This is in relation to the character Lauren Daniels being stolen and giving the impression that her real parents missed out on raising her. This is also a representation of the fact that once Lauren finds out that her mother isn't who she says she is, she feels that the life she thought she had isn't real, and the same feelings of this for Amanda when she finds out her parents aren't really hers.
The use of 'lost childhood' images will include before and after styled shots, such as a child's stuffed animal under warm lighting looking pristine, and cutting to a shot of the bear in a cold light, decayed and ripped.
I will also be filming shots that signify danger including quick burst shots of a knife, and a hand letting go of another hand. Alongside this I will shoot time-lapse styled shots such as clouds passing through the sky to represent a large amount of time passing since Lauren was stolen.
Lastly, I plan to add some slightly blurred and or close-up footage of a girl walking to simulate the main character. I am also likely to have the final image of the sequence be a picture of the actress (Tatiana Maslany)'s eyes simultaneously with the 'The Identity' if allowed.
Before explaining the shots that I plan to include in the opening titles, the style of the sequence, the props to be used, gathered and created, equipment, planning materials, crew and filming, I will discuss and analyse two examples of opening titles that I found extremely helpful in planning my own.
The Missing Opening Titles
The above opening titles were created for a miniseries called The Missing in 2014. Representing a father's search for his missing child, the imagery in this sequence captures the themes and story outline of the series without using a lot of actors, CGI, or a large amount of locations.
I found that the soundtrack and deliberately scattered editing of the sequence to be very fitting to the drama/thriller genre of the series, as well as setting an almost creepy and dark tone to make the audience uncomfortable in the story they're about to be presented with. Also, the dark and cool colours of the footage effectively represents how each shot signifies something lost or trouble to come for the characters.
Shots that stood out to me:
- A number of travelling shots, through what appears to be a bus window, a car window, through a tunnel and on a bridge - which all seem to represent travelling to find something or someone.
- A brightly coloured rubber ring with a dismal pool background, seemingly a representation of something that would once bring joy being left behind.
- A brief shot of red liquid, which can be assumed as blood.
- A child disappearing into a crowd - a clear representation of the plot.
- Two children's drawings - symbolising the innocence of a child.
Inspired features for my own sequence:
- Using childhood toys or objects used in a dismal and or decaying setting or state to represent lost childhood.
- A small amount of flashing lights and chopped up editing of shots in post-production for a chaotic feel.
- The use of shots that signify danger, such as a shot of a knife (similar to The Missing's blood shot).
- Dark tones and cool colouring in representation of the genre and tone of the series.
What I will not use:
- A soundtrack that emits a creepy tone, as I want to create an intense sequence mixed with a sad tone, instead of an unsettling sequence.
- An extremely mixed and large amount of different shots due to time, budget and location limitations.
This opening title sequence is very inspiring for the creation of The Identity's own sequence, and has given me a number of ideas for what could be effectively included.
Man Alive Opening Titles
This opening titles sequence was created for a previous years' pre-production package. With the students that created the sequence in an almost exact situation to my own, they were not able to film actors or in depth location, but were able to make an effective opening titles sequence through a small number of shots that represent the series' setting of a prison.
I found that the intense soundtrack of this sequence to be very fitting with the action series, with the number of shots in representation of being a prisoner including chains, padlocks, and barbed wire fences to be very effective in communicating the show's themes to the audience.
Similar to that of The Missing sequence, this sequence includes a lot of deliberately messy cutting between shots, layering of images, and dark and cool tones of each shot.
Shots that stood out to me:
- A large use of barbed wire and barbed wire fencing alongside footage of padlocks, signifying being trapped and locked away.
- A sky time-lapse, potentially also signifying time passing.
Inspired features for my own sequence:
- Using close-up shots of places and objects that best represent the show's themes.
- A time lapse feature of clouds to signify a large period of time passing.
What I will not use:
- A soundtrack that is quite as intense, due to my series being of a drama/thriller genre.
- Shots that are as heavily layered and deliberately gritty in appearance due to differing series' themes.
I found viewing and analysing this opening titles sequence to be very helpful in setting the standard of my work, knowing that this is of a 'First' grade standard. It also represented the ways in which a title sequence can be made without showing a large number of actors or locations.
Opening Titles Images
Currently, I plan for each shot that I include in my sequence to have a large significance in representing the plot of The Identity. The images that I plan to shoot so far are...
Main images:
- A stuffed bear appearing to be pristine in a warm and 'pretty' location. Followed by a dismal shot of the bear torn and ruined in a stark and gritty location.
- A hand on a moving swing with a brightly dressed, blurred girl. Followed by a shot of an empty swing slowly moving on it's own.
- A crayoned, child's drawing drawing of a girl holding her mum and dad's hand stuck on a wall with other drawings. Followed by the photo screwed up and scratched out on the floor, being lightly blown by wind.
- Two people's hands holding in front of the sunlight, and then eventually letting go. Followed by the hand reaching out alone.
- A candle with a lit flame, slowly flickering. Followed by the candle's flame blowing out and smoke rising.
- A shot of a London map focusing on different locations. Followed by the map burning away.
