Audience and Institution Practice Essay

Section B: Institutions and Audiences

Media area chosen: Film
#6- To what extent is digital distribution vital to the media area you have studied?

It is no surprise that many sources of our entertainment are distributed through this time of the “digital era”. With many resources exposed to the audience, including the many ways that these real text media are shown for our viewing pleasure, it has virtually changed and enhanced the way we view, watch, and listen to our favorite and upcoming films. The digital distribution of these films has never been easier and more accessible to the public. In more ways than one - through our downloads, video sharing, and social platforms- digitally distributing media has been crucial in reporting the latest films. As theaters become more irrelevant, our films are brought to us closer to home in various aspects such as on-demand streaming, pirated sites, blu-ray, DVD's, networking stream platforms and so much more. But the true extent of this can be assessed in a deeper scope.

To begin with, in what ways can a consumer watch a film? But even more so, in what ways can this film be made known to the general public? It's simple: digital distribution. For instance, under the article ‘How is Digital Technology Reshaping the Film Industry?’ by Rosie Harman, it states “Digital market has infiltrated almost any type of industry you could name. That includes the film industry as well..” To understand the extent of digital distribution, it is vital for any film institution to understand the grasp of how the audience will view the said film. These include a range of technologies that enhance the viewing of these films, including 4K 3D cameras, video editing, and even 3D rendering. A lot of the way we view these upcoming films is through distribution on social platforms, such as YouTube, as expressed in the article ‘How Tech Has Shaped Film Making’ by Charles Matthau. But how exactly can these films be digitally distributed? A crucial question with an impactful answer.

Take the article ‘The Ins and Outs of Hollywood Film Distribution’. Most filmmakers will create their “own production company” in order to ensure the intellectual property of their films. Therefore, this allows the owner of the film to have some control over how their film gets distributed. Steven Spielberg, a director, created his own production company called “Amblin Entertainment” which allowed him to handle the intellectual property copyrights to films like E.T. (1982) and Back to the Future (1985). Then, the company would work out contracts to sell these films to the “Big Six” who would handle the distribution from there. It is then up to the distribution subsidiaries to secure a national and global distribution of the films. So now comes to play to which ways can these films be viewed.

Digital distribution can take many forms. For instance, let's examine the case study of “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” directed by Davis Yates and released in November of 2018 by Warner Bros. Pictures. The advertising of these films was used in several ways through cross-promotion of the film. For example, fan screenings were distributed all over the internet which allowed viewers to watch the movie “early”. Even more so, Google engaged in providing footage from the trailer of the film. Partnering up is even an impactful strategy, such as the synergy tactic of AT&T and Warner Bros teaming up to digitally promote the film through marketing campaigns to boost the excitement and hype over the film's release. Furthermore, it brought the audience an easier way to watch through a home exhibition, as the film released on Amazon Blu-Ray for online viewing, as well as selling through Walmart and Target stores. Worldwide, the film profited a whopping $653.7 million USD.

Even more so, the case study on the “Beauty and the Beast”, released March 2017, directed by Bill Condon and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. Showcased a major digital distribution of the film. In a fun and whimsical way for the audience to be engaged in the release of the film, the company created a cross-media convergence that allowed individuals to send messages using special ‘stickers’ from the film as well as releasing the soundtrack for people to listen and enjoy. The film enjoyed a hefty profit of $1.3 Billion USD. Another case study that shook the box office and home entertainment was the release of “Black Panther” in February of 2018, which was directed by Ryan Coogler and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures Motion Studios. Cross-promotion revealed an exciting commercial that featured the Black Panther with the new 2018 Lexus LS 500 car. Creating this visual association of the film to this new car benefitted both the film and car company to reach a broader audience, digitally distributing the image and brand name to the public. BET was even able to release an old animated version of this film, which only garnered more attention to the film. 

Furthermore, in the article “Universal vs. Disney,” it states that “The Jurassic World and Fast & Furious franchises are Universal’s crown jewels of intellectual property.” What does this imply? The underlying message is that competition is only beneficial to how we view our films through various media, meaning the next best film should be loud, dramatic, and right in the audience's visual realm. This brings us to our last case study; Jurassic World. Released in June of 2015 and directed by Colin Trevorrow, with distribution by Universal Studios, this film made a major dent in trailers, with up to 4 main trailers for the film. Even more exciting is their distribution of their ‘website’ showcasing Jurassic World as a fully functional theme park to the audience. The engagements produced from this film were outstanding, even including an online Easter egg hunt for users, completely online. As a result, the film made record sales with a total of $1 Billion USD from Blu-Ray expansion packs to DVDs and more.

So to conclude, it is evident that the digital distribution of films created a major dent in the way we view and enjoy these media. They come to us on multiple platforms, with ease at our fingertips. In so many ways, I contribute to these audiences on how I immerse myself in these films with checking release dates, watching the newest trailers, and even reading on the feedback through critic sites such as rotten tomatoes. Without digital distribution of films, it would be more complex for the film companies/institutions to each their targeted audiences and for the audience itself to know what's to come for the future of film.

Extract Essay- Game of Thrones

Carla Choukroun 4/20/20 Period 2 Candidate No. 0102

  1. Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs meaning through the following:
-Camera shots, angles, movement and composition.
-Editing.
-Sound.
-Mis-En-Scene.

