Titles

In a previous post we explored the titles and typography, in the end decided on a few effects and transitions to use. I put these into our opening. Here the 3 step title sequence can be seen. They all have the same name, but are positioned in different places with different effects on them. We changed the font to 'Trajan Pro' as felt this looked similar to real horror film titles. E.g. The Conjuring.

In this image you can see that the middle section is a lot shorter. In this part, the bad tv effect is increased to 100, and the text is repositioned in the opposite corner. This gives the text a jolty look and adds to the possessed theme.

These are the settings that the last segment has, in each of the names used. Bad Tv is on the original 'amount', 15.38 after being on 100, however another effect 'flashing' is used to give the burnt out film appearance which reflects some parts in our sequence where quick flahses of pale colour and symbols appear.

Here the 'lighting' effect can be seen fully and it would then transition out with a fade. All the titles are in different places with the flashes occurring in different positions also. The text is overlayed over parts of the opening where Mia is comforting Neve. 

This is what we originally made:

Here are the titles applied to the opening:

-insert video-

Evaluation

I am very happy with this style of title as it looks professional and very similar to the 'Whitechapel' title that we were trying to recreate. However, this will probably get moved around and the speed changed to fit the whole sequence once the sound and editing is completed. For now, the titles are in place but we need to re-jig the order. 

Editing

In the process of achieving our transitions, a shooting error occurred due to camera misplacement between two shots. We needed to figure out how to cover up this anomaly and so we decided to use a flash effect. The flash needed, had to be quick and bright so that the error was unnoticeable. After searching on Final Cut Pro for a good flash effect, we found that we had to use an existing one from a film. The trailer of "Sinister" had the flash we needed (at 1.39 seconds).

We used "KEEPVID" to convert the trailer from YouTube directly to Final Cut Pro.

We then imported the clip onto Final Cut Pro.

Afterwards, we bladed the clip until we were left with the flash.

Now that we had the flash, we could insert it between the two misplaced shots.

Evaluation:

• The flash we found was incredibly quick, which effectively covered up the error. The transition we made after using the flash, appeared out much better than before.
• The flash is also conventional to our sub-genre, Supernatural Horror.

Research On Non-Diegetic Sound Used In Supernatural Horror Films

For our opening, we want to have a theme tune which sets a specific mood/tone. The mood we want to set needs to be suspenseful and frightening. This will effectively go well with our possessive clips. After carrying out research, I have found that the soundtracks used in "The Conjuring" happen to be incredibly daunting.

Our existing production companies we have selected are those of "The Warner Brothers" and "New Line Cinema" from the opening of "The Conjuring". I find that the soundtrack used between the transition of these production companies is rather effective. Furthermore, I like the way in which the non-diegetic sound starts of quite subtle and then gradually increases by volume, creating a sense of sudden shock.

 

 

For the possessive parts, I thought using a similar soundtrack again would be useful. This is because, at times the possessive movement can be weak, whereas in others it can be forceful. The non-diegetic sound at 0.15 seconds in the clip above has a huge increase in volume. The sound connotes something shocking. Therefore, having this type of non-diegetic sound would be parallel towards the quick, rapid possessive movements, as the movements build climax.

 

I found another sound clip however, which may be more useful when Neve is showing signs of possession. The soundtrack, "The Witch Comes Through" includes a woman screaming in the background which could signify possession. The track also includes heavy use of chiming sounds which can be parallel to the possessive movement.



 

Towards the end of our clip, Neve disappears. This is a pivotal point in our opening, as audience begin to question the whereabouts of her. Her reappearance is very sharp, with her pouncing in front of the camera. Therefore, it would effective in using a loud sound to which echoes her sudden appearance. The sound clip below includes non-diegetic sounds at the beginning which carry slight emptiness. A similar sound would be useful when the audience see that Neve has escaped from her bed. At 0.30 seconds, the chimes begin to create suspense. After having these sounds, one similar to the impactful sound at 4.27 seconds could be used when Neve reappears.



Evaluation:

• After carrying out this research I shall now go on to find legal free sounds to use in our opening. I find suspenseful sounds which carry force, would be very useful for our opening.

Titles | Research and Practical

Our task for this week was to improve our titles and begin to implement them into our opening. We started by researching different ways in which we could make movements within the titles and took inspiration from the following (Whitechapel):

We liked the way the editors manipulated the text so it would flip, suddenly flash up, become larger and smaller etc. We wanted to recreate this type of text for our own opening.

