a 'Mild Threat' and the outcome must be reassuring to the audience.

Parental Guidance (PG) classification:

• Suitable for 8 years and above
• Parents should consider if it suitable for younger audiences
• Some discrimination but for educational purposes
• Drugs must carry an anti-drug message
• Horror should be short and NOT intense
• More grown up themes discussed
• Mild Language only
• Where more serious Themes used (such as domestic abuse) should not be shown in a way that condones such behaviour.

Our group have decided to go with a PG classification for our film as it gives us more opportunities in the film making process. Our plot will involve some superhero characters which may be only usable in the PG classification. However, we would be later able to alter the classification to suit our filming if anything changes.

Children's Film: Monsters Inc (Opening Sequence)

Monsters Inc is an example of a children's film in the fantasy genre. Here are some of things we have noted about the opening sequence.

• Introduces the characters.
• Monster appears scary because of evil eyes and you cannot see his whole face.
• The monster starts to scream like a child and falls over making him seeming harmless and funny. 
• The monsters are just as scared of children than the children are of the monsters.
• Plot is summed up/ suggested.
• Opening credits- the idea of 'doors' is introduced.
• Composed music- jazzy, upbeat and friendly.
• Main character mentioned.
• Bright and colorful character and scenes. 

Children's Film: Bug Life (Opening Sequence)

A Bug's life was made in 1998 by Pixar, it was directed by John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton. It is the story of a colony of ants that are suffering from the tyranny of the grasshoppers. A misfit ant known as Flick goes on a search for a group of warriors to help defeat the grasshoppers, but turn out to be a a circus troupe. It is a typical action film with a Hero, Villain and "Hero saves girl" - together the ants and the circus troupe save the day and give them the justice they deserve.


The Film begins with a peaceful and calm setting which establishes the location and gives us an idea of what the story will be. It starts as an equilibrium where everything is normal and we see an average day for the ants. We hear realistic diagetic and non-diagetic sounds that help to emphasize the location and atmosphere of the scene to entertain and attract a young audience we see common/real problems for the ants represented in a humerous way, the simple things to us are huge problems to the ants and helps children puts things into perspective of the ants. Like most other films, we are introduced to the main characters and experience some of their personalities, which will help the audience see the change in the characters by the end of the film. The main character however is shown as an outsider and as different to the other ants, he is an outcast. We can see this in his actions and his colour, this is a moral that everyone should be treated equally.

The equilibrium is broken when it is warned to the ants that the grasshoppers are coming. this peril is typical of an action film. When things seem bad for the ant colony, they are even worse for the main character who seems to suffer from bad luck. Although the colony might not sympathize with him the audience will be able to.

 
Here is the first scene of the film:

Children's Film: Conventions of a Fantasy Opening Sequence

Children's fantasy films need to be easily recognized as unreal, but still enable the children to be creative with their imagination.

The character's in fantasy films are often not human and are usually set in a fantasy world. Fantasy films are made to bring out the child's imagination and let them dive into a un real world and feel like they are a part of the film, this is why fantasy films are usually the most popular films for children along with the comedy aspects which the children can relate to and understand.

Music for fantasy films is commonly non-diegetic, this means the music is added outside of the film for the audience, the music is generally lively, quite high in tempo to give of a happy jibe. This is good for fantasy films as the music can fit in easily with fantasy especially with jazzy music, or modern synth styles.

The character's in children's are sometimes animated, this clearly shows of the genre of the film and adds to the feel of the film, children become more easily attached to animated character's especially animals, that they like.

For example, Harry Potter is one of the most famous children's films.

It revolves around witches and wizards which are mythical beings. However, the characters are set at the same age as the audience and are very stereotypical characters of witches and wizards. This helps the audience relate to them. The films are situated around many surreal events which help to keep the story exciting and interesting.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Nearly all of the music within the films are non-diegetic and composed. It is largely orchestra music which fits in well with the magical theme. 

