The Henchmen Movie Opening

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73DqgGz8UDM

The Creative Critical Reflection

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riLQ-VzzCAA&t=6s

Wrapping Up

I have finished all of my filming, and I'm now editing the project to perfection. My final shot; which depicts the henchmen speaking into the radio is phenomenal in terms of how the shots were taken. Extra close ups, and close ups in this final shot significantly added to the dramatic element. The ending of the opening when the title “the Henchmen” comes on screen I plan to add a sound effect for dramatic effect. Also I'm toying with the idea of adding a snapping sound when the spy is taken down.

In the editing of my project I'm keeping in mind talking points for my director's commentary. I have already been creating my director's commentary script, and I will be recording it this weekend. I plan to do the director's commentary in the form of a podcast, so I won't have to re edit the video to fit the format of a director's commentary showing the video.

During filming my backyard neighbors dog suddenly came out and started to bark at us. Although this was completely unintentional I was able to get a interesting shot of the spy sneaking around and a pan over to the dog barking. I am not certain if I'm going to use that clip but it did come out well, and was unscripted (it was also lucky it was a big black dog).

Overall I enjoyed the creation of the foundation portfolio project. It called for me to be creative, and create a movie opening. I'm proud of the work I was able to accomplish, especially because I chose to work alone on this large assignment. I believe by the time I'm done editing I will have a great opening on my hands.

Filming Part 2

My desire to apply credits blended into the environment (as mentioned in a previous post) was executed phenomenally. I used my mother's label maker to print out me and my friends names, and stuck them to the side of my house. I used camera movement wisely, as I panned and paused as the subject of the scene snuck past the names on the wall. My friend, Austin, another AICE Media Studies AS level student, shot the names on the wall as he pointed out when I did it I was shaking too much.  

We were filming at around 2:30pm, and after about 30 minutes of outside shooting in 90 degree weather one of my actors, Ryder, began to flip out. He nearly abandoned the cause, but after a short break inside we were able to finish up the shooting.

I included angles I had spoken of in my previous posts along with lots of camera movement. Close ups, mid shots, and over the shoulder shots featured in my opening all culminated in making a great introductory sequence. I used more tilts and pans than I intended to use, however I feel as if they really added to the dramatic value of the clip.  

Filming was an enjoyable experience, and not really any issues were encountered. Every shot was done in only a handful of takes, and I'm happy with how my actors portrayed my characters for the most part. I didn't get as much footage as I would've liked to, so my opening will probably be on the shorter, regardless of that I believe after it's completed it will have accomplished what I set out to do.

Filming Part 1

I have finally commenced my filming. I determined that all I really needed in order for my opening is just a plain wall, so I decided to film on the side of my house. I also got a couple of my friends over to my house, and casted them for my opening.

In planning my filming I realized how I should be creating specific wardrobes for my characters. My friend, Ryder, whom I chose to be the spy in my opening was amendable to take on the spy stereotype of slicked back hair, so we gelled it back. Additionally after digging around my closet I came across a beige trench coat, which seemed reminiscent of something a spy would wear. After running the jacket by my friends they approved of it, and agreed it should be worn in the scene by the spy. I also put the spy in sunglasses as it seems that's typical for a spy. My other friend (Jose, the one that takes the spy down and talks into the radio at the end of the clip) was already wearing a white long sleeve and black pants, so I decided that's acceptable for his role. He's also in AICE Media Studies, (A level) and he provided me with some advice in the process of filming. He helped me in developing his character (which is the main protagonist of the actual film) and to direct a few shots.

Going into filming I planned on the spy character stealthily taking down guards, as he sneaks around. However in the setting in which we were filming having a guard standing there would seem awkward I felt. Instead I just had him sneaking around, crouching, and looking into the windows of my house. Also I planned on the spy being shot but I couldn't come up with a proper prop gun, so I decided the henchmen would just sneak up on him and take him out. Although I am slightly disappointed I had to make these changes I feel like my opening is still going to be overall good.

Filming Specifics

Although I have a pretty decent understanding of what I'm doing I will take this blog post to outline my opening clip.

The scene commences with a shot of a spy sneaking around. I desired to include a nice, wide establishing shot however I see no way to actually film it, so I am going to avoid doing it. As the spy sneaks around creative shots are taken in angles such as over the shoulder, mid shot, and long shots. This paired with some amount of camera movement following the spy creates a great introduction to my opening. Within this scene is where I plan to implement credits, blended into the environment. Eventually in this scene the main subject is suddenly killed, and at that point A close up shot of his killer, the henchmen, is shown for a few seconds he then picks up a radio off the spy. A cut then takes place transitioning us to a different scene. Within this scene the henchmen speaks into the radio, in collusion with the spies headquarters. This shot will probably be dimly lit, and will bring the movie opening to an ending title screen with the name of the the film “The Henchmen”.

