Hi for the last time! Attached to this post, my very last blog post, is my creative critical reflection or CCR. I just wanted to highlight my part in this project and how I viewed my project and the impact it made. I also want to express that I'm so proud of the final product. It's been an incredible journey and an extremely difficult one as well. I never expected it to be this challenging in all honesty, but it feels so much more rewarding now that the project is actually completed. I did actually enjoy this project, even though it was extremely difficult for me, because we were able to be creative with it and put to use all the skills we've acquired in this course. If I could give past-me a piece of advice though, it would be to plan better and schedule our time better too, because I think that was our ultimate downfall as a group. Despite these difficulties however, we were able to pull through and deliver to you a project that we are all really proud of. I hope you enjoyed seeing our progress, our successes, our failures, and now our finished product.
Here's the link to my Creative Critical Reflection:
https://youtu.be/YpV4swPO44c
--Blogger Buitano (for the last time)
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Film Intro: Final Product
Hi again! This is the moment we, "we" meaning you and I, have been waiting for... the final product!!! Finally, finally, finally, we have finished and are ready to show you what we've created. As you know, it's been a bumpy road from start to finish, but the important thing is that we are finished. I can't believe we actually got to the point where we are done with this project, but I'm so happy we finally have. We switched plots four times, filmed three times (3 different ideas), and in between all that indecisiveness we finally were able to settle upon one plot and stick with it start to finish. We planned it, filmed it, and edited it, and are now able to step away and see it as a finished product. It was a struggle, and don't take that lightly, it truly was a struggle, but I'm really proud with what my group has accomplished and created, and I hope you are too. Enjoy!
Here's the link to our movie Mother, Oh Mine:
https://youtu.be/vecAkrKE4dE
--Blogger Buitano
Here's the link to our movie Mother, Oh Mine:
https://youtu.be/vecAkrKE4dE
--Blogger Buitano
Sound
Hey! So for our movie intro, some sounds that were crucial in order for our plot to flow, so we had to record them separately for them to be louder. Our intro is mainly focusing on dialogue being presented by Katerina Wu while she's sitting on a chair, self-recording her confession tape. We input a black screen before cutting to her intro of the video and that's were we inserted these sounds. We recorded her footsteps to the chair, the light switch turning on, her sitting on the chair, and the camcorder powering on. For some of these sounds we used Foley. For example for Bella sitting in the chair, Nico actually also pushed a pillow into a desk and for the camcorder powering on we used the light buzz that takes place when you turn on a Polaroid. For the other sounds though, we just rerecorded them to focus solely on that sound. We recorded Bella walking to the chair and focused the microphone by her feet and for the light switch we recorded Nico's hand pulling on the string to turn the lights on.
 |
| Nico pulling the light string. |
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| Bella walking to her chair. |
Just thought I'd share with you exactly how we got our sound to be obvious and clear in our film intro! Stay tuned for the final product!
--Blogger Buitano
Finally Finished Filming
It's a little late in the game, but we finally finished filming this week. We actually took one day to finish the script and film the whole video. I just want to describe the process to you so you can see the struggles we went through.
Bella, who was the main actress for our film, and I picked out her outfit. She wore a denim shirt and black leggings, something that a normal teenager would wear. But we made her have a messy ponytail and dark makeup to give her a deranged look to her. We then finished writing the script with the help of Isabella's brother Alexander Tolkov. We then filmed the video and had to set up the background how we wanted it to be and set up the camera so that she was centered in the camera. We set up the background to show sewing tools and mannequins which foreshadows that the main character sews clothes that resembles her mom's style in order to be more like her. We also stacked books on a stool in order to have Bella take up the majority of the shot and to have the camera and her eye level. We then adjusted the lighting so that it was more low-key in order to show that the movie would contain a heavy and dark theme.
After the set up, we began to film. It took us around two hours to film since we wanted to have one solid scene with no cuts of Bella talking to the camera. She had to memorize her lines and then we had to make it flow and get it perfect in one take. After she got it perfect around 2 or 3 times we finished filming and went to the editing process which didn't take too long. Nico put the two videos together and we had our video. We know which font we want, what our title is, so we have our texts down too, along with our sound effects and foley sounds, the only thing that is left is the background music. We have the filter of the recording in progress, so after the music is added in, our intro will be completely done.
--Blogger Buitano
Bella, who was the main actress for our film, and I picked out her outfit. She wore a denim shirt and black leggings, something that a normal teenager would wear. But we made her have a messy ponytail and dark makeup to give her a deranged look to her. We then finished writing the script with the help of Isabella's brother Alexander Tolkov. We then filmed the video and had to set up the background how we wanted it to be and set up the camera so that she was centered in the camera. We set up the background to show sewing tools and mannequins which foreshadows that the main character sews clothes that resembles her mom's style in order to be more like her. We also stacked books on a stool in order to have Bella take up the majority of the shot and to have the camera and her eye level. We then adjusted the lighting so that it was more low-key in order to show that the movie would contain a heavy and dark theme.
After the set up, we began to film. It took us around two hours to film since we wanted to have one solid scene with no cuts of Bella talking to the camera. She had to memorize her lines and then we had to make it flow and get it perfect in one take. After she got it perfect around 2 or 3 times we finished filming and went to the editing process which didn't take too long. Nico put the two videos together and we had our video. We know which font we want, what our title is, so we have our texts down too, along with our sound effects and foley sounds, the only thing that is left is the background music. We have the filter of the recording in progress, so after the music is added in, our intro will be completely done.
--Blogger Buitano
Target Audience
Hey! I just wanted to blog about this in case I haven't specified it in my previous blog. It's the target audience of thriller films. The general target audience of thrillers is adults. This is because some ideas common in thriller films are too intellectually demanding for a younger audience and it might be more difficult for them to grasp the idea of the film. Thrillers have several sub-genres though and each sub-genre has it's own specific target audience. Our film, would be classified as a suspense, horror, and action thriller. These sub-genres are aimed towards mature teenagers and young adults. These sub-genres are more exciting so they attract a younger audience because they're more enticing and they're also less intellectually demanding so this fits a younger audience better. Thrillers also usually target men more than women, but for our film we are aiming for both genders.
--Blogger Buitano
Productions, Panorama. "Target Audience - Thriller Films." Prezi.com. N.p., 11 Nov. 2013. Web. 11 Apr. 2017
--Blogger Buitano
Productions, Panorama. "Target Audience - Thriller Films." Prezi.com. N.p., 11 Nov. 2013. Web. 11 Apr. 2017
Here we go again...
So, first off, I just want to apologize for being so inactive recently, I've been getting together with my group the past five days straight so I haven't really had time to blog. We've been working extremely hard to complete the project and make sure it's good and the way we want it. We changed almost everything at the last minute, which put a lot of stress on us, but I think it ended up being for the best because we were way more satisfied with our changes than our original ideas.
