Audiences and Institutions Essay

Audiences and Institutions Essay

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

The importance of marketing in film is for the promotional factors and the success of the movie in and out of the box office. With the direct connection with their fans through the marketing of the film; they help keep people excited to watch the movie, helps connect to their audience, and tells people when it's going to be released. The millions of dollars that the different production companies -marketing teams- use to help showcase the film, helps in the box office. 

   An example of how marketing efforts for the movie helps in the box office shows through the marketing efforts for Beauty and the Beast. Through the cross promotion of The Bachelor and Beauty and the Beast, the marketing of the movie helped both the movie, and the show. ABC the broadcasting company, is owned by Disney making marketing cheap and beneficial, creating the synergy to help promote both the show and movie. The marketing team also promoted the movie through the use of trailers and sneak peaks. This kept me excited to see the movies and continued to be invested in the movie even after I saw it in theaters. The film made around 1.3 billion (USD) in the box office alone, with around 140$ million (USD) in marketing promotions, showing how marketing helps gain attention for the film.

   Another example of marketing helping the sales in the box office is, Fantastic Beasts:The Crimes Against Grindelwald, exhibition and distribution of the film. The different platforms for spreading the film through the exhibition of the movie and distribution, like purchasing the movie through; Blu-ray, DVD, Digital HD, Netflix, and On Demand to name a few, helped people want to see it in theaters. This also connects to their website that streamline the viewers to other movies they have. The Harry Potter series is connected through the Pottermore website, allowing a marketing platform for future movies as well as the Fantastic Beasts movies. This reaches their audience through a personal way making the films popular. I have a Pottermore account and the different ways they channel their merchandise and movies on the site help influence the people to go out and experience the world of Harry Potter in the movie theaters. The high amount of marketing shows in sales with this film alone making 653.7 million (USD) at the box office while only needing 150$ million (USD) for marketing promotions. 

    The movie Jurassic world is a good example of the marketing team promoting the movie in a way that showcases a special part of the movie, while also closing the gap between the trailers of the movie, and the release date. This was so the fans of this movie will wait and will be happy to go to the theaters to watch the movie. The easter egg hunt on their website was the way they promoted their new movie with a creative twist that the big age demographic would like, including my sister who was eight and father being fifty at the time. The age demographic for this movie was thirty-nine percent under twenty five and sixty percent was over, this big fan base needed to have things to do in between the release date and the time they announced the release date. 

  Connecting to people through websites and shows the age demographic might be watching are how the marketing of the movie is important for the overall success of the movie. However, even with the marketing of the film, if the film itself isn't produced in a way the age demographic like the success of the film is null and void. The movie Cats age demographic was for kids and adults but mainly the people watching musicals. Universal spent a lot of money on the movie Cats ninety-five to around 100 million alone to market their film, through interviews, trailers, and countless ads on the movie, and still couldn't save its incredible loss. Even with the showing in the theaters twice the movie is looking at several million dollars in losses. In my view of the movie from someone who enjoys musicals, I was very shocked to hear that they were turning this musical into a live action movie when there were so many better ones out there. This musical turned into a movie with extreme editing on the faces, and bodies of the characters, leaving me not wanting to watch even the ads due to how creepy it looked.The marketing of the incredible cast with Taylor Swift, James Corden, Jason Derulo, and the other amazingly famous people couldn't even save the movie. 

  The importance of marketing in the film is one of the most important parts of releasing a film to the people of the world. However, if the film you've directed isn't produced to the standards the age demographic like the film Cats the movie will suffer. Through the production, distribution, and exhibition phases of the film the companies (marketing teams) form a way to help keep interest in its demographic. Like the promotion in another show, easter eggs, and the different sites that the marketing teams make, to interact with the fans, help build that basis for the fanbase to watch the movie in theaters, and keep the money coming in from the box office.  

   

Practice Extract Assignment: Essay

Essay

The director is trying to convey to the audience that the scenes are taking place in a medieval time period that is most likely filled with the usual themes of war and betrayal. Through the theme of dark conventions similar to a drama and thrillers the director uses the set to transport us to another time and world. The many different layers of conventions that the director brings to the scenes makes the audience feel the seriousness and the underlying sense of fear the actors make the charractor portray. 

   The feelings that brings out in the audience and the charractors is that they are trying to get help from a kingdom they know will refuse their request. Through the message of the harsh music and distinct diegetic sounds the audience is left with getting submerged in the story the director is showing us. I think the way the director layered out the scenes was to show the vulnerability of the first two characters shown and the contrast between them and the three other men in the last scenes.

     For scene one, the director's vision is the medieval times, to make the characters on the ship the main characters,all for the scenes that will follow. This can be seen through the use of the dark elements to this theme. In the use of the high angle shot of the ship as it sails by we can see the colors of the ship to be ones that could have possibly been obtained back then. The reds can be a symbol of where they came from or represent their individuality as characters. From this bird's-eye perspective we can see the urgency in which it is moving, the fast pace is matched to a jump cut. The camera zooms into the character wearing a grey costume, making him out to be the most important person, in the two-shot that it zooms out to. This light costume sets him apart from the person behind him. After which the camera jumps again to a wide angle two shot, capturing the sword at the side of the person wearing the black costume, this makes him out to be the one to protect the one in grey. This could mean that the one in grey is of high rant and social status. The tone of the scene is conducted through the non-diegetic sounds of the ambient noise in the background. This sound brings about urgency and the seriousness of the mood the actors are portraying. This leads the audience to believe that they're going to a place where they are seeking help but already know they will be denied it. These costumes compliment the medieval tone of the other pieces to the scene, the diegetic sounds of the waves, birds chirping, the ship creaking, all set the mood to tell the audience that they are in a boat sailing to a place where they will ask for help for something serious. 

