Short film: Putting everything together

   

  I am now at the last bit of editing! The only thing to do now is add the music and sounds. The music was chosen during the planning process. I learned a lot when I worked on the opening scene of a movie project last year. One of the things that project taught me was how to search for the best instrumental. I typed in intense instrumental with a crescendo and no copy right. I found several songs that I felt could work! I sent all of my findings to my group so we could decide which one we thought was the right fit. We eventually settled on one. Although finding the perfect song can take a while, we figured it out and are happy with our decision. This intense music will help amplify our scenes.

      After having put the music, I just had to level out the sounds. Leveling out the sounds makes it so both the music and dialogue can be heard clearly. Once that was done, I sent what was done so far to my group mates. We all felt the movie was complete! There are some more marketing things we have to do for this project but as for the filming and editing, everything was complete. This whole process definitely took time. It taught me how many details go into making a movie and what things would be like if this were a major film production. I also had fun during this project because I got to play as if it were a professional movie! My group mates and I worked well together and got everything done smoothly. 

Short Film: Editing day 3

       I started to get a gist of our movie so far through the editing process. Today I started by putting all of the footage into chronological order. When I say footage, I mean the shots that my group and I decided were the best out of all takes. Once the footage has been put in chronological order, it is time to cut each video. The cutting process can take a very long time. For this project, cutting the scenes wasn’t too bad.  However, I did encounter some challenges. One of the challenges I faced was trying to make sure all of the shots that were supposed to happen simultaneously flowed smoothly together. Sometimes getting different shots to align perfectly takes tedious work. Eventually, the shots came together and flowed smoothly. 

      The editing stage is also where you can see which scenes are needed and which scenes aren’t. While editing, I noticed our film was too long. Because it was too long, I had to go back and review every scene to see which ones were absolutely necessary and which ones could be removed. There were a few scenes near the beginning of the film that I had to cut out. Although, originally those scenes seemed like a good idea, they are not necessities. The scenes in the beginning were apart of the montage. I made the montage shorter but still kept it in. This will allow the audience to still see the girls being happy together but also allow more time for the in depth looks into their lives throughout the rest of the film. The one thing about editing is that it takes a very long time. Although it is very time consuming, I still really enjoy the editing process! 

Short Film: Day 2 of editing

       The next step of editing was to start going through the clips. When filming, we took three separate shots of the same scene. Since we did that my group and I had to go through all of the footage and choose which one of the shots we would use in our film. It’s good to film the same scene a few times just in case something happened in the first recording. While going through the footage, I figured out a method that could help me better put the movie together. I put all of Sophia‘s scenes in one photo album. I did this same thing for me and Lauren’s scenes. Once I did that, it was time to look at the storyboard for reference. Most things stayed according to the storyboard. This helps the editing process because the whole layout of how we want our film to look is already planned out. 

      I started with the very beginning. These were the outside scenes. We decided on doing a mini montage of the girls enjoying their day for the opening scene. This would introduce the characters and the idea that their lives are happy from the outside. Editing the montage was a little bit tricky only because we wanted everything to be perfect and precise. That means that the clips needed to flow end seem almost dreamy. The idea for these scenes was to emphasize on the fact that the girls seem like they have perfect lives. Their struggles are only revealed when they enter their homes. This part needed music to really create the mood of the scene. Adding music will help the audience feel the things we want them to be feeling throughout certain parts of our movie. 

Short Film: Day 1 of editing

  

      Now that the filming process is done, it is time to start editing! Editing is what makes a movie. It presents the tone as well as the mood. It also plays a major factor in things like creating drama. Editing is especially important in our drama film. Since there are three separate storylines going on in our film that will all come together in the end, a lot of editing will be involved. My group and I got on a call to discuss the next step. We all feel that we needed to brighten up some of the clips. Lighting is another factor that plays into editing. By brightening up some of the original clips, we can amplify our movie and make it even better. We also noticed the sound in some of our clips needed to be adjusted. Leveling out sounds like our voices or cancelling out background noise is very beneficial. 

      Covid-19 has once again affected our lives and this project. Normally our teachers would provide an editing software for us to use for this project. However, since my group mates and I are learning from home, these sources are not available to us. This meant we had to do research and come up with some alternatives. Luckily, each one of my group members and I are familiar with the same editing app. We decided on using iMovie to edit our movie. This app has everything we need to make this movie great. Working together, we can bring the vision of our short film to life. 

Short Film: Wrapping up filming

       We had almost all of our footage and were so close to wrapping up on filming! The last few scenes we had to shoot were Sophia’s character’s scenes. We started by first getting to room set up. There wasn’t much to this part, all we had to do was put the pregnancy test a in a drawer. Once she made her bed and everything was cleared for filming, we started to shoot the scenes. Filming in the bedroom was not hard but getting the right lighting was. Lighting a crucial in film because it creates the mood of the scene and also lets the audience see what’s happening. Since the sun was setting, we didn’t want to rely only on sunlight. We set up two light fixtures in the corner of the room. This would show that it was still close to night time but Sophia and the props would still be very visible. 

      The last scenes we had to shoot took place in the bathroom. This room was harder to set up and film in because it was much smaller. There is also a huge mirror displayed over the sink so we had to make sure me and the camera were not getting in the shot. Filming the exterior bathroom scene was pretty cool because it turned out how we all had visioned  it. The light seeping through the crack of the closed door really helped tie those scenes together! Once we had filmed the bathroom scenes we were all done! After a long process, we had everything we needed. We made sure to take multiple takes of each shot just incase something were to happen. Overall, filming went pretty smoothly. We’re very excited to start editing and see how our film turns out. 