In the Games of Throne extract, there is a theme that prevails of mystery and most apparent, uncertainty. The vision that the author captures is through various aspects that begins in the very opening scenes, as the uneasy and rocky waves provide the first glimpse of an unknown atmosphere that will set itself for the premise of this extract.

To begin with, the first scene begins with an establishing shot of the large ship and powerful waves that surround it. Here, diegetic sound can be heard of the seagulls and waves crashing against each other as they overlap from the ships forward movements. During this scene, the camera diverts its attention to the two main characters, with the camera zooming in on them. Incidental sound intensifies, as the zoom allows the audience to examine the facial expressions of the two characters and showcasing their costume design of medieval set attire in formal wear. They show signs of being uncertain, timid and overall anxiety of what lays before them. This shows that the author was trying to capture these exact emotions with the zoom to enhance the theme, making the character and the audience alike uncertain of what events are foreshadowed as a crane shot tilts up of an entrance with a large, towering, statuesque figure of a warrior/soldier .

As the music slowly fades, the next scene is shown of the two main characters in a large dimly lit room, with a great big single horizontally-elongated medal table, accompanied with three large chairs and two small, cowardly looking stone benches on the other side for the two main men. As one of the main characters paces back and forward, the author shows this action as a way to add how uncertain the men are, with one pacing and the other trying to comfort or reassure the other. The camera is kept at a medium close-up to keep the camera focused on the men’s weakly lit faces. Finally, three men emerge, known to be the “bankers” in this scene. There is a moment of hesitation that the men are faced with, as they were met abruptly, even though they were waiting eagerly for these other men. They were plainly dressed, with only one of the “bankers” addressing the men collectively.

Now, the next scene begins with dialogue and shot/reverse-shot of all the characters discussing the matter at hand: heir to money. As the characters go back and forward, arguing and bickering, it is still clear that the author is portraying the uneasy atmosphere displayed amongst these men as it seems an agreement cannot be made. Another theme presents itself here: power. The only “banker” speaking appears very calm and collected and seems to be holding a higher ground than the two main characters. He is unbothered by their claims of who owns the right to the money lost and the heir to the throne to be titled as a Lord. Therefore, the author is presenting that the power is being held at a firmer grip amongst the bankers than the two main men.

With the next scene, the two main characters seem to be defeated of trying to argue with the banker. However, this is until one of the main characters stands to speak up. As the bankers are still seated, one of the main characters is shown in a medium long shot as he speaks in an upright position, which the author created to impose a sense of authority. As the men continue to bicker on grounds of loyalty and who holds the true title to aiding in the lost money, a main event is shown during this scene. One of the main characters uncovers his glove to show the banker. The author added this scene to create depth on the situation, which questioned the other main characters’ integrity, intentions and overall loyalty to the title of being a Lord. Upon removing the glove, the audience was met with a butchered hand- the fingers had been cut or amputated down to the joints of the fingers. A reaction shot was shown of the banker, his face mortified and shocked. The author provided an understanding and background by doing so to prove that the other main character was worthy of the title and the chance to the heir of money to the banker.

Conclusively, through these scenes, it is apparent that the author was trying to show how the theme of uncertainty followed these two main characters in the events that unfolded. They did not know what to expect, in more ways than one. The main characters did not know what the response would be from the banker, the audience did not know either, but even more so, the banker was not expecting of the actions of one of the main characters, with his justified arguments and points, which left the banker searching for words. Therefore, this solidifies the view and intentions of the author when creating the theme of mystery and uncertainty.

CCR for Film Video

This is the CCR I did for my film MUTANT. This was done in an interview style. I got into depth about my personal journey and the many ways I improved. The video length is 10 minutes long and I really incorporated all my progress into this reflection. It was definitely a fun and creative take on CCR’s that I have done in the past. I grew so much, especially at a time we are under with so much going on in the world today. Film productions around the world have stopped, theaters have closed, etc. So this is a very impactful time for film history especially! Nonetheless, I continued to use the resources I had at home to make the best out of the situation as you will see in my CCR for the film. I really tried to show my creative side to this. The interview style was a nice twist and was different. I added a lot of gifs to make it more comical and fun. I wanted it to be capture almost like a silent film. When something happens and then a text is followed. It was fun to film because I had my dad as the interviewer and my brother as the one filming. I had to reshoot the CCR about 5 times because I kept laughing. I’ve also never talked to a camera for 10 minutes straight. I’ve only ever done about 7 for another class, AICE global. But it was still fun and a bit out of my comfort zone. I hope you enjoy the CCR and find it informational.

Film Blog Video

This is my opening sequence for my film MUTANT! I really enjoyed making this film with my group and it was surprisingly the easiest to film. There is currently a lot going on in the world so I will admit, as a perfectionist, I wanted to do more editing on the titles. It truly disappointed me that I could not make the titles how I originally wanted to because it would have added so much more to the film! But, I was still super proud of the outcome. I came a long way to be able to film such a project, with all my hard work and skills coming together in the end for this final product! The biggest thing for me during this film was the acting. In my previous products, I never had to really act or go off a strict. With this, I had to pay attention to detail. This included the way I spoke, my tone in my voice, my facial expressions. Not only that, but making sure everyone was on the same page. So they had to practice likes and facial expressions with me. I will admit it was not entirely easy. We did our very best because at times you can notice smiles creeping in. This shows how much fun I had but how hard it was to be serious. Because after all, this is a horror film, not a comedy. It was not the easiest to be my character because I’ve never done something like it before. Regardless, I think I did a really good job. It was interesting and the storyline is there. But you can decide if it’s scary enough for you!

