I am currently trying to decide what to make for my FMP. I have a few ideas at the moment and these are some.
1. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, 5 years after a Humans have won against the Cyborgs in war, an elderly man discovers the remains of a cyborg amongst wreckage and takes him in as he loses his own son in the war, much to the annoyance of his fellow survivors. It's kind of like Of Mice & Men meets Universal Soldier.
2. A story about 20 something slacker who's life falls apart when he loses his job and his girlfriend. He has enough of a conventional life and decides to live in the woods.
3. A music video for the song 'Nintendo' by my band, The Hobby Horses, inspired by James Houston's video for 'Nude' by Radiohead as well as numourous animated video such as The White Stripes' Fell In Love With A Girl by Michel Gondry. Will use 8-bit style computer animation.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
'Go Home'
Here is another video I made outside of college. My friend asked if I would help him make a video for his band 'Mr G & The Hyperbolic Paraboloids' and this is the end result.
What Makes A TV / Film Company Ident?
Every major film company, television broadcaster and production company have their own company ident. These are the very short (usually, but not restricted to, around 10 to 20 seconds long) production logo videos usually seen at the beginning of a movie or at the end of a television show. These 'idents' are to identify to the viewer the company that is providing the entertainment.
We were tasked with making our own ident for BBC 2. My idea was to create one with a wildlife theme to go at the beginning of wildlife documentaries and tv shows like Countryfile. But instead of showing actual wildlife, I was going to have footage of my budgie. Here is the original storyboard...
Having just got a new mobile phone with a HD video camera, that was what I decided to film the short video with. I filmed all the shots that I wanted without a problem, however when I arrived at the college to edit my masterpiece, the video files would not work properly with the version of Adobe Premiere installed on the computer. With the deadline looming, I had no choice but to use what I could with the footage. This is what I ended up with.
Because of the sketchy nature of the video, I figured the soundtrack to the video should be just as sketchy. I can't imagine the BBC ever wanting to use this iden
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| The Jumping 'Dog' BBC 2 Ident from the 90's |
We were tasked with making our own ident for BBC 2. My idea was to create one with a wildlife theme to go at the beginning of wildlife documentaries and tv shows like Countryfile. But instead of showing actual wildlife, I was going to have footage of my budgie. Here is the original storyboard...
Having just got a new mobile phone with a HD video camera, that was what I decided to film the short video with. I filmed all the shots that I wanted without a problem, however when I arrived at the college to edit my masterpiece, the video files would not work properly with the version of Adobe Premiere installed on the computer. With the deadline looming, I had no choice but to use what I could with the footage. This is what I ended up with.
Because of the sketchy nature of the video, I figured the soundtrack to the video should be just as sketchy. I can't imagine the BBC ever wanting to use this iden
Festival Of Fire
Recently my friends at Circus Stars, a Cornish based circus skills school, asked me to make a promotional video for their company. It was my first paid work in video and they were very happy with the result.
The Circus Stars put on a showcase in Torpoint, Cornwall with live music, stalls and entertainment as well as a huge firework display, all funded by the National Lottery. This is where I filmed the video. I have since been asked to make another video for the company to be filmed over the summer.
The Circus Stars put on a showcase in Torpoint, Cornwall with live music, stalls and entertainment as well as a huge firework display, all funded by the National Lottery. This is where I filmed the video. I have since been asked to make another video for the company to be filmed over the summer.
Title Sequences - The Walking Dead (2010) & Dawn Of The Dead (2004)
The Walking Dead (2010: TV Series, Frank Darabont, AMC)
The Walking Dead is a 2010 american television show based on the graphic novels by Robert Kirkman. The series is produced by Frank Darabont, director of The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile and The Mist. The story follows a group of people struggling to survive during a zombie apocalypse. The opening titles were made by Prologue Films who have provided credits for TV shows like Pushing Daisies, the opening for ESPN's World Cup 2010 coverage and many many title sequences for major feature films.
After a decade of zombie comedies such as Shaun Of The Dead, Zombieland and Dance Of The Dead, the zombie has become more of a comical horror icon whilst vampires have risen in popularity. This has oviously upset a lot of classic zombie enthusiasts, Frank Darabont being one of them. With his adaptation of The Walking Dead, Frank Darabont wanted to it to be a show that is taken much more seriously.