Short Film: Filming and Props

     The beginning outside scenes were done along with all of mine and Lauren's scenes. Before we could start filming Sophia's scenes, we needed to get a pregnancy test. The pregnancy test plays a major part in Salem's (Sophia's character) story because it is her main focus and the main struggle she is dealing with. We decided that since we were going to have to take a trip to the store anyway, we could film our ending scene while we were out of the house. The ending scene takes place outside the next day. We couldn't film the last scene when we filmed the opening of our movie because it was supposed to be an entire different day and we would have been wearing the same outfits, which would be unrealistic and slightly confusing. Before we left for the store, Sophia and I changed our cloths. We followed the same conventions when it came to our outfits to keep in touch with who our characters are. Only Sophia and I changed because Lauren's character is not in the closing outside scenes. Although Lauren wasn't going to be on camera, she was there to record and make sure we got all of the footage we need. 

    Both Sophia and Lauren can drive so we just rode in Sophia's car. We made sure to bring facial masks so we would be following Covid-19 guidelines and keep everyone safe. We walked into the store and the place was packed! After getting the prop and waiting in line for ten minutes we contemplated going to a different store. We still had to film our closing outside scene before dark. Since we wanted to stay on schedule, we chose to leave and head to a different store. It had been about 20 minutes since we had originally left the house before we got to the other store. Luckily, it was pretty empty and they still had exactly what we needed. Before going back to the house, we went to a resting outside area that seemed just right for the ending scenes. Lauren filmed Sophia and I and we got the scenes done fairly quick. We finished those scenes and started heading back to the house to film Sophia's scenes.

Short Film: Filming (Chloe and Grace)

     After all of the outside scenes were filmed, it was time to move on. Rather than each one of my group mates and I filming ourselves individually in our own homes, we decided to film at one person's house. Since Sophia had the biggest house with the most rooms, we decided to film there. Although we filmed at one house, our movie states our characters all live separate from each other. This meant we had to make each section of Sophia's house and each separate room feel like its own location. Conveniently, her home has three separate doors to enter her house. This meant that each character could enter from a different way and truly make it seem as though these were filmed at different houses. We used the kitchen and Sophia's moms bedroom to film all of Lauren's scenes. The guest bedroom and TV room were used for my character's scenes. Sophia used her bedroom and the main bathroom to film her scenes. 

    Once we had figured out the designated spaces for each of our characters, we could began filming. We started by filming each of us enter the house through the different entryways. Grace, my character, entered through the side door, while Lauren entered through the garage door. Sophia entered through the main entry way. We decided the best way to go about filming our scenes would be to choose one of the characters and film all of their scenes first, and then move on to the next character and do all of their scenes. This felt like the best method because of how frequently our movie jumps from one character to another. We chose to film Lauren's scenes first because her character, Chloe, has the most scenes to film. We started with filming the kitchen scenes and then the bedroom scenes. Those were the easiest to film so we filmed those first. The most intricate scenes to film were going to be the bathroom scenes so we filmed those last. 

Short Film: Filming Outside

     This past Sunday, my group and I put our movie into action. Although we filmed on a different day than we had originally planned, we still followed the timing schedule. We met up at around 12 and then went to the park. We started with the outside scenes first because that is where the film begins. It also the location where we spend the least time filming. All of the other scenes take place indoors so we wanted to get the outside scenes done first. We made sure to bring all of our props with us. Sophia and I were in charge of brining picnic blankets. Lauren had to make sure she brought a towel to lay on as well. Luckily we all came prepared and were set to start filming.

    We set up for our scene by laying our blankets and towels down to make it look like we were hanging out and having a picnic. Any time we were walking out of our filming location, we made sure to keep our masks on. We also made sure to set everything up in an area that was not close to anyone and definitely followed the guidelines for social distancing. The footage was filmed on my iPhone 11. Due to Covid, cameras were not distributed. However, this was no big deal for my group and I because luckily we are all familiar with filming and editing on our phones. An obstacle we encountered while filming our outside scenes was a baseball game happening at the park. Because we only had a few scenes to shoot there, all we had to do was wait for the teams to go on time out. We got the outside scenes done and made sure to have multiple takes of each scene just incase something comes up when we watch the clips later. When we finished filming the park scenes, we cleaned up and cleared out our set and went to our next location to film the indoor scenes. 

Short Film: Delayed filming

     Last week was Thanksgiving break so we had the entire school week off. My group mates and I originally wanted to film during that time. However, Covid-19 changed up our plans once again. One of the people I was working with ended up visiting family. She went out of state and was gone for half of the break. This meant she was in an airport and around a lot of people at times. Although she followed the safety procedures, we as a group decided it would be safer to wait until she had quarantined for two weeks. Taking an unneeded risk like this could hinder the filming process for the rest of our movie which is the last thing we want. We decided we would film next weekend instead because that will be when it is most safe for everyone! We will also continue to follow Covid-19 safety guidelines during the times we are filming.

    This gave us more time to plan and prepare as much as we can. I went through the storyboard again and wrote down different ideas we might have for a shot. My group mates and I have each spent time reading over our script as well. After reading over everything and looking at the storyboard we communicate any side notes or ideas we have. This process is also how we came up the name for our short film. We decided on the name "Perception" for our movie. We felt that this name fit since people often perceive someone as one way before knowing any details about their lives. Our film is also dramatic so we thought the name should have that same weight. We make sure we are communicating frequently throughout this process to ensure our film comes out as we envision it! When we film, we will be very prepared and everything should go smoothly. 

