Idents

What is an Ident?

When talking about idents in general, it is something created so it is significant to you and can be recognized as your make.  

In the world of film and television, an ident is a small video clip that has maybe music, a logo and definitely the name of the studio or company that were involved in the production of this film/TV program. These are there so that when someone watches a film they have been involved in, they know straight away by the ident that represents them. This ident can also give a viewer a clue as to what the film is going to be like just through the style and music of their indent, so it has to be good!

Examples

Here are some famous idents used at the being of films before the title credits and sequences.     

   
     

Evaluation of Idents

Disney ident- The Disney ident features the well known castle that people associate with Disney which is related to the fairy-tale stories that all Disney films tell. The castle is there to represent the fairy-tale stories and how they all end 'Happily ever after' and a castle is where most fairy-tales end or at least contain castle or fortress in it at some point in the film. 

 The music used is majestic and magical which is what Disney fairy-tales are. They are filled with made up animals that can talk and people that only exist in made up lands so by having this twinkling styled music just brings out the idea that magic is within all Disney films even more than just having the castle on screen. Also the majestic style of music that begins the ident represents the royalty and richness within the films tale again just adding to the castle image show on the ident.

The Disney logo almost looks hand written in almost like a childish text font which appeals to the audience in which the film is designed for. Also the writing is what we associate as a fairy-tale book fonts meaning they are just bringing out the connotations of the fairy-tale theme even more through their name and font style.

This is successful in the clever way it has incorporated the features within the film as well as bringing out the magic within Disney films through its choice of instruments in the music and the style of music they have chosen to dub over the top of the castle image. 

An ident has to be recognizable and stand out which is exactly what the Disney ident does in a clever way by relating it to things that are associated with their style of film.

Dreamworks ident- The design of the studio ident clearly represents the name of the studio through its sky like setting and the fluffy clouds that appear through out. Also the actual content of the ident such as the man fishing on the moon not likely to happen as 1) its impossible to fish on the moon and 2) you'd probably die without wearing a space suit etc. so again it implies the idea the dream like atmosphere the studio and the film has. 

The colours of the actual studio name at the end of the ident represents the jolly happy films that Dreamworks create. The style and colour of the studio name also appeals to a younger audience through its brightly coloured lettering. Even though Dreamworks films are in some ways are aimed at parents/ adults with its subtle crude sense of humour, Dreamworks main audience is mostly children and so by having bright colours it straight away catches the attention of the audience. It just represents this idea of fun and comical ideas in which Dreamworks base their films on. 

The music used during this ident really does represent this idea of dream like fantasies along with the idea of fairy tales. This also brings out the idea of a mickey take of the traditional Disney styled film which is what Dreamworks in a way are about. The music represents this idea of a dream or a vision that someone may have when they're asleep when they were younger. By doing this they are bringing out the childhood of not only the children but also the adults that watch these films as a family. 

Universal ident- This studio name is clearly represented through the images and music that is seen and heard during this ident. The name Universal is to do with planets and outer space which is why this studio ident has the theme of space in the music and the images on screen.

The light at the beginning is representing the sun shining on one side of planet earth which allows the studio to use it as a fade in effect to open the ident and reveal it to the person watching the film that this studio is apart of. Planet earth is there to represent the 'Universe' hence the name Universal. By using the image that they do it allows the viewer to see the clever way in which the studio have tied their name onto something that we all know exists.
The typography used here cleverly represents the ring that runs around Saturn and again another feature of the universe which again is used as a play on word for the name of the actual studio. The name of the studio also suggests that they are universally known meaning that everyone across the globe and further know about them. The idea that they are 'Universal' is suggesting to someone watching this ident that they are a big studio that everyone will know.
The ident is more aimed at teenagers around 16 and above as they will understand the meaning behind this cleverly designed ident. The scientific side of the ident is incorrect however it does what it needs to do and hooks the viewer making them memorable by all.

The use of the majestic music almost represents them as being regal. The idea that they are widely known comes into play again. The big fan fair music represents the large number of people that will and do know about them. It represents that their films are never small they always go all out to bring entertainment to the audiences that watch their films.

So thats all you really need to know about idents next thing we need to do now we have an idea as to what an ident is, we need to learn a few more advanced camera techniques.

Opening Title Research

In order to create our opening titles, we each individually went and watched the opening of 3 different film genres and made notes on the order in which people apart of the film appeared. 

Below you will find all of our research collaborated together.

Opening Title Research

After viewing this, as a production group, Me, Lucy and Robbie came to the conclusion that from the research above, the order in which people appear in the opening credits are:

• Production companies (in order of importance and how well known they are)
• Film Title
• Cast members and Production team 

Opening Titles Structure Choice

After viewing the research of the group and seeing what each film genre's opening titles looks like, the group that I will be working with for my first task made a decision on the order in which the film cast and production team will appear in the titles:

Production Companies (being with their idents)

Cast (Starring..)

Film Title

Casting By 

Music By 

Costume Design

Visual Effects (If any)

Editor

Director of Photography

Co-Producers

Executive Producer

Producer

Screenplay By

Written By

Producer/s

Director/s (maybe co-director)

Opening Title Sequences

Opening title sequences are different to opening credits. These are like mini films within themselves. An opening title sequence is created in style of the film someone is about to watch and is used to present the title of their film and the main cast and production team member. 

Opening Title Sequences are confused with opening credits. 

Just remember the difference is that one contains key members of cast and crew along with the title of the film. On the other hand, the opening credits are just sequences of superimposed text.

Here is an opening title sequence from one of the James Bond films Tomorrow never Dies. This is a good example of an intricate opening sequence:

Analysis of Opening Title Sequence 1

This example of an opening title sequence is modern so straight away it gives the audience an idea of what to expect about the film. This sequence also through the mini story that is going on behind all of the title transitions are also giving the person watching the film an idea of what genre of film it is going to be. From this sequence I already know its not going to be a romance or a western unless they have created one big subverted film (which I doubt it will be). 
The title transactions are original and creative meaning people are likely to acknowledge the people who have produced and stared in this production. 
Another think I notice in this opening title sequence is that the people whose names appear are only the key people that have been involved in this film, telling me straight away that the opening titles are for the main cast and crew not for everyone who was involved like the person who did the catering throughout the production period. 

Analysis of Opening Title Sequence 2

Here is another opening title sequence taken from the recently released film Oz The Great and Powerful. It contrasts in style to the James Bond opening title sequence but more about that in a moment.

This film title sequence although like the previous tell us a brief mini story about what we are about to see in the film, these two film titles differ. This film title is in black and white which suits the film as it is a prequel to The Wizard of Oz. This was how the film titles for this film were at the beginning and so the person who has created this sequences has followed the idea of the original which again is keeping to the context of the film. The style of the titles are a bit more old fashioned unlike the James Bond opening titles as not only is there no colour but the style of the 'puppet like' way in which the names of the cast members and backstage team appear is almost like the punch and Judy old fashioned entrance which again suits the film style but differs from that of the James Bond opening. Also as you can see this film sequence is animated in a way that adds to the style of the film and the mythical creatures and places in which this film is set. 

For both of the film openings the title sequence style is suited and follows on to the film that is about to be shown which as said before, grabs the attention of the intended audience.

For more opening title sequences that gave me ideas as to the styles of the opening titles sequences to most films, click the link below:

http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/by-any-means/

These opening titles show clearly:

•  The genre of the film 
• The time period of the film 
• The main cast and crew of the production

These take hours to create and like I said previously are like a mini film in themselves so for the first film Me and the rest of my Production team will be creating will have opening credits rather than an opening title sequence. The opening credits are simpler to create but just as effective. 

Using a Dolly in the World of Film

So you want to film someone walking or you want to film a room full of people dancing. Well Tracking Dollies are used to capture these shots. 

The two type of Dollies that I have worked with are:

• Tracking Dolly

• Tripod Dolly

Tracking Dolly

Tripod Dolly

This is where you place the camera on a track and it allows you to push or pull the camera along to capture the action. They can also be used for revealing shots to show the object to the audience.

This is used for arc shots (if you want to circle round a subject). I'll show you an example of a tripod dolly in use later on in this post but it is used when filming people dancing.

Our example of using a Tracking Dolly 

We had a go ourselves at using a tracking dolly and believe me it is a lot more difficult than it looks. Everything has to be in sequence and in time with each other for a shot such as the tracking shot to work. 

