Cambridge Blog Post 10

    Since my last blog, I have planned more of my project, and I may have completed storyboarding. I worked more on my storyboard. The updates to the storyboard, including changes to shots and plans for new ones as time progresses will be posted in my previous blog, where I outline my shots in detail.

    For now, I will briefly describe my new shots. I want to include another of the same low angle closeups of the dark figure's face. This time however, I want the eyes and a few more facial features to be visible. I would like for anger and intent to be shown. In the next shot, I want another shot of the weapon with the figure holding it. This will be the final shot of the preparation. He cocks the weapon one final time and walks off intently. I possibly would like this shot to be an over the shoulder.

    At the moment, I believe that I want the credits to be showing for the first few shots, and I would like the credits to be done showing by the time he walks away after preparing the weapon. While planning the next shots, I had the idea of including a shot in which it sets up the subsequent preparation of the weapon. I believe that this will add to the continuity of the shots and add some depth to the story, especially if the weapon case has some sort of logo that is scattered throughout that can be linked to the figure.

    Next, I want to include a shot of a muzzle flash and the victim character is implied being shot, although it does not show. He then falls to the floor and lays still. In the next shot, the shadowy figure finally appears from the dark, showing all facial features and costume. He stands over the body and looks for a second, and then turns around and leaves. I would like this shot to be in slow motion, however not too slow. In the final shot of the film, I want there to be just the victim laying on the floor, blood coming out onto the floor. Once the figure leaves the shot, I want the final title text to appear, with the big bass burst I outlined in my previous post.

    I have included my picture of the new shots below:

Cambridge Blog Post 9

    Since the last time I posted a blog, I brainstormed ideas for the movie title. I decided that the main storyline for the movie would be inspired by John Wick. In John Wick, he is getting revenge on the people who killed his dog that was a gift from his dead wife, and stole his car. Although I will not be able to portray such an advanced and complex storyline in just 2 minutes, I want to have the film open with the man killing his enemy. This will leave the story up to the view to wonder about.

    I decided that the movie name would be "Retribution". I want to also design the name to have some letters facing the wrong way, such as the second "R" and the "N" at the end. I also want all of the letters to be in uppercase, but I want the typography to have the first "R" to be larger than the rest. I have included a picture of my design below:

Cambridge Blog Post 8

    Since my last posting, not much has happened. I decided to look for some copyright free music. First, I checked on YouTube and found a couple of videos that I remember having a link to a website called "Epidemic Sounds." I have pasted their links below.

    I wanted to find sounds that had an ominous feel, since there is a man chasing another trying to kill him. I discovered two sounds, ominous drone 1 and ominous drone 2. I believe that I will be using ominous drone 1. As a backup I have the ominous drone 2. I also think that I want to edit the sound to become slowly more high pitched as the film opening progresses.

    The YouTuber that I know uses Epidemic Sounds is linked below.

Music search result for ominous: Epidemic sound. Premium Music for Content Creators. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2022, from https://www.epidemicsound.com/sound-effects/search/?term=ominous

Music search result for Bass: Epidemic sound. Premium Music for Content Creators. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2022, from https://www.epidemicsound.com/sound-effects/search/?term=bass

YouTube. (2022). The Sanctuary. YouTube. Retrieved February 27, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtoQNW_eC8k&t=770s&ab_channel=Frost. 

Cambridge Blog Post 7

    Today I continued working on my storyboard for my film opening. I wanted to create a written version that can have more detail, so I have done so below.

Shot 1: I want to do a handheld mid shot of an unknown person limping away from the camera. The setting will be very dark, but I want some blood to be visible on the floor, as a trail left behind by the person. The figure will be dragging his right leg, with the left one functioning like normal. While this is happening, I want the camera to slowly but noticeably move closer to the subject. Initially, I would like the camera to be focused on the blood, and after a second or two, focus shift to the figure limping away.

Shot 2: I want to do a handheld insert high angle long shot of the same subject still limping away, with the blood still visible in the low lighting. I want the figure to be centered in the shot with the camera following the movement. 

