Switch it up, change it up

So after discussing about the casting call, Colin and I decided that both of the actors would not work for our project. Being able to emote with little dialogue is what we asked for, but they were not able to execute this as much as we wanted. In our opening, some scenes involve having emotional reactions of anger and denial when looking at objects that remind the main character of her friend. The people who came to audition were good, but I was hoping for a creative approach to their "performance" of grief, which was not really shown. In terms of creative, grief is not only being sad, but can involve rage, denial, and an overall negative mindset.

My partner and I decided to have me be the actor in our opening. I was saying before than neither of us wanted to act because we are not exactly experienced with it. In my case, I have acted in videos for film projects, but it was not like I was excellent or anything at it. We decided to do this due to the amount of time it would take to put another casting call together, and the lack of guarantee that any more people would come to the new one.

This next week is extremely busy for my partner and I, as we have much work to do this week for all our classes. Both of us have our SAT test next week, and are making sure to study and be prepared for it. We are planning to start filming by Thursday or Friday, after we get our props and location finalized. Some of the props we are planning to have are mementos that are shared between the main character and the friend, to provide context to emotional responses being given. Their will be more explanation on this with my next blog post.

Scratch... Just Scratch That

So, my partner and I decided to not do the beach idea, because the representation of that is too implied. My partner and I are not extremely skilled to create a film opening with so much implied symbolism, and want to focus on making things direct and straight to the point. As we discussed and talked more with our teacher, she gave us some good advice about establishing a setting or conflict more than the character and its story, because the two minutes we have for the film opening is not enough to establish character, and can leave many parts of the opening hard to understand. 

We decided to keep the same idea of grief, and show the girl waking up and getting ready for her friends funeral. As she leaves her house, she will see her friends house, which is across from her house, and sees something that represented her friend, like a symbol, and it cuts to the title, which is called The Memory of Happiness. This idea would be much more realistic as my partner and I are developing an event, and have more context to work on, which would translate into a more understandable film opening.

On another note, my partner and I had a casting call today! We had talked to the drama teacher, Ms. Lutwin, and she was super happy to help us find the perfect person. Two people came to audition, and here are their audition tapes.

Storyboard and this Weeks Plans

As shown in the storyboard, my partner and I wanted to expand our film opening to start with the main character at the beach. We decided on this change because of how this setting evoke a sense of solemn and meditative energy. As the main character is going through the loss of a friend, coming to a place like this can be a sort of escape from her emotions, and a place to think without many distractions and external pressure. As the main character leaves the beach, she comes to the area of her friends, where she sees the belongings and experiences the feelings of denial and panic through it all.

In the article titled, “The Reality of the Emotions of Grief”, written by Rhonda O’neill, the emotions of grief include shock, anger, regret, and much more. This would depend on the way people process a loss in their life, is how these feelings would appear, and in a certain specific order. Moreover, some of the ways these feelings can be processed in the best way is to confront those emotions and cherish the positive memories with the former loved one. The main character is at the beach as the location is symbolic of the divide between the physical and unknown, as one can never look to the end of the water, as it is never ending. The situation that happened would affect the main character for the rest of her life, and would be a “scar to the heart”. Moreover, the location of the beach is where the main character and her former friend grew their friendship, and serves a physical representation of their moments together, that the main character can use to confront the reality of the situation. 

The way this part of the opening would be depicted is through the variety of angles and the lack of sound. With angles such as close ups, and the composition being to the far left or far right third, the tone of loneliness and isolation is established, and would lend itself well to understanding the plot of the main character and the death of the friend. Moreover, the sense of silence and only hearing diegetic noise establishes the negative tone that is continuously elaborated and changed upon through the opening. 

In terms of schedule, this week my partner Colin and I are working to find the perfect actor. This would happen through a casting call or asking friends that are willing to help. These people would most likely be involved in acting through the school or private programs. Moreover, we would need to go location scouting for a beach that would cater to the things we are going to portray in the opening. We would have to pick a certain time to go there, which would probably be in the morning, for the sound to be as quiet as possible. 

Sources 
O'Neill, Rhonda. “The Reality of the Emotions of Grief.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 28 Sept. 2016, www.huffpost.com/entry/the-reality-of-the-emotions-of-grief_b_57e691f2e4b00267764fc12e.

