Scheduling

     Since the beginning of the project, I have focused most of my time into research. However, I think that it is time to move on from only research. The plot of my production hasn't had as much consideration put into it as it should. So, in the next following days I plan on hammering out all the details of the story. Then, during the week of 2/29 I plan on working on the storyboard for the project. In my storyboard, I hope to apply the research I have gathered on opening scenes. 

    After finishing my storyboard, I will have to consider casting and shooting. I have plenty of people who would consider being a part of my project which is much to my own benefit. However, when I think of the setting I am not sure I have an adequate location yet. I am considering creating a partially artificial scene with props to help make the production look less home-made and more cinematic. If all things go as planned, I can start shooting next week.

Editing and software

     Editing a film is similar to plating a food dish. It can help accentuate certain themes and polish the finished product. While my editing skills are limited, I hope to learn some techniques and apply them to my own film. In order to do this, I need to find an adequate editing software. 

    Throughout the course, I have been using the Openshot editing application. Personally, I found it to be not the most user-friendly software. Certain options like importing video and audio were difficult, editing options were not easy to find, and my overall experience with it left me wanting more. My only other experience is with Imovie. However, my desktop is not a mac so the only way I could use it would be on my phone. Using my phone as my sole editing device is most certainly possible, but I think it would be too tedious. 

    The most popular free editing software I found was Blender. Blender is available on Windows, Mac, and Linux which makes it easily accessible. I have asked a few other classmates about the software and they said it was pretty easy to use and that they would recommend it. I plan on downloading the software and experimenting with it myself and might use it form my project if I like it.

Titles

    The title of a film is one of the first things the audience sees. This first impression is very important so it should quickly and efficiently convey the overall tone or theme of the film. Certain stylistic decisions may help reinforce a certain tone or attract the audience's attention. One aspect that can be changed to have varying reactions is the font of the title. The font of a title is similar to the accent of someone's speech. Font can be used to portray a unique tone and or feeling. In Moonlight Kingdom, a playful yellow font is displayed with a shot of a nice and calm house. 

    In the opening sequence of Catch Me if You Can, the title and credits are played with in a sense that the words blend with and interact with a dynamic background. This clever concept is visually appealing and keeps the audience visually engaged.

    While the font and presentation of a title does not have to serve a specific purpose, it can be a useful tool that should be thought about. I plan on applying this thought and consideration in my own project.

    

Incorporating credits

     No one likes watching a dragged out title sequence that serves no purpose other than showing the credits. I hope to avoid this in my own project and as such I have done some research on the topic. I noticed that in the past such opening credits were typical. For example, the 1931 film The Public Enemy, uses an opening credits scene that has no deeper meaning but to list the cast and crew. The credits are simply placed on a background that does not really change and does not engage the audience. 

    However, opening credits eventually evolved as demonstrated by the 007 James Bond films. The 1962 production Dr. No uses a combination of color, music, and a dynamic background to engage the audience. The anticipation-building music and vivid colors create excitement. The mysterious visuals add to the tone of a spy movie.

 

    

    I hope to apply the use of the proper music to reinforce the tone of my opening scene. Unfortunately, my ability to create visuals similar to the piece is limited, but I can use color to offset this. 

Finally

     Finally, I came up with an idea for my film. While I do not have a complete design of the story yet, I do have a basis that can be applied to an opening scene. My "aha" moment which my whole thought process is based off of is my idea for the antagonist and what it represents. Inspired by Jordan Peele's Us, I was thinking about mirror versions of ourselves. In Peele's film, perverted mirror versions of ourselves exist in a world underneath our own. However, these mirror versions eventually leave the world beneath and try to kill their respective selves. I was intrigued by the idea of this because the conflict was essentially man versus man while also man versus self. I want to further the idea of man versus self being one in the same as man versus man. 

    In my production, I want to have the antagonist be a physical manifestation of the insecurities and fears that we have. The manifestation knows exactly how you think and feel and will use this against you. With this in mind, I began working backwards in thinking about the opening scene. The end goal I want for the opening is to have the antagonist be revealed as an identical being to the protagonist. So how do I get there? Well, clearly I need to develop build up to the reveal. So I think I will have some sort of chase scene that does not fully show the antagonist to build interest in the audience. My goal is to sprinkle shots with only partial view of the antagonist as to not fully reveal it. In an attempt of foreshadowing, I want to have shots of the protagonist and antagonist mirror each other but with slight differences. One obvious way to do that could be lighting with the protagonist being well lit while the antagonist is in dark lighting. I have only partially considered the components of the scene but I hope to figure out more as time progresses.

