Sunday, March 15, 2020
Monday, March 2, 2020
EDITING WEEK 2
In the pictures above, Zoe is editing some clips we recorded a few weeks ago. She is finishing up editing on these clips, by cropping and organizing clips in the way we intend. We have a lot of cutting back and forth between points of views, so we need to crop some of the clips very short and put them right next to each other. We still have filming to do, which we will get done this week. We need some nighttime shots, and need to find a day that all of us can meet up.
Sunday, February 23, 2020
EDITING WEEK 1
We have not finished out filming, due to difficulties in meeting up outside of school. However, we got started on some editing from the clips we did record a few weeks ago. We just organized the clips the way we envisioned, adding the right clip for the right moment. We did a lot of cutting back and forth between characters, and more specifically from a POV and an over the shoulder shot from the villain. We haven't created a title yet, so we didn't use any fonts, or anything of the sort. These pictures are of Zoe working on some editing from home.
Sunday, February 16, 2020
FILMING WEEK 2
This week, we practiced filming a scene. We were unable to meet up this week to film, but will be doing so next week. We practiced the angles and shots that we want to record to see what we liked and didn't like. This was one of the current scenes, not a flashback, following the fight when Kelly is supposed to be all bruised and bloody. We found that a head-on shot was good for this scene, but we will have to see it with the lighting once we record the real thing. The only downside of this recording session was that we did not get to film the real thing.
Sunday, February 9, 2020
BEGINNING TO FILM
Today, we began filming some of our day scenes. We took videos of Kelly (our actress) doing normal activities, such as buying herself a coffee, walking around, and driving. We filmed scenes of her stalker/the bad guy following her as well. We have also decided to make our villain a girl (Zoe) rather than a boy, as it is more convenient for the group considering we are all girls. We filmed at the Kings Lake Plaza, where there ware plenty of stores and space to make it seem realistic. The lighting was perfect, the sun was out, making the quality very good and clear. The only issue we faced was finding a way to record the actors driving around without being in the way of other drivers. Most of our filming will be taking place at sunset and nighttime, so today we filmed about 30 seconds depending on how we will edit the clips.
Sunday, February 2, 2020
PREPARATION
This week in regards to our movie opening, my group and I have discussed actors, props, costumes, locations, and film equipment. For our actors, we will have a boy and a girl. The girl will be the main character/protagonist, and the boy will play the villain. We have not finalized who our actors will be, however we have a fair idea, and will know for sure my next week. In our film, we will be using a fake knife as our prop, and then several background objects, so that the opening doesn't appear too staged. When thinking about costumes, our group didn't want to go too crazy, once again to avoid making our opening seem staged-so we decided we would use a normal shirt for our flashbacks, and then in the present shots, have it torn up and bloody for the main character. The villain instead, will wear all black. In regards to location, we don't have an exact place, but we'd like to film somewhere dark for a suspenseful effect, and somewhere lighter for the flashbacks. We do not have a specific date when we will be filming either, but we have been working on that. There will also be no script, for we aren't going to include any dialogue, just screaming and the diegetic sound within the opening.
In the background we will also include suspenseful music. Lastly, for filming this opening, we will be using an iPhone 10R and Zoe's cabers, depending on what scene we are filming and what effect we want to get from it.
In the background we will also include suspenseful music. Lastly, for filming this opening, we will be using an iPhone 10R and Zoe's cabers, depending on what scene we are filming and what effect we want to get from it.
Sunday, January 26, 2020
STORYBOARD
Jobs:
Renee, Kelly, Zoe, and Chiara: Coming up with the story, and how it will flow
Zoe: Drawing and captions
Our movie opens by following a girl walking into a dimly lit area (dolly shot). She then slides down and sits on the ground, the camera shot revealing that she is bloody and bruised. The shot then zooms in to a close up of her face, where you can clearly see her shaking. As it closes up, flashbacks from earlier are being revealed, showing seconds from previous events that led her to be where she is now. The tension builds as the scenes flash back faster, building as much tension as possible before the scene cuts, and shows a black screen with the words "24 hours earlier.", which is the end of the opening and what would be the beginning of the movie/story.