Children's Film: Conventions of an Action Opening Sequence

Here are some things that we would expect from a conventional children's action film:

• Mild peril for the characters
• Hero/heroin
• Villain
• Guy saves girl and saves the day
• Destruction of equilibrium
• Fantasy weapons/transport

Children's Film: Toy Story 3 (Opening Sequence)

Toy Story is one of the most well-known animated children's films, it was released by Pixar back in 1995 and was the first film they made. After the success of the first film two sequels were released, Toy Story 2 in 1999, and Toy Story 3 this year (2010). I believe that Toy Story was the real turning point for animation and for unusual narratives. Pixar have since released other hits such as Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and UP.

For researching purposes we had to look at several different opening sequences of children's films, and analyze them so that we will be able to create an effective opening sequence ourselves. So I have chosen to look at the beginning of the more recent Toy Story 3 film. 

Most conventional children's film opening sequence will on a basic level set the scene, introduce the characters and allude to what the rest of the story might be about. However, Toy Story 3 doesn't do things in an equilibrium or conventual way. It starts with a small story or mini-plot within the main film, we see the same well-know characters such as Woody and Buzz Lightyear in a Western battle against the an evil Pig. This kind of western goody vs baddy scene is fairly common in the movie industry, but also within a child's mind - many play with there toys and have adventures with them. This adventure/action opening sequence isn't normal, yet the audience is reminded of those characters that they saw in the previous two films, so that we are once again able to relate with the characters. As ever, it's a fairly humorous opening sequence with the characters experiencing odd situation, young child really seem to enjoying this. All these together help the audience to relax into the film and become engaged.

We can also analyse the opening sequence with the micro-elements. The music used is very upbeat and reminds us of an western film or action-adventure, which gets the young audience excited. Also some of the original soundtrack music is used when certain characters are seen such as Jessie on her horse. Overall the music builds tension and pushes the audience straight into the action, although this short story has nothing to do with the rest of the film. If we look at the mise-en-scene we can see that all the colors are once again very colorful and bright, with the setting being very basic yet stereotypical of what a child may think a desert looks like.

This opening sequence teaches the audience some very clear morals very quickly, and reminds us of the ones we were shown in the first two films. We see teamwork of the characters as they fight against evil, which fits well with another moral of justice as they try to defeat the 'baddies'. There is also a sense of friendship and adventure, bravery, honesty etc. These are all things that children should be taught, and the Toy Story 3 opening sequence does an incredible job of showing us so many in just a short time.

Right at the very end of the opening sequence we see the characters returning back to reality. It is at this point that we see that the characters were actually following a conventual/normal day - they were playing and remembering what it was like when Andy used to play with them. So really the opening sequence is just an exaggerated idea of what the characters were imagining.

This opening sequence extremely clever, and although the audience is enjoying it they can't help but ask themselves what's going on and why the characters are in this setting. It doesn't give any real idea to what the rest of the film may be about. This is why the film is perhaps more effective than the norm, because the audience is constantly asking themselves questions and has no idea of what the rest of the film may be about. Yet, the audience still wants to keep watching because of entertaining opening sequence, and those well-know characters.

You can watch the opening sequence for Toy Story 3 here.

Children's Film: Star Wars IV (Opening Sequence)

The film starts with pitch black as intense music plays to build up the tension. A space ship slowly moves into the frame and shows it being shot at by another ship. this sets the scene and informs the audience of what is happening.

The action is then shown on board as troops run around with guns. They are all dresses the same to show they are organized and well equipped. the inside is white and clean which would suggest it is the 'goodies' ship. there is then a clip of two robots (R2 and C3PO) C3PO has a friendly voice and looks kind. this reinforces the idea the ships is full of good people who are under attack.

Children's Film: Spongebob Squarepants (Animated Character)

Children's film characters have to be funny, friendly and non-aggressive, Sponge-bob is all of these. Sponge-bob is funny in ways which the children can relate to and the somewhat repetitive scenario's he is faced with ensure that there is always going to be a laugh in the episode for all the children.

The way Sponge-bob looks is out of the ordinary, funny and brightly coloured, these all appeal to young children. The look of the main character in children's programs is very important as this is one of the first things children will be drawn to, rather than the actual story line, they are more interested with what they see, funny faces, loud noises, general mischief.

Sounds/Voices are another big thing that children will be drawn to with films/programs, character voices have to be funny and out of the ordinary so that children will focus on them and recognize the voice and be able to know that the voice is funny.