The Walking Dead's intro sequence follows a small 'teaser' scene in which the main protagonist, Officer Rick Grimes portrayed by English actor Andrew Lincoln, is confronted by young girl who just so happens to be a zombie. After being unsure of how to react to this initially, the young zombie girl starts charging towards Rick and he has no choice but to shoot her in the head.
Prologue Films' intro sequence then starts, and it soon becomes apparent that this isn't going to be your typical entry into the zombie genre. It begins with a couple of quick shots of a derelict room, followed by deserted locations (all of which are visited throughout the series) which become the running theme throughout the intro. The locations we see are places that have become typical staples of zombie lore, taking cues from the likes of George A. Romero with the abandoned shopping centre to the quiet empty streets from Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later.
What is most notable about The Walking Dead's opening titles though is the lack of any zombies, strange for what is supposed to be a zombie based show. This was a deliberate choice by the producers as it indicates to the audience that although this may be classified as a zombie show, it is much more about the characters and how they deal with being thrust into a world that is completely unrecognisable to the one they are used to.
Although there are seven credited main characters on the show, the credits during the sequence place emphasis on three characters in particular. The first credit goes to Andrew Lincoln who plays Officer Rick Grimes. A newspaper with a picture of Officer Grimes appears on the screen with only the word 'SHOT' being completely visible. The newspaper is splattered with blood and dirt, indicating that it may have been there for some time. This becomes relevent to the story later on, as Rick Grimes is critically injured in a shootout shortly after the opening credit sequence and upon awakening after a lengthy period unconcious, discovers the world has been turned upside down and infested with zombies.
The second credit goes to Jon Bernthal. Jon Bernthal plays Officer Shane Walsh, a colleague and good friend to Officer Rick Grimes. A framed picture of his character appears next to the actors name. The glass is shattered, but the picture still hangs on the wall, perhaps to show that whilst everything around him has gone bacon sausage, he still holds a position of authority amongst his fellow survivors.
The third credit goes to Sarah Wayne Callies, who portrays Rick Grimes' wife Lori. As with Jon Bernthal, a framed picture of Lori appears next to the actresses credit. Again the glass is smashed, but this time the picture appears to be on the floor with stones and dirt covering it, perhaps to show that the character of Lori is broken, believing that her husband had died in hospital during the zombie outbreak and that her old life is no longer more than a memory.
The rest of the main cast are credited quickly throughout the rest of the sequence, but not with their pictures like the three mentioned above. This shows the prominance of the three main characters, who will eventually go on to form an awkward love triangle throughout the series.
It isn't exactly the most original title sequence, but it perfectly summarises what the show is about. The bleak visuals accompanied by the dramatic soundtrack also set the tone; very serious, tense and creepy.
Dawn Of The Dead (2004 remake: Film, Zack Snyder, Universal Pictures)
'The Walking Dead' wasn't Prologue Films' first title sequence in the zombie genre, as they also provided the opening credits for Zack Snyder's 2004 'Dawn Of The Dead' remake.
Although it is again based on zombies, it is a polar opposite to the opening credits of The Walking Dead.
Dawn of the Dead opening titles
Uploaded by mactiste. - Watch original web videos.
Whilst The Walking Dead's intro sequences places emphasis on the character element of the show along with a very serious tone, Kyle Cooper's intro for Dawn Of The Dead does is very different. It makes no secret of the fact that it is a zombie film.
The very first image that appears on the screen after the initial 'Universal Pictures presents...' is that of a huge mass of people praying. Numerous religions believe in the idea of the dead being resurrected when the age of apocalypse is upon us, although they do not nessecarily mean in the form of the modern zombie, this is a theme that is very prevailent in modern zombie lore. The song that accompanies the intro sequence, Johnny Cash's 'The Man Comes Around' makes numurous biblical references, especially to The Book Of Revelation which describes how the worlds of Heaven, Hell and Earth collide in the final confrontation between good and evil.
This is followed by people armed with gasmasks and weapons combined with quick loud noises of screams and war sounds. Throughout the title sequence, real life war footage is mixed with footage shot specifically for the sequence made to look like archive footage. Kyle Cooper: "In Dawn of the Dead the brief was: 'I want to show there's this chaos, a zombie outbreak all over the world". The way the sound cuts out as quickly as it cuts in, as well as the hectic images on the screen that accompanies it, achieves this perfectly.