Monday, January 20, 2020
BRAINSTORMING
“Rise”:
-I like how the music became louder and more clear when the actor put his headphones on
-There were a lot of close-ups, and they liked to focus on one specific object frequently throughout the movie opening
-It showed the actor playing soccer from several different angles, and although this was a cool effect, I felt that too much of the opening was just him playing soccer
-The end scene where it showed an extreme close-up really left me wondering what history the two characters had, and why they seemed so angry at each other. However, I feel that more dialogue would’ve been more effective in captivating an audience.
“Offline”:
-I honestly found this movie opening very weird, and I didn’t like it that much
-It was extremely predictable
-Too much simultaneity in the editing. 3 or 4 is enough, but it cut back and forth over 10 times.
-The music fit the theme, which tried to build suspense, however it didn’t leave me wanting more or wondering what was going on. It’s pretty clear a girl accidentally (or purposefully) shared her location on an instagram post and a creep saw it and kidnapped her. There was no mystery, and usually horror is just that.
“Dear Lover”:
-This was really really good, and super captivating. There was always something happening, and right from the start I wondered why she ran away, and where she is now.
-The sound editing is really good, from the music, to the girl narrating to the clip of her girlfriend speaking to an off-screen character.
-The ending was really good, how she said “let’s start from the beginning”. This got me interested in her entire story, making me want to watch the rest of the movie.
“Dare to Thrill”:
-This was really good, the editing was incredible. With the upbeat music mixed with the sound of the car drifting and the kids screaming, this gets me excited, and I want to be there with them
-The camera angles also contributed to the exciting vibe of the movie opening. When the car drove on the main road, the camera angle showed different parts of the car, and then followed it at one point making me feel like i was in a car following behind them.
-The ending actually made me really excited, I genuinely wanted to see the rest of the movie. My mind came up with a million possibilities of what could be in the back of the car.
“Always Watching”:
-This one has good editing, but was a little confusing and awkward. I think it was the acting, especially by the antagonist. He just had this weird smirk on his face that made it more funny rather than scary or intimidating
-The music was a little overpowering, and though it fit the theme it was blasting in my ears, but then the dialogue was too quiet when compared to this music.
-I wasn’t really left wondering what the story was by the end, I just felt like he was an obsessive psychopath and I didn’t really need a background story to explain that.
-Because I felt that the editing and transitions were really good, the only thing that would have to change would be the volume of the music and the facial expressions of the actor.
“The Blue Boar”:
-This actually made me really uncomfortable and I hated it.
-The song was very unnecessary and along with her terrible and very weird facial expressions, this made the opening very awkward to watch.
-It made absolutely no sense
-The creature she made with sticks at the end was confusing. I don’t know if this was the goal of the group, but it just made the whole thing even weirder than it was before.
“White Coat”:
-This was really well made. The effects were outstanding, and everything from the music to the visuals made this opening super suspenseful
-I like how the sound of the boiling water was emphasized to bring out some diegetic sound
“Stalker”:
-I hated this it was not good
-The sound effects were so corny and terrible
-The plot was not suspenseful and honestly a little stupid
-The camerawork and angles was also terrible, and did not create any suspense, as a thriller should.
“Nostalgia”:
-The overall idea was very nice, however the shaky camera made it a little hard to understand what the director wanted the audience to focus on
-The music fit nicely with the theme
-I like how the young girl represented her in the past, and this was shown through the fact that they were wearing the same clothes
-This left me wondering what each item represented, and what it meant to her
“Lost & Found”:
-Sound quality wasn’t very great, especially when the dialogue came
-The transition between people was very good though, and smooth
-Everything else was kind of bad, there really wasn’t anything that left me wanting more
Overall, these film openings have showed me what to do and what not to do. It’s clear that a good story makes all the difference. I need to focus on sound, because that also makes the opening more immersive. And I need to stick to a clear genre.
