Researching and analyzing first question of my CCR

Hey blog today im analyzing the first question of my CCR! In today's blog I will be summarizing my process and telling you what I have on mind for my ccr. 

How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues? 

For the research of the first question on the CCR, I started by analyzing mystery film conventions, particularly those involving missing persons and psychological suspense that is what im mainly focusing on for this project, to understand how they create tension and engage their audiences. Then I examined films that focus on survival from the perspective of the missing person, allowing for a more intimate and psychological exploration of fear and isolation. Additionally, I researched real-life cases of missing women, exploring themes of societal neglect, trauma, and self-preservation, which informed the film’s social commentary. Studies on lighting, sound design, and cinematography in thrillers helped shape how to visually represent suspense. 

some of the cases researched: 

https://www.nytimes.com/topic/jayme-closs

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Smart

How does it represent social groups or issues: Mainly based on survival, societal neglect, and the psychological effects of trauma my main character was facing to symbolize particularly through the lens of missing women. It addresses the reality that missing persons cases are often treated unequally based on factors such as gender, race, and socioeconomic status. Many individuals, especially women receive less media attention and fewer investigative resources. The opening explores issues related to trauma and mental health. The decision to hide instead of seeking help may reflect past experiences with authority figures who failed her, illustrating distrust in law enforcement or societal institutions. This aligns with real-world cases where victims of abuse, trafficking, or violence fear that coming forward will not guarantee their safety. The film could also highlight how the media portrays missing persons questioning who is deemed worthy of public concern and who is ignored. 

Post filming

Today I continued our filming from where we left off which was the kitchen scenes. I spent a lot of time reviewing  footage and I used my storyboard which was very helpful and recorded most of the scenes in the kitchen. I scheduled added more days on my filming schedule because I have more time to do it, I improved my schedule for my other classes so I get rid of the stuff that could get on my way when filming, i decided to film another day and dedicate it solely to filming the outside scenes too. i changed a few things to make the setting and story fit in more with what im trying to achieve. Also the location was helpful because the location the lighting is much better, whilst also still maintaining the dark lightning that is a main thing in mystery films.

Behind the scenes for the kitchen scenes:

Im enjoying the process of filming, and get this well done and before the due date to avoid any anxiety feelings or just feeling that im in a rush. 

 

Editing pt 2!

 This is the second blog n editing process of the project, editing a film opening for a mystery film presented some challenges, the main obstacle was maintaining suspense, establishing atmosphere, and pacing the reveal of key plot elements without giving too much away. One challenge I faced was balancing tension with visual clarity, with the goal of ensuring that key clues were subtly hinted at while still keeping the audience intrigued. A solution to this was using selective lighting and shadow effects in iMovie to create a moody, suspenseful atmosphere. Additionally, iMovie's ability to layer sound effects and background music allowed me to build a sense of unease through sound without overwhelming the visuals. My favorite features in iMovie were the "Split Clip" tool for precise editing feature to add subtle, atmospheric overlays, which helped enhance the mystery's visual storytelling. These tools made the editing process smoother, enabling me to begin with a good editing process of the opening. 

Editing pt 1

 Hey blog, this week we started editing, this was sort of a challenge for me because I struggle when using my laptop there are some things im not very familiar with but I was able to learn from YouTube videos on how to edit on Imovie which is the app that I will be using to edit this project. Will be telling my experience when exploring the app im using for editing of the project (iMovie).

I focused on editing techniques, some of the ones we learned in class too, for instance adjusting lighting settings, such as deepening shadows and increasing contrast, can create an unease tone, while cooler color tones add to the sense of mystery. Transitions like fade to black that would help building tension, and cross dissolves can reveal information, and jump cuts create a sense of missing time. I will be focusing on carefully refining cuts, adjusting lighting, and using transitions effectively, I picked because it was very easy to use on the last project that we did, it was accessible and easy to use, I feel that iMovie offers several features that  would enhance the editing of my film opening in this case a mystery film opening, helping to create intrigue. The color adjustment tools allow for darkening shadows, while filters like “Dramatic” or “Noir” add a cinematic mystery feel. I was playing with the tools to explore the features, also transitions such as fade to black build suspense. Split edits (J & L cuts) let sound carry over between scenes, adding tension, while slow motion can heighten suspense, and speed adjustments create urgency. Additionally, iMovie’s sound effects and music library provide drones, whispers, or echoes to amplify the mood which I find helpful but im still debating on using the sound effects from that app. By combining these features, I would be able to create a good film opening, im staying positive and active on this process of the project. 

