Found Footage Fun
For your next project, you’ll be creating a title sequence using stock and royalty free found footage. The use of found footage is more common in television than cinema: Amazon’s series Transparent makes great use of archival video in its sweet, melancholy opening; True Blood uses a variety of stock clips to paint a gritty, intolerant, vampire-infested vibe; and Homeland blends news footage and surreal imagery to dive into the haunted mind of the show’s protagonist.
Download the files at this link. I’ve assigned each of you another fake title (courtesy, once again, of the random title generator) and a piece of music to work with. If you open the Premiere file in the folder, you’ll find a timeline sequence with your name, title, and music. Use footage from videoblocks or the Internet Archive (check out the Prelinger collection in particular) to create an opening credits sequence. Here are the details:
- You must use the music and title you have been assigned.
- You must include the following pieces of text information: ENFS 340, your name, and the title of the fake film. You may include other names or credits if you wish.
- You may only use royalty free stock and archival footage. However, you can alter the footage using effects or other post-production techniques.
- Your sequence has been created with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and a frame rate of 23.976 – these should not be changed.
- Export your finished sequence using the H.264 format and the High Quality 1080 HD preset.
- Email the project to me before class on February 13. Depending on the file size, you may need to upload it to your Google Drive and send me a link.
Here are everyone’s titles:
Alex – Forgotten Ashes
Ana – Grey Angels
Charles – The Obsession of the Rose
Craig – Time of Theft
Gray – All Edge
Julie – Red Weeping
Justin – Cracked Thoughts
Meredith – The Burning Wave
Ryan – The Night of the Secret
Simone – Lonely Truth
All of these titles have a similar vibe – they could be thrillers, mysteries, possibly horror films. It’s doubtful that any of them would be romantic comedies. The music for each title reflects this. While you work on this project, really consider things like symbolism, pacing, use of color, and font selection to capture the feeling you get from the title and music. Experiment with split screen, opacity and blend modes, transitions, and effects. Be creative and have fun!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRRpeGKNP5Y