Researching Locations

Looking for a setting. As of now, I am planning on picking a setting that is located in or near Weston. I want the location to be in Weston not just because it is easier for my partner and I but because it is a suburban area. The reason I want the setting to be a suburban area is due my inspiration from the film "Halloween", directed by John Carpenter. So basically Halloween is set in a fictional suburban town where Michael Myers (serial killer) goes around terrorizing its residents which is actually very similar to the plot of my film opening. 

With this in mind, I have chosen to film the beginning of the opening in my partner's grandparent's big house which is located on Southwest Ranches. This is so cool because like the film opening of "Scream", also a serial killer film, is also located in a relatively big house. Therefore, this makes me feel more comfortable with the location choices I have been making for my opening because they are not out of the norm. Moreover, the filming will be mostly outside the house since there are more things to show and work with, for example, there is a pool and a pergola (outdoor roof) which could give us really cool shots.

Ex:

 

The other part of the film will be located in Emerald Estates which is where my partner and I live. Yeah, that's right we're neighbors! This is great because we won't have any driving problems. Living far from each other could have been a problem because sometimes it is difficult to meet the other person if they don't have a car to drive or someone to drive them. We don't have this problem because I could just bike or walk to his house so that we could film or work in any other aspect of the project together. The filming in Emerald Estates will either take place in my house or my friend's house. In this part of the film will take place when Dan is attacked and killed by the serial killer. In addition, another important aspect of filming here is that it also looks suburban which is what I am looking for.

Shot List

I created this shot list so that my partner and I are not lost and unprepared for the filming of our production. Therefore, this will assist us greatly throughout the production as a guide. I was actually planning on publishing this post before the storyboard but I totally forgot. The reason I wanted to publish this before the storyboard is because we used it to help us complete the storyboard. 

Shot 1: Establishing long shot 

Shows the entrance of the house and then a long shot of pool party.

Shot 2: High-angle long shot

Shows another angle of the pool party .

Shot 3: Medium shot 

Shows focus on two people who are friends and also shows the background of the party.

Shot 4: Wide shot

Shows people jumping into the pool.

Shot 5: Multiple medium shots

Multiple shots of people drinking, and playing games. This is to show that the party is getting out of hand.

Shot 6: Medium shot 

Two friends shown at the beginning realize how drunk they are so they leave the party (tracking shot).

 

Shot 7: Medium shot

Show the friends walking down the street.

Shot 8: Medium shot 

Displays one friend in the background walking entering his house and the other friend (Dan) continue walking. Is focused on Dan. In the background, the other side of the street shows the serial killer.

Shot 9: Point of view shot

Shows the POV of the serial killer. Displays a long shot of Dan walking.

Shot 10: Medium shot

The serial killer is shown from the back stalking Dan.

Shot 11: Medium shot

Tracking shot of serial killer following Dan.

Shot 12: Medium shot

Dan thinks he sees someone following him but does not put much thought into it.

 

Shot 13: Medium shot 

Dan walks into his house and does not close door.

Shot 14: Point of view shot

Displays POV. In POV there is a shadow of a person in the background.

Shot 15: Medium shot

Dan looks to see who's in his house and then turns around.

Shot 16: POV

After turning around there is a jump scare of the serial killer attacking Dan.

Shot 17: Wide shot

Dan strapped to the chair in bottom left third of frame. Serial killer on the right third picking something.

Shot 18: Point of View

POV of serial killer picking weapons from the table.

Shot 19: Close up

Shows Dans face to get his reaction and scream for the end of the film opening.

Storyboard

2/23 

    In class my partner and I made a storyboard that illustrates the different shots and scenes that we will incorporate into our film opening. We numbered each scene because we decided to move one scene before another. For example, scene five is shown before scene four. Even though our drawings are not the best we decided to create a storyboard because in past projects it has helped us visualize our projects and also helps formulate new ideas and details we will later incorporate in our film opening. This is also important because it makes it much easier to film our final product.

