Portfolio Project Detailed Planning: Shooting Schedules

     When looking at shooting for the opening it was pretty clear from the start that weekends would be the best time to shoot. My opening has two different sections which is made clear through the drastic changes in the surrounding area. Since these areas are so different I will likely have to shoot on two different weekends or at least two different days.

    I am thinking about cross cutting so I will heavily storyboard that area of the opening and I will shoot some extra coverage to make sure I have enough footage for the opening.

    The half of the shooting that takes place in the house will be much easier to shoot so I will be doing that last. Here there won't be as much coverage because I have a much clearer idea of what shots I want to use for ideas about the film.

    Another thing I have to keep in mind is my job, I first have to look at the schedule before looking at what days I will be able to shoot for, and this should tried to be all done before spring break.

Portfolio Project Detailed Planning: Group Meeting

     During the group meeting in class I told my concept and it was received well. They did help with where to shoot parts of the opening, this helped greatly since I only had part of the places in my head. They also helped me with how I would shoot areas and what the people should wear. There was an especially great idea from one of the group members to have the family wear black. Lastly, their ideas helped me with how to shoot with so many people, they brought it up after I told them the concept and that problem was one I hadn't thought of before the meeting and I was able to bring a solution where the some of the characters would wear masks. Other than that they said it was good and we all pretty much did the same thing for everyone else's concepts, where to shoot, and how they would do certain things.

Portfolio Project Detailed Planning: Layout Drawings/Storyboards

    Layout drawings are typically used for animated films, tv shows, and shorts. They are use to create the setting and background of the world or simply a particular scene, this would be something like a living room or for the world, the streets of a city. Looking at their reasoning for being used it would seem that creating layout drawings for a live action drama would useless. This isn't entirely the case. For many films it seems likely that layout drawings were used to create the set for a scene that isn't normally found through scouting. These drawings could be especially important if a director is considering a certain way of blocking the scene that other areas for shooting wouldn't allow for. Now obviously I don't have these luxuries but I can create a few layout drawings to see if their are any items in the scene I could place or remove to make a more meaningful shot.

    Storyboards is something that is used in every film, at least for the most important scenes. They are basically a shot for shot make of the scene. They show how the director wants to block a scene or how the transitions in camera movement. Since my opening is only two minutes long I will definitely be using storyboards as much as possible. This is because I want to get as much detail into the opening as I possibly can just for me. I will still likely shoot coverage while filming to see what shots I may have not thought of before work.

Portfolio Project Detailed Planning: Outlines

     An outline, at least in the area of film, is a really condensed version of the final script where each scene is described. No lines are shown for the most part is it mainly tells us what the scene is about and how the scene moves things forward in the film. Obviously this means the script will likely follow a regular story structure. In the drama genre this usually means that the first scene is that of exposition. This means that the world (setting and time), characters, and possibly issues must be explained to the audience so they can understand what is going on. 

    This means that my opening has to focus on this. Now obviously I can't say what the setting is like because that would destroy the tone in a drama film, this wouldn't be an issue in comedy because it would either be done through a fourth wall break and meta joke. Unfortunately, dramas are usually much closer to reality due to the tone and emotional reaction they often want from their audience so on the nose dialogue or narration is out of the question. Another way many people do this is through a flashback, which I know immediately can't be done due to how small my time window is.

    I now realize that because of the limitations I have, focusing on mise-en-scène elements to due this. I know that careful placements of the camera must be done in order to establish what the world and characters are like. Dialogue can still be used but I am going to have to limit myself a little bit in terms of what they say so the tone isn't broken. So far my ideas for the opening contains an assassination. Since this is a school project the murder will be done offscreen but I need to see who I should focus on. Whether it be the assassinators or the people hiring them as my main character.

Portfolio Project Research: Genre/Planning

     Making a movie isn't and never will be easy, almost all movies start with the first line of a script, they dont start with hiring the actors, they dont start with hiring the crew, they start with the script. Although this is true crew, actors, and location scouting play a huge role in getting the movie done and this is why its important to start thinking about even if the script isn't done.

    Obviously I have an image in my mind of exactly what the scene would look like and what the characters faces looks like but to a certain extent it just isn't possible to translate that directly into the scene but I can still try my best to make it look as good as possible. The first step is to think about how large or small I will want the crew. After some research I have found that for small scale projects like these, while it will take a lot more work, a lot of the jobs can be done by me just to save on time and costs.

   The one big thing that I wont be able to do myself is acting. I will have to find some talent actors that can carry this short scene to success and be able to channel the vision that I have fed to them, whether this is done with paid actors or just people I know isn't sure yet but hopefully I will be able to find actors competent enough to portray the images that I imagined.

