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

Filming Schedule!!

 Hey blog, were getting closer to the end of this important project, and something that is crucial whenever I need to organize myself is have an agenda or stuff that will help me stay more organized in my day to day life, another thing is a schedule, I set a schedule myself for when im filming, im gonna start filming this week, I already have the setting, and my friends will be the ones helping me through out this process, im going to be the one filming they are just going to appear as my characters in this project. 

Creating a schedule for my filming days play an important role when enhancing my project's success by ensuring better organization and time management. Im a person who distracts and forgets things very easily this would help me stay on track, increase productivity of me working on the project, and reduces stress, I get very stressed even if its something that isn't a big deal I tend to get very nervous and stressed and by breaking down the work into manageable tasks would be easier. Ive done this before and it helps me with deadlines they are more efficiently and  when allocating resources like locations, actors, and equipment effectively. Overall, I find this smart and beneficial for me.

This is very useful for me, and will be using it during the process of the project!

Focusing on costume and setting

For today the last blog of the week ill be focusing on costume design, in general terms costume design in a film opening is crucial, in establishing character,  tone, background and setting before any dialogue or action unfolds. The way a character dresses can communicate a lot of things such as personality, emotional state, social status and even hidden backstory to the audience. In genres like in this case mystery costume choices can also foreshadow key plot elements, making the audience more engaged in uncovering the character’s journey.

my protagonist’s costume is essential in visually showing her trauma, insecurities, and desire to stay hidden without a dialogue needed. I would want her to wear an oversized hoodie or jacket in dark,  warm color tones, symbolizing emotional retreat and protection, paired with baggy jeans or cargo pants or sweats something chill. Her high-neck, long-sleeve shirt conceals  her scars, and to reinforce her self-consciousness, while worn-out sneakers or combat boots to show she is constantly on the move. Accessories like a beanie, gloves, or a sentimental item subtly hint at her past and emotional ties. The messy hair and lack of makeup reflect the lack of importance from self-image due to past trauma. This costume design helps foreshadow her backstory and mental state, making her development more engaging as the audience unravels her hidden struggles.

Focusing on lightning and props

Today im doing on the blogs planning that focuses on the mise-en-scène elements of my project like costume, set, props, and lighting,  but I will be mainly focusing on lightning and props, they are essential in creating my film openings atmosphere in this case I would like to focus on creating intrigue, tension, and suspense.  The types of lightning techniques I would like to incorporate would be low-key lighting, it is a good technique that enhances shadows and contrast, obscuring certain details to make the audience question what is lurking in the darkness. Selective lighting can also be used to direct the audience’s focus, such as illuminating a hand reaching for a door handle while the rest of the frame remains in shadow. To add an unsettling feel, flickering or moving light sources like swinging bulbs, or flashlights can create an unstable, unpredictable effect. Additionally, colored lighting plays a psychological role—cool tones such as blue and green evoke mystery and unease. Using practical light sources, such as candles, desk lamps, or headlights, helps create a natural environment.

Props in my opinion are as important as lighning, especially when setting up the mystery and  hinting at key elements of the plot. Mainly adding personal objects with a meaning behind such as a diary, or an old family picture showing an unresolved past or a secret yet to be discovered when watching the rest of the film but it adds the feeling of anxiety to know what will happen and also creating interest on the story of the main character, also im debating on using coded messages, or missing pages from a book, add layers of intrigue and encourage the audience to piece together clues to create curiosity and foreshadow a larger mystery. additionally I could use elements, such as a blinking red recording light, a ringing phone with no answer, or a forgotten camera still filming, contribute to the feeling that someone is watching or uncovering secrets.

focusing on sound for my project

on todays blog I will be explaining the way I will be incorporating sound on my film opening. Sound is a very important way to set mood, and tone,  and I want it to play a crucial role in establishing the mood and tone of my film opening by creating a feeling of tension and anticipation,  and using sound effects and usual noises to help to immerse the audience in what they're watching. For example, I would like to incorporate sounds that will match with the setting and make the film opening more realistic such as the sound of rain, or distant conversations. This auditory backdrop supports the visuals and enhances the storytelling by providing context and depth to the scenes. 

