Evaluation: Audience Feedback

In order to gather a wide range of feedback from our audience, we have devised a questionnaire that can be answered on a range of elements of our opening, such as visuals, editing and narrative and whether we had adherred to the conventions of the action thriller genre.

1. Did the opening meet your expectations of an action thriller?

"It exceeded each and every one of them, and blew them up to a whole new level" - Avraj C.

"Yes, and no. IT WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY" - Ben C.

"I'm still recovering from the experience. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before" - Matthew B.


2. What did you think of the editing - did it support the camerawork?

"Not bad. An impressive grasp of the editing tools meant the opening retained its break-neck pace throughout!" - Leonard R.

"Not quite the professional standard I expected, but does the job" - Thelma M.

"The editor had a keen eye for the slick cinematography" - Roger D.


3. Did the location enhance the cinematic experience?

"The London location aided the high value look of the film - and added to the realistic threat of the film" - Boris J.

"The Christmas tree seemed out of place - it could've been used to greater effect" - Nicholas St.

"Clearly a well planned shoot" - James R.


4. Did the costumes conform to the conventions of the genre?

"Davidson was dressed for the job - dressed for ACTION" - Alexander MQ.

"Zubasu's grey striped suit gave him the air of a cold ruthless killer"  - Alex B.

"I liked Caprivi's Thinsulate™ hat" - John D.


5. How did the musical score help to support the action?

"It was pure brilliance and really intensified the action" - Martin S.

"Up there with the greats. Hans Zimmer and John Williams, WATCH OUT!" - Thomas N.

"James Richardson - you are a musical god!" - Matthew B.


6. With all of that in mind, what improvements could be made to the opening - and what would like to see in the future from Enigma Entertainment?

"The storyline could be simplified as to prevent audience confusion. I had no idea what Yung was up to and why" - Avraj C.

"I didn't get it" - Zubin P.

"You could have used some older actors as it would've made the sequence more believable" - Ryan T.

"The editing lacked proper pacing and felt somewhat amateur. Spend more time on this!" - Joseph S.

"I would just LOVE to see a garden fight sequence where Lee Davidson takes out, like, TEN GUYS - four with his fists - two with a pole - and four with a shotgun!" - Alex B.

Evaluation: Critical Response

Upon the release of our final opening for "Sins Of The Martyr" we recieved a varied, but generally positive response. Initial film critics such as Ryan Taylor, who claimed it "could easily be a blockbuster film" and Avraj Chaggar praised the film, stating that "looks like it has a high production value". Other reviews said "It would be a sin to miss!", and "This was a tour-de-force of an action thriller". It was described as"A fiercely visual feast of filmmaking", "Cinematic storytelling at its finest", and that it "Blows all other blockbusters out of the water!". I particularly enjoyed the review that called it a"A Martyr-piece of modern cinema" and my personal favourite, "Not bad.". Of course, I have decided to leave out the fierce criticism we did receive, but no one would really want to read any of that anyway...

Evaluation: Director's Commentary

Myself and my fellow director of the opening to "Sins Of The Martyr" have recorded a brief, but insightful commentary into the various production stages of the making of our film. We hope you find it informative.

Evaluation: Opening With Audio Description

Once our film had been released, we realised we had neglected a vitally important demographic - those who are visually impaired. So we have provided a version of our opening sequence complete with audio description to ensure our story can reach everyone.

Evaluation: Preliminary Vs. Opening

"Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?"

Having completed our two-minute opening sequence, we could see that we had made a number of improvements in our film making skills since our work on the preliminary task last year. It is interesting to see the comparison between the two and understand how we have progressed and learnt from and corrected our mistakes.

The most distinct difference between the two projects was the filming location. Whereas with the preliminary task, where we were limited by time and preparation and so used my colleague's house as primary location, with our final opening we had a wider canvas of locations to explore and therefore a duty to fulfill the expectations, of others and of ourselves. We did this shooting the opening in one of the most iconic cities in the world - London - heavily featuring Trafalgar Square and the London Underground, both shown in the 2012 blockbuster "Skyfall". We felt that the recognisability of the location would add to the production value of the opening as well as being a more interesting locale than simply using a house or local area.

The acting and plot line of the preliminary task paled in comparison with our final opening. The preliminary task was solely conceived on the day, during the shooting of the film, resulting in minimal dialogue as we had little time to come up with anything. The result of a polished screenplay, that our actors could use to rehearse their lines, was greater performances among our actors and a general greater sense of production value. With the opening we have an almost complete storyline as an extension of the events of the opening, the preliminary existed as a stand-alone project.

