What have I learnt from looking at other storyboards?

The best storyboards comprise of...

1.  Detailed images.
2. Text not only describing what's going on in the scene but what the camera is doing, movement, angles and shot types.

This will make filming a lot easier as it shows the director/camera operator exactly what they've got to achieve and how to achieve it.

There are a few more elements that my group decided to include in our storyboard...

1. The score/sound effects (make editing easier)
2. Any time where there is speech it must be referenced to a script as not to over-complicate the storyboard.
3. The exact length of the shot.
4. Refer to the location.

These further requirements of our storyboard will make production much easier.

Looking at storyboards

As a group we thought carefully on how to present our storyboard.

Some storyboards are very simplistic, comprising of simply hand-drawn images in an order which they'd appear on screen. Although they are understandable they lack detail which can make filming more difficult.

Other storyboards use more detail such as the image below. They comprise of both text and images. The explanations, however describe the mood of the scene and what's going on. This is not as useful to those in the production process such as directors who need to know which camera shots/angles/lighting etc to use create the mood stated in the explanation.

The "No country for old men" storyboard is a better example of a good storyboard. It is very detailed and not only comprises of detailed images but the scene number/shot number along with the camera shots and angles. This is something I should learn from when creating my own storyboard.

Pre-storyboard creation

Before creating my storyboard I must look at act 1 in my treatment and decide how much I will use before deciding shots etc.

It must also be noted that my opening title sequence, therefore storyboard must not exceed two minutes.

I will also look at other storyboards to help me construct my own.

25 word pitch

After further analysing my 25 word pitch "1950s summertime and two girls set out to free a gypsy boy and horse from a tearful existence in this heartwarming tale of friendship, adventure and horses". I decided that it lacked appeal and sounded more like a logline.

So as a group we decided to alter our 25 word pitch to something that was more intriguing.

We came up with...

When Nancy Moore comes by a neglected gypsy boy and his horse she had no idea that they were beginning an adventure that would change their lives forever.

We decided that this pitch was more intriguing and didn't give too much away by the storyline.

It also complies to the expectations that I spoke of earlier; because it...

- Says something about the characters
- Has a brief introduction to the storyline
- Appeals to and captivates the audience

Evaluating my 25 word pitch

Earlier on when I was looking at other 25 word pitches I created some requirements that I should fulfill. Those were...

I then evaluated my 25 word pitch against this...

 

Final 25 word pitch

1950s summertime and two girls set out to free a gypsy boy and horse from a tearful existence in this heartwarming tale of friendship, adventure and horses.

chosing my final 25 word pitch

Out of the possible 25 word pitches I created I selected 2 as contenders for my final pitch. Those are...

1) When young Nancy befriends a neglected horse and gypsy boy in the summer of the 1950s she has no idea of the thrilling and risky adventures that lie ahead. 

OR

2) 1950s summertime and two girls set out to free a gypsy boy and his horse from a tearful existence in this heartwarming tale of friendship, adventure and horses.

I then asked my target audience which pitch they thought sounded better...

A total of 29 people voted and they decided that...
Pitch two was better.
This means my final 25 word pitch is...

1950s summertime and two girls set out to free a gypsy boy and his horse from a tearful existence in this heartwarming tale of friendship, adventure and horses.

Ideas behind and creating my 25 word pitch

This presentation outlines how I came to write my 25 word pitch...

Treatment

Both myself and my production-partner wrote this treatment to outline the storyline, key events and characters in our film. We used some images as we thought that it would enable readers to visualise our story better.

Film treatment- Saving Crackerjack from GeorgiHonnor

Writing my treatment- theory

Although I have initial ideas to write a treatment I looked at how to structure a storyline.
This will prove useful when structuring my treatment.
The following link shows Nigel Watt's “Eight-Point Story Arc”which is seen as very helpful when structuring a story...

 HOW TO STRUCTURE A STORY

This showed me that my treatment/storyline should...

• Introduce the scene, setting characters in the first act (stasis) 
• Have a problem and the quest to solve it in the second act/ middle part of the story (trigger and quest)
• Have a climax and solution in the third act/final part of the film.