Clip from Fame (1980)

Bellow is an example I found of the use of a Tripod. Watch from around 0:37 when Irene and Bruno begin to walk through the doors; the camera follows them and see the use of the arc shot when the camera rotates around the two characters

By making use of these shots and making sure that the shots are smooth when using the tracking dolly and the tripod dolly, your film would look as good as Hollywoods. One slight jolt of the camera and like all other components of a film, and it could make or break the film you could have been working on for months.

Three-Point Lighting

 
When Filming, three-point lighting is important if you want to get the mood of the film right. 
As the name of it states, three-point lighting has 3 components to it:

• Key Light- This is the main light in a scene. It is placed to one side of the camera which causes one side of the subject to be well lit and the other to show shadows.

• Fill Light- The fill light is placed on the opposite side to the Key light and is there to prevent shadows from appearing on the object. 

• Back Light- These lights are projected from behind the subject. This makes an image look 3D, showing that the subject is in the foreground of the shot rather than it looking flat. 

Reflectors

A reflector is a round disk shaped object that is shiny which allows you to reflect the light off objects to prevent the shadow effect appearing when filming under high key lighting. 

Our Own Example

Here is our idea of three-point lighting. We used:

Key Light- Red Head

Fill Light- Reflector

Back Light- Red Head

If you want to find more out about 3 point lighting, here is a good link for the way three point lighting is created: 

3 point lighting simulator

The lighting of a scene or shot in a film is the difference between an Oscar for best film and a bad review by the press in an article. One slight mess up with the lighting and a films appearance and ambience can be ruined. 

Preliminary Task- Evaluation

My First practical task was to create a short film showing the use of match on action and then edit it in Final Cut Pro.

Here is the final result of the short film.

Who helped make this film?

When creating this film, the production team consisted of Me, Lucy Smith and Dan Vidmar. Together we all had equal input in creating this short film.

What went well?

When producing this short film, we came up with an idea by discussing with each other the possibilities and ideas for our film without overpowering each other or ignoring people's thoughts and opinions. Also when producing the film, the actors were willing to follow our clear instructions to producing the comedic performance we were going for when we created and wrote the short script for our film. The precision we used when creating the match on action shots gave us an easier job when editing and by being precise, we prevented any continuity errors. We did this by watching back the clips

and if there was a slight mistake with arm movements or something moved, we re-recorded it so there wasn't any obvious continuity.

What was good?

All of the clips matched up for example when the actress walks through the door, she didn't open the door twice or she skipped opening the door. I think the music fitted well with the film; by adding it at the begging and end suggests it is a sad story but really turns out to be a comedy. Also the overall filming process was good. As a production team, we didn't muck around, we knew what we were doing meaning we could get the actresses to position themselves in the exact place we wanted meaning again there was no room for major continuity.

Following the production rules

 Continuity- This task needs to contain no continuity errors. When for example Tina opens the door at the beginning of the film, when we cut to the front shot she uses the same are to push the door open and the door is ajar the same distance when it cuts from the behind shot to the front shot. The continuity rule for me seems well thought about and followed meaning the film flows and no errors can be seen.

180 Degree Rule- When filming we never broke the 180 degree rule. At no point does the camera cross the 180 degree line meaning the viewer watching the film is never confused and mislead by any error. for example when we shot the conversation cutting between Tilly and Tina, we never crossed the 180 degree line meaning the viewer knew what was going on and where each other characters were positioned at the time.

Match On Action- The whole point of this task was to great good match on action shots meaning the camera cut from a different angle it followed on making it look like one whole sequence. I think we followed this rule well as all of the match on actions we used followed on making the film flow and look like all one sequence when in actual fact it was a number of cut shots edited together.

What didn't go as well?

When creating our match on action shots, we sometimes forgot what they did in the previous shot meaning the match on actions didn't match up. This then meant we had to re- shoot the shot. Also the noise in the background was a little off putting to the actresses causing them to lose focus and also the sound was then picked up on the camera mic meaning we had to re-shoot a number of clips.

 

What did I learn about making a film and working with a production team?

When creating this film I learnt that everything doesn't always go to plan but you just have to find away round the changes and get along with it. Also I learnt that even if you have a good production team, if you don't have actors that are willing and able to meet the requirements for the characters created, it can make the film look amateur and unrealistic (we luckily had good actresses). Also I leant that there is more to shooting a film than people think. Every little intricate detail has to be correct for something like a match on action to look right. If one slight detail is incorrect, continuity errors begin to appear, again making a film look amateur.



