Donnie Darko title sequence deconstruction

Donnie Darko

During the presidential election of 1988, a teenager named Donnie Darko sleepwalks out of his house one night and sees a giant, demonic-looking rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world will end in 28 days. When Donnie returns home, he finds that a jet engine has crashed into his bedroom. Is Donnie living in a parallel universe, is he suffering from mental illness - or will the world really end?How many titles are displayed during the opening scene? The opening scene is much longer than the other title sequences and only has 4  titles are displayed during the opening scene. What images are prioritized during the opening scene? The scene begins as a pan shot of the scenery establishing the setting while hinting the darkness of the film. What connotations do the images carry? In the opening scene there is a thunderstorm sound that certainly contrasts the opening scene due to no storm being pictured which connotes the strange time shift of the film. How is the genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset? The genre is expressed through every single transition, font, and shot from the outset you can certainly tell this is a thriller and that it’s insanely mysterious. How does the film establish an enigma from the outset? The film has tense slow music connotation mystery and establishing that odd attention grasping opening sequence. What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience? The old fashion creeping seeming font, the dark, and lack of color variation. How has technology been used effectively? Then the camera work is really well put together. The first camera movement is basically a zoom in with a pan shot, Donnie on the floor and he looks confused the intro as a whole is executed very well and gives you an idea of what's going on.

Silent hill title sequence deconstruction

Silent Hill

 Unable to accept the fact that her daughter is dying, Rose decides to take the girl to a faith healer. On the way, the pair drive through a portal, in reality, leading to an eerie town called Silent Hill. The town is surrounded by a potent darkness, and the human survivors fight a losing battle against it. How many titles are displayed during the opening scene? The opening scene is much longer than the others and is around 20  titles are displayed during the opening scene. What images are prioritized during the opening scene? There is a lot of faded transitions of scenery its more creepy then suspenseful and that seems to be prioritized throughout the opening scene. What connotations do the images carry? The images carry an eerie feel and highlight more horror aspects with eerie transitions and sound. How is the genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset? The genre is expressed through every single transition, font, and shot from the outset you can certainly tell this is a thriller and that it’s insanely mysterious. How does the film establish an enigma from the outset? The title sequence alone seems like one big puzzle, all the x-rays and pictures with scratched eyes out seem mysterious and entreating. What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience? The old fashion creeping seeming font, the dark, and lack of color variation. How has technology been used effectively? The birds-eye shots and close-ups of certain objects and pictures express the thriller film you're watching the camera angles and editing is used so well that while you're viewing your kind of weirded out but curious of what's next.

Se7en title sequence deconstruction

Se7en

When retiring police Detective William Somerset tackles a final case with the aid of newly transferred David Mills, they discover a number of elaborate and grizzly murders. They soon realize they are dealing with a serial killer who is targeting people he thinks represents one of the seven.  How many titles are displayed during the opening scene? Around 34 titles are displayed during the opening scene. What images are prioritized during the opening scene?

There is a lot of jump transitions of someone crossing out words, drawing over faces, cutting out newspapers, all of it is very dark in-depth, and seems to be prioritized throughout the opening scene. 

What connotations do the images carry? The images carry an eerie feel and highlight the thriller aspect with the transitions and sound which is suspenseful. How is the genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset? The genre is expressed through every single transition, font, and shot from the outset you can certainly tell this is a thriller and that it’s insanely mysterious.

How does the film establish an enigma from the outset? The title sequence alone seems like one big puzzle, all the x-rays and pictures with scratched eyes out seem mysterious and entreating.

What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience? The old fashion creeping seeming font, the dark, and lack of color variation.

How has technology been used effectively? The birds-eye shots and close-ups of certain objects and pictures express the thriller film you're watching the camera angles and editing is used so well that while you're viewing your kind of weirded out but curious about what's next.

