Behind the Characters

Three people star in the opening sequence: -

'Damingo Flake ' - played by Matt Flack,
'Johan Whit' - played by Jon Whyte,
'Alan Hutter' - played by Ali Hunter.

Obviously the characters are more 'exotic' sounding versions of their own names, but we hope that this adds to the comedy element of the crime caper genre. After research, I have found that in many big screen crime caper movies the characters have unusual and/or humorous names. For example, in 'Ocean's Twelve', Steven Soderbergh, 2004, Brad Pitt plays a character named 'Rusty Ryan' and George Clooney plays 'Danny Ocean'. Furthermore, in the sequence to this film, 'Ocean's Thirteen', Al Pacino plays 'Willy Bank'.

When looking at the names we have chosen for the characters in our production, the names appear to be 'subtle' in the way they sound.

Behind the Name

'The Grifters'.

Our reasoning for this title is basically just a play on the word 'grafters'.
Grafting suggests someone working for something, but as the crime caper genre has a comedy label attached to it, the 'misspelling' of the word adds that comedy element.

Films of this genre usually have a short, punchy (and sometimes humorous title - getting straight to the point as well as sometimes slightly humorous. We feel that this title has the punchy effect, without giving too much away and maintaining that comedy factor.

--ROUGH CUT--

This is the rough cut for our film opening to 'The Grifters'.
From recording data, we uploaded the footage then edited it into the correct sequence order. We have also incorporated a few effects; black and white in some scenes (which we have recognized as a convention in many crime caper films), and slow-motion editing in appropriate places.

We are aware that there is much work to be done in order to make it a successful presentation; this includes titles that are required, and other editing to be done will make it appear to be a more professional sequence.

When watching our rough cut back, it appears we have a couple of scenes which have been duplicated. In the final cut we will correct this, maintaining continuity. There is also mild swearing, which we will withdraw.

Location Ideas

Location 1

We are hoping to film in a genuine gallery as to make the sequence as realistic as possible. We are of course aware that we may run into some implications with these locations as many are worried about copyright and other issues, and so understandably do not allow cameras and other media equipment inside. We have emailed the Fitz William Museum in Cambridge asking for permission to film this sequence. If we are denied access, we are aware that trying to replicate this desired location ourselves is very difficult and, most of all, time consuming; which would then have a knock on effect on our editing schedules.

Below is a sketch I have done capturing the main features we hope to include in the 'painting' sequence.
I have explained what my notes as they are unclear in the image I have taken.

(replace image with decent quality version)

The features I have included in the sketch are typical of infamous galleries; red carpet leading up to the most famous or expensive print, ceiling-to-floor pillars (in the Fitz Williams for example), uncluttered appearance, lighting focused on the prints, and curtains pulled aside to reveal prints (may be included in our sequence, depending on if this feature is included in the location available to us).

All this may change or not be possible depending on the location available.



Location 2

The other location we need to use is one that will play a part in the less formal scenes; characters will not be portrayed in smart clothes etc. However, this sequence will give the audience a great insight into the build up of the production.

For the planning stages of the production we will concentrate filming around a desk with a computer. Damingo, the character shown in this scene, will be browsing the London Tate Gallery web page, researching and plotting the 'job'.

Below is an drawing I have done of what the desired location would look like.

This drawing is not representative of the shot types that will be used in the rough cut, but gives a general idea of the location in which we need to film. We have already established that the main shot we will be using for this location is an over-the-shoulder shot; this is an appropriate angle as it is almost a point of view shot, giving an impression of what the character can see and gives the audience yet again another insight into the plot. This also means that a certain amount of the character will be shown, either introducing him or allowing us to explore him more as a con man.

In my opinion, this simplistic and almost stylish environment will give an idea of professionalism which is the look we hope to achieve.

Costume Design

We researched costumes used in existing crime caper movies, auch as 'Ocean's Twelve'. We noticed that they dress very smartly, mostly wearing suits, in an attempt to appear wealthy and more respectable. Their casual dress is still fairly smart, apart from if they are on a job and have to get into character, someeimes they have to dress down.

We are going to attempt to replicate this by wearing smart clothes for our production, for the same reasons as mentioned before. As we may not all be able to locate suits, we will wear white shirts underneath dark (preferably blue or black) jackets.

Below is an image of the notes I made reguarding costuming for our production.
I will explain what the image says as it may be hard to read.

A suit is the sort of formal look we are going for; suave and presentable. They would be worn in the scenes in which the characters are standing in the gallery looking at the painting, as they would need to have a good appearance to be taken seriously in this environment.

In my opinion the smart look can be achieved if just the collar and cuffs on the sleeves are visble, and the rest under a dark overcoat or jacket. Dark trousers / jeans would be best.

