Calling all actresses!

A stress has been take off our chest… we have found our actresses ! This has been a mission, as there were specific characteristics we wanted out actresses to have. We also had to assure that the people playing these roles could convincingly convey the part. However, after two weeks of our mission we have cast the best women possible for the role.

Our first concern was to cast a teenage girl that had acting experience for the role of the Victim. This victim would have to convincingly be able to show deathly fear and play off being injured in a realistic way. We decided to go with Vernie Rikes. Vernie has been acting since middle school. She has played the lead in several of her Falcon Cove Middle School and American Heritage High School plays. We are very excited to work with an experienced actress, and are very confident that she will be able to bring our ideas to life!

Next part to cast was the kidnapper. We wanted the kidnapper to be a girl to break the stereotype of the typical male. We chose to use our very own Sofia Chifari to be our actress for this part. It was important that the actress playing this role was slightly taller than Vernie, to give a stronger sense of intimidation. Sofia and Vernie have been friends since middle school, so they have established chemistry already. This chemistry will allow the subjects to be comfortable and give their best performance.

Lastly, for the role of the Mother we have chosen to use Sofia’s mom Caroline. For the mother role we wanted to get a real 40 year old as a teenager playing a mom would seem unprofessional. We want our film to be they’re most realistic possible. Also, Sofia’s mom has a more open schedule which will be easier when trying to make a shooting schedule.

Now that we have our actresses set, we are officially on track to begin filming on Sunday ! We are so excited… stay tuned !

We call the shots

In my previous post I discussed the fact that my partner and I have created our story line for our film opening. The class after we pieced our story line together, we created a shots list. On this list we have matched the numbers from the story line to the numbers on the shot list to easily distinguish it during filming. 

Below you will see the shots list. If you are curious to which shot goes with what scene, you may refer to my last post, “ Story line time”: 

When choosing each one of the shots, we took into consideration the meaning each one of them would add to the story. We choose to use a lot of two shots to set up the relationship between the kidnapper and the victim. We also took into consideration the use of close up shots to allow the audience to fully understand the emotions the characters are feeling. Lastly, we decided to include dutch shots on our list to establish confusion and madness occurring in the scenes. You also may notice that some numbers have multiple shots listed next to them. For those scenes, Sofi and I are planning on experimenting with different shots to see which suits our film the best. It's always better to overshoot than undershoot! Am I right? 

Sofi and I have decided against creating a storyboard, because in our opinion it would feel redundant. We believe that we can work of of the story line and our shot list to create our film opening. Now that all of our planning is done we can move one to costumes, actors, scripts, and filming! We got a couple things done but there is still plenty to do… Stay tuned!

Story line time!

A couple class periods ago, Sofi and I sat down and came up with topic for our film opening as we have figured out that our genre for the project will be crime thriller. 

We created a story that revolves around a stalker and a kidnapping. However, we didn't want it to be like any ordinary kidnapping movie… we wanted to make ours a bit different. There will be three characters in the film opening: the stalker/kidnapper, the girl being kidnapped, and the girl’s mother. However, rather than the stalker/kidnapper be the typical Caucasian, adult, male, we decided to make the character an obsessive, young adult,female. We want to make our film stand out from other kidnapping films, while still following most of their genre conventions. We decided to choose kidnapping as our film openings topic through our investigations of crime thrillers, when we came across The Call and Kidnap. 

On the photos below, you will be able to see the step by step story line of our film opening (excuse my handwriting): 

One of our favorite scenes in particular is 25-27. We decided to show the victims fist banging on the wall and then cut to the mom banging on a stapler putting up a missing person flyer. This scene is very powerful because it shows the connection between the mother and daughter. We also decided to end with this scene to allude to the audience that there is more to come, and that the story is not just about a girl being trapped. Rather its more about the mothers journey to find her. Just as in The Call, it was about the 911 operators journey to find the missing girl. 

Now that we have our story line set we are able to actually go to work. We are very excited to bring our ideas to life within the next 7 weeks ! If you are wondering what kind of shots we will use to bring this to life… stay tuned for my next post!

The Enlightenment !

Hey guy, how has your week been going? My week has been enlightening! In my last media studies class my teacher set up group meetings...with a twist. Instead of meeting with our partners, we met with other people in our class. In these groups, we were with 4 people other people with the the same project. Each one of the students was able to present their ideas for their film opening and their blog with the group. 