I plan to film this school week either at my house, a friends house, or school; any option would work fine for my opening. Also I plan to use my friends phones camera due to the fact it's of higher quality than mine.

My Expectations

My expectations in this period of filming preparation are of optimism, yet are realistic and well managed. I realize my limitations to create a movie opening some of which are a limited budget, and a upcoming due date. However with all this in mind I do believe I will create a good movie opening, and directors commentary.

In filming I expect things to go smoothly. I have a fairly firm vision of what I wish to exactly accomplish and I believe I can execute the proper steps to get there. If I stick to the plan, stay concentrated, and try not to change anything last minute (as I am one to do) filming will go off without a hitch.

Any challenges I may face in the creation of this will be dealt with to the best of my abilities. I am alone in creating this, and understand my limited capability to using editing softwares. I will try my best to keep any editing aspirations I wish to include out because of lack of know how to do it. Lastly I need to remember, and keep in mind, the scale of my production. It's such a minor production that I spent absolutely no cash whatsoever. Although I can dream of a world where I'd be able to put on a real, cinematic, movie theatre like movie it just can't happen. Even though it's also characteristic of the genre to have an over the top intro, it just simply can't be done.

Stylistic Options

In the midst of actually filming my movie opening I decided to review my plan. My goal in creating my opening is to demonstrate skills I picked up during this school year regarding film. Over the course of the year we discussed many techniques used across a wide array of film. Bringing as many of these elements as possible into my opening would make it it's very best.

Just the other day I viewed Split (2016) directed by M. Night Shyamalan. After the exciting yet brief opening of that film the title of the movie is shown. I feel this strategic use of the title, paired with an non diegetic sound effect, would also apply itself well to my film. Reading this list also aided in my decision for my opening to end with my movie title. At the end of the clip when he is talking on the radio he should say “hello” through it after silence, all the while the camera zooms in. After that dramatic “hello” it immediately goes to the title screen. This would all harmonize to create a great dramatic ending to my opening.

Although I feel it may greatly improve the overall quality and delivery of my opening I am hesitant to include lots of undertone music. I have limited skill using music production softwares, so Such simplistic music will do well for my scene as a very background building ambiance.  I plan to create lowkey undertone music for my production.

Shots & Angles

In the planning of the shooting of my movie opening I am beginning to put thought into specific shots, angles, camera movement, and composition I wish to include. A strategic implementation of proper filming techniques is needed for the success of my opening. I plan to consider the use of these strategies as best as possible to fit in the genre I am focusing on. Such thriller esque movies often have relatively frequent cuts and a wide range of angles, and various other techniques within them.

After doing research online I have gathered a multitude of filming techniques I should use in my opening. Such mechanics I am considering are over the shoulder shots, Dutch angles, tracking/panning shots, reaction shots, and an establishing shot.

In the beginning of my scene a spy is infiltrating through a compound, taking out some guards. I feel here over the shoulder shots and tracking pans would best capture the feng shui of the clip. It'll emphasize the subjects daringness, and liquidity as he moves through his surrounding environment.

A shift occurs in my opening when suddenly this sleek spy character is killed by the real main protagonist of the film. When he kills the spy a reaction shot, expressing sorrow, would greatly improve the scene and foreshadow to the audience future happening of the movie. Also a Dutch angle can be utilized here (as well as elsewhere in the scene) to demonstrate madness building up within our main protagonist.

Lastly an establishing shot will be used to commence my scene. It will likely be as wide as a shot as possible I can take of the location I am filming the scene at. Also in this shot I plan to include some words on screen to set where this is taking place in the world.

The Plot

After the flush of insight that came when I finally formulated my movie opening I have since began to develop the rest of the plot. Although none of this will be filmed, because I am only creating a movie introduction, I still felt it necessary to create a full movie storyboard to understand my opening better. Even though I found it relatively unhelpful, I viewed several movies in which the story was told in a complex order because I know that's what I want for my film. Pulp Fiction directed by Quentin Tarantino is told in a very complex order, and I got inspiration from this to layout my movie like so.