https://youtu.be/_Jznye0iqYE?si=fj-ZPrVewJtuwvTU

I would add background noises like distant thunder or wind. A song with a slow melody with a suspenseful score can really set the emotional tone. On the other hand we have  the use of  sound effects if there are specific actions like baking or walking using sound effects that foreshadow my character's situation, i could use sounds that match those actions. For example, my character could be dealing with something heavy, the sound of a heartbeat or heavy breathing can add to the tension. But I also believe that the absence of sound can be just as powerful. A moment of silence can create a sense of anticipation before a big reveal or action. Using these sound elements can really help engage the audience and make them feel connected to my character's journey.

character development

Today im doing the first blog of the 4th week of the production of my film opening, and im focusing on the way my character will develop through out my film opening/story, mainly focusing on showing personality through actions, setting, and body language before dialogue. And get to introduce the main problem or tension that will reveal a lot of the backstory of the character that in this case would be her trauma, on the other hand I have the use of costume design, props, and environment that support it, and I want the character to be a good way to be engaged by the development of the character and a moment that makes the audience invest in the character’s journey. From the use of lighting, color, and music to reflect their emotional state we get to embrace a better mood of tension and a specific setting where my character will be interacting with.  I want the actions or objects can foreshadow my character's situation.

When working on my storyboarding, I had the idea that I wanted to add symbols, and kind of use different things such as objects, such as family portraits that have to do with the personal life of my character to establish their connection and their value in my characters life. Because of that, I think part of my character's personality would be emotionless or unemotional because of the fact that she was traumatized and couldn't really see her family because of how much she wanted to protect them and keep them safe, she had wrote many letters for them, And she would be the type of person to be shy and wear clothes that covered her scars and face because she got very insecure and wasn't able to dress normally because she went missing and it had been a long time, and people wanted to reopen the case so she was in danger if someone saw her.  

Storyboard

Post including your script or storyboard—->

today on the last blog of the third week of this project i will be showing you my storyboard for my project, based on my idea that i explained on last post, i feel like i can have better scenes in general and i will try to re do my story board again, but so far i got some scenes that were focusing on give hints of the context of the whole story but at the same time i try not to give the full context and want the audience to be interested on what could happen after the film opening, because i feel that film openings that give you the full context makes you less interested on watching the full film, because you already know what happens next and you wont be able to figure out through out the story if they already give you everything in the beginning, so i think that was the main challenge for this project, trying to accomplish something unique and come up with an idea that will keep the public engaged on what they’re watching. 

Heres my story board ⬇️

I feel like i still have to be thinking of other scenes that should be included and incorporate them in another storyboard or maybe re do it because i feel like it isnt fully developed for some reason, i want it more compact for others understanding, but i will be working on that this week (4th week) and also start with costume design, etc. 

Summarize about my project

It took me a while to figure out everything for this project and now I have a more compact idea of what I will do for this portfolio project, and today I will be summarizing my whole idea and explain the way It will be produced, the genre is mystery/thriller, im focusing on doing something not basic, no stalking, no kidnapping, something unique. I have some scenes on mind but still developing ideas, it would be about a girl hiding, she went missing long time ago but they're still looking for her, she's hiding because she fears she will be haunted by the people that abused her, she was a survivor of something important that put her in a very traumatic situation which im still trying to figure out what it could be, and then she's hiding because she's scared the people that did something to her will be following her and try to hurt her and her family, that's the reason why she doesn't want her family to find out where she is so the people she loves isn't in danger. The color scheme would be dark, and would focus on giving a suspense vibe, to create a feeling of unease and try to give hints of what's going on and try not to tell all of the story on the first 2 mins. The setting would be the house and also some scene would be at a pharmacy or in general, it would be mainly on the mystery genre, and that's my idea the group meetings were super helpful and made my idea more compact. 

Representation theory

A media theory that I would like to integrate on my project would be representation theory. Because it isn't as simple as it sounds, representation is not about whether the media reflects or distorts reality, as this implies that there can be one ‘true’ meaning, but the many meanings a representation can generate. Meaning is constituted by representation, by what is present, what is absent, and what is different, representation implicates the audience in creating its meaning.  