Thinking and more Thinking

As my partner and I further discussed our idea, we found some minor issues in certain parts. The main thing is finding a person to act out a sense of grief in our film opening, and be able to do it well. The people we could probably find to do the job are people who are familiar with acting, such as students in the drama or theatre class. My partner and I would most likely have to scout for this talent through a casting call, or asking certain people who are or may know someone right for the job. This person would have to be able to act this extremely well, or the message will not be completely conveyed, and can be misinterpreted by the viewer, which we do not want to happen. Though, we would still want this idea to work, and are gonna find a way to accomplish it to the best of our abilities. 

In our scene, we are planning to use flashbacks into the main characters life to provide a sense of context of the situation that the main character is going through. To do that, we wanted to explore types of editing options that make this possible. My partner had gotten an editing service called Adobe Pro, and we were contemplating on learning how to use it. Though, we quickly realized that learning something like Adobe Pro would be very time consuming, and not completely necessary as both my partner and I are experienced in using WeVideo, through the projects with have done throughout the year in this class. Some of these features we are planning to use are the fade in and out techniques, to transition the shot from a present to a past event. Also, we are planning to use some distinct cuts between scenes of present to past, and back to present, to allude to some of the seriousness and solemn feelings that the main character may be facing due to the loss of her friend. With WeVideo, my partner and I are able to have multiple places to put video and audio, and be able to see both at the same time while editing, to ultimately create a product that portrays the intended message and events the way we wanted too. I will be doing some research on openings that tackle the emotion of grief, to get a better understanding of how it is portrayed through shot composition, lighting, editing, and mise- en- scene. This will help to finalize our idea, and be able to continue with our storyboard.

Deciding the Idea

In the last couple of days, my partner Colin and I were coming up with a variety of ideas, but today have settled on one. Our film opening idea deals with the loss of a friend. The general outline of the opening would deal with the main character in the deceased friends room, looking at her belongings, which prompts certain flashbacks. Afterwards, the main character begins to feel guilt, with the scene ending with a scream, crash, or loud sound, to symbolize the event that occured that caused the loss of the friend. 

Some things to consider first are the set location and the actors. The location would take place in a girls bedroom, with momentos such as numerous photos, jewelry, pictures, and other things to establish who the “friend” was, who I imagine was a typical teenager with things reflecting the trends apparent at the time. Moreover, the set would involve something that both the friend and the main character had, as an example to add to the beginning parts of the film opening. In the case of actors, we were thinking of doing a casting call at our school to find potential actors for the opening. This would happen sometime in the next couple of weeks, but my partner and I are working on a more final schedule to post by the end of the week. 

The next posts will involve the storyboard of the opening, and any specific concept in the opening that we want to discuss or portray in a certain way. 

Film Openings and Reflection

Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri

The opening consists of the main character, Mildred, driving in her car. She sees three billboards, observes all of them, and continues to drive off. The main element of the opening is the sound, which consists of a high operatic sound. The sound in the background sets the scene for the conflict that would happen afterwards. The operatic sound establishes a sense of fantasy, paired with the main characters inquisitiveness of the billboards. The opening provides a sense 

12 Angry Men

The plot of the movie involves a jury of 12 men deciding if the 18 year old defendant is guilty of a crime or not. The scene transitions from the courtroom to the deliberation room, where the majority of the movie continues to progress. The opening consists of certain set elements that contribute to the plot and tone of the piece. One of the main ones is the setup of the courtroom, which has the sharp lines and wooden exterior separating all parts of the room. This provides context to the story, and contributes to the feelings of anxiety and seriousness, as the jurors have an important job on their hands.

Jaws

The opening of Jaws involves two people running to the ocean to go for a swim late and night. The girl jumps into the water as the guy is catching up with her. She swims, and suddenly finds herself bit by the shark, and eventually is pulled into the water. This opening scene uses silence as a way to contrast the shark attack from the normal things going on above water. Moreover, it contributes to the feeling of fear, as a potential shark attack can happen at any given moment. The element of surprise of these shark attacks brings anticipation and continued fear in the viewer, as the plot of the story is going to evolve and devolve through the main conflict, the shark. From these film openings, I learned how important sound is to a production. Having the right sound, whether diagetic or non- diagetic, could be the difference from a great drama or a misunderstood story. Moreover, I realized how important set design is, and how it can evoke a certain tone or feeling, just as much as sounds or the acting occuring. Sources Salazar, David. “Opera Meets Film: Renée Fleming's Appearance in 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri' More Than Meets the Eye.” Opera Wire Opera Meets Film Rene Flemings Appearance in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri More Than Meets the Eye Comments, OperaWire, 17 Feb. 2020, operawire.com/opera-meets-film-renee-flemings-appearance-in-three-billboards-outside-ebbing-missouri-more-than-meets-the-eye/.  ScreenPrism. “ScreenPrism.” How Does "12 Angry Men" Use Cinematography to Build Tension during the Film, ScreenPrism, LLC, 20 Oct. 2015, screenprism.com/insights/article/how-does-12-angry-men-use-cinematography-to-build-tension-during-the-film.  Drama.” The Script Lab, A Red Ampersand Company, 15 Mar. 2011, thescriptlab.com/screenplay/genre/952-drama/.  Dirks, Tim. “Drama Films.” Drama Films, AMC Network Entertainment, LLC, 17. Feb. 2020, www.filmsite.org/dramafilms.html.