When in my opening the spy character is shot down by the main protagonist of the film he picks up a transmitter the spy carried. Directly after the opening a flashback occurs in which the main character, whom has been a petty criminal his whole life, receives an offer from his cell mate to do private security for a major criminal. The movie then accelerates itself to the main character being rigorously trained to do the security job, and eventually finds itself exactly the spot in time when the opening ended. A scene after that depicts our main character being praised for killing the spy. However it becomes clear to the audience that our main character really wants to take down the criminal he works for. Subsequently he uses the spies transmitter to collaborate with the people trying to take him down, and successfully causes the doom of this organized criminal activity. Which brings us to the end of the film. It would likely be rated R due to inappropriate dialogue used.

My opening is strategically placed near the exact midpoint of the timeline of the film. This production technique in my opinion would make the film the most interesting, and created an especially interesting opening.

Bonuses

Within my movie opening it has dawned on me that I should probably include some credits. I find it more interesting if in a movie opening credits are blended within the environment so I wish to include that. Additionally I find it appealing if location of setting is specified. Such conventions of film I plan to work into my opening.

As is typical of thriller movies some amount of credits are usually done in the beginning of the film. I plan to only apply a minimal amount of credits because I don't want them to dominate the screen on a approximately 2 minute movie opening. Some films, such as 300, have elaborate and long opening credit scenes, and although I enjoy the style I find my time is better used making a more structured movie opening. The practice of adding names into the environment of the narrative has always seemed cinematic to me. I feel if I can skillfully add names into my narratives setting my opening would seem like a significantly more professional production.

Along with the use of credits I think I should also use an ‘exotic location’ for my outpost. The compound for which this opening takes place will be in the Pacific, on some small island. During the establishing shot (the first shot in my opening) I will include in the bottom corner of the screen a small explanation of the setting. I feel doing this can help immerse the audience into exactly what's going on. The mixture of the immersion of locale, and the inclusion of credits blended into the environment are both factors I feel will bring my movie opening to its highest potential.

Insight

I have at long last finally come up with my movie idea. In the process of brainstorming, I viewed movie openings across a wide range of genres. After viewing the Casino Royale (2006) movie opening, I gained an interest to having a partly espionage themed movie introduction. As I think it creates a good hook, and will keep the audience interested. Also characteristics of the espionage/spy genre are easily embraceable, especially those of costume design; a suit/dark clothing, gelled back hair, and a determined yet unphased facial expression.

My opening will feature a spy sneaking around a compound, moving carefully, and taking down some guards. The scene takes a turn when suddenly this spy character is shot down by our true main character, a henchmen named Joelle. Joelle then takes a radio off this spy character, and the opening ends with the title of the film, The Henchmen. My movie won't be a spy film but by using spy movie characteristics I feel it throws off the viewer, and creates an interesting opening for the rest of my movie.

The bulk of the film could be characterized by more of a crime, and drama movie. This intro is quite ironic, and relatively derivative of the dark comedy genre.  The audience is going to be engaged by this clip, and it will set the dramatic tone for the duration of the film. Within the opening I plan to include credits posed within the setting. Such credits like director, and actors names strategically placed could further the aurora of a spy/espionage themed feel until the shift of the spy being killed occurs.  

Audience

The intended audience of my film will be people aged 16 and up. Drama and crime genre films are generally consumed by a large variety of people. Drama is a movie element that most frequently wins awards at film awards ceremonies, so it appeals widely to both men and women. Although my introduction is spy-centric, which is more of a male dominated genre, I believe women will also be able to appreciate it, and be enticed by it. It's unconventional application of spy genre movie characteristics could be enjoyed by a vast array of audiences.

My film, as typical of the crime genre, will utilize strong language along with other suggestive themes. Likely earning itself a rating between PG-13 or R. With this in mind the minimum age of people wanting to see this movie are at least 16. Additionally older people, aged 50+, wouldn't want to see this film as they aren't interested in movies of such composition.

Even though it may seem as if I'm limiting myself in the possible audience of my movie; there's still many people that fall into my criteria. 16-50 year olds would appreciate the plot of the movie and more importantly to me, the opening. Remaining gender neutral in terms of marketing and distribution is the best way to go about the diffusion of my film. I hope that my interesting shift in the opening doesn't alienate audiences, mainly those of women.

Creation

I have little experience in recording and editing my own original projects outside of leisure/pleasure activities and what I have done so far this year in AICE Media Studies. In the creation of this assignment I will likely learn, in more depth, how to film and edit better. In preparation to do this I have downloaded the following softwares: Windows Movie Maker, Garageband, iMovie, and FL Studio.

As an avid lover of and listener to Hip Hop/Rap music, I already have downloaded FL Studio, and GarageBand as I find it fun to play around in those apps. My movie opening would surely come off as flat, and boring if no music was played during it, so I'm considering creating my own music for it. As I learned from listening to crime and drama movie soundtracks, typically it's just a small range of keys on a keyboard, not intrusive to the scene. Also a typical aspect of it is increasing/decreasing in intensity or volume, following the scene. Possibly in the shift of my opening, when the spy character is killed, the music can also shift possibly to a bass heavy drum, or it can just go silent.