My final idea- storyline

All of my initial ideas meet all of the requirements that I set from my research. However, some of the challenges I identified in the production of these films could prove too great. Such as the problem with finding malnourished horses and an old-fashioned gypsy cart.

It is for this reason my groups final idea is that of initial idea 2. This is because the idea does not only meet the requirements set, but my group would be capable of shooting the film and could have access to the props and cast required.

My next step will be to write a treatment.

Evaluating my third initial idea

I will use a checklist I created when evaluating my research to answer the question; Does the film fulfil the requirements of the implied audience?

Characters the audience can relate to- 
Yes, the storyline would be focused around two sisters aged eight and fifteen and their family.
Include horses- 
Yes the storyline follows the rescue of two horses, one young and one older.
Portray a horse as a companion-
Yes, the storyline would also document the growing bond between the horses and their new owners.
Provoke emotion-
Yes, being a storyline about horse rescue and the love between horses and children it will almost certainly provoke emotion amongst my implied audience.
Feature a dog-
Being sisters, the storyline is set with a family. Dogs are often considered by many as part of the family. This means that a dog could play a role in scenes set with the family or in the family home.
Present a challenge-
The challenges of the two protagonists attempting to rescue the horses/ponies will be key to the storyline.
Have a realistic storyline-
There are many stories centred around the rescue of neglected, abused and abandoned horses. With the numbers of  horses being abandoned in recent years on the increase it is a very relevant and realistic topic.
Use music-
Again like my other two initial ideas the use of music will be key to setting the mood of the scenes and influencing the mood of audience.
Show realistic horse behaviour-
With there being no fantasy aspect to this film and the horses being pets they will be expected to show typical horse behaviour.

Are there any identifiable problems with this film/opening title sequence?

YES

•  Being able to find two ill-looking or malnourished horses to cast for the part could prove a challenge.
• Casting two actors who look similar enough to play sisters, also could prove challenging. Again casting a family who look alike to the children may too be difficult.

Evaluating my second initial idea

I will use a checklist I created when evaluating my research to answer the question; Does the film fulfil the requirements of the implied audience?

Characters the audience can relate to-
Yes, being set in a family setting my opening title sequence would introduce an 8-year-old girl, a 15-year-old girl and an older Grandmother (80+) 
Include horses-
Yes, the film is about the elderly woman when she was younger with her horse.
Portray a horse as a companion-
Yes, the storyline is about the bond between the woman and her horse.
Provoke emotion-
Yes, a challenge where the horse is possibly hurt could provoke emotion within the audience, whilst documenting a strong bond between horse and owner is almost certain to provoke emotion.
Feature a dog-
With the story being told as from a family home a dog will be key to the setting, as such.
Present a challenge-
Yes, the horse could go missing or another challenge such as the horse getting hurt could present itself.
Have a realistic storyline-
The film has no fantasy features and has a conventional family setting, meaning it is realistic.
Use music- 
Music will be key to effecting the mood of my audience and setting the mood of the particular scenes.
Show realistic horse behaviour-
Being a traditional pet horse the horse cast will be expected to display typical horse behaviours.

Are the any identifiable problems with this film/opening title sequence?

YES

• Casting an older woman with the ability to remember lines still. This could be overcome by getting someone younger to play older.
• Being the old woman talking about her past, we must be very careful with the Mise En Scene to ensure that no devices such as mobile phones are present in the footage supposedly from when the elderly woman was younger.

Evaluating my first initial idea

I will use a checklist I created when evaluating my research to answer the question; Does the film fulfil the requirements of the implied audience?

Characters the audience can relate to- 
Yes it's set in a family and I would cast two girls between the ages of our primary target audience.
Include horses- 
Yes, the film would be based around the two gypsy girls and their 'gypsy vanner' horses.
Portray a horse as a companion-
 Yes, again the film portrays a bond between the two young girls and their horses.
Provoke emotion-
 Documenting on a relationship and the challenges faced within that will evidently provoke emotion from an audience.
Feature a dog-
 Gypsies traditionally would own a dog, this means I would feature one in my film/opening title sequence.
Present a challenge- 
Many films/documentaries following the lives of gypsies present their lives as challenging. This film would be no different- meaning the family/protagonists would face challenges.
Have a realistic storyline-
 There is no fantasy aspect to this initial idea for a possible film, meaning it is realistic.
Use music-
 It would be important for me to use music to set the tone and mood of the opening title sequence.
Show realistic horse behaviour- 
The storyline is not fantasy and the horses would show typical horse behaviours.