So... We changed the plot again, and made it to be about a girl, Katerina Wu, who always feels one-upped by her mom. She resents her mom for always over shadowing her, yet is obsessed with her because she wants to be more like her and eventually better than her. The film opens with her confession tape admitting to the murder of her mom. Then after the opening, the film would go back to highlight moments of her childhood that led to this hatred of her mom. We'd then go to her teenage years and focus on them mainly to understand how Katerina felt going through her insecurities and then focus on an event that made her feel as though murdering her mom was the only way to solve all her issues. The movie would focus on that event that led up to the murder and then what happens to Katerina after the murder and after the submission of the confession tape.
This is the script Katerina Wu, which was played by Bella, read in the intro:
A seedling can not grow in the shadow of the tree from which it fell. It needs a chance to see the light. (Pause) I felt...overshadowed. I felt as though I never had any opportunity to grow with my mother around. If I ran a mile, she ran a marathon. She always had to one up me. I knew that with her around...I would never be able to progress. So, I murdered her. I ripped the piano wire out of the baby grand in our loft, walked into her room in the dead of night, and strangled her. As I did it, there was a feeling of relief in seeing the life pour out of her eyes. It was as if the life that she was loosing was being given to me. I am not ashamed or devastated by the murder. I am proud, for now this little seedling can reach towards the sun and show the world the fruits of its tireless labor. If you wish to find the body, it is in a brush in the Everglades. My name is Katerina Wu. You can find me at 2565 Eagle Point Dr. I'll be waiting for you.
--Blogger Buitano
So... We changed the plot again, and made it to be about a girl, Katerina Wu, who always feels one-upped by her mom. She resents her mom for always over shadowing her, yet is obsessed with her because she wants to be more like her and eventually better than her. The film opens with her confession tape admitting to the murder of her mom. Then after the opening, the film would go back to highlight moments of her childhood that led to this hatred of her mom. We'd then go to her teenage years and focus on them mainly to understand how Katerina felt going through her insecurities and then focus on an event that made her feel as though murdering her mom was the only way to solve all her issues. The movie would focus on that event that led up to the murder and then what happens to Katerina after the murder and after the submission of the confession tape.
This is the script Katerina Wu, which was played by Bella, read in the intro:
A seedling can not grow in the shadow of the tree from which it fell. It needs a chance to see the light. (Pause) I felt...overshadowed. I felt as though I never had any opportunity to grow with my mother around. If I ran a mile, she ran a marathon. She always had to one up me. I knew that with her around...I would never be able to progress. So, I murdered her. I ripped the piano wire out of the baby grand in our loft, walked into her room in the dead of night, and strangled her. As I did it, there was a feeling of relief in seeing the life pour out of her eyes. It was as if the life that she was loosing was being given to me. I am not ashamed or devastated by the murder. I am proud, for now this little seedling can reach towards the sun and show the world the fruits of its tireless labor. If you wish to find the body, it is in a brush in the Everglades. My name is Katerina Wu. You can find me at 2565 Eagle Point Dr. I'll be waiting for you.
--Blogger Buitano
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Giving Credit To Where Credit Is Due
Hi, again! Right now I'm tracing our steps back to our film idea. We originally had a very different idea as you well know by now. The idea we have now and are actually sticking with was inspired by my classmate and a Chinese myth. My classmate is the one who brought the idea to me and told me about this myth she'd heard of and I decided to do research on it.
The legend is called the Red String of Fate, and according to it, the gods supposedly tie an invisible red string around peoples' ankles, or fingers (Japanese version), that are destined to meet each other. It's similar to the idea of soulmates a lot of people in the U.S. believe in, only with a more fantastical element involving a string physically tying them together.
We're taking from this as inspiration, but we aren't following the legend exactly or discussing it. The string in the legend is never cut, but in our film intro it will be shown cut. We also aren't following it exactly because we just want the main idea from it, that peoples' fates are tied together when they are destined to meet.
That's all I wanted to share with you guys, just how our idea actually accumulated and came together and how this Chines legend inspired my group's plot. Stay tuned for more, we'll be finishing filming soon, yay!
-Blogger Buitano
Unknown. "Search." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 02 Mar. 2017. Web. 04 Apr. 2017.
The legend is called the Red String of Fate, and according to it, the gods supposedly tie an invisible red string around peoples' ankles, or fingers (Japanese version), that are destined to meet each other. It's similar to the idea of soulmates a lot of people in the U.S. believe in, only with a more fantastical element involving a string physically tying them together.
 |
| https://i0.wp.com/static.tumblr.com/f43438cf0017ef98bdf5bbc5017582dd/gxolnap/LC5mo8om5/tumblr_static_tumblr_m8prp9mmr21rdhzyqo1_500.gif |
We're taking from this as inspiration, but we aren't following the legend exactly or discussing it. The string in the legend is never cut, but in our film intro it will be shown cut. We also aren't following it exactly because we just want the main idea from it, that peoples' fates are tied together when they are destined to meet.
That's all I wanted to share with you guys, just how our idea actually accumulated and came together and how this Chines legend inspired my group's plot. Stay tuned for more, we'll be finishing filming soon, yay!
-Blogger Buitano
Unknown. "Search." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 02 Mar. 2017. Web. 04 Apr. 2017.
Sunday, April 2, 2017
Filming... Finally!
Hi! So today, guess what?! We filmed today!!!! Finally!
Okay, so the filming day started with getting our actors situated. I texted them what they had to wear and bring with them. That consisted of a mainly white outfit for the scene of them in the field after the car accident. It was a white outfit to have an angelic feel to the scene and make it seem more of a trance than a reality. Then I told them to also bring a change of clothes so that we could film scenes that would be part of the montage showing the couple's relationship. We then went to Markham Park and found a meadow-like path.
We began filming after tying the red string around both of the actors's ring fingers. Gabriel Torres, our main character, and his on-screen and off-screen girlfriend, Gabriela Marcano, are the main people participating in our film and their scenes are what we filmed. We filmed Gabe waking up confused in the meadow by himself, then him getting up and following the string to find Gaby. They eventually meet halfway and that's when she grabs on to his arms and shows him what they are meant to be to each other. The montage will play, which we also filmed yesterday, and then she backs away from him. We then filmed her touching his arm saying, "Come find me," and her hand slowly sliding off of his. After that we filmed her disappearing and him being left alone in the field.
That pretty much sums up our day of filming. We still have to film the car crash that Gabe is in and then the end of our intro, which is him waking up in a hospital, and then were done. After filming we need to edit and we might need to go back and create some Foley sounds but we'll determine that after we finish editing. It's a slow process, but I finally feel like we are getting somewhere, so stay tuned, our movie intro will be ready before you know it!