Something I like is they was it is applied,  basically how they explore language, symbols, and media shape and our understanding of the world. Representation impacts our identity, perceptions, and even the stereotypes we encounter daily.

Sources--->

https://guilsboroughschoolmedia.wordpress.com/2019/06/12/stuart-hall-representation-theory/

The reasons why this would be the perfect theory for my project in my opinion is because when applying this to my film opening, I feel that it allows for an analysis of how characters, identities, and symbols are portrayed to shape audience perceptions and expectations. The opening scene often sets the tone, and representation theory will help by showing how things in the opening are presented, such as symbols, characters, setting, costumes, etc, whether through stereotypes or unique depictions, to build tension and mystery.

Group meetings

Today we had a group meetings, and I got new ideas for my project, I also got to listen to great projects, such as Sergios, his project was very interesting, he had a very clear idea of what he wanted to do for this project and he seemed very focused on working on it. Keyla didnt have a clear idea of what she wanted to do, but was sure that she wanted it to have like a early 1960s vibes, and to be about how her main character who lost their best friend. Oona had a different genre and idea than everyone, I feel that each person in my group had unique ideas for their project and when recommending others what to do for their projects. I really enjoyed this group meeting, especially my group, they were good listeners and very nice to me, I didnt have a clear idea and they were willing to help me and give me advices for my project. 

I feel that we should do this often during the development of our projects to get different opinions from everyone and ideas that im sure that will be helpful for us, also you get to interact with people and listen to their projects and give advices or ideas that will be helpful for them. I enjoyed this activity, looking at their blogs also helped me to have a better idea of how to do mine, their blogs were amazing and look very organized and had complete information. I added new stuff to my main idea of the project, Im doing mystery and thriller and im taking the long weekend to start my storyboard and research more on the genre, develop setting, etc. 

  

Target Audience on my genre

On today's blog I will be researching about target audience on my genre psychological thriller or just thriller. To begin we've learned throughout the year how important target audience is and how crucial because it is like the base for every aspect of a film, from storytelling and production to marketing and distribution. Crucial to get a better understanding of the specific group of people who the film is meant for, helping shape themes, tone, and mood.

For my genre psychological thriller,  we know the audience uses suspense and explore deep psychological themes. Additionally, it guides marketing strategies, ensuring trailers, social media campaigns, and promotions to reach their goal and a defined/unique target audience increases the chances of a film’s success, driving engagement.

The target audience would be 18+ or at least 13+ because minors would be more sensitive to that type of content, and won't really enjoy the film because of intense/suspense theme and mood, particularly those who enjoy plots with an unease vibe. Also the people who like plot twists, horror/crime/mystery fans. The age range I would chose it would be 18-40 making the genre popular among people who enjoy solving mysteries or suspense feeling.

credit sequences blog

    This is the third blog of the second week, and todays blog I will be about analyzing three credit sequences in this case from the films I picked last time that are on the first blog of this week, and discussing the mood, tension, and themes on each one.

Se7en 

 

For this film I've already researched a bit and it is the same genre im interested in, psychological thriller. This one matches perfectly with the genre, The hand-written looking font was used to create a feeling of unsettledness, the images distorting and glitching, many close ups and all of that focusing on giving a mysterious and anxious/suspense vibe. The person is  an unknown figure keeping as a secret for us to find out later when watching the entire film creating mystery and engagement.

gone girl

 

This film I feel like its way simpler compared to se7en, the font is neat and looks more formal not giving a specific mood, made it look organized. More shots included and  a lot of narration on this sequence, which made everything more explained and detailed for a better understanding of the context. The clips were short but created mystery and also made me want to understand the meaning of each scene.  I feel that if I had to pick a tone for this it would be unease.

The girl with the dragon tattoo

Very dark themed sequence with a lot of visual stuff such as figures, like the robot and technology like cables, abstract images throughout the whole opening gives vibes of the transformation of something, the figure is suffocated by a substance, all of this giving a vibe of chaos and it confuses you, making you want to actually understand the meaning behind.