-I like how the music became louder and more clear when the actor put his headphones on
-There were a lot of close-ups, and they liked to focus on one specific object frequently throughout the movie opening
-It showed the actor playing soccer from several different angles, and although this was a cool effect, I felt that too much of the opening was just him playing soccer
-The end scene where it showed an extreme close-up really left me wondering what history the two characters had, and why they seemed so angry at each other. However, I feel that more dialogue would’ve been more effective in captivating an audience.
“Offline”:
-I honestly found this movie opening very weird, and I didn’t like it that much
-It was extremely predictable
-Too much simultaneity in the editing. 3 or 4 is enough, but it cut back and forth over 10 times.
-The music fit the theme, which tried to build suspense, however it didn’t leave me wanting more or wondering what was going on. It’s pretty clear a girl accidentally (or purposefully) shared her location on an instagram post and a creep saw it and kidnapped her. There was no mystery, and usually horror is just that.
“Dear Lover”:
-This was really really good, and super captivating. There was always something happening, and right from the start I wondered why she ran away, and where she is now.
-The sound editing is really good, from the music, to the girl narrating to the clip of her girlfriend speaking to an off-screen character.
-The ending was really good, how she said “let’s start from the beginning”. This got me interested in her entire story, making me want to watch the rest of the movie.
“Dare to Thrill”:
-This was really good, the editing was incredible. With the upbeat music mixed with the sound of the car drifting and the kids screaming, this gets me excited, and I want to be there with them
-The camera angles also contributed to the exciting vibe of the movie opening. When the car drove on the main road, the camera angle showed different parts of the car, and then followed it at one point making me feel like i was in a car following behind them.
-The ending actually made me really excited, I genuinely wanted to see the rest of the movie. My mind came up with a million possibilities of what could be in the back of the car.
“Always Watching”:
-This one has good editing, but was a little confusing and awkward. I think it was the acting, especially by the antagonist. He just had this weird smirk on his face that made it more funny rather than scary or intimidating
-The music was a little overpowering, and though it fit the theme it was blasting in my ears, but then the dialogue was too quiet when compared to this music.
-I wasn’t really left wondering what the story was by the end, I just felt like he was an obsessive psychopath and I didn’t really need a background story to explain that.
-Because I felt that the editing and transitions were really good, the only thing that would have to change would be the volume of the music and the facial expressions of the actor.
“The Blue Boar”:
-This actually made me really uncomfortable and I hated it.
-The song was very unnecessary and along with her terrible and very weird facial expressions, this made the opening very awkward to watch.
-It made absolutely no sense
-The creature she made with sticks at the end was confusing. I don’t know if this was the goal of the group, but it just made the whole thing even weirder than it was before.
“White Coat”:
-This was really well made. The effects were outstanding, and everything from the music to the visuals made this opening super suspenseful
-I like how the sound of the boiling water was emphasized to bring out some diegetic sound
“Stalker”:
-I hated this it was not good
-The sound effects were so corny and terrible
-The plot was not suspenseful and honestly a little stupid
-The camerawork and angles was also terrible, and did not create any suspense, as a thriller should.
“Nostalgia”:
-The overall idea was very nice, however the shaky camera made it a little hard to understand what the director wanted the audience to focus on
-The music fit nicely with the theme
-I like how the young girl represented her in the past, and this was shown through the fact that they were wearing the same clothes
-This left me wondering what each item represented, and what it meant to her
“Lost & Found”:
-Sound quality wasn’t very great, especially when the dialogue came
-The transition between people was very good though, and smooth
-Everything else was kind of bad, there really wasn’t anything that left me wanting more
Overall, these film openings have showed me what to do and what not to do. It’s clear that a good story makes all the difference. I need to focus on sound, because that also makes the opening more immersive. And I need to stick to a clear genre.