    Below is our storyboard. So based of the story board you are seeing a group of friends that are having fun and hanging out at this part. There are multiple shots and angles taken to demonstrate all that's taking place at the party such as games, drinking, and people jumping into the pool. This is to make the audience feel excited and overwhelmed with everything that is going on at the party. Afterward, Dan and a friend decide to leave the party and go home because they realize that they are too drunk. 

    Page 1:

In the second page, after Dan's friends walks in a different direction toward his house, Dan continues to walk down the street toward his own house. While he is walking we can see that in scene eight somebody is watching Dan, the serial killer. Then it shows the Point of view of the serial killer stalking Dan, which then cuts to a tracking shot of the serial killer moving carefully in order to follow Dan, but he isn't carful enough because Dan then hears and catches a glimpse of him. This doesn't faze Dan though so he continues walking to his house. Once he arrives to his house it shows his point of view where it shows the shadow of the killer. To end it we will have the serial killer attack and tie up Dan who is then being tortured by the serial killer. In this scene, we will also have Dan screaming to create an even greater shock effect for our audience. 

    Page 2:

Characters and Roles

Sub characters: These will be Dan's friends whom he walks out of the party with. They are all exhilarated and hyped up in the party since they are drunk. All people at the party will wear the same clothing since there is a chosen theme. As of now, it will be a tropical theme so the costume design will most likely be Hawaiian shirts and swim shorts. For these characters, we will have them wear shirts that have cool hues like green, pink, blue, and violet because they symbolize peacefulness. The reason I want them to be wearing shirts that symbolize peacefulness is because these characters will be safe from the serial killer in the opening. 

Victim: The victim whom we will call Dan will be wearing clothing required by the party's host. Dan is a popular guy who likes to party a lot and gets drunk very often. He is very enthusiastic and extroverted but is also a bully which is a reason why the serial killer ends up killing him. We will also use foreshadowing of his death through his costume design by having him wear a red Hawaiian shirt which symbolizes the danger he will be in the end of the opening. Red could also be seen as a target therefore it fits this character since he is the serial killer's target. In addition, red also symbolizes excitement, so i really believe that this is the right color for Dan's costume.

Serial Killer: My partner and I decided to change the person stalking and attacking Dan to a serial killer instead of a clown. We decided to change it because trying to create the clown scary seemed unrealistic to us. Therefore, we decided to change it to a serial killer who will be wearing dark colors such as black because it symbolizes evil power. The serial killer will not say one word in the film and will either be seen as having no emotion or being enraged. His costume design will consist of a black hoodie and black sweatpants or jeans.

Schedule

 2/18

Today I created the schedule that I will follow for my portfolio project. This will help me set a goal for every week and stay organized. It does not mean I will not change it, if something comes up I will most likely have to change the schedule.

Week 3

• Research and chose film opening approach
• Establish the character's personality and costume design
• Develop story outline 
• Create storyboard that shows different types of shots

Week 4

• Try to finish all research
• Research and pick filming locations
• Research and develop script (will not use much dialogue)
• Develop a schedule for filming and editing
• Acquire all props 

Week 5

• Finish Research
• Summary of mise-en-scene elements (props, costumes, setting, lighting, color)
• Research filming techniques
• Start recording and editing

Week 6

• Continue filming 
• After each filming document each filming process
• Continue editing after each filming session
• Document editing process
• Start Creative Critical Reflection questions
• Finish filming

Week 7

• Research information for CCR
• Complete the whole editing
• Get feedback on final opening from peers

Week 8

• Finish script for CCR
• Research answers relating to CCR question

Week 9

• Create reflection on overall project
• Film and edit CCR

Film Openings

2/17 Horror Openings

Horror Openings have many different approaches. They usually start at a location that seems creepy or unsettling like a foggy forest, old mansion, isolated place, etc. In some films, they introduce the threat at the beginning of the film. The threat can be introduced through a glimpse, hints, or mysterious events that foreshadow the horror that will be portrayed. These openings also build up suspense through their eerie music and slow camera movements in order to set the mood. Another important aspect of these film openings is that horror openings incorporate a moment that has a sudden twist or shock to build the stakes of the story early in the film. A jump scare or a moment of violence is an example of setting the tone through an unexpected shock.