Portfolio project schedule!

 I created most of schedule at home but also in class, having time in class to work on this project helped me a lot to have time to do more stuff on the week to get more advanced on the development of the project. I started brainstorming my ideas and did mostly everything I put on my schedule for this first 2 weeks I did my blogs and did a lot of research on my genre (psychological thriller). I watched around 5 film openings on the same genre and picked 3 for 1 of the blogs of this week where I had to analyze each one of them. Setting up an schedule for this project is a lot of help and its been helpful to keep everything organized and have everything I gotta do for the week written down and know how im doing regards to getting the project done and do a nice job. Organizing my time and having specific tasks to do for each week and keep track of everything, here is what I put for each week and how it is going so far: 

analyzing film openings

 So I've been researching about the genre I wanted to do for this project and finally decided for psychological thriller! For this blog I will be analyzing 3 different film openings but they have the same genre thriller. I found really good film openings on YouTube, they gave me a lot of inspiration for my project.

The first one I found was 

Se7en (1995) 

I did some research about "Se7en" the movie, it is a thriller about two detectives who are trying to catch a serial killer. This killer chooses his victims based on deadly sins. As they investigate, they find themselves drawn deeper into the killer's disturbing plan. The opening was in a dark and suspenseful setting and many close ups of tools like needles, a journal, all of this to keeping viewers hooked on what they're watching, trying to understand the message given.

The girl with the dragon tattoo (2011) by David Finche

The film opens with a surreal, nightmare vibes title sequence, I see a substance, liquid-like figures morph and intertwine, symbols of technology, violence, and entrapment. I see like a kind of robot that also looked like a human that was trapped in the substance and looked like she was drowning at the end, creating a feeling of anxiety because we see the figure can't get out of whatever she was trapped on.

analysis:

Gone Girl (2014)  by David Fincher

The film opens with a guy narrating his thoughts about his wife, as we see intimate close-ups of her showing her characteristics such as her golden hair and face. His monologue, which sounds normal at first, turns ominous as he mentions wanting to "crack her skull open and unspool her brains." which make a feeling of unease, and subtle tension, using narration.

 

General thoughts:

Each film effectively establishes psychological tension and each in their own particular way, and I would like to do something similar, using one thing from every opening I just watched to make a varied opening with many visuals and with a high energy approach that will represent the theme, I would focus on the dark colors and theme in general because it creates mystery and tension. 

cambridge portfolio genre + aspects for this project

I have a lot of ideas for this project, i would like to focus on psychological thriller or drama or maybe both combined, exploring  different themes, like suspense. I want to use dark tones to give a a feeling of unease, anxiety for the audience to be more interested to know what will happen next after the film opening ended. 

I'm interested in exploring how context and background can shape a film introduction and I feel like this project is a great opportunity to do it, using a two-minute opening to establish everything. In this case im still debating on whether I should do something scary or dramatic, but I also have been thinking about the character I want to develop and for that I will need a lot of creativity and innovation, to create a character that would match perfectly with the the aspects of the film such as the setting, and the way they interact with it, the tone +  mood, the music/sounds in the background they all connect to create the message being sent to the audience through the viewing of the opening. On the other hand we have costume design, it has to be appropriate to the mood of the film opening, im thinking about dark, calm colors and I would like it to be at night time to give a mood of danger and tension. But im researching about this and watching different film openings that give a similar feeling I would like to give to the ones viewing my film opening to have a better compact idea of what specifically want to do.

Cambridge Portfolio project

 Hey blog! 

It's been a long time since last time I've been here, but now im back.  This week we've been learning about our portfolio project and this would be the beginning of it. This is something very important coming up which I'll be working on for the next 2 months, and im willing to put a lot of effort on this, and create a great film opening. I will be working on this alone, because I know what I am capable of and that ill be able to accomplish my goal for this that is getting a good grade and have fun and a good experience while making this. Im using this first week to brainstorm my ideas and organize my thoughts to have a clear idea of what I want to do for this project, Im very excited and happy that you guys will be a part of this with me.