Title Sequencing

To be honest, I have no idea what title sequencing is so let's see what an article written by Mackenzie Scott published by soundstripe says A title sequence consist of 2 elements, a title card and opening credits. "The purpose of a title sequence is to credit the principal cast, crew, production company, etc., but also to set the tone for the film or TV show itself." This helps the audience recognize the important figures that helped put the movie together. 

What is the common sequence or order shown in horror films? The common order is an introductory element, followed by a main title, and then credit roll or can sometimes be in a different order with the credit roll always at the end.

Let's view some examples of this in horror/thriller films:

The Howling - The horror film begins with the main title and glass shattering effects after the title is presented. The director then decides to include an introductory element where the kid feels excited seeing the monster outside of his window then the film turning into an animation. After, the editor includes a transition to the credit roll with a creepy font. 

The second film we're going to review is Halloween: The editor begins with the title and production brand. After it instantly cuts to the credits and do not include an introductory element. 

After farther analysis, I believe that our film can rather go straight from title to the credits like Halloween did it instead of including an introductory element which can take up too much time.  

Target Audience

     Horror films target teenagers and young adults between 15-30. At this age group, we tend to draw our attention towards suspense, thrillers, and adrenaline rush that horror movies provide. Many films also understand that younger characters can bring relatability and realism to their situation, which results in stories that involve social life issues and curiosity. For example, Scream (1996) centers around teens facing danger, which gives teenagers an idea of themselves in the situation while heightening suspense. 

    Not all horror films can grasp the attention of the 15-30 age group, but different sub-genres also appeal to specific audiences. Psychological horrors like The Babadook (2014) attract those who enjoy deeper, more emotional or symbolic storytelling, looking towards older audiences. Slasher films such as Friday the 13th target those who enjoy fast-paced action, violence, and jump scares. 

Analyzing these things, I can know what approach my team can achieve when it comes to drawing our target audience. 

FILM PRODUCTION WORKSHEET

 

■  Student Film Production Worksheet

 

1.  Film Title

Working Title: The secrets we keep

 

2.  Team Members & Roles

 

Name	Role	Responsibilities
Uliana	Director	Approve of everything
Nr. T	Producer	Put out the movie
Perniya	Screenwriter	To write the script
Rihanna	Camera Operator	Capture everything
Joven	Sound	Control what sound fx occur
Joven	Editor	Edit all clips together
Joven/Damion, Perniya/Ryan, Rihanna/Destiny, Uliana/Adrianna	Actors	Come together and make magic

 

3.  Story Summary

In 2–3 sentences, describe your story idea:

 

 

Genre: ■ Comedy ■ Drama ■ Action ■ Horror ■ Documentary ■ Other: Thriller

Our movie will be about a game night gone wrong where each character will get their tarot cards, read and either having something good or bad come their way.

 

4.  Script and Scenes

Number of Scenes:                Estimated Run Time:                minutes

Scene #	Setting	Main Action	Key Characters
1	Adrianna’s room	Texting the group about the plans tonight.	Adrianna
2	In the car	Everyone on the way to Adrianna’s house	Everyone besides Uli
3	The store	Getting snacks	Damion

1.  Equipment & Materials

■ Camera

■ Tripod

■ Microphone

■ Lights

■ Props

■ Costumes

■ Editing Software

■ Other:                                                   

 

2.  Locations

 

Scene	Location	Permission Needed?	Notes
1	Uli’s room	■ Yes ■ No	Texting group
2	In the car	■ Yes ■ No	Going to store
3	In the store	■ Yes ■ No	Getting snacks

 

3.  Shooting Schedule

 

Date	Time	Scene(s)	Location	Who’s Needed
Nov 7th	4	6-10	Uliana’s house	Everyone
Oct 18th	6	1-5	Uliana’s house	Everyone

1.  Post-Production Plan

Editing Software: Adobe

 Who will edit? Joven

 Music/Sound Effects: Suspenseful effects and pop

Deadline for final cut: Jan 30th

 

2.  Reflection (after filming)

•  What went well during production?                                                                                                                                 

•  What challenges did you face?                                                                                                                                 

•  What would you do differently next time?                                                                                                                                  

Understanding Audio

       As the editor, I also have to properly place sounds and audio that fit the film as if I am a foley artist. This shouldn't be as hard, but gathering the sounds seems very time-consuming. Doing that is a real job and there's studios dedicated to catch raw sounds that are fitting for the movie. I would have to create sounds and record them in silence at high quality to get the results I need. 

