While given the option to use the school provided HD cameras that had proved resourceful on the occasions we had used them, we have decided to shoot our film opening with my fellow director's personal camera, the Panasonic HDC-SD90. We had used it previously on our Preliminary Task, shooting in standard definition, and this time we intend to utilize the camera's full capabilities of shooting in 1080p, as well as the wonderful zoom and stabilisation features. Thus far the camera has not failed us and we certainly hope it will not in the production of this film.
As we had explored in our preliminary task, fight sequences can be hugely exciting to choreograph and execute. The final product was a testament to that with the multiple fights being the standout parts of the project. However there was a certain lack of preparation involved, and while that may have slightly added to the grittiness of them, with our final opening sequence, in which we hope to have a small fight towards the end, we want to make sure we are fully choreographed. Thus it is important to analyse fight sequences in popular films to improve our skills.
The Bourne series of films are the best example of well choreographed and exciting fight sequences in mainstream Western cinema. The use of close quarters combat really helps to add a sense of danger and intensity and Bourne succeeds heavily at this. The brutality of the sequence is a key aspect to take back from this as perhaps this is something we did not explore too greatly in the preliminary task. Each and every punch, hit and kick is earth shattering, and whilst we do not wish to go full out in our opening sequence, a sense of this ultra-brutal intensity to the fighting would aid it very well. There is a significant use of nearby furniture, objects and surroundings in the fighting, making the impacts even more shocking as the combatants smash into tables and walls.
Compared to the majority of recent action sequences - as well as our preliminary task which was incredibly tightly cut in order to make the hits look authentic - this sequence features some longer shots which less frequent cutting, showing the level of dedication and actual pain that the actors went through the achieve this sequence. We will perhaps be unable to accomplish this without raising an alarm in Trafalgar Square, as public violence is presumably frowned upon, however we can make sure we rehearse the actors involved in the fight as much as possible to ensure it looks gritty as well as slick and cinematic.
Enigma Entertainment was founded in October 2012 by myself, Philip Smith, and my associate Nicholas Ashurst. It is currently comprsied of two sub divisons - Enigma Theatre and Enigma Cinema - which are, together, a re-branding of the now-defunt ASP TV and its subsidaries Colossus Pictures and Spartan Enterainment, which were responsible for the critically acclaimed France 24 and The Piano in the cinematic department, as well as Love, Lies & Venice,and the recent The Nero Complex as performed in the Therfield Drama Studio.
Enigma Cinema is a production company that specialises in virtually no-budget blockbuster epics, with our debut feature the hugely successful Preliminary Task which has accumulated over 200 views on YouTube within a fortnight.
Our upcoming project is the feature-length motion picture Sins Of The Martyr (Release Date 2013 TBA), which aims to revolutionise cinema. An exclusive prologue will be released early 2013 to generate interest and hype.
A sub-division of the Steven Spielberg founded Dreamworks Inc., it has grown to be more financially successful, with such franchises as Shrek and Madagascar.
Lionsgate Entertainment
The most successful independent film distribution company, it is known for The Hunger Games as well as a number of horror remakes.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Known predominately nowadays for the James Bond franchise, this film studio has been around for a long time but has experienced some financial turmoil in recent years
Relativity Media In recent years, the film division of this studio has released a number of critically and commercially successful films such as Bridesmaids and The Social Network, but generally is a rather low-key film studio.
The Weinstein Company
Formed by the Weinstein Brothers following their departure from Miramax, this relatively new film studio tends to finance films that look to do well at the Academy Awards.
20th Century Fox, founded in 1935, is iconic both for its recognizable insignia and association with many major blockbuster film properties such as Star Wars, Alien and the most successful movie of all time Avatar.
One of, if not the most powerful film studio, they produce and distribute films across all kinds of genres. Fox Searchlight Pictures is the name given to the art-house label of the studio, which also releases a number of British films.
Formed in 1912, Universal Pictures is one of the longest lived motion picture studios to be located outside of Hollywood. Today it is a division of conglomerate NBCUniversal, and is responsible for a wide range of films, such as the Back To The Future and Bourne franchises.
Universal's subdivisons include Focus Features, the arthouse and world cinema production company and distributor, and Working Title Films, a British production company famous for comedies such as those of directors Richard Curtis and Edgar Wright.
Walt Disney Pictures, formed in 1928, has been one of the most well-renowned and successful movie studios, due to their films' mass appeal. The company has released films targeted towards family audiences, of both live action and animation. Touchstone Pictures is an imprint of Walt Disney Pictures that typically releases more adult and darker-orientated movies, while Pixar Animation Studios is known for critically and commercially successful releases such as Toy Story and Up.
Acquisitions in recent years include Marvel Studios, which led to the hugely lucrative The Avengers, and LucasFilm, responsible for Star Wars and Indiana Jones, allowing Disney to pursue future installments.
Columbia Pictures was formed in 1918, and today is now currently under the operation of Sony Pictures Entertainment, who still primarily distribute their films under the Columbia label. It began as a minor player in Hollywood, but today has been very successful, with lucrative properties such as Spider-Man and the recent installments of the James Bond series.
Sony Pictures Classics operates as a sub-division that distributes lower-budget films, such as those of director Woody Allen.
Warner December release "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"
Warner Bros. Pictures was formed by the four Warner brothers, who had already established a previous distribution company, in 1923. It was a leading studio throughout the twentieth century, pioneering 'talkie movies', while also being responsible for the Looney Tunes animations. In recent years, Warner Bros.'s most successful film properties have been the Harry Potter series and The Dark Knight Trilogy of films.
New Line Cinema was recently merged into Warner Bros, after previously being a subsidiary. It is most well-known for the successful "The Lord Of The Rings" trilogy of films.
ParamountPictures was founded in 1912 and is the fourth oldest existing film studio in the world and consistently ranked as one of the highest grossing.
They are known for a variety of films across all genres, in recent years being responsible for leading sci-fi franchises such as "Transformers" and "Star Trek", while also releasing numerous action films and comedies. It is now the last movie studio still based in Hollywood itself.
Paramount Vantage is the sub-division of the studio that is responsible for more low-key affairs, such as indie drama and documentaries.
Location scouting for this location was actually done a long while back, exclusively by my colleague, Nicholas. The thought of using this location had actually been an idea of his for a while. You can see why in the pictures below:
During my excursion to the seaside town of Brighton on the 20th and the 21st of November, as part of my Geography course, I spent some time taking photographs of various locations around the area, as we thought Brighton would be an interesting locale that would contrast with London.
An iconic location in Brighton is, of course, the Pier.
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