For my previous AICE media film projects I have used iMovie in order to put together my productions. After some minor research I found many people recommend using Windows Movie Maker, so I downloaded it for consideration to use. I don't own a camera, outside of my iPhone, so either I will borrow a friends or just use my iPhone camera. I have these little iPhone lenses that may be usable in filming, possibly a shot can be done either in fish eye or a little zoom to enhance the clip.

Call Casting

With the scope of genres I'm focusing on in my opening the main character will be introduced. As typical in crime/drama/thriller/mysteries my main character, and some supporting roles will be shown within the opening scenes. Also as typical within those genres the main character will be dynamic, and complex. Like in the film Memento directed by Christopher Nolan the main character is really unique and story dominating. A well vetted and engaged cast is also going to be fundamental to my project.
Tremendously important is the fact I'm going to have to cast actors to act in this production. Due to my decision to work alone on this project, outside support from my friends will likely be required for this project to work out. In order for my movie opening to come out as best as possible I'm going to have to be sure that my actors are well informed, and engaged within their performances. Filming will likely take place on a weekend so that all my friends are available to cast.

Also I believe my main character should be something that would really encompass the audience and  entertain them. In Memento the main character has the inability to create new memories, so the plot entirely revolves around his experience of finding the man who killed his wife. This character is developed a lot throughout the story, and his complexity in the fact he never can remember something new really drives the film. Phenomenal acting in a leading role is also vital, as shown in Memento. Wise choices in the casting and creation of the leading role are being taken account into the making of my movie opening.

Crime Time

Crime is the most common general theme of a vast majority of films I enjoy and make effort to watch, therefore this theme should be prominent in my opening. Productions that feature the protagonist as a monger of crime make up some of my favorite films and T.V. series's. Breaking Bad is a television series in which a cancer ridden chemistry teacher begins manufacturing crystal meth in order to support his family. Inception is a movie about a thief whom uses your subconscious in order to extract secrets. As a fan of both of these productions, and others similar to it, I embrace the notion of my main character being a criminal of some sort in major crime.  
Mob related crime would be an interesting theming to my production. Powerful, and wealthy families of the mob can create enjoyable avenues of conflict for my movie. Inspiration for a mob theme stems from my liking of Sin City (2005), directed by Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez, and Quentin Tarantino. This movie is a anthology film meaning it's actually multiple short films loosely connected to one another, all of which with a common theme of mob crime. All the conflicts outlined in it emphasize to me the vast possibilities of a mob film, making it seem to me that it's very doable.
Aside from mob crime my film can alternatively enact a fugitive on the run. Movies based on a fugitive on the run, like mob centered movies, have tons of possible avenues of conflict. In True Romance (1993) directed by Tony Scott, and written by Quentin Tarantino a man and a women that steal cocaine from the mob flee to Los Angeles, to evade their capture. In this movie many aspects of fugitivity are used that can easily be transferred to my own production.
Either it be of or relating to mob crimes or fugitives on the run, crime is destined to be a theme of my movie. Typical genre characteristics and methods will be especially reviewed in the process of creating my production, for added effect.

Genres?

When deciding on the genre in which my movie opening will portray I tried to think of my favorite films and their respective genres. My favorite movies consist of all Quentin Tarantino directed films, Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, Memento, Inception, and True Romance. A reoccurring genre across all of these films is drama, thriller, crime, action, and mystery. It only makes sense, considering these are my favorite movies, that I create something that falls into one of these genres in some fashion.
Although I find that films unconventionally using typical characteristics are especially unique I feel I should stay on the conventional side. In the movie From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Quentin Tarantino a very unconventional genre switch occurred. The movie abruptly transitions from a crime/drama genre esque abduction of a family to a vampire infested, horror survival film. This unconventional mid movie genre switch, bizarre as it be, was used very well, and it greatly increased the memorability of this film. However much fun it may be to create something like this, I'm hesitant, and leaning towards being more conventional due to the fact a crazy genre swing like this can come across as disappointing, and be poorly received. Using traditional genre characteristics is a safer bet, and will be the route I'm going.
Due to my favorite films having a major influence on the type of film opening I'm going to want to put together I'm certain my film will fall into the genre of either drama, thriller, crime, action, or mystery. I plan to conduct research extensively on these genres in order to gain insight into things that go into creating a production of such genre. Quirks and methods generally used within the genre will be displayed within my movie.