Friday, January 10, 2020
INSPIRATION FOR OUR GENRE
My group decided to do our film opening project on the horror genre. I feel that fear is a good way to captivate an audience, and keep them engaged throughout the movie. Suspense is a key factor in all horror movies. Suspense does a good job of keeping everybody on the edge of their seats, waiting for something to happen. I love the horror genre because I can never get bored watching a good horror movie. Some incredible openings I have seen were in the movies US (Jordan Peele, 2019) and It (Andrés Muschietti, 2017).
I was first introduced to the horror genre at a young age-my friends loved watching horror movies, but I was always too scared. However, oddly enough, I really enjoyed reading books in the horror genre. Once I got to high school, I decided to go see my first horror movie, "Get Out" and since then I've had a love/hate relationship with the horror genre. I hate being jumped at, and scared, but I absolutely LOVE the incredible effects and music that go into a horror movie. So nowadays, whenever a new horror movie comes out, I go see it-but I make sure to bring a couple of friends!
The film openings from the two movies I previously stated are the main source of inspiration for how I want my group to approach our own film opening. I want to focus on captivating the audience from the start, and then leaving them wanting more and asking questions at the end. For example, in the film opening for US, a little girl is shown walking on the Santa Cruz pier with her parents, and then wandering off on her own. She went onto the beach, and walked into a hall of mirrors, where she got lost and encountered a little girl who looks exactly like her. Then, the scene cut off. This movie opening left me asking a number of questions: Who is the other little girl? What did she do with her? Where did she come from? The lack of music and dark setting added to the suspense, keeping me interested.
Another example is in the movie It. The movie opens with a scene that sets the mood for the rest of the movie-Georgie's death. Georgie's death was an iconic scene in both the 1990 original and the 2019 remake. Georgie goes outside on a rainy day, and runs alongside his paper boat that he put in running water when suddenly-the boat fell into a sewer. This is where Pennywise's character is introduced, and he bites off Georgie's arm and pulls him into the sewer after tricking him into thinking he'll get his boat back. This movie opening stands out to me because it is a scene that everybody knows all too well, but was done so well with all of the elements of a horror movie that it left the audience wanting more. The dark setting, suspenseful music, and scary effects and character truly made this opening scene terrifying.
Overall, my inspiration came from a culmination of different movies that left me wanting to come back and rewatch it again. It is important to focus on including the elements of the horror genre, but to also keep it unique and suspenseful, so the audience doesn't get bored, but rather excited to see the rest of the movie. This is what I hope to achieve with my group in our movie opening.
I was first introduced to the horror genre at a young age-my friends loved watching horror movies, but I was always too scared. However, oddly enough, I really enjoyed reading books in the horror genre. Once I got to high school, I decided to go see my first horror movie, "Get Out" and since then I've had a love/hate relationship with the horror genre. I hate being jumped at, and scared, but I absolutely LOVE the incredible effects and music that go into a horror movie. So nowadays, whenever a new horror movie comes out, I go see it-but I make sure to bring a couple of friends!
The film openings from the two movies I previously stated are the main source of inspiration for how I want my group to approach our own film opening. I want to focus on captivating the audience from the start, and then leaving them wanting more and asking questions at the end. For example, in the film opening for US, a little girl is shown walking on the Santa Cruz pier with her parents, and then wandering off on her own. She went onto the beach, and walked into a hall of mirrors, where she got lost and encountered a little girl who looks exactly like her. Then, the scene cut off. This movie opening left me asking a number of questions: Who is the other little girl? What did she do with her? Where did she come from? The lack of music and dark setting added to the suspense, keeping me interested.
