Developing ideas task

Present four workable ideas for coursework project.

Peeping Tom- Thriller

My first idea was based on the Netflix documentary "Voyeur". The documentary tells the story of the journalist Gay Talese, working on a report about Gerald Foos, the owner of a motel in Colorado, who secretly observed his guests for his own pleasure.

link to trailer

"They couldn't hear me, they couldn't see me, it was exactly what I wanted."

Voyeur- "a person who gains sexual pleasure from watching others when they are naked or engaged in sexual activity." - "a person who enjoys seeing the pain or distress of others."

I decided to base my idea off this voyeuristic disorder. 'Peeping Tom' is another nickname for a male voyeur therefore I chose that for my opening sequence's title. The plot of the film is about a couple who moves into an isolated community. Their neighbour is a disturbed man who has this disorder and preys on the newly weda couple and watches them (outside their house, with cameras, little holes drilled in the walls, etc.) The opening title sequence shows the man's setting up the cameras in the couple's house and ends with us watching them arriving through a surveillance camera.

The title sequence is influenced by the sequence "Se7en" (1995) by David Fincher. I want it to equally introduce an unsettling, tense atmosphere. The soundtrack choices: either an eerie music that complements the ongoing action or a cheerful music to bring contrast


The Catfish- Thriller

The plot of the film is about a young girl who downloads a dating app and meets a boy online. She meets him online and it turns out to be an old man that kidnaps her. The opening title sequence shows the girl entering the dating site and texting the boy. At the end of the sequence the girl waits to meet up the boy. A young man walks by, tricking the girl as she thinks it's him. Behind the boy, an old man stands, staring at the girl.


Guests- Thriller/drama

My third idea was based on the Netflix series "Re:mind". This psychological thriller tells the story of a group of friends who find themselves around a dinner table tied up as a form of punishment for their past mistakes. The plot of the film is about a group of students who are kidnapped and taken to an unknown location- an escape room. The opening title sequence shows a slow tracking shot of the setting/surrounding and then on the group of teens with a cloth on their heads. The sequence ends with an unknown figure removes the cloth of one of the teens' head, revealing their face. My objective with this sequence is to create a mysterious atmosphere. 

  

link to trailer

See No Evil- Thriller

School shooting blind girl final scene- shooter approaches her waves in front of her scene of girl.
Inspired by "Don't breathe".

link to trailer

Developing ideas: News + Netflix

BBC News-

'I thought I was going to die' in a homophobic attack LGBT
"I shouldn't be scared to walk down the street."
Tommy Barwick, 50 years old
Two years ago- attacked after London's Pride parade- led to use a wheelchair
Attack- homophobic slur, stamped on back, swore at him + "you deserved it"
Number of reported homophobic hate crime- 20% rise in reports to police of homophobic hate crime
Netflix documentary- The Social Dilemma

link to trailer

Aims to answer the question of "how has social media's presence and our usage of it has affected society as a whole.
It explores the harm of social media and hazards.
social media hazards- identity theft invasion of privacy cyberbullying

Netflix-

Idea: Netflix documentary- Voyeur

link to trailer

"They couldn't hear me, they couldn't see me, it was exactly what I wanted."
Story of a journalist, Gay Talese, working on a report about Gerald Foos, the owner of a motel in Colorado, who enjoyed secretly observed his guests for his own pleasure.
Voyeur- "a person who gains sexual pleasure from watching others when they are naked or engaged in sexual activity." - "a person who enjoys seeing the pain or distress of others."

Title ideas: Peeping Tom thriller/drama 

Two different points of view:

1) disturbed man who feels pleasure in spying on people/observing them how he develops this? trauma? sexual abuse, childhood sexual abuse, "voyeuristic disorder- outside of the norm- acted upon in ways that have the potential to cause distress or harm to oneself or others (especially non-consensual)" male- as it is more likely for males to engage in this activities than females- develop this tendency during adolescence. 

 

2) couple or single woman or man being observed couple buys an apartment or rent a house- owner has cameras, two-way mirrors and little holes drilled in the walls classic/typical thriller movie where they find out.