Another comparison was the quality of the visuals: we shot the preliminary in a standard definition resolution, whereas our final opening piece was recorded in 1080p at a higher frame rate, resulting in a more aesthetically appealing look  Due to the extended planning on the opening we spent more time thinking about the framing of shots, as well as other aspects of cinematography, for instance lighting and exposure which proved a slight problem in our preliminary task. The latter aspect was difficult to fix as we were filming in a public location without access to artificial lighting: therefore we relied heavily on the weather and configured settings on our digital camcorder to improve the appearance of the shots.

Something we also took into greater consideration was the colour of the film. We struggled with making the color correction and grading in our preliminary task look cinematic, but this was something we overcame with our final opening. We achieved a distinctive look through adjusting the colours towards the green and blue hues, which we felt complimented the location of Trafalgar Square as well as allowing the film to look interesting, with a vignette overlayed to add a sense of darkness. In contrast to the preliminary task, the final opening had a colder and more professional look in line with the conventions of the action genre, with some distinct differences that made it something of its own.

While we were certainly proud of the continuity editing techniques that were employed in the preliminary task, notably match-on-action, we adhered to them very well in our final opening, for instance the scene in which Yung destroys his earpiece. While in the preliminary, where our heavy focus on action restricted us from the use of shot-reverse-shot, in the final opening we explored it interestingly, depicting a conversation that was not face to face. In addition, we paid greater respect to the 180 degree rule in the final opening, with the fight scene aided by the location of the wall that meant sure we did not break it.

Overall, we felt our preliminary task was instrumental in the creation of what we feel is a satisfactory opening sequence. Without filming such a thing beforehand, we would not have acquired the skills and understanding that would allow our opening to succeed on various levels.

Evaluation: Sound

Sound is a vital aspect of any successful modern motion picture. It can add to and develop pace and emotion. The audio in our opening was comprised of various features: ambience, dialogue, effects (foley) and music.

Ambience:

We discovered that with our original footage, the audio we had recorded of Trafalgar Square was rather inaudible and could potentially ruin the continuity. Therefore our solution was to abandon the on-site audio for most of the clips, and replace them with non-copyright online ambient soundtracks, which we lowered in volume to increase the prominence of the dialogue. The ambience replacement was very successful, as it sounded incredibly close to the original track and we were very proud at how well it turned out. What would have made it easier and more realistic would be if we had set the camera down in different places around Trafalgar Square and recorded the ambience, so that we wouldn't have to create it in post and it would add the extra bit of realism.

Dialogue:

We decided it was vital to re-record all of the dialogue. This is known as ADR, which we recorded outside as to maintain the authenticity of the audio, which would be layered over the ambient tracks. This was crucial for various reasons, for instance to improve the quality and audibility of the lines, aswell as improve the performances, some of which we felt were lacking. Another distinct problem we encountered was that our actor's voices were too adolescent for the type of film we were going for. We also used this as an opportunity to record lines that had not been shot, or even appeared in the script, in order to provide exposition.

Effects:

Sound effects are most prominent during the brief but brutal fight sequence that occurs towards the end of the opening. We used a combination of non-copyright hit and punch effects to accompany the series of punches between Agent Davidson and his pursuer. To do this, we downloaded a royalty free package of sound effects from the internet that had a variety of punch, kick, fall and swiping sound effects. They were very realistic and they definitely added to the fight. The fight wouldn't have worked without them, as the audience wouldn't have been able to work out if the punch had hit, or how hard it had hit. Another sound effect that was used was when Yung is shot. It was hard to work out how to establish that he had been shot without a gunshot sound effect, that would obviously raise the attention of everyone in the Square. Instead we decided to use one of the punch sound effects, which helped the audience to realise that he had been hit.

Music:

The soundtrack was specially commissioned by us to be composed by the up-coming classical artist, our good friend James Richardson, whose list of musical talents exceed the length of his chin. We provided him with a number of film score tracks in order to help influence the themes and structure of his work, and he assured us the music was in good hands. And gee whizz, it was! Richardson scored a demo version of his soundtrack early in the stages of post-production and on first listen, it was one of the most exhilarating and exciting experiences in my life. The music was filled with pure intensity that evoked and encapsulated the thrill of the action in the film. We worked very closely with him in the composing and recording process and he kept us regularly updated over the course of the following weeks on the progress of his work.

