Editing Softwares

I mentioned before that I did not think about how we were going to edit our film opening and I know there are lots of good editing software available for us to use. I previously used Adobe Premiere Pro for my Sound Project and it was quite difficult for me to use, especially since it was my first time trying it out. The people in my group also mentioned Adobe After Effects, which I've heard of before but have never tried, and there are iMovie and DaVinci Resolve too. I almost forgot my AICE Media teacher has a link on her page with lots of other free editing software to choose from. 

I just looked over the link my teacher provided and there is over 20 editing software for me to choose from. They provide resourceful and important information on each one, which is great because it makes the process of choosing easier and they state what they are best used for. I'm conflicted about choosing a new one for this project or just sticking with Adobe Premiere Pro since I'm more familiar with it. I am going to discuss this topic with my group and I'll let you guys know the decision we believe will best benefit us.  

                                     

Sometimes next week I plan on editing a couple of videos on different software and trying them all out to decide which one is the best one for us to use!

https://www.oberlo.com/blog/best-free-video-editing-software

Exchanging Ideas

 Today I was grouped with four other people from my class for us to share ideas and help each other with anything we might be hesitant on!  We discussed various topics about our project and turns out we are all going for the same vibe and mood for the film opening. They all have something to do with horror and suspense, which made having a conversation and helping each other out even better! 

We all gave input on each other's projects and ideas, and they had some greats ones! It was great to see we all had similar research and looked up almost all of the same films. They recommended some videos and films to research that they believed would help in creating a better film and using for reference. I have yet to watch them but some films they recommended were Joker (2019), Prisoners (2013), Criminal Minds (2005-2020), and some more. There is a channel that someone from my group recommended and they go over specific scenes from films and the directors break down the scene shot by shot. They explain why they chose that specific angle, lighting, etc., and what their purpose is in the film. Below is one of the examples they recommended!

They brought up a topic that I hadn't thought about so I did some research on it, and that was what editing software to use for the project. In the past, I have used Adobe Premiere, but I have to admit it was really complicated for me to use and there are still some things about it that I don't understand. The project that I worked on did not turn out so bad though, so that is a plus! The people in the group mentioned they have worked with Adobe Premiere and iMovie on their previous projects, and Nicole mentioned After Effects. I have heard of After Effects but I have never tried using it, maybe I'll try downloading it and experimenting with it. 

They agreed with me that a voice-over would be extremely cheesy so that is definitely out of the list of ideas! Brett advised us that if we were to do a rewound shot, not to do one of those typical scenes where the entire film plays out really quickly until it stops at the scene we want to, because it would also be kind of cheesy. And he is completely right about that! We are trying to make it as original and real as possible without giving too much away, so for the rest of the week I will be researching more and watching the films and videos they recommend me to watch. 

Progress on the Plot

Hello! As I have mentioned before, my group and I are always talking and sharing ideas with each other on everything that comes to mind. I know I have mentioned a little bit about the plot and general ideas we liked, but since then a lot has changed so I thought I would give some updates about that!

The beginning of the film opening will be quick shots of the shower scene from all three characters. They will be washing off the blood from their body, head, and hands as they are extremely in shock and scared about the events that led up to that scene. It will be in their bathrooms, in the shower and some of the shots that might get included are:

-drain 

-close up of their face

-blood washing out and going down the drain

-water from the showerhead 

After they are done taking a shower, the scene will continue in the bathroom but it will now focus on one character being startled and frozen outside the shower. This scene will focus on the disbelief and state of shock they are still in, emphasizing the thoughts that might be going on inside their heads. This creates a build-up of suspense and makes the audience ponder more on what could've happened between them or if there were more people involved. Also the character we want to focus on after the shower has not been chosen, but I don't believe it will mean they are more important for the overall storyline of the film. 

-close up of the face

-midshot of the character looking at the mirror 

-close up of drain as water droplets fall

-wide shot of character standing still in silence

We talked about filming the character panting, anxious, and screaming as they are looking at the mirror to then cut to a black screen where the title of the film will show up. I know we talked about having a voice-over saying something along the lines of "You might be wondering how we got here" but we felt that was too cheesy for the film and did not fit the overall theme of it. Instead, we are thinking about including a text somewhere on the screen that will state how many days prior to the first scene the rest of the film will be taken place in. After the black screen, it will show the same character as before getting ready for the day, kind of creating a parallel to the mirror scene of them screaming to them being happy getting ready. They will later go in the car with the other two characters, where we will delve deeper into the dynamic and relationship between them.