Are there any identifiable problems with this initial idea?

YES

• The Mise en scene for the film would be extensive and difficult to come across
• Finding horses capable of pulling a cart and finding a cart like the one pictured may prove challenging
• With my film being independent I do not have access to a large production budget. This means that challenges I could face include hiring and purchasing highly specific props, finding actors  and  finding such horses. Blockbuster films would be able to produce all such things themselves.

What enabled me to create my initial ideas?

Taking into consideration all of my research on...

• Opening title sequences
• My target market
• Other horse products
• Genre
• Why other films were successful
•  Key influences
• Locations
• Characters 

I created almost a specification of which my film had to fulfill.  This enabled me to construct some initial ideas for my opening title sequence.

Opening title sequence ideas- before writing my treatment

Now that I've looked at the possible locations, settings and characters for my film as guided by my market and genre research and from looking at other opening title sequences I have the foundations on which I can construct ideas for my own films opening title sequence.

Before writing my treatment I will create some initial ideas on storylines involving the characters and locations I have looked at.

What type of characters can I expect to be working with?

AGAIN, BEFORE I BEGIN TO THINK OF STORYLINES, LIKE LOCATION AND SETTING, I NEED TO KNOW WHAT TYPE OF CHARACTERS I HAVE TO WORK WITH.

For example; If I'm working with superhero's it would be unlikely to create a storyline where they'd be in a family setting.

After my research I have some key guidance on the type of characters that will feature in my opening title sequence.

My film's target market is that of families and my survey revealed that my audience would like characters they can relate to. This means the sort of characters I will expect to be working with include...

• Mothers
• Fathers
• Daughters
• Sons
• Grandmothers
• Grandfathers
• Pets (specifically dogs- as they came top in my survey)

My primary target market is that of 8-15 year old girls and I have already decided that I will cast a girl within that age group. I may decide to feature 2 girls within the age group as the age gap is quite large. These characters will appear in my opening title sequence.

What kind of settings can I expect to be working with?

BEFORE THINKING ABOUT STORYLINES, I WILL NEED TO KNOW WHAT KIND OF SETTINGS I COULD BE WORKING WITH. I WILL LOOK INTO THIS IN MORE DETAIL AFTER WRITING MY TREATMENT WHEN VISITING AND DECIDING ON FINAL LOCATIONS.

Being a film with family characters about horses I created this mind-map of the different settings that are commonly associated with family and horses.

This has shown me that the type of settings I can expect to be working at include...

• Family homes- different rooms/garden
• Locations families visit- attractions, park, activity etc
• Stable yard- sand school, tack room, stable etc
• Fields
• Woodland
• Beaches

What do I need to know before writing my treatment?

Before writing my treatment I will need to conduct some research into possible locations and characters for my opening title sequence. This is because the treatment requires me to outline the film's storyline. This will include characters and location.

Looking at the possible characters and locations I could be writing about according to my family/animal/horse genre will enable me to construct initial ideas before writing the treatment.

I created this presentation using the online software "SlideRocket".

Production context

I created this presentation when making the decision  whether my opening title sequence will be that of an independent or blockbuster film. The presentation explains my groups choices.

What is an opening title sequence?

In this presentation I have looked at several aspects of and the conventions of opening title sequence. This will aid the construction of my very own opening title sequence as it has shown me exactly what is expected of mine. By looking at the structure, title presentation/order, genre codes, the narrative structure and conventions I have been able to formulate an idea as to what is expected of my opening title sequence.

Evaluating and concluding my market research

I created this video to outline my conclusions from investigating my target audience and carrying out my  market research.


All of my research has created almost a 'production brief' that will enable me to tailor my opening title sequence directly to my target audience.


Results from my survey as well as my primary research from talking directly to my audience taught me exactly what my market want from a film. 


Looking at the target audience of other films enabled me to look at who they were usually aimed at and helped me to identify a target market whilst looking at reviews of other films showed me what the audience liked about them. The strengths of these films will influence my production.

