16.10.2014 RESEARCH: LES BLEUS DE RAMVILLE & SUITS

In class we watched the title sequence of Les Bleus de Ramville, a Canadian film set in the fictional location of Ramville close to North Bay, Ontario in Canada. The television series that premièred on TFO in January 2012, focuses on 4 members of a local senior ice hockey team's fan club. The ice hockey team is called the Radiateurs Dufresne.

Using the website - http://vimeo.com/35372404

This is a close up mid shot. In this shot, the player is reaching into his locker to pick up his ice hockey jersey. The close up frame forces the audience to pay attention to the preparation before the impending ice hockey match. This contributes to a tense atmosphere. For my film opening, using close up mid shots will attract the audiences attention. This is a shot that I will aim to use in my opening.

This is a low angle, close up shot showing an ice hockey player tying his skate laces. The shot conveys the process of preparing for a match such as getting dressed into appropriate attire such as long thick socks to wear under heavy, sharp ice hockey skates, fingerless gloves for protection and grip of the stick, with a thick material jersey for warmth and identity (what team you are on). It conveys the steady build up of adrenaline, getting pumped for the impending game, this shows the audience how hockey player prepare for a match. Using different props in my film opening (mis-en-scene) will make my film opening unique and suited to the genre I have chosen. 

This is a slow paced tracking shot of a face mask to be worn under an ice hockey helmet. The mask appears to look barbaric as there are squared holes in the mouth area and forehead, with squares for you to breath and holes to see through. Placing the mask on the right hand side gives you space to place the actors name on the left. It is written in white and placed on a black background, making it easier to read and bold. I intend on doing this in my film opening as it makes the actors names recognisable and easy to read. 

This is a slow motion close up shot of sketch of the ice hockey rink. It is made in a piece of Software such as iStopmotion which I have also practised - I could use this when I do my film opening. This creates suspense as it shows impending tactics against the opposition with use of noughts and crosses. It shows the ruggedness, fact paced action of the game written on a creased, damaged piece of paper.   

The background music is very pacing and repetitive - mainly use of piano with a soft percussion and drumming beat in the background creating a grating effect of constant hard working from the team members of the ice hockey team. This creates suspense and thrill as the music is getting faster in pace especially when a point is scored, shown in the picture above. Using music that will captivate and entice the audiences attention will be an extremely important factor in my film opening. 

Visual Effects known as, VFX, have been used in this slow motion close up shot. By using VFX, it makes the bold colours, blue, red and pale orange, appear to move and become animated filling the Les Blues de Ramville motif. In my film opening, I could potentially do this with the title by using software such as, iStopmotion. 



In class we also looked at the opening title sequence of American television series, Suits.

Using the website - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRtDFiTNLaY 

The opening shot of the title sequence shows the hustle, business and constant pace of daily New York living. This includes constant traffic on crowded New York blocks as well as tall, high rise buildings caving in on the streets. Using software like iStopmotion (that I intend on using), they have created a checker board style motion on the screen creating the busy, crowded, visually crowded atmosphere with constant movement. 

This shot is a fast paced tracking shot of a United States of America flag. With a statue of presumably a previous president on the right, this creates a patriotic, proud feel.  Placing key props (mis-en-scene) on the right/left of the frame gives me space to place an actors name or another prop on the opposite side, giving the audience a clear focus of each object on a dark or light background (depending on the colour of the object).  This is something I intend on doing in my film opening. 

The background music is very pacing and repetitive - using percussion instruments such as guitar and bass with a strong drum beat in the background. This creates a grating effect of constant hard work, daily routine and a fast paced lifestyle of hectic, busy commuting in the city.  This is something I intend on doing in my film opening, music will play a large role as it creates emotion and atmosphere.