When it was my turn to present, I directed the people to my blog. I was so glad that I had decided to design my blog the night before! It still needs a little work, but it is starting to represent who I am. I chose to begin from my first post, as I explained the schedule I set up for Sofi and I. They believed that it was a great idea that I created a set schedule since in past projects we worked in we found that we were tight on time, as we want to do the best job possible. 

The next post I directed them to was the one about genres. I talked to them about my journey to find the for the perfect genre. A Lot of them also found that the Horror genre would be hard to execute properly. Lastly on my blog I spoke to them about my love for the thriller genre. They also expressed that they were doing some sub genre of thriller as well.

Finally, I got to explaining my ideas for my film opening(which you hear about next post). They allowed me to develop my thoughts and better them. I was stuck on figuring out where one of the locations for my film opening would be. For this specific scene I envisioned it in a bright white room, as it is considered to be a torture technique. However, a room like this would be difficult to find and even harder to build. 

So we talked through it and they gave me an idea.. to film this scene in a freezer or in a fridge. This would use a natural setting as a hiding place, kind of giving the hiding in plain site effect, just like in the netflix series YOU. This was perfect because guess what… I work at a restaurant! I'm going to ask my boss for permission to allow me to film there, lets see what he has to say. 

This group meeting was extremely helpful in the development of my project and I am so excited to put their critiques into my project… Stay tuned for the next posting!

Ladies and Gentlemen, we got a genre!

I guess you guys kept your fingers crossed! The genre we chose for our film opening is…drum roll please… THRILLER! 

Last class Sofi and I sat down and discussed different types of genres. We went through all the genres we did research on due to the previous assignments. We spoke about how doing the horror genre would be difficult to do justice to. How doing the drama genre could end up being too cliche. Finally, how action was just not our type of genre. We wanted to find a genre that excites us. That is when I introduced my secret weapon...the thriller genre! Once I explained my reasoning behind my love for this genre (Which I explained on my last post) Sofi got on board! Now our job was to research the different sub genres in thrillers. 

Example of  Religious Thriller
(Click for trailer)

One sub genre I researched was religious thriller. The genre often includes details such as ceremonies, objects pertaining to the religion, and themes. It is often seen to have a supernatural being or experience which include exorcisms,possession and religious cover ups. I was a little bit freaked out by this genre. The only type of movie I’m scared of include demons, so i have decided against this sub genre.

 Example of  Psych Thriller
(Click for trailer)

Another sub genre I researched was psychological thrillers. This genre includes some aspects of drama, as well as mystery. The [purpose of these films are to present a mental menace (aka psychological), instead of a physical one. Rather than using physical skills to defeat the antagonist the Protagonist in the film is setup to use his mental acuity to resolve the issue. Throughout high school my favorite subject I have studied thus far has been psychology, I loved it so much that I took college level psychology two years in a row! This sub genre truly intrigues me however, the genre may be difficult to develop within our limited time of only 2 minutes. 

Last but not least, I researched the sub genre of crime thrillers. The plot of these films often revolves around a serial killer, a manhunt, an abduction, or a robbery. The genre is made up of a crime plot that includes the suspense of a thriller. It is also observed to uses both psychological and action to create the suspense that is expected from a thriller. The film often focuses both the the protagonist and the antagonist, unlike the typical crime genres. Out of all of the sub genres I research this one is by far my favorite. This genre mixes psychology, suspense, and serial killers/ criminals… How much more interesting can a film get ? I believe this would be an interesting genre to create.There is a world of possibilities when creating the story line as one has so much to work with!

Example of  Crime Thriller
(Click for trailer)

Example of  Crime Thriller
(Click for trailer)

By the end of class after taking the research into consideration we decide to go with the sub genre of crime thriller. We are so excited to begin developing our story line! Keep a lookout for my next post if you want to find out our story line...Stay tuned !

Citations:

https://thescriptlab.com/screenplay/genre/986-thriller/

Let's talk about genre

If you look back to my previous posts from November and December you will be able to see that I have done some research on genre. I looked at the Drama genre and the Horror genre. From each genre I reported about the genre conventions, production techniques, post production techniques and marketing. Through these research assignments I have been enlightened to what really makes up these genres and if I would be interested in creating a film opening for them. 