Short Film: Music

    Music and sound are two very important aspects in film. They can create the feeling an entire scene and add emphasis to certain points in the story. Finding the right music can be difficult since most songs have copy right and we'd need permission to use it. Our solution was to research non copy righted music that we can use in our film. My group mates and I thought a dramatic instrumental would fit best for our short film. The music will be very important in our movie because it will convey the intensity we want the audience to feel. I began my search for the perfect instrumental by looking on google. I had previously learned that some websites include full lists of non copy righted people can use for free. I found a few of those websites and started looking through them. I did find a few potential songs but I thought I should keep looking to make sure I found something that fit our film just right. 

    The next thing I did to find a song was go to youtube. I learned a lot when I worked on the opening scene of a movie project last year. One of the things that project taught me was how to search for the best instrumental. I typed in intense instrumental with a crescendo and no copy right. I found several songs that I felt could work! I sent all of my findings to my group so we could decide which one we thought was the right fit. We eventually settled on one. Although finding the perfect song can take a while, we figured it out and are happy with our decision. This intense music will help amplify our scenes. It will also set the atmosphere for our short film since the characters are not interacting with each other directly in every scene. Our next step in this short film is to began filming. I am very excited to see the story come together in our film!

Short Film: Websites and Socials

       The next step in the creation of our short film was to set up our media. This included making a instagram, twitter, facebook, and youtube. Setting up these socials was either really easy, or rather difficult. Sometimes setting up the same username for each of these things was difficult since there may already be users with that name. However, we ended up figuring it out and getting the proper usernames. Facebook in particular gave us some issues. It would not let us make the main name for the account "Perception Film." This made us have to think of different ways to connect our facebook to the movie. We thought about making the name Salem Grace. Salem and Grace are names of two of the characters in our movie so it would still relate. Eventually we figured it out and were able to get our Facebook to work out!

      The hardest part of setting up our media was creating the website. The website was tricky to navigate at first because I had never made a website before. I spent my first day working on it not making much progress. I could not figure out how to link the social accounts to our website. I also signed up with the incorrect email so my website name was incorrect. Luckily by my second day of working on it, everything started to come together. I created an email for the film which fixed my website name problem. I also learned how to correctly link each individual social app directly to our website! Overall, this was a tricky process but I am very pleased with the end result. 

Short Film: Storyboard

      Storyboarding was the next part in getting our short film planned. Storyboarding is very important because of its visualization. My group mates and I made sure to talk about our vision as a whole for the film before making our storyboard. We split the drawings up for different scenes to make sure each one of us got the chance to be creative. Although drawing is very clearly not our strong suit, we tried our best to share our vision. Storyboarding will save us a lot of time in the long run because it helps plan out our entire film. Although this process can be long, carefully planning out each scene is very necessary. The storyboard is also a good way to see our film fully through before we start filming. The pictures help us see what each scene will hopefully look like. The sentences below each box are also very useful because they tell anyone reading what kind of shot and camera movements each scene will have. 

      This step is also useful because no time will be wasted on the actual day of filming. Storyboarding gives everyone in our group and out of our group a clear idea of what shots we want. An advantage of storyboarding is that we can find out what ideas we may have had that would work and what may not work. For example, we can try out multiple ideas or shots using the story boards and then see what we like best. Another advantage of this is that it can be easily changed depending on any new ideas we may have. Storyboards allow us to work out problems at an early stage before actual production takes place. This storyboard also helped give us an overview of the timing and rhythm of our short film. I think this part of planning is really tedious yet beneficial. Storyboarding has many advantages and will help our film in the long run! We are very excited to continue this project. 

Short Film: Planning

1. Location- We will be filming at four different settings throughout the short film. The first setting is at a park. This is where the opening scene takes place, all the characters are introduced here. The next three settings are at each of the character's homes. There are three characters, Grace, Salem, and Chloe. These locations will be used to get an insight into each of the girls' personal lives. This location is actually huge for the plot of our story since each home is filled with the character's individual issues they face. 

2. Health and Safety- COVID-19 is still a problem so we will need to take extra safety precautions to ensure everyone is safe. We will do this by social distancing when we are at the park and wearing mask anytime we are not filming. As for the scenes that take place in homes, we will all quarantine on our own so there is no risk of us having the virus and transmitting it to each other. A parent will also be around incase of any sort of emergency.

3. Props: We will need a pregnancy test, a plate of food, pills/pill bottle, and headphones for each of the girls.

4. Costumes- When we are filming at the park, we will be dressed casually in jeans/shorts and a t-shirt. These costumes will remain the same for each of the characters throughout the short film.

5. Schedule:

November 9- November 13, 2020

Planning/Storyboarding

November 23rd, 2020

Filming

11:30 am- All of us will meet up at the park. We will shoot there from 11:30 am to around 12:30 pm.

12:30 pm- We will make our way to Sophia's home to film the scenes taking place in homes.

1:00 pm to 2:00 pm- We will go over all of the scenes for Salem's character and film them.

2:30 pm to 3:30 pm - We will go over all of the scenes for Chloe's character and film them.

3:45 pm to 4:45pm - Film all of Grace's scenes and go over them.

November 27th- December 4th, 2020

Edit short film

December 5th, 2020: Re-film

December 6th, 2020: Re-edit

Short film vs. Feature length film

    Both the short film and full length film have many similarities and differences. While both of the films have similar plots, the full length movie has a much more complex plot. In the full length movie, the evil creatures are still a main antagonist. However, there was an additional conflict of the main characters also trying to decode the reasoning for their existence at the same time. The full length film was able to include more background information on the characters. This helped create more character development for 9 and allows the audience to further connect with the character and understand the motivation behind each of their actions throughout the film. Dialogue was included in the feature film, whereas in the short film there was close to none. Both ways get the story across in a clear, interesting way. I do think that adding dialogue into the film created more of a story that made some scenes more intense because you could hear the emotions rather than just see them. I think the expansion of the plot made the story even more intriguing. 