Music Video with CCR

Not only was this actually my hardest film, it was also the funnest for me. I genuinely enjoyed myself whilst filming this with my group. It was mostly hard for me because I had trouble with two things. For one, it was hard to get the film to match up with the audio of the music. This caused a bit of choppiness that I couldn't fix. The second thing was the editing I did. The split screen was interesting but still kind of difficult. My favorite part though was the cool jump cut/transition I came up with the idea to jump from one location to another. This video really got me frustrated a few times. This was the first time I used two different locations as well. The park and then the beach. THIS was the video I truly got out of my comfort zone. I had so many people looking at us whilst filming. For this video, I even called the park prior to filming to confirm if it was okay to film. I organized a lot of props. From flowers, to the love letter, I even designed costumes. It was important for me to capture a very light and sunny look on the actors. This video had a ton of retakes though. People would interrupt us and cause us to reshoot. This was a great learning experience and overall just really fun.

Commercial Blog with CCR

This is my commercial blog. I also attached the CCR I made for this video. This was the very first filming I did in AICE Media. Although it was the shortest film I did, it was also second to being the hardest to actually film and edit. It was difficult to reach the time because it was so minimal. I kept going over the time requirement. Since it also was my first time even filming, it was the first time I brought actual props, which was pretty fun. I enjoyed the music I found, which was also my first time ever converting songs to mp3. I did have a few friends help me with some editing as it was all still very new to me. It’s amazing to see how far I came with my directing, filming and editing skills. I remember I used to get so frustrated and would lose patience with editing. Something always was going wrong when I edited. This filming took place at school as well. So I wasn’t YET outside of my comfort zone. I did not know anyone really in the class also. So, I had to shake off the shyness and put myself out there. I found a really great group out of it. All of our products came out great too. It was hard work but it was fun nevertheless. This was my first step in the journey to come. Overall, I really enjoyed filming this commercial.

Editing Blog: Finalizing all edits Part 2

All editing has been successfully completed. Now all I had to do was go through the film in its entirety. So what I did was check on each scene. I first started by looking at each scene's lighting. The lighting looked good so I just made a few tweaks here and there. Like the killer scene, I added an extra lighting to it in editing. These were mostly last minute touch-ups. Then the next thing I looked at was sound. The sound in each clip was clear and understandable. During last minute editing I even considered adding some special effects. Since I was limited with my at-home editing software, I could not add any really nice special effects. The special effects I went through were fake rain, thunderstorm effects and loud crashing noises. None of these however worked out. Therefore, none of them were used. Thankfully, there was no more choppiness or lagging in the final product of the film. I also reviewed the soundtrack of the film. The music was really good and really corresponded with each scenes. I had a calm soundtrack, a build-up soundtrack and a major climax soundtrack.This editing was divided into two parts because they were done on the same day. Now, the final product has been completed.   

Editing Blog: Checking film for choppiness Part 1

Now, filming is complete and no other filming will be done. Editing is the main focus. Although I have been editing for awhile now, I still continue to go back to review my film. The editing consists now of minor fixes and changes. My editing has been converted from Pinnacle Studios to Microsoft Editing Software due to circumstances. This also means all editing is now at-home. Throughout the film, there was a bit of choppiness. Whenever I would begin exporting, the film came out with some choppiness. There was a few things I had to do to ensure this was fixed. So for one, I had to go through each clip to see which ones were lagging or buffering. The reason for this was because these were the scenes that made the video lag. This finally got resolved. The next thing I had to do was export the film to my google drive. By doing so, I was able to see how the film was overall. I noticed that the film was not choppy anymore. But I went a little further. I then exported the film to iMovie, an Apple program for filming. This helped me see how the soundtrack was in the film too. This made the film cleaner and smoother. The film was now ready to be exported.

Filming Blog: Finalizing all scenes (No Additional Filming)

Since filming was complete, I made sure all scenes were "finalized". Because my group and I are done filming and cannot film further due to circumstances, I am making sure and checking through all the film/footage. Sometimes I accidentally select the wrong footage to place into the film itself due to so many similarities. Therefore, this process allows me to go frame by frame in deciding which footage was appropriate. When filming, every scene had to re-shoot several times before the scene was completed. This is taking into account all angles and camera movements. Sometimes an object in the background had to be removed and therefore the entire clip had to be redone. Other times, cars were passing through during filming which caused us to stop filming. This made us re-do filming again. Even more so, background noise was an issue. During filming, it was hard to make sure the location was completely silent. So, filming for certain scenes was then re-shot multiple times. Even the noise I wanted and set up for the film had to be re-done. For example, the scene was the cups fall. This had to do a lot with timing. During this scene, the cups were supposed to crash as soon as the lights went out during the party scene. However, if I were just a second off from having the lights turn out, then the scene would not make sense. So, therefore, the scene specifically was re-shot twice, which was pretty good. With help, I had a few extra people to aid in the lights and sound effects. So, overall, this was my process of finalizing all scenes.