--Blogger Buitano
Okay, so the filming day started with getting our actors situated. I texted them what they had to wear and bring with them. That consisted of a mainly white outfit for the scene of them in the field after the car accident. It was a white outfit to have an angelic feel to the scene and make it seem more of a trance than a reality. Then I told them to also bring a change of clothes so that we could film scenes that would be part of the montage showing the couple's relationship. We then went to Markham Park and found a meadow-like path.
We began filming after tying the red string around both of the actors's ring fingers. Gabriel Torres, our main character, and his on-screen and off-screen girlfriend, Gabriela Marcano, are the main people participating in our film and their scenes are what we filmed. We filmed Gabe waking up confused in the meadow by himself, then him getting up and following the string to find Gaby. They eventually meet halfway and that's when she grabs on to his arms and shows him what they are meant to be to each other. The montage will play, which we also filmed yesterday, and then she backs away from him. We then filmed her touching his arm saying, "Come find me," and her hand slowly sliding off of his. After that we filmed her disappearing and him being left alone in the field.
That pretty much sums up our day of filming. We still have to film the car crash that Gabe is in and then the end of our intro, which is him waking up in a hospital, and then were done. After filming we need to edit and we might need to go back and create some Foley sounds but we'll determine that after we finish editing. It's a slow process, but I finally feel like we are getting somewhere, so stay tuned, our movie intro will be ready before you know it!
--Blogger Buitano
Saturday, April 1, 2017
New Plot, Who Dis?
OKAY!! I'm so excited about this! We finally, finally came up with a good plot that we all like and agree on!
Here it is, this is our plot, and we also included the genres this specific plot would consist of and some shots that we need for our intro.
There is a group of people in a car, laughing, talking, listening to music, having fun.
Here it is, this is our plot, and we also included the genres this specific plot would consist of and some shots that we need for our intro.
There is a group of people in a car, laughing, talking, listening to music, having fun.
All of a sudden, the driver loses control and there is a loud smash and bang (Foley and sound effects).
There is smoke and you just hear a ringing and metal clanging.
The car crashed into a tree in the woods. There’s smoke coming from the hood of the car, there’s blood and mud all over the hood of the car to show the destruction of the car.
The main character wakes up in a hospital gown, all alone. (Next to a pond)
He sees that now has a red string attached to his ring finger.
He looks confused (close up).
Gets up, calls out to see if anyone is there and there is no response. He is completely alone.
Turns his head around the corner and walks to walks towards the string to find where it leads to, and he hears a faint laugh in the background.
He walks into a corridor and discovers the laugh belongs to a young and beautiful girl who has the end of the string tied to her ring finger.
They walk to each other, she laughs and says she’s been waiting for him.
He asks her what she means by this, but she cuts him off by grabbing his hands.
A montage of moments with the pair starts to play. It shows them laughing together going on dates, sleeping together, crying together, etc.
He goes back to “reality” once the montage ends and she says, “see?”
He can’t find anything to say beside semi-nod
She comes close to him, her face completely changes from her light-hearted and laughing self to being serious and even worried and whispers (in a stressed and urgent tone), “Come find me.”
She fades away and the end of his string does too.
He, from the montage and from just being with her, knows he’s supposed to love her and be with her, he just doesn’t know how.
Now that he’s left alone, he just closes his eyes and wakes up in the car, his head. (Here we will match his reality with his dream sequence).
Shallow focus will be used to show some movement in the back of the car to show that everyone is okay, while still solely focusing on the main character.
He’s dazy from the accident but manages to get up, and when his eyes refocus he looks around to see if he's okay.
While doing this, he notices he has the red string tied to his ring finger, confirming that although he met this girl in his dream sequence what he felt was real and he has a sense of urgency to go find her (she might be in danger, because of the way she said “Come find me” to him) but passes out.
He reawakens in the hospital and still has the red string attached to his finger.
He gets up fast and immediately begins running.
Genre: Drama, Romance, and Thriller
Target audience: teens to young adults
Montage:
-sleeping together (cuddling)
-singing together in a car
-picnic
-eating dinner
-holding hands
-watching tv
-playing with dogs
We're Lost...
Hello! Welcome back! So, to sum up this week for you because I haven't blogged recently, it's been crazy. We've made so much progress and changed so much of our project. We basically started all over, but we're starting to catch up now so I'm feeling better about time, but I still feel under pressure for the CCR part of this project. We have a completely new plot, new story board, and actually started filming with our actors this week. This is how it began:
So on Wednesday, we met with our small groups, new groups this time, and discussed our projects. We all opened up our blog posts, described them to the group members, then we told the other members about our plot, and then asked for suggestions. We helped one of our members with her edits and shots since she didn't know which ones would be best for her video. We also helped edit their plots and create a better and more solid story along with creating creative shots they could use.
All of the group members went and then I was left. I pitched my group's idea to them and their response was exactly like mine. They weren't huge fans of the plot, just like me I wasn't so confident in it. They thought it was too confusing and too long and also felt that the intro was trying to be suspenseful and entice the audience but it failed and was boring instead. I took their advice and what they suggested was to start from scratch instead of fixing and rebuilding this idea. We had been trying repeatedly to do a thriller with some suspense and mystery involving water but, being realistic, I noticed that that was too much of a challenge to film in open water.
They later gave me new ideas and inspiration that I took and developed more and pitched to my group. It led to a huge discussion with my group and we got into a little fight about it because we were all working as individuals and then coming together instead of as a group. We talked it out and agreed to start working better together, and it actually worked, stay tuned!
--Blogger Buitano
So on Wednesday, we met with our small groups, new groups this time, and discussed our projects. We all opened up our blog posts, described them to the group members, then we told the other members about our plot, and then asked for suggestions. We helped one of our members with her edits and shots since she didn't know which ones would be best for her video. We also helped edit their plots and create a better and more solid story along with creating creative shots they could use.
All of the group members went and then I was left. I pitched my group's idea to them and their response was exactly like mine. They weren't huge fans of the plot, just like me I wasn't so confident in it. They thought it was too confusing and too long and also felt that the intro was trying to be suspenseful and entice the audience but it failed and was boring instead. I took their advice and what they suggested was to start from scratch instead of fixing and rebuilding this idea. We had been trying repeatedly to do a thriller with some suspense and mystery involving water but, being realistic, I noticed that that was too much of a challenge to film in open water.
They later gave me new ideas and inspiration that I took and developed more and pitched to my group. It led to a huge discussion with my group and we got into a little fight about it because we were all working as individuals and then coming together instead of as a group. We talked it out and agreed to start working better together, and it actually worked, stay tuned!
--Blogger Buitano
Sunday, March 26, 2017
It's Back to Research, YAY!
