Adler's AICE Blog

  Another case of editing the script to make the opening feel more comedic was replacing the picture of one of the characters with a stick figure. This part of film is suppose to be the criminal file of the main antagonist. The idea was to print out a regular picture of Matthew and putting on the folder to make it look more like a criminal file, but after finding out that Max's printer wasn't working we replaced it with a stick figure and incorporated the broken printer into the actual film.

Me and my friends, Matthew, and Max started filming last week Saturday. After we decided to start filming at Max's house we recorded most of the important takes for the majority of the opening and I'm not sure if we need to record again this week. I ultimately ended up not sticking with what I first outlined in my storyboard, so me and my friends ended up drafting an entirely new opening after about 40 minutes of brainstorming. This is a screencap of one of scenes with my character after interrogating the main antagonist of the film. After recording we also decided to keep small stuff that might make the film look amateur to give it a more comedic feel. Stuff like deciding to keep my tie crooked in this scene to make my character seem as unprofessional as possible was on of those things.

Actors: I'm planning on working by myself and with Max, a friend of mine. Costumes: I'm probably going to be wearing a white dress shirt, black tie, and fedora (which we can get from a thrift store). Max is probably going to wear just casual clothing since this is supposed to be a parody Props: Office lamp and old rotary phone and typewriter. Some papers and manila folders. Locations: Max's house Dates and Times: February 7th send Max the first draft of my script so he has an idea of what he's going to do. February 15th start filming in Max's house Scripts: The script is not completed yet since I'm still trying to make it funny while also keeping the film noir style of talking as well. Film Equipment: Filming is going to be on my phone but since I don't have a tripod so we're probably going to try to make a tripod out of the stuff we can find, or borrow one if one of our friends has one. 

Film opens with a title sequence with fake production company name and title. Open with establishing shot of the city and starts to zoom in on one of the windows. Fade to the main character's name on a bulletin board. Ian M. Cylout (initials and last name are a play on the phrase I'm a sellout) Ian starts monologuing about life as an L.A. private eye and how people used to come to him for work non stop. Mentions how the only thing to get him interested is if someone asks him right in his face. Right as he mentions that someone in the office pulls down the newspaper Ian is reading and asks if Ian is interesting in finding his daughter's lost dog. Ian is appalled by this. Starts talking about how he used to have been flock to him for work nonstop before the person says that Ian has gone through this routine plenty of times already. Ian talks about life has not been the same after the "incident." Camera zooms in on Ian with unrelated sound effects playing in the back...

How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film? 4 titles are seen in the opening of the film, the Universal Studios logo, the production company Working title, Studio Canal, Big Talk Productions. What images are prioritized in the opening sequence? A montage of the main character, Nicholas Angel, with zooms and camera pans of Nicholas while he narrates his life leading up to becoming and as a police officer in London  What connotations do the images carry? The montage sets up Nicholas to be a very successful, goal-oriented, and serious member of the London police department. How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset? The opening montage and quick cuts of the camera actually makes the film out to be an action rather than a comedy. The elements of a comedy film is only seen after the opening scene. How does the film establish an enigma from the outset? An enigma is established by the film with Nicholas listing his a...

    Black mirror is an anthology series on Netflix that some might consider a modern take on the 1950s show "The Twilight Zone." Black mirror is known for having their stories end with a dark twist that leaves the audience with a moral that's along the lines of "technology is dangerous" or "be careful of what you wish for." San Junipero is one of the episodes that has a very intriguing beginning that might be setup for a dark twist in the second half that blindsight's the audience. The episode in question opens up with an establishing shot of a fast river and then an overview of a city that's safe to assume is San Junipero. While the main character, Yorkie, is seen walking on the sidewalk. The camera follows Yorkie as she enters a dance club. Before that 2 new characters are introduced, Wes and Kelly. The first interaction Wes and Kelly has with each other is an argument while they enter the dance club. The camera then starts to pan across the ...