Group Meeting

 GROUP MEETINGS!

    Yesterday, we got into groups to discuss how our projects were coming along. 

We shared our plot points, script processes, and our thoughts on each others productions. 

    In my group, I got some great feedback on my project and  one little things that I could add to it. 

• To get the clean transition to the title scene, and to indicate that the MC has received brain damage from the fight that causes the mental disorder, we can do a shot where there is a punch aimed directly at the camera, and than cut to black. 

I really liked this idea, because I wanted to sort of give the whole story away in the beginning without the watchers even noticing it. The whole main plot is meant to lead the audiences to believe this is a supernatural occurrence, but in the end of the movie, you come to the conclusion that it was just the MC's imagination all along. 

    I got great feedback of how detailed my plot points have been so far, and that they could really picture what the story is meant to be like, which makes me so happy!!! I was concerned my vision was too specific and targeted so people wouldn't understand it... but they did!

Even listening to everyone else's plan and plots, it made me open my eyes to see the extent of peoples ideas, and all the different genre's they are doing has comforted me about my own ideas. I felt my plot was too general, but everybody in my group had different idea's, and some of them were so good, I can't wait to see their final products!

If there's one thing I want to plan and clarify and get group feedback on again, its on my script that I am making and the shot angle/processes. 

These group meetings really helped me and I'm super excited for our next one to check up on my progress and keep my thoughts in order!! I think this can also improve my project by giving me new ideas from an alternative perspective. It's outside feedback that can help, because my own point of view can become so limited to my story, so getting someone else to see it and add to it for the better really will help me!!

My notes^^

Genre Research

Genre

Psychological Thrillers

Citations

        In psychological thrillers, there is a main focus on the characters and the psychological aspects of their own minds. They usually include themes like crimes, murders, abuse, mental illness, or an altering sense of reality. The conflict in these films is usually one of self V.S. self. Thrillers, sometimes confused with horror, makes the audience heart race with curiosity and action. They are often realistic and don't take on any fantasy aspects or science fictions ones either. 

        Things that create a good psychological thriller consist of 

• Plot twists - To build a suspenseful piece that really brings together the psychological aspect of the movie, unexpected twists in the movie do this. It is better to lead one away from any suspicion of the actual plot twist and try to not hint towards it to spring the best suspense on the audience. 
• Unreliable narration - To create an uneasy sense in the watcher, there must be a development of lies, unreliable actions, and things you may not be sure are real to create the suspense and paranoia throughout the film.
• Familiar events - The writers of psychological thrillers tend to try and make the films take place in familiar locations with every-day things to try and appear as realistic as possible. They strive to make the viewers believe this could happen to them, or anyone around them.

   To write psychological thriller plots, it is essential to create a high tension to keep the audience on their toes, always expecting something to happen at the ready. Additionally, creating a sense of helplessness to the situation can also help this aspect. This is so there is no easy solution, and there is no way of them figuring out if something is real or not. To develop the character backstories slowly but surely can additionally aid in this process. When doing this, it doesn't fully fill the viewer in, not giving them all the juicy details and leaving them hanging. 

    All of this research on my genre can aid me to develop a good psychological thriller that can keep people engaged with my film. I really want to produce something that could wow people, and I think all of this research can help my process. 

    For my project itself, this research can improve it because now that I know what I need to develop in the script, I can carry it out with film techniques such as shot composition and music! 

Psychological Thrillers in film:

Us (2019)

Teen Wolf S3B (2013)

Split (2016)

Film opening research

Film Openings

Baby Driver (2017)

This film opening has to be one of my favorites. I love the use of close shots at various different angles. It gives context during the driving scenes and creates a story without having to actually do all of it. I really love how the cuts synchronize to the beats of the song playing through his headphones, the lights switching with the song, the car revving to the beat building. It all creates tension and a climatic buildup. I also really like how it sets a tone despite the actions going on inside the film content. I want to make mine in a similar way to this, with the short close ups and cuts. 

The Dark Night (2008)

The shot compositions of this opening are used very well to build suspense. The initial slow zooms used at the start create a sense of establishment. Both used on the mask and the building. I really liked how the fast pacing changed throughout the clips and created the sense of vibe in it. 