Editing Blog: Fixing titles and music

Titles took a lot of research and time. Many horror films have titles that are meant to portray what the film is about. For example, for vampires, they might have a title that drips blood. Due to some circumstances happening, there were a few things I could not to do. Since I am not in school and do not have access to Pinnacle Studios, I could not make the titles how I want to. The original title was in a font called "Bloodlust". However, the editing I did at home could not allow me to download and install personal fonts. This made me very frustrated because I took a lot of time deciding through hundreds of fonts which one I liked best. So, unfortunately, I had to use the fonts that were provided for me through my Microsoft Editing Software program. Even more so, that also meant I could not add my own color schemes to the titles. Originally, I had planned to made the actors, directors, editors etc, names' as first name in black and last name in green. I was also going to make the film title in green, but could not do that. As for the music now. I was able to download the original music that I had planned for the film. In total, I had three soundtracks of music for the film, with no dialogue. Those songs were researched as well for a few hours. Once the songs were picked and I was content with them, I converted the songs to mp3. I made sure the songs were royalty free first before downloading them. This ensured that I did not use songs that could have been copyrighted.

Filming Blog: Unable to Film, Dissecting/Reviewing Film

Due to circumstances, my group and I were unable to film more but there are some good information to report. All filming has been completed, despite wanting to do some more check-ups. So instead, I’ll discuss what my group and I were going to possibly film. So for one, I did a bit more reviewing on the film, just to make everything perfect. I was debating on which beginning scenes I liked most. The establishing shot was taken four times in total after reviewing the scenes. The establishing shot was held at a higher elevation. I didn’t want to use the tripod for this scene because of one main reason. I did not want to be unable to view the video as it was recording. I wanted to be fully able to see what was in the frame. You can notice in many of the scenes that lighting does change. This result was inevitable. A lot of the filming was done in different parts of the day, at different times of the day as well. I tried very hard to stay consistent with the lighting but it was difficult. However, I feel like I managed to keep it minimal and not too noticeable. For this specific scene, it was filmed during the late afternoon, around sunset. It captured a nice, ominous feeling and vibe for the opening sequence. Even more so, the night time filming was difficult because of the lack of light. Thankfully however, we use a phone light to cast a nice contrast. Overall, it really made the film come to light as a horror film.

Editing Blog: Making the right Duration

Once all the scenes were aligned in the order they needed to be, I had to make sure the timing was right. This included both editing the time and speeding up the time. Some scenes were not included in the film because it dragged out the time. To begin with, the first editing was done on the school laptop. What had to be done was run the entire film. Once I did that, I saw that the duration went a little over 2 minutes. So, I had to go back and check and see which scenes to cut down even more. I first cut down the first opening scene by a couple seconds. Then I cut down one of the interaction scenes so there wasn’t a conversation anymore. This gave me less time which was good for the film. Then the phone call scene was cut, in a way that it looked like a jump cut. The phone convo was cut very short. Then the scene were I discovered the bodies was also cut so that I wasn’t walking too much from scene to scene. Then more editing came into play. The scene where I discover the bodies is where I sped up the time. Even more so, I added a lighter contrast color and some shadows in the back to really bring out the blood and gory of the scene. Speeding up the scene allowed the music in the background to nicely correspond with the scene overall. The next few scenes that followed were also cut down. I made sure to show my group members so that it made sense and didn’t look too choppy. By doing all this, I achieved a time of 1 minute and 58 seconds.

Filming Blog: Checking Scenes

Before I could engage in filming more, I had to dissect all the scenes. Some scenes did not go well so more filming was to be done. This includes both fixing scenes and adding scenes. However, when the new scenes were added which were not in the storyboard they were used for a specific reason. I didn’t know if the film was going to have enough time/ correct length. What I did was stage in some extra scenes, which were not used in the film. This included a lengthier running scene of me, trying to run away from the killer. The other scene that was shot is of just the killer, walking in the direction of me running away, the victim. What I used to ensure good lighting for this was the flashlight of the cell phone. By doing this, it created a great contrast of the killer from the pitch black background. Although this scene was great, mysterious and horror, it took up too much time. If I had included this scene then I would have had to delete others, which would of not made sense for the film. Even more so, the main reason was that is was just going to add too much time, making the film way over the limited length. Upon checking the scenes, I had to do better in the screams and horror-like faces I made. At times I was laughing so I did re-do some scenes. Although not everything was perfect as I continued to smile in some of the scenes. The lighting was my main concern because the rest of the film was filmed in the night time. The phone flash lights however really aided in this product overall. Some scenes will still be looked over though. Any adjustments will be covered in editing.

Editing Blog: Adding soundtrack

I had to find the right music to along with this film. Some editing was done both at home and school. First, I had to do some research for which music sounded more like a horror. Both elements of horror and suspense was added into the film through the music. To ensure I captured the right sound, I asked others what they thought of the music choice. I displayed a variety of songs for them to listen to. I went through about 4 songs in total. Out of the 4 songs, I picked 2 to use for the sound track. The song/music I used were completely free and royalty free as well. None of the sounds were copyrighted. I downloaded the songs and converted them to mp3. Once this was completed, I transferred the music into my film. I started the first soundtrack at the very beginning of the film. Then I learned to taper down the chorus in the film. I didn’t want the sound to abruptly end out of nowhere. So what I did in editing was to drag the music out and slowly cut it of towards the end. The music ended as soon as the dialogue began between two of the actors. Then, a different soundtrack began for different scenes. The music in this case was more suspenseful. It added to the theme of horror for the film overall, but the music is still subject to change. 