Split title sequence deconstruction

SPLIT

The split title sequence is very simple. It has an eerie sound to it with no lyrics.  split is a psychological horror film that follows a man with dissociative identity disorder. Kevin crumb, as he kidnaps and imprisons three teenage girls in an isolated underground facility. After they awake from unconsciousness, the girls soon realize that Kevin suffers from DID, a coping mechanism he developed from a childhood of abuse and torment. The title sequence from the film has roughly 25 titles displayed but they do have a transition where about 30 of the same title appear once on the screen. The images prioritized are multi-cut footage shots of the basement where the girls are kept, the lighting Is dark and eerie. The images carry a dark, kinda creepy feel to them it’s very simple yet frightening.

The thriller is clearly shown through technical and symbolic codes, the title sequence is eerie, it’s bold yet simplistic and minimal in the color scheme.  
The film establishes a mysterious and psychological thriller through the tone of the mise-en-scene and from an outside perspective it can seem puzzling and intriguing.  The split film is a part of a three-movie trilogy one of the very amazing m night Shyamalan films that attracts a rather “serious” audience when it comes to the type of cinema they enjoy with a muted, dark setting that engages with audiences that enjoy genres like horror, thriller, and mystery and movies like Psycho, Unbreakable, and The Shining. The close-up angles and tracking shots along with the jump transitions with the titles add contrast between the titles and what’s happening in the film. The girl is unconscious and is located in a room where she will be kept captive. The editing with the multi-cut footage and cool transitions of the titles created while editing really set the theme of the film and grasp the audience's attention.

Title Research: Watch The Titles Website

Watch The Titles

The second and next site is called Watch the title. Once you open up the page sequences automatically start playing. The top right says the title of the website just like the art of title website. 

There are clickable links that send you to other pages to the right of the title. The names of the buttons are "title sequence, designers and studios".

When you scroll over title sequence many options are placed. The title sequence options are Featured films, TV shows, event titles, student projects, video games, and french Friday.

There are more designers on "watch the titles' then on "the art of titles" but fewer studios. They also have a search bar option to make navigation easier.

They have their social media on the top left of the screen Even have an interview you can scroll through under the sequences presented automatically. You also have the option of browsing all the interviews instead of having to click on the right side of the screen to see the designer's interviews. Underneath the interview, is the same option as under title sequence. At the bottom of the site there is a quote that says "forget the film, watch the titles" which I personally thought was pretty funny. Then they have links to there about page as well as press, credit, and links. they also provide a newsletter that allows you to input your email and sends you updates on the latest

Title Research: Art of the Title Website

 Art of the Title

There are two websites we will be using to research title sequences within our genre. One of which is     ARTOFTHETITLE.COM

When we open the website we automatically are introduced to the title of the website on the upper left-hand side of the screen then title sequence and a drop-down menu to the right of it.

The drop-down menu it titled "Designers + Studios" and contains a list of designers such as Arron Becker who designed and directed main title sequences for films such as Split and Get out.

 And other designers like Francisco Sanchez de Cante who contributed to title sequences for Wonder Woman.

It doesn't just list a  plethora of designers it also names studios and even provides the option of looking at a grid view of the studios and designers. To the right of the dropbox there is a search box.

 The search box allows you to look up movie titles, artists, and studios so that you can research the artist and if available an interview of the process of creating the title sequence. 

On the home page there is a college of title sequences and above them is a title saying "Top 10 title sequences of 2019" that they created to homage too. Next to that art of the title linked their social media account.

At the bottom page it has links to separate pages and screen. 

The pages they have linked is About, New, Titles, Features, Designers, Studios, and sponsorship. They also claim their copyright claim. They also state how the sequences are owned by their respective owner. The About page discusses how the website is a publication site and informs the readers on the staff and stuff like endorsements, acknowledgment, and how to contact them. The news page discusses the Emmy nominees and winners. Then pages like Title, Feature, Design, and Studios are also linked on the bottom but rather than skimming through them on the top of the page it sends you to another screen instead. 