Another example is in the movie It. The movie opens with a scene that sets the mood for the rest of the movie-Georgie's death. Georgie's death was an iconic scene in both the 1990 original and the 2019 remake. Georgie goes outside on a rainy day, and runs alongside his paper boat that he put in running water when suddenly-the boat fell into a sewer. This is where Pennywise's character is introduced, and he bites off Georgie's arm and pulls him into the sewer after tricking him into thinking he'll get his boat back. This movie opening stands out to me because it is a scene that everybody knows all too well, but was done so well with all of the elements of a horror movie that it left the audience wanting more. The dark setting, suspenseful music, and scary effects and character truly made this opening scene terrifying.
Overall, my inspiration came from a culmination of different movies that left me wanting to come back and rewatch it again. It is important to focus on including the elements of the horror genre, but to also keep it unique and suspenseful, so the audience doesn't get bored, but rather excited to see the rest of the movie. This is what I hope to achieve with my group in our movie opening.
Sunday, December 22, 2019
MY FILM OPENING PROJECT: GENRE AND GROUP MEMBERS
GENRE OF PROJECT: Our group decided to do the horror genre for our movie opening
GROUP MEMBERS: Renee Listrom, Zoe Orgass, Kelly Gonzalez, (Chiara Junkroski)
GROUP MEMBERS: Renee Listrom, Zoe Orgass, Kelly Gonzalez, (Chiara Junkroski)
FILM OPENING RESEARCH #2: AVENGERS INFINITY WAR
Avengers Infinity War: Anthony Russo
How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?
One: Marvel Studios
What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?
The image of space and the ship that Thor, Loki, and Thanos are on is prioritized in the opening scene, as is the Tesseract.
What connotations do the images carry?
Space carries a neutral connotation-space is where a majority of the film takes place. Thor, Loki, and Thanos carry more of a negative connotation, as does the Tesseract. Loki ends up being killed by Thanos, the Tesseract was taken, and this marks the beginning of the war, and the conflict of the movie.
How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
The action genre is reinforced right from the start, with fights, deaths, and loud noises and music. The setting in space with a chaotic spaceship, the bloody, and dirty makeup, and the dark lighting are all symbolic and technical codes that reinforce the action genre.
How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?
From the start viewers are wondering why Thanos wants the Tesseract, and what he intends to do with it. This establishes an enigma from the outset.
What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?
The directors included three very large characters in the opening scene, and killed off two important people from the start, drawing in the audience and already making them emotional. The fact that these big, well-known characters were included really appeals to the target audience.
How has technology been used effectively? You might want to consider camera angles, transitions and editing techniques.
The movie opens with an establishing shot, showing the spaceship hovering in space. Low angle and high angle shots are used frequently when the action begins to show who has the power and who does not. For example, whenever Thanos is in the frame, there is a low angle shot being used, making him appear taller and more powerful than the others. The opposite goes for the other characters. When Thor is shown tied up in a chair, a high angle shot along with an eye level shot make Thor appear powerless and out of control.
How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?
One: Marvel Studios
What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?
The image of space and the ship that Thor, Loki, and Thanos are on is prioritized in the opening scene, as is the Tesseract.
What connotations do the images carry?
Space carries a neutral connotation-space is where a majority of the film takes place. Thor, Loki, and Thanos carry more of a negative connotation, as does the Tesseract. Loki ends up being killed by Thanos, the Tesseract was taken, and this marks the beginning of the war, and the conflict of the movie.
How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
The action genre is reinforced right from the start, with fights, deaths, and loud noises and music. The setting in space with a chaotic spaceship, the bloody, and dirty makeup, and the dark lighting are all symbolic and technical codes that reinforce the action genre.
How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?
From the start viewers are wondering why Thanos wants the Tesseract, and what he intends to do with it. This establishes an enigma from the outset.
What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?
The directors included three very large characters in the opening scene, and killed off two important people from the start, drawing in the audience and already making them emotional. The fact that these big, well-known characters were included really appeals to the target audience.
How has technology been used effectively? You might want to consider camera angles, transitions and editing techniques.
