How has your research and planning influenced your OTS?

(Plenary of Research & Planning Coursework)

Research and planning taken up has taken up 20% of my AS Media
Studies coursework for OCR. To complete this aspect I set up a blog:
http://heatherlarkin-as-ms.blogspot.co.uk/
I spent a lot of time from September 2014 until January 2015
creating various blog posts which has all built up to ensure that I am
ready to film and edit and essentially create the main part of my
coursework, an opening title sequence to a thriller film.
Having not studied Media previously at GCSE, it was essential that I
knew what textual analysis was, and how to apply it into analysing
opening title sequences to films (to help my coursework) and TV
Dramas (for the G322 exam). This will influence my opening title
sequence as I will be sure to consider in great detail all the different
aspects of textual analysis, including camera shots and movement,
editing, sound and mise-en-scne. This enabled me to textually
analyse three opening title sequences from thriller films so that I
could see what some titles looked like and what technical aspects
were included in them. We then created a preliminary task that had
to include shot-reverse-shot, the 180 degree rule and match-onaction. Although our preliminary task was not created to the best of
our abilities, it gave me an idea of how to film, (composition and
angles) and how to edit (cuts and transitions). I also completed
posts on representation, which is important within the narrative of
my film as well as helping with Section A of the exam as a bonus.
Posts on genre helped me further my learning of conventions of a
thriller film, which is what the genre of my opening title sequence
will be, so techniques used in thriller films will be useful for my film.
Narrative posts helped to influence the storyline of my opening title
sequence because it taught me to create tension, without giving too
much of the plot away too soon.
I also learnt about the conventions of an OTS so I know what to
include when I come to create my opening title sequence, e.g. titles,
sound, editing, camera and mise-en-scene. The pre-production of
the planning aspect of my coursework has helped influence my
opening title sequence because through all the planning of props,

camera shots, storyboard, character development, logline and

location recce, it helped to plan the production of my opening title
sequence down to a T, therefore when it comes to filming it we will
be organised and so filming can be carried out swiftly and allow
time for if we need to re-film any shots.