Shot 3: I want to do a mid shot again except this time it is from the front. I would like to keep the shaky cam, with the blood still seen behind the injured leg.

Shot 4: I want to do a closeup of the leg as the character is limping away. I want the blood and two bullet holes (no gore) visible. I want the blood to be thick and shiny so it can be seen in the dark setting. Shaky cam moving along with the same pace as the person. 

Shot 5: I want the next shot to be the same type of shot as shot 1 for continuity. 

Shot 6: This is a new shot that I am inserting into this post. I would like there to be a shot before the subsequent shot in which the figure places a weapon case down and opens it up, revealing the weapon. I also want to show his hand go onto the weapon, and then the shot cuts to the next one. This way the figure is set up and the viewer knows what is in the figures hand.

Shot 7: I would like this shot to be a low angle closeup shot of the other main character, the one that is hunting down the limping character. His head will be pointed down slightly to show that he is looking at something, and he will be moving his hands and head to imply movement and getting prepared. I would like the lighting to be just bright enough to see the main features of the face without revealing too much.

Shot 8: I would like an over the shoulder shot of the figure loading and preparing his weapon. Still a shaky cam, and I would like there to be dim industrial lighting, perhaps yellow in color of possible. The figure will still be loading the weapon and preparing it, possibly cocking the weapon as well.

Shot 9: I would like this next shot to be a sequence of shots in quick succession. I would like it to be a combination of closeups and extreme closeups of different parts of the weapon as he is preparing it. Perhaps there will be significant markings throughout to show that this person is not acting alone, or is part of a grander scheme. Still having the same dark lighting, I need to make sure that the weapon is visible. 

Shot 10: For this next shot, I would like to have the same shot type as shot 6, where there is a low angle close up of the figure preparing the weapon. This time, I would like more facial features to be visible because I want the figure to be showing intent and visible anger.

Shot 11: For this shot, I want another over the shoulder where the focus is on the gun. You can see the hand on the gun as he is doing final inspections. At the end of the shot, he cocks the gun for the final time and he walks off. 

Shot 12: In this next shot, I want there to be a muzzle flash from the left center of the screen. This shot will be the final blow to the victim. The victim will fall to the floor, and will lay there for a second.

Shot 13: In this next shot, I would like the figure to emerge for the first time. They can emerge from either around the corner of the warehouse or from the darkness. The victim character is still lying on the floor, blood leaking from somewhere on his body. This shot will be in slow motion as the figure is revealed fully, including face, for the first time. 

Shot 14: This shot will be the final shot in the film opening. I would like this shot to be right after the previous one, in which the title of the film appears right as the figure leaves the shot. I want to use the deep bass sound at this moment as the title appears slowly, or fades in. Perhaps it is possible to make the music become loud for an instant to symbolize this end, and fade out as the picture fades to black.

As I decide on more shots, I will make sure to update this blog, or post a new one. 

Cambridge Blog Post 6

    Today I started working on my film opening storyboarding. To do so, I needed to come up with a name for my film. But after some thinking, I decided to wait to make the film name until I was further into the project. That way, I will be able to use the full scope of the film opening, and I may get a better idea for a better film name. For now I will stick to brainstorming names.

    I began my storyboard, and I got about 5 shots drafted. I think it would be cool to first focus on the blood on the floor, and then focus shift to the person limping away. I believe that this idea will allow for the film to be more dynamic and enjoyable, because it will keep the viewer engaged. I want to show some blood, and I want to make sure that the viewer can clearly tell it is blood when they see it. Due to the shots being in a primarily dark setting, I need to make sure that it is somehow noticeable on clothing, therefore I need to make sure that it is thick.

Cambridge Blog Post 5

    Some Reiterations and Some Improvements on Some Previous Ideas  

    I've had some trouble finding a suitable setting to do the film in. I wanted to do a factory warehouse setting, and I have a friend who has a father who owns a warehouse. I asked him recently whether or not he'd be willing to let me use it and I have to follow up. As a backup I will use my house in the dark. I believe that some off the flooring will give a nice contrast to the consume design and the other mise-en-scene.

