PRODUCTION PRACTICE: MONTAGE/ TABLE TOP SEQUENCE

 "A WHOLE WORLD IN A TABLE TOP"

Brief: to create a title sequence using only a table top and props with a small part of live action at the end of it , using a given soundtrack. 

Research: In class we watched the title sequences of Delicatessen and To Kill as Mockingbird, which both use a table top-style title sequence, with camera shots that pass over a range of chosen props to infer a narrative. 

I worked with Fia, Tallulah and Millie to create our table top sequence, that was based from the perspective of a woman who becomes jealous and angry when she finds out the man she is in love with has another lover (Heather) and has plans of proposing to her. 

In our session 1, we worked on a black leather sofa, which we covered with white lace, to match with the rest of the mise-en-scene that had an old, Parisian feel. We arranged our chosen objects (a picture of a man, his letter and rose for Heather, a picture of Heather and finally, a jewellery box containing an engagement ring), in a specific layout to make the narrative clear. 

With a steady hand, we glided the camera above the props, following Tallulah's (the woman's) hand as she discovered the objects. We thought that the live action POV shot of the hand helped to add perspective to the sequence as it gave an insight as to her trails of thought as she discovered the props. For example the aggressive motion of her hand slamming the picture down illustrated her hurt and anger towards 'Heather'. 

In session 2, we added in live-action to make our narrative more intriguing for an audience, creating a larger influence to keep watching. We filmed in a different location (the mansion steps) to ensure that a viewer would maintain interest and want to continue watching. 

Our chosen soundtrack was 'Heather' by Colan Gray, which we thought would tie in well with our sequence as one of the key lyrics in the song is 'I wish I were Heather', which we timed to play out as the camera angle was a birds eye view of the letter, addressed to 'Heather'. This made the woman's feelings and emotions clear, providing an insight into her character. 

Finally, we uploaded our footage to iMovie to incorporate the soundtrack and make edits, such as adding in the titles. One major edit we made was to change the colour scheme to monochrome, as we thought that would match our aesthetic and was representative of the time we wanted it to be set in: the early 1900s.  We also made the tracking shot of Tallulah running slow-motion, which fitted with the non-diegetic music slowing down.