Song

we have chosen track 17 from suspense CD because it shows fear and also make the audience feel what might happen next, which is perfect for our opening sequence. It also fits into our genre which is horror and also  the track gives us the right emotion to what we are doing. It also conquers the whole look of the opening sequence and also leaves the audience wondering what would happen next.

Shamayla

Progress?

We have decided to film at my house where there is a small room which we will be able to achieve low key lighting and be able to use a desk lamp. This will create the perfect setting. Now we need to print off pictures of one main victim so that we can use them in the film. We have also ordered a Santa suit so we are nearly ready to film!

Amy

Filming Begins Soon.

Rule of thirds

Background in focus

Foreground in focus

We are approaching the time when we are going to be starting to film our Opening Sequence "Santa Claws". We need to remember to include some Camera effects and basic Camera set ups to make sure our Opening Sequence looks professional. Above are some examples. By using depth of fields, foreground in focus and background in focus this will create an authentic film. We need to establish low key lighting to make the Opening sequence look professional. We will use different lengths of shots including extreme close ups and long shots. We will need to remember the technique of 'Rule of thirds' and make sure that when filming the character there is no head space. As there is no dialogue in the opening sequence we do not have to take into account the 180 degree rule.

Amy

Story Boards

Here is our storyboard for the opening Sequence "Santa Claws". It is a brief guide of how our Opening Sequence will develop. It includes shots of the Slasher getting ready into a Santa Clause suit which is ironic as children see Santa as kind and friendly, also we are going to include clips of broken ornaments and glass portraying fear. Overall the storyboard will allow us to build ideas on it as it is just the backbone of our opening sequence.

Amy

Further Inspiration

We are really inspired by the extreme close up shots and shallow depth of field in this opening sequence. We are considering using this approach in our own opening sequence, instead we shall show images of victims, Christmas decorations, blood, destroyed Christmas cards, pictures of victims ripped in half and baubles smashed up. This will signify that murder, destruction and bad things are about to happen. This means the genre of the film is clearly identified on the opening sequence. It will also represent that this is a black Christmas.

Shamayla

Pre-Production...

The props that we are going to need include :
Santa suit, hat, beard and suit
Knife
Blood
Glass
Christmas Decorations

Christmas Cards
Photos of the victim
Lights for extra lighting in the dark

Ashley

The Actors are:
Santa Slasher - Ashley

We are still undecided on the actual Location of filming however, we do have a general idea:
A dark room for the Santa Slasher

The lighting will be low key to show a dark and eery setting for the Santa Slasher's hideout. There will be no dialogue in our opening sequence. This will help create enigmas in our 2 minute filming.

Amy

Preliminary Task

Above is the preliminary task that we filmed. We did this so that we could get practise with camera angles and also the editing software. We learned that overlapping the shots can help because we are able to cut the shot exactly where we want. Overall this task went very well and there were some mistakes during filming. When filming we forgot to change the Camera's lense from widescreen so our film appears squashed. Next time we film we will change the settings.  

Ashley

Popular Films at Present

After visiting www.boxofficemojo.com I have researched the genre that we are intending to make. The Genre is thriller - Serial killer. The film that made the most money was 'Hannibal'. It made $165,092,268 overall. This shows that it is a popular category and that the viewing public are interested in this Genre. Therefore we are going to put our own twist on the thriller and introduce a Christmas theme. This will make the opening sequence original and interesting.

Amy.

Target Audience

It appeals to age groups such as  teenagers to young adults. The gender that would go to watch  this type of film would be males , but some women do watch it but its mostly males. Teenagers watch these kinds of films to get the thrill and adrenaline rush that these movies provide but also they think it is cool to watch this kind of genre.  also teenagers don't have mush responsibility to pay the bills or any other fees to pay so what ever money they have they spend it on going to cinemas and watching films. 

The nearest age groups who has disposable income is 17 to 21 year old who don't have much commitment.  

shamayla

Brief of Opening Scene

I am going to make an analysis of the opening scene of  'Santa's Slay'

The opening scene has many things within it that an opening scene should have, these include:

• It creates enigmas such as, what is on the roof of the house and also what is coming down the chimney, although these are answered within the same scene but then more enigmas are raised such as why is Santa killing this family since he is meant to be a peaceful and friendly character.
• It grabs your attention as it is action packed and also has the comedy aspect to it such as the contrapuntal music because it shows people dieing but there is a jolly aspect of the Christmas song it also makes us want to see more. This Christmas song could be a inter textual to other Christmas films such as home alone.
• We are introduced to the main character which is santa, this is because we would be following him throughout the movie.
• It also introduces the genre of the film as it is a hybrid genre because it has the killing part of the movie and also the comedy features within the music.
• It establishes the place and time as it is at christmas time and also is based within some houses.
• It sets up audiences expectations by jumping straight into the killing of a family.

Ashley

What is an Opening Sequence?

The opening sequence is an Introduction to the film. The purpose of an Opening Sequence is to create enigmas, establish the setting, plot, characters and genre. The opening sequence is vital and is used to interest the audience in the film and hopefully make them watch the rest of the film.

Establishing the Scene/Genre -

This helps the audience to understand where and what the film is about. For example the Scene will be dark and spooky if the film genre is a horror. Mise en Scene helps to establish this and also cinematography. By using appropriate costumes and lighting the genre can be established.

Establishing Characters -

It is important to meet the main characters in the opening sequence so that the audience are able to follow their role in the film and who is going to be important in the film.

Creating Enigma's -

By creating enigmas, the audience are left wondering what may happen in the rest of the film. This helps to keep the audience hooked on the film through hinting that certain events could happen.

A.S.A

Our Inspiration...

After much research our inspiration has been the well-known horror movie 'Halloween'. We have chosen this beginning scene because we are near the christmas period we thought we could take the idea of a stalker and put it in modern day terms.

A.S.A

ASA objectives =]

We have researched a number of different film clips and have come to the conclusion that we are going to create an opening sequence including a horror genre. Basing our Opening Sequence on 'Halloween' the horror/thriller film, we are giving it a christmas twist and hopefully naming our opening sequence "Santa Claws".

We are still undecided on how the opening sequence is going to unfold however, we have a general idea. We are filming in a Christmas period and hoping to film a group of girls getting ready to go out. We also hope to film it from the point of view of a Stalker!

Amy, Shamayla and Ashley