Alien; Credit sequence analysis

 Alien (Opening credits)

An introduction to one of my favorite horror movies. This movie just has that 1970s-1980s charm that can only be mimicked by todays standards. 

The sequence here shows the camera panning to the right, observing the darkness of a ringed planet. As the credits come and go, the title slowly begins to take shape and appear. Finally the credits get done showing, leaving only the title "Alien" at the top 3rds of the screen. 

What I love about this title sequence is that it makes the audiences eyes go up and down. The audience is interested in what the words at the top are forming into, while their eyes glance down at the names of the people in charge of making this movie. It is a very unique way to keep the audience engaged without much action going on. Also the words in "Alien" is spaced out, so even when the credits are done, the audience's eyes are now being led left to right to fully read the title. And finally when the credits are done showing, all that is left is the ominous looming presence of the title remaining. I am not sure if it was intentional but the way the title is slowly being pieced together reminded me of old computers, like an error has occurred.

Richard Greenberg was the title designer of Alien, whom he worked before on Superman. While Superman gave Greenberg a good start, he was established as a creative voice in Alien. In Greenberg's interview provided by artofthetitle, Greenberg said that the titles "came from the idea of something unsettling". The little bits slowly piecing the title sets up tension and seem very mechanical. 

Greenberg would also use this type of title for the teaser trailer for Alien, saying "It created a sense of foreboding". This sense of terror is also evoked further with the lack of narration, only portraying the title of the film, and also portraying one of the most unsettling taglines in cinema history "In space no one can hear you scream". 

Space Man; Credit sequence analysis

 Space Man (Opening credits)

Space Man, probably one of the most underrated space movies ever made, and maybe even one of the best underrated movies over all. 

This movie has a very simple credit sequence: following the main character, portrayed by Adam Sandler, as he wakes up from his dream, or memory, as he goes about his daily yet lonely routine. This is possibly the most common credit sequence done for most films, except for simple credits appearing in a black background.

This movie also sets the loneliness and depression the main character feels with the quiet ambience and almost contemplative atmosphere. The introduction is also very ominous, especially when the protagonist begins his day while a non-diegetic sound of a hum can be heard never ending. There is also a little homage to 2001 A Space Odyssey, when the protagonist was in his dream and in the background is non-diegetic audio of a low rising choir, like the one seen in 2001 whenever the monolith appeared. 

This introduction does a great job at showcasing the seriousness and blankness of the movies tone. This movie does not have a massive plot like 2001 or Interstellar. It is just a film about a lonely man going through period of sadness, and nothing more is needed to exemplify that.

The intro also plays with contrasting colors. The main character is first seen in a blue space suit walking in a bright green forest, likely representing tranquility and the want to go back home. Then it cuts to the protagonist waking up, shadowed in low dimmed orange light, likely representing reality or the grim emptiness that the character is confined in. Blue and orange are complementary colors, opposites used to further contrast dreams vs reality. It is also ironic how blue if often associated with the cold, yet it is shown in a warm sunny environment. While orange is often associated with warmth, yet is shown in the cold stasis of the space craft. I am not sure what the red light means, appearing when the main character gets out of his sleeping chamber, but I think it means the protagonist is coming back to his physical realm since red if often associated with flesh and blood, awakening and recovering from his dream state.

I love the play of colors and lighting here. Colors is such an easy yet effective way of making the audience feel a specific way. I'll especially like to use complementary colors since it helps give a lot of depth and contrast to the themes and ideas of a film. 

2001: A Space Odyssey; Opening analysis

 2001: A Space Odyssey (Opening)

I think that one of the most defining features of the opening for one of the most iconic movies in history is the music. The music encapsulates the grandness, the mass of planets and stars. The shot tilts up to reveal the outline of the Earth and the bright presence of the Sun, while the music also rises with the tilt. The music, Sprach Zarathrusta by Strauss, makes the Earth and Sun seem like mythological giants or gods. 

In an article by nofilmschool, Kubrick initially was going to have Alex North, a seasoned composer, to make the score for 2001. But Kubrick found that North's compositions were "alienated" from the classical works Kubrick wanted him to take inspiration from, and a bit too cheerful for a serious film like 2001. Kubrick was completely fine with using already existing music for his films, and even encourages it, saying in his interview with Michel Ciment "Why use music which is less good when there is such a multitude of great orchestral music available from the past and from our own time? When you’re editing a film, it’s very helpful to be able to try out different pieces of music to see how they work with the scene".