Script Writing

When creating a film, it is important that when you come to write the script it has all of the elements needed. If its not in the correct format producers and directors won't even bother looking at your script even if the content is a multi-award winning screenplay. 

A piece of software that I myself have used is Celtex. There are many other pieces of software that do virtually the same thing but this is one of the better ones. 
Celtex is a script writing software that enables you to write scripts in the exact format you would see say the Harry Potter scripts written. 

Here is a basic tutorial on how to set out your film script. It gives you the basics on how to set out your script and the does and don't.
 


So thats how you begin to set out your script. If you remember the basics, Celtex does most of the work for you making sure that you stick to the rules so if you did write a script for a director, they wouldn't throw it away and think nothing of your idea.

Here below you will see a real script of the famous musical 'Les Miserables'. As you will see it is set out in the same format as shown in the video tutorial for Celtex. 

Les Miserables Script

So if you're thinking of writing a script, make sure the format of the whole script is precise and in the exact layout a script should be.

Continuity

So all the filming's done and you think everything is perfect. The actors and film crew have done their job. All thats left is to edit the film. 

When They edit the film they need to make sure they've used continuity otherwise you've got the problem of errors.

Continuity is where an uninterrupted sequence is created and someone will make sure that every detail is correct about it. So if someone's messing with their hair and it changes style, thats considered bad continuity as the sequence and narrative isn't consistent. 

Bellow these are some of the biggest movies around and they have messed up big time committing an unforgivable crime in the word of film.....A CONTINUITY ERROR! 

Here's just a few of the many big films filled with continuity errors.

Here a clip that shows exactly what happens when you don't pay attention to the continuity of a film!

So when filming, checking the continuity is crucial otherwise like all of the High school Musical clips (2:39) your movie will be littered with silly mistakes that could ruin your million pound chance for fame!

One last thing is the error in a big film series that how you don't see it I'll never know. Harry Potter is filled with errors too but this is an obvious one.

                          So even the big professionals make loads of mistake, so WATCH OUT!

Match on Action

Match on action is where you film one angle of an object and then cut to a new angle showing the objects action from its first. Sounds complicated...its not too difficult to get your head round.
In this clip from 2 fast 2 furious, you can see all the cars racing. When the camera cuts, its usually that same car just showing you its action. This is how continuity errors occur.

Watch the clip and see if you can see all the Match on Action cuts.



Some points where match on action occurs: 

• 0.01- it starts of with a side shot of the man in the car, then cuts to the same shot put from a different angle.
• 0.34 - There is a full wide shot of the car and them all of a sudden cuts to a close up shot of the car
• 1.11- again another car shot that cuts to a close up shot of the car.

Now when editing Match on action there is room for so many errors. If you don't cut the shots so that the object looks the same or is in the same place, that when continuity errors occur. (I'll show you some great errors from big films in my next post!) 

For example someone could be walking through a door with the camera behind them, they push the door open, then the camera cuts and the door is closed and they're pushing the door open again! Not a clever thing to do on a million pound film is it?! 

So if you're doing a match on action shot, make sure your clips match up or else! 

Cut Types

Thinking about cut types in the world of Cinematography is very important. One bad edit and you're in big trouble.

The two most common types of cut are:

• Straight Cut

• Split Edit 

Straight cut- Simplest kind of cut type. You have clip A and when that one finishes it cuts straight to shot B and that plays and so on.

Split Edit- Also known as an L cut, this is when say shot A is rolling and continues rolling until we cut to shot B BUT the dialogue and track from shot A is still running underneath. 

An example- two people are having a jolly old conversation. The camera is focused on one person then BAM it cuts to the second person but person 1 is still chatting away. 

So here's a video of the different cut types. There are some other cut types included in this video.

You'd think it was magic but its just all down to the handy work of a film crew.

180 Degree Rule

Before you sit there and think 'Oh no, not maths', don't worry you don't have to work anything out. All you have to do is watch this clip and stick to the rules!


So remember, don't cross the line otherwise you'll confuse your audience...UNLESS you show the transaction between being on one side of the characters, to the other.

Next its all about Match on Action.