-mid-shot of the character looking into the mirror 

-long shot of them in their room getting ready 

-tracking shot following down the stairs and into the car 

-wide shot of the car outside the house 

-mid-shot of the three characters having a conversation 

We want to show it is a horror/suspenseful film to the audience without giving too much away so we want to include the stalker or 'antagonist' of the film in the opening even if it just for a second. We discussed having them be someone who stalks them and later creates problems in their lives, so the antagonist would have a camera that would get shown during the opening. 

-pov shot of camera looking at the three characters 

-mid shot of the three having a laugh 

-long shot of antagonist from behind 

Researching Sound

 We have been having discussions on the opening since the very first day of working on the project. It appears to be a little more complicated than we originally thought it would be. There are a couple of ideas out in the open but we are still figuring out the gist of it all. The outline of the opening we have so far includes the following...

To start the opening we want to use scenes similar to the shower scene in Psych as I have previously mentioned. It will be a series of quick shots between the three characters covered in blood, trying to get it all off. The quick shots will be used to represent the chaos and their state of mind after going through what they went through (which the audience doesn't know yet). It will jump from character to character. It will get faster and faster between shots.

We have learned throughout the school year that every element in film making is vital to creating a scene or film that has significant substance and will create a purpose for the audience. To create the suspense and horror mood during the opening we want to include sound for the first sequence of shots that represent the suspenseful theme we have in mind. 

I have previously learned in class about the Shepard tone and how it is used in intense scenes to emphasize the nerve-wracking situations for the audience. For those of you who might not be similar to the Shepard tone, it is a  sound that contains various tones separated by an octave layered on top of each other. It creates a sequence that sounds like it is constantly ascending in pitch when in reality, the lowest bass tone fades in as the higher treble tone fades out. Since if we were to use it, it would be during the shower scenes we have to think about how much time it would take up because the scene isn't mean to be long. Not to mention the copyright of the sound is a challenge and thing we have to consider. After we decide on the final shots and create the storyboard we will decide on the sound because we will know more about the time length of the opening film. 

https://www.vox.com/videos/2017/7/26/16033868/dunkirk-soundtrack-shepard-tone 

Getting Tasks Done

 Working in a group of three has its advantages and that is being able to share the talents and what each person is best at with others. Since we have all worked with each other before, this makes the whole process a lot easier, and we're more comfortable sharing ideas and giving our opinions. We have the basic information down about our story such as the characters, genre, the beginning shots, and a general idea of the overall plot we are going with. 

We have divided some of the tasks between the three of us, but we are all still going to contribute to everything that we do. Thiago will be in charge of the screenplay because that is his strongest forte, but Lorena and I are going to help him out and give some ideas as to what the characters are going to say. Lorena and I are also better are doing storyboards and deciding on the shots and angles of the opening so we will be working on that. We plan on getting together sometime while being safe and try to edit together because all three of us are not the best at it, so we believe it's easier to work on it together and everyone will have input at the same time and place. Filming the actual film opening still has to be decided but right now we are focusing on the plot and characters to plan the locations and days to shoot it. 

The film treatment is taking place right now and we want to have as much detail on it as possible to make the process of making the film opening easier. My biggest worry is fitting everything that we want to and believe will be beneficial to the overall film in the film opening. The ideas that we have are solid and all have a purpose in the story, but there are other points we want to include, so when making the screenplay and storyboard, the most important information such as the characters are crucial to be in it. 

The Plot Of it All

 Coming up with the plot has been a little more challenging than we thought... We have a few ideas of what we would like the plot to be, but the problem has been choosing what to show during the film opening because we obviously can't show a lot due to the time we have but we want to make sure that what gets included is useful and purposeful to the overall film. Since it is a horror film we have been leaning more towards a serial killer of sorts or a human to be the 'villain' of the story than a supernatural creature. 