Filming Blog: Working on lighting and sound

Continuing the film, March 16th, there was a few things that needed to be changed. The lighting needed to be corrected through filming because editing did not suffice. Some scenes had lighting fixed through the use of a phone camera. For example the killer scene. Since it was really dark outside, you couldn’t see the killer standing over me. So, another participant had to put their flash on their phone and shine it on the killer in an angle. The phone was not visible but the lighting was much better. It created a black shadow in the back so only the killer was visible. This really added to the scary theme of the film. Even more so, since the filming happened on different days, a few factors changed lighting. This was due to both the weather and the time of day. Some days were cloudy and then also the time difference was a role in the lighting.  Additionally, the sound had to be arranged. I had decided to ring the home phone to create a creepy feeling in the film. The phone continuously ringing added an element of suspense. However, we had to reshoot this scene a few times to get the phone call on point. The heavy breathing on the other line did not pick up in the audio so I decided to remove that part of the scene. The sound of the bottles dropping came out really clear and was effective for the scene. Most scenes were fine with lighting and sound overall. Sound could be fixed later on with editing.

Re-Edit Blog: Importing more scenes, adding titles

During re-editing, a few scenes needed to be added into the final product. All the re-shooting scenes were saved into a flash drive and uploaded into the computer. I then dumped all the footage into my desktop folder and began importing the scenes. Since there were quite a few scenes, this process took about 10 minutes. Once the scenes were successfully imported, I began placing the scenes in their correct location. The first scene that had to be re-edited was the tracking shot. This was due to the fact that the last scene was too shaky. Therefore in this scene, the tracking was smoother as it was filmed in a car. I cut the scene into a perfect time so that the transition was clean for following the scene. Once that was completed, I edited the lighting during one of the scenes. This was called the “killing” scene. I had to speed up this scene because it too long and added too much time to the film. When that was completed, the lighting was changed to a brighter light because there was some unappealing dark shadows that didn’t merge well with this scene. After that, some title were included such as the studio name and the film. I had to change the color and font size of the titles as well. The color chosen was a dark green color for the last names of the actors, directors etc. This color was also chosen for the title. The title I used was “bloodlust” which gave a very eerie look to the film. When everything was included, the time came to 1:58. There is still more editing to be done for the film. 

Re-Shoot Blog: Tracking and Adding Scenes

Due to some scenes, there was some reshooting that needed to be done. For one, the beginning scene of me running needed to be done. The running was shaky as the cameraman was following me. To revise this error, the cameraman got into his car to film the running scene. As I reviewed the footage, we had to re-shoot this scene about 3 times. This was due to cars trying to drive down the road and the camera getting caught in the shot. Finally, we got the final scene done for that specific scene. The next scenes that had to be re-shot was me entering the home for the party. The lightning was off and the audio wasn’t captured. This was reshot about two times until we got it right. After that, I had to get the following scenes set up. I had to get the glass again for the lights out scene because the other glass was too hazardous. As a result, we used plastic cups to resemble glass breaking or shattering. This alternative was safer and more practical for when the glass “drops”. The running away scene had to be redone as well. The lighting was not good nor was the audio in the previous shot. So, I reshot this scene of me running again with a louder audio and better running. The lighting improved as well. Overall, re-shooting went well and we managed to complete all scenes. The advice was put to good use from the peer review. 

Peer Review Blog

The group I peer-reviewed was Leila and Hannah, group number 14. The film itself was only 39 seconds but the filming was not yet completed. A few notes were made based off the film that the group already had. For one, they have yet to reach the 2 minute maximum time. The premise of the movie seemed to be a spy-like film from what I can tell so far. The overall lighting was good as well, just a note to add a darker light in the "spy room" to appear more mysterious. The sound was also pretty decent as well, however the dialogue needs to be adjusted so it can be heard clearer. The sound choice was fitting and sounded clear. Even more so, the group did well to not show any tripods or cameras or anyone else filming. 

One thing I really liked about the film was the opening scene. The establishing shot was very clear and lighting was nice. The camera was not shaky at all. The transition was very clean as well from the establishing shot to the front door. What I liked from this scene was the way the camera "entered" the home. The camera was as if someone was entering, like almost a POV. It went into a black screen to nicely transition into the following scene. 

One suggestion I would make to the film is to adjust the sound and some of the lighting. The lighting was nice but the spy scene could be darker. Also, dialogue needs to be clearer. Even more so, the actors should not look like they are being filmed right away. The filming should look like they were caught in the middle of doing the act, rather than waiting for the camera to roll. This would help the acting not look so "staged". 

Filming Blog: Continuing the Film

On the 25th, my group and I continued filming. I had to film some of the scenes because the original cameraman was not able to make it. Me and the other actors took turns filming some scenes, but not all scenes were filmed. The scenes that still need to be filmed are the "killer" scenes which is also the cameraman. Due to this, filming will pick up again on the upcoming Sunday, on the 1st of March.  I was in charge of the makeup design for these scenes. The makeup is meant to look gory and bloody because of the killer. These scenes will be filmed by one of the actors then switched by me to "view" their dead bodies. This caused a bit of an inconvenience but it was manageable. I also had to re-shoot the action match due to two things. One, I need to remove the camera bag from the background. Another thing is I need to replace the cups. The Styrofoam cups did not look appealing or give off a "party" vibe. Therefore, red solo cups would help give the audience the feel of a party. I also had to find a glass to use for the shatter scene. The glass will be contained in one area so no one gets hurts and it will be cleaned up as part of a scene. It will be a "break-away" glass so that it's not harmful to anyone. Filming took place for about 2 hours. The time of day and weather may change the lighting in some scenes but I could fix that within the editing software. More filming will continue and hopefully all scenes will be completed by this Sunday and more editing will happen. 