    While there are some major differences, there are also many similarities! The mis en scene of both the films are almost exactly the same. There were a lot of natural colors used like dark/light green and brown. The lighting was also a huge aspect when it came to creating an atmosphere for the characters. The dark lighting made the scenes feel more intense and eery. The costumes of the character also added to the feel of the movie. 9 and his family are designed very simplistic and made to look more cute and innocent, while the evil creatures have glowing eyes and metal spider-like legs. All of these factors helped create the mood and feeling of each scene.  Overall, I loved both the short film and feature film. My personal favorite is the full length feature film because it was just as intense but there was more character development and a more complex thought.

Research 9, The Feature Film

       After watching the short film of 9, I watched the full length movie! The movie’s plot was definitely more complex. The evil creatures were still a main antagonist throughout the film, but there was an additional conflict this time. Another main conflict in the plot was that the main characters were trying to decode the reasoning for their existence. The mis en scene of this film really helped create the mood and feeling of each scene. There were a lot of natural colors used like dark/light green and brown. The lighting was also a huge aspect when it came to creating an atmosphere for the characters. The dark lighting made the scenes feel more intense and eery. The costumes of the character also added to the feel of the movie. 9 and his family are designed very simplistic and made to look more cute and innocent, while the evil creatures have glowing eyes and metal spider-like legs. 

       The main character, 9, was the same character he was in the short film, but now his past was unveiled. This helped create more character development for the character. This will allow the audience to connect with the character even further and understand the motivation behind each of his actions throughout the film. The movie also included dialogue! Adding dialogue added to the plot greatly. The extended plot, which now contains back story, makes for a more complex and interesting story. One of the main things I noticed was in the characteristics of 9. At the being of the movie, 9 was scared and shy. At the end of the movie, 9 realizes all that can be done to continue fighting and becomes brave and courageous. All of these factors go into what makes the movie to great. I think the expansion of the plot made the story a lot more fun, interesting, and intense.

Research 9, the short

     After watching 9, the short film, I notice quite a few things. The film is about a character, 9, living in a post-apocalyptic world, where there are evil creatures that kill these characters. 9 must kill the creature before it kills him. 9's character development started to unravel when a flashback was shown. In the flashback, 9 is with another character who I assume was like family or was family. A tracker that lights up when one of the evil creatures is near by started to blink. 5 tells 9 to go hide, so that's what he does. 5 ends up getting killed by the creature, leaving 9 all alone. This flashback makes 9 more complex because we know more about their back story and the motivation for killing the creature. It also became clear that 9 was very intelligent and strategic when he was fighting the creature and setting up traps. 

    I liked this short film a lot. There were many small details that brought the story to life even more. For example, the creature was wearing the suits of numbers 1 through 8. This element added fear because it shows the audience the creature already killed all of 9's family and 9 is the last one left to survive. I also liked the way the difference in the make up of both characters. 9 and his family members had big, innocent eyes to show they were the good characters. The creature had several bug-like legs and razor sharp teeth. Making the creature appear more terrifying and having 9 and 5 look more cute will convey to the audience each characters role in the story. Although the film was short, it was executed in a way that told the full story. Overall, this was a very thought out and amazing short film. 

Genre Choice For Film

      After researching three genres my group and I came to a decision. We chose the genre drama. We chose this because it relates the most to our film. The storyline of our short film is similar to other films in the genre drama, so we saw it fit. We were inspired to choose drama out of the other researched genres because of its accuracy. Comedy, doesn’t  apply at all to our film. Our film doesn’t use comedy in any dialogue and doesn’t use anything for a purpose of laughter. With thriller, while some aspects of our film are surprising, it isn’t a nail bitter. Nothing about our film will keep an audience at the edge of their seats, like thriller films do. And even though we do have an unexpected plot twist, it’s not enough to call this film a thriller. Our pitch doesn’t need to be tweaked. After the research, my group and I still stuck with our original plot and ideas. It was however very interesting to learn about the other genres and their common tactics.We still always felt compelled to the drama genre and knew that that would be our end result. Another reason why we picked drama is because of the similar CLAMPS. Drama tends to use dull lighting and the sounds tend to play cake the scenes. This is similar to what my group and I want to do for our film. We have many ideas on using sound to our advantage by adding intense music and sound affects. Since this is similar to what drama films do, we again found it fit to call our film a drama film. Overall, my group and I are ecstatic to start planning and filming our drama film

Genre Research- Thriller, Comedy, Drama

Thriller

    For the Thriller Genre, the common camera movements are, Low angles which are used to display power in a character, high angles are used to show vulnerability, and eye level is used to show tension between two characters. The movements traditionally consist of, panning and zooming because this generates tension during the film. In thrillers close-up shots are mostly used to create more tension, while wide and long shots are avoided because it takes away from the tension of the movie. The common costumes in thriller films are extremely diverse, but many films choose to use deep, dark colors so it can set more of a mood. The lighting is usually darker in thriller films, so low-key lighting is used throughout. The audience for thriller films are usually 18+ because there is violence, blood, mental illnesses, etc. Makeup is usually a minimum but on certain characters like monsters or nuns etc. use a lot of make-up. Props are a big part in thrillers because they can help create more of an eerie mood. In thrillers settings remain the biggest part because, they help create the tension because they use places like forests, old houses, and very dark areas. The editing process in thrillers typically consists of these major edits; jump cuts, elliptical editing, graphic matches, and fast/slow paced editing. Using sound in thriller films help create and set the mood for the audience. sound really does change the way a film is perceived. For example, in a quiet place, the director decided to choose sounds that are mostly diegetic sounds for the purpose of making the film more thrilling.  The elements of thrillers that I like are, the feeling of uncertainty, suspense, and how it makes you always think what's going to happen next. The elements of thrillers that I do not like are the terror scenes, I usually do not like "pop-up scenes" which are parts of a film where an object goes into the frame very fast.