We found this tutorial whilst searching for different effects we could use and we was interested in trying to replicate some of the movements, however we discovered you have to pay to get this software included in Final Cut Pro and so decided against it, instead we decided to use it as inspiration for our own movements:



We began by using a simple text box in Final Cut Pro, which was basic and plain, starting with the text in the bottom corner. We then put on the effect 'Bad TV' as we use this frequently throughout our opening and we wanted to keep a constant theme throughout, we changed the amount so it was a bit more noticable.

We changed the font to 'Trajan Pro' as felt this looked similar to real horror film titles. E.g. The Conjuring. As you can see below in the screenshot, we put in the actors name and applied the effect. We then manipulated the text in a different way.

 We copied the exact same text but as two different strips of video. Then we put one tiny short clip of text, which appeared for a fraction of a second (saying the same thing) in between.

 In the inbetween one we moved the position of the text to the opposite corner and applied the effect 'Bad TV' for a very short period of time but as a much higher amount, so it looks like it flashes up and goes very jolty and shakey.

Following this, in the longer 3rd clip we applied an effect which looks like a film burning out called '...' which can be seen in the video.

Here is what we made:

Evaluation
We are very happy with this style of title as it looks professional and very similar to the 'Whitechapel' title that we were trying to recreate. To improve we would like to make the text jolt backwards and larger and smaller like in the Whitechapel opening sequence. We also want to try adding in more quick flashes up or in slightly different places just to make it look even more impressive. However, this would require more professional skills and we'd have to download or install other software which could be costly. For now, we are happy with the results.



Editing To Conform Possession Conventions

From my deconstruction task on editing effects used in "Paranormal Activity", I tried out some of the techniques. Below I have demonstrated how I achieved the CCTV look and the "black eyes".

I firstly imported the video into Final Cut Pro. I then used the "blade" tool by selecting 'b' (on the keypad) and cropped the video until I had the image I needed. To apply the CCTV look, I selected "midtones" and applied a green filter.

By changing the "amount", I could decrease the weight of the effect.

 

To try out the "black eyes" effect, I used Adobe Photoshop Editor. I first selected an image to use.

I then selected the brush tool to cover both eyes in a solid, black shade.

After covering both eyes, I changed the colour of the brush tool into white. I then applied the white shade in the centre of each eye to achieve the possessive look.

My final image

Evaluation:

• Overall, my task went well. The CCTV effect can easily by applied by using Final Cut Pro. However, in my group's final footage, we may just use "bad tv", as this is more realistic.
• The "black eyes" effect can be applied well by using Photoshop. The effect is inredibly effective in conforming a possessive character.

Deconstruction On Editing Effects Used In Paranormal Activity

Visual effects have mainly been used throughout the film. One key example is of the CCTV effect. The CCTV effect connotes the idea of the film being filmed like a documentary. This helps to create realism.



Other visual effects have been applied such as the "black eyes". The effect is a convention used for many supernatural horror/possession films such "The Devil Inside" and "The Possession". It is therefore, useful in conveying the genre and more specifically, the sub-genre of a horror film - supernatural horror.
The effect is useful in representing a possessed character, as the black, gloomy colour carries  negative connotations such as evilness.



Sound:

• Off-screen diegetic sound of a roar has been applied to the possessed woman (at 1:46s). The sound effect signifies possessive movement.

Evaluation:

• The CCTV effect can easily be achieved on Final Cut Pro. A green filter can be applied to create a CCTV effect similar to the one from "Paranormal Activity".
• The visual effect of people being dragged cannot be achieved through Final Cut Pro. However, in my group's opening, the possessive movement which we have included requires fast movement to convey bone clicking, possession etc. Instead my group and I have sped up the possession parts in our opening. Our sped up clips appeared out quite well, meaning having the "dragging" effect absent should be okay.
• The "black eyes" is a visual effect which would be helpful in our opening. The effect is effective in further building on the idea of possession.

Transition Editing

 

In the beginning of our two minute supernatural film opening we had to put in an original film production company, our own film production company and our film name. We, as a group chose 'Warner brothers' as our original film production company, 'Fright Films' as our own film production company and 'The Possessed' as our film name. This is what it looked like before we added in any transitions when it was simple blocks with straight cut edits.

 

 

We then added the transition 'fade to colour' from final cut pro which created a slight fade between each bit of film, we also added 'breaks' (black spaces) in between the transitions to drag it out a bit longer so that it didn't go too quickly from one part to another and we thought this looked more effective overall.

This is what we ended up with:

 

Evaluation -

It took us a while to get used to using the transitions on final cut pro as we found them quite tricky to place where we wanted them to go at first. But we both agreed that using that particular transition along with the blank spaces made the beginning of our film opening look as effective and professional as want it to be. We want to continue editing this with the rest of our group to add any improvements they think can be made, and also to put some non-diegetic sound in the background of the film name.