Editing Film Blog: Beginning of Editing

I started the editing process on the film. Only some scenes were edited because not all footage was shot. Before editing, I dumped all footage into the media studies folder on my desktop. I used the SD card reader to upload the footage onto the laptop. Then I imported the footage into Pinnacle Studios and waited for all footage to download. Once that was completed, I reviewed each clip separately. Some clips were deleted as they served no purpose for the film. These scenes were extras and mistakes. A couple scenes were shot several times as well. During editing, I set up certain scenes, such as the beginning scenes. However, since not all scenes were filmed, the scenes did not correlate. This means that there are some gaps between each scene. Another thing done while editing was cropping a certain scene. During one of the scenes, there was an indent of the directors finger so I had to go into effect editor and crop it out. To do so, I resized the scene after cropping the bottom half. Once this was completed, the scene was better. The scene was also stretched vertically so no weird black line was shown on the bottom. Some scenes had to have the sound cut out as music will be placed on top of it. The editing will continue for another couple days after filming resumes in the next following days. Overall, editing is not yet completed and more scenes will be filmed and edited.

Filming Blog: Nagual's House

On Tuesday, the 18th I started filming with my group. One of the group members was not there so some scenes were filmed before others. As the director, I brought all the costumes, makeup and props for the filming. I had to change into my running clothes for the beginning scenes. I made sure to direct the specific scenes and the angles that went along with it. The street was a little busy with passing cars so I made sure to get myself and my group out of the road. I picked up filming and making sure to re-shoot certain scenes as we went along. The next scene I directed the tilt of me entering the home. I set up the props inside the home as well. I placed the cups on the table and chose the knife that would be used. The knife was dulled before hand so it would not harm any actors during filming. The white cup scene needs to be re-filmed as there was unintended props in the background like the camera bag. I did not use the tripod during most of the scenes. I set up the placement of where the actors should be along with what they should be saying. Some areas needed to be cleaned and some areas were left messy. I made sure the areas that were being filmed were set up properly also. The entire process took a little over 2 hours for the filming but there still is a lot to get done. More filming with me and the rest of actors need to take place. I need to secure the premises for any other dangers so no one gets harm by tripping. I also direct the expressions so that needs more practice for myself.

Planning Blog: Storyboard

This google slide includes each scene of the storyboard for the film. There is a total of 10 storyboard papers, each with 6 boxes filled. The boxes include the props and angles used for each scene. The boxes represent about 6 seconds of filming. Therefore in total, there should be 2 minutes of the opening sequence to a film. In this case, this film is a horror. Even more so, each scene includes the important production names. They include the production studio name and the film type, and the title in its own scene. That title scene will dissolve in the background and then the scenes will begin again. The storyboard is completed in detail so it it is clear what to follow once filming begins.

Planning Blog: Title Design

This google slide contains all the details for the fonts in the film. Some of the fonts will be different colors, up to two. These two will contain a black and green font for the actors/producers and so on. The title of the font has also been determined. This font came from an online font generator. It provides a gruesome and horrific design that goes well for a horror film. Even more so, we added examples as a visual aid. There was no real tracking or spacing because the fonts were easy to read. The tone is set to be horrific an dis nicely developed through the fonts. Overall, the design layout will be easy for the audience and they can understand what they're watching.

Planning Blog: Location, Participants, Health and Schedule

This google slide contains all the important details for filming. It includes the health, schedule, location and participants for this film. There are a total of 7 slides that go in depth on this. The participants are listed and how safety will be a subject in our film to ensure all actors are safe. The location is yet to be determined. Safety precautions like present parents will be at the filming location. This is to make sure no one is hurt during the filming process. Props like the knife and glass will be fake as well to be safe. The schedule is very detailed but is subject to change. Filming will begin shortly after location and props have been acquired.

Planning Blog: Sound/Dialogue Script

This is a google slide on the dialogue and sound of the script. There's a total of 10 scenes, each detailed with the sound and actions of the actors. This google slide also presents some of the script with more details. There are a range of shots and angles included as well with each scene. They include over-the-shoulder, high angles, low angles and so on. Each scene has one to two shots/angles. Some scenes may have no dialogue but there will be a song playing throughout the film. The sound will increase towards the end of the film. The dialogue is few but shows the key conversations made. The killer only has a few lines but creates a more mysterious feeling.

Planning Blog: Shooting Script

This google slide is the shooting script for the film. It includes all the camera angles and movements in the film. It also includes some details for the lighting as well. There are a total of 10 scenes for this product. The google slides breaks down the scenes without any dialogue, just actions. The names of the actors are shown as the "victims". The "killer" appears a few times with few actions. The lighting throughout will be dim. The slides also include more specific actions that will be in the film. So, overall, this google slide will show what each scene will be broken into and what will be included in the film, with no dialogue or sound included.

Title Research: The Number 23

Retrieved from: Watch The Titles

Movie: The Number 23

Genre: Horror

• How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film? 

Their are 27 titles in the opening sequences of the film.  This is counting all the actors/actresses as one whole title, while adding effects and transitions to give it some pop and stand out. 

• What images are prioritized in the opening sequence? 

Hence the title being The Number 23, its quite obvious the number 23 is going to be scattered, and since its a horror movie they add effects and transitions to give it that scary illusion.  