In regards to the drama genre… I love it. From Romantic Drama to Dramedy, it is simply one of my favorite genres to watch. I like how the main protagonist is mostly able to create an emotional connection with the audience. As I am a female, i also fit into their target audience, which would be helpful if I were to choose this genre for my film. It is also beneficial that Dramas take place in natural everyday setting as it could be filmed anywhere. The Drama genre is definitely on the top of my list for genre choices for the film opening.

Horror, Horror, Horror. Oh how I have a love hate relationship with your genre! To me the Horror genre is fascinating. Actually, of the most memorable films I’ve watched entitled, The Quiet Place directed by John Krasinsk, is within this genre. There is so much thought that must go into creating a horror film such as: Will your monster be human or supernatural or how will one execute a realistic killing scene. As interesting as the genre maybe, I believe it will be quite challenging to execute the horror genre in only 2 minutes, as in most opening of Horror films start of pretty normal. One challenge would be how to create a realistic looking monster, as our special effects makeup skills are sub par. We need to be realistic in what we can execute the most effectively and unfortunately, I believe that Horror is not the one. 

I wanted to continue exploring my options, so I decided to look into the Thriller genre. The Thriller genre is meant to keep the audience on the edge of their seat, as it revolves around the creation of suspense or anxiety. The story line is often realistic, which make the audience even more frightened because it can happen to them. Thrillers have a protagonist that is faced with a problem that is orchestrated by the antagonist. The antagonist is often hidden and slowly introduced to the audience. In this genre, They show the protagonist is a lot of close up shots, in order to show the emotion they are feeling. While the antagonist in order to continue to hide their identity, is shot with quick shots and indirect shots.Thrillers conventions also consists of low key lighting, quick cuts, shadows, and jump cuts. Music in thrillers is very important to give the scene the suspense necessary. The sound usually starts from slow and it speeds up. The antagonist is often found in darker colors while the protagonist is found in everyday wear.

Some examples of thrillers (click on picture for trailer!):

• Kidnap (2017)

• Bird Box(2018)

• The Purge (2013) 

In my opinion a thriller would be a great option as a genre for our film opening. It derives a little bit from the horror genre which I love, yet the antagonist is more realistic which is easier to execute. I plan on discussing my research with my partner Sofia the next class period I see her. It is essential to decide on a genre as soon as possible to move forward in our project and stay on schedule. Fingers crossed for Thriller! Lets see what she has to say… Stay tuned!

Citations:

https://www.slideshare.net/JasonsA2Media/codes-and-conventions-of-the-thriller-genre

The Time Is Now: Planning!

Finally! It is the time of the year that every AICE Media Studies AS Students has been eagerly waiting for. After almost 3 quarters of learning techniques ranging from shots to editing to the meaning of color, and doing other smaller projects, we are finally able to prove our knowledge on our Portfolio Project. I would be lying if I told you that I wasn't nervous as this project is a big part of whether or not I pass the AICE exam. This project is composed of several parts that require my greatest weakness… good time management skills. However, to overcome my time management challenge, I have decided that creating a set schedule with my partner is essential. 

Below, I will show you what my schedule I have created will ideally look like. This plan for the next 7 weeks is still open to changes, as I must discuss it with my partner Sofia. 

2/25-3/3: 

• Figure out what genre we will represent in our film opening.
• Do research on our chosen genre.(include: common content, character types, production techniques) 
• Create the story line to our film opening. 
• Come up with storyboard/shot list/ script

3/4-3/10

• Find actors and actresses for our film 
• Find locations to shoot our film
• Design costumes/ hair & makeup 
• Focus on: color, time period, and location.
• Begin filming

3/11-3/17:

• Continue research (if necessary)
• Search for no royalty sounds and music
• Finish filming

3/18-3/24

• Create Foley sounds needed 
• Begin editing

3/25-3/31

• Ensure to have all shots needed
• Finish Foley
• Finish finding any no royalty music 
• Finish Editing 
• Begin working on creative critical reflection.

4/1-4/7

• Finish and post CCR
• Post Film opening 
• Finish editing blog 

By creating this schedule, this will allow Sofia and I to be on the same page of what needs to get done each week to successfully complete our portfolio project. This schedule also is helpful in dividing the responsibilities between the two of us since it clearly shows all the responsibilities for that week. As we both have busy schedules, it is vital to have a set plan such as this one to ensure that we are working diligently and to be able to put forth our best work in regards to our film opening. 

Overall, I am extremely excited to see where the journey of creating a film opening will take us! Hopefully you will stay along for the ride. Stay tuned!