So far, the start of the opening is going to be a shower scene, inspired by the horror film Psycho (1960), a classic horror film that has paved the way for many other horror films. The blood dripping down and a shot of the water turning red from the blood is a shot that including would lead the audience to be filled with questions. It is a somewhat hectic scene that forms many thoughts and opinions from the audience, and this is exactly what we want. A close-up of their faces will also be included to emphasize the emotions and get a clue as to how they are feeling. This will also be the first time the audience will be seeing them, so it is a very important scene that lets them see into what kind of film it will be. Below is the Psycho shower scene, and ours clearly won't be as dramatic and full of effects because it will be the aftermath of the conflict so it will be calmer in terms of sound and movement, but some shots of the running water and drain will be similar to the ones in this film. 

After the shower scene, we are talking about doing a rewind scene to show how it all led up to that moment in the story. A voiceover as the shot changes from the shower scene to actually introducing the characters might be used, but we are trying to find a way to make it as natural as possible and not make it cheesy. As I mentioned in my last post, we were talking about having a stalker as the conflict or a real person instead of a supernatural being, because we believe it would best fit the story and the shower scene and also we are high school students so our budgets are not really high to be able to use all these different effects and expensive props to create a supernatural being. 

Envisioning Our Characters

 For the past two days, we have been focusing on the characters of our story. Trying to come up with names, background stories, personalities, the dynamics between them, etc. Inspiration is everywhere as they say, so we decided to name our characters Betty, James, and August. One of the members of my group is a really big fan of Taylor Swift and she was able to create this storyline with her songs. Her songs and projects always have a hidden message, so this time she created this love triangle story with the names and messages she used throughout her album. The group loved the idea of having hidden messages and how she was able to convey this plot that only those who understood the message and were able to figure it out. 

From the start, we talked about having three main characters and their ages would be between 15-17. Since the name August is more of a neutral gender name, we have talked about having a non-binary factory portray it. In today's media, representation for non-binary people is not common, it's extremely hard to see non-binary characters be portrayed by non-binary people, especially for main character roles. Since we don't know anyone that is non-binary, we are trying to see if we know someone that does because we want the representation to be real and true to the character's role. These are just some ideas for the characters August, but if anything happens and we are not able to find someone to portray them then we are going to change the character because if we are to do this, we want to make sure we do it right. 

The three main characters would be friends, and a possible relationship between two of them is being talked about. We want James to be a more immature, not fully developed young adult because usually in films the teenager characters are portrayed by older people that don't look like the typical real-life teenagers and this often leads to expectations that don't come true when one goes through life growing up. A main focus of ours is making the film and story as real and authentic as possible so that the audience is actually able to relate to the characters physically and emotionally. 

We've Decided On a Genre!

 After much discussion and thought about the genre of our film, we decided to choose a coming-of-age horror film. We all did our own individual research and came to a conclusion together. We believe a coming-of-age horror film is our best option because there are many different directions we can take with the storyline and the target audience of films in this genre is young adults. Lately, some of the best horror films that have been released involve teens and the topic of growing up because although we don't like to admit it, young adults and teens are always doing stupid things and making dumb choices that lead them into trouble. 

Stephen King is known for writing some of the best horror stories out there, and they often end up being made into movies. With the original concept of one of Stephen's most successful stories, It, being a series made in 1991, the film version of it was released in 2017. Making more than $700 million in the box office, it is arguably one of the most popular recent horror films. It focuses on a group of seven young outcasts that are being targeted by a shapeshifting evil clown. Its popularity and achievements led to It: Chapter Two being released in 2019, where the children are now older and have to face the same evil being after it emerges again. 

This film contains many subgenres to it which is something I would like to include in our film. One of the reasons why I believe it was so successful is because even though it was meant to be a horror film, there was still that funny and comedy element to it, which kept viewers entertained and laughing at the stupid things they did and said throughout the film. It wasn't so serious all the time and it perfectly portrayed the lives of teenagers. That is something I would like to maybe include in the film opening because it shows the unpredictability of the film, there were many times where I would be laughing at the film then suddenly I would be worried and agonized at what they were going to do next. I'm not exactly sure just how much we are going to be able to fit in a two-minute clip, so I know there will be some ideas that we won't be able to include. 