    The final piece that I need is location scouting, this is a process that I hope to get done pretty quickly considering that im not planning on have a scene that takes place in a large sprawl or travels through a large amount of locations all at once. All this research has brought to light a lot of things that I have never thought of before such as how much your interactions with the crew will influence the final piece just because of how well or badly you could convey the image that you're thinking of.

Portfolio Project Research: Genre/Technology and Technical Elements

    Genre plays a huge role in the technology used on a set in order to directly translate the image in the directors head onto the screen, this is a accomplished with a multitude of different pieces that all need to work together like a well oiled machine in order to completely immerse the viewer into the director's world. This daunting task is accomplished with things such as, but not limited to, amount of light and light concentration, choice of camera lenses and the camera body itself, music and finally sound and set design.

    If one were to imagine a scene of two lovers enjoying a candlelight dinner, soft lighting would be used to give a sense of freedom and happiness both to present those emotions as ones that the characters are feeling and ones that should subsequently felt by the audience. Later in the film if one of the partners were to catch the other having an affair, hard lighting would be used to rip you out of the clouds and pull you back down to Earth where everything isn't fairy tails and not all couples live "happily ever after". The perfect choice of camera and camera lenses help to present the perfect lighting on a silver platter to the audience and enhance the overall aesthetic.

    When looking at any scene in a movie your mind is subconsciously scanning it for anything that is out of place and doesn't belong or feels missing, this is where the job of a set dresser become crucial. They are there to make you see what you think you should be seeing in that specific scene. Along with this comes your ears, it has been proven time and time again that good audio is more important than good image, this might sound wrong to you but if you go on the internet there are examples of good and bad audio and video of the same footage and you will quickly come to realize how important audio is. Along with audio comes music which can help in period pieces and drive home the specific genre that the film falls under.

    In my case while im still figuring out exactly what the scene will look and sound like im starting to get a vague image of the tools I will need to use in order to reel in the viewer in the short time span that I am given. Camera wise I am a little bit limited and will probably use my iPhone but nothing is set in stone and if I find another realistic option that I feel fits the scene better I wont hesitate to switch. I will also need to find good audio recording equipment now that I have realized how important it is to the shoot.

Portfolio Project Research: Genre/Plot Aspects

     While in past blog I have said that dramas are mainly character driven stories, this isn't always the case. There are plot driven dramas where the plot brings out certain aspects to the characters, this would be films like Parasite where the characters have a goal in mind and reaching that goal brings out emotion and depth. 1917 is another example where the focus is on one character trying to reach their goal and doing so shows how much weight is being carried on the character.

    Then there are character driven dramas where not a lot happens and the antagonist or problem is also done by a character. Drive is extremely character driven, the film focuses on two people, while the film does have a bit of a plot, it only starts happening two-thirds of the way through, once a certain character dies. In these types of films if there is a plot it is hardly focused on, the films usually decides to focus more on the scenes the character is in and the plot can honestly be forgotten pretty easily. The Terminal from 2004 is the best example off the top of my head. The goal of the main character is to return home, but the film focuses on the relationships between multiple supporting characters. 

    A huge difference between the two types is that one requires exposition, at least a lot more then the other does. 1917 took roughly five minutes to establish the plot and didn't have any character in it. The Florida Project is one that is character driven and the plot is not nearly as established. While yes exposition will be needed in some form, I personally believe it would be easier to establish it in a character driven plot.

    This is why I am going to make something more character driven. Most times in dramas the plot does not have a lot of significance to themes, especially in the opening. Another thing is that the character driven opening I feel would give me more variety in what the opening has to offer.

Portfolio Project Research: Genre/Characters

     While the genre of drama can have any type of archetypal character, there are a few that are commonly found in films of that drama. Since dramas are heavily character based instead of focusing on plot, many times the films will simply be about general hardships thrown at them in the situation they are in. This is why characters like the Lover, Caregiver, and Innocent are seen so often. It is because they give the most leeway for character growth in films about general hardships.

    Dramas, especially indie dramas, are mainly about life, Lady Bird and the Florida Project are two great examples. These films exceed in giving their main character depth and portray emotion in a satisfying way. The Florida Project has the daughter of the main character as the Innocent. She is only a few years old and doesn't understand the situation her mom is in, which gives way to many great scenes as the audience sees the mother struggle with many different aspects of her life.

    The Caregiver usually seems to have a supporting role and they can be extremely minor. They usually help the character in some way. The father in Lady Bird is one that comes to mind.