      For scene two the director's vision is set in a kingdom where the characters we meet a second ago are sailing to, and through the use of the previous conventions we can tell they are apprehensive about going. Through the use of a pan shot, we are in a bird-like perspective that zooms out away from the two characters, to tilt up to a statue, and a big city. The characters were looking up before we had seen the statue leading our eyes to follow theirs to the statue. The pause after would be an establishing shot telling the audience this is where they will be for the remainder of the scenes. These are all slow jump cuts and mainly pans signaling the audience to focus on the characters and marvel at the surroundings.

    For the director's vision is still the medieval themes but with the characters in the big open room we can see how truly at a loss they are. The window and close up shot of the presumably main character's head shows how the scene is meant to be dark and adds to the suspense. Then through the use of a pan we see the look of fear from him. We can hear the abiant non-diegetic sounds stop and the boots are the loudest noise till the dialogue. Then it goes to a wide shot of the lonely huge room that is much too big for just a couple of people. The director likely made the decision to show the audience that the two people are probably going to be made a fool of or at least made to feel like they aren't important. The place they were in was much too big for a small meeting and the large table with the two small stools across from the three thrones made the audience's assumptions clear. The characters seem distressed about the confrontation they had sailed there for, the dark lighting ,and their face highlighted with a dark contrast and sweat makes them look a little sickly. The audience is left with the assumption that they already know the answer to the questions they're going to ask. This tension can be seen in the way the characters present themselves, throughout the main character (in grey) pacing, to the black character watching him with a fearful gaze with the low angle shot, made to make the other character (grey) seem bigger and thus in charge, we can practically feel the tension in the air ourselves. At this time the jump cuts seem to be getting faster as the characters continue back and forth, this leads the people to believe they are still nervous.

      From scene four the director's vision is to make the audience feel the awkward surroundings and the pressure that the two men have to bear, to try to get what they need, even with the people who seem to be impossible to get through. Through the use of a big setting like the room filled with only a long table, two small stools ,and three thrones, it makes the space between them and the other people who aren't in the room yet feel bigger. The flinching of the two characters and the fast pace jump cuts to and from them then to the massive doors makes us question what's going to happen. With the confidence the men walked in with we can tell what's about to happen. The director makes it so the camera tracks and pans the movements of the three men to look as if they are synchronized. This leads the people watching to believe this isn't the only time they have had this meeting with another kingdom. The two other men are shown quickly but the camera rests on the one in the middle, marking him as the leader. He greets the men with a fake smile and a fake welcome. The scene brightens up but only on their side as the side with the first main characters stays dark. The director chose this lack of color and light to represent the hard times they've faced and will face in the future it seems. The reoccurring colors of muted tones of grey, faded yellow, blacks, and other muted tones seems to make this scene even more suspenseful and interesting to watch. When he directs them to sit it jump cuts to a wide shot of the two characters looking at the small uncomfortable stools. This shows the disrespect of the nice tone he uses, completely contradicting what he is projecting on the outside. The silence in the room is suffocating and the close up of the main character (the one wearing grey) tells us how uncomfortable the scene should make us feel. He walks to the chair and the camera moves at a low angle in a pan motion. Afterwards the close up to his face and the jumpcut to the two shots of the main characters can be seen. This awkward way of filming makes us wonder what they will try to do to get them to agree to their demands. After the long pause of the scene the wide shot can make the characters look extra small but the one wearing black introduces the man in grey then sits. This shows the other characters in the throne that he has a title too and shouldn't be disrespected. However, the one in the middle who as I, the audience, assumes to be the leader other others disrespects him further by talking about his past makes the scene turn even more awkward.  The dialogue continues but it isn't until the end where we see more light on the main characters side as the one in black stands up for his boss and I'm assuming friend. This interaction shown by this man brightens up the room and the jump cuts to the one wearing grey shows a new perspective on his character. He walked away after being criticized so harshly but, even if he cut the fingers off the man with the black clothes, he is still highly respected by him. The man wearing black talked highly of him regardless and the turn of emotions gets played on the other mans face (the one sitting in the throne). The turn of the criticisms makes it seem like the two main characters might have a chance at getting what they were after all along. 

     From the audience's perspective there were two main scenes, but the different tones split the last scenes due to several changes to the atmosphere of the characters,lighting, and overall mise en scene. The directors' use of the many conventions helped shape the theme of this medieval drama and thriller to transport us (the audience) into the world that the director wanted to show. We got to experience the subtle increase in tension with the increase in jump cuts and close up shots of the characters faces. The diegetic sound of the ocean and birds transported us to go to the kingdom they went to, in a birds perspective with pans and close ups. The props and the clothing fit the medieval times and were completed with a sword and boat. The vision to transport us to a world where these characters feel they need to start a battle, and gather resources from people they don't trust, creates high tension to make this scene work for the times they chose.