When edited to the visuals, the soundtrack works even better in the context of the action and helps to improve the opening heavily. Throughout the sequence there are various moments where the music works not only to accompany the visuals but matches almost perfectly, for instance when we cut to the shot of Yung with Nelson's Column in the background, the music takes on an intense nature, that escalates appropriately. The film culminates with a dramatic, sweeping piano piece that contrasts with the grittiness of the action, with the reveal of the film's title scored with a somber, emotional piece that is reflective of the lead character's physical and mental state following the events of the opening.

Evaluation: Technology

"What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?"

Whilst we encountered some minor difficulties with the Panasonic HDC-SD90, our choice of camera for the film opening, for instance some overexposure and lack of features such as focus control which meant we could not experiment in incorporating creative depths of field, for the most part we were highly satisfied. Both myself and Nicholas shot parts of the opening which we found helped develop both our skills in using the device, which each of us experimenting with various styles of filming. The highlight of the camera was the stabilisation feature, which allowed us to employ a tripod-less (which meant we did not arouse suspicion in a public place such as Trafalgar Square) 'documentary style' approach to the filming without making the movement of the camera unbearable to watch - this was important as there were a number of fast paced sequences that required quick movement of the camera man.

The Panasonic HDC-SD90 (Property of Nicholas Ashurst)

For the post-production process, the software Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 was instrumental in editing the film. Notably used in many high budget Hollywood productions such as "The Social Network", the program contained all of the components required to cut the footage, colour correct and grade it, as well as edit and mix the audio and the application of titles and credits. From use of the software while editing our preliminary task I learnt a number of the basic features of Premiere Pro, so with editing the final opening I learnt to develop and improve these techniques, with aid from YouTube tutorials when necessary. Overall, the program was rather manageable, however problems relating to my computer rather than the software, meant some of the editing processes were slower than desired, resulting in the editing taking quite a long time.

A screenshot of Premiere Pro in the very final stages of editing

Through the use of these two technologies - other than them we did not utilise any others - we developed our understanding and confidence in the technical side of the film making process and opening up wider opportunities for any future projects as we hope to explore more techniques and features.

Evaluation: Video Annotations

"How did you attract/address your audience?"

We have added various video annotations to the draft edit of our film opening, as to not obscure the visuals of our final version. These annotations will explore the process behind the creation of our opening, from pre-production to post-production, and aim to provide interesting facts about the film and its cast and crew, in order to demonstrate the ways in which we could attract and address our audience.

Please ensure the annotations are activated before viewing.

Evaluation: Audience

"Who would the audience be for your media product?"

On the left is an image of our intended target audience. The 16-25 age group is the key demographic for the majority of theatrical releases, most notably the action packed blockbuster films that dominate the box office. While we do not want to simply cater for the widest audience possible, we have strong confidence that this demographic would enjoy our film and provide it with the recognition it deserves. The 16-25 male and female audiences would find much from our film opening that would interest and appeal to them, and we feel it works as a form of escapism, providing a major selling point for this age group, who are leaving education and entering the adult world.

We would capitalise on this demographic by employing a similar marketing campaign to "The Dark Knight Rises", which recognised social media trends by using sites such as Twitter and Facebook to release posters and trailers, while encourage users to share and generate their own content, which would help increase greater interest in the film in addition to traditional marketing schemes. Overall, I think we have, and could if we had to in the future, successfully appealed to our target audience by producing an opening sequence that features many of  the elements that this demographic would want in a film.

Evaluation: Institutions

"What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?"

As was explained prior to the creation of our opening sequence, we decided it was essential we would use our production company Enigma Entertainment, established by myself and Nicholas Ashurst, to ensure the film was unique and personal. It was important for us as we had used Enigma Entertainment (and its predecessors) in the past, on projects such as Preliminary Task, meaning that fans of our older work would recognise the people behind the opening before our names had been shown.

The reasons behind the naming of our production company were instrumental. The actual word 'enigma' refers to a puzzling or inexplicable occurrence or situation, while in film terminology it is used when referencing to the unexplained themes and ideas that are introduced by a film, especially in its opening minutes. These enigmas were something that we wanted to create in our opening, and therefore it seems fitting that the name our production company reflects this.

In the case of the distributors of the film, we went with Universal Pictures and Studio Canal, as being responsible for films such as the "Bourne" series and "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy", we felt they were an appropriate institution and would also jump at the possibility of marketing distributing our film. Our film is a rather safe investment  what with exciting set-pieces, meaning Universal would be suitable, while we still have the feel of a sophisticated, independent film project, therefore their sub-division, the French-based Studio Canal, would fit our film very nicely. Both of their logos are stylish and professional, and most importantly recognisable, meaning our film already has the audience interested before the film has started.