Picking our Genre: Drama

After doing some thinking and discussion, my partner Colin and I decided to do a film opening under the genre of drama. We really wanted to explore the processes of developing emotions of a character, and how the excess and lack of sound can contribute to the progression of a certain tone or meaning to our film opening. 

By definition, the word drama means an exciting or unsuspecting series of circumstances or events. In the context of film, drama involves characters that go through an evolution of emotion, due to certain events or changes in their life. These certain events can be character driven, like a devastating loss of a person, money, or other types of possession. In other cases, the drama can be at a larger scale, and deal with issues related to the structure of society, political instability, or corruption at all scales. On the other hand, the aspect of nature to evoke drama is another way drama is expressed. Dealing with something that is out of the scope of control of characters is a way to show the emotions of fear and uncertainty, makes this type of drama movie extremely effective. 

My partner and I are still working on the main idea for the film opening, but are exploring different avenues through more research of the drama genre. At the moment, our potential plot of the opening involves aspects of life, and the struggles through relationships with people, friends or family.

Music Marketing Blog Post

The genre of music my group researched was the rock genre. Certain trends that were researched came from bands such as the Foo Fighters and Kiss. As older and more established, their marketing trends had evolved from more traditional to innovative routes of marketing. 

As a genre, rock has characteristics of being edgy, flamboyant, and containing hard metal sounds. The music in this genre has much use of the electric bass, guitar, and drums, paired with the manipulation of the sound like distortion and increased volume. The theme of the songs deal with the human condition, such as heartbreak, denial, and overall struggle for acceptance. 

Bands such as Foo Fighters and Kiss use techniques such as social media, to advertise the new music and events that they were going to do. Moreover, they would have certain events to advertise their music, excluding things such as multiple concerts and a tour. For example, Foo Fighters had a contest for fans, and whoever would win would have a Foo Fighters concert performance in their garage. 

As a group in the rock genre, the band is taking a softer approach to their music. It would have the same themes of songs talking about the human condition, but has a more melancholic feel with their music, using less edgy or hard metal sounds. 

We chose to develop our brand by using forms of technological convergence. Some examples are using social media,with hashtags, and video games. Social media works hand in hand with the marketing, but it is one of the most productive ways to advertise a new band to a wide group of audience. Moreover, it has the capability to be multiple contributors to the success of the band: Marketing, Audience Interaction, Advertising Events, and much more. The band also had merchandise, with things like t-shirts and a bouquet of roses. The use of a bouquet of roses allows for the band to provide a sentimental gift to their audiences, as a thank you gift for coming to a concert or event of the band. 

Video Game

Key chains

Through the production of the music video, the main thing I learned was how important certain angles and shots are in the video, that help to evoke the desired emotion. Even if the actor may not have a certain emotion, having a certain direction of the shot can be essential to have the main purpose of the video known. Moreover, the importance of the tightness of shots can allow for the emotion of claustrophobia and insanity to be shown, which is what my group tried to do in the video. In terms of the marketing campaign, having a music video of the topic of bullying and mental health allowed for the purpose of the band to be more well known. As a band, the message of reliability and progression is something they stand for, and base many of their works and events around that. 

All these choices were linked to my knowledge of the music industry as the certain songs that I listened to in the genre of rock had the similar characteristics that were explained in the post. Moreover, most of the music I listen to has a message, and ties into a bigger idea of certain emotions and feelings that people experience. In the context of production, having a story in the music video can help viewers have a better understanding of the message, and not only like the song because of other material aspects. Though, these material aspects can be valuable to how the media represents a certain type of music or video, like certain clothes or different brands of items. Due to this, our merchandise having roses provides a unique sense of the band, influencing the representation that the band would have in certain articles or interviews. This shows that the creation of merchandise, music, purpose, and understanding, makes up a band, and how they would be perceived in traditional media, and the music industry overall.