Dawn of the Dead 

The opening in the film Dawn of the Dead it shows the main character and her partner in bed sleeping which then shows a little girl approaching their bed. The guy wakes up and then goes to check up on her which then leads to the guy getting bit. Afterward, the guy dies and wakes up from the dead, therefore, it is implied that the threat of the film is zombies. In the rest of the opening, the girl finds out that her neighborhood is in a crisis and she tries to flee. In this film the introduce the threat early. The opening of this movie uses various mise-en-scenes like the makeup on the zombies to make them look dead. They also used costume design on the characters, for example, the main character's outfit is covered in blood. It also uses sound techniques like stings to highlight the jump scares. The sound techniques helped increase the suspense to ultimately increase the adrenaline of the audience. This opening has inspired me to use mise-en-scenes so I will be incorporating some sort of costume design for both the killer clown and the other characters. I will also be incorporating stings in my opening, especially in the jump scares that I will include at the end of the opening.

Silence of the Lambs

In the Silence of the Lambs, the opening shows the main character jogging in a foggy forest alone. This makes the audience feel uneasy since the character seems vulnerable. The reason she is depicted as vulnerable is that she is all by herself in a place where she can be attacked. I will be doing the same in my opening in order to make my audience feel uneasy. I will include this by having the character that will be attacked to be walking in a secluded or deserted area, possibly a street or a forest. 

When researching I found out that the standard order for opening credits are the film title, lead cast, supporting characters, cast director, music composer, costume designer, associate producers, editors, production designer, director of photography, executive producer, producer, writers, director. While watching the silence of the lambs I noticed how the credits were laid out and introduced. I found out that it was not the same as the standard order, they were small changes. For example, the lead casting came before the film title. Another thing that I noticed was that some roles were not mentioned and some were added. For example, they added the novel's writer on which the movie was based. The name of a role that was not mentioned in the opening credits was the associate producer. If I make a change in my credits it will be discrete so that it doesn't change much from the standard.

Research on Genre

2/16 Genre Research    

    When my partner and I chose the genre for our two-minute film, we wanted a reliable and compelling subject. We looked at both science fiction and horror, each being diverse options but still have similar aspects. Science fiction was appealing to us for its creativity and wow affect, but there came challenges with it. For example, presenting a supernatural element on screen would be difficult to demonstrate convincingly on screen. On the other hand, Reeves and I believed that the genre horror, will be better for us to present as we thought that we would provide better quality entertainment and ultimately grab the attention our audience in our opening.

    In my AICE Media Studies class we saw an opening from the movie "Scream". After seeing the opening it gave my confidence just and captivating, so that was another reason why I chose to make my film opening through the genre of horror. So, my partner and I have decided to film a scene where two teens are followed from a party by a killer clown.

    Horror is a genre that provokes fear, creepy storytelling, dread, and suspense in the audience. Horror contains a blend of supernatural elements, suspenseful sounds, jump scares, and psychological terrors. In addition, horror films typically incorporate in gore and violence, such as blood in order to shock the audience. The genre horror has a target audience of both teenagers and adults that enjoy getting scared. Even though it seems weird that people want to get scared, people are drawn to experience an adrenaline rush. These films give them a safe way to face their fears and get an adrenaline rush. Therefore, horror, films are popular because they offer a thrilling escape and a chance of facing fear in a controlled setting.

    

    Ex: In the horror film “IT”, by Stephen King’s novel, is a great example of violent and suspenseful film. In this film, it includes techniques that will help increase the suspense and adrenaline rush that the audience craves to feel. For example, the film has eerie sounds, which helps build up the suspense of possible jump scares in the future. Therefore, it is evident that there are techniques to help reach the goal of creating fear to an audience in Horror films. 

Transition Blog

 Transition to Portfolio Project

One approach that I plan on using is having a more dark tone to a beginning to a horror film. For the opening of this film I will include a lot of costume design such as makeup up in order to make the affects more realistic. In addition I will be using color schemes like black, red, and grey through out the opening. I will probably only have two character that will be in the opening. One will be the victim and the other the predator. For the predator I will have him wear a costume of my creation to make look more frightening, most likely be wearing something with dark color schemes. Moreover, I will also incorporate props that will have to do with a weapon to protect one self or attack somebody. 