Hoodies or other casual clothes will be worn in the scenes showing the planning of the 'job'.

For practical reasons these would be worn under shirts that we will wear for the heist scenes, saving time by not having to do costume changes every time we want to shoot another part of the sequence. It would also provide a contrast between the formal dress code, and also give an insight to the characteristics of each individual; when in suits they are all in the same situation, whereas if they are shown in their own clothes it gives us a chance to show their different personalities.

The same trousers can also be worn in these scenes, for practical reasons.

Shot List

The following is a list of shots we will take when making our opening sequence;

1. (After opening credits- Production logo, credits etc.)

2. Long shot, of 3 males (Matt, Ali, Jon) staring at a (covered) painting.

3. Over the shoulder shot of the boys. (literally closer shot of 2.)

4. Point of view shot of the painting on the wall.

5. Close up of the boys reaction as the cover comes off the painting.

6. Panning shot across the boys reaction, from right to left.

7. (Title of the film appears)

8. (3 weeks before appears)

9. Zooming over the shoulder of Damingo (Matt) at piece of paper.

10. Close up of paper, revealing that it is a ransom note.

11. Long shot of two of the lads (Ali and Jon) arriving at the computer that Damingo is sitting at.

12. Over the shoulder shot of the computer, revealing that the computer shows the London Tate web page. (If the shot does not reveal such information to the audience this shot will follow 12; Screen shot of London Tate museum).

13. Close up of Damingo as he gets an idea.

14. Close up of Alan as he gets the idea.

15. Return to close up of Damingo as he says 'I have an idea boys'.

16. Close.

Production Logo Research & Ideas

Part of the overall objective is to design and create our own production company logo. We sketched out a few ideas to start of with, and they can be seen below. They were very quick sketches, and the purpose was to quickly come up with ideas of what it would look like. All designs include text and read, 'R2-54 Productions'. This will obviously not be the final name and the overall design will be more professional, but the sketches display brief ideas of the shape and, to an extent, the design of the logo. The final design will most probably be in colour, and the text will be generated on a computer and have a fresher, cleaner look.

This is the first idea for the design. It is quite a recognisable logo. The 'film reel' design will allow the viewers to relate it to a film, therefore making it obvious that this is what we have set out to do. The text is centre-aligned, giving the clean look. Apart from the text, there is nothing else within the logo, meaning it is not busy and is easy for the viewer to take in.

This design is also simple, yet the 3d effect gives it a more complex feel. I saw a similar design on the Internet, but decided to simplify it, in order to make it easier to understand as the one that i found had a more complex design and was altogether too 'busy' for what we intend to use it for.



This is the most simple design idea of them all. It is a square, with rounded corners and the text once again centre-aligned. We intend to opt for a simple and 'clutter-free' logo, as to hopefully give the whole production a clean appearance.

As we have chosen a British crime caper as our genre of film, we will most probably create a logo which relates to this genre; including conventions which will help to achieve the desired feel of the production.

The Decision

Our choice consisted of:
1. A supernatural thriller with a strong female lead.
2. A British social realist drama.
3. An adventure story for younger audiences.
4. A teenage romantic comedy.
5. A crime caper with an ensemble cast

As none of our group members were female, it would have been difficult to involve someone else in our project in order to have a strong female lead. We also feel we wouldn't enjoy making this opening and couldn't use our talents to create a high quality film opening sequence.

The British social realist drama was one of the options we narrowed these five down to, however again we thought it was not right as it would be to deep and not allow us to express ourselves.

An adventure story for younger audience was another maybe, but we decided it would be unfeasible to shoot a young child, (a convention of a lead character we thought was common)

A teenage romantic comedy was also ruled out because we don't have a female in the group. We were not so enthusiastic on an all male romantic comedy as we felt it would be easier to have a girl in the group for this.

Finally a crime caper. As a group we couldn't find anything wrong with this idea. It didn't need to have a female in the cast and also didn't need young children or old people to fit its genre. We believe this was the easiest option for a group of our nature.

Succesful Crime Caper Movies

We have chosen to replicate a crime caper movie; as it incorporates seriousness, humour and appeals to a massive audience. From research we also knew that a large number of films are crime capers.

A crime caper is a film that is concentrated on an illegal act, but presented in a funny or light-hearted way. Many of the most successful films made have been crime capers. Below is a list of 10 extremely successful crime caper movies.

'The Italian Job' (original 1969)
'The Italian Job' (remake 2003)
'The Pink Panther' (original 1964)
'The Pink Panther' (remake 2006)
'Gone in 60 Seconds' (2000)
'Ocean's Eleven' (2001)
'Oceans Twelve' (2004)
'The Thomas Crown Affair' (1968)
'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' (1999)
'Snatch' (2000)