By featuring the scenes of the initial outbreak, and the mayhem that followed, during the intro sequences allows the film makers to be able to get on with the story they want to tell, rather than having to add an extra 20 or so minutes to the film on explaining what is going on, something most viewers will be able to figure out on their own anyway.
References
http://prologue.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walking_Dead_%28TV_series%29
http://www.artofthetitle.com/2008/06/30/dawn-of-the-dead/
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.06/cooper.html
http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2011/01/play/stories-that-work-in-150-seconds
http://www.eatmybrains.com/showreview.php?id=19
The Walking Dead is a 2010 american television show based on the graphic novels by Robert Kirkman. The series is produced by Frank Darabont, director of The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile and The Mist. The story follows a group of people struggling to survive during a zombie apocalypse. The opening titles were made by Prologue Films who have provided credits for TV shows like Pushing Daisies, the opening for ESPN's World Cup 2010 coverage and many many title sequences for major feature films.
After a decade of zombie comedies such as Shaun Of The Dead, Zombieland and Dance Of The Dead, the zombie has become more of a comical horror icon whilst vampires have risen in popularity. This has oviously upset a lot of classic zombie enthusiasts, Frank Darabont being one of them. With his adaptation of The Walking Dead, Frank Darabont wanted to it to be a show that is taken much more seriously.
The Walking Dead's intro sequence follows a small 'teaser' scene in which the main protagonist, Officer Rick Grimes portrayed by English actor Andrew Lincoln, is confronted by young girl who just so happens to be a zombie. After being unsure of how to react to this initially, the young zombie girl starts charging towards Rick and he has no choice but to shoot her in the head.
Prologue Films' intro sequence then starts, and it soon becomes apparent that this isn't going to be your typical entry into the zombie genre. It begins with a couple of quick shots of a derelict room, followed by deserted locations (all of which are visited throughout the series) which become the running theme throughout the intro. The locations we see are places that have become typical staples of zombie lore, taking cues from the likes of George A. Romero with the abandoned shopping centre to the quiet empty streets from Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later.
What is most notable about The Walking Dead's opening titles though is the lack of any zombies, strange for what is supposed to be a zombie based show. This was a deliberate choice by the producers as it indicates to the audience that although this may be classified as a zombie show, it is much more about the characters and how they deal with being thrust into a world that is completely unrecognisable to the one they are used to.
Although there are seven credited main characters on the show, the credits during the sequence place emphasis on three characters in particular. The first credit goes to Andrew Lincoln who plays Officer Rick Grimes. A newspaper with a picture of Officer Grimes appears on the screen with only the word 'SHOT' being completely visible. The newspaper is splattered with blood and dirt, indicating that it may have been there for some time. This becomes relevent to the story later on, as Rick Grimes is critically injured in a shootout shortly after the opening credit sequence and upon awakening after a lengthy period unconcious, discovers the world has been turned upside down and infested with zombies.
The second credit goes to Jon Bernthal. Jon Bernthal plays Officer Shane Walsh, a colleague and good friend to Officer Rick Grimes. A framed picture of his character appears next to the actors name. The glass is shattered, but the picture still hangs on the wall, perhaps to show that whilst everything around him has gone bacon sausage, he still holds a position of authority amongst his fellow survivors.
The third credit goes to Sarah Wayne Callies, who portrays Rick Grimes' wife Lori. As with Jon Bernthal, a framed picture of Lori appears next to the actresses credit. Again the glass is smashed, but this time the picture appears to be on the floor with stones and dirt covering it, perhaps to show that the character of Lori is broken, believing that her husband had died in hospital during the zombie outbreak and that her old life is no longer more than a memory.
The rest of the main cast are credited quickly throughout the rest of the sequence, but not with their pictures like the three mentioned above. This shows the prominance of the three main characters, who will eventually go on to form an awkward love triangle throughout the series.
It isn't exactly the most original title sequence, but it perfectly summarises what the show is about. The bleak visuals accompanied by the dramatic soundtrack also set the tone; very serious, tense and creepy.
Dawn Of The Dead (2004 remake: Film, Zack Snyder, Universal Pictures)
'The Walking Dead' wasn't Prologue Films' first title sequence in the zombie genre, as they also provided the opening credits for Zack Snyder's 2004 'Dawn Of The Dead' remake.
Although it is again based on zombies, it is a polar opposite to the opening credits of The Walking Dead.
Dawn of the Dead opening titles
Uploaded by mactiste. - Watch original web videos.