Genre Research: Donnie Darko

DONNIE DARKO

-Film synopsis-

Description

"During the presidential election of 1988, a teenager named Donnie Darko sleepwalks out of his house one night and sees a giant, demonic-looking rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world will end in 28 days. When Donnie returns home, he finds that a jet engine has crashed into his bedroom. Is Donnie living in a parallel universe, is he suffering from mental illness - or will the world really end?"

Mis-en-Scene

Costumes- Bunny costume, 1980's clothing, and school uniforms.
Lighting- Usually Dim and Dark lighting to express depth with lots of shadows as well revealing the sub-genre may be a horror 
Acting style- more mannered “classical” then intense and psychologically driven but more “natural with a good flow throughout.
Props- Bunny Mask

Setting-  1988 in Middlesex, Virginia
CAMS

Camera Angles- High angle, Medium angle, Medium closeup,
Camera Movement- Tracking, Panoramic,
SOUND-
Eerie sound effects made by the bunny, frank. Low tempo music. Both diegetic and non-diegetic sound.

Genre Research: American Psycho

AMERICAN PSYCHO

Description?

Description

"During the presidential election of 1988, a teenager named Donnie Darko sleepwalks out of his house one night and sees a giant, demonic-looking rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world will end in 28 days. When Donnie returns home, he finds that a jet engine has crashed into his bedroom. Is Donnie living in a parallel universe, is he suffering from mental illness - or will the world really end?"

Released Date: April 14, 2000 Director: Mary Harron

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Genre Research: Split

S P L I T

Kevin a Disossitive identity disorder victim has a total of 23 personalities. He sees his psychiatrist often and discusses what's happening in his life. She does research on her DID patients and wants to demonstrate to the world that not all people with DID are vial and manic. At the beginning of the film, he abducts three girls which he will feed on in order to feed the beast, a personality that the other personalities didn't believe in. Kevin battles the other personalities in hopes of trying to mend them but can't control who sits in the light.

Genre Research: Psychological thriller

PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER

Psychological-thriller is a thriller story that emphasizes the psychology of its characters and their unstable emotional states. Psychological thrillers often incorporate elements of mystery, drama, action, and horror. Thriller is mistaken for horror a lot because they have similar elements but thriller is just mysterious and suspenseful. Although it can have a bit of horror Incorporated I personally don't want my film to be scary by any means. I do want it to be slightly mysterious and suspenseful but differently not horrific. I also wanted to incorporate some drama into it because I feel that the storyline is sad and melodramatic. Z is at a somber state but I want it the flashbacks of her life before and during their death to be impactful and tragic.

Genre Research: Genre selection

Genre Options

There are two genres I am interested in researching. One being thriller,  which has a dark, engrossing, and suspenseful plot-driven story. Two Psychological which takes you further into the character's emotional and mental state which is critical because I really want the audience to truly feel everything Z feels. 

CAMS- Camera Angle Movement Sound

CLAPS- Costume Lighting Actors Props Setting

Thriller

when we talk about thrillers one of the most iconic movies comes to mind, psycho. Psycho is a thriller film released in the year 1960 and was one of the first movies to really tackle thriller head-on. A lot of the elements in thriller movies revolve around the Claps. 

CLAMPS

• Costumes in thrillers are usually dark and contain mute colors, dresses are usually dirty and ruined. Males typically wear long jackets or coats as well as hats and suits. Woman if/when they wear dresses its either white or black a majority of the time. There is usually a wide shade range of red, brown, and blue.
• Lighting in thrillers is one of the main conventions because lighting allows the audience to feel suspense and tension throughout the movie. Movies like split use dim, minimal lighting to engage the audience and keep them on their toes at all times.
• Acting in thrillers is super important when it comes to dialogue it's not as critical but when we talk about emotion, you have to be able to read the actor's emotions whether they're scared, sad, or happy. Elements like lighting and music build suspense the role an actor plays is to relate with the audience so expression is crucial.
• Props in thrillers sometimes have an important back story. Props like guns can have an important reason for being used or involved. Also things like knives, a dripping water tap, and blood are heavily used. Especially blood, most thrillers usually involve death, and typically when someones being murdered, blood is everywhere.
• The setting is pretty basic in thrillers, the suburbs, houses, rural areas, even basements. The protagonist is usually having to deal with an issue or find a way out of it so like an escape, solve a mystery, or finish a mission.