Fight Club (1999)

This movie was one of my favorites and inspired me greatly. The voiceovers and the tone of his voice create a sense that something is off and wrong. It doesn't match the scenario at the beginning of the film. Essentially, it spoils itself if you listen and you know the ending of this spectacular movie piece. It is not per say 'action packed' but it gives the audience a very fast grasp on what is happening while also throwing them off in multiple different aspects. I really love how this movie confuses the audience throughout the piece. 

Deadpool (2016)

Although this opening doesn't have much to do with my film, I really liked this one. For a violent and action packed movie, it shows just one scene and already sets the tone and describes Deadpool. It shows the humor, the fourth wall breaks, and the situation that is happening at hand. It was a very artistic take on the opening with the still motion that happened. Obviously, I cannot do this as I don't have the tools available, but it is very interesting. 

This research has helped me figure out a little better if I want to take an action packed or slower take on my openings. I can have time to consider this and think about how I can set the tone of the movie and develop my characters through technological elements like this.

This research can additionally help me grow and understand each different aspect of a film openings and how I can take different understandings to my project instead of something I have just come up with in my head. 

https://youtu.be/7ARFyrM6gVs?si=yhhrquuHO7A45Vc6

https://movieweb.com/thrillers-with-incredible-opening-scenes/#the-dark-knight-2008

Capgras research

 Capgras Syndrome Research 

    The mental disorder of Capgras syndrome is something I wanted to illustrate in my project. I wanted to include a psychological aspect to my film and begin to introduce it while also hinting at small plot twists and indicators that something is off. 

    Capgras syndrome is when an individual has a delusion or fear that there are duplicates of evil doppelgangers. They have imagined that something else has taken the place of someone close and dear to them and they have an evil motive. According to NIH, it is mainly present in females, so I am leaning towards a female protagonist for my film, but it can be shown in men occasionally. It mostly occurs to patients with brain damage. The bifrontal, right limbic, and temporal regions being damages usually cause Capgras'. In the actual film during the fight scene, the audience isn't meant to know who it is, but it's the main character is the one fighting. They get a blow to the head that will start this damage, but they wanted the fight to be kept on the down-low so nothing was ever checked at a doctors. 

        In just the film opening, the main character will believe that someone has replaced their sibling. To complete this in my film, I wanted to demonstrate the Kubrick stare. In this look, it can create a 

psychotic look to a character. It is used in many films such as the Shining, A clockwork orange, Psycho, Gone girl, Dark Night, and Silence of the Lambs. When I wanted to use this effect through my film, it is when its closeups of the main character talking to their sibling, and there's a slight flickering of their siblings face between normal looking and the Kubrick stare. I wanted to execute this but stabilizing the camera with a tripod or a stand so the everything stays the same apart from the persons face. I believe this will create a very creepy look adding to the psychological part of my film. This can also help the viewer understand that something is off with the character mentally. Depending on the time I have after this, I might show the main characters reaction to this, as it would be the first time they fully realize that something is off. 

To develop this psychological aspect correctly means a lot to my process because it means I can show and develop certain feelings and visions without coming out and saying it in film. All of this research can help me create a better feel to the film and make sure that everything is as accurate and realistic as possible. 

Sound

Sound sync in fight scenes

https://maactioncinema.com/archives/14321

    I wanted to incorporate music into my film opening, so I have been observing the synchronized sound in action pieces for film. In my previous digital video class, something I was very good at was synchronizing editing cuts to the beats of a song. 

    I believe on the heavier notes in the song, is when I am going to insert the fighting scenes. To develop a fighting scene, I've also observed that the clips have to be short and very limited in the POV's. 

    I wanted to synchronize this with sound for multiple reasons, I believe it makes the sound effects sound more although they are real and belong in the clip. The fast editing of it all can also add to the stressed out feeling that the main character is feeling. It will match the tone from the beginning of the film of the fast paced clips of making the bagel with smoked salmon. 

    This all matters to create the tone of my film opening. The correct research on these methods of film can help enhance all aspects of  my project. A lot of improvement on personal work comes from observing and learning from others to make mine to the best of my ability. 
 

Sound I will use that is copyright-free: 

https://freesound.org/s/713544/

Stop @ 1:30

Plot Points

Plot

I created a rough draft of the first half of my project and how I wanted to plan it out. It is a list of restrictions and things I want to include in my plot and I will solidify it all later. 