Comedy 

For the Comedy Genre, the common camera movements are push/in out clips, perspective shots, for camera movements, most are just the most basic ones. The main movements that are being used are zooms, tracking shots and tilts. Zooms help show emotion in actors faces, tracking shots (in comedies) are usually running or car scenes and tilts can sometimes show costumes/makeup. The most common costumes in comedies consist of bright, bold colors. For example, in the movie Zoolander, extremely bright and excessively bold colors are used to produce an emotion about the characters. Lighting in comedies helps move the plot along, so using high key lighting is the best option. The audience for comedies is very diverse; some comedies are meant for families, but most comedies are also 18+ due to language, substances and many more. Props are used in many comedies because a lot of directors will use a prob as something that helps move the storyline along. Editing comedies is tricky because you do not want to leave any humor out, multicam editing helps ensure that they get each scene correct. Sounds in comedies are usually non-diegetic sounds, or sounds added into the film so that the audience can thoroughly understand what’s going on. The elements of comedies that I enjoy are, how it makes me happy and the laughter that comes from watching them. The elements I do not enjoy in comedies are that sometimes the storyline is often slow, and most comedies are very similar, just with different actors.

Drama

The drama genre often focuses on real-life events. Drama film is a genre that relies on the emotional and relational development of realistic characters. Common camera angles, movements, and shots found in a drama include close-ups,  long shots, over the shoulder, medium shots, extreme close-ups, bird's eye, point of view, pan, tracking shot, and wide shots. Close- ups are used to emphasize the expression on the face of an actor. Long shots and wide shots can be used to show the character and their surroundings. Usually the actor or object focused on will be in the center while anything else is in the background. Over the shoulder shots can be used for dialogue or to see the emotions of a character as they Arte told something by someone else. Medium shots show the characters facial expressions as well last body language. Extreme close-ups can add a sense of intensity or focus to a scene. Bird's eye can be used to gain perspective and show that one is of lesser meaning than another. Point of view can be used to let the audience experience how the character feels as they do something. Pan shots are commonly used for transition or to show off a setting in drama films. Tracking shots are used to follow the actor as they go through something (whether it's an activity or just walking). Common sound in drama films include, diegetic sound, dialogue, and voiceovers. Diegetic sound is used to keep the film as real as possible. Dialogues between characters are common whether they are positive or negative (they can allow ones feelings to be presented). Voiceovers are common when there is a narrator telling the story. There is a wide range of types of dramatic movies which allows them to differ greatly when it comes to mis-en-scene. When it comes to costumes, characters are usually dressed in normal clothing whether it's streetwear, business attire, etc. In some cases, the drama could be a period piece or happen in a made up world. In this case, the costumes would be created based upon that (capes, ballgowns, etc.). The same idea goes for makeup (can be normal but if it's a drama about drag queens, the makeup will be extravagant), setting (can take place in modern day New York or medieval France) and for props (could be something as simple as a pen or as fun a a wand). The lighting can differ based upon the mood but usually makes the movie even more dramatic. The actors have to be able to have a range of emotion, not just be funny or energetic. Drama films can vary which also can lead to variations of editing. However, drama films use a lot of cutaways, jump cuts, shot reverse shots, and eye line matches. The cutaways and the jump cuts are often used to show that time has passed. The shot reverse shot and eye line matches are often used when the character visits a new place or meets someone new. When it comes to drama films, I love that there are so many different types and that you never know what twists and turns it will have. I dislike when the movies are bad but not not intended to be (sometimes it's too cheesy). Some drama films include Titanic, A Star is Born, Harriet, All the Bright Place and Juno. More example are included in the picture above.

Genres I Would Like To Research

     The next step in this project is to research genres and find out which one our short film belongs under. My group and I have decided to research the genres thriller, comedy, and drama. We have decided to research the thriller genre because our short film is about the harsh obstacles three teenagers deal with in their personal lives. A thriller contains a lot of suspense throughout the film. Suspense could be useful in our film to show just how rocky their at home lives are. Comedy is the next genre we are looking into. Comedies are often more light-hearted and could help steer our movie in a more positive direction. A funny movie may also emphasize the innocence of the characters in the story since they are teenagers. There are also different types of comedy. There is dark humor, dry humor, comedy through action, romantic comedies, and so much more. A genre that has this much range is beneficial for a film in general. 

    Drama is the final genre we will be researching. Films that have teenagers as the main characters are often dramas. Dramas are often more realistic and take a dive into the emotions and events of the characters and their lives. Dramas contain themes that relate to real life problems. This is a good thing because it introduces a connection to form between the audience and the film. There are also different types of dramas. For example, a melodrama has many exciting events intended to bring our certain emotions. This could be really beneficial for our film because it deals with such a relatable topic that many people could have emotions about. Overall, researching different genres is very important when deciding which one your film belongs under. 

Pitch for the short film

Three teenagers that each have family problems and deal with hardships at home, each put a superficial mask on for each other and social media.

New faces

       Today’s blog is all about new things! My class is going to start working on a new project. We are to make a short film with a beginning, middle, and end. Last time I did something like this, I was to only do the beginning so this is something new that I’m excited to try out. Another change from last year are my classmates. This is a whole new year with all new people. It is time for me to find my new team mates! Luckily there were some familiar faces in my class this year. I am going to be working with two of my friends who have a great work ethic! My new group mates will be Lauren and Sophia.