Hi again! I'm still kind of freaking out because my group still doesn't have a solid idea. It's just really hard for us, who are all very different people with very different opinions, to all decide upon one idea. It's not like we haven't tried, it's that we haven't really been successful when it comes to sticking with an idea and fully developing it so that it can be well-produced and easy to follow while simultaneously grasping the audiences attention. Since we're still unsure of what our video opening will be, Bella and I decided it'd be a good idea to research some suspenseful thriller film openings for inspiration and to see what each opening did differently.
The first movie intro we looked at was Psycho (1960) by Alfred Hitchcock. It is categorized as a psychological horror film, with suspenseful aspects incorporated into it, and portrays a stressed female who is under a lot of pressure, who after stealing a lot of money, runs away so that she can marry the man she loves. She winds up at a motel, where she spends the night, which turns out to be a fateful decision. This film though really thrilling has an intro of opening credits in white lettering on a black background. One thing incorporated in the intro however, was music, which really helped to set the tone for the piece. It gives off a suspenseful tone with a fast melody and low octave, which drew the audience in.
Gone Girl is another film we researched. This movie portrays a man, Nick Dunne, who is the leading suspect in the disappearance of his wife. The pressure from the police and media frenzy cause Dunne's image of a happy union to crumble, which questions him and his wife's relationship. The opening of this film, is different from Psycho's because it includes a voice over of what seems to be the husband talking about his wife and their marriage in a negative way while a close up of his wife is shown. The music while all this is going on also adds a suspenseful tone to the whole scene, translating to the audience anxiousness and keeps them at the edge of their seat waiting to watch what happens next.
The last filmed we researched was Identity. This movie portrays three strangers who are stranded at a motel in Nevada during a storm and realize they are being killed off, one by one. The opening of Identity, Bella and I noticed several elements that helped establish information that will prove to be relevant and important later on during the film. There were some aspects that stood out, for example there was a tape playing, so there was some sort of voice over and it is of a psychiatrist and his patient, and montage of pictures and newspaper articles of deaths, murders, victims, and suspects are shown, and a guy who appears to be professional is seemingly listening to the tape and looking at the articles. The opening coordinates with the tape and both end at the same time, and while all this is happening, there is also eerie music in the background adding to the suspenseful tone and hinting at the audience that something is about to happen, keeping them interested.
Watching these videos seemed to help to expand and broaden our understanding of suspenseful thrillers and what elements they need in order to capture the audience. I took a lot from this so now when it comes to the point where we have to film our film opening, we can consider this research and maybe utilize a voice over to establish and share important information to the audience or use sound to match the tone of the scene. We have limited time left so I'm really hoping this research pushes us into the right direction and so that our project can finally start to pick up speed. Wish us luck!
--Blogger Buitano
"Plot Summary." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2017.
"Plot Summary." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2017.
"Plot Summary." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2017.
Unknown. "Psycho." N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2017.
Unknown. "Gone Girl." N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2017.
Unknown. "Identity." N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2017.
Watching these videos seemed to help to expand and broaden our understanding of suspenseful thrillers and what elements they need in order to capture the audience. I took a lot from this so now when it comes to the point where we have to film our film opening, we can consider this research and maybe utilize a voice over to establish and share important information to the audience or use sound to match the tone of the scene. We have limited time left so I'm really hoping this research pushes us into the right direction and so that our project can finally start to pick up speed. Wish us luck!
--Blogger Buitano
"Plot Summary." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2017.
"Plot Summary." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2017.
"Plot Summary." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2017.
Unknown. "Psycho." N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2017.
Unknown. "Gone Girl." N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2017.
Unknown. "Identity." N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2017.
Saturday, March 25, 2017
Starting From Scatch?!
Okay, so Hi! I'm kind of frustrated while typing this. And don't worry, I'll explain exactly why I'm so frustrated and stressed all of a sudden. Are you ready for it? Yeah, I think you're ready. So... my group decided to completely start over and throw away our previous idea. That means it's back to the drawing board for us, I guess, since it's two against one, me being in the minority, who want a completely new plot and opening.
After the meetings we each had with our individual groups we all talked about the recommendations we received and somehow that led to Nico and Bella thinking they want a whole new idea. I was getting excited about our previous plan and with the new ideas, I thought it was going to work out even better, but apparently no. And since that's not what my partners are feeling, and since this is a group project, we have to all compromise and vote on ideas. So, now since they want a new idea, I guess it's back to square one.
A main concern that Nico and Bella shared was that creating a sci-fi thriller wasn't the best genre option to go with, because it can be difficult to portray it well as amateur film creators. Nico then came up with an idea that was very different from our original idea and which Bella and a lot of other classmates seemed to like. He thought of a film opening that was very heavily based on dialogue, while still going to be a thriller, but now more of a suspenseful and mysterious thriller. His new idea is mainly to have the main character be a guy who wakes up in the middle of the ocean, confused as to where he is and how he got there. The scene continues and a sketchy-looking man approaches him on a paddle board as a form of "rescue" and offers to take him back to land. The majority of the intro would be the dialogue between the man and the guy who is confused, the protagonist. Through the dialogue, the identity of the protagonist would be revealed to show that he still is aware of who he is, but his knowledge gets extremely hazy besides that, for example not knowing what he was even doing that resulted in him being stranded in the middle of the sea. The man on the paddle board would eventually go on to say something misleading that creeps out the main character that creates tension and suspense that the audience can interpret. This would hint at the fact that the main character while being "rescued" is actually just being placed in another dangerous situation that would be elaborated more on throughout the entirety of the hypothetical film.
I think that going the dialogue route is more unique and something different. I feel that it can give us more freedom with the direction we want to take our film in and I'm now genuinely excited to see how this develops, but as you can tell, we need help. We have a NEW idea now, but still, we only have pieces of it. We need to stick with an idea, hopefully it's this one, and develop it more to actually have a solid idea we can film and begin to edit. I'm very worried about my group's pacing because I feel that we are still so behind and confused as to what we want to do. I'm also nervous about the production process because I'm afraid it's going to be more challenging than what we expect. All I know though is that we need to start pulling our shit together or this project could start going on a downward spiral and quick. Wish us luck, we are going to need it.
--Blogger Buitano
After the meetings we each had with our individual groups we all talked about the recommendations we received and somehow that led to Nico and Bella thinking they want a whole new idea. I was getting excited about our previous plan and with the new ideas, I thought it was going to work out even better, but apparently no. And since that's not what my partners are feeling, and since this is a group project, we have to all compromise and vote on ideas. So, now since they want a new idea, I guess it's back to square one.