PLOT:

-NO schizophrenia

-NO torture scenes

To develop a background for the psychological portion of my assignment to bring further sense and significance to important objects, I wanted to develop a very rough draft on how to create the unique side of my project. I was inspired by many psychological films, but I want to add to that, and blow people's minds more with an idea despite not being able to fully execute it yet. I want to bring significance to food, specifically a bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon. I know that's oddly specific for some reason, but I wanted to try and give as much money and power aspects to my characters, showing their wealth and high statuses. I cannot do this with setting as I don't have a millionaire house to film with, but the props I can use may be able to help me in this aspect. I don't really know how to develop a meaning to the smoked salmon, because its just salmon, but the close up shots I wanted to use at the beginning could detail its later importance. 

Explaining my idea and what shots I have so far thought up of:

*Separating plot points every 10 seconds*

TWO OPTIONS FOR WHERE TO PUT TITLE!!!

``1`` PUT IT BEFORE THE END AFTER THE VIOLENCE SCENE, AND THAN START THE CHARACTER 2 DEVELOPMENT IN THE LAST 20 SECONDS

``2`` PUT IT 20 SECONDS INTO THE FILM, AFTER THE MAKING BAGEL SCENE AND THAN DONT PUT THE C3 DEVELOPMENT AT ALL AND END WITH THE VIOLENCE SCENE.

**CAPGRAS SYNDROME??***

Capgras syndrome: Capgras syndrome (CS), or delusion of doubles, is a delusional misidentification syndrome. It is a syndrome characterized by a false belief that an identical duplicate has replaced someone significant to the patient. In CS, the imposter can also replace an inanimate object or an animal.

-Only two characters instead of trying to make a family of them. Two brothers/siblings. One of them has the syndrome and believes the other is a bad person (killer, fighter, whatever) when they actually are??

01. The production title. Close up shots of making the bagel with smoked salmon. The cutting to black will have the credits with it. The alternative to this, is a continuous shot of the character making the bagel themselves. It would exclude their face, shot from neck down to upper legs. I have not decided on this specific layout yet, but I can film both options. 

10-20 secs

02. After the title, the character will be shot in a medium shot, revealing their face carrying and eating the smoked salmon to their grand room where the piano is. They put down the bagel, still chewing and hover their fingers over the keys. They begin to play. The intro will start with a very long, low angle shot of the character playing, slowly easing into the feeling of the music and getting into it. (Start the music at around 0:33?) 

20-30 secs

03. This will be various shots. Close ups of the hands, keys. Long shots of playing. Medium shots of playing. Low angles, high angles, etc.

30-40 secs

04. As the music begins to crescendo, begin to edit in the parts of the fighting. They will be tight shots, very quick and spread out to the beat. There will be one face shown but it is of the person getting hit and who 'looses the fight' I may include some POV shots, I'm still unsure about this.

40-50 secs

05. Continuing with the fighting, the person who looses will be left on the floor with (fake) blood. There will be switches between the character playing the piano and the fighting. 

50-60 secs

06. As the person who beat the other person walks away, the music will go back to being quiet, close up of the main characters face, as they sit there, zoning out, before taking a bite of the bagel and walking away. The title will than play (opt 2) and it will be displayed on the piano bench the character was sitting on. 

60-70 secs

Planning all of this out is very important to me, because if I juts keep the rough draft inside of my head, I will never execute it how I would like to, I've learnt from past projects and I want to start developing every little detail now, I believe this will create depth to my project and help it to be the perfect.

This would matter in my process to help fully detail everything so I don't leave anything out. I can create a good, well thought out project to my best ability. 

 

Character Development/Genre

Characters and Genre

        For my film opening, I wanted to focus on creating a psychological thriller/action movie. I have always been really into the psychology aspect of things, and movies about the mind are really amazing in my opinion. Despite there having no development to the psychological aspect of things in the first two minutes of the film opening, I still want to develop the beginning of it when you can tell there is something off about the vibe. I wanted to develop more of my characters and the plot in the first few minutes to the song, "Claire de Lune". I took interest in this song due to the quick change of tone 

Grand Piano in the 'home'

throughout the musical piece. To start it off, it would be with silence. There would be two main characters. Character 1 (no name yet) would have the starting scene, and a very quiet appeal to them. They would begin to play this sound on the piano, starting with a diegetic sound, it would than develop into a non-diegetic sound. The non-diegetic sound would be developed as the pace in the song quickens. It would be character 2, participating in a mafia/gang-like assignment of a violent event. After this, the title screen would play out. I still wanting to have quite a while left after the title screen to develop a few characters. I wanted to start the development of them when character 2 arrived to his 'home' where character 1 was previously on the piano. Than character 3 would be inserted, which is the younger character with a mouth on him. They would be discussing the previous plan that they had just executed in the prior scene. I have not thought through the dialogue yet, but I do think that this would be a beneficial way to develop my three characters for the persona's I had in mind for them. 