Evaluation: Agent Davidson

"How does your media product represent particular social groups?"

From left to right: James Bond (Daniel Craig), Agent Davidson (Lee Davidson), Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland)

The two characters from popular culture that we turned to for inspiration for our leading character of Agent Davidson, were the world renowned secret agent James Bond, and Jack Bauer from the internationally successful thriller TV show "24". Both characters display traits that we decided would form the DNA of our lead character, such as strength and ingenuity as well as bravado and ruthlessness. They also have a similar wardrobe of clothing; both Bond and Bauer wear a selection of different stylish jackets, typically dark colours to reflect their personalities, so this is something that influenced the look of our lead protaganist.

Both James Bond and Jack Bauer are known to work for government agencies, but have also on occasion gone rogue, working against their superiors for reasons such as betrayal. We find Agent Davidson in a similar situation in our film opening, and so we wished to explore this side to both Bond and Bauer. Both of these characters represent the older male who has suffered pain at the hands of others - both have lost their wives to their enemies and have gone on paths of vengeance. While Davidson, an less experienced younger agent, is neither middle aged or ever married, we feel that his character is someone who could become a James Bond or Jack Bauer type figure in the future.

Evaluation: Characters

"In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?"

From L to R: Davidson (Lee Davidson), Stretzel (James Richardson), Yung (Richard Young), Caprivi (Me), Zubasu (Zubin Parekh), Thug #1 (Nicholas Ashurst)

In crafting the characters that would populate our opening sequence, we drew inspiration from several sources, predominantly in the action thriller genre. The central character of Agent Davidson was based on similar characters in films and televsion shows such as James Bond and 24, while the supporting characters had several influences in the world of cinema.

The way in which the characters were introduced in our opening sequence was fundamental in the success of it. Each of them has a deliberate entrance that is evocative of that character's nature and either conforms to or subverts the audience's expectations of said character. The first characters to be introduced are Stretzel, who emerges from the train in the background before quickly dissapearing, followed by Davidson, who steps into view in the foreground to show his importance in the sequence. This distinctive entrance, all in one shot, presents the 'cat and mouse' chase that is to follow. The following shot, however, is our first proper look at the protagonist, with his face fully visible in what we have dubbed 'the escalator shot'. This static shot is rather conventional, showing Davidson in a somewhat casual state, despite the nature of his objective, while the shot of Davidson emerging from the subway, showing his confusion as to the location of his target, is what can be deemed as his final introductory shot, as the audience is now provided all the necessary information about him.

In contrast, Stretzel, throughout most of the sequence, is depicted in quick flashes that tease the audience about his character. He is only on screen for mere moments at a time, and the shot where he snatches the mysterious bag from the floor is an example of our intention to make the audience query what his intentions are. The initial shot of Yung is strictly shown from behind, with the Trafalgar Square in the background, fully establishing the location, and the subsequent POV shot of Stretzel emerging from the crowd, gives Yung an almost omniscient status as he watches from above. The remaining characters in the sequence are given rather fleeting introductions, in keeping with the rapid pace of the sequence. Both Caprivi, and his stalker in the shadows are given mere moments on screen, while the thug at the end of the opening appears with little preparation for the audience or the character of Agent Davidson. Overall, we have crafted a wonderful cast of characters for our opening, each fulfilling their own role and being distinguishable from one another.

Evaluation: Story & Genre

"In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?"

The audience should be able to identify the genre of a film within its opening minutes. In our case, the opening to "Sins Of The Martyr" is characteristically that of an action thriller film, sharing many of the conventions that are conformed to in a variety of popular films of the same genre. Thrillers typically employ a number of enigmas, that immediately establish the film as a thriller, and ensure the audience is paying attention to every moment in order to see the lot unfold and the questions answered. Enigmas were a popular trope of director Alfred Hitchcock who once said "an audience would rather be confused than bored". This is something we took into a lot of consideration in the planning stages of our film, crafting a storyline for the opening that would be interesting and work as a prologue to events that could potentially follow.

There are various questions the audience will probably ask when watching the sequence - and each of these unanswered gaps in the plot line and the motivations of the characters were intentional. For instance, it is unclear why Yung is adamant at defying his colleagues but we establish and hint at the relationships between the characters, so the audience can assume and make up their own minds about them. The audience is also unaware of the nature of the mission that our protagonist, Agent Davidson, is on, but their cinematic experience of similar films that feature chase sequences and the like will provide enough of an idea as to why.

