Inspiration

After the research we conducted, we focused on watching two films that follow the genres we are intending to use for inspiration for our opening sequence. The two films we decided to choose to look at and gain ideas from were Saw 3 and I Am Legend. Saw 3 was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and the film released in cinemas in 2006, so it is a fairly new film while I Am Legend was released in 2007 and is directed by Francis Lawrence. We believe that these were good choices for many reasons, what are explained below.
Saw 3 is the third sequel to the popular first movie Saw, it follows the techniques used in the following two to create once again a mystifying film. Saw 3 was a film which has a plot what is different to what we are aiming it to achieve but we chose this film as the director has used similar effects in the opening sequence what we would like to achieve, it is also a film our target audience enjoys which ranges from 16 – 30 year olds, so if we get inspirations from Saw, our movie will have that extra quality to it to be enjoyed by our target audience more. The similarities between Saw 3 and our idea is that we wanted to make the audience ask questions on what was happening and left them to unravel later during the storyline to keep the audience interested. In the opening sequence of the movie, we as an audience were thrown into the action straight away, where many of questions were asked. This is a technique that we would like to implant in our movie, to get the audience involved straight away, another technique used by the director which we will try to implant in our opening sequence is an extreme high shot, this will provide the audience a clearer view of the setting and where they actually are. When a mystery is not revealed until the end it is quite a generic feature used in mystery and thriller films. While watching Saw 3 we concluded we really liked the editing used to create a scene scarier then it actual was if left untouched, and that was to flash the same scene from different camera angles to emphasize the fact, that whatever has just happened is quite important to the storytelling later on. Editing also leads on to sound and sound manipulation. In one particular scene where Non- diegetic sound is being played, by editing the sound is increased at certain moments when something shocking has happened which is quite frequent in this particular genre. This idea of editing the sound is something we will have to look into so we can build up the tension in certain areas in our opening sequence. Throughout the scenes synchronous non-diegetic sounds are played to enhance the atmosphere and create more tension for the audience.

I Am Legend was a good film to study for us because it was a similar genre, in which we aim to have in our project. The genre is a mystery/thriller and has the idea that there is one man left and the viewer is not certain why everybody has died, we employed this idea as we believed it was a good idea to base our story around. We also liked the synchronous music that I Am Legend involved in it. It was fitting to the mood and the scene, it was mysterious, and the viewer will feel the same mood if timed correctly. This music was added at the start of the movie when the viewer does not understand where everyone is and what is going on and this music will build tension. We intend to use the similar music in our piece the whole way through because we believe it will create tension and have the same effect on the viewer which is providing build ups of tension and moments where the volume is increased to show it is important. Another factor in inspirations is camera angles, this was used a few times in the opening sequence, and for example it uses a slow zoom in on the television when it shows someone has a cure for cancer, this is used to build up tension while the scene unfolds. Also a high angle shot is used when following the car driving through the city, this was an effective technique as it shows the city is deserted and gets the audience thinking about what has happened, this complements the genre of the film well.

Mise en scene was creatively used during the film effectively and we intend to try and achieve similar outcomes. During the opening scene, the mise en scene was expressed a lot through various ways, for example the overgrowing weed over buildings and wild deer running around in the city, this shows that the city is deserted and has been for a while, and this is a good technique used. We liked this effect of deserted area and will try to achieve a similar effect as it will suit our story line perfectly. This creates the effect that something has happened and is quite devastating that is why no one is to be seen around in the streets and wild life is loose.