Introduction of the title and credits

    I still don't have an idea for the plot of my production. Ideas are like plants; ideas need to be planted then nurtured until they can grow to bear worthwhile fruit. You can't just plant a seed and constantly water it to make it grow faster. Therefore, I've decided to not sit and force an idea to be formed. I've opted to put the actual plot of the project to the side for now. Most likely, as I do more research and figure out the little aspects of my project, the big picture will make itself clear to me.

    The medium of a message is as important as the message itself. Applying this to my project means I have to take every detail into consideration. Every aspect of the project needs to either have a purpose or help reinforce the purpose. The purpose of an opening scene is to establish the basis of the story as well as engaging the audience. Therefore, I don't want the opening scene to feel drawn out and boring. I want to avoid an opening scene littered with random shots that serve no purpose but to serve as background for the credits. I want to try to integrate the credits into the scene in a seamless manner.

    American Psycho has an opening credits scene that is simple but also very symbolic. The screen has a plain white background with a generic font listing the credits. However, the white scene begins to be polluted by red drops. Then, as a drop splatters onto the white scene, the title American Psycho appears. White often portrays innocence and purity. This innocence is disrupted by the red splatters of what is seemingly blood. This portrays the nature of the "American Psycho:.

Research, research, and more research

         This is the moment that the course has led up to. The portfolio project is supposed to be a culmination of all the we have learned in class, in addition to our own research. It is a platform that we are supposed to use to demonstrate our skills and creativity. Unfortunately, I don't have any lightbulbs going off or any ideas standing out in my head. I think research is going to be crucial for this project. With enough preparation and research, the project should practically come together on its own. For my genre choice I am leaning towards horror. As a result, I will need to do extensive research on the genre and even look into some case studies.

   At the moment, I do not have an idea for a plot so that's something I will need to think more about. However, I do have some ideas for inspiration. I really enjoyed the recent work of  Jordan Peele, comedian turned film-maker. His films have not been typical depictions of the horror genre largely due to the societal messages they convey. Some features that distinguish his work from others is the well written script and the efficient use of sound to enhance the film. I hope I can learn a lot from his productions and apply them to my own.

Music Marketing Blog Post #2

     The creation of a music marketing campaign was no easy feat. It was a long arduous process that couldn't have been done without collaboration. The foundation of the marketing campaign was based upon the early decisions of our group. Our initial focus was on the music video aspect of the project. Therefore, we chose a song that we believed we could easily portray. Following that, we created our artist and the audience she would be marketed towards. We then proceeded to move onto the actual production of the music video.

    Before we could make a music video, we needed a plan in the form of a storyboard. Therefore, we decided to join a zoom call and brainstorm the ideas for it. As Kristen, Keira, and Amani laid most of the groundwork for the angles and story of the music video, I began creating the storyboard as we talked. Within an hour, our plan was fully mapped out and all that was left was for me to finish the actual storyboard.

    Upon completion of the storyboard, the music video was the next task. Filming a music video with the limitations of online class was something we had to consider. As a result, we ended up deciding on one person to take the responsibility of taking all the shots and recording the actual material. The rest of the group would be assigned as editors. One problem that arose with this decision was that we had to entirely rely on one person for our shots. Therefore, if we thought something should be reshot then we needed to contact that person and wait for them to resend it to us. Fortunately, there were not many reshoots necessary and editing went smoothly. 

    The last step of the project was to formulate our presentation. We opted for a simple google slides to present all our information. Keira used her digital skills to help the PowerPoint be visually appealing and attention grabbing. We promptly divided up the necessary slides and worked on them individually. Then, we all came together to review all the slides and made any edits we thought were necessary. Lastly, we figured out who would present each slide and who would be sharing the presentation from their computer.

    Overall, I found the project extremely helpful in not only understanding the whole process of marketing but also the application of it. I am glad the project was a group assignment because it helped with the division of labor, but also because it gave people to bounce ideas off of. The aspect I believe will be most helpful in developing my Cambridge portfolio is practicing the skill of research and applying it to our scenario.