The case that is briefly featured in the sequence is an example of what has been coined as a 'MacGuffin' - an item that serves no other purpose than to drive the story forward. Again, Hitchcock famously used them, and in his words they were "the device, the gimmick...(that) must seem to be of vital importance to the characters. To me, the narrator, they are of no importance whatsoever". The use of this item, to put it frankly, allowed us to seemingly have come up with an elaborate plot line that could potentially be explored despite having put no thought at all into the case's true nature. However, with the opening sequence it wasn't important for it to be of any particular relevance, but again the audience can decide what it means.

Despite these enigmas and MacGuffins, both typical conventions of the thriller genre, there is of course the vital ingredient - action, oh, and it must be fast paced. Modern day audiences are accustomed to exhilarating action sequences on screen, and a little mystery and intrigue just won't cut it, so it was our duty we had to provide. Most Bond films take several minutes for any action to kick in - it takes us little over a minute and a half before all hell breaks lose. Our opening features chases across Trafalgar Square as well as brief but brutal altercation across some steps, in addition to the aforementioned enigmas and twists, all in the name of ensuring the audience is kept interested and stimulated both visually and mentally, which overall, I think we have succeeded in doing.

Evaluation: Titles

"In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?"

Our opening to "Sins Of The Martyr" also acts as a title sequence, introducing the cast and crew featuring in and behind the film. Below I will explain some of the creative decisions behind the order, as well as appearance of the various credits.

Universal Pictures

The opening begins with the Universal logo, its instant recognisability showing the audience the powerhouse behind the film's funding. We used the most recent Anniversary variant of the logo to ensure the film felt modern and contemporary, while also editing it so it would quickly turn monochrome, in fitting with the film's themes.

Studio Canal

The Studio Canal logo appears immediately after to demonstrate that the film is not exclusively commercial as the institution is known for some low-key fare. In addition, this logo, also presented in monochrome, is very stylish and interesting to look at. Smoke appears to engulf the words leading the sequence seamlessly into the actual film.

Universal Pictures, Studio Canal and Enigma Entertainment present

The names of the institutions fade in from the smoke, with Enigma Entertainment, our production company, included alongside the bigger names of Universal and Studio Canal, to give it an equal sense of importance. The words are wiped away by the oncoming train from the left of the frame, an effect which was achieved by timing a wipe effect frame by frame in synchronization with the footage, and can be seen later in some of the other titles.

A Film by Nicholas Ashurst and Philip Smith
This is usually the initial credit following the names of the production companies. We felt that our names were recognisable enough amongst our audience to include them immediately and reveal who the creative minds behind the project are. They fade in then rest on a black background for a while, which is representative of the importance of the names.

Lee Davidson

The credit for our leading actor is of course the first to follow that of the director. It fades in as the actor comes into view.

Typically we would have the title card for the film following the leading actor(s), but we made the creative decision to retain it till the end of the sequence to make it stand out.

Nicholas Ashurst
The cast credits then continue with the main supporting actor, to show his relative importance in the storyline.

James Richardson

We then establish another one of the supporting cast with this title at the top of the frame as to not obscure our leading actor.

Zubin Parekh

Appearing at the bottom of the frame, and continuing briefly into the following shot, is the name of an additional cast member.

with Philip Smith
We then begin to close the cast edits with an established actor who unfortunately does not play an especially major role in the movie. 'With' is used to show this, and this credit is one of the first to use an interesting visual trick, with the double decker bus moving across the frame to reveal the name behind it.

Richard Young
Yung is a relatively minor character in the grand scheme of things, in addition to this unrecognisability of the actor. His placement as penultimate casting credit reflects this.

and Lauren Chambers

This final casting credit is reserved for a minor, but pivotal character. 'And' is used to dictate that it is the ultimate casting credit, while another visual trick is employed, this time with a character moving from outside the left to the right of the frame, with the credit disappearing behind him in the process.

Casting by
Nicholas Ashurst and Philip Smith

With the conventions of movie credits, we continue with who picked the cast members whose credits had just appeared and are still fresh in the audience's minds. The wording for this and the rest of the credits is smaller in comparison to the cast.

Costume Design

Philip Smith

We move onto the technical credits with costume design.

Production Design

Nicholas Ashurst

Production design follows, against the backdrop of an establishing shot.

Editing by

Philip Smith and Nicholas Ashurst

As the shots become more tightly cut and the pace increases, the audience is fittingly presented with the editing credit. My name is given first billing due to my significantly greater involvement in this field.

Score Composed by

James Richardson

Prior to the score escalating, we are shown who the composer was, readying the audience for the incoming intensity.