A main concern that Nico and Bella shared was that creating a sci-fi thriller wasn't the best genre option to go with, because it can be difficult to portray it well as amateur film creators. Nico then came up with an idea that was very different from our original idea and which Bella and a lot of other classmates seemed to like. He thought of a film opening that was very heavily based on dialogue, while still going to be a thriller, but now more of a suspenseful and mysterious thriller. His new idea is mainly to have the main character be a guy who wakes up in the middle of the ocean, confused as to where he is and how he got there. The scene continues and a sketchy-looking man approaches him on a paddle board as a form of "rescue" and offers to take him back to land. The majority of the intro would be the dialogue between the man and the guy who is confused, the protagonist. Through the dialogue, the identity of the protagonist would be revealed to show that he still is aware of who he is, but his knowledge gets extremely hazy besides that, for example not knowing what he was even doing that resulted in him being stranded in the middle of the sea. The man on the paddle board would eventually go on to say something misleading that creeps out the main character that creates tension and suspense that the audience can interpret. This would hint at the fact that the main character while being "rescued" is actually just being placed in another dangerous situation that would be elaborated more on throughout the entirety of the hypothetical film.
I think that going the dialogue route is more unique and something different. I feel that it can give us more freedom with the direction we want to take our film in and I'm now genuinely excited to see how this develops, but as you can tell, we need help. We have a NEW idea now, but still, we only have pieces of it. We need to stick with an idea, hopefully it's this one, and develop it more to actually have a solid idea we can film and begin to edit. I'm very worried about my group's pacing because I feel that we are still so behind and confused as to what we want to do. I'm also nervous about the production process because I'm afraid it's going to be more challenging than what we expect. All I know though is that we need to start pulling our shit together or this project could start going on a downward spiral and quick. Wish us luck, we are going to need it.
--Blogger Buitano
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
Phoning a Friend!
Hi guys! Monday was quite an eventful day in class. Our teacher took my entire class to the media center, where we were placed in groups. In these groups of about five people each, we pitched our ideas and discussed any concerns with our fellow students seeking for advice, comments, or criticism.
To be honest with you, at the beginning I was really nervous, because I volunteered to go first and wasn't sure how the process was going to proceed or how they were going to react. When I actually started explaining my blog and video idea however, I eased up and simply had a conversation with them and I think I and everyone else in my group, benefited from what we all had to say. Getting in groups was actually very helpful. I was able to think out my group's idea more thoroughly since I had to organize my thoughts better so that they could easily understand and grasp our idea.
So for my presentation to my group I started out by explained to them what I've explained here already and gave them a briefing of the plot we had in mind. I went over my blog postings, but the majority of the time I was explaining the plot to them and asking for their input. They said they really liked our idea, that it was interesting and different, and would easily entice the audience. They also gave me a few new ideas in the meantime. One person in my group mentioned including a symbol. This symbol would serve to represent the government, or more specifically the government division that is conducting the experiment. They also suggested to place the symbol on the protagonist's friends', the one he says hi to at the beginning of the intro, watch, and to make him be the one who hypnotizes the main character at the party. Then, when the protagonist emerges in the middle of the ocean he would have the symbol too, or see it when he goes to shore. I also mentioned to them the idea of incorporating the color blue in each shot because blue symbolizes remoteness and how we were considering giving the main character blue eye contacts when he emerged on the main land to make more obvious that what he was experiencing wasn't reality. They really liked that idea and said it would add a deeper meaning to the plot and utilize the props accurately and effectively in order to portray the idea better. The only concern my group had was the limited time frame available to us. I plan that everything we have in mind considering the plot of the intro can be done in two and a half minutes or under, so I think I'll be fine, but I'll take into consideration their concern and stay conscious of the time.
Overall, having this meeting with people from my class helped me a lot because they helped better my group's idea and film opening. They also made me feel even more confident about my group's plot and intro, reassuring that the direction we are going in is a good one. I'm ready and excited to tell my group about the new ideas that were presented to me in this meeting so we can revise what we have as of now. I'll report back to you on what they said, so stay tuned!
--Blogger Buitano
To be honest with you, at the beginning I was really nervous, because I volunteered to go first and wasn't sure how the process was going to proceed or how they were going to react. When I actually started explaining my blog and video idea however, I eased up and simply had a conversation with them and I think I and everyone else in my group, benefited from what we all had to say. Getting in groups was actually very helpful. I was able to think out my group's idea more thoroughly since I had to organize my thoughts better so that they could easily understand and grasp our idea.
So for my presentation to my group I started out by explained to them what I've explained here already and gave them a briefing of the plot we had in mind. I went over my blog postings, but the majority of the time I was explaining the plot to them and asking for their input. They said they really liked our idea, that it was interesting and different, and would easily entice the audience. They also gave me a few new ideas in the meantime. One person in my group mentioned including a symbol. This symbol would serve to represent the government, or more specifically the government division that is conducting the experiment. They also suggested to place the symbol on the protagonist's friends', the one he says hi to at the beginning of the intro, watch, and to make him be the one who hypnotizes the main character at the party. Then, when the protagonist emerges in the middle of the ocean he would have the symbol too, or see it when he goes to shore. I also mentioned to them the idea of incorporating the color blue in each shot because blue symbolizes remoteness and how we were considering giving the main character blue eye contacts when he emerged on the main land to make more obvious that what he was experiencing wasn't reality. They really liked that idea and said it would add a deeper meaning to the plot and utilize the props accurately and effectively in order to portray the idea better. The only concern my group had was the limited time frame available to us. I plan that everything we have in mind considering the plot of the intro can be done in two and a half minutes or under, so I think I'll be fine, but I'll take into consideration their concern and stay conscious of the time.
Overall, having this meeting with people from my class helped me a lot because they helped better my group's idea and film opening. They also made me feel even more confident about my group's plot and intro, reassuring that the direction we are going in is a good one. I'm ready and excited to tell my group about the new ideas that were presented to me in this meeting so we can revise what we have as of now. I'll report back to you on what they said, so stay tuned!
--Blogger Buitano
Sunday, March 19, 2017
...And More Research!
Hi again! So me and Bella met up today at Starbucks to do more in-depth research on our genre selection. We decided that instead of researching more important elements of our genre like my last post, it’d be better to look at case studies as to further our research. We decided upon two movies which we would closely examine, those two movies were Inception(2010) and The Matrix(1999).
So the first movie that we chose was The Matrix, which portrays a dystopian future where people are in a simulated reality known as “The Matrix.” This simulated reality is created by sentient machines in order to control the human population, while their bodies’ heat and other electrical activity are used as sources of energy. The protagonist is Thomas Anderson, also known as “Neo,” who is a computer programmer living a double life. He believes something is wrong with reality and is constantly taunted by online encounters with a cryptic message reading, “The Matrix.” Trinity, who is an infamous hacker, reaches out to him saying that a man named Morpheus can explain the matrix. Neo then meets with Morpheus, who presents him with a set of pills. He first offers him a red pill that allows him to find out the truth behind the matrix, and then offers him a blue pill that will return him to his old life, leaving Neo to determine his own future. This film is considered to be a Sci-Fi thriller due to the fact that there is an alternate reality, use of technology, setting in a type of futuristic world, and a presence of good and evil.