Practice Extract Assignments

Extract Assignments

Due to COVID-19: The Music Video

The Music Video

Due to the COVID-19 virus the exams were cancelled however, we are still required to provide the things we have done so far in AICE Media, so this is the music video my group and I did. I did the camera work, most of the editing, costumes, and props. I am really proud of this piece and what we did to achieve it. 

How this film has shaped my journey in AICE Media. This was the first film where I completely filmed and had a hand in how the filmed looked. I was the person who looked over the editing process to make sure it completely followed with the storyboard.  I loved how we could represent the LGBT+ community and how we could see how in the 1950s to late 60s that representation wasn't there. We can see in the video how if they could be who there are out in the open, how happy we all could be. The music is by Frank Sinatra and the song is called "Fly Me To the Moon," which at that time and now is still a very famous song. "Fly Me To the Moon," is not just a famous song, it doesn't have a music video from what we could find on youtube ,and we wanted to give it one that showed how beautiful the lyrics are. Through the song I wanted to take the lyrics both figuratively and literally. Showing how the music is old the black and white adds a touch of how it could have been. The shots like the iris in and out scenes were used a lot in those times in early television. 

I wanted to incorporate some of those themes along with the newer themes of the 21st century. The lyrics don't have a gender, there is not he, she, or they, these lyrics could be for anyone. That's what I wanted to show, that we can all have a bit of love, no matter who. The song is like a love letter, it feels like the song is meant to be danced to slowly. The slow pace of the song matched with how fast it ended shows how short can be sweet. Songs now-a-days aren't short and sweet, the lyrics of this time can show the innocence in love. No matter how old this song is every generation will listen to this song. Its relatable for every gender and sexuality. We don't have to agree with our views, and it's okay ,but one thing I believe everyone can agree with is music is a universal language. We can listen to music and listen to how it makes us feel, we can all have emotions, and music expresses it to everyone. 

My CCR: The Finished Product

My CCR

My CCR pt.1 is the one with my dog interviewing me. 
The second one is the pt.2 to the first one. Due to me using an IMovie and an apple device it would only transfer up to five minutes per video to a windows device and took around two hours to load each. 
In total the combined videos are around 10 minutes.  

Part One 

Part Two

In this CCR I've reflected on not only the movie and the details of it, I've also talked about my experiences with filming and the AICE Media class overall. I've put my script in the previous blog and also stated the reasons for certain details about the CCR. 

I chose my dog to be the one to interview me due to the social distancing order. I didn’t want to risk going across county so I could film with my group so, we all decided to do it separately. The reason why I decided to not film my face and instead record an audio file and send it in is, that way I can show my skill in inserting a voice over. I also don’t like to be the one to be filmed. Stage fright is real and I can show my talents better off camera. I like to be the one to express what I can do in a film off camera. I like to see other people act and interact with the props I made and the costumes. I like to be involved behind the scenes and watch the movie with audience. 
I choose to film my dog as a way to add humor and an interesting element to my CCR. The CCR is supposed to be personal and our own experience with how we filmed. Since I filmed off camera I wanted to show how I improved the way I filmed and the other ways you can still make a movie without being in the spotlight. I wanted to give the people in my group the spotlight cause they enjoyed being filmed and seemed to have fun. I enjoy doing the hidden work. I liked making the props, getting the locations, making the costumes, and I liked to film. The movie industry isn't just the people acting that make the movie, otherwise why would there be a "best director" award given. 

My CCR: The Script and Background

My CCR

In this CCR I've reflected on not only the movie and the details of it, I've also talked about my experiences with filming and the AICE Media class overall. I've put my script down below and also stated the reasons for certain details about it. 

I chose my dog to be the one to interview me due to the social distancing order. I didn’t want to risk going across county so I could film with my group so, we all decided to do it separately. The reason why I decided to not film my face and instead record an audio file and send it in is, that way I can show my skill in inserting a voice over. I also don’t like to be the one to be filmed. Stage fright is real and I can show my talents better off camera. 

The Script 

Question #1

Throughout this experience in AICE media I’ve learned to not only adapt with the ever changing challenges i faced for filming and production but also I’ve learned how to manage the time and resources that were available. I learned how to use my previous knowledge of costume and design and built on those skills. I’ve learned to work under a time constraint and I feel like I can better handle similar situations in the future. AICE media taught me to be more quick on my feet and mind. Along with teaching me the basics of filming and how movies, commercials, and music videos get filmed. With the virus the last thing we had to do was our movie. Since the no contact warning re-shooting was a bit of a challenge but we managed by taking each others strengths into consideration. The movie turned out great.

For regular dramas, you mainly see bright lighting and happy music. For the drama “A Bit of Love” I wanted it to play in more to the darker side of dramas. I wanted a darker feeling with the aesthetic of a drama. The yelling and fighting that the characters show to the audience quietly gets shut down. This adds a little humor into the mix along with the constant change of scene like most dramas have. With the genre leaning more towards drama than romance or crime I wanted it to have a bit of everything. The dialogue is few but should add a little humor to the dark atmosphere. The way the movie is shown is that I wanted them to be in dark lighting when they were together, and a lighter lighting when eating. This emphasizes the importance of what they are eating. 