• What connotations do the images carry? 

The images in the opening scene come off as sketchy and creepy, it gives the feeling off a computer screen being hacked or glitched.  It also seems like their is a higher power or spirit in control of these coincidences and reasons for these numbers appearing.  

• How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?

The music that plays through the opening sequence of the film has old classical music and adds to the horror genre by giving it a creepy feel to it. The conventional codes of a horror are followed through the dullness of the introduction, giving a feeling of the older ages. 

• How does the film establish an enigma from the outset? 

The titles are all drawn out to be cut up and broken up to give that effect towards the viewers.  The introduction shows a screen and its edited to make it appear as the screen is getting hacked.  

• What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience? 

Adding all of the effects to give off that spooky and terrifying feeling of uncertainty.   

• How has technology been used effectively? 

Technology allows the creators to make all these different edits and transitions that weren't possible.  It also gives the creators more room to play with while interpreting how to put the number 23 into the movie in different ways that tie into this "horror" theme.   

Title Research: Two Eyes Staring

Retrieved from: Watch the Titles website
Movie: Two Eyes Staring (2010)
Genre: Horror

• How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film? 

There are 14 titles to the opening sequence, the last title always being directed by.

• What images are prioritized in the opening sequence? 

They use symmetrical ink blot style effects for almost every title showing the idea of there having to do with two's. Within the symmetrical figures it shows clips of two girls, paper eye masks, and journal entries or letters. In one it show someone putting some type of powder into water.

• What connotations do the images carry? 

The images carry a dark and creepy feeling with them. It shows two similar looking girls alone outside in a garden type scenery by a pond, which in most cases never ends well. They also show some type of writings and it looks like they're either writing to someone or taking notes on someone.   

• How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?

The music that plays through the opening sequence of the film has old classical music and adds to the horror genre by giving it a creepy feel to it. The conventional codes of a horror are followed through the darkness of the introduction and the blurring of some of the clips along with the mysterious energy that is meant to perplex the audience on the situation.

• How does the film establish an enigma from the outset? 

 The titles show the effect of decaying images that kind of open up into the ink blots. He uses innocent looking images to show a sense of threat that foreshadows the atmosphere of the movie. The ink blots were originally used in psychological tests which shows that there is some sort of psychological issue that lies beneath.

• What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience? 

 The clips within the ink blots were to depict innocence and also perception. The style he used, which was the ink blots, were also uses for showing the doubling of characters and a psychological issue. He used this style to create a dreamy but also spine-chilling feeling.

• How has technology been used effectively? 

The title sequence consists of just two layers the live action images and the layer with  the animated ink blots. They made a lot of ink blots and scanned those and filmed close up clips and clips pf the two girls. For every shot they looked for just the right shape and size. They experimented with different fonts, but it turned out that a solid sans-serif worked best. They aimed for a more ‘decayed’ look. They wanted the typography to be static and readable, to focus the attention on the images.

Title Research: Final Destination

Retrieved from: Art of the title website

Movie: The Final Destination (2009)

Genre: Horror

• How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film? 

There are 21 titles to the opening sequence, the last title always being directed by.

• What images are prioritized in the opening sequence? 

The images that were prioritized in the opening sequence were mainly x-rays of different parts of the human body
Along with that, there are also x-ray images of a car wreckage and power tools that would be used in anatomy or surgery.

• What connotations do the images carry? 

The images carry a very scary and chilling yet complex feeling. It kind of gives you an insight into the chaotic nature of the film, by showing the x-rays' human bodies being attacked by the tools.

• How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?

The sound effects that are played after each violent action gives off a dangerous and chaotic feel, which in turn and adds to the horror genre. The conventional codes of a horror are the display of images that would be seen as disturbing to an everyday audience along with the loud metal music, this is meant to make the audience feel not at ease.  

• How does the film establish an enigma from the outset? 

It's established through the use of the images that were displayed. The images that were displayed showed things like the harming of the human x-rays in different scenarios that were there. The enigma that surrounds horror is the idea of making the audience feel unsettled and on the edge of the seat expecting there to be more.

• What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience? 

The target audience for this movie are teenagers or young adults. The strategies that were used to ensure that the film appealed to this audience was the background music, which was metal, and the uses sound effects that were used to depict what is going on. These are things that wouldn't really appeal to an older audience.

• How has technology been used effectively? 

 The mainly technology that was used was editing. The editing technique was mainly used effectively when trying to give off the 3D and x-ray effect. The effect helped add some realness and urgency to the tone of the movie. Also, the background music and sounds that were used did a really good job in depicting common elements in a horror movie while still try to appeal to the target audience.

Title Research: Split

Retrieved from: Art of the title website.
Movie: Split (2017)
Genre: Horror

• How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film? 

There are 18 titles to the opening sequence, the last title always being directed by.

• What images are prioritized in the opening sequence? 

First, they make it apparent that someone is being kidnapped as it quickly cuts to a black screen after that. Then, the studio name "Universal Studios" appears directly after. The kidnapping sets the mood for what's to come in the film/ what to expect. Then, the audience is given a blurry sneak peak of what's happening to an individuals body, being laid on a hospital bed, having their body placed properly, as if dead/assumed dead.

• What connotations do the images carry? 

The images carry a sadistic and creepy feeling with them. It gives a gut feeling that something is going wrong/ about to happen. The glitchy titles add to this connotation of creepiness and unsettling behavior. 