The second film that we chose, Inception, depicts extractors, who perform corporate espionage, using experimental military technology on their targets and remove certain information deemed as valuable through a shared dream world. Their latest target Saito, a Japanese businessman, reveals that he arranged their mission himself, as a kind of test, planting an idea into one's subconscious, or "inception." This film is considered to be a science fiction due to the main concept of dream sharing, which connects different peoples’ subconscious, so that subjects can experience the exact same dream space, and even build their dream space themselves, by visualizing a specific location.
So the first movie that we chose was The Matrix, which portrays a dystopian future where people are in a simulated reality known as “The Matrix.” This simulated reality is created by sentient machines in order to control the human population, while their bodies’ heat and other electrical activity are used as sources of energy. The protagonist is Thomas Anderson, also known as “Neo,” who is a computer programmer living a double life. He believes something is wrong with reality and is constantly taunted by online encounters with a cryptic message reading, “The Matrix.” Trinity, who is an infamous hacker, reaches out to him saying that a man named Morpheus can explain the matrix. Neo then meets with Morpheus, who presents him with a set of pills. He first offers him a red pill that allows him to find out the truth behind the matrix, and then offers him a blue pill that will return him to his old life, leaving Neo to determine his own future. This film is considered to be a Sci-Fi thriller due to the fact that there is an alternate reality, use of technology, setting in a type of futuristic world, and a presence of good and evil. 
I’m really hoping we learned a few things from this research and that we’ll be able to apply the knowledge that we gained from these case studies to our film project. One thing Bella and I noticed almost immediately about these great sci-fi movies, is that they each have a very unique and original plot that makes them stand out from the rest by avoiding cliches. We also realized that there’s usually a psychological element within them to mess with the audience's mind and give the film more depth. With these case studies now at our disposal, we have a more concrete idea of what direction we want our plot to go in, and I’m pretty excited, so keep an eye out for my next few blogs!
--Blogger Buitano
Shmoop Editorial Team. "Inception: Genre." Shmoop. Shmoop University, 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 18 Mar. 2017.
"Inception (2010)." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2017.
"Why Is Matrix a Sci-fi Movie?" Yahoo! Answers. Yahoo!, n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2017.
Unknown. The Matrix. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.
Unknown. Inception. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.
Unknown. The Matrix. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.
Unknown. Inception. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.
Saturday, March 18, 2017
Ready, Set, Research!
This is the beginning of the actual project. The research, the basis on which my film will grow on. This is also the part, if I'm being honest, I'm dreading. I know it's necessary and that whatever research I do has to be relevant and in depth and can heavily impact the direction in which my film goes, and that's why I'm scared to take on this part of the project. It's essential and everything we do from here on out is going to be based on the step were beginning today so it's extremely important. But I can't prolong it anymore, I have to start, so here we go!
First thing's first, we researched the genre, which is Thriller and it's main sub-genre, Sci-Fi. Thrillers have certain elements that can make them great. Some of those elements include starting the film with an action scene. This gets the viewers interested in what's going on on-screen by enticing the audience. This also introduces a potential conflict that could arise in the production, or even foreshadow that something bad is awaiting. Another element of a thriller is that the protagonist is both ordinary and heroic. It's more satisfying to viewers to have a relate-able main character who experiences a stressful situation and struggles throughout it than to have an indestructible protagonist that can defy all odds. Ideally, the main character is an ordinary Joe Schmo who has to use up all his courage to overcome a struggle he faces, and throughout his struggle becomes heroic by defying some odds and defeating his opponent. A thriller should also have a lot of suspense to it. This is necessary to keep the viewers at the edge of their seats and keep them interested and in a state of high energy throughout the duration of the production. Obstacles in the protagonist's path are also a key component of a thriller. Having conflicts in the main character's way keeps the audience interested in how they are resolved and what can result because of them. This also adds to the plot by giving the protagonist more of a struggle in order to reach his goal, while also revealing more about his character by observing the way he goes about what he confronts.
Then we researched some elements of a scientific-fiction film. Sci-fi's usually include futuristic elements and technologies for the film and director to be able to explore certain issues prevalent in today's society. Heroes and villains are usually present in sci-fi's to create a conflict in the plot that the audience can follow. A sci-fi also normally includes unexplored territory which the protagonist sets out to discover. This adds a mysterious element to a sci-fi while creating an adventure for the character to take part in. Fantastical quests and advanced technology are also important elements in a sci-fi because they create a hyper-reality world in which the protagonist is now indulged in. Also, it gives the director more room to be imaginative and create a unique world in which these extreme, and often unrealistic, circumstances can occur.
We now have a better understanding of what is expected of us in this film opening and what are considered important elements of our selected genres. This knowledge will be used in our production process and will be explored and analyzed in greater depth in my next post where I examine case studies, so stay tuned!
--Blogger Buitano
"12 Ways to Hook an Audience in 30 Seconds." OPEN Forum. N.p., 11 Apr. 2013. Web. 18 Mar. 2017.
First thing's first, we researched the genre, which is Thriller and it's main sub-genre, Sci-Fi. Thrillers have certain elements that can make them great. Some of those elements include starting the film with an action scene. This gets the viewers interested in what's going on on-screen by enticing the audience. This also introduces a potential conflict that could arise in the production, or even foreshadow that something bad is awaiting. Another element of a thriller is that the protagonist is both ordinary and heroic. It's more satisfying to viewers to have a relate-able main character who experiences a stressful situation and struggles throughout it than to have an indestructible protagonist that can defy all odds. Ideally, the main character is an ordinary Joe Schmo who has to use up all his courage to overcome a struggle he faces, and throughout his struggle becomes heroic by defying some odds and defeating his opponent. A thriller should also have a lot of suspense to it. This is necessary to keep the viewers at the edge of their seats and keep them interested and in a state of high energy throughout the duration of the production. Obstacles in the protagonist's path are also a key component of a thriller. Having conflicts in the main character's way keeps the audience interested in how they are resolved and what can result because of them. This also adds to the plot by giving the protagonist more of a struggle in order to reach his goal, while also revealing more about his character by observing the way he goes about what he confronts.
Then we researched some elements of a scientific-fiction film. Sci-fi's usually include futuristic elements and technologies for the film and director to be able to explore certain issues prevalent in today's society. Heroes and villains are usually present in sci-fi's to create a conflict in the plot that the audience can follow. A sci-fi also normally includes unexplored territory which the protagonist sets out to discover. This adds a mysterious element to a sci-fi while creating an adventure for the character to take part in. Fantastical quests and advanced technology are also important elements in a sci-fi because they create a hyper-reality world in which the protagonist is now indulged in. Also, it gives the director more room to be imaginative and create a unique world in which these extreme, and often unrealistic, circumstances can occur.
