Roses are Red:
They used an innovative may of displaying the title credits however I feel that it distracted from the story somewhat. Also the editing was quite slow paced but contrast to that some titles were not displayed on screen for long enough, to be able to read them, which could sometimes be an issue.
I could only see one use of foley in the sequence which was the click on the computer therefore I think they would loose marks on the sound as it was only one audio track applied for the duration of the song.
Overall I would grade this at a mid level 3 as it showed little in the way of story and shot selection wasn't diverse.
Gemini:
The use of foley sound was evident which helped improve the production value of the film, however the sound design was poor and did not flow well with the piece. I felt that the camera angles were basic and that the titles didn't stay on screen for long enough for us to read them. I also thought that when it went back to the action after the titles, it felt like the second scene of the film therefore not making this just the opening scene.
Overall I would grade this at a high level 3 as the sound in this film opening was poor and brought the grade down.
My Mother and I:
The editing in this scene was slow paced and didn't feel natural as he was walking through the house. I also found that it didn't leave much enigma and that the music and the production company didn't fit with the genre of the film, which in itself was unclear. There was some evidence of sound design as the same television news article was continued throughout the different camera shots which added to the editing skills. Overall I would grade this at a high level 3 again with the sound and camera work letting it down.
A Schools Nightmare:
Their production company logo was well constructed and the theme of it went with the style of the film. The titles were nicer and simple and mostly all in the correct order, however 'starring was used' However I felt when the name of the film came up right in the middle of the action it felt like more of a trailer for a film rather than an opening for a brief moment. Also the fact that we saw the ghost at the end made it feel like a short film as it left little enigma for the audience to think about. However the camera and production was well thought out and overall made for a powerful piece of work. Overall i would grade this with a level 4, however it wouldn't get full marks on its short film like feel.
The Edge:
The titles in this were cleverly constructed and the camera work was well crafted and the piece flowed well. The editing could have been a little tighter and the piece should have been a bit shorter in my opinion. Enigma is left to the audience at the end as we don't know what happened to the boy or why he was being chased which easily opens up the possibility for this to continue into maybe a short feature film. This sequence would gain very high marks however the word 'Starring' was once again use when introducing the actors.
The overall grade I would give is a high level four of about 58 marks. The reason why it didn't get 60 marks is that I was a bit too long for a good film opening and staring was used meaning it didn't follow the conventions of an action film.
Blitz:
The Mise en Scene in this opening was good as time was taken on making the set and getting the correct icons to appear in the scene. The camera work was good and the lighting was carefully thought about. However, the reason I wouldn't give this top marks is because the opening was resolved at the end when the person appeared in a gas mask, which made the whole production finite resulting in it being a short film rather than an opening scene from a feature or short.
The sound was carefully done as well with lots of evidence of foley.
The overall grade I would give is a level 4 at around 50 marks simple because it didn't have the total feeling of a film opening.
Mark Scheme I used to grade these openings:
Level 1 0–23 marks
The work for the main task is possibly incomplete. There is minimal evidence in the work of the creative use of any relevant technical skills such as:• Producing material appropriate for the target audience and task; • using titles appropriately according to institutional conventions; • using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set;• shooting material appropriate to the task set; including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot distance and close attention to mise-en-scene; • using editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions and other effects.
Level 2 24–35 marks
There is evidence of a basic level of ability in the creative use of some of the following technical skills:• Producing material appropriate for the target audience and task; • using titles appropriately according to institutional conventions; • using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set;• shooting material appropriate to the task set;, including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot distance and close attention to mise-en-scene; • using editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions and other effects.
Level 3 36–47 marks
There is evidence of proficiency in the creative use of many of the following technical skills:• Producing material appropriate for the target audience and task; • using titles appropriately according to institutional conventions; • using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set;• shooting material appropriate to the task set; including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot distance and close attention to mise-en-scene; • using editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions and other effects.
Level 4 48–60 marks
There is evidence of excellence in the creative use of most of the following technical skills:• material appropriate for the target audience and task;• using titles appropriately according to institutional conventions;• using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set;• shooting material appropriate to the task set;including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot distance and close attention to mise-en-scene;• using editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions and other effects.