Another approach that may take place is a opening film to a sci-fi movie, most likely extra terrestrials. A lot of light will be used in order to represent the extra terrestrials. Therefore, I will be using different lighting schemes throughout the production. The main character will be a teenager who seems to be innocent, curious, and a bit frightened. The tone of the film will be a mysterious tone since we do not quite know what the being that is shown in a shadow formed by the light of their spaceship.

I just finished the music marketing project where we had to promote a new band that we created. I feel like this project helped me prepare for the portfolio project because the process is similar to the portfolio project but instead, it is a a lot smaller project. Therefore, now I feel more comfortable to start the portfolio project. I now also have an idea of how I will approach and start this project. For example, I will start by typing down my ideas and drawing a storyboard to get new ideas to formulate. I will also start researching different productions from the selected genres I plan on producing so that I get more info and ideas on what I need to incorporate into my production. 

Music Marketing Blog Post #2

     At the start of this project my group members and I had to conduct research on two different record labels and in each of those record labels we had to pick two songs from different bands. In specific we had to search for bands that were punk rock since that was the genre that my group and I chose out of the rock genres my teacher provided us. To start off our research we had each group member search for a record label that would interest us. This strategy did not quite work for us because we could not find a band that fit the criteria of punk rock. Therefore, one of my group members got the idea to look for punk rock songs and then find the record label that they are owned by. Once we found the record label, we figured that the record label probably had other punk rock bands as well. After we found the second song we did the same process for the case studies of the second company we found. The companies we discovered were Island Records and Disconnect Disconnect Records. While we started the project frustrated and confused we ended up finding a solution to our problem by looking at a different approach.

Island Records:

Disconnect Disconnect Records:

    

    Planning for the production consisted of three or four steps. First, we had to decide if we wanted to do promotional, artistic, or storytelling, we picked storytelling. Then we had to brainstorm the ideas and things that we wanted to include in our music video. We decided that the filming would take place in one of our houses both inside and outside. We also wanted to include a guitar since we had this object available. After brainstorming all of our ideas we drew a storyboard to create a layout so that when we started filming we would have an idea of how our video would look like. Another aspect that we incorporated to make our filming easier is typing all of the shots into a Word document. For example, in the screenshot below the way the document was laid out was that in each line it says the type of shot and the angle of the shot and is shown in order from top to bottom.

Screenshot of some shots in Word document:

    During production, we went to one of my group member's houses because he was the one that owned a guitar to include in the filming of the music video. We had plenty of planning before filming the video, therefore, the start of the filming went smoothly as well as the rest of the filming. For example, we had the list of shots, the storyboard, and all the equipment needed to complete the filming. After, in post-production, we had two of our group members edit and modify the shots. This is to make the different shots blend together and complement each other so that they are presented the way we want our audience to view the lead singer of our band. Once the editor finished editing, every group member checked if the video had any errors and also got the chance to bring up any ideas to change or add something to the music video. 

    For my group’s project, we made a PowerPoint presentation. In our PowerPoint, it consists of marketing practices, distribution practices, target audience, campaign outline, and reason for making a music video. We made 5 slides and we split them between us for the presentation. In my group, there are four group members so three of us did one slide and one did two slides. To have a well-paced and professional presentation we wrote down some scripts on notes in our phones. This allowed us to review the presentation and help guide us through it as well. 

    In this project, I learned to manage my time with the group and to include many planning practices to complete our project. For example, I learned that communicating with my group about the time we can work on this project was crucial. Therefore, it would allow us to make sure that we are all contributing to the project so that no one is doing more work than the others. Moreover, planning for almost every aspect of the project was another thing I learned by working on this project with my group. This prevented problems from occurring during the filming of the video. For example, planning the list of shots and things that we would include in our project saved us from being lost during the filming and not having everything we needed. I would most definitively use these things I learned in my next project, which is developing my Cambridge portfolio.