RUSHES

The shot above is the pre-edited version and I felt that this shot had too much colour and vibrance for a scene that I felt needed to display a darker and grimier mood.

Another reason I decided to use the 'Numerik' effect on Final Cut Pro was that the bright yellow and orange liquids seen would look unrealistic and effectively out of place to viewers if in their natural state.

This shot is seen towards the end of 'Score' in the drug deal. This scene definitely needed a darker effect on it as a drug deal is thought upon to be a wrong part of today's society and is ultimately illegal.

The dark effect emphasises the vulnerability and mood of the characters from the original use of the crane. This shot with the high angle colour may also foreshadow future trouble and conflict.

AUDIENCE PROFILE

'Score' is a Crime Drama film focusing on the troubles that teenagers can face in society and the serious consequences of being involved in drug culture. My primary audience would be fairly youthful males from teenagers and a secondary audience of young adults and those older who follow and enjoy modern day British Film.

Crime Drama's attract these audiences because they are something that people can relate to, everyday life and realistic story-lines and plot to follow. British crime drama's are mainly viewed by males as females tend to prefer more feminine films and genre's like Comedy and Romance.

Here is an example of the type of audience who would view my Film:

CASTING PHOTOGRAPHS AND JUSTIFICATIONS

Maxwell Fox (Left) will be playing himself in my opening sequence. Although, He will act as a drugged character who dies from an overdose. I chose him to play this part as he was one of my peers who was very enthusiastic about performing the role, he knows what the role entails and it was not a hard decision for me to make.

I was clear with how I wanted him to portray himself and he likes my ideas along with the variety of camera shots I intend on implementing in the scenes he is in.

Arthur Bean (Right) will be playing the role of 'Danny' who is the character buying the drugs and a fellow friend of Alex (the main character).

I chose him as he is also enthusiastic and is willing to travel to location I want to film at. He has serious facial expressions and this will emphasise the darker mood I envision for my media product.

FILMING EQUIPMENT USED IN 'SCORE'

                                                                                   The pictures above display a Tripod and a Slider. The tripod allowed me to stabilise camera shots and remove any handheld shakes when I required. Some of the shots I filmed using the tripod are not seen in my final product as I thought that too many of them would have taken away from the low-budget I envisioned.

The slider was used in the drug production scenes and helped to display a slow pan across what I am making and the materials and objects I needed to make drugs.

The camera I was very fortunate to use was a Nikon D3000 and I was also lucky to be able use a crane that is seen in use at the end of my Opening Sequence. The camera allowed me to film in great quality, with various lighting and out of focus shots taken for deliberate effect.

The crane allowed me to add another angle to my filming of 'Score' and the shot seen in the drug deal of 'Score' emphasises the vulnerability of both of characters and offers something new to my audience.

The final parts of equipment that I used were a SanDisk 32GB memory card and a smoke machine. The memory card allowed me to keep all of my footage on one device to ensure I was well organised and efficient when editing the opening sequence.

The smoke machine added verisimilitude to my product and as I wouldn't actually be cooking the 'drugs' I wanted to make it look like I was and the smoke made it look more realistic. I was fortunate to have this device at my disposal and I believe it effectively added to my the shots I filmed in the kitchen.

RESEARCH SHOTS OF LOCATIONS

Kitson Hall (seen in the pictures above) was the first location I shot in and directed in. The kitchen seen in the picture below was ideal for the vision I had of my product in the planning stages. The kitchen is fairly basic and this fits into the idea of drug production, i.e. you wouldn't see drugs being made in a luxury facility.

This next location is behind my school grounds. I thought that it was another ideal location to shoot a crime drama. It was easy to access, a low budget location and I had nothing to stop me from filming there (e.g. weather or special permission).

The last location that features in my project is Barnes Cemetery and there was a nice spot that emphasised the atmosphere commonly seen in drug deals. The spot helped make the scene seem more grimy and tense as Danny (the drug customer) is walking to meet Alex.

SOUNDTRACK CHOICE

The first soundtrack I considered for my opening sequence is called 'So Here We Are' by Bloc Party and it is an instrumental version. I felt that my opening sequence required a soundtrack with no lyrics to emphasise the mood I envisioned for my product.

However, this soundtrack was a bit too upbeat and did not work as well as the soundtracks below following the opinions of my peers and myself included.



This second soundtrack is by the same band as above but is less upbeat, with a lower pitch and a faster beat throughout.

Further feedback demonstrated that it would complement my product but that I could still find a better alternative, I agreed and through more research I found the fitting soundtrack, finally.



This is the soundtrack from my first and major inspiration 'This Is England' and I felt it was perfect for my media product. It is emotional yet it suited the dark mood displayed at times in my sequence.

I received only positive comments from viewers about the soundtrack and although it took me a while to decide it, I am glad I took this time to make an informative decision. I knew the soundtrack would be a decisive part of my product and I hope those who read this agree with my choice.

FONT ANALYSIS

This first font was one option that I didn't choose as I thought the letters weren't bold enough or most relevant to a drug-related film. The font doesn't seem to be intimidating unlike the fonts seen below.

This font is a chalk-design and is much bolder than the fonts above and below. However, I felt it was too intimidating and that it may draw viewers too far way from the production itself.

This was the font that I chose for my final production and is called a serif font. It is not too bold but bold enough to look realistic in a crime drama production. Feedback from my peers also emphasised  that this was the best font for me to use.

INSPIRATION FOR OPENING SEQUENCE

The film 'This Is England' is one of my favourite films. It is directed by Shane Meadows, a well-known English director who is famous for producing low-budget British films. Despite the little money invested into the film, it won noticeable acclaim and numerous awards.

The main soundtrack for 'This Is England' is used in my production of 'Score' and I believe that it compliments the mood and choice of shots most effectively.

Another film by Shane Meadows that I really enjoyed is 'Dead Man's Shoes' and it further displays the impacts that drug abuse can have on oneself and others around you.

This film is another all-British production that further inspires me to create something similar and the make-up of both of these films can be cross-referenced to.

'Breaking Bad' is a popular American TV drama that has recently concluded on a global viewing stage. The series consists of a cancer inflicted chemistry teacher who turns to making crystal meth in the last few years of his life.

The theme of the show revolves around drugs and the numerous drug scenes have inspired me to capture relevant drug production scenes.

SYNOPSIS OF 'SCORE'

The opening sequence production of 'Score' involves the viewing of drugs being produced by the main character 'Alex', played by myself. The severe consequences of consuming these drugs are seen as Maxwell's death is heavily built up to add suspense. Maxwell eventually dies in a wood surrounded by no one, facing massive trouble.

A cross-cutting technique is deployed throughout the production to entertain the audience in more ways than one with a dual narrative creating a fairly fast-paced editing as well.

As the opening develops, Alex walks on through a rural area to meet a customer and complete a drug deal and as he is walking, his facial expressions and body language show a sense of regret and remorse, hinting to the audience that he feels it has been a mistake producing all of these drugs. 

The drug deal is completed with a small role being played by 'Arthur Bean' and the opening sequence concludes leaving the audience wondering how Alex will recover and how he may possibly develop or hinder his life from involving himself in drug life.

GENERATING OPENING SEQUENCE IDEAS

I created a mind map to help me generate some ideas on what type of Opening Sequence I would be producing. It helped me to draw on what genre I would enjoy working around and what would actually be feasible to film and look like a realistic and good quality production.