Research:Titanic

Titanic is a love story set against real historical events: the sinking of the great ocean liner amongst the ice packs of the North Atlantic in 1912. This film was released in 1997 and funded by Paramount Pictures and 20th century fox. The film made $343.6 million worldwide, a budget of $200 million. The film  In the beginning of the opening scene, there is real footage taken in 1912 which makes the film more realistic. Cameron, the director shot this footage to act as a historical reference, reflecting back to the time. Considering that the footage was filmed over a hundred years ago, the Titanic is still portrayed impressively. In the opening sequence, the main characters are not featured, allowing the viewer to focus on the ship this giving the story a strong context. The location is based in the harbour of Southampton in England which shows the departure of the ship “Titanic”. Throughout the sequence, there is non-diegetic sounds of the opening sequence. Soundtrack conducted by James Horner. This music plays throughout the scene, until it gradually becomes louder when featuring the dark waves of the ocean. The music is used to create a strong and powerful atmosphere, suggesting an unknown element. The sequence has a sephia theme throughout, drawing more attention to the action rather than the colours. The sephia theme created by a certain filter which emphasises the fact that the film features real footage from the time before colour was possible in film, therefore making it more realistic. The beginning of the opening sequence, a worm’s eye view, a low angle point of view shot is used to make the ship look superior and draw attention to the size and magnificence of it.

These screen shots have a sephia filter to create an old and historical atmosphere.

After the scene of the harbour and the ship itself, the scene fades into a shot of waves in a moonlit lighting setting. The title “Titanic” is boldly featured, drawing attention to the name of the ship and movie. After this shot, the scene quickly changes to the dark blue sea which surrounds the camera’s view, and then a light in the background appears. The title is used then to divide a transition between the past and the present. Several small submarines are introduced, featured moving in the darkness and the light shines upon a “ghost ship coming out of the darkness.” Non-Diegetic sounds are introduced when the submarines are under the sea making the scene more realistic. The scene comes to an end, when there is a zoom out shot of the submarines, fading into the darkness.

This movie helps me to discover the different type of filters in a camera in order to create different moods and atmosphere. I'm considering using the idea filter to create a stronger connection with the audience and to show the historical importance.