        I want to make the decisions for my project, because one of my favorite types of movies is when the character develops throughout the movie, and it forms an attachment from the audience. I also wanted to entice the audience for my 'film'. There is a prominent connection with character 1 and 2, and I believe the scene synchronized with the building audio will develop this very well. I like the idea of the quick tone shift in the manner as well. 

        The above video shows how music and tonal shift matters a lot to a production. I was amazed at how different a clip can appear just by the audio. I believe that these characters paired with this sequence of editing and music, will add depth to them. It can entice the audience to want to learn more about them, their history, and how they are all connected!

Transitioning to Portfolio Project

 Transitioning

Today we discussed the making of our Cambridge portfolio's in class and how we would be developing our portfolio's. We were taught seven different approaches of how to develop our films, and I took interest in three of them. I'm not very decisive, so I will have to think and plan each storyline out that contributes to each element so I can better decide what to pick and plan. 

Developing Characters

I took interest in this approach because whenever I watch films, TV shows, or read books, I am always sad to end them due to the emotional connection to characters. I loved making characters when I was younger and I have big imagination for different personalities of people and how they could fit into a plot. For one of the plots, containing classical music, Claire de Lune, there would be a younger character into the solemn setting who is clearly less mature than them all. Despite the abrupt attitude he has with his heavy language and bluntness, you would quickly realize that he is a young person forced into a role that needs an older and more mature person. Throughout the film, despite not making it, the character would have a deeper backstory. 

Creating Tone through technical elements such as colour

I really enjoy the psychology of color, and I believe it's very important to contribute a tone to a film. I also really like certain plot twists in films and the change of tones can contribute so much to a certain clip or plot. 

What Dreams May Come (1998)

Conflicts

Character VS Society

I have always really liked dystopian films and how they present our world, addressing the things that need to be fixed, but not directly. I would love to create something similar to this, but I believe its harder as there isn't many places to film that are run down and futuristic or abandoned looking that I can have access too. 

Character VS Self

This conflict has always been interesting as it can develop mental health techniques and add to a plot twist that later takes place in a movie. It would be harder to develop this in the first two minutes of a film opening, but it would be fun to try it all out.

Character VS Character

This conflict can be one of the easiest to introduce in a film. As it can take to any genre needed and it could be upon any character whether its a dog, human, or fantastical creature. 

Music Marketing Blog Post #2

 Music Marketing Post #2

The process I partook in to develop a music campaign for our band was a long and tedious one. When we began to brainstorm, I don't think we realized the full extent to which this project will take. It was very time consuming, and in my opinion, I wanted to start it sooner. 

Despite planning out very thoroughly, we still got behind on filming, editing, and creating the presentation. As I tried to get filming done rather soon, we ended up filming just the weekend before the project was due. We didn't get all of the clips needed and never got the rest. This made it very hard to edit a storyline into our music video. We had to piece together clips to make the story make sense without verbally communicating it through the song. 

The research for the charts that we used in the PowerPoint proved to be very useful as I knew how the marketing and distribution best worked out for famous artist. As we were coming up with these marketing and distributing ideas, I recall seeing many small bands posts on Instagram. I studied their posting techniques, and things they did to try and get the publics attention. 

The filming of our music video was difficult as we had very limited time and couldn't get the cool shots that we desired. The post production additionally was difficult as some were filmed at different times of day, so the lighting editing had to be done to make it look around the same time. 

The presentation I really enjoyed putting together as I am really interested in the marketing and how brands develop and present themselves. The presentation we tried to make it as much as a campaign proposal as possible, including facts and concise lines. I learnt a lot more about the marketing strategies and the different distribution techniques. I wish I had done a little more research on how it contributes with the film industry and the cross media convergence. 

This project was very helpful on my portfolio because now I will light a fire under my ass so I will film as soon as possible. It will give me more time to film my shots and be picky about everything. I also regretted not trying to get my group to get a start on it earlier, as I was really excited for how this project was going to look. I have been wanting to do things like this for a while, yet I was disappointed with the outcome that I produced.

I learnt some very valuable information that I can use on my media context essays and for future projects!