• How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?

The music that plays through the opening sequence of the film is eerie and adds to the horror genre. The conventional codes of a horror are followed through the dim lighting of the outset along with the mysterious energy that is meant to perplex the audience on the situation, giving little details to add to the whole storyline. 

• How does the film establish an enigma from the outset? 

It's established through the use of certain camera angles and shots. The beginning POV offers a sudden realization to the audience of being kidnapped. The enigma that surrounds horror is the idea of going into the unknown which is clearly established as the audience does not realize what is happening. The distant long shot that is made blurry os mean to confuse the audience further of what they're seeing. 

• What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience? 

The opening sequence taps into the audiences emotions to propel this sense of unknown fear from the kidnapping. The film intends an older audience because this genre is targeted towards that crowd with its gruesome and unsettling atmosphere. The audience is targeted through their interests, therefore horror, fear/ thrill or being scared. 

• How has technology been used effectively? 

A major technology applied is the use of editing. The editing for the titles in the film in the glitch format added to the "split" effect, hence the title of the movie. The titles were repeated on the screen several times until it singled out the one word/name. The camera angles were crucial as well. The POV was eye-opening in the first half as it effectively grabbed the audiences attention. Then it cuts to an individual positioning a body in a specific manner, but kept blurry/out of focus to the audience. This effectively made the audience curious and suspicious of the activity happening. 

Title Research: Watch the Titles Website

Watch the titles website goes more in depth on the placement of titles and how they appear. I would use this website to understand how to locate my titles throughout the opening scene of my project. The directed by is always the last title to be shown from the opening scene. Therefore, I would make sure my name appears last. The title of the movie is also important in how it appears. If its an action film, the title of the movie can appear from the barrel of a gun. Titles can be a resemblance of what the movie is. Horror films can be gruesome, with blood dripping down the letters. The fonts go hand in hand with this as well, as they can match the genre. The titles usually come in as a fade in and fade out or they can dissolve in. There's many ways to edit the titles in the film. Most titles appear in the order of importance. The actors will be priority, along with edited by, and produced by. It is very important to make sure the titles come by the order of importance so the audience see's the mention-able individuals. So overall, this website will be very useful to guide me through this project.

Title Research: Art of the Title Website

Art of the title website offers a variety of example films and their titles. The titles all have different fonts, color schemes and sizes which help me to understand why certain titles are used. I'm looking at this site because it is very informative to know the styles of titles. I noticed how the comedies have more upbeat, colorful titles. The horrors have a more gruesome approach to them, dark and timid. The title images allow the audience to know what they are going to watch, without knowing the title or genre. The titles therefore, capture the genre through its formatting. The backgrounds also correlate with what the genre is, along with the title. The title is supposed to provoke an emotion or feeling in the first few seconds of the opening. By doing so, the audience is connected to their feelings and what to expect. This website is very helpful to understand emotions and feelings. I noticed that the titles has some special fonts involved too. The titles correlated with the action of the film, or some sort of correlation to what the movie may be about. The titles can be of all different shapes and sizes to get the audiences attention. therefore, this website will be useful to understand how to format my titles.  

Genre Research: US

The film: US

Camera angles/movements/shots:A lot of aerial's, two-shots, and extreme close-up/close up. The aerial was used to show how much clones there actually was and the chain they were creating. The most predominant shot used a two-shot because, most of the movie just showed someone and their clone fighting. The the extreme close-up and close ups were used to show to makeup on the clone's face or get someone's expression.

CLAMPS:

COSTUMES of the main characters were in casual clothes while the clones were in red jumpsuits.

LIGHTING in the beginning of the movie was very light, in order to showcase the normalcy that the family that the family was experiencing. At times the lighting would get darker whenever one of the clones appeared.

ACTING in the film was very impressive. This was a movie that involved the topic of evil clones, meaning the characters had to take on two different roles that were the complete opposite of each other.

MAKEUP in the film was very heavy. The clones of main characters all had to have this malnourished, pale, an dirty look. In order to achieve this, the makeup artists had to give them hollow-looking cheeks and off white powder to look like dust/dirt.

PROPS in the film were big scissors that each of the clones were carrying around, and weapons like knifes and a fireplace poker the family used to defend themselves.

SETTING of the film was in several places like, the lake house they were vacationing at, which was in a semi-populated woodland area. An amusement park, which was on the beach. Lastly, the hideout that the clones were stationed in, which was underground.

Editing: The main editing that was done was double role editing. This is act of making it look like there are twin-like versions of that one person by using someone else who is similar in looks.

Sound: The main sound that was used was the struggling noises the clones were making due to their difficulty in speaking and regular communication. The music that played was a classical version of many popular songs like "5 On It". This was used to create ominous scary feeling throughout the movie, and add action to certain scenes like the ballet fight scene.

Elements: The elements of this film include the double role editing, the costumes and makeup used.

Elements that appeal: The think the idea of not making the clones look exactly like the main characters was unique because, it goes against the typical "evil clone" plot, when one is trying to take another place. It shows that even though the clones want to get rid of their look like-alike, they don't want to be them. Another element that appeals to me is, the fact that you have to pay attention to detail because, the smallest things in the beginning came back and that basically determined the ending of the movie.

Elements that don't appeal: At the beginning of the the movie, the mother obviously very uncomfortable going to her family vacationing home but, they never explained why. I felt like that information left out could've been very crucial to the story.