Title Sequence
The film itself being very short at 2 minutes needed to immediately hook the viewer, the best way we thought we could do this was by creating a disturbing and gripping title sequence that gave the viewer lots of information in a short space of time.
1: Fade in from black to production company logo, shot is short, lasting about three seconds, music has a spike in wave magnitude when logo appears to set the thrill factor the film aims to produce throughout.
2: The initial shot of the title sequence was originally a close up shot of the birthday card's exterior design, however during the editing process we were able to artificially create a zoom action which then produced a 45 degree arc to the right into a Dutch tilt before arcing a further 90 degrees to the left in order to replicate a mirror Dutch tilt. This was done to highlight the madness of the killer as his mind wanders to shift his focus to new thinking as well as to create a disorienting effect on the audience.
3: ECU shot of villain caressing the birthday card, only part of villain shown at this point is the black gloves, they provide a stark contrast to the white of the card making them stand out and introducing the opposing forces of light and darkness, as without his sister the villain succumbs to evil thoughts. The fact the gloves are black suggest to the audience the character is a killer as black is symbolic of death, it is this reason that focus was put on them in particular. In the editing process we used a tiling effect to break up the shot and appear fragmented like the mind of the killer. The shot builds tension as the audience's view is very limited and the shot itself is very dark.
4: Fade to black before credits of the main actors appear sliding in from both sides on a slight angle, this is used to create the feeling that something isn't quite right with them. The text shakes and creates copies during it's schizophrenic movement, this showed the nervousness and fear that the villain and his victims portray in the film. The colours used for the titles are red and white as these are commonly found in horror films.
5: An ECU, over-the-shoulder-shot (or OSS) of the villain writing in a birthday card, the shot not only features as a cut-in; drawing focus to the attire of the villain in the form of his gloves but is also filmed from slightly above, this is used to demonstrate the power the villain is perceived to have. The writing does not just go from start to finish, rather it deviates between latter stages of the message and earlier parts to create a creepy, disjointed look. During editing we utilised several lighting effects to place even more focus on the gloves.
6: Another ECU with distortion on message in card to highlight the sister that is pivotal to the plot, also visualises the way the villain interprets events, different to the normal member of society. A vertical tilt was used to lower the card out of view, symbolising the end of the sisters existence.
7: In the same style as shot 4 there is a fade to black that preempts the credits of the producers of the film, the titles are on more of an angle than the previous titles, showing the degenerative state of the villain, as he deviates further and further from the norm. The shot kept the shaking and colours of the previous titles to create unity and film identity.
8: First in a series of three POV shots, this one being a long shot. The shot is tiled creating a cluttered look representing the mess inside the killers head. There is a slow zoom in accompanied by a mild level of shaking, this is done to begin a feeling of apprehension and uncertainty in the audience. The lighting is very low key and serves to place emphasis on the red balloon against the cold and dark colours in the scene.
9: The second POV shot is a mid shot that fades in from the previous long shot. Like the previous shot, this one utilises a tiling effect as well as a slow zoom in, the level of shaking increases as this happens, with the focus on the calendar that appears behind the balloon and a date centred around, the reasoning behind the apprehension is made apparent.
10: The last POV shot is a close up of the aforementioned calendar the tiling effect is lost as the villain's mind narrows his focus down to the day of his sisters' death, as the zoom in has reached a climax the shaking increases to it's maximum intensity to signify the importance of the date to the villain.
11: A cut in mid shot of the card being held by the outstretched glove of the killer, camera is positioned at a high angle to demonstrate the villains power over all he surveys, with the surrounding area appearing distinctively smaller under his grasp. The frame of the villain is still not shown so as to immerse the audience in the theme of the film, secretive and mysterious, typical of the thriller genre.
12: This shot is positioned almost identically to the previous and best utilises the image of the card being thrown as it descends it begins to shrink under the villains power. A rough cut is used to transition the previous shot to this one in order to create a disjointed feel, again representing the state of mind the killer occupies. Three candles provide the light for this shot and when altered during editing are able to create an eery flash that creates disorientation and helps transition the shots. The candles also symbolise danger through the flames that occupy them.
13: The next shot is a close up of the villain's glove forcefully grasping and lifting a doll into the air, the shot uses a sepia filter to create the appearance of an image in the past. This effect combined with the intensity the doll is picked up with suggests to the audience that the villain has anger issues. Underneath the doll is a photo of the sibling in an infantile state with a name underneath, this serves to tie the action on screen back to the sister.
14: The next shot is a mid shot of a photo of the villains family swooping closer to view in slow motion under the influence of a yellow tinted filter. Lightening effects were added to create a blurred vision that suggests the memory of the family is beginning to fade.
15: This shot uses cross cutting to return to the doll, in which the killer confirms earlier suspicions of agressive behaviour by snapping the neck of the toy. This striking on screen action creates shock and horror in the audience as they relate the damage done to the doll as possible injuries to a real person.
16: The shot returns to the image of the family as it comes ever closer to view, heightening tension as their importance is highlighted by the return visit to them.
17: Deviating from the whole family focus, the next shot returns the attention firmly to the sister with a close up of a photo taken of her. This close up is multiplied to create the feeling of her overtaking the life of the villain. The photo itself is the only visible object in the shot with the rest being consumed by total darkness, this symbolizes the sister as the only good thing in the villains life. The photo is then distorted as the camera makes a sudden pan to the right, this shows that the life of the sister has become compramised.
18: A final return to the family photo builds unbearable tension when combined with the previous shot as it links them to the death of the sister.
19: The penultimate shot of the title sequence is a close up of the family photo being defaced by the killer, as he scribbles out the faces of the parents as retribution for their part in the death of his sister. The act itself symbolises the villain removing them from his life, as he does this in a black pen the inclination is that he has killed them. The scribbling is portrayed in a similar manner to the card writing, with random stages of completion appearing, creating continuity in the sequence and further endorsing the schizophrenic feel.
20: The climactic final shot in which the face of the villain is finally revealed is a close up shot wherein the villain fades into view from the darkness, his face lit up by a solitary candle, before blowing it out and returning to darkness. This shot gives the villain an overwhelming sense of power in that the viewer is shown right from the get go that he can disappear from view and only show you what he wants you to see, this takes the power away from the viewer and leaves them in a state of helplessness. The darkness surrounding also creates a feeling of claustrophobia as there is nothing in immediate view apart from the villains face, he literally becomes the space around the audience.
21: Fade in from the previous shot as blood begins to drip down the screen, leading a winding trail that eventually leads to the title which has "Reminiscence" and "16/11/01" connected ominously by the blood spatter. The colour scheme of Black, White and Red is at it's most effective here as the white title represents the sliver of good left in the villain after his murderous acts (represented by the blood spatter) have turned his heart to darkness (the background).
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