    The John Wick movie feature a lot of violence and action. However, I will insinuate violence through particular pictures and sounds rather than portraying actual violence. For example, I'd like to portray a character dragging his leg as if injured, being pursued or hunted, and then being shot. I believe that shooting this sequence in the dark will allow for minor acting faults while keeping the characters' identities hidden.

    I think in the end I will use my house for the film opening, as it will provide me the opportunity to film whenever I want, and in an environment I can control.

Cambridge Portfolio Blog Post 4

John Wick and the Creation of Implied Action and Mystery Part 2

    In completing my research, I have begun to watch all three of the John Wick movies. Some may say they are bad, but they are my guilty pleasure to watch. I love the constant action and the revenge story of Mr. Wick. While watching the second film, a certain shot caught my eye. 

    The shot was composed within a train. Where two men, John Wick, and a man sent to kill him, were fighting. This shot encompassed the exact idea I was going for. The man was wearing a dark suit, and the lighting was a cool, but dim scheme. I especially LOVED the lens flare on the lights in the train, and I believe my piece will take a lot of inspiration from that. I feel like some lens flare on a flash light in the dark scheme I want to film in will give the film opening a professional feel, rather than an amateurish one.

    In the past days, I have added to my notes. I added information while reviewing some notes for even different classes. I added notes based on previous films created by students in the past. I will include a picture below. When the ideas come to me, Ill add them to my paper even if it is out of no where or in a different class. I also asked my teacher for the names of films that were done by students in the past that contained action. I have also included that slip of paper in the picture below. 

Cambridge Portfolio Blog Post 3

John Wick and the Creation of Implied Action and Mystery

    As I continue the process of planning this film opening, I decided to watch the John Wick break-in scene at the beginning of the first John Wick. I have embedded the video below. I noticed that John Wick incorporates a dark, bland color scheme. I want to do the same because my film opening should not be colorful and bright, because that completely contradicts the genre ideals.

    While watching the film clips I noticed that the character's costume design was primarily a black suit, and in some portions he was wearing bland beige and white clothing. Even the setting utilized contained beiges and browns. I want to incorporate such aspects into my film as well to show that the film is not bright and up beat, but rather intense.

    Moreover, I would like to clarify that the John Wick films show frequent violence and action. However, I will not be showing the actual violence, but implying violence through certain shots and sounds. For example, I want to show a character dragging his leg as if he is injured, and he is being hunted or chased and is finally shot again. I believe that if I shoot this scene in the dark, it will allow for possible minimal mistakes with acting, while concealing the identity of the characters. Thus, anonymity and mystery is created, without the graders having to think deeply about the scene.

    

John Wick. (2016). YouTube. Retrieved February 17, 2022, from https://youtu.be/CdHKXmEn4l8. 

Cambridge Portfolio Posting 2

    Since my last posting, I have decided on a genre for my project. I decided to do a film opening for an action film. I would like to have it look and feel like a John Wick film. While taking notes for how to write the blog, an idea popped into my head. Even while writing this blog post, I was writing down new ideas for my project. As seen in my notes, I want my film opening to be dark, with greys and deep darks within the scene. I also want to have dark, ominous music playing in the background. I want the film to have a character versus character conflict. By creating a film opening that needs few different characters, I eliminate the possibility of having a lack of resources. In fact, my film opening can be geared to only have me as the actor, because in some portions I will not be showing faces to keep the identity a mystery for the rest of the film. In fact, I have included the notes that I took down below at the end of my post.

    I want to make sure that my film truly encapsulates my genre choice. Therefore, I will be doing research on action films similar to John Wick, Mission Impossible, and Jason Bourne. To do so, I will be looking at the film openings specifically, but I will also watch the movie as a whole to obtain knowledge of the genre. More specifically, I want to see how the films use color grading, costume design, cuts, shot types, and sound design in order to convey the theme and genre. 

Cambridge Portfolio Posting 1

    Post media marketing project, I am left with many new tips and ideas. Moreover, during the past in-class lesson, I was taught how to create a film opening, and different techniques to utilize in such a project. My initial plans are outlined below.