This movie shows the darker side to celebrities. It addresses that what the public may see is not what usually happens behind closed doors. This group of people that people regard as “can do no wrong” can be an issue. People are people, humans are humans, we all have flaws, anyone who says different is lying or selling stuff. 

Question #2

This movie engages with the audiences by creating the suspense of the fast pace and multiple locations. The fast pace introduction shows a glimpse into the unknowns of celebrity life and how one thing can be vastly different on and off camera. The drama is the people and their interactions with each other, but also their food. This also can create a little humor on how we can all be different before and after we are hungry. 

With the COVID -19 virus, times are changing, for better or worse it’s too soon to tell. The movie industry has been shut down to prevent the spread to the actors and the people on and off set. The production of the movie has been stopped but the movies that have already been through that are on to the stage of releasing the film. However with the virus social distancing rules out the movie theaters. Online sites are now spreading like wild fire and with the working class staying home movie watching is their go to. Online sites would be a good way to get our movie out there and after the virus has been controlled we can possibly release it to the movie theaters. Hypothetically speaking. 

Question #3

Like I've said previously the virus has kept most of the production to zero.  Before this started however, we were fortunate to have filmed the essential parts to the film. So, we didn’t need to reshoot very much. My experience with filming before this was quite low but I’m happy to say that my management skills and my ability to work a camera has gotten better. For this introduction to the movie world I was able to broaden several of my skills. Clothing and production, the props and the settings and or locations, and the directing and camera work were up to me to desire how it should flow. I wanted to help out on editing but with the zero contact order I was able to leave suggestions and help my group mates with the flow and direction of the film. I helped my group mates stay on top of their work and made huge progress with time and production effort. 

   The technology aspect in the film was a must. We used different software to help aid us through the time where we can’t go to school to edit. We got to branch out more and see what other sites are available. I got to use different cameras and edit things along this journey. The use of a tripod and other camera devices helped us stabilize and make our film less shaky. I had fun on this journey of AICE media.


Background
I edited this CCR to be in the style of an interview for the fun and creativity aspect. I wanted this CCR to be the thing that was simple and shows off my talents that I've learned. The ability to adapt and the ability to show creative spirit throughout this adventure. In the reflection bit after the questions I put in the little behind the scenes to how I made the props and why I  made them how they are.

The Movie

The Movie

This movie took longer than we had originally planned. 

This was due to the lack of interactive availability with our group. However, even with that we were able to create something that makes us proud. We could have done a better job with some parts but we were able to follow most of the storyboard. The different elements we brought to this movie makes me proud that i was able to sort everything out on time. I wanted to thank the teachers for helping us be informed during these times. The teachers around the world are really working hard on helping everyone with not only education on what we were learning, but also education about the world and how this virus will shape the future. The movie industries are already changing. postponing production, taking leave, self quarantine, and the new movies being released on the online sites. 

This new age can be scary but also teach us to what's to come and how we will be introduced faster than we thought to this new online world. For the COVID-19 virus this has been dangerous to not only older adults, children are also being affected by this virus, all around the world. The movie was shot before this and thanks to that we were able to safely film and edit while in quarantine. 

This film shows the two sides to how people perceive celebrities. We can see the one the celebrity shows to the public and how they are completely different at home. We can take this with a grain of salt, and see how people can hide who they truly are, not that celebrities are cannibals. The props are all made by me including the costumes. The body parts are all handmade candies by me. They are all made out of marshmallow fondant and edible food coloring. The ''wine'' is a mix of grape and cherry juice. I wanted the props to look as realistic as possible. 

Editing: The Re-shoot & Re-Edit: 2nd Part

2nd Part to the Re-Shooting & Re-Edting blog

* This is the safety precautions for the broken glass. It was put in two rubbish bags and tightly secured. 

During this time of COVID-19 the thoughts of re-shoot and re-editing are on the table. I've used my phone as a backup camera for the footage for the re-shoot. However, there is a chance that the re-editing team might have a hard time with the footage thus far. We can't push back the deadline of when the project is due so I made a bold move to use a different technology. When I filmed I made sure to be careful and wore long socks to keep my legs and feet from the glass. The glass was also dropped from a low footage so that the sards couldn't go to far. After I bagged the glass twice and tightly secured the top. The other people in my group were kept inform of this before-hand and I've sent a copy of it to each of them. They are welcome to use and edit the film as much as they can with the time we have left. This long process; gathering ideas, acting on our ideas, gathering supplies, filming, editing, ect... showed me that this business cannot only be just fun but can teach you to manage your time and think of innovative ways to continue a project once you have commited to it.

  The Re-editing will happen but not from my end. I've given the footage over to my group mates and they will be able to incorporate it into the film. This is if they believe it fits the feelings we are trying to produce. If not then that is how it will go, I trust my group mates in making that decision. I will stick to my rolls and strengthen them through my work. I have been trying to figure out how to properly fim the next part in the filming process, my reflection piece. However, with the COVID-19 virus and the lack of not only human interaction through social distancing but, by a big difference with the distance in location of my school to me, compared to my other groupmates, will make it hard to film. I will look into apps on my phone that are allowed to edit my videos. I will also try to share this with my group mates. I will also try to aid my group through this new age of the internet. 