"Saints and Sinners"

written and performed by Philip Smith

As with the James Bond films, the title theme song and the artist behind it, fictional in this context, follows.

Director of Photography

Philip Smith

The person behind the cinematography, myself, is the next to follow.

Fight and Stunt Co-ordination by

Nicholas Ashurst
This credit is shown concurrently with the stunt of Yung falling into the fountain, therefore it is an appropriate placement, alongside the fight that is soon to occur.

Screenplay by

Philip Smith

We begin the very final credits with the screenplay credit.

Based on a Story and Characters by

Nicholas Ashurst
By establishing that their is a prior development process to the screenplay, we make the story seem more in depth.

Associate Producers

James Richardson and Richard Young

As the most minor of the producing credits, this is shown first.

Executive Producers

Lee Davidson and Zubin Parekh
Both names contributed quite significantly to the project thus there names immediately precede that of the main producers and directors. There is another visual trick as the thug's head knocks the credit out of view.

Produced and Directed by

Nicholas Ashurst and Philip Smith

We fulfilled the role of both producer and director, so it made sense to combine both credits into one - we had also already established who the film was by so it would've been unnecessary to separate them. By being the penultimate credit, this will be one that the audience will remember.

SINS OF THE MARTYR
Finally, the title card appears over the beautiful shot of Davidson dissapearing into the darkness. The words appear via a creative wipe transition, growing larger towards the edges of the frame, before the screen is enveloped in smoke and the title dissapears with a loud sound effect, to give it as much impact on the audience as possible and look very stylish and professional.

Evaluation: Camerawork & Editing

"In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?"

A close up shot of Yung - an example of our usage of the 'rule of thirds'

We used a combination of rough, past paced camerawork, as well as more static cinematography, to create different effects throughout the sequence. A variety of shot types, ranging from close ups of the performers, notably our lead who has the most, to wider establishing shots that showcase the location and scale of the sequence, were used to explore a range of dramatic styles. Composition and framing was also very important. We utilised the 'rule of thirds' heavily to suggest a number of emotions of the characters such as fear and danger.

The aspect ratio was an informed decision from the very start - we recognise that many films are resented in the aspect ratio of 2:35:1, resulting in an ultra widescreen look that is more cinematic than traditional 1:85:1. Thus, we made sure the footage was shot with this in mind, avoiding having important visual information at the very top and bottom of the frame, as these areas would be cropped out of the image in post. The editing of the sequence was purposely very tightly cut to maintain a constant pace and increase the intensity.of the events that transpire, as well as to present the various characters' perspectives as they occur in different locations.

There are some minor qualms I have about the editing, however. For instance, there are some shots that are perhaps cut too quickly, notably during the fight on the steps, which can make the motion of the sequence a bit jerky, but for the most part, the style of editing is very much in line with what is expected of a high budget thriller. Once the rough cut was done, additional effects were applied to further increase the cinematic flair of the final opening, such as heavy colour grading to make the visuals look distinctive and stand out, as well as adding a layer of fine grain to emulate 35mm film stock, as is typically done in post-production of digital footage, and make our project look more professional. Overall, we are very pleased with the camerawork and editing of the piece, and I feel we have learnt a lot about cinematography in the process, the experience of which we hope will carry on to our next project where we will develop and explore other styles.

Evaluation: The Title of the Film

"In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?"

From day one, we decided that our film would not have an overly generic title such as 'Crossfire' or 'Red Handed', so we opted for a more interesting concept. We had worked on a number of titles before the storyline behind the film had even been conceived. One of those titles was 'Sins of the Martyr', which I had created as a play on the idiom 'sins of the father'. When I initially proposed the title to my fellow director, he dismissed the idea as I had simply replaced the 'word' father with 'martyr', but as we began to delve deeply into the connotations of the title, we began to see that any other title would pale in comparison. The title worked with the themes of the film on so many levels, as well as being relatively short and exciting, with a similar sound to the titles of the James Bond films, creating an engima as to what the 'sins' were and who the 'martyr' was. One problem we did encounter was that the majority of our cast and crew was unable to pronounce the word 'martyr' thus extensive training sessions, teaching them the correct pronunciation, were required. Overall, we are both highly satisfied with our title and its originality.

Evaluation: Setting & Location

"In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?"

One of the major successes of our opening was the use of major landmarks in London for our shooting locations. Both the London Underground and Trafalgar Square, in addition to the other recognisable trademarks of the city such as Double Decker buses, meant audiences would be more likely to have visited such places meaning the film would therefore resonate with them more.