The movie opens with an establishing shot, showing the spaceship hovering in space. Low angle and high angle shots are used frequently when the action begins to show who has the power and who does not. For example, whenever Thanos is in the frame, there is a low angle shot being used, making him appear taller and more powerful than the others. The opposite goes for the other characters. When Thor is shown tied up in a chair, a high angle shot along with an eye level shot make Thor appear powerless and out of control.
FILM OPENING RESEARCH #1: US
US: Jordan Peele
How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?
Two: Universal and Monkeypaw Productions
What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?
An image of a TV showing a promotion for "Hands Across America", and an image of a bunny, which slowly zooms out to reveal more bunnies.
What connotations do the images carry?
The promotion on the TV is symbolic, for it shows exactly what happens throughout the movie-which viewers discover at the end. The bunnies are a hint to an image viewers see later on in the movie as well. The promotion has more of a negative connotation, while the bunnies are rather neutral. It also shows (before stating the title of the film and giving credentials) a little girl wandering on the Santa Cruz pier, and getting lost in a house of mirrors, where she saw her clone.
How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
The horror/thriller genre is reinforced throughout the movie. The entire movie is symbolic. Everything means something, for example everybody above has a clone that they are "tethered" to. These clones live underground and do everything that their person does, and looks like them except they act like animals. When the main character finds the underground place where the clones live, there are bunnies hopping around (a symbol from the opening scene). The music also reinforces the genre, for it is creepy, a bit out of tune, and staccato.
How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?
The very first questions viewers ask are "what do the bunnies mean" and "what does Hands Across America have to do with anything?". The movie does an amazing job of establishing mystery and a good story from the start.
What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?
There isn't much dialogue or action in the opening scene, which builds suspense as it follows the girl down the pier onto the beach. By giving a story from the start, directors know that the audience's attention will be caught. This ensures that the film appeals to the audience.
How has technology been used effectively? You might want to consider camera angles, transitions and editing techniques.
There are many follow shots and close-ups, which makes the movie personal, and gives the audience a sense of how the character acts. As the girl walks down the pier, there is either a follow shot of a POV. Then when she sees her clone, it is a close-up shot, then it cuts to the title and credentials.
How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?
Two: Universal and Monkeypaw Productions
What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?
An image of a TV showing a promotion for "Hands Across America", and an image of a bunny, which slowly zooms out to reveal more bunnies.
What connotations do the images carry?
The promotion on the TV is symbolic, for it shows exactly what happens throughout the movie-which viewers discover at the end. The bunnies are a hint to an image viewers see later on in the movie as well. The promotion has more of a negative connotation, while the bunnies are rather neutral. It also shows (before stating the title of the film and giving credentials) a little girl wandering on the Santa Cruz pier, and getting lost in a house of mirrors, where she saw her clone.
How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
The horror/thriller genre is reinforced throughout the movie. The entire movie is symbolic. Everything means something, for example everybody above has a clone that they are "tethered" to. These clones live underground and do everything that their person does, and looks like them except they act like animals. When the main character finds the underground place where the clones live, there are bunnies hopping around (a symbol from the opening scene). The music also reinforces the genre, for it is creepy, a bit out of tune, and staccato.
How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?
The very first questions viewers ask are "what do the bunnies mean" and "what does Hands Across America have to do with anything?". The movie does an amazing job of establishing mystery and a good story from the start.
What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?
There isn't much dialogue or action in the opening scene, which builds suspense as it follows the girl down the pier onto the beach. By giving a story from the start, directors know that the audience's attention will be caught. This ensures that the film appeals to the audience.
How has technology been used effectively? You might want to consider camera angles, transitions and editing techniques.
There are many follow shots and close-ups, which makes the movie personal, and gives the audience a sense of how the character acts. As the girl walks down the pier, there is either a follow shot of a POV. Then when she sees her clone, it is a close-up shot, then it cuts to the title and credentials.
Sunday, December 8, 2019
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