Final Idea - The last hit

THE LAST HIT

My final decision for the opening sequence I am going to produce, is based on my first idea. For this opening I wanted to portray a unique kind of hitman. A type of killer whose low paid insignificant job as a cleaner contrasts totally with his high profile description as a 'cool' killer. The lack lustre movements of a regular cleaner is remarkably different to his calm and callous demeanour as he prepares his tools to take a person's life.  As the title states 'The last Hit' the opening sequence will finish  and move into the main movie just as he is about to pull the trigger on his target. The audience is aware of  the name of the movie and so they will automatically think of ways his 'hit' would have gone wrong or wonder if it will  be the last hit. These thoughts will keep the suspense and the thrill will allow the audience to get captivated into the movie. 

Shots that will be taken

For the opening I will be using a range of extreme close-ups and mid range shots. The first few seconds will focus on the hitman's day job as a cleaner who works late hours. Then a close-up shot of the clock to depict  that unlike most stereotypical killers who rush into murders, this person has patience and an uneasy kind of quiteness about him.This will make  the audience unable to know what to expect. The next shot will be taken in his home. However, to maintain the suspense and contribute more to the atmosphere, his home will be darkness and an extreme close-up shot will be taken of him putting down his car keys on a table and then pressing the 'replay' button on his answer phone.  The shot that shows the movement of pressing the button is significant ,as if he is waiting for some message in particular. Just like the character, the audience also find themselves waiting ....At this stage the audible words will instruct the killer on his actions.

 

The next shot will be of the person's hand pushing the 'play' button on his radio. At this point the music will start. I will then take an over the shoulder shot of him putting on his black shirt, then another close-up shot will be taken of him tightening his tie.This is a significant shot as it shows his hands in total control as he tightens his tie.The next shot will be him putting on his gloves, this will be a close-up shot. the close-up shot will focus on his hands again , as if he wants to cover up whatever he is planning to do. The following shot will be of him unclipping a brief case. Then a medium range shot will be taken of him taking out a gun, then loading the magazine. Then another extreme close-up shot will be taken of him inserting the magazine into the gun and another shot of his clocking the gun. The next shot will be long range of him leaving his house and shutting the door. However we will then go back to the answering phone as he just receives an update on his target. This is the message that will keep the audience in suspense.

Below are a few fonts that I am considering to use for the opening sequence

 

Title appearance.

Below is a small clip which is of the title of the movie itself. I made the title on Adobe After Effects, because it had the necessary effects that I wanted to create and by using these effects, it would give the correct impression and convey the right atmosphere  to the audience. I used two effects- one to make the words appear and one to make it disappear. The first one I used is called 'Transporter' and this effect makes the letters of each word blur in at different times, which gives an eerie effect.The blur effect would also contribute to the effect of shrouding the whole affair in an air of mystery.The manner in which each letter gets some attention by getting bigger and smaller was also meant to affect the audience in a deep way- as if everything that they were going to see in the movie was significant and relevant. The use of the colour 'Black and White' in the title also causes a flurry of excitement as it contributes to a life and death kind of situation. The font also focussed on the letters being sharp and highly visible at times to cause a sense of seriousness.

Storyboard:

My six part story board provided the spring board from which sprang all my ideas. It helped me to solidify those ideas in my mind .Seeing it on paper helped me to identify the pros  and cons with the intial ideas. Also seeing the sequence of what I was planning to do helped me sort out what ideas I would keep and what I would delete. The ultimate conclusion was drawn after putting all the preliminary thoughts on the storyboard. There is no doubt about the usefulness of a storyboard and the opening sequence of  'The Last Hit' was born on a six part storyboard.

Script:

In the  opening sequence of 'The Last Hit' , the use of script is minimal. This is to heigthen the tension and increase the suspense. I believe that excessive dialogue would give away the plot and keeping the target audience in mind, ( educated and technologically aware), I felt that minimal words would enhance the effect.

The absence of any character saying words would add to the atmosphere of tension. I chose to use the answer phone to say' "Hey it's me, Information has been uploaded to your laptop now. Get the job done!" as the mechnanical device is not capable of evoking any emotion and it ties in with my character who portrays an emotionless personality. The mechanical words are relevant and ripe with a sense of foreboding that suits the thriller genre. The words 'It's me' will also create a sense of expectation in the audience to find out who the owner of the words is. The words 'uploaded to your laptop' is also used to highlight the use of technology in the movie and will persuade the target audience to wait in anticipation for the rest of the movie.

Answer phone: "Hey it's me, Information has been uploaded to your laptop now. Get the job done!"

Shot-List:

-Close up shot of answer phone

-Medium close shot of characters back

-Medium close shot of character's slevees

-Medium range shot of character wearing suit. Straight angle

-Titled medium range shot of characters shadow.

-Medium close, straight shot of character's tie.

-Tilted down, close up shot of hands.

-tilted down, close up shot of laptop.

-Low angle medium range shot of hands.

-High angle, medium close shot of props.

-Medium shot of suit.

-Low angle shot of hands.

-Straight, medium-close shot of hands.

-Birds eye, medium-close shot of gun.

-Birds eye, close-up shot of gun.

-Straight angle, medium range shot of character.

-Medium range shot of character. Also the shot focuses in.

-Long range shot of character moving closer.

Asset-List:

In my opening sequence I have  used  a variety of props and equipment to create the effect of the thriller genre.

Costume: 

     - Black Suit

     - Red Tie

     - Black Trousers

     - Black t-shirt

     - Leather gloves

Props:

     - Old mobile phone with battery and SIM

     - Credit Card

     - Gun with magazine

     - Laptop

     - Open hard-drive

     - Card reader

     - Folder disguised as case

     - Table light

     - CD case

     - DVD Player

Equipment:

     - Video Camera

     - Camera stand

     - Computer

Production Schedule:

Production Log:

I was able to complete all the filming necessary for the opening sequence in one day after I made sure that all the equipment and props I needed were ready. One factor that contributed to completing the shooting in one day was the fact that the settings and locations used was within reach and easily manageable.Once the location and equipment was ready, I managed to complete the entire filming in under 2 hours. I did not take many takes so that the final piece looked raw and sort of unpolished to suit the thriller genre. I was pleased that due to planning meticulously, everything went according to plan and I only had to retake the final scene where the main character is walking through the corridor. I had to wait till it turned dark outside to achieve the dark and eerie ambience. The first parts of my filming was done in one room and was all based in one corner around a table with one small table light on it. I was amazed to note what a little space, some ideas , a bit of imagination and a good video recorder could do!