Comparison of Saul Bass' work to modern examples of opening title sequences (Catch Me If You Can)

'Catch Me If You Can' is a crime film based on a true story, directed by Steven Spielberg. The film tells the story of Frank Abagnale who fakes being a pilot, doctor and prosecutor and earns millions of dollars. The opening title sequence of 'Catch Me If You Can', designed by Oliver Kuntzel and Florence Deygas, is a perfect modern example of Saul Bass' influence on title sequences. 

The opening sequence creates a mysterious, suspenseful atmosphere, it keeps the audience interested and gives a small insight of the plot as well as gives us an idea of the settings the action takes place in. It shows an animation of a stick figure representing the main character as he attempts to escape and not be found by the other character, the detective. 

The sequence begins with a silhouetted character walk in the frame. Long, vertical lines are used to the appearance and disappearance of credits, and to move in and out of the screen- transitions. More silhouetted characters obviously dressed as pilots and assistants walk by suggesting the scene is set in an airport. The white animated planes flying across the blue background further reinforce this idea. The linear shapes and typography used to show the opening titles and cast matches with the theme and compliment the colour palette. They are also used for interaction, as the lines serve as entrances and exits for characters as they move throughout the scene. The character is seen pass through the line and suddenly have a pilot costume implying that he is a con artist. The setting constantly changes suggesting the character moves around a lot, avoiding to get caught. Throughout the sequence the shots vary in a pace to increase and decrease the tension as well as interesting transitions are used suggesting the character uses a variety of methods to escape. In terms of how does it compares to the work of Saul Bass himself, I would say Bass' objective of making the opening sequence reflect over the movie itself is on point however the sequence is far more complex than Bass' sequences.

link to opening sequence

Saul (and Elaine) Bass- Opening title sequence #2

Anatomy of a Murder (1959) is a drama/crime film directed by Otto Preminger. The film is based the novel on a murder case that took place in 1952. 

The sequence opens with a plain grey screen. The camera shoots from a bird's eye view, simple black shapes, placed together to form a corpse. The choice of the colour grey, creates an eerie, dark atmosphere. It could also represent a floor pavement which could suggest the film is located in the city. The animation of the corpse relates to the title of the movie 'anatomy' which literally means 'body parts' The movie title appears spread around the body parts. 

The typography is used to create a liquid effect- blood perhaps. The scale of the words vary in size. The words 'anatomy' and 'murder' are bigger compared to the rest of the words to emphasize their importance. The placement of the word 'murder' on the body's chest may suggest the cause of death. 

The rest of the sequence are multiple short, mostly closeup shots of these body parts as the credits continue to roll. The parts then split in thirds before disappearing. A certain shot shows the two arms placed together as if it is being dragged. These sinister and violent action/s foreshadow something bad will happen in the movie.

link to opening sequence

Saul (and Elaine) Bass- Biography

Saul (and Elaine) Bass "In a sense, all modern opening title sequences that introduce the mood or theme of a film are a legacy of the Basses' work. 

Saul Bass is a filmmaker and graphic designer, mostly known for his opening title sequences and movie posters. Bass worked for some of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers: Alfred Hitchcock, Otto Preminger, Stanley Kubrick and Martin Scorsese.

Bass' most well-known works (opening sequences): The Man with the Golden Arm (1955); Otto Preminger Anatomy of a Murder (1958); Otto Preminger North by Northwest (1959); Alfred Hitchcock Vertigo (1958); Alfred Hitchcock Psycho (1960); Alfred Hitchcock Casino (1995).

Bass was responsible for changing opening credits into a graphic style which introduces the theme and mood of film in an exciting way. He invented kinetic typography ('moving text'). In 1955, Elaine and Saul Bass met and first worked on opening sequence of Spartacus (1960)- Stanley Kubrick together, designed and directed by Saul and co-directed and produced by Elaine. After their marriage, the two worked in close collaboration on title designs such as The Age of Innocence (1993)- Martin Scorsese and Casino (1995) .