Another Stephen King story that has to be included is Carrie (1976). Although I've actually never seen it (I know, I know I should!), there is no doubt that it is a popular and classic coming of age film that deals with the horror elements of a film too. It is always talked about and I'm pretty sure almost everyone on Earth has seen it. It involves the life of a teenager in high school, problems at home, and the relationships with family members. It has many topics that many might relate to, but it still keeps that fictional tone to portray the suspense and horror built into it. The iconic prom scene that is always shown on the media years after it has been released, and formed into some of the best memes. I intend to watch it before we start filming because I believe it will help me have a better vision of what a great film in this genre looks like and what makes it be so iconic and talked about more than forty years after its release. 

I conducted more research on different websites to read more about various coming-of-age horror films that I might have not heard about but can be great examples of what direction we should go in when making our decisions. Some of them had the same films listed, so it might be safe to say that they are indeed great films and I plan on looking further into them. I have noticed that as I am doing my research and looking at all these films, I end up visualizing different things we can do for our film opening, and end up getting ahead of myself. There are many more steps we have to take first before thinking about the last step decisions. Being in person would definitely make the process easier but we are constantly texting and sending each other audio messages, so our ideas are always being shared. 

Sources:

https://screenrant.com/horror-movies-coming-of-age/ 

https://www.vulture.com/article/the-best-coming-of-age-horror-movies.html

More and More Research...

 The past couple of days I have been thinking about different film openings from different genres that really captivated my attention. Also, keeping in mind the lesson I just learned in class and watched different film openings that were recommended by my AICE Media teacher. 

I recently watched the horror film A Quiet Place that was released in 2018, and it kept me intrigued and wanting to find out more about what exactly was happening in their environment. The plot revolves around a family with three children that are trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world where they are not allowed to make noises because the place is inhabited with an acute sense of hearing. With the sequel that was originally supposed to come out in 2020, the film has gotten great reviews and good audience recommendations. The reliance on the sound and the incorporation of the emotions and expressions made me anxious and stressed just from the opening scenes. 

One of the most popular genres is romance because most times there is that happy ending, and who doesn't like that? Most romance films remain some of the people's favorite films years after it is released and they somehow stay a classic. One of these being The Notebook that came out in 2004. That was the year that I was born in and still to this day, people are always talking about it and it is constantly being watched by younger generations. It has that storytelling element that many like, and not to mention the surprise storyline aspects of it. 

Starting The Process

 Today is the day I start working on my final project. It already seems overwhelming and stressful, but hopefully, with these blog posts, I will be more organized with the entire process. Starting a film opening from scratch and coming up with a brand new story brings up a lot of questions and creativity space. To tackle this project, I've decided to work with two other group members, who I have previously worked with, and we found out that we work extremely well together. We have yet to discuss the specific genre and details about the film opening, but for now, we are each going to do some research on film genres and decided the best one to choose from. 

At the beginning of the school year, I did some research on science fiction films. I found out about specific techniques used in these films, what makes them science fiction films, and elements that help them succeed in theaters. Although I loved the research I did and the information I gathered, being a student with a really low budget and having to be realistic when creating a film opening, I'm not exactly sure this is the best option to choose from. This is a hard choice to make, especially since science fiction films are some of my favorites. I am still keeping it into consideration, but I'm definitely going to conduct more research into other genres and hopefully find one that I believe we will best succeed in. 

Since it is a long-term project, I am keeping in mind all the other factors that we have to incorporate into the project. Creating a film that incorporates different elements that many people will find interesting is a goal of mine because I believe the best films are the ones that are able to invoke several emotions and feelings from the audience. Including a bit of everything sounds challenging, but in the end, focusing on the overall genre that it would be marketed as is the main goal. I am definitely going to research other genres such as horror, romance, coming of age films, comedy, and more.

Pop Music Marketing Campaign

RESEARCH

    As my group got paired we had to decide on a song from a list of pop songs that my AICE Media teacher created. We chose "She Will Be Loved" by Maroon Five because we felt it would best go with the artist we had in mind. To begin the campaign for our pop artist, the first task my group and I did was conduct research on two music labels and some of the most successful pop artists at the moment. We divided the research by having two people do research on two artists from the two different companies, Columbia Records and Republican Records. I did research on Beyonce, while my group member did some research on other artists such as Harry Styles, Ariana Grande, and Taylor Swift. After we all gathered research on the marketing and distributing methods these artists used as well as some knowledge on the history of both music labels, we began brainstorming. 