Looking at various horse products helped me identify my primary target audience as 8-15 year old girls.

Looking at my typical target audience helped me to understand the types of things I'll include in my film, such as other family characters.

Target market research- character profile

Other films success

This research supports my survey results as it has shown me that my audience like...
- An emotion-provoking film
-A film that portrays a bond between a human and a horse.

Why have other horse films been successful?

I looked at some reviews of popular film 'War Horse' to see what an audience liked about it and why it has been successful.
I created this page to record some snippets from my research.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW FULL PAGE

Evaluating my survey results

Evaluating our survey results by georgihonnor on GoAnimate

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Online survey- results

Creating an online survey is yet another way I can carry out specific research.  These are my results. They will influence my decisions when planning and producing my opening title sequence.

What I have learnt from talking directly to my audience

I asked my audience a question through an online survey I created.

The question was "What's your favourite horse film and why?"

These responses helped me understand what my audience like from a horse film.

I should consider their opinions when creating a storyline, them being my target audience.

From this I have learnt that my target audience like...

- A strong bond between horse and owner.

- To Capture emotion.
- A film that makes you feel emotion.
- Show realistic horse behaviour.

One of the responses I found particularly interesting is...

"Dreamer because of the relationship between the horse and girl. It is what any horse lover would dream of."


This is significant as it supports my findings that girls are the primary target audience for our film.

I am now most likely to consider the creation of a film where there is a bond between a girl and her horse. I have come to this conclusion because...

- My audience like to see a bond between a horse and human.
- They like an emotion-provoking film.
- The response that said "any horse lover would dream" of a film where there is a relationship between a girl and a horse. 

Market research- What do you like from a horse film?

"War horse! Used to be black beauty but war horse tugs your heart strings and shows a horses behaviour in a realistic way and what it was really like for them!"

"Dreamer because the relationship between the horse and girl. Is what any horse lover would dream of."

"The horse whisperer because it is so beautiful and emotional."

"Secritariat because its based on a true story and showed that people don't give horses enough credit."

"War horse. Realistic and challenging."

"War horse because it shows the relationship you can see happeing to yourself."

"War Horse because its such a touching story about how a boy and a horse finally find each other after world war one."

"Secretariat - because it is true story and it makes you realise that a horse is capable of independent thought."

"Spirit stallion of the Cimarron. Because it's got a good storyline and the focus of the film is the horses."

"Have too many but my 3 favourite are flicka 3, sea biscuit and hildalgo because they are amazing films of bonds and trusts of unlikely people and it always has a happy ending."

"Flicka 3 because it a story line that builds up and in the end there is a competition."

"Black Beauty- It is a story about loyalty and how horses are such amazing animals."

Identifying my target market

I looked at a variety of horse products and films to see who they were generally aimed at. I made this video to evaluate my conclusions.

Identifying my target audience

From looking at other films of a similar genre to my opening title sequence I discovered that they're often aimed at families. Young girls often feature in the films. This could suggest that they're the primary target audience of a film of this genre.Identifying target audience by georgihonnor on GoAnimate

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Identifying a target audience

Before I conduct any research I must identify a target audience.
This will require me to look at the target audience of other horse films.
 Identifying the key audience and those who will usually watch a film of such genre will enable me to direct my film to the people that want the film.

Black Beauty

The film Black Beauty is arguably one of the most popular horse films.

It is rated PG. This film classification means...

- Suitable for 8 years and above.

- Can be considered by parents for younger audiences.

- Some discrimination for educational purposes.

- Drugs must carry and anti-drug message.

- Horror should be short and non-intense.

- Very mild language only.

Although the film is said to be suitable for 8 years and over the films tagline is "A story for all ages. A friendship for all time. Share the adventure."

Flicka

The film Flicka is classified as 'Universal'
This means that...


- suitable for the whole family
- suitable for children to view alone
- the film contains no violence, discrimination or sexual content
- no dangerous behaviour children are likely to copy
- no use of weapons
- no use of weapons



Spirit stallion of the Cimarron

This film is again rated 'universal'
It is an animation aimed specifically at children/families.









Dreamer: inspired by a real story

This film is aimed at children and families aged 7 and over.
This is an example of a film where there is a character that a young audience can relate to.