Editing: Re-Editing

Re-Editing

My group-mates are editing the movie. During this time they are busy figuring out how to properly do everything due to the lack of resources we can use. The editing of the movie had to be transferred to another software site. This transfer made it hard on the editors but we as a group are trying to figure it out to meet our deadline. At this time not much can be done. The school is on lockdown and is getting thoroughly cleaned. The computers we used are no longer available. I will we sending all of the Re-shooting film to them by email. I will try my best to keep my group-mates informed and prepared. I have been informing my group about the recent matters concerning the corona virus and how it regards the movie. 

  My groupmate has found the right music for our movie through Mixkit.co. This site offers free music for projects. This site will be used to add the right music for our film. The other editors will converse on the matter. The music will be chosen to fit the theme of the movie. I will listen to the music when the film is fully edited. I believe they are putting in the music last to fully complete the movie. I'm not one-hundred percent sure however and could be wrong. The virus has limited us to what and how we can work. The lack of communication is hard but my group and I are prepared to try our best to meet the requirements.

Editing: Re-shooting

Re-shooting

This is regarding the re-shooting of the scenes in the movie. This is for the scenes that we couldn't do well or that were not fit for the feeling of the movie at the time. However, due to the coronavirus the ability to get a camera isnt there. I may have to find another option if one is available for me to use. At the moment the availability to gather supplies for filming is slim to none. The stores are mostly sold out of mostly everything that could have been used to film. I have some of the supplies to do the scenes with the plates and the glasses. The camera is a different problem. The lack of availability to go to the school to rent the proper ones isnt a option. My family doesn't have a camera to use and i'm not sure if i'm allowed to use the phone I have. 

  These past few days i've tried to think of ways to get one but all of them involve interaction that isn't allowed at the moment. My group is split all over and none of us live remotely close to one another. We usually meet up at a specific place but none of those places are an option now. I've gotten messages regarding the class and the teachers have been really helpful informing us on what's going on. I live around one hour from my school and my group mates, so the communication we have is strictly by phone. Schools and big businesses are doing deep cleanings so to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. This has been going on for a few days. Being stuck at home has however, allowed us to study up on our movies and tv shows.

*one of the dramas 

    In most American TV dramas there is always a happy-ending, this and the main couple always has one big fight they get through in order to be happy. For other dramas like Korean dramas, the main couple doesn't have to get together. Instead the main character goes and finds a way to be happy and or improve themselves in-order to be happy, and thus get to have a happy-ending. Or the character doesn't get to have a happy ending with another person and instead something happens and they end up alone, but the ending is the same, they get to have a happy-ending.   

Editing: The Plan Moving Forward

The Plan Moving Forward

*Washing hands is the best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19

For the time being, planning is being spent currently at my house talking to my group through text. I have been contacting the group and informing them on what's going on with the class and the filming process. This will be a moderately short blog that goes with the previous one. We needed to meet up so we can figure out how the film will look at the end. However, this will need to happen sooner or later, or the next plan is to email the finished product and add stuff later. The plans will change as the information from the government is announced. The lack of communication is not only hard on us but the whole industry. The inability to see people directly correlates to filming. We can't film with no people. However we can't film with the treat of the virus harming the actors.
  We need to be ready to film when the quarantine is over. The online world is now very active and so are movie and tv show streaming sites. At this time more people are at home working or with nothing to do. This means more people have the ability to be noticed. The small companies making movies or the streaming sites own movie are gathering more and more attention. Movies and TV shows will gain more attention and thus gaining more competition as well.This will make the companies aim for more and production will want to begin sooner rather later. The directors need to be aware of the occuring threat still. Washing hands is the number one way to prevent the spread  of COVID-19. The incubation period is 14 days so containing it is very hard. That's why we are being quarantined for the time being. 

Editing: Updates to Filming

Updates to Filming 

*Remember to wash your hands to prevent the spread of COVID-19

https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/13/21179153/netflix-disney-production-coronavirus-delay-little-mermaid-peter-pan-elvis

*This is the URL for the information in this blog

Due to the COVID-19 virus our filming and interactions for the finishing productions for our film has been stopped. This was decided by our state and country to do a mass-quarantine, this means two weeks in isolation to protect ourselves, and others. This will hopefully contain the virus to a specific location to protect the rest of the people. Not only has our movie production stopped but also many other movie productions has been stopped. This virus is transmitted through the air and touch, making it very dangerous to the people we are filming, and the camera crew. The production of several movies not including ours have also been stopped this includes the following...

-The Live Action Little Mermaid

- Stranger Things 

- Grace and Frankie

- Sex/Life

- Ryan Murphy's The Prom 

And many more have stopped production.

For the COVID-19 virus this has been dangerous to only older adults, however, the closing of the schools prevent the younger kids from transmitting the virus to their parents. For our movie we will continue to edit the movie to meet our deadline. The filming of the scenes that need correcting have been mostly ready. However, it will be filmed with a different camera. This also will be filmed with only one person. I will have no help due to the self quarantine and the lack of availability to meet up with the rest of the people in my group.  