Children's Film: Conventions of an Opening sequence

Here is a list of conventions you would expect from a Children opening sequence:

• Setting the scene - Location and time period are important.
• Introducing the main character - showing personality and characteristics
• Relationships between characters
• Gives some idea of what the plot of the film will include.
• Upbeat and interesting to grab the attention of the audience.
• Easy to follow.
• Soundtrack - Main theme music
• Building up to something - engaging the audience.
• Opening credits and title.
• Shows the genre and atmosphere.
• Everything is normal - showing a normal day for the main character.
• Colorful costumes and settings that will emphasise whats going on and the characters.
• Humour
• Appropriate morals introduced
• Not always human - e.g. Toy Story, WALL-E, Monsters Inc.

Preliminary Task: Editing & End Result

Today we edited the footage that we took on Tuesday. We've used cuts and some fading transitions for the audio/sound. We chose to import some songs as well "Haven't Met You Yet" by Michael Buble and "Bella's Lullaby" from Twilight. Above you can see the end result.

Preliminary Task: Filming

Today we have filmed our sequence, we have tried to stick to the storyboard we made yesterday. However we have made a few changes which would probably be seen in the final edit. we've used different angles and multiple shots so that we have more to work with when editing. For example we filmed the staircase shot multiple times from different angles so that we can edit it in a match on action cuts.

We have captured our video into final cut express ready for editing in our next lesson. We have decided that George and Sam will be editing the video, adding appropriate cuts and transitions. Jack and Charlie will be creating the soundtrack using garageband.

Preliminary Task: Storyboard

Storyboards are very important. They help the director stick to a plan and helps prevent the film seeming random and in the wrong order. It also helps if a person is ill or away as the other people in the group know what that person wanted from the piece of film/performance.

When there is a storyboard you also do not have to film in the chronological order of the story.

Our storyboard.

We will need a camera and a tripod to film our story. we will have paperwork as a prop for the character to drop.

Our shot list.

Our shot list is a written out version of our story board. This prevents any confusion if pictures are not clear.

Preliminary Task: Introduction

This week we shall be planning, filming and editing a conversation sequence which includes a variety of different shots. It will be used to demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180 rule. We have to pass this task to be able to continue onto the main project/coursework.

Today, we are planning our sequence on a storyboard and research and find examples of the shots which we will be using in the sequence. The shots included are establishing shot, close-up shot, match on action shot, reaction shot, long shot and using the 180 degree rule to film a conversation. We have also started our project blog to document our progress throughout the current task and the main project.

Tomorrow we shall be filming our sequence on location according to our storyboard.  The basic narrative of the storyboard starts as character 1 is walking down a staircase and walking down a hallway in an establishing shot. In the next shot character one drops what he is carrying and crouches down to collect the items from the floor which is shown in a close up. We will then see the same thing from a match on action shot of character 1 picking up the items from the floor. In the next shot we see character 2 come to help character 1 pick up the items and we see a reaction shot of character one. Then in the next shot we have a long shot of both characters standing up and then the shot moves into a shot reverse shot of the characters having a conversation using the 180 degree rule.

Then in the final lesson on this task we shall be editing our sequence to fit a linear narrative using final cut express. We are also going to think about the the sound and music which could be used in the sequence.

Preliminary Task: Camera Shots

Establishing shot

The shot informs the audience of the characters surroundings and who is in the scene. It shows that these three characters are all doing to school, so they are still about 16-18.

Close up

It draws attention to the reaction/action of a character. This makes us feel what they are feeling and understand them. This is from a low angle which shows that the character has a higher authority, and makes him look more threatening.

Match on action shot

This shot shows the audience an action from two perspectives. It shows that this character is quite defensive, and stupid because he's punching a fish - it's almost barbaric.

Reaction shot

The shot taken when a character first enters the scene.The shot shows the feelings and position of the character and helps us to understand how they feel.Another reaction shot showing that the character is pleased to see someone.

Long shot

This shows the whole scene and tells us where the characters are. It could also be classified as an establishing shot, which shows us the scene. It shows that not much is happening in the scene, and everyone is talking in their groups.

Filming a conversation 

This shows the audience the reactions on the characters faces during the conversation and lets them know who is talking. The character is wearing glasses and has his tie done really well, this shows us that he is probably quite organized and possibly a stereotypical "nerd".