National Velvet

This film is again aimed at families. On IMDB it is described as "A great family movie; even better for horse lovers."








War Horse

The film is based on book by children's writer Micheal Morpurgo. However, the film is rated PG-13 because of war violence.
The story originally created was specifically aimed at children.









Seabiscuit 

The film is classed as PG. This means ages 8 and over. The story again shows a bond between horse and owner. This is a theme popular in many horse films.

Investigating my audience

Any film will have a 'perfect target audience'. These are the people the film is directed at. Many features  of the film will be specifically tailored to that audience and aim to appeal to them.

In order to create my opening title sequence I will need to investigate my audience and understand what they want from a film.

Being a film about horses my target audience will be those who like/own them. But that in itself does not give me enough information to be able to create something that would appeal to them.

I will need to conduct some research on my target audience. My findings will act as an influence to my storyline and characters I will eventually create.

Some ideas that will help me understand my target audience better include...

1) A questionnaire to my target audience about what they like from a film.

2) Speaking directly to my audience and ask them what they like about a good horse film.

3) Look at successful horse films and why they have been so successful. I can find this information from reviews.

4) Create a character profile of a stereotypical horse-film watcher.

5) Look at the best way to connect with the group.

Influences- exploring media representations of horses

I created this video as I explored common media representations of horses. These will influence our creation of characters and a storyline.

Looking at common representations to influence storyline decisions

As a group we have decided we will be creating an opening title sequence of an animal genre- specifically horses.  I will now look at common media representations of horses to influence my storyline and characters.

Genre specific moodboard- animals-horses

Genre specific moodboard- animals-dogs

Genre influences- possible shots and recreating them-horses

 

I found this picture of horses cantering as a herd.

This is a photo I took to recreate it.

 

I liked the shot of two horses jumping at the same time. 

This is my version.

I really like the idea of having a shot in my opening title sequence where the horse looks into the camera. This is a picture I found of that.

This was quite difficult and this photo was taken on a camera-phone.

A clip of a horse being cantered/galloped in fields is a good shot to have in an opening title sequence about horses.

This is a photo I took to recreate this.

Influences

In the opening title sequence of The Avengers I like the way the audience are introduced to the genre through a variety of close up/extreme close ups of costume/character. I could do this in my title sequence, so if it was about horses I could have a close up of a saddle or bridle for example.

The use of establishing shots in The Shining helps to set the scene. Because I am creating a scene about dogs or horses some filming is likely to be outdoors, so I will be using establishing shots.

I like how creative the titles are in Napoleon Dynamite. I will certainly look at more creative ways of presenting my titles in my opening sequence.

 

 The use of close ups on the characters shoes in the opening titles of Forrest Gump (1994) tell the audience they are significant to the storyline. I like the idea of using close ups to portray different characters/ props significance to the storyline in my opening title sequence.

 

 The use of sound effects in The Mighty Celt is effective as they portray the dogs emotion, with the canine actor unable to do such on command. With myself filming either dogs and horses (or both) recording their noises will be key to the production of my film.

 I like how in the opening titles of Black Beauty we have a shot not only showing a horse but a main character and the landscape. This is the type of shot I'd like to include in my opening title sequence.

Influences- opening title sequence analysis (dog film)

What I liked about this opening title sequence...

Sound

- There was use of sound effects of whining dogs when they were supposed to be acting distressed. If I decide to use dogs in my film; recording dogs barking and whining will be something I must consider. This is because animal actors may not be able to do this on command.

Editing

-Good use of shot-reverse-shot and match on action. These basic editing techniques should be evident in my opening title sequence too.

Cinematography

- There were several different establishing shots which helped to set the scene. In almost every opening title sequence I have analysed these shots have appeared. They should be something I include in my  2-minute-clip

- The use of close ups on the dog and main character tell us that they will be significant in the film. I should consider this in my production.

Mise en scene

- The dogs are wearing muzzles. This could suggest they're dangerous or defenseless. When using props in my film I should look at their connotations and what they may suggest before including them. 

The Placing of Titles

- This film had several production companies involved. With my group only being 2 people, our titles themselves will be a lot shorter as we have less people to credit. We should consider producing a company logo and crediting actors.