Whilst The Walking Dead's intro sequences places emphasis on the character element of the show along with a very serious tone, Kyle Cooper's intro for Dawn Of The Dead does is very different. It makes no secret of the fact that it is a zombie film.
The very first image that appears on the screen after the initial 'Universal Pictures presents...' is that of a huge mass of people praying. Numerous religions believe in the idea of the dead being resurrected when the age of apocalypse is upon us, although they do not nessecarily mean in the form of the modern zombie, this is a theme that is very prevailent in modern zombie lore. The song that accompanies the intro sequence, Johnny Cash's 'The Man Comes Around' makes numurous biblical references, especially to The Book Of Revelation which describes how the worlds of Heaven, Hell and Earth collide in the final confrontation between good and evil.
This is followed by people armed with gasmasks and weapons combined with quick loud noises of screams and war sounds. Throughout the title sequence, real life war footage is mixed with footage shot specifically for the sequence made to look like archive footage. Kyle Cooper: "In Dawn of the Dead the brief was: 'I want to show there's this chaos, a zombie outbreak all over the world". The way the sound cuts out as quickly as it cuts in, as well as the hectic images on the screen that accompanies it, achieves this perfectly.
By featuring the scenes of the initial outbreak, and the mayhem that followed, during the intro sequences allows the film makers to be able to get on with the story they want to tell, rather than having to add an extra 20 or so minutes to the film on explaining what is going on, something most viewers will be able to figure out on their own anyway.
References
http://prologue.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walking_Dead_%28TV_series%29
http://www.artofthetitle.com/2008/06/30/dawn-of-the-dead/
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.06/cooper.html
http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2011/01/play/stories-that-work-in-150-seconds
http://www.eatmybrains.com/showreview.php?id=19
Title Sequences - LOST (TV Show)
When Lost's pilot episode aired in September 2004, viewers weren't treated to a long extravagent title sequence. Instead, the first thing the audience saw was a mysterious 17 second intro which featured just a blank screen with the word 'LOST' spinning slowly towards the screen, with a soundtrack composed by the shows producer, JJ Abrams.
The intro was a perfect set up to what was to follow as the show would go on to confuse and infuriate it's viewers for many years with it's complex and mysterious plot. JJ Abrams' soundtrack to the intro is a truly uncomfortable piece, which serves to disorientate the viewer as it begins with a single low note before quickly adding layers of strings and percussion that purposefully do not blend well. This soundtrack, added with the 'Lost' logo slowly spinning towards the screen, gives off a warped mind bending effect. It created suspense and it let the audience know they were watching something big.
With a show that was so heavily guarded in secrecy, this intro sequence worked perfectly. It gave no indication of what the show was really about or any clues of what was to come. If Lost was to have an opening sequence akin to Prison Break's character highlight reel, it would have given the show an entirely different feel. It would have felt tacky while the simple approach they went for leant itself to the cinematic way the show was filmed.
In Japan, however, they did not use the same opening title. Instead they had a character highlight reel. Although it's fair to say that if they had gone this direction in the original US version it wouldn't have been as cheesey as the Japanese version, I feel this proves my point in that it feels extremely tacky and out of place with the feel of the show.
Here is the Season 3 title sequence from Japan:
The intro was a perfect set up to what was to follow as the show would go on to confuse and infuriate it's viewers for many years with it's complex and mysterious plot. JJ Abrams' soundtrack to the intro is a truly uncomfortable piece, which serves to disorientate the viewer as it begins with a single low note before quickly adding layers of strings and percussion that purposefully do not blend well. This soundtrack, added with the 'Lost' logo slowly spinning towards the screen, gives off a warped mind bending effect. It created suspense and it let the audience know they were watching something big.
With a show that was so heavily guarded in secrecy, this intro sequence worked perfectly. It gave no indication of what the show was really about or any clues of what was to come. If Lost was to have an opening sequence akin to Prison Break's character highlight reel, it would have given the show an entirely different feel. It would have felt tacky while the simple approach they went for leant itself to the cinematic way the show was filmed.
In Japan, however, they did not use the same opening title. Instead they had a character highlight reel. Although it's fair to say that if they had gone this direction in the original US version it wouldn't have been as cheesey as the Japanese version, I feel this proves my point in that it feels extremely tacky and out of place with the feel of the show.
Here is the Season 3 title sequence from Japan:
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