      Although I am going to miss my group mates from last year, I’m excited to work with Sophia and Lauren. I will still be working in a group of 3, just like last year. We chose to work together not only cause we know each other, but because we all know the effort we’ll put in. We are all very passionate about this class and the projects. It will be nice to see how each of our creative ideas come together. One tricky part is that we all live almost 30 minutes from each other. However, I have confidence that we will make it work. Each of us were in a different class period last year so we’ve never been able to go through anything like this while working together. I think since we all work hard and are creative, our project could be great! They’re also very fun to be around so the whole creative process should be a good experience. 

I’m back !!

       Hi blog! This is the first blog I am writing this school year. Last time we spoke I was a sophomore in high school just trying to finish the last part of her final project. This year I’m a junior in high school and just beginning the next step of this class. Over the summer, I continued to make fun videos with my friends. We’d film three separate 20 second videos of us dancing around in all kinds of places. I would then edit the footage by taking clips from all of the separate videos and putting them together. I used the techniques I learned from this class outside of school which was pretty cool to see. I’m most excited for the short film project! Editing is my favorite part about these types of projects. The fact that it is an entire short film makes the project overall a little bit more challenging. Even thought it’s going to be a lot of time and effort, I’m so excited to challenge myself. 

        Quarantine has definitely been weird. It is going to be very interesting seeing how the filming process of my projects go this year. For now at least, there are a lot more safety percussions than last year. It will also be a learning curve if we can’t go somewhere else to film. For example, for my music video project, my team mates and I filmed at a mall. To film at a mall this year would be a much different process. We’d have to be in a very private bubble so we’re not too close to someone else. We would also need to keep our masks on if we are somewhere public. Luckily I can still talk to friends and family who have similar concerns and we can figure something out together. Overall, I’m very excited to be back! 

Audience and Institutions Essay

Savanna Nemmers

Assess the importance of marketing in the media area you have studied.

    Marketing is one of the most important elements of a film. Marketing builds the audience and ensures the film’s targeted consumers will want to watch the movie. There are even more marketing opportunities now than there has ever been before. As technology continues to evolve and improve, more marketing methods are introduced. This is vital because of how important marketing is in the film industry. 

How well a film does is significantly impacted by the marketing campaigns and methods used to promote it. An example of a successful marketing campaign would be the film Black Panther. This film was promoted through the release of merchandise like games and clothes. Introducing these clothes and various other products for the film led to more excitement, interest, and anticipation for the movie. This movie's strong marketing made sure to include products that could appeal to people of all ages, which helped create a wider audience made up of kids, teenagers, and adults. Black Panther also used cable networks to expand their campaign. For example, BET released reruns of an old animated series of Black Panther that originally aired back in 2011. Black Panther had made around $361 million in its first weekend alone. The different ways the film was marketed greatly impacted the success of the movie because of the ways it expanded the film’s audience and got the general public talking about it. If a film has a bad marketing strategy, there is a higher chance it will flop. Without marketing, the targeted audience will not be engaged, there will be less anticipation, and less knowledge that the film is even being released. 

Cross promotion is another method of marketing that can greatly impact the success of a film. The movie Jurassic World is a prime example of how cross promotion can successfully be used to promote a film. Since Universal Studios is their parent company, they are able to get Comcast’s television companies to run earlier Jurassic Park movies. They have movie marathons for the Jurassic Park franchise with sneak previews with Chris Pratt and Spielberg on NBC. Marketing like this increases interest from the public because it makes them more familiar with the film and it teases them with sneak peaks that leave the audience wanting more. Jurassic World also partnered up with other companies such as Lego to make toys, video games, and Jurassic World themed snacks. Jurassic World made over 1 billion dollars and is still selling DVD versions of the film. This further demonstrates how marketing for a film greatly impacts it’s success and how vital it is for a film.

Another marketing strategy is through hosting special events for the film. Marvel used this method to promote Black Panther. Chadwick Boseman, the lead actor in the film, participated in an event for the mobile game Marvel Contest of Champions. Marvel Studios also hosted a New York Fashion Week event, where pieces inspired by the movies were showcased. The New York Fashion week allowed a way for the movie’s marketers to appeal to a different form of art, in this case fashion. These special events help the franchise branch out to different types of audiences allowing for a larger number of consumers when the movie is released. Another example of when a film used specials to promote their movie is in the marketing for the live action film of Beauty and the Beast. A couple of the movie stars hosted a special edition of “The Bachelor '' on ABC to promote it’s upcoming release. Frequent viewers that see the Beauty and the Beast themed episode are more likely to get excited about the film and see it when the movie is released. The success of Beauty and the Beast was a result of a huge participatory effort made by fans and non-fans that became excited and involved because of the marketing techniques the film used.

Social media is a huge way films are promoted. This way of marketing is especially increasing in popularity because of the expanding different ways it allows audiences to discover films. Apps like Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, YouTube, and Snapchat are some major platforms that marketing teams use to their advantage to promote their film. For example, the marketing team behind the 2016 Ghostbusters film used snapchat to promote their film. They created a snapchat filter that allowed for the apps millions of users to turn themselves into Ghostbusters. The filter added a zappable ghost to the user’s screen all while playing the film's theme song. Since snapchat is an app where you can post images and send pictures to other people, the filter is spread around to an enormous amount of people allowing for more people to find out about the film. Ghostbusters isn’t the only film to use snapchat to its advantage. Movies such as Pitch Perfect 2, Deadpool, and X-Men Apocalypse also had a special snapchat filter right around the time the film was to come out.

Overall, marketing is extremely important and vital to films. Marketing and promotion allows for there to be a wider audience and gets their movie more well known. Good marketing leads to greater success of the movie because it gets the general public engaged, interested, and excited about the film.