    Lastly the Lover is mostly found in romance dramas, and its pretty clear why. The film is mostly about the relationship, The Notebook being an obvious example. 

    I personally think that I will use the role of the Innocent in some way during my opening since in my opinion it would take the least amount of time to convey out of these three types of characters. It may either be a supporting character or the main character in the opening.

Portfolio Project Introduction Part 2

    I have definitely decided to make a drama for my two minute opening. More specifically I have decided to make a type of character study since reasons behind why people do terrible actions has always been interesting to me. Joker is a great example of this, although that film stretched the reason for his madness over the whole film, the opening didn't give anything towards the character, it more gave the tone by showing the world. The audience barely knew Arthur which is why the type of world Gotham was in the time was emphasized over how the character is. 

    I would have to take a different approach to this, especially if I want to set the tone for the film. This is mainly because I personally want an opening that has much more to it then just the tone. I already want there to be a sense of both the world and hints as to why the character is this way. I would likely have to at least create a very general outline to figure out what those hints are but I think this is a good start.

    Another thing I did realize is that power drives a lot of the protagonists in these stories where they do bad things. Arthur has the power to kill people because he no longer cares about anything. The banks in The Big Short did many terrible things because they had the power, their money and status, to get away with it. This is what I will likely base my opening off of.

Portfolio Project Introduction Part 1

     I now have to do a portfolio project, which will be a huge grade both in this quarter and for Cambridge, and I have decided to do it alone. This is mainly so I have control over the project and because Mrs. Stoklosa said it was better for colleges if I did it alone since I want to study film. I will most likely have my friends help me in certain areas, whether that be a scene that requires extra people or simply to have another camera for coverage. Even though I might do this I want to mainly do it all myself so I will try a scene with few people and more focused on character. This means that I will avoid action, adventure, and comedy, which is mainly because I am not good at the latter.

    If I decide to make something similar to old films one thing I can do is to put the credits at the beginning, which is how it was done then. This will most likely not be used but its something I personally think is noteworthy. 

    Thinking about the genres I realize drama will probably be a good choice. Unfortunately, there are many different ways to approach drama. Many more active films can also be drama because of how active the protagonist is, Snowpiercer being a great example of this. Dramas can also be something extremely quiet and small, like Lady Bird.

Music Marketing Blog Post #2

     The majority of our research for this project looking back was definitely during the first assignment, the research chart. We split the chart into four sections where everyone would do one case study and another box, whether that be history or the list of musicians with the company chosen. As stated in the last blog there was a slight mix up but it didn't detract from the over all quality of the chart. Our research in the topic wasn't thorough enough for my liking however. I realized this later on when we were doing other parts of the project, especially when looking at the slide show. 

    After the research had finished we moved on to the brainstorming and planning section. Since the biggest part of the project left was the music video, we decided to focus on that first. We had gone through multiple ideas that never made it past the class talks. After a few classes we decided to go with the promotional video due to the fact that it would be the fastest to make and many of the group members didn't have a lot of time, including me, due to jobs. I then volunteered to edit the video after we were done shooting so the majority of the PowerPoint presentation would be done by the other three to split things evenly.

    During the filming of the video we ran into a few problems. The first one being that our original location for filming had been closed to the public due to COVID testing. After we found that out we decided to shoot at Regional Park but then ran into another problem where a majority of the lit spots were taken at the time. We ended up going to areas close to or with no light and lit the shots with our car lights. Another problem came up during this time, but it wasn't limitations from external sources. We had a storyboard which we followed but we did not shoot a good amount of coverage. This means that when I started to edit the video I realized we didn't have enough footage for the whole song and ended up cutting a minute off of it. This also meant that the editing with the clips used was bad anyway since the usable footage was very similar to all other usable footage. This personally is what I was most disappointed about in this project.

    The presentation was also something that had a lot of issues. This is where our research clearly was shown to not be enough, even though we had everything needed for the project there was still a lot left to be desired. Many parts, such as social media aspects, were only the surface of the information that could have been used. This made for a very short presentation that felt like it was missing parts.

    The project taught me a lot of things. It taught me to research more in-depth into what I am trying to make to create more meaning behind the project. When shooting I must have a lot more coverage for the scenes where I don't have blocking and shots in mind. If filming a continuous shot I must remember to hold on certain parts in case I change my mind about how to edit the scene later on. Always shoot more than needed. The aspects of this project that were definitely helpful was research, even though we hadn't done much of it, it was still organized and easy to understand, allowing me to give more meaning into my portfolio projects. This also showed me how a presentation should be done, because our presentation still had positive aspects and parts that I like, such as the style of the slides in the PowerPoint themselves helping in tone and style of our video.