Obstacle/Issues

 Hey blog this is the third blog of the week and I will be telling you some of the things that ive been struggling with throughout this process of creating the film opening. To begin I would like to start telling you that it was a bit hard for me to make the choice of working alone, I thought it would be somehow better/easier, because I would not be depending on another person and could adjust to their time and availability so then I decided to work by myself. In the beginning it was sort of easy, but it felt like I had to come up with more and more ideas, and a lot of creativity and I felt like I wouldn't be able to do it myself, I started getting stressed, and felt like I kept running out of ideas, and didnt have a specific one. Then started debating if I should work with someone, until the first group meeting, I was very excited for this activity and it resulted being super helpful, I really enjoyed listening to other peoples opinions and ideas, advices for my project, and also really liked being able to help them with their projects too. 

Next I had time management, I created a filming schedule, I play sports and have tournaments some of the weekend and have practice 3 times a week, after school and it ends kind of late but something I liked was that I was able to handle this by using some resources I had to help me organize my time and the tasks I assigned myself each day for this project. Some of resources used were my agenda, the schedule I made, and the blogs. The posting of blogs at first I thought it was silly and was no point on doing it but once I started doing them weekly and in different days of the week, made me more active on the activity and keep track of the project. 

Brainstorming was tough, I felt like I didnt have any idea of what I wanted to do, also I felt like I needed to handle multiple roles, like filming, writing blogs, edit, brainstorm, which was overwhelming since I felt that i lack in certain areas.  I wanted to focus on this because this was a behind the scenes thing, that I feel that some people also could've felt the same way, but when seeing the positive is that I was able to find a solution and fix any issue. The main one was using the camera I viewed a couple videos to get more familiar with it in this case the way to be able to maximize quality by lightning.

My schedule:

Productivity video (focuses on techniques to organize your time):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iONDebHX9qk

Production video (lightning, maximization of quality, etc):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGOZuyb1ZZY

shots list

The film opens with a girl in the kitchen filled with the warm glow of flickering candles, creating an intimate yet suspense atmosphere. Soft, haunting music plays in the background as we see a young girl wearing baggy clothes, her scars subtly visible on her arms as she prepares a meal. Each slice of vegetables or her baking something and stir of the pot is accompanied by flashbacks that hint at her traumatic past, weaving a mysterious narrative that keeps the audience intrigued. The camera captures her focused expressions, revealing a mix of determination and vulnerability, while the shadows in the kitchen seem to set unease feeling/tone to the film opening. As she cooks, the tension builds, leaving viewers eager to uncover the secrets behind her scars and the story that lies beneath the surface. 

We’ll use extreme close-ups to capture the girl’s hands as she chops ingredients, emphasizing her focus and the scars on her skin, which tells part of her story. White shots will establish the kitchen environment, showing the contrast between her solitude and the bustling world outside. Striking shots will highlight key moments, like the flicker of a candle or the steam rising from a pot, creating an atmosphere of mystery. Point of view shots will immerse the audience in her experience, allowing them to see the world through her eyes as she navigates her memories. High-angle shots will give a sense of vulnerability, making her appear small in her surroundings, while quick cuts to black will create tension and anticipation, leaving viewers questioning what lies ahead in her journey.

example of place where one of my scenes took place: 

shots list planned on using:

Extreme Close-Ups (to highlight key details and build suspense)

Wide Shots (to establish an tense atmosphere)

Tracking Shots (to create a sense of movement and mystery)

Point-of-View Shots (to immerse the audience in the character’s experience)

Low & High-Angle Shots (to enhance tension and vulnerability)

Insert Shots (to reveal clues)

Silhouette Shots (to emphasize mystery and fear)

Smash Cut to Black (to leave the audience in suspense)

Setting production process included!

 Today I started with the first day filming, I had 2 of my friends as my characters for the initiation of the film opening, in order to begin I started setting everything up for the production of the first two scenes, 1st scene was the girl baking, everything at the kitchen, along with other scenes that also will take place here, got 2 bowls and some kitchen utensils (baking) that people usually use when cooking/baking and decorated the area and customized it for each scene, I used my camera and played with the lightning to find the perfect lightning that would match with the scene, in this case im using low key lightning, creates an atmosphere of suspense and intrigue by using deep high contrast to dark details and enhance tension. I decided to use makeup to draw the scars, and also markers, I used cake mix to make the setting look more realistic and this took me about 30 mins, drew the scars and bought the cake mix and started putting everything in each bowl, etc.

Here are some pictures of the process for the scene, I looked up how to get a better dark lightning on my iPhone camera, some resources that I used for my phone to film better quality videos will be linked down below, they were useful because before it was kind of hard to show the details of each scene

 in a more explicit way, I feel that without good quality filming then it might look incomplete, also lightning is very important, I feel like so far ive done a good job researching and getting more familiar with the use of my iPhone camera for the rest of the scenes to be easier and not struggle with that and it wouldn't be a challenge for me.

Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rLdQWDjg2A