BRAINSTORMING

    The next task we decided to do was coming up with a music video idea and how our artist would be portrayed to the rest of the world. After listening to the song several times and trying to analyze its meaning, we each had our own interpretation of it. We decided to go with a more unique and different style and message that the general public has of the song. Creating the music video storyboard was done by Ella after we discussed what we would've liked to happen and appear in the video. After she was done creating the music video storyboard, she shared it with the rest of the group where we discussed it and changed anything we believed could have been done differently. 
    While creating the concept for the music video we discussed who our artist was going to be and what their brand would look like. After much discussion and ideas, we decided on a male pop artist. The song would be written from a personal experience that he went through, and the point of view would be from an ex-girlfriend he had. We believed this made the artist more relatable to his audience and real in terms of creating someone from scratch. An artist's name, as well as his exact brand, was still in discussion during this part of the project. 

PRODUCTION

    After my group and I finalized the music video storyboard and discussed props, locations, and roles in the video, we decided on a day to shoot it. We all met up at a nearby park where we brought props such as a cupcake, change of clothes, pictures, and books to include in the video. It was challenging trying to film and make the shots look as natural and real as possible, while also maintaining a safe distance. We wanted to make sure we were creating a great quality video where the story was successfully told through the camera shots and angles while being mindful of the current situation we are in. We filmed the entire music video in one day, where Ella filmed most of the scenes and Mel, David, and I starred in it. We took multiple shots of each scene to make sure we had enough to edit and make it look cohesive once it is finalized. 

POST-PRODUCTION

    During a meeting in class, we decided to have David edit the music video. So while he was editing the video, we discussed more about the artist and the image we had in mind for him. As the due date was soon approaching, Ella agreed to work on the first slide of the presentation, which was writing down research on our genre and its marketing tools, while I came up with ideas for the marketing campaign and worked on the rest of the slides, and Mel created a logo and merch to fit the artist's brand. I used research from the chart we all worked on to create the marketing plan, as well as outside knowledge on other artists that I follow that happen to have successful marketing and distribution techniques. In the midst of all of this, as a group, we decided to create a background story for our artist by already exposing him to fame by having participated on America's Got Talent, but unfortunately losing. This already builds a reputation for him and creates a base for his fame and brand that is to be a pop star.  We decided on the name Jax Dailey because we wanted it to be a mundane name that would focus on his career and his goals rather than having a name that is not his. This way the attention goes to him and his name. 

    I incorporated a variety of marketing strategies such as using social media to promote his songs and engage with fans, designing a website that fit his brand to further include more information about himself, his music, ideas, and give a chance for his fans to have a more personal connection with him. The website would have different pages that fans would navigate and find it easy to navigate. I further explain the rest of the marketing plan and its details in the presentation. 

                                        

PRESENTATION

David started the presentation by introducing our artist and reading the first three slides containing the research on the genre of pop music, as well as background information on the artist, and starting the marketing strategy by explaining the and showing the Instagram page. Mel created a fake Instagram page to incorporate in the presentation and I also included an image of what the home page of the website would look like. Both pages are personalized to fit his brand. Ella continued the presentation  

by showing the website and David navigated to the website on a different to give a tour of the website, showing all the different features and ways to market his career. With different pages such as a Shop page and mailing list, this encourages fans to remain connected. I began my speaking part by explaining the next step of the marketing campaign, which was a private screening of the music video prior to its release to a small group of fans that were part of the mailing list. This 

REFLECTION

    Throughout this project, I learned that it is a good idea to have a schedule of what the group is going to do each day and specific dates with what aspect of the project should be done. It was challenging trying to incorporate everyone's ideas into the campaign and communicating, especially since it was all done online and there were difficulties with the internet or hearing each other. Conducting research before anything else was extremely helpful because it allowed me to have different ideas in mind as I was researching successful marketing strategies. I believe this is a useful tool to have in every project because it made me feel more prepared to come up with my own campaign.