I have been working on a company logo sequence for our opening sequence of the feature film 'Hangman'. We decided upon the production company name of Legend Productions. I have used this name in a short sequence with a textured background, using effects on Livetype for the words. I also used soundtrack to create some ambient noise to accompany this short entrance. The texture works well using red as it shows danger or blood, and the font was a simple old-style grey font to give effect.

Today we added titles to our opening sequence using final cut express. We used a variety of useful tools including "pen tool' and managed to change the font, color and size of the writing.

Here is our first section. We still need to add more scenes in between some of the scenes for the flashback.

We still need to add the scenes in the house and the titles which should bring us up to two minutes.

Opening Credits Idea

This is the opening credits from the film Se7en. It is a similar idea to what we could use for our opening credits. In our 2 minute sequence there will be about 1:00 of filming, then just entering the opening credits for around 1 minute. We will use a similar idea to Se7en's opening credits, showing clips of the killer planning his attack on the female victim. The text will then use a gothic font, flashing between images and text, to give an eery effect. Se7en's credits work effectively as it uses many close up shots in sequence which gives a mysterious feel about the film. The transition in which these shots are shown is shown as very skewed and "scratched" giving the idea of destruction, as the tape reel looks as if it has been destroyed. In the short shots used, the scenes are also shown as very dirty. This, along with violent or strange acts, immediately occurs to the viewer that we are watching the killer, a mysterious, filthy character. The soundtrack used for these particular credits is also very mysterious and gives the effect of destructiveness, as if it has been destroyed and scratched. Various horrific sounds are used such as scratching, and creaking of doors. These sounds are emphasized to give an effect of disorientation and possibly paranoia or fear. We will use similar sounds in our sequence to give this effect about "Hangman". 

Questionnaire Previews

Have a look at these 2 openings of movies:

1. Which opening do you prefer?

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2. What did you especially like about your preferred opening?

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3. What did you not like about your preferred opening?

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4. How would you change this?

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5. Do you prefer the background music of "Amityville Horror" or the simple sound effects of "The Ring Two"?

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Thank you for taking part.

"Hangman" Questionnaire

1. Are you Male or Female?

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2. How old are you?

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3. What's your favourite genre of film?

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4. Do you prefer a gory horror, or a suspenseful horror?

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5. Would you prefer a happy ending or a sad ending?

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6. How often do you go to the cinema to see a film?

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7. What was the last film you saw?

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8. Take a look at the "Hangman" Synopsis:

After losing her boyfriend, Rachel is left heartbroken. The killer then returns for her death, entering a brutal, violent scene. Rachel is held hostage and tortured by the "Hangman", who later turns out to be her envious ex-boyfriend. Managing to escape from his trap, Rachel seeks revenge on this mystery man. However, in shock of discovering his identity Rachel meets a terrible fate.

Does this appeal to you?

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9. If you had to, what would you change about the storyline?

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Votes	Average
Males	14,751	5.8
Females	2,940	6.2
Aged under 18	580	6.7
Males under 18	393	6.7
Females under 18	185	6.8
Aged 18-29	12,196	6.0
Males Aged 18-29	10,090	5.9
Females Aged 18-29	2,063	6.4
Aged 30-44	4,172	5.6
Males Aged 30-44	3,605	5.6
Females Aged 30-44	525	5.8
Aged 45+	723	5.3
Males Aged 45+	576	5.3
Females Aged 45+	139	5.2
IMDb staff	5	5.5
Top 1000 voters	333	5.1
US users	6,591	5.7
Non-US users	11,090	5.9

From these ratings (found at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0384806/ratings) we can see that Amityville Horror appeals mainly to those under 18 up to 29. From the higher number of males voting, it is evident that we should aim to appeal to the male audience for a horror. 

This idea is similar to ours as it is based in a house and it shows a different time frame; the future when he kills his family and the past when it actually starts. Ours is similar as we are going to show the past in our opening sequence and flashes to the present where our film takes place.

In this opening sequence the weather reflects the mood of the film. This works well, as using rain and lightning, and the outhouse door banging in the wind, is very effective. It is also clear that we are looking at a particular time frame by stating the date, also using a creepy font to add to the tension. When the scene begins the camera is disoriented, showing the viewer how this man feels inside. A continuous use of fast-paced shots works well, displaying different moments in time (ascending the stairs, shooting one victim, shooting another). This gives an effect of how the killer has planned out his attack, displaying each killing separately.  The lighting works well in this situation, as the lightning flashes fast giving a lot of tension and excitement. The sound in this sequence consists of diegetic sound, as we hear the lightning strikes and gun shots, however these sounds are made louder and more obvious to give the sense of how loud it actually is at the scene of the kilings, making the viewer feel as if they are there.

"Hangman" synopsis

After losing her boyfriend, Rachel is left heartbroken. The killer then returns for her death, entering a brutal, violent scene. Rachel is held hostage and tortured by the "Hangman", who later turns out to be her envious ex-boyfriend. Managing to escape from his trap, Rachel seeks revenge on this mystery man. However, in shock of discovering his identity Rachel meets a terrible fate.