Editing: Getting ready to film

Getting ready to film

* This may or may not be the props used in the film

We are going to film the re-shooting of the scenes that need to be fix. This includes the glass breaking scenes, but not the picture frame scene. The job I will be doing is the gathering of the supplies for the filming process. The health risks are minimal and I will be carefull with a first aid kit on hand and trashbags to clean the glass. The glass should be broken in bigger pieces due to the fall not being that high. I will make sure that this shooting process is safe. The glass may or may not be colored depending on what my group mate says it should look like. The filming process will go as she directs me too. This is so i can deliver the aesthetic she wants. This is to fit the theme of the movie.
   The glasses will be wine glasses and or other glasses that my group member will instruct me to break. I will also break plates that she thinks will suit the theme of the movie. This will be safe, safety is number one. This will be all done outside and will be in a safe location. I will drop the plates and glasses from an estimated height of half a meter to one meter. I will have trash bags around the area site. This is so no loss glass gets anywhere. After shooting I will clean up and hose down the area. The props will only be the plates and the glasses. I will use the tripod to stabilize the camera and will slowly drop the items so the camera can get a good quality shot. I will only have three tries each so the time of the reshoot should only take 30 to 35 minutes. 

Editing: Schedule for the re-shoot

Schedule for the re-shoot

This is the schedule I made for the Re-shooting of the parts of the movie we need to fix. We will reshoot on a specified day that we as a group agree on. This is so we have time to edit and get everything to how we like it. We need to fill simple parts to the movie. We need to reshoot the glass scenes due to then not coming out properly. The feelings from the film we took wasn't the feelings we wanted in the piece. We need to get the glasses from a thrift store so that we aren't damaging ones that our family will use. To make sure this is a safe film we will have a plastic bag under it and ready to pick up the pieces. This will also be a controlled environment. The glass will be thrown away properly. 

  The reason why we had the re-shoot so late is due conflicting schedules. However we made a deal to split the workload so we can have a successful film. We split these in sections that fit our skill set. The pre editing is done by someone who wants to learn. I am sticking to the costumes and the props. I also filmed a majority of it. The costumes but for this won't be needed. The only thing I need to do for this re-shoot is gather the right props. If things don't go to plan I may or may not be the one to re-shoot the minor takes. This may or may not take place in the morning or night.

Editing: Peer Editing

Peer Editing

Today we Peer Edited the other people in our class movies. The persons movie we watched did a good job at the lighting. The natural light gave a calm feeling to the whole film. The sound was a little off however. With the dialogue being very short it was hard to hear. The wind in the back wasn't a big issue. The music was calm and fit nicely into his movie. The diegetic sounds fit nicely with the non-diegetic sounds. The cuts for when he skates adds a good action match. The outside also had good lighting. 

  The zoom into the picture gave a background to the character. I'm not sure if this is relevant but he wore a dog-tag so his dad or him might have been in the military. I can't see the camera. The different shoots add a nice flow to the movie. The track shots are cool. The flow of the movie is slow and the music add a cool suspense that fades in the end. The titles fade out and in depending on the scene. The fade from the sky to the over-the-shoulder shot was smooth. The one thing I liked about the movie was the natural lighting. The one thing he could fix would be the sound quality with the speech and the outside noise.

Editing: Editing the Movie

Editing the Movie

So my group started editing the movie. We wanted to have a rough draft of how the film will look. Andrea started doing the rough draft. We are using the PinnacleStudios to edit. This editing software is really slow so the process is taking longer than we had initially hoped. The amount of time to download all of the clips and takes into the software took around thirty minutes alone. To edit the clips we had to drag and drop it into the slots we wanted to have it in. We left time were we thought the clips needed more film and where we needed to film over. This made the draft of the movie run a little longer than the time allowed. However once we do the finishing shooting blogs and other editing blogs it will flow nicely.
  The overall film now is a little choppy but can be easily fixed. The music and sound haven’t been added in. This was to make the process easier to edit. The software we are using gets easily annoyed and crashes if we over run it. The computers are also quite slow but with the screens being touch screen we can drag and drop easily. The edits we are using are fast pass in some areas and need to be cut in others. The timing of the different clips will be used to set the pause of the film. The ending product will be better than the draft we have now. We will add the titles now but correct the font later. 

Filming: Filming The Movie (outside)

Filming: Part Two: The Outside

With the outside being one of the harder settings we chose to film it at the time at a moderate lighting. I had the opportunity to film most things how I wanted to because the storyboards for this was very quick. I used the space to make it seem like it was a lot bigger than it really was. The red carpet we used is actually a rug. The rug was also very short so I had to film it at a lower angle to make it look bigger. The camera work this time was also without the tri-pod so I filmed everything by hand. This also makes it look like it’s in the paparazzis perspective. This adds a mysterious tone to the film. The town throughout the film without the music is very different. We want the music to be scary and then calms for the places we’ve filmed.

    This balance can be seen throughout. The sun was going to set soon so the lighting wasn’t going to be good so we filmed at the later of the day to have that neutral lighting. The camera footage inside the car is also really dark so it can seem more mysterious. I wanted the dark scary tone mixed with elegance for the celebrities. The filming was a lot of fun to do. My group mate who helped me couldn’t help me this time cause she was in it. However seeing everyone act was really fun. The driver of the car also made sure we were very far away from the car. This is when they pulled into the parking spot for one of the shots. The safety was top priority for this portion of the project. 