The opening shots of the Tube give the audience an immediate understanding of the film's location, while our utilisation of Trafalgar Square fits alongside major films such as "Skyfall", which featured it in one entire shot, and next year's Tom Cruise sci-fi vehicle "All You Need Is Kill", which notably had the entirety of the Square closed off in November last year to traffic and pedestrians for filming purposes. Unfortunately we did not have this luxury, however we feel that we made good use of the location, and the vast number of unknowingly featured locals and tourists certainly adds to the production value of the piece.

A fountain statue, one of the notable features at Trafalgar Square

We also decided, due to the dates of filming and presence of a great big Christmas tree in the centre of Trafalgar Square, that the opening is set during the Yuletide season. However this is not made especially obvious during the sequence and is therefore rather irrelevant. A notable action film that has also been set during the Christmas period is the classic "Die Hard", which admittedly does a better job at it.

Overall, the use of setting and location is crucial in a film. While small, isolated locations unknown to the audience can be appropriate as well as effective in some genres of film, shooting an film in the vein of the Hollywood action genre can be boosted significantly by a great location, especially one that is internationally recognisable and world renowned. Drawing in a wider audience who are attracted by familiarity which, while not always necessarily a good thing, can be a major selling point in a major blockbuster.

Evaluation: Storyboard Animatic Vs. Final Opening

Over the course of production on a film, there will of course be a number of changes, which occur for a number of reasons. During our day of shooting we discovered a number of things that could work differently or had to be changed due to any problems we may have encountered. In this post, I will be detailing the changes from the early stages of pre-production on our film opening, for instance the the storyboard animatic, with the final product, accompanied with some still images to show the visual similarities and differences.

Using the following screenshots from the storyboard animatic and from the final opening sequence, I will be comparing the similarities and differences in the visuals and storyline.

This shot of the train emerging from the darkness of the underground tunnel was something we envisioned from the beginning...

...and is a shot that appears in the final opening. We think it was extremely effective as the very first shot of the film.

Again, this was a shot we had planned from the start. Originally, Davidson and Stretzel were in the same shot...

...however in the final version, Davidson drops into frame shortly after Stretzel has dissapeared. We were also faced with the problem of the ceiling grate facing a different direction, thus we filmed this shot from the opposite end of the station.

Again, with this shot we discovered that our expectations of the station were wrong...

...so we shot it from the other end. Suprisingly, the grate allowed full vision of Stretzel rather than just the feet, making him more easily identifiable.

This shot was one of our favourites from its initial inception...

...thus it was almost completely maintained as planned, with Davidson's legs in a remarkably similar position.

Very much like the shot preceding this one...

...it was filmed almost exactly the same way in the final product.

While Davidson appears much closer in the storyboard and the bus is headed to the left of the frame...

...we discovered the road was much wider and ran in the opposite direction so the shot had to be adjusted appropriately.

The shot was planned so the audience would be able to see both Yung and Stretzel...

...however the distance made this difficult and we ended up with a simple but more striking shot of Yung that also establishes the location.

The intention of this shot was to depict Yung overlooking Stretzel from his vantage point...

...whilst this kept, a difference was that in the end we decided to go for a briefcase with a strap which looked more stylish.

This is another example of the final product matching the art of the storyboard...

...however Zubasu is closer so he is more visible and the burger and sunglasses were dropped due to practicality.

Whilst the earpiece being dropped into the coffee was certainly a rather dramatic image...

...we discovered that it was more intense and exciting if Yung were to crush the earpiece under his foot.

I would liked to have shot Yung through the railings of the National Gallery, the positioning making for a rather evocative image pertaining to his characters fate...

...it was simply more practical and made him more visible with the final camerawork.

It would have a brilliant shot to feature all three major characters during this intense sequence...

...but with the large distances between them it would be hard to choreograph, and thus we simply filmed Davidson on his own.

The storyboard depicted Zubasu about to strike with the memorial in sight...

...however the shot worked better without the distraction of the memorial and as a continuation of the previous shot.

Much like in the storyboard where Yung falls into the fountain with the statue in the foreground...

...in the final opening a similar shot is achieved, however from the angle of Nelson's Column.

As discussed previously, we had planned for a while to have the fight sequence in the elevator...

...but events that transpired on the day meant the relocation of the fight to the nearby steps.

Originally, the thug was to perish in a much more gruesome manner with Davidson wiping his hands clean of blood...

but practicality meant he would die a more humane death and his body would create the striking image of a gun, fitting with the film's themes.