We now have a better understanding of what is expected of us in this film opening and what are considered important elements of our selected genres. This knowledge will be used in our production process and will be explored and analyzed in greater depth in my next post where I examine case studies, so stay tuned!
--Blogger Buitano
Buffam, Noelle. The Script Lab. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2017.
Milchman, Jenny. "20 Essential Elements of a Bestselling Thriller, by Jodie Renner." The Thrill Begins. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2017.
"10 Basic Ingredients of a Successful Thriller." WritersDigest.com. N.p., 12 July 2011. Web. 18 Mar. 2017.
"12 Ways to Hook an Audience in 30 Seconds." OPEN Forum. N.p., 11 Apr. 2013. Web. 18 Mar. 2017.
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
It Finally Clicked!
My group and I owe a BIG "thank you" to the inspiration Gods, who finally came through and planted a good film idea into our brains. I'm about to explain the whole process we went through in order to end up with our movie idea and let you see how our brains eventually formulated this concept, so get ready.
NathanR10 Follow. "Genre Conventions of Sci-Fi Thriller." LinkedIn SlideShare. N.p., 23 Oct. 2014. Web. 14 Mar. 2017.
Unknown. "What Is Hypnosis?" North Carolina Society of Clinical Hypnosis. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2017.
Unknown. "Hypnosis - Google Search." Hypnosis - Google Search. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2017
Okay, so first we started our group discussion in class, not unlike our previous team brainstorming-sessions. We put our desks together and, knowing we wanted to come up with a plot for a thriller film, discussed different types of thrillers we could produce. We began with the idea of creating a scientific fiction (sci-fi) thriller and searched up conventions of sci-fi thrillers, along with some examples we might know of or use to gain inspiration from. We then considered more specific elements that could potentially be part of our plot. We took into consideration having a specific color appear in every shot we filmed. Choosing the color would occur later on in the development of our plot and require research about what each color can represent, as to make it symbolic and meaningful. My group also wanted to keep the idea I discussed in my previous blog, where a man dives into a pool surrounded by his friends and emerges in the middle of the ocean completely isolated. We considered incorporating a parallel-universe or a world of a different dimension in this one particular plot. We strayed from this idea, and started to consider the idea of a brain washing that would somehow connect to the man's newly found isolation. We didn't think it tied into the type of sci-thriller we were hoping to create, and instead contemplated the idea of hypnosis, researching more about it. We discovered that hypnosis is "the induction of a state of consciousness in which a person apparently loses the power of voluntary action and is highly responsive to suggestion or direction." We thought we could take this idea that makes someone more susceptible to suggestion and fuse it with the "man emerging isolated" idea.
The idea we formulated was that a man would be hypnotized without his knowledge by a governmental official (or government employee). His trigger would be water, which would explain why when he dove into the pool, he came up for breath in a different "realm," when he's really just in a sleep-like state induced by the hypnosis. The government is hypnotizing random people and is being alerted of when the subjects activate their subconscious, or state brought about by the hypnosis. Their purpose behind it is to assign certain difficult tasks to the subjects, the main character's task is still unknown, and observe their progress and see if they can achieve it, which would return them to reality. The few that can accomplish their assigned tasks are different from the rest since they can activate the other side of their brain most humans don't use, which is the only way one can succeed in the task. Those who can activate the other region of their brain are revealed to the government who is recruiting them so that they can complete a task for them (which is, as of now, still unknown). The main plot of the film would consist of the main character discovering what his task is, trying to complete it so that he can return, while also finding out what the government is planning and is hoping to accomplish with this information.
While we have the plot for the whole film, we still have to do more research on it so that we can grasp a better understanding of our topic and discuss how we are going to plan and shoot the intro of this film to make it so that the audience is intrigued. I'm glad we at least finally have a concrete idea of what we want to do with our film (though the plot is most likely to still be edited) and of what direction we want to move towards.
Now it's back to the planning board for my team so that we can plan the intro for this film in the hopes of starting filming this weekend. More information about our plot and development of our intro is soon to be revealed, as we ourselves uncover it, so stay tuned! We won't disappoint, scouts honor.
--Blogger Buitano
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| Picture of my group's planning page |
The idea we formulated was that a man would be hypnotized without his knowledge by a governmental official (or government employee). His trigger would be water, which would explain why when he dove into the pool, he came up for breath in a different "realm," when he's really just in a sleep-like state induced by the hypnosis. The government is hypnotizing random people and is being alerted of when the subjects activate their subconscious, or state brought about by the hypnosis. Their purpose behind it is to assign certain difficult tasks to the subjects, the main character's task is still unknown, and observe their progress and see if they can achieve it, which would return them to reality. The few that can accomplish their assigned tasks are different from the rest since they can activate the other side of their brain most humans don't use, which is the only way one can succeed in the task. Those who can activate the other region of their brain are revealed to the government who is recruiting them so that they can complete a task for them (which is, as of now, still unknown). The main plot of the film would consist of the main character discovering what his task is, trying to complete it so that he can return, while also finding out what the government is planning and is hoping to accomplish with this information.
While we have the plot for the whole film, we still have to do more research on it so that we can grasp a better understanding of our topic and discuss how we are going to plan and shoot the intro of this film to make it so that the audience is intrigued. I'm glad we at least finally have a concrete idea of what we want to do with our film (though the plot is most likely to still be edited) and of what direction we want to move towards.
Now it's back to the planning board for my team so that we can plan the intro for this film in the hopes of starting filming this weekend. More information about our plot and development of our intro is soon to be revealed, as we ourselves uncover it, so stay tuned! We won't disappoint, scouts honor.
--Blogger Buitano
NathanR10 Follow. "Genre Conventions of Sci-Fi Thriller." LinkedIn SlideShare. N.p., 23 Oct. 2014. Web. 14 Mar. 2017.
Unknown. "What Is Hypnosis?" North Carolina Society of Clinical Hypnosis. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2017.
Unknown. "Hypnosis - Google Search." Hypnosis - Google Search. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2017
Sunday, March 12, 2017
Forecast Says It's Brainstorming!
We finally decided on our film's genre: THRILLER. Their purpose is to make the audience feel suspense and excitement throughout the duration of the film. I did some research on thrillers to see what the genre's conventions and what most thrillers contain. This is some of what I found:
--Blogger Buitano
JasonsA2Media Follow. "Codes and Conventions of the Thriller Genre." LinkedIn SlideShare. N.p., 10 Sept. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2017.
- It usually consists of a battle between the protagonist and antagonist
- The plot shows a series of bad events that build up tension and suspense for the film's climax
- The protagonist's intentions are to restore justice, while the antagonist's are to destroy it
- Low-key lighting, quick cuts, shadows, high-tension music, etc. are usually incorporated in a thriller
- The story line is usually created so that the audience believes it could happen to them, causing them to be scared
- Close-ups and extreme close-ups are used frequently and quick cuts are used with antagonist in order to hide their identity and tot focus on the emotions of the main characters.