For my film, I want music to be a massive aspect. I do not think I will be using classical music but I will definitely be very picky with the music I want: especially since 2001 is also characterized by very quiet scenes in between the great music. Because of such quiet scenes, it stirs me on to be more careful on the music I choose. It does not make it better that I have to choose royalty free music, but I already picked a few artists and studios. I am mainly leaning towards music owned by Creative Commons (Mainly looking into the composer Scott Buckley), Audiomachine, and Eternal Eclipse.

After listening to the original score by Alex North, I can't help but agree with Kubrick. Although North's music is not bad, it does lack the grandeur and spectacle that 2001 has; with the score sounding more like something to be put under a Stephen Spielberg film. There is an aspect that the old classicals had, like some sort of magic that could keep the viewers entertained and enraptured by the notes. And just like how Stanley Kubrick said in his interview "However good our best film composers may be, they are not a Beethoven, a Mozart or a Brahms". 

Ad Astra; opening analysis

 Ad Astra (opening)

Ad Astra is about a man who ventures into space to find out what has happened to his father, and to find possible alien life. What differentiates this movie to others like First Man is that its about the complexity and inner conflict within the main character, while First Man is a historical retelling of an actual person and retells the events leading up to the moon walking.

In this opening, we are not treated with a grand or intense opening like in 2001 and First Man. Instead we get the melancholy inner thoughts of the main character. The protagonist does not look happy, a far cry from the space race when people and astronauts alike were incredibly enthusiastic about space exploration. Here we see a character who does not look pleased with his life, only putting up a smile so that others does not disturb him or his work. 

This movie is specifically focused on the main character, portrayed by Brad Pitt, who shut himself off to the rest of the world, and would rather find his purpose elsewhere while the ever expanding universe strengthens the connections he had. This movie is more aligned with 2001, it being not just a space movie about "Man goes to Jupiter" or "Man goes out to find his father". It is rooted in a more deeper meaning than that.

I love it when sci-fi movie's environments and settings are used to fuel the deeper meaning within the protagonist, illustrating they are just a spec, a single story in a vast world: Like Blade Runner and Stalker and Space Man. 

For my film opening, I want it to have that same existentialism: the loneliness knowing that one's story does not matter to the infinite universe. Since I am only doing a two minute opening, the first thing I want to do is to show my character as a dot compared to the vast void of space. 

First Man; Opening analysis

 First Man (Opening)

First Man is a historical fiction movie, meaning it should be mainly realistic and true to the real life events it is based off. But there are times in this movie when it is being dramatic, not accurate to history, to show how risky the process of space exploration was during the first years of NASA. 

Such as this scene here. Armstrong, the astronaut piloting the plane, is shown being shaken a ton by the flight. But in real life, this did not happen. Armstrong only felt a bit of turbulence when he bounced off the atmosphere but since he is in a bullet plane, he would not have felt much vibrations. As explained here by Chris Hadfield, an actual astronaut. "And the vibration, there's so much little rattly vibration. Where's that coming from?"

Not to mention that clouds do not appear at 45,000 ft as shown in this clip. So this scene is not really realistic, but it does illustrate how crazy and dangerous it was being a test pilot back during the 60s. Remember these men were using technology that was not fully ensured if it would work properly, all while piloting a ship that the they do not know if it is going to shatter or not. 

2001 and First Man is realistic in its approach to space and scientific topics, and do not shy away from exemplifying certain aspects it wants to make clear to the audience. I definitely want to lean toward the realistic side for my film, mainly combining the the roughness and uncertainty of First man, and the grand magnum opus 2001 shows itself as. 

I really like this opening because it is the opposite of what is done for 2001. While 2001 used grand music that tilts up to reveal the silhouettes of the Sun and Earth, First Man barely has any music at all in its opening. First Man's intro is mainly occupied by diegetic audio. Also the intro takes place on the surface of the Earth while 2001 is an extreme wide shot of the planet instead. I love the contrast between these two movies because they both show the fantasy vs reality of space: how beautiful yet dangerous the unknown is. 