SINS OF THE MARTYR | TWO MINUTE PROLOGUE

Post-Production: Original Score

Here, presented via SoundCloud, are the various pieces composed by James Richardson for our opening, avaliable for streaming as well as download.
 

Post-Production: Soundtrack Demo

Our composer, James Richardson, recently turned in his demo tracks for use in our opening. I have therefore quickly edited the tracks onto our correct draft of our opening to give us a sense of how the final soundtrack should work with the visuals of the film.

 

 

The recording process involved setting up a studio for our composer to work in. He was provided the rough edit of the opening with "The Dark Knight Rises" soundtrack, as well as the newer draft without any music, so he could work on composing and recording the music to them, experimenting with various styles and melodies. He consulted us about exactly what we wanted, and we spent some sessions with him to expplore his creative and technical process. Overall, we are very satisfied with the music he has come up with and we are excited to see what other ideas he has for the opening score.

Post-Production: Soundtrack Research

For our two-minute opening, we decided that music was going to be an integral part of it, providing and accentuating the tension that is prevalent. A notable composer, Hans Zimmer, provided much of the stylistic influence, and for the storyboard animatic and the early rough edit of our film opening, we temporarily used a track from Zimmer's score to "The Dark Knight Rises".

"Gotham's Reckoning" can be heard below:

Another piece of music that was a point of inspiration for us was the Danny Elfman composition "Wolf Suite, Part 1" from the soundtrack to the film "The Wolfman", that was used excellently in the trailer to 2011 spy thriller "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy".

We intend for our dear friend, the long-chinned James Richardson, to compose and record a piece of music in the similar vein as these tracks, capturing the same level of intensity and cinematic flair.

Post-Production: Opening Titles & ADR Test Edit

Here is a rough version of what the film opening should look like with opening titles applied, as well as our recent ADR that we recorded applied to the project.

 

Post-Production: Sound Mixing & ADR

Of all the elements of post-production, sound mixing was the most arduous and exhaustive, due to the difficulties we encountered recording audio on location. This meant that extensive ADR was to be carried out, with our best attempts to record the dialogue in a way that would not sound out of place. Therefore we went the route of re-recording all of the dialogue using the microphone of the camera that was used to capture the visuals. I then used various internet resources to find ambience tracks that could be layered over the video to simulate the real sound of the locations in the opening.

The following video was instrumental in understanding how to incorporate the process:

Once I had determined which audio tracks were suitable, I matched them up with the actor's mouths to ensure they were in sync and looked as if they were recorded on the day. The audio of the opening was then created from the newly recorded dialogue in addition to the ambience, with some sound effects and elements of the actual recordings where they were necessary, for instance the sound of running and the actor's breaths during the fight sequence.

Post-Production: Anatomy Of An Opening Title Sequence

Opening titles are something that are often overlooked by a general movie going audience. However they can be extremely effective and evocative of the film to follow. When special attention is put into producing them, for instance using a suitable design of fonts and graphics, opening title sequences can be a highlight.

As we can identity from these examples of title sequences, as well as many others, the standard order of credits are as follows:

- [Distributor/s] presents
- A [Production Company/ies] production
- A [Director/s] film
- [Leading actors in order of importance]
- [Title of film]
- [Supporting cast]
Which are then followed by a number of leading technical crew-members, for example:
- Music by [Composer/s]
- Director of photography [D.P.]
- Screenplay by [Writer/s]
- Produced by [Producer/s]
And typically the opening credits end with:
- Directed by [Director]

However for our opening sequence of "Sins Of The Martyr", we discussed and came to the conclusion that the title would be more effective if it was the final credit in the sequence, somewhat subverting the conventions, and reducing over-exposure of myself and Nicholas Ashurst's names, which are featured on almost every credit prior due to our rather large role in the production.

Both opening sequences, "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" and "Quantum Of Solace" feature striking imagery and visuals, and the fonts and lettering are an integral part of that. While the former uses a more stylized font which is in keeping with its themes, the latter has a thicker more contemporary look, which we ended up going for. I selected a font that I felt was rather appropriate. 

The font 'Revolution' was suitable as it is quite bold and clean, and evocative of the modern thriller feel. I used size and spacing of the letters to create emphasis of names. The cast and crew credits are all written in this particular font, while the font of the title is a variation that looks eroded. There are similarities between our logo and the logo for 2012 film "Skyfall", from which we drew inspiration from in a number of aspects.

The website Art of the Title was also an in-depth and useful tool in exploring the often extensive process behind creating the title sequences for popular films.