Font Experimation

Font Experimentation
In this short Slideshare presentation, I was able to use Csenge's font analysis in order to evaluate which font would be most suitable for the opening sequence. The presentation includes a range of fonts, each varying in quality and appeal for Csenge and I to use.

Logo Variation

Logo Variation
Below are the various colour schemes which Csenge implemented onto our studio logo. From this we will be able to decide on a final logo to use for our opening sequence. We may conduct another questionnaire to see which logo our audience would prefer, however for now I personally prefer the red and blue blend, as shown by the yellow border.

Studio Logo Construction

Studio Logo Construction
In this section, I will be discussing our decisions on the graphics which may be needed in our opening sequence. Csenge has some experience in using programmes such as Gimp or Photoshop, therefore I think that it is within her ability to create a suitable logo for our 'studios' title. As you may notice, we have decided to name the studios "Barker Studios" with a logo of a barking dog underneath. This minimalistic approach is rather typical in the way most studios appear in title sequences, therefore we decided to also create a similar affect.The picture shown above is of a short questionnaire conducted by Csenge to find out which logo was preferred by our surrounding classmates. From the reponses it can be observed that idea number three was the most preferred. Credit to Csenge for providing the initial write-up.

Csenge is going to trace around his out line using the Photoshop 'paths' tool to create a path before 'stroking' it using a heavier line. This will then simplify the image and create a line drawing which she would then use to create a logo similar that of a real life studio. Csenge and I will discuss the appropriate font that should go with it and in the following posts, we will continue to do audience research on this logo to produce something appealing to the audience.

Final Script

Final Script 
The images to the left and right are the 'skeleton script' I created for our opening sequence for 'Kin'. I initially made this script to serve as a basic idea of what the dialogue should resemble and how the characters in the scene should be portrayed. Csenge and I later analysed the script in order to identify any improvements that could be made. On the picture below you can notice the purple annotations Csenge and I added to improve the script.  


Below is the final script for Kin which Csenge and I will be distrubuting to our actors before our main film day.

‘KIN’

SCRIPT BY

EDWARD BARKER/ CSENGE NEMETI

FADE IN:

EXT. SIDINGS – DAY

Large, urban area with jarring imagery of nature and industrial, processed elements.

IVAN approaches the two hooded figures – TONY A and TONY B

IVAN

(Shifty and awkwardly laughs
in an attempt to make light of the
subject) Fancy seeing you two here

The characters experience an awkward silence here and thus IVAN moves on to explaining the character’s roles etc.

- INTERCUT TONY A BIO –

IVAN

TONY A likes killing people and
is essentially a hit
man, but rather the hit or miss
sort.

- CUT TO SIDINGS SCENE –

IVAN

So... I guess you work for me now?

TONY B

No, we worked for your dad. (Puts
 emphasis on ‘worked’) Except I don’t
know if you noticed, but your dad’s
not around anymore.

- INTERCUT TONY B BIO –

IVAN

TONY B, well he also likes to
kill, but there’s a difference
in the fact that he’s not trigger
happy.

- CUT TO SIDINGS SCENE –

IVAN

Well I figured, with dad gone...
I’m the new head?

TONY B

Well you figured wrong kid...

TONY A

(Interrupting TONY B)Just go back
home to that mum of yours.
(Both snigger and laugh at the
implied sexual innuendo)How is
she now a days anyway?

IVAN

(addressing TONY B)... What did
you call me here for TONY?

TONY B

This (throws mobile phone).

TONY A

He told us to give it to you
in case he was ever... busy.

TONY B

He said to check your voice-
mail.

TONY A

Run along kid.

- STRAIGHT CUT TO VOICEMAIL SCENE -

 

Title Storyboard

Title Storyboard

In the same way which I have presented our narrative, Csenge and I worked to produce a storyboard for out titles as we think that this will aid our understanding of the rough order they will appear in during the opening sequence. At this moment in time, the majority of the respondents for our survey (a full research analysis can be viewed in a later post once we collect the final remaining responses on Saturday afternoon) expect the credits to appear throughout the sequence rather than before or after like other Thrillers such as Pulp Fiction (1994), rolling the credits after the opening sequence has played.

Below, you may find the opening sequence storyboard and in the upcoming posts, you may find the different font and graphic trials, finalising the aesthetics of the credits. As you can see, we have included the shot number in a circle, which corresponds with the narrative storyboard. We have also included the type of editing one may find such as fade in and flash in, not forgetting the colour of the text and the background.

Blog Update - Remaining Tasks

Blog Update - Remaining Tasks
At the time of posting, I have four remaining tasks left to complete for my 'Research and Planning' section. I am confident that I will complete these tasks before my deadline this approaching Sunday, meaning my blog will hopefully reflect my time management skills. Below is the list of my remaining tasks, presented in the order I will likely complete them in.

• Analyse my Questionnaire data
• Final Location and Shot plans
• Conduct Secondary Research
• Final Storyboard (This may not be necessary as Csenge and I have not deviated from our original plan)

If I have enough time, I may also include another research post detailing how I will set up each camera shot within the opening sequence. This would obviously increase my post count, however it is not vital as, if necessary, I could include this post in my 'Construction' section.

Secondary Research

Secondary Research

When discussing the details of our opening sequence of 'KIN' with our peers, teachers and parents, we began to notice several similarities between our film and Kingsman: The Secret Service. Whilst our film is not an exact mirror of 'Kingsman', it still shares characteristics which Csenge and I thought would be interesting to discuss and analyse. Below is the Wikipedia description of the film:

"Kingsman: The Secret Service is a spy action-comedy film directed by Matthew Vaughn, and based on the comic book The Secret Service, created by Dave Gibbons and Mark Millar. The screenplay was written by Vaughn and Jane Goldman. It follows the recruitment and training of a potential secret agent, Gary "Eggsy" Unwin (Taron Egerton), into a secret spy organisation. Eggsy joins a mission to tackle a global threat from Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson), a wealthy megalomaniac. The film also stars Colin Firth, Mark Strong, and Michael Caine."

The outstanding similarity between our film KIN and Kingsman is the (lack of) relationship the protagonist, in this case 'Eggsy', has with their father. The idea of emotional distance was discussed between me and Csenge very early in the planning stage of our final task, as we felt it could be used to create an interesting dynamic between our characters, as well as the plot itself. This is reflected in Kingsman, as the death of Eggsy's father is ultimately what triggers the events of the film, and also helps to create immediate relationships with the film's supporting characters. This is a dynamic our film will hopefully replicate, as we feel it will engage the viewer, as it will discuss issues they can likely internalise and identify with.

Below are the financial statistics of the film, including it's estimated budget, gross and opening weekend performance.

Budget	$94 million (gross)[3] $81 million (net)[4]
Box office	$414.4 million[4]

*As of Wikipedia

Budget:

 $81 000 000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

 $42 000 000 (USA) (13 February 2015)

Gross:

 $128 248 205 (USA) (26 June 2015)

*As of IMDb

Box Office:

$119,469,511.00

*As of Rotten Tomatoes

This is the opening sequence of 'Kingsman The Secret Service', as well as some positive comments featured in the comments section of the video.

 

"I heard that song and knew this movie was going be good"

"No movie has ever put to rest any and all doubts I had about watching the movie so quickly." 

"The opening with the music and cool vibe is fantastic. But it would have been better suited to launch into an action scene or something because the way it cuts the music and straight to a talking scene means it loses a lot of its promise." 

Critics:

Chris Sawin rates the film five stars and says that it's "Obscenely and brutally shaken, not stirred". (A reference to the Bond movies' famous line "shaken not stirred" whenever he is offered a cocktail). He describes loosely what the film is about and goes onto speaking about Richmond Valentine who is repulsed by violence, but ironically condones violence among people. He also compares the film to Kick-Ass. He claims that the "plethora of vulgarity and raunchy humour" makes the film not only humorous but also human and relatable.

Conventions:
These are some thriller conventions exhibited in Kingsman, some of which may also be present in our opening sequence for KIN.

• 'Protagonist'/'Antagonist' divide

Three spies have to save the world from utter domination while Valentine and his sidekick, Gazelle, plan on creating a 'new world', selecting a few people to be part of this special 'elite' group while the rest of the world is taken over by anger enhancing chips in the form of phone sim cards.

• Special effects

There are a lot of scenes of violence including blood spill and very serious injuries. 