Establishing a schedule

 This will be my timeline for what I am going to do each week for my project. 

Overall Plan

These are the major aspects of each week of my project

1st and 2nd Week: Initial research

• Skim and brainstorm ideas and genres
• Research film openings of my chosen genre
• Create schedule

3rd Week: Planning

• Storyboarding
• Create a supply list (Shop for the materials needed for this project)
• Find music
• Find possible sound effects, and plan for specific foley sounds (If needed)
• Sketch a layout for the set design 

4th and 5th Week: Production

• Create and prepare the set
• Filming (Animating) 
• Recording foley (if needed)
• Revise completed film

6th and 7th Week: Reflection 

• Research info related to the reflection and CCR
• Create final reflection
• Review CCR

Timeline (Time breakdown)

1st Week (1/21-1/25)

• Project start
• Research genres

2nd Week (1/26-2/1)

• Create schedule
• Test film?
• Final decision

3rd Week (2/2-2/8)

• Storyboard
• sketching
• Supply list

4th and 5th Week (2/9-2/21)

• Create the set
• Filming/animating

6th and 7th Week (2/22-2/28)

• Research reflection
• Finish final reflection

Portfolio Genre Research #2 (War)

 Although my opinion is mainly set on making my project a sci-fi film, I am still interested in earlier ideas I had. War is my third choice, just after horror as my second choice. The War and Horror genre can be very similar in some aspects, so if I am going to make a war film then it is going to have to  either be very unique or conforms to the usual tropes of the war genre. Typically the war genre consists of a male adult audience since most war veterans are male. 

The war genre typically depicts the effects of armed conflict on society: mainly showing soldiers, civilians, and leaders facing intense violence and loss. Especially when characters are confronted with situations that make them question their own morality and humanity. Movies that perfectly encapsulate this are Saving Private Ryan, Dunkirk, and Come and See. These movies not only have characters that question their own moral judgement but also people have different views of war. 

The type of war film I want to do. (Psychological)

If I am going to do a war film then I want it to mainly follow a soldier character wandering through a barren world. I cannot do a historical film since my project is not allowed to be a documentary, which probably also means that it cannot be based off a real historical event. Which is fine with me since the idea I have for my film is going to be very abstract and surreal. Famous director Martin Scorsese perfectly sums up how I want to depict my film, on his IMDb page on his quotes. "Cinema is a matter of what's in the frame and what's out". It does not matter if my film is historically accurate or not, I just want my message to be seen and interpreted. 

The main movies that I will be taking the most inspiration from will be Dunkirk, Mad God, and 9. These movies mainly depict war through visuals and no talking, especially Mad God and Dunkirk. Mad God and 9 mainly shows its war through beautiful wide shots and destruction, while Dunkirk takes a very different approach by not showing the enemy in person at all. 

Analysis of War (Psychological)

Dunkirk by Christopher Nolan has the most unique take on the portrayal of the enemy. Instead of showing the enemy outright like Saving Private Ryan, it instead does not show them at all. The closet the enemy was shown was through planes and a brief blurred scene at the end of the movie. By not showing the enemy, it makes the antagonists feel like predators hunting down and picking off the British one by one. I am still not sure if this is how I want to portray the antagonists in my project.

Come and See by Elem Klimov is a very horrific war film. Its depictions of war is not fantasy but of real crimes. I love this movie because of how much it makes the characters and the audience question their own morality. Not to mention the brilliant use of the lens gaze, where the characters stare directly into the camera and at the viewer, making the audience feel incredibly uncomfortable feeling as if they are being personally acknowledged by the subjects on screen. 

Mad God by Phil Tippet has a similar portrayal of war to Come and See, where the brutality of war is not dimmed but shown directly. The main difference is that Mad God is a very abstract portrayal of war while Come and See depicts a more realistic take. Mad God is incredibly artistic in its view of war, showing mountains of dead bodies and never ending battlefields. Artistically, I will be taking the most inspiration from Mad God. 

