PRODUCTION PRACTICE: MONTAGE / TABLE TOP SEQUENCE

Brief given: to create a title sequence using only a tabletop and props with a small part of live action, using a given soundtrack. 

Research: Watch in class the title sequence of Delicatessen (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 1991) 

To Kill a Mockingbird (Robert Mulligan, 1962)

The President (Heidi Berg, Felix Soletic, 2019)

Soundtracks for inspiration: Emily Barker's Nostalgia (the Wallander theme tune), Banana Pancakes and Christina and the Queens Five Dollars.

Session 1: Filming Table Top

For this exercise, I decided to work with Tom. In class, we began by watching various tabletop openings suggested by our teacher to inspire us for our own opening. After listening to the various soundtracks, Tom and I decided we were partially captivated by the song Nostalgia, which we believed would complement our film successfully. We set the tabletop with background cloth, arranged the chosen objects to tell a story that fits with our soundtrack (we used Emily Barker's Nostalgia) and used a sturdy hand to glide the camera above the table top from the start point to the end point. (INSERT VIDEO HERE NEED TO UPLOAD STILL) 

We used props to create a film opening which has connotations of travel. We achieved this through the mise-en-scene of maps and objects and images with associations to Asia and France, creating possible narratives for the audience implied by the video. We hoped that this opening would create questions for the audience and leave them asking who the characters are and what is the narrative is.

Session 2: Live action shoot

This completes the opening sequence and launches the narrative. We kept this simple by only including a short 2 second clip with a close shot of a man opening a briefcase. This suggests what will happen next by creating enigma. Perhaps drama, conflict? The short opening suggests that these questions will definitely be answered once the audience continue to watch the film and is used to engrossed viewers into the exciting narrative.

Photos from filming: