Final Project: Group Discussion Aftermath

    I went back through the blog postings of some of my groupmates and thought over the conversation that we had and noticed a few things. The first was that there some of the people within the group had elements that were designed to be symbolic. I thought the idea was really interesting but don't see how I could fit it into the current film that I'm planning out. I can't think of a place to put symbolism for other things, but I can find ways to reference a broader problem with crime. I'm not sure how I'd do it or if it's even needed but I think that it is a possibility. 

    Another thing I noticed was that everyone seems to have a designed color palette and they are thinking about doing things that they would look cool visually. For one project they were going for a shot in reverse to show how they're going to go back in time, and I suggested having the scene be much slower and close up so that it felt personal and unsettling. I'm going to take a production idea from Nicole and film a version of the film using my family as stand ins for the characters, just to I can figure out which angles and lighting will work best. That will happen after I finish the first storyboard. 

    I tend to deviate from storyboards and I think that it reduces the quality of the final product, so for this project I'm going to finalize my visual outlines before I shoot with real people and have the scene flow the way I want it to from there. 

Final Project: Group Discussion

    The group discussion was interesting. The first thing I noticed was that all of us were doing something along the lines of a thriller. There were various differences in this approach since some of us were taking an approach through the criminal world. Others were going along the lines of psychological thrillers. There were various ideas thrown out into the air, such as Jules mentioning the stages of grief. There were interesting things said, all of which were helpful to the project. Some people shared their insight into various parts of the project, and they provided good ideas for me to look into and test. One of the things that I thought was really cool was how one of them was using reverse shots to physically begin the story since the opening shows part of the aftermath of an event.

    Something that I proposed to the group was how I planned on using shadows and other ways of hinting at a threat without showing it directly. They said that it was a good idea, and suggested lighting schemes that would allow me to try and enhance the idea of an unseen threat. 

    There were a lot of good things being said, and going forward I think I have good support from these classmates. 

Final Project: A Surprising Gift

     I have started storyboarding, and my next few posts will outline everything that I've gone over and thought about, but I had a development that I deemed noteworthy enough to mention in this posting. Yesterday I visited my grandparents after school to check up on them, making sure to wear protective face coverings and stay away. My grandfather gave me a camera. It was an older device and one that was going to require a repair before use, but I did some research on the quality that the camera provides and think that it can potentially do better than my iPhone. 

    However, there is one thing that I need to look into. The camera has an issue where the memory cards not reading as placed into the device, which means that I need to look into how to fix it in order to truly test how the quality will compare but I'm excited to see how the camera could play into production. I have two tripods that would be ideal to mount it on for still shots(I can do this with my phone as well but it takes longer to set up). 

    I'm excited to see how this new camera will potentially change the production process, and I look forward to seeing how it will affect the filming, editing, and overall production of the video. 

Final Project: Sidetracked

    I know I said in the latest blog posting I would have the beginning of a storyboard. That didn't happen. I ended up spending most of my time searching through the youtube sound library for songs that I thought would try to match the tone that I was going for. I love this sound library and I've spent hours scrolling through copyright-free in the past, both on youtube and other third parties. 

    I also spoke to two of my friends who have experience in making music and asked them if they could create a track for the opening of this film. They agreed to give me full license and told me if they ended up making a piece that I could use it. 

    I plan on getting more work done in class tomorrow and trying to get together my thoughts because while listening to music I do this weird visual brainstorming for potential shot ideas. Typically it's random flashes depending on the type of music I'm listening too, but this time I tried to take notes on the focused shots the music led me down, which I think will help me when I storyboard.  

Final Project: Making People Care

     One thing I've realized about this method of opening is that nobody really cares about the character that or is hurt in the beginning. Crimes in movies are often impersonal and the person on screen is never given a chance to have a personality or any characteristics that will make the audience care about their safety. 

    I think I have two potential ways to solve this. The first is to have them oblivious to the conflict that is occurring around them. This helps build suspense so the audience becomes actively invested in what the character is doing, almost forcing them to care about the person's wellbeing because of their oblivious nature. This also has the potential to massively backfire and make the audience think that the victim is a complete idiot and that their death is something they deserve for their ignorance. 

    The second way I can solve this issue is more difficult, and storyboarding further will allow me to see how I want to incorporate it. This method is by developing something about the character that somewhat attaches the viewer to the character. Whether it be a reference to a family member or a mention of somewhere important they need to go(such as checking in on a sick grandma). Incidents such as these are small details that allow the audience to connect with the character that is on screen and it gives them a way to connect to the person onscreen, even if they are only present for the opening and die within the first few minutes of the film. 

    I'm thinking the second option is the better way to go since this option allows for a quick reference and doesn't make the character stupidly oblivious. I'm going to spend most of the next class storyboarding and the next blog post will probably talk about various things in regards to how I plan to maximize my time in the opening to allow for the most compact yet effective way to open this crime thriller.

Final Project: Where to Put the Credits

     I finally have an idea as to what to do for the credits of the film. Since I want to build suspense and get the credits out of the way as quickly as possible. I'm thinking of doing something with the opening scene, which begins to build suspense for what is to come. I'm thinking of doing something that does a slow camera move towards a front door of a house, where the victim of the murder for the opening scene will emerge in a moment. 

    This extended shot, combined with music and the handheld nature of the shot, increase intimacy and allows for me to place the credits and title of the film right in the opening shot, while also providing a  tense opening to establish the location the victim is going to leave. 

    I'm thinking of using one of a few fonts for the credits. I'm not quite sure whether to continue with the idea of doing a scary text or to use a more typical cop movie font. I'll probably decide which one I am using after I've started filming since I have time to decide how I want the credits to mesh with the overall aesthetic of the project. 

Final Project: Something I've Noticed/More Research

 I've watched a few crime movies and TV shows, and there's something I've noticed about the antagonists for the films. Since the entire story focuses on catching a specific criminal or group of criminals, which means their face and other identifying features aren't shown at all for a majority of the film, even if the subject is shown on screen in the shadows. It's something that really came to my attention after my rewatching of Se7en the other day and a few episodes of Criminal minds. This is something I want to accomplish during the opening scene. Establishing a threat that the characters on screen are unaware of, but one that the audience knows is about to strike.

    I can do this in a few key ways. The first is to add subtle hints to the conflict as mentioned in a previous posting, with a newspaper or broadcast hinting at the idea of a serial killer hunting in the area. I think I may use an effect similar to that in Jurrasic park, where the shadow of a velociraptor(in this case serial killer), has their shadow shown trailing the character, so the audience is made aware of an immediate threat that the character is unaware of. 

    I think if I use sound design and music to my advantage, I can convey the idea of a stalker or a threat without giving any details as to the identity of the killer, maintaining the unknown that allows the audience to enjoy the speculation of wondering who the killer is, which allows them to have a vested interest in finding the killer along with the main characters. 

    I'm not certain that the main character will even appear in the intro to the film, since I want the murder to play out before the case hits the detective's desk the following morning. As I storyboard I will see how much time I have and determine whether or not this addition to the sequence is beneficial to the scene. 

Final Project: Further Research

     Something I've been doing is examining successful films within the genres of crime thrillers, as well as some other movies that feature criminals and police responses. I've come across two unique cases that don't fit the type of opening I want to use, but also accomplish so much in so little time that they merited inclusion in this blog posting. The first of these examples comes from the movie Joker, starring Juaquin Phoenix. I watched the director of the film break down the opening and how it gives you so much insight into both the world and the character, as well as subtle things that were done to make the film feel more real and personal. 

Here's the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awoQuVq2yYc

    Watching the director break down the opening sequence showed me how much thought needs to go into every little piece of the film, and since I want to focus the intro on the type of crime committed by the antagonist of the film, I think these personal details and specific choices need to be made in the early phases of production, and various details about the crime and the killer, as well as the setting where most of the film will take place, needs to be present in the opening.

    Another interesting character study that I had to analyze myself comes from the Russo Brothers movie 21 Bridges. The opening gives you so much insight into what motivates the character, something that is of obvious importance throughout the film. By making the opening personal and establishing why it affects the character right from the beginning of the film, it establishes why the character does what they do and how they do it. In this case it establishes how Chadwick Boseman's character feels about being a police officer and what it means to protect people. It establishes an opening that allows the audience direct insight to the character's thoughts, without the audience realizing why they have that access and intimacy. 

    Although this second intro is longer then the Cambridge project will end up being, it still provides so much information that I deemed it worthy to include and take inspiration from. 

Here's that video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pOIDlMKVbw

Overall I think there is still a lot of research to be done, but I think that I'm in a good spot to start thinking about storyboarding as well as how to establish my antagonist and the plot that is to come throughout the movie I need to create. 

Final Project: Ideas

     I've conducted a bit more research and I think I have a good idea as to what kind of story I want to tell and how the opening will immediately set the tone for the rest of the film. I'm thinking that the film is a gritty crime thriller that follows a detective trying to catch a serial killer in his home town. The intro will hint at details to the overall story while establishing the antagonist of the film, the killer. 

    There are a few ways I can subtly hint at the story in this introduction so it contains substance and visual cues as to where the movie will go. The first is to have the title and opening credits done in a similar font to the Scream opening, which has a creepy aesthetic to it that I will try to capitalize on in the excerpt. I've attached a link to the title credits below. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_lY5u2XEQA

Another thing I will do is use visuals on screen in the mise en scene to hint at the killer's activity prior to the film's opening. This can be accomplished with a physical or digital newspaper on-screen with a disturbing headline announcing a serial killer being active in the community. 

The third idea I have for how to effectively pull off the dark and tense mood is to show the killer following the person on screen, staying in the shadows so the viewer knows that there is someone there, but that the character on screen doesn't. In my next blog posting, I'll have the beginnings of a storyboard to better explain these ideas and further research to help build on the groundwork I've begun to lay out. 

Moving Towards the Final Project:

     I am so excited to start this project. I've already started looking into possible ideas for a story and have begun preliminary research to ensure a quality final product. I'm thinking of filming the opening to a suspenseful crime thriller like the movie Se7en, which has a darker and gritty aesthetic throughout the entire film. 

Here are the opening credits for the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEZK7mJoPLY 

 I really like the font they use in this excerpt, and how it helps establish the really creepy nature of the scene, setting the tone for the rest of the piece. I'm thinking of filming the beginning of a similar film, and thus movies such as this one that show serial killers at work are going to be researched heavily. Something else I've come across in my media consumption is a pattern in the TV show Criminal Minds. 

    The ABC show opens every episode with a serial crime, typically a death caused the unidentified subject that the team will try to stop throughout the episode. I've watched a good amount of episodes from the show and I really think I'm going to try and emulate the tone setting they do at the beginning of each episode. 

    As I continue to dive further into crime thrillers and dramas and my research continues to grow, I'll formulate a better idea of how to execute my opening and the specific story I want to tell. 

    

Music Video Project Part 2: Reflection

    

    This project was a daunting task, one that was made much easier due to one of the members of my group. At the beginning of the project, we agreed as a group that Kailey and I would be handling the overall music video production, which included the storyboarding and brainstorming aspects of the project. We left most of the media strategy to our other two groupmates.

    This plan went really well at first. Kailey and I were outlining the video on the same document that had our research from the genre, and I examined a few music videos from other artists to try and best figure out which route we should take for the video. 

    The idea was to also have the rest of our group on this document as well, so we could check one another and determine how much work was actually getting done and what that work was, so we could fix any mistakes before we had to put all the information in a PowerPoint. 

    This didn't happen, and we had no idea how much of the marketing strategy was being done until a few days before the project was due, with little information in a place that didn't follow the directions exactly(the plan wasn't put in order and was just a bunch of ideas put together. The plan also wasn't specific to our brand, just a general strategy. 

    Kailey and I realized that this was problematic. With roughly three paragraphs of a plan from our group, we had to build the band(Instagram, who was in the group, aesthetic, etc), tie the case studies to ideas in the strategy for our group, as well as formatting the presentation so it looked like a well-refined product. 

    The two of us tried to contact our group after the video had been filmed, but they weren't extremely active in the building of the presentation as a whole. There was a lack of communication as to what they were doing, so for things like the website, we didn't know there was going to be one until a few days prior to the due date. 

    Overall I learned that keeping track of what people are doing for a project is extremely important. The lack of communication from our groupmates as to exactly what they were doing during the project was an area of concern for most of the music video production process. Since we weren't sure what our group was working on(or if they were working at all) Kailey and I ended up putting together a lot of the project as a pair, with our other two groupmates being passive in their communication. In the future, I think issues such as this one can be resolved if the group has all of their work in one place, so that way it avoids a lack of communication as to who is doing what and when. 

    The project was interesting and fun to work on and I think the finished product turned out really nicely as a result of Kailey and I working extremely well together. As a whole, the group could've done better communicating but I feel as though the final product was well done.