CAMS 

• Common angles in thrillers can be birds eye, close up shots usually on the actor's face or important props, extreme long shots, low angle shots, point of view, and over the shoulder.
• Common camera movement tracking shots, panning shots, dutch, handheld, rack focus, and zoom.
• Common sound is typically dark and eerie. Music starts off at a slow pace and speeds up at certain times to build suspense reaching the climax of the situation or film as a whole. Sound bridges are constantly used along with the non-diegetic sound.

Psychological-thriller

Psychological Thriller films

• Costumes in psychological-thriller movies are usually dark and contain mute colors, dresses are usually distressed. Both genders typically wear mute colors and black.
• Lighting similar to thrillers. 
• Acting in psychological-thriller films is typically raw and is usually the make or break of the movie. Its what tangles all the convections together so expression is crucial.
• Props in psychological-thriller films sometimes have an important back story. Props vary but most are weapons, drugs, and technology like phones.
• The setting is usually based in homes,  rural areas, and commonly involve therapy type settings. The protagonist is usually having to deal with an issue or find a way out much like thrillers.

CAMS
(same as thiller)

• Common angles can be birds eye, close up shots usually on the actor's face or important props, extreme long shots, low angle shots, point of view, and over the shoulder.
• Common camera movement tracking shots, panning shots, dutch, handheld, rack focus, and zoom.
• Common sound is typically dark and eerie. Music starts off at a slow pace and speeds up at certain times to build suspense reaching the climax of the situation or film as a whole. Sound bridges are constantly used along with the non-diegetic sound.

Genre Research: Dance

Back in December my old partner Lucas and I created a PowerPoint together.
It's a genre PowerPoint on dance. Common lighting in dance films, according to the dance itself if its hip-hop the lighting is more likely going to be more harsh and dramatic ad full of color while contemporary is more likely to be minimalistic. Lighting is typically white but dim. Usually the camera angle is wide and slightly long so you can see the whole stage and the dancers choreography.
The Dance genre as a whole is usually energetic movies like grease is a perfect example of the dance genre.
Dance PowerPoint

The Perfect Pitch

WHAT IS A ELEVATOR PITCH?

Now its time to pick a pitch. For our movie we have to make an elevator pitch.

An elevator pitch is a twenty-five letter pitch that is made to intrigue the viewers. Our teacher gave us a really good example. She said to imagine you're in an elevator with someone like Quentin Tarantino, Jordan Peele, Greta Gerwig and you want to say your pitch before you reach the bottom floor and they leave. We want the audience to be interested and get a feel of the storyline without actually seeing the film YET. So I have to create a good storyline that will gravitate towards the audience without overly giving away any information about the film itself. Before I introduce and discuss any of my pitch ideas I would like to inform you on what the storyline is.

PITCH OPTIONS

"16 years living in a body she can't even control, tackling school, sexuality, and society can this depressed teenager refuse her lust for blood."

"Seven voices controlling her mind, already battling the death of her parents, depression, and society. Will Z be able to refuse her urge to kill."

"Tackling the death of her parents, depression, and seven different voices in her head, Will Z finally find happiness"

"16 years full of trauma and depression, trapped in a mind she can't even control will Z be able to refuse her urge to kill"

PITCH SELECTION

"Seven voices controlling her mind, already battling the death of her parents, depression, and society. Will Z be able to refuse her urge to kill."