Special effects would also be needed to make much of the 'high-tech' spy gear look realistic.

• 'Damsel in distress'/ love interest

A princess is locked away while the villains attempt to complete their plan. Later she becomes a temporary love interest, much like the Bond films.

• Chase scene

The protagonist runs away from the bullies and performs interesting stunts.

• The 'good guys' always win concept

Although towards the middle of the film, agent Harry Hart dies, his death is avenged by agent Eggsy.

• Use of weapons

The agents receive many tools and weapons for self-defence e.g. guns, knives, tasers, some of them disguised as harmless objects such as pens.

• Ticking clock scenario

It is only a matter of time before people are taken over completely by violence and resort to killing each other, while a system countdown is performed.

Here is some data I gathered from http://thevore.com/top-movies/thriller-movies/ which shows the vast increase in thriller films released in 2016 compared to prior years. This as a whole could suggest an increase in popularity for the thriller genre, meaning our film KIN would likely be able to gain a large audience if we were to release it as a feature length production.

The table below lists some of the best performing thrillers of this decade, as well as their estimated budgets. Noticeably, some of the films featured on this list also appeared on our 'Audience Research Questionnaire'. Thrillers such as 'Gone Girl' and 'Skyfall' were mentioned by some of our respondents, who each gave each films positive and praising reviews. This will be useful as it will allow Csenge and I to adapt our feature to reflect some of these thrillers, similar to how we have (subconsciously) done with Kingsman The Secret Service.

List of highest grossing of the decade & their budgets

Title	Box office	Budget
Skyfall (2012)	$304.36M	$200M
Gone Girl (2014)	$167.74M	$61M
Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)	$166.15M	$40M
Jason Bourne (2016)	$162.16M	$120M
Argo (2012)	$136.02M	$44.5M

Analysing Our Response Data

Analysing Our Response Data
After conducting our questionnaire, I am now able to analyse my responses, allowing me to evaluate what my interviewees have stated. Our questionnaire was designed to include both quantitative and qualitative date, meaning our results are representative of our audience. Csenge created the survey using Google Forms, as it kept the responses ambiguous, meaning people were not biased in their responses. Below are the results (At time of posting, 28 people have responded).

The data shows that most of our interviewees were female, representing 53.6% of the total amount interviewed. Whilst this will not have a direct impact on our film, it informs me and Csenge that we could likely be appealing to a more female audience.

This data shows us that the majority of our audience are aged between 12 and 18, whilst a large proportion are older than 19. This informs me that most of our audience are in the teenage age group. This will allow Csenge and I to aim our narrative towards this response, however I do not believe it will require huge amounts of change.

This data shows me that a large proportion of our audience, 57.1%, do not watch thrillers, suggesting they have no interest in the genre. Csenge and I will attempt to make our narrative as engaging as possible, meaning any audience member can enjoy it, no matter their fondness of the genre.

This data shows me that most of our interviewees have recently viewed a thriller film. The various thrillers listed here will be useful as it shows the types of thriller our audience enjoy or regularly watch, in terms of sub-genre and themes.














 
The responses to this question show me that most of the audience who view thrillers, widely regarded their last thriller in a positive manner. Whilst this does not directly affect my opening sequence, it shows Csenge and I that the films the audience recently viewed were met with positive feedback, allowing us to identify what the audience prefers in a thriller.

This continues into the next question, as many people have previously enjoyed many thrillers in the past. Some of the films listed were directed by Alfred Hitchcock, one of the best-known thriller filmmakers of the twentieth century. This will be useful for us, as it will allow us to draw inspiration from his films, meaning our sequence may become more intriguing to the audience.




These responses show me that the audience believes that ambiguity and crime are the most important aspects in a thriller film. This suits Csenge and I as our plot heavily revolves around these themes.






This data shows me that the 'thriller-horror' hybrid is the most preferred by audiences. This will not have a large influence over our film, as one of our biggest concerns was to ensure our film did not resemble a horror. This means that I will not be changing our plot to meet this feedback, as our film could no longer meet the brief.


This feedback shows me that none of our audience feel that comedy in thrillers is completely out of place. This is good as one scene revolves around a more comedic tone. This thereby shows me that implementing comedy into our thriller would not be met with immediate negative response.