Practice Extract Essay: 24 Extract

Savanna Nemmers

The director’s main purpose in the “24” extract is to create intense and suspenseful scenes that demonstrate people will go to extremes to get what they want. The director uses many strategic camera movements, angles, and editing techniques to create these suspenseful situations. The intensity in each scene is also increased because of the editing and actual camera shots.
In the first scene, a zoom is one of the first camera movements used. The zoom is used to show the female lead’s facial expression when the male character enters the room. The zoom in that shot creates a tense situation and indicates to the audience that the two characters are not allies. An eye-line match is also used in this scene when the male lead spots the camera in the room. This increases the tension of the scene because it indicates the character has something to hide or may plan on doing something he does not want recorded. Next, a cutaway is used to reveal the woman has a team of people watching what is happening in the interrogation room, ready to help her at any moment. In the cutaway, the two main people there for back-up are dressed in formal attire and are standing in front of two tvs, displaying what is happening in the room. This creates suspense because the audience and back-up can see what is happening but do not know what the man is willing to do to get the information he wants from the woman or when he may lash out. The whole first scene is creating an intense situation and emphasizes the male wants something from the woman and will not stop until he gets it.
The second scene uses an eye-line match again to show the woman looking at the clock and checking the time. Diegetic sound of the clock ticking is also used in this scene. Both of these techniques place an emphasis on time and the fact that their time may be limited which further increases the suspense of the scene. A tracking shot is used to follow the male as he paces back and forth while trying to get the information from her. When she does not give in, a low angle is used to show him hovering over her and looking down at her. This signifies that he may feel he has power over her in this situation and intensifies the scene because of the way he is trying to show dominance over her. Both the tracking shot and the use of the low angle intensify the scene greatly. A cutaway is then used to show the viewing room again. In this clip the woman’s back-up is seen watching what is happening with concern on their faces. The director may have shown this because if viewers see that that other characters are worried about the woman, the audience will be put more on edge and become even more emerged into the intensity of the scene.
The final scene uses shot reverse shot while the main characters exchange dialogue. For a moment, the male character starts to stare in silence and the shot reverse shot continues to be used during this silence between the two characters. This strategically built up major suspense until the male finally lashed out. The director did it this way to keep the audience on edge, wondering what is going to occur and then shocking the audience when the man finally reaches his most extreme point to get the information he wants from the woman. In the clip, diegetic sound of the chair being dragged across the floor and then slammed into the wall is used. The scene then immediately goes into a split screen. The split screen allows the viewers to see what is happening in the two different settings. While the woman is being choked by the man, the audience can also see her back-up coming to save her which creates a chaotic and intense scene. A two-shot was used to show the man holding the woman in a choke hold which created an intimate yet extreme situation. This scene greatly built up suspense and heightened the intensity by using the different sounds, camera movements, and editing skills.
Overall, the director’s vision was meant to emphasize the importance intensity and suspense can have on a scene by showing a situation where someone went to extremes to get what they wanted. The director used many different camera shots, angles and movements, as well as many editing techniques to heighten the intensity and suspense levels of the film.

Practice Extract Essay worksheets

This assignment was to fill out worksheets about the camera movements, angles, and editing techniques used and then do a T.E.A. analysis for each scene. Attached are those worksheets.

Mantis creative critical reflection

The last task we had was our creative critical reflection. This reflection was made in a 12-15 minute video where you’d answer four important questions pertaining to your movie and process producing it. I decided to do mine as if it were a game. In the game I’d pull questions at random from a bowl and answer them. I separated the four questions into six so I could go more into depth with my answers. I think this was a fun take on answering these questions however, presenting makes me nervous and I think the camera made me nervous. I answered these questions the best I could and I was able to still give examples with evidence.

The final: Mantis

This is the first two minutes of a movie that I have wrote with my teammates. In this project we had to research not only the type of genre for the movie, but we also had to research the conventions of the opening credits for these types of movies. The sound and music had to go along with the clips being shown as well as help tell the story. This project took several months because of all of the research, planning, filming, and editing. This project was definitely the most challenging, however, it taught me the process of shooting a movie. Although only the opening sequence was filmed, each step a cinematic production would take was followed in this project. My teammates and I had to make a schedule for filming, make a shooting script, a sound script, and a storyboard. The editing process of this project also took the longest because of how much detail goes into making a thriller like this. I personally love how our film came out and think it definitely earns the thriller title.

The music video: no scrubs

This is my music video from earlier this school year. This was a very fun project because it allowed a lot of creativity from my group mates and I. The first thing my group and I did was choose a song. We ended going with the song no scrubs! This was a contemporary r&b song so we had to research the conventions of the music videos in that genre. I learned about how much costume, lighting, and location affectS the feeling and atmosphere of a music video. This project also taught me about time management since this was a project to be done out of class. Editing was a little bit more challenging then I’m used to because each clip that was in a different location needed to still match up with one another.

The first project: commercial for vans

This was the first project I did in this media class. My teammates and I had to research a company’s  commercials, and then create our own commercial for that brand. This was the project that taught me how to research the different types of genres for tv shows, movies, and commercials. This commercial project also taught me that there were and the different ways to capture a targeted audience. This was also the first project that I worked with my teammates, Haylie and Kelly. Since this project,  I have furthered my skills in editing. I have learned how to incorporate sound affects and use new kinds of transitions. I feel this was a very good introduction project because it was a beginners version of what the next projects would be like. This personally was my favorite project because it was fun, allowed creativity, and taught me how using conventions could lead to a great outcome that was still uniquely my own.