Other war genre sources that I would like to use

Paintings by Zdzislaw Beksinski

All Quiet on the Western Front (Both book and 1930 adaptation)

Paintings by Otto Dix

Empire of the Sun

1917

Portfolio Genre Research #1 (Sci-fi)

My opinion is set on making my portfolio film project on the sci-fi genre, specifically space. I initially wanted to do a horror film, but I decided to do space since it is more unique.

The sci-fi (space) genre is usually defined by humanity's, or at least a high intelligence's, interaction with the unknown. Such stories set in space are usually placed beyond Earth, like distant planets or space stations or other galaxies. This genre is usually followed by advanced technology, aliens, and artificial intelligence. The greatest movies that define this movie genre is 2001 A Space Odyssey and Interstellar. These films usually show the vast expanse of space and the uncertain fate that comes with the unknown.

The type of Sci-fi I want do do (Space)

My film does not have a main story or specific narrative that the viewers should only think of. I like to have my films make the audience think on their own interpretations of my work instead of one set definition. This is perfectly explained by Stanley Kubrick according to TvTropes quote page of the famous director. "You're free to speculate as you wish about the philosophical and allegorical meaning of the film...but I don't want to spell out a verbal road map for 2001 that every viewer will feel obligated to pursue or else fear that he's missed the point.". This point is still evident in the movie Interstellar by Christopher Nolan: many long shots of space ships drifting in space with no talking, music is only used selectively for pivotal moments in the movies, and each film takes its time to flesh out its story. Audience wise, the space genre mostly consists of young adult viewers and people interested in science. 

Other than 2001 and Interstellar, other movies that I have found that define the space genre is: First Man, The Martian, and Apollo 13. I chose these films because I do not want to make my project like Starwars or Guardians of the Galaxy, where the space genre is used to show technology out of bounds within human reach. I want an aspect of realism for my film, as for all films, but I just want my film to be leaning more on the realistic side. 

Analysis of Sci-Fi (Space)

First Man by Damien Chazelle is about the true story of astronaut Neil Armstrong and the long decade it took to get Armstrong to become the first man to walk on the moon. I love this movie because of its amazing use of lighting and color. Not a surprise since Chazelle is the same director who made La La Land and Whiplash, two movies which use incredible use of colors. I mainly want to look into this film because of its realistic portrayal of the space program and the process of men becoming astronauts, along with accurate depictions on how astronauts pilot their space crafts. 

The Martian by Ridley Scott is about how an astronaut named Mark Watney gets stranded on the planet Mars after a severe dust storm separated him from his crew. This movie is realistic in its own way by showing, mostly, accurate science on how Watney is able to survive and produce life on the desolate red planet. I like this film because it shows the big differences between planets like Earth and Mars. People are so used to their lifestyles that they forget that large objects like Mars exist that used to house life, but are now reduced to large red rocks floating about. 

Other space movies I like to use as inspiration

Alien (1979)

Ad Astra (2019)

Andor (2022-2025)

Project Hailmary (Book from 2021)

Transitioning into Cambridge Portfolio Project

 From now on until March 17th, I will be blogging my research and production process of my portfolio project. 

For my stories, I do not like to add much context nor do I like to use much dialogue at all. I prefer to use the classic "Show don't tell" technique, make the viewers piece together the context of the story instead of straightforwardly telling them what the story is about. I prefer this because most of the narratives I make does not have a deep plot that needs a lot of dialogue to clue the viewers in. Instead I prefer to focus on a simple yet impactful meaning to my stories that can still be told through just visuals. 

My first approach is to break my plan down into very simples chunks. For the first week or two I want to brainstorm ideas, along with starting a shopping list of items I need for my project. I also want to make some test animations on lighting and editing for my film. 

For my film, whether it be sci-fi or a different genre, I want it to be stop motion animated. I am mainly leaning towards doing a space film, but I am not sure if most of the film techniques that I know of will work on a significantly lower budget film like mine. So I want to first conduct some film tests, including test footage of animation and lighting. If the test footage comes out not the way I want it, then I will consider other ideas such as the war or horror genre (Although my teacher recommended not do horror). Lighting is the main obstacle I see in my project, since I am not sure if I can recreate space scenes like from Interstellar or 2001 A Space Odyssey in just my bedroom. I am going to have to research more into the film techniques of these space movies to see if I can actually recreate them or not.