Filming: Filming the Movie

Filming the Movie  

Figuring out how we were going to film was up to Andrea and I. She helped me figure out how to set up all of the different takes so the filming would flow better. We filmed on Saturday, 22, February. This was set up by me. The location was my house. The different tasked we had to do where based on our individual skill sets. In my last blog I showed a picture of it.

For filming inside the house we first had to take a picture for one of the scenes and print it out. I did her hair and makeup. I did the costumes for both of the actors but jaheim brought his own suit. The picture was edited by me. When we filmed the scene with the food and the table that was also inside. The scenes were all filmed by me. The hardest part was trying to avoid all of the mirrors in the house. I didn't want to be caught on camera with the camera itself. To stop this from happening I had to go between the plants in the house and lower down the camera enough so I wouldn't be seen. The lighting was a little low for this so I had to adjust the lighting to get this photo.

The filming in the house lasted about two hours. The thing that took the longest to set up was the food and the props. Each of the food had to be plated on nice plates to give the effect of "class." This was due to the people, and or, actors trying to portray celebrities for our movie. The clean up for the scenes took little to no time. Andrea helped a lot to tell me the storyboard so I could follow it. Due to the weather I couldn't film outside that much in the beginning but did later on.

Filming: Props and Costumes

Props and Costumes 

For my group I will be in charge of the props and costumes. With this job I gave myself it will be a lot of work and responsibility. To properly make and create the things we will be using to film to give the look we want took a lot of time. With this the props have to look realistic while still being safe for the actor. I have made a couple of things for them to wear that will be fun and simple. The different scenes all have different costume changes and different pieces the actor will have to adjust to wearing depend on the setting and script. For the dining room scene and the car scene. These will all have the same to similar attire. The male will be wearing the same thing throughout but the female will be constantly changing. The dinner table will be set to feed a king and queen, but not really cause they are just “celebrities.” 

   The props for food wise will look both like human body parts and other types of food. When the scene pops up with all the food the food will look like the following images. 

    

                  

The food is one of the most important parts of the movie and took me a little while to make. The setting of the table was to look like a dark and classy couple that wanted to enjoy a nice meal together. The music and the other things during the film will provide ambiance and Mise-Un-Scene. I made the props out of fondant for the realistic body parts. They were made by hand by looking at pictures of the face. The other things that from far away look like other body parts are jello. The jello I used was the strawberry one so it looked like blood. The other one I used was regular gelatin and the cherry for more of a contrast.

Filming: Filming Schedule

Filming Schedule

This is the schedule for this Saturday, for the movie "A Bit of Love." For this Schedule I took into account all of the other group members schedules. However, with some work related things I had to inform a group member to change their own personal schedule. This filming session will be the first of two that we will be doing. However this will be the longest one. The filming process should only be around three to four hours depending on the setup time and the constant costume changes that I will be doing and helping the actors do. The props, costumes, settings and changes, and the food, will all be coordinated by me. The CCR will be set up as well but only minorly to see how it may flow when we film it. This means that the time of the shooting of the film will also be managed by me. I will finish up making the props and the many different types of costume pieces.
  The camera will be checked out by someone else and will be brought to the filming set. The setting will be the house that was shown in the last blog. With this filming process the health risks are very minimal to none. Due to the fact the car won't be moving. The things that will be happening in the house are eating and breaking plates. This will also not be a risk cause we will be braking it over a plastic bag and the person braking it will wear gloves. This will also be monitored by adults. The movie will last for two minutes. It will take a couple of takes to get the filming right so, we don't have to struggle while editing. The editing process will come later. After the shooting of the film we will clean up and try to think about how to approach the CCR. 

Planning: Storyboarding

Storyboarding

The storyboard for my film was done by me and Jaheim.

In order of each scene, the following is drawn out...

The first template shows a sketch of the film. protagonists (the married couple) in their wedding photo, before slowly zooming out to glass surrounding it as a foot steps down and shatters it, the couple will also be yelling at each other in the background as this happens although we didn't write that out explicitly. The camera will then cut to the couple arguing and yelling at each other. The next shots will be of a plate flying across the screen, followed by a bowl, and then a wine glass. Shots of each object breaking will be shown in between. The next scene is a scene of the protagonists in a fancy car. An establishing shot is used, and then a two shot showing one character looking at the driver, then jump cutting to the other looking outside the car window. The car then pulls up to the venue and quickly finish the drinks they were having before opening the door. One foot comes out followed by another with the camera zoomed into them, staying zoomed as the character walks down a red carpet with cameras flashing. Paparazzi will be shown accompanied by a bright camera flash that will then show the characters smiling. The second to last scene returns to the couples' home, showing food on their dining table. The female will look at the food, quickly looking away to meet eyes with the male before returning to the female as an eye-line match. As the final  scene, he food will then slowly be shown, revealing that what the characters are eating is... not quite right. This will take a bit longer to make the viewer intrigued, before ending the film (or well, the final scene of its beginning). 

Planning: Title design in detail

Titles 

For these Titles to work we need the editing to run smoothly. The one incharge of that is Jaheim. I will be incharge of most of the things that go into the film, like how it will flow, music, costume, and directing. The cast will be managed by Andrea and the film will be filmed by myself and Jaheim. The style of the font will be the same throughout except for the director. The sizes and colors will depend on how they are important and the background color. The way they flow is detailed in the Powerpoint. The tone of the titles are very muted and don't scream the real concept of the movie until the title and the directors name. The actors names (Victoria)(Jaheim)&(Andrea) will be shot into the scene with a prop. This will add a special aspect to the movie and test the level of difficulty we can match. 