- Items I need: 

-Microphone (Handheld and shotgun)

- A mixer for better results (Optional)

- Computer and editing software along with the film itself

What sounds would I most commonly need:

-Footsteps: Creating walking sounds on different surfaces like wood, gravel, and metal

-Clothing Movement: Fabric rustling or jackets rubbing against itself bringing realism

- Doors/creak noises: Creaking doors with foley sounds can work.

-Ambient Sounds: Background noises that set the mood, like city traffic, high winds, and static

Other sounds will be gathered using Foley sounds to add more realism and emphasize certain movements. 

What is Our Genre?

     I know what my genre for this film is which is a horror/thriller but what makes it that? I can say general things like scary, dark vibes, and random jumpscares but it goes deeper such as the character types, the settings, the items within that make it uneasy, and the story that leads up. I don't just want to have you watching this film not knowing the plot and not capturing your attention. Let's gather information to better understand.

Character stereotypes: 

The final girl: Last one to survive the killer or confront it. Ex, Laurie Strode, Halloween. 

The Jock: Usually confident and very cocky, but also reckless and dies first. Ex, Curt Vaughan in The Cabin In the Woods.

The Nerd: Intelligent and very cautious, lacking bravery. Ex, Randy Meeks in Scream. 

The Skeptic: Refuses to believe in the supernatural until it is too late. EX, Dr. Loomis in Halloween.

Bad Boy: Breaks rules and often attracts trouble. Ex, Dallas in The Texas Chainsaw.

Usual settings:

Haunted Houses: Classic setting filled with dark rooms, odd noises and strange events. Ex, Conjuring (2013).

Abandoned Buildings: Empty decaying buildings with many secrets. Ex, Grave Encounters (2011). 

Isolated Cabins: Cut off away from civilization making it hard for characters to escape. Ex, The Evil Dead (1981). 

Antagonist character designs: 

The masked killer: Hides identity, creating mystery and unease. Ex, Jason from Friday the 13th.

The Ghost: Pale, long hair representing trauma. Ex, Samara Morgan from The Ring.

Monster/Creature: Inhuman traits to strike fear. Ex, Pennywise from IT (2017). 

Learning how to Keep your Attention

 Yes, they gave me the editor role...

    Although I haven't done anything like this since middle school, I don't doubt my abilities to make this a high quality film. There is many ways I can attack this but first I must do research to put it together. Many editors in movie like to apply effects that set a mood or vibe fitting to the film. For example, if you are watching a horror film, you can't add bright filters and bright lighting. There has to be desaturation, vignette and other uneasy filters to set the right mood fitting to the film. 

    I have an idea to approach this film using color filters, exposure effects and camera/motion effects. Do I know exactly how i'm going to do that? No but it is my goal to achieve this. Audio also plays a big role but I believe that is much easier to put together than editing. 

    Let's describe the editing that is used in these 2 films:

- In HALLOWEEN (1978, Horror), the editor Tommy Lee Wallace and others have used blue mid-tones to give the cold night scenes a more threatening and alive feel. This is achieved through decreasing temperature shifts. There is also desaturated color and warm interior lightings making the outside feel unsafe since it is more blue. The lighting is very low creating suspense and making us pay more attention towards shadows. For audio, they relied on high pitched sound effects and sudden silence. 

- In Tarot (2024), the editors Tom Elkins and Josh Sgarlata used an editing theory which suggest that longer takes could build suspense much better which reduces the amount of editing that is put in. They used desaturated filters and occasional red pops for shocking moments. They gave the deck a glow to highlight it's significance. 

Using these examples will help me establish an idea for the vibe I can bring through editing without having to add so much visual effects and transitions. 

Where We Meet

HEY, my name is Joven. 

    In this space of mine, all my thoughts and creative idea's will be expressed here in relations to the revered film idea my team has came up with. I've realized it's harder to do what is necessary for this film if you're not using your own creativity which is why I took attempts very seriously before coming to a final thought. Other than music, I've never used more creativity than I have prepared for this class. My team has came up with a horror drama film that targets teens as our audience. 1 in 3 teens have a secret that can impact their friendships which can be good or bad and that's the idea our film is reaching. 

    I am very passionate about this idea because it's relatable. I believe that if I don't procrastinate, I will see a much better outcome for my success in media. This class isn't only helping me with managing media but also time and creativity which is beneficial in my most common hobby, music. Being able to apply creativity and learn how to manage media once I start making piano or beat production videos will take me far. I have a strong desire to pass this class and also take these idea's onto another level even if it's not related to film.

      We have not started yet but I'll progressively give updates when changes and improvements are made.