Cutaway shots:
- A roundabout spinning with no one on it.
- Smoke rising (from the blown out candle).
- A knife being turned between someone's fingers and hitting the light.
- A woman's feet being tracked while walking along a pavement.
- A shot of the woman's hands in her pockets as she walks.
- A time lapse shot of the sky.
In total the opening titles sequence will consist of approximately 12 different images, with a number of shots (such as close-up, wide shot etc.) being taken of each to get a high amount of coverage.
Style
The overall style of the sequence in order to fit with the genre and themes of the series will consist of light, warm tones when focusing on the 'before' shots and dark, cool tones when focusing on the 'after' shots. Along with choppy editing between shots and a small amount of after effects such as low key light effects to transition between shots.The end of the opening titles will finish with the 'The Identity' logo, however as I will not creating my brand until later in the package process, this will remain unfinished until after completing my brand.
The appearance I imagine of the overall style of the sequence is a mix between that of the 'The Missing' opening titles and the Man Alive opening titles, in colour, tone, shots and editing style.
Currently for a soundtrack, I like the idea of a slow, delicate sound that picks up slightly to sound a bit darker and more intense. I am currently considering Moby's Blue Paper and adding my own beat to it to lift the atmosphere of the sound when needed.
Props & Costume
Gathered from the images that I plan to use for the sequence, I will use the following props:
- A teddy bear
- Crayons
- Paper
- A swing
- A roundabout
- Candles
- A kitchen knife
I will create the following props:
- Childlike crayon drawings x5
- A London map printed x4
I will use the following costume:
- Black jeans, dark boots, and a leather jacket for the woman walking shot.
- A brightly coloured top, colourful coat and blue jeans for the 'girl' on the swing.
- A black top and dark trousers for the woman holding the knife.
Locations & Set
The following locations that are needed and will be used are:- A bedroom for the 'before' teddy bear shot. My own bedroom will be used for a capable shot of colourful bed sheets next to a vibrant wall.
- A darkened room for a shot of candles and smoke. My bedroom will be used for the use of dark curtains as a backdrop.
- A simple corner of a room for the 'after' teddy bear shot. My living room will be used as furniture can easily be moved and it can simple carpet and wall paint.
- A room with a blank wall for crayon drawings. My living room will be used for a singular red wall that can be used for this.
- A room with a different blank background for the knife shot. A family member's bedroom will be used for it's simplistic style.
- An outdoor location for the hand-holding shots. My garden will be used as the shot aims at the sky.
- An outdoor location for the sky time laps shot. My garden will be used for another sky facing shot.
- An outdoor location for the drawing on the grass. My garden will be used due to varying light options and a large amount of grass.
- An outdoor location for the map being held, burning above pavement. My driveway will be used again to varying light and a large amount of concrete ground.
- An outdoor location for the woman walking shots. A local street will be used, walking on the pavement.
- A park location for the swing and roundabout footage. A local park will be used when empty during school hours.
The following items will be used for the 'sets':
- A colourful bed for the teddy bear
- Screwed up tissue, plastic bags etc. to surround the ruined teddy
- Tables in varying heights for the candles
- A simple bed for the character playing with the knife to be sitting on
The locally available locations and set objects are extremely helpful for me due to huge time restraints and limited modes of transport. They also allow me to film whenever I need to without limitations on how I can make the locations look (aside from the park and pavement).
Equipment & Crew
My filming equipment will consist of:
- A Canon DSLR camera
- A tripod
- A Rode-Mic
- A set lighting kit
I felt that I do not need an extravagently large amount of equipment for shoot that requires simple, controlled one-at-a-time shots. Just a small amount of specific and useful tools for filming.
My crew will also remain small as I feel that it doesn't require a large group of people. My crew will simply consist of myself as camera operator and director and a fellow course member, Jordan Parker as sound assistant. Before each scene we will work together to set up the lighting and set. However, to remove the issue of meeting an actress's timetable, I will star in the sequence myself as the unknown woman walking on the street, the unknown hands playing with a knife, and one of the hands (the other will be a stand-in friend) in the letting go shot - this will require Jordan to act as camera operator during these shots under my direction.
Planning & Shoot Day
Alongside all of the above being extremely helpful in the planning of the opening titles sequence, I will be creating a shot list to create a structure before and during shoot day, and I will be drawing up some sample pictures of the shots that I am planning and can imagine.In order to give myself time to plan, I will be filming my opening titles sequence on Wednesday the 9th of November all day, which was arranged three weeks prior to this. Holding the shoot day sooner rather than later in the term also allows me to have more time for post-production.
Considerations & Precautions
When considering items that will be destroyed, I plan to make sure I get a large amount of coverage of the object before altering them, as well as creating a large number of proprs (such as the drawings and the map) so that if filming their demise goes wrong, I have a number of opportunities to reshoot.As in any typical shoot I will make sure to place wires carefully and be constantly aware of them when using the lighting kit, and will have a bucket of water prepared around the use of candles, and a bucket of water prepared to drop the burning maps into after setting them alight.
I feel that my in depth planning and the shot list I will soon make will allow me to create and shoot an effective and entertaining opening titles sequence.