The qualitative feedback from this question allows Csenge and I to assume that the majority of our potential audience would enjoy viewing the film, meaning our opening sequence will hopefully be met with positive reviews after completion.



 





The pie chart seen on the left shows the results Csenge and I gathered regarding where we should set our opening sequence. As you can see, 50% of our interviewees stated they would prefer for the sequence to take place in an 'abandoned' area. This suits us as we had already envisioned the sequence to take place in this sort of environment, which is now improved by the fact that our audience would also prefer to see this environment.

The responses to this question show me that 56.7% of our potential audience would prefer the film to feature 'low-key' lighting, most likely as they feel this will add mystery and authenticity to the sequence. However, given that our previous question told us that the majority of our audience would prefer to have the sequence set in an abandoned area, we would need to carefully plan how we would combine the two requests. This would likely involve filming early in the morning, as the sun will not be as visible on camera, or adjusting the lighting of our footage in post production.

 Here, the feedback tells me that if our film were to take place during rain, it would likely become more engaging for the majority of our audience. Whilst this may be hard to schedule, in terms of weather forecasting and film scheduling, it would serve to create a greater sense of mystery within the sequence, further establishing the piece as a thriller.

The responses to this question were very pleasing to us as me and Csenge had planned to depict our protagonist as more of an Anti-Hero, rather than a straightforward hero, as we felt this would make the character more interesting, allowing us to pursue less conventional motives and story lines.


This statistic is also pleasing as Csenge and I had already planned on having our protagonist dressed differently from our antagonists, as we felt this would make the differences between the characters visibly noticeable, rather than just in expression and dialogue.

40% of our interviewees stated they would prefer to have the son dressed in a smart-casual costume. From the start of planning, me and Csenge had planned on the protagonist, 'The Son', wearing a mixture of smart and casual clothing, as we felt this would reflect the character's innocence while still demonstrating his eagerness to join the mob.



Csenge and I had planned to keep the father's face and identity hidden for the opening sequence. Therefore, we are pleased with this result, as it will allow us to keep the father ambiguous within the opening sequence.




By observing the pie chart, it is clear that the majority of our potential audience would enjoy or at least not dislike the idea of narration within our sequence. This is a positive outcome, as we have planned to include an element of narration within the scene.





This outcome contradicts mine and Csenge's original plans to only use ambient sound and dialogue within the sequence. Whilst we will now have to source some copyright free music, I hope it will serve to make the opening more attractive to our audience.

On this question, the takers of the questionnaire were able to express their thought on the idea of dialogue within the sequence. Other than the 'Continuous' and 'I don't mind' options, the majority of our feedback showed us that our audience desired little to no dialogue at all within the opening sequence.

The feedback from this question tells us that most of our audience would prefer our titles to appear white on top of a black background. However, a considerable amount would prefer the titles to appear on screen, appearing in conjunction with events and movement. Therefore, we may consider using both of these preferences, as using them may help to make the titles themselves more engaging.

This question allowed Csenge and I to observe that 61.3% of our audience would prefer our titles to be written in a 'Sans-serif' style. Given that we had already planned to do so, this served as reassurance as it showed us we already had a basic understanding of what our audience would prefer.

This question was equally important as, similarly to the previous question, it allowed us to gain an insight into the audience's preferences over the display and style of our titles. Most of our audience stated that they would prefer the titles to be located in the middle of the screen, a form of positioning Csenge and I would carefully need to plan in order to ensure the titles do not become distracting of the main events shown on screen.


The data gathered from this response shows us that making our titles appear towards the start of the film would be more engaging for a large proportion of our audience. However, given the estimated length of our sequence, placing all of our titles at the start of the film could immediately discourage a viewer from watching the rest of the film. Therefore, I think Csenge and I may actually not adapt to this response, as we feel it will be more beneficial to stick to our own plans in the long term.

The results from this question show us that the titles 'Kin' and 'Like Father Like Son' are the most popular amongst the takers of our questionnaire. Whilst it is 3.5% less popular than the latter, I think we will likely name our film Kin, as we feel this best suits the style we hope our film will feature. As well as this, from a production point of view, naming our film KIN would be much easier to implement on our editing software, meaning we could use the saved time for other areas such as cutting and trimming.