Planning: Location, Sound, Participants, Health, Schedule

Location, Sound, Participants, Health, Schedule

This was to show the schedule and what will go on during the scenes. For this the participants in the slide are the ones who will be filmed. The ones who will be behind the scenes will be Jaheim and I. I will be directing how the film persists. The location, sound, and schedule are as follows. With the specific dates those will have to be decided after the storyboarding process to estimate properly the amount of time needed. The health aspects of the planning process revolve around the specific scenes. There will be a first aid kit available along with water during the scenes with eating. The "health" during the car scenes is that they will wear a seat-belt and the car won't be moving. Due to the couple being celebrities the windows of the car will appear to be heavily tinted.   

This is the house. 

Planning: Sounds of the Movie

Sounds of the Movie

The movie will flow better with the addition of the sounds I've written into this script. With the addition of the sound I've added the Mise-Un-Scene of the movie. This will mean something throughout the movie. This gives the audience a feeling from the way they are together. The way that this music only plays while they are together mean something and the audience throughout the movie will learn about it later. The use of sound also changes the mood of the movie with the addition of slight dialogue. If it were to be too dialogue base there wouldn't be a Mise-Un-Scene. Since this is a two minute intro to the movie key details have to be introduced first. As the scenes flow together (this includes the names of the people who worked on the project) the sounds have to fit with what's going on in the movie. However, in dramas and in romance films the diegetic sounds are usually enhanced this is so they are "heard" and exaggerated.

Planning: Script and Shooting process

Script and Shooting process

This was the script to the movie that I made for the movie we are doing. This script was a little difficult to work with,in terms of how this will all fit,and if all of this will be to much for the beginning of the movie. This movie will only last around two minutes and therefore only 120 seconds. With this time-frame it was hard to figure out how all of the things will turn out to look. With the next blog (the sound) it will mostly come together without the use of a visual. However visually is different then just writing it down as a script. Figuring out how this will match will be my next mission. To make sure it won't look like too much, and it will hopefully flow,once we add how this will fit together. With most dramas having many jump-cuts and romance films also having many jump-cuts this will be incorporated. The different scenes do give off the feelings of a drama/romance. However, at the end this will change with the different points of views being shown. This will be a good challenge and will be fun to see come together.

Title Research: Romance: Married To The Mob

Married To The Mob

1. How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film

• Around Twenty-six titles were used in the opening sequence of this movie.
• The titles that were mentioned were mostly the main actors, the producers, the sound supervisor, custom designers, the artist of the opening song, casting crew, and the miscellaneous directors.

2. What images are prioritized in the opening sequences of the film

• The Opening sequence is a montage of train tracks and lights with miscellaneous people scattered around the area.

3. What connotations do the images carry

• This gives a mysterious vibe and a fast paced feel to the movie, like something exciting is going to happen.

4. How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset

• The opening gives the audience a sort of dangerous feeling to whatever the character is going to experience. 

5. How does the film establish an enigma from the outset

• With the opening being almost nothing but credits and fast pace music and visuals the audience is left wondering what going on and how this will tie into the movie.

6. What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience

• The music was used in the opening scene to maybe attract the audience to the movie with a little bit of action that the males might enjoy listening to and also seeing so they might not feel bored while watching a romance movie with their date. At this time movie dates were popular so trying to attract both the female and male audience might have been harder.

7. How has technology been used effectively?  You might want to consider camera angles, transitions and editing techniques.

• The opening is shaky and loosely put together, this paired with the odd angles they used gives a sense of mystery to the movie. 
• They put in an aerial shot of the tracks and center angel for higher objects making the lighting transphorm what they are shooting.
• This leaves the audience with a sense of unease and understanding to the dangerous feeling this movie is trying to express.

  

Title Research: Romance: Crazy Rich Asians

Crazy Rich Asians 

1. How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film

• This was a very short opening sequence with only four titles (including names), this was the main cast the directors, and the producing company. 

2. What images are prioritized in the opening sequences of the film

• This had no direct images but it had wallpaper with an asian theme behind it.

3. What connotations do the images carry

• The images had the underlying message that this will be a colorful and a romance movie that won't be focused on the type of romance that is scene in america, it will have the culture and style from Singapore.

4. How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset

• The many colors could symbolize the many personalities and many aspects of the culture that will be going into this movie. 

5. How does the film establish an enigma from the outset

• The audience is intrigued on how this will play out throughout the story and how these colors or symbols might be in the movie itself.

6. What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience

• The music isn't in english due to this romance trying to stray away from the American version of what a romance is. The film is trying to appeal to everyone and not just a specific race, culture, or ethnicity it's trying to show and bring in new material for everyone to enjoy.

7. How has technology been used effectively?  You might want to consider camera angles, transitions
and editing techniques.

• Since this opening was very fast and didn't have many transitions other than a few colors or backgrounds being changed, the director was probably trying to make it fast to fit the whole story. However, it didn't really showcase any of the other factors that went into this movie like costume or other types of casting other than the main people so, the effectiveness of the title portion of the movie was lacking.