STORYLINE

The Film Follows  In the early 2000s "Z" a sixteen-year-old girl suffering from depression, anxiety, and dissociative identity disorder. She has no parents just her grandma, Lilian. Her mother died from Leukemia when she was eleven and her father suffered from insomnia. Shortly after the lack of sleep lead to hallucinations. He tried taking antidepressants to help. He shortly got addicted to pills which lead to more dangerous drugs like cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl. His insomnia got so bad to the point where he started Hallucinating, his hallucinations were so bad that he committed suicide. He killed himself with a 9mm gun on Z's twelve birthday. Z found him dead and was too scared to call anyone. That day Lilian was over and after calling Z after some time she goes to see Z standing a couple feet away from her dad's body. While her father was doing all these drugs Z was doing them too. No one ever noticed and just like her father she also fell into depression. After the death of her mother her first personality came, Iliad. He was like a bodyguard for Z. He gave her strength when she needed it most and turned anger into passion. He could get aggressive at times but he respected Z and wanted her to be safe. Not too long after the other five came. Elliot came after a while of her drug consumption. Katana came after the death of her father. Then Lenox, Quinn, and Ace. All her personalities always were at war with each other, they were usually loud, and didn't even allow Z to talk. Z was never happy, not after her twelfth birthday, she hated herself and a part of her hated her dad for not being strong enough to take care of her or love her. Her only reason to live was her grandma, she didn't want to hurt the only person who she cared about. But Z was never happy, her personalities never were, her mind was always clouded with darkness and despair that was until she killed her first simulator. Simulator is the name of the people she kills, her victims. Murder is her only source of happiness and without it she just feels pain or numbness hence they simulate happiness. Her happiness only lasts five minutes and five seconds but it's a time where all her voices calm down, its like euphoria to Z, better than any drug. It makes her feel some sense of purpose again. Her only problem now is successfully killing all her victims without getting caught. (She either feels numb from the drugs she takes every day or happiness after she kills.)

Starting the final task

Hi my name is Alanys I’ve been in AICE media for about six months now.

I’ve learned a lot about editing and filming. I’ve learned about the pre-production, production, post-production, and distribution process. I’ve learned how the grading scale works for Cambridge.

Not only that this is my first year in high school and I’ve learned so much about how different people are. High school is a time of figuring out who you are and who you want to be and a lot of people are in the process of doing just that. Now I'm definitely considering directing when I’m older and going to school for film production. I’ve always leaned towards either the entertainment industry and just working with cameras or computer science. But I’ve been attracted to cameras since I was 4 or 5.

 Also, I’ve always found it interesting how the film brings imagination to life. And the entertainment industry works hard to make visual art that everyone can enjoy.

Now that we’re beginning to work on the end of media studies and starting the final assignment it’s time to create the intro of a movie. It’s supposed to be two minutes or shorter. And now we have to create an elevator pitch. An elevator pitch is usually twenty-five seconds and gives the audience a small glimpse of what to expect and what’s gonna happen. I already have an idea of what I want the movie to be and the storyline as well. I’d also like to address that I will be working independently on this assignment. I want my vision to be executed the way I want it to be and everyone has a different vision they want to bring to life and shots they want to have so I’m going to work by myself to do what I want. I want it to be based on a girl name “Z” for Zoe and she’s around 16 years old who suffers from depression and has a dissociative personality disorder and there are about 5 to 7 personalities she has to battle. She’s either incredibly sad or numb from antidepressants she has to take. And her only form of happiness is from each personality being happy or feel accomplished at something. Her only way of doing that is by killing people. But her euphoria only last five minutes and five seconds.

I’ve already came up with one pitch. Being “sixteen years trapped in a mind that she can’t even control, will Z be able to refuse her urge to kill” that's twenty-one words which aren’t bad but I do feel as if I can make it more intriguing. I want people to read it and be interested and want to see it. I want it to be more enticing and so far a couple of my classmates have said it good but I want it to be more than just good. I’m kinda envisioning it being on Netflix reading it and decided whether I want to watch it or not. So far I’d probably contemplate watching it because not only do I love tv shows I’m a huge sitcom fan I like shows like The Office and Parks and Recreation and I also like sci-fi like CW’s The Flash. Along with dramas like Mr.Robot and HBO’s Euphoria. So when I read a pitch like mine it’s fifty, fifty and I just really want to perfect it as well as possible.