    I want to ensure that my film opening establishes tone, illustrates the genre I am presenting, includes credits and the film title, and engages the audience and develops purpose. I am starting to brainstorm ideas for the genre that I am going to produce. Although I am not sure yet, I believe that I might want to do a film opening of a action/mystery movie. 

    To begin planning, I believe that I want to ask a person to be in my film opening and serve as my lead actor. It might be easier to do so because the actor might not even have to show most of their face, so they may be more comfortable. I want to start the project by brainstorming ideas for genres and ideas for characters. I will do so on paper so I can scratch things out and add things easily as I go. After brainstorming, I plan on creating an outline of the shots and character types I want to be present. Luckily, there does not need to be many characters present because it is only a film opening with a length of two minutes.

    Next, I want to create a storyboard and sketch shots and compositions, along with camera movements. I also want to make sure that I get a varying amount of different shot types. This will ensure that I keep the viewer engaged and entertained. I will use most of my notes on color, sound, and shot techniques that we have taken so far. I will also use previous experience in prior projects to help with the process. 

    With all of this combined, and after creating a schedule to ensure that I stay on task, I will be able to make sure that this project runs smoothly. If I utilize everything I have learned, I will be able to create the best project I can.

Music Marketing Blog Post #2

     I did the bulk of the research portion for out group. We split the research into two different media companies within the music sphere. One company we focused on was Columbia records, and we honed in on two specific artists within said company. We focused on Beyoncé and Adele because they fit into the R&B genre that we were tasked with. We researched and gathered information on marketing techniques, methods used for distribution, and the ways that these artists interacted with their audiences. We repeated the same process for our other media company, the Universal Music Publishing Group. We again focused on two artists within the R&B category, Da Baby and Lil Wayne. Almost all of our research was put towards our presentation and the manner in which we marketed our artist.

    We began planning by creating a document that all of our group members could view. On this document we decided to include the song choice, important dates, and storyboard ideas. The important dates section included the due dates for each individual item, including the research charts, storyboards, filming, editing, and presentation. As we completed these items, we marked "DONE" in bold next to each. 

    Next, we produced the short portion of the music video. We decided to do the vast majority of the filming at school in order to meet the group members' schedules. This worked out very well because we were able to get all of the filming done in a timely manner, and avoided procrastination. Next, I edited the video. I made sure to appeal to the fast paced nature of the song and attempted to appeal to the short attention span of the target audience. To do so, I added cuts and jumps, which I believe added to the ability to meet both of those goals. 

    Post production for out group included the creation of the presentation, and the planning and distribution of such work equally among the group members. While one of the group members worked on the website, one worked on the social media accounts, another worked on the presentation itself and planning the content on each slide, and I worked on the editing of the video. I believe that this strategy helped our group divide work and work efficiently with the time we were provided. 

    Finally, we developed and presented our presentation to the class. To help the group, I placed initial slides with certain points that we had to make sure we addressed. After that, I added comments on each slide so that the whole group would be able to see the though process. As the other group members completed their portions of the project, they began working and helping with the actual creation of the presentation. While they did that, I was still editing the video and would periodically check in with the group and on the presentation progress. We finally finished the presentation and did our final look over and proof reads. We decided to also time ourselves and added the time for the video to ensure that we would be within the time limit.

    Overall, I believe that the project was a success. At first I was doubtful of our ability to produce a well done video and presentation. I was not fond of the song that we were randomly given at first, but I believe that it worked in our favor in the end. I learned that even though I was apprehensive about getting in front of a camera and acting, there would be other people in the same situation and that for the sake of my group I would just have to deal with it for a little bit. After getting into that mindset, I do not believe that I will have a problem in the real component. I believe that most of the aspects of this project will be useful. Especially the research portion. I will be doing research for the creation of my project. I want to make sure that whatever I choose to make is in line with the traditions of the genre, but will be far enough to set me apart. Overall I loved this project and even though it was a lot of work, I believe that it taught me a lot about production of long term projects for the future of this class.