- Jump cuts and cross cutting are commonly used editing techniques
- Music is a key component in a thriller, correlates to what the people in the film are experiencing and portrays that feeling to the viewers. The music often starts out at a slow pace and increases to dramatize the scenes for the viewers, helping to create tension and suspense that is conveyed to the audience.
- A girl confuses a murderer as her boyfriend, we liked this idea but we thought that it was too similar to another iconic horror/thriller movie featuring a young Drew Barrymore.
- Then another idea was proposed, in this concept, a guy dives into a pool with several people surrounding him and comes up for air in the middle of the ocean, completely isolated. This could be filmed with a drone that Nico has, but the idea hasn't been developed at all yet, but we could definitely build a story around this scene.
- There's a type of alien/government take over or invasion and the main subject is compromised and becomes a mind-controlled drone. This idea sounds familiar so we have to do some research to see if it's been done before and make it more detailed because some aspects could be changed to make it better and more original.
--Blogger Buitano
JasonsA2Media Follow. "Codes and Conventions of the Thriller Genre." LinkedIn SlideShare. N.p., 10 Sept. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2017.
Ideas, Ideas, Stress, and More Ideas!
We meet again! This time around, more thought has gone into the actual product itself, the film opening, and more thought has conceived more questions.
First off however, I thought I'd be a good idea to introduce to you my partners who will be working on this film opening with me. I'm working with two of my good friends, Nicolas Garcia-Bonaduce and Isabella Tolkov, who will be referred to in my blog as Nico and Bella. We decided to work together because well, we were the only ones we really knew at the time, but also, we just so happen to all have very different styles and opinions, yet we still manage to work well together since we can always discuss our individual ideas and build off of one that we all like and support.
When we met up to discuss this project, several questions started to pop into our minds. What type of film do we want to produce? What will our film be about? What genre will our film fall under? Will we conform to the genre conventions, or will we stray from the norms?
At the beginning of the year, before I was exposed to all the elements of film one has to take into consideration, I thought selecting my idea for the film opening would be rather easy. I'd just choose one idea, film it, and boom I'd be set. I now realize that this is no easy task. I have a lot to consider and a lot to research and plan so that my film is as authentic as possible. For this entire process to kick off though, my group has to select a genre so we can research it, get some inspiration, and eventually produce our own film idea. There's several options, such as action, comedy, thriller, adventure, drama, horror, romance, and so many other film genres to choose from. This led us to really consider which type of genre we all enjoy, since we will have to analyze some films from that genre, and also which genre we feel that we could each contribute to.
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| Film Genres |
It's an incredibly long and difficult process, especially when just getting started. But, my group is finally starting to get some ideas and look at the project as a long-term commitment, from start to finish, and let me tell you, I have a good feeling about this. We still have a long way to go, but we're starting off by crawling and we're all pretty confident it's in the right direction.
--Blogger Buitano
Unknown. "Film Genres." An Award-winning, Unique Resource of Film Reference Material for Film Buffs and Others, with Reviews of Classic American-Hollywood Films, Academy Awards History, Film Posters. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2017.
Unknown. "Film Genres." An Award-winning, Unique Resource of Film Reference Material for Film Buffs and Others, with Reviews of Classic American-Hollywood Films, Academy Awards History, Film Posters. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2017.
Hi, Hello, and How Do You Do?
My name is Alessia Buitano. I'm just a junior here taking AICE Media Studies, just like everyone else whose blogs you're reading, preparing to take on a huge challenge.
I've never been one for film, literature, or any type of art really. Don't get me wrong, I binge watch shows as much as the next teen, but I never sat down to appreciate and analyze a piece, and if I'm being honest, never had much interest in doing so either. That was all before this class, I now depict every small detail in film, ranging from music videos, to documentaries, to Hollywood movies. The amount of thought and consideration that goes into creating a film is nerve-racking and intimidating to me. The production team has to specifically choose the music, mise-en-scene, shots, angles, and of course the editing. These elements and more make up the film and are what make the audience adore and value a film, or can also be what makes the viewers think, "ehhh."
I'm creating a film opening for my project, so now I'M the production team, and let me just be straightforward with you, I'm terrified. This is a huge challenge to undertake, and I know I'm prepared, I can do it, I know what I need to know in order to succeed. But, you see, getting there, getting to the final product, one I'm hopefully extremely proud of, is what's hazy to me. I want my idea, which is still not developed yet, to be portrayed clearly to my viewers, A.K.A. you, without getting the meaning and purpose lost in translation. In order to help sort out my thoughts, ideas, and mistakes, I'll be writing about them and my experiences as they occur. My blog will express all my thoughts and concerns and is what hopefully helps me better organize and convey my ideas.
Well, I've expressed my concerns, but now it's time to get pumped because although this is probably going to be one of the hardest assignments I've ever taken on in my sixteen years on this Earth, I having a feeling it will also be extremely rewarding to see my final product. So get ready, because this is going to be a long, exciting, and bumpy road, and you're riding shot-gun!
--Blogger Buitano (I'll be signing off with this from now on, since, you know, I blog now.)
I've never been one for film, literature, or any type of art really. Don't get me wrong, I binge watch shows as much as the next teen, but I never sat down to appreciate and analyze a piece, and if I'm being honest, never had much interest in doing so either. That was all before this class, I now depict every small detail in film, ranging from music videos, to documentaries, to Hollywood movies. The amount of thought and consideration that goes into creating a film is nerve-racking and intimidating to me. The production team has to specifically choose the music, mise-en-scene, shots, angles, and of course the editing. These elements and more make up the film and are what make the audience adore and value a film, or can also be what makes the viewers think, "ehhh."
I'm creating a film opening for my project, so now I'M the production team, and let me just be straightforward with you, I'm terrified. This is a huge challenge to undertake, and I know I'm prepared, I can do it, I know what I need to know in order to succeed. But, you see, getting there, getting to the final product, one I'm hopefully extremely proud of, is what's hazy to me. I want my idea, which is still not developed yet, to be portrayed clearly to my viewers, A.K.A. you, without getting the meaning and purpose lost in translation. In order to help sort out my thoughts, ideas, and mistakes, I'll be writing about them and my experiences as they occur. My blog will express all my thoughts and concerns and is what hopefully helps me better organize and convey my ideas.
Well, I've expressed my concerns, but now it's time to get pumped because although this is probably going to be one of the hardest assignments I've ever taken on in my sixteen years on this Earth, I having a feeling it will also be extremely rewarding to see my final product. So get ready, because this is going to be a long, exciting, and bumpy road, and you're riding shot-gun!
--Blogger Buitano (I'll be signing off with this from now on, since, you know, I blog now.)
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