Editing: New obstacles

     Hello blog! It has been a few days since I’ve last updated you. Since we’ve last spoken, online school has been extended till May. This experience has been very unique so far and is unlike anything I’ve done before. COVID-19 has affected my project quite a few ways. The main thing this virus has affected is my ability to meet up with my team mates. For the safety of everyone’s lives, we must stay inside and practice social distancing. Social distancing has become even more important since the last time I was on blogger. Because of this, my team mates and I cannot edit together. I was to take on the editing process for the remainder of this project (since our project is due before May 1st).
     This process has been a little bit more difficult alone. Haylie and Kelly, my group mates, are unable to work with me and actively participate. The process is also taking longer than it did before because it is just me doing all of the editing. Because I am the only one with the correct editing software I of course would edit the movie. Not only does the movie have to be finished but we also each have to do our reflection questions. As if this situation was not tricky enough, the reflection questions must be answered in a 12-15 minute video, fully edited and filmed individually. I now have to not only edit a two minute video by myself, but I am also responsible for answering very important questions in a 15 minute video that must also be fully edited. This has definitely contributed to my stress. I just have to remind myself that this is very new to the teachers, students, and everyone in my community. Blogging this process is important because this has never happened before and I think it’d be very beneficial to document this process.

Filming: Put on hold

     After a few more editing sessions, my group mates and I noticed a few more mistakes in our footage. We scheduled to film more of our movie today. However, since we had scheduled this day to film, there has been a virus outbreak. The virus is COVID-19. This is a harmful virus (deadly in some cases) that has affected the lives of many people. This virus has caused schools, restaurants, beaches, and much more to shut down. My dad was told to work from home until further notice and my school will be closed until mid-April. Due to the severity of this situation, my group mates and I were not able meet up and film. Going back to our filming location could put us at risk of getting sick. Everyone should be social distancing for the sake of our health.
     Not only is this virus affecting my daily life, it is affecting the entire world. Many TV show and movie productions have been put on hold because of COVID-19. Movies and shows often film in different parts of the world. If filming were to continue, the actors would be at a high risk as well as every other person working on the production. Since this is a pandemic, everyone is at risk no matter where in the world they are. This definitely relates to my group and I. We can’t film, much like the people working on blockbuster movies cannot film right now. Not only has production for blockbuster films stopped, but their release dates are also getting postponed. Our movie’s due date has not changed however, our process is still being affected similarly to major productions. As of this moment, all filming days have been postponed. My group and I will prepare with the fact that we may have to work with what we have.

Re-edit: the next step

      My group and I had to meet up again to reshoot certain scenes. Doing the peer review helped my team and I realize what we needed to improve on. It gave us an audience’s perspective of our film. Since that feedback was given, we filmed again. We now have all of those scenes complete. It’s time to go back into the editing process and put everything together. One worry was that the new footage would not align seamlessly with the other clips because it was taken on a different day. I replaced the footage that had excess noise with the new footage. Luckily, everything fit perfectly! Our reshoot was a success and now the editing process can continue.
      I cropped each of the clips and put them in there correct places. All of the clips were now set in chronological order.  The next thing I did was add the instrumental music. Choosing the right music is important because it creates the mood. An instrumental alone can make the entire audience feel scared, sad, or happy. Finding the perfect instrumental was more difficult than I thought. There were many options however, only a few went with the scenes. After some major searching, we finally found the right instrumental. I added the music over the footage and began evening out the sounds. Sound editing takes time but it is vital.

Reshoot: Making changes

     During each of my editing sessions, I took notes on what needed to be fixed. In the very first inside scene, I noticed you could here faint voices in the background. At the time, the voices did not seem like a problem because the people were so far away. However, once I was looking back at footage, I realized how well the voices carried through the building. In some of the later scenes where there is dialogue, construction from outside can also be heard. This meant that we would have to film those scenes again. Starting this project, my group and I figured we would have to reshoot at some point. Because we were prepared, we were able to schedule a day to film again easily. Earlier this week, my group and I met up at the same filming location to began reshooting the scenes. We came in the same costumes as before and did our make up the same.

      The first scene we decided to film was the very first inside shot. This scene was pretty easy to reshoot because it was a starting scene. A starting scene meant that we did not have to worry about the shot lining up with the scene before it. This made recording that scene less stressful. The next few scenes we had to reshoot were a little more tricky. The next shots were going to include dialogue which meant the characters would be filmed back and fourth using shot reverse shots. It took some time getting each actor into an almost identical position as the first time we filmed. Once the actor was in the correct place, we were able to get those scenes perfect. The process for reshooting was much faster this time. Reshooting these scenes will improve our film and allowed us to fix our mistakes.

Editing: The sound of Mantis

      Right now I am still in the process of editing our film. The next thing I will be focusing on is the sound. Sound is very important in a film, silent or not. In silent movies, the music carries the mood and creates feeling for the audience. In traditional movies, dialogue creates the story and helps create connection while background music can help create mood. Types of sound include dialogue, background music, non-diegetic sound, diegetic sound, etcetera. My film is supposed to have an intense feeling. Sound can help create this intensity with dialogue, which will tell the story and blatantly tell the audience what is happening and how they should feel. Sound can also create this intensity through the background music. Background music can emphasize suspense and help the audience foreshadow something eerie is coming. The reason I am devoting a whole period of editing to sound is because of the importance it holds.
     The dialogue in the film was the first thing my group and I focused on. The actual dialogue was recorded during the filming process however, it needed some tweaking. I began by evening out the sounds. Some scenes were different volumes when the actors spoke at different volumes. Once I evened out all of the dialogue, I moved on to the music part of sound. The music needed to enhance the intensity of the film. My group and I decided that suspenseful background music would best fit the scenes in our film. However, this instrumental will not be played throughout the whole two minutes. The instrumental will be inserted only in the scenes it is needed. Sound is one of the most important elements in a film so it is important my group and i perfect it to the best of our abilities.