Audience and Institution Practice Essay

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

Marketing is an important aspect throughout all stages of making a film. When it comes to trailers and physical posters released before a movie’s release or the merchandise such as kids’ toys based around the movie after its release, both play an important role in terms of the audience. Forms of marketing not only bring more profit for the movie, but also increase awareness of the movie, allowing more audiences to become interested watching sed film.

One important role that is played in the marketing process is synergy. In Beauty and the Beast, synergy was exercised through Disney hosting a special edition of ‘The Bachelor’ which aired on ABC to promote the upcoming release of the film. Through synergy, the conglomerate can easily market their movie to a broader audience, whom may not have been exposed to much of the film previously before. In this example, Beauty and the Beast is a movie targeted towards younger audiences; however, it can also now become more exposed to an older audience of adults, garnering more attention for this audience to watch this movie. Not only does the film therefore gain more recognition, but the conglomerate also saves money by keeping marketing production in house. And in this case, the marketing may bring out a nostalgia towards this group of adults, further attracting them to watching this film. Synergy is an easy way for companies like Disney or Universal to spread awareness of their movie without having to spend a big budget on it either.

Marketing is also important for a film in terms of merchandise.  One example of merchandising in a film can be seen throughout the movie Jurassic World. Before the movie was even released, posters for the movie were made following the announcement of the movie; some of which were made limited edition. This entices the audience to pay more attention into the movie’s release as it places a ‘limited’ quantity into the product. Moreover, throughout the movie’s production video games, toys, and candies were created. Again, this further garners the attention of people as these kinds of advertisements can be commonly found in many stores. Following the movie’s release, the merchandising became an even bigger aspect as Lego sets, DVD’s, and more video games were released. Though Jurassic World made 1.67 billion USD in box office earnings, the film continued to make more profit as it earned over 100 million USD in DVD and Blu-ray sales. Not only is merchandising important in the marketing aspects because it attracts more viewers, but it can also increase the longevity of a film. This in the long run creates a much more successful film that can be therefore made into a larger sequel or franchise.

Cross media promotion is also a marketing strategy that is important towards bringing wider attention to a movie. One highly anticipated movie of the year 2018 was Black Panther. This movie shows exactly how important cross media promotion can be towards marketing a film. The film not only reached out to audiences through TV and radio broadcasts, but it also had exclusive magazines and a soundtrack made specifically for the movie’s release. Though I personally had no original intention in watching this movie, after hearing the soundtrack curated by Kendrick Lamar which spent weeks on the Billboard 200 chart, I gained interest and eventually watched the movie for myself. This proves that cross media promotion can garner attention towards a film and connect with an audience who may not have been the exact target demographic. By working with an artist such as Kendrick Lamar, the movie automatically opens the door and garners a new audience of music listeners, whom may not have had the intention of watching the movie in the first place. The movie proves to be successful throughout all its marketing strategies as it gained over 1 billion dollars in box office earnings.

Though marketing may be the key to success for many movies, for some films it may still fall short for its general audience, As stated by Adam Fogelson, “seventy-five per cent of a movie’s success is due to its marketing and its marketability.” Thus, he put together over 100 promotional partners to promote the movie UglyDolls. Some of these partners which included big brand names like McDonald’s, Walmart, Hasbro, and Pez Candy. Yet, with all these marketing partners, UglyDolls proved to be a failure as earned about $8.5 million upon its release. Considering how extensively the movie was marketed, these numbers prove to show that the movie had a disastrous start. UglyDolls demonstrates that although a company may have the prefect marketing strategy towards releasing a film, it does not guarantee a hit in the box office.

Aspects of marketing can be important towards every step of the way when making a film. The success of a film is almost always determined by the audience, making marketing an incredibly important aspect in film. There have been many successful films who have been perfectly marketed and reached out towards audiences of all kinds. Yet, there have also been some failures as well. Although heavily marketed, some films may not meet the mark they intended to hit or even break-even sometimes. Proving that although marketing hugely plays a part in gaining attention towards a movie, it is not always the key to success.

CCR Blog

For the next part of our Media Studies journey, we had to create a reflection video. In this video, we had to describe how our skills improved, what technologies we used, how we engaged with our audiences, etc. This reflection took many trial and error for me. Not only when it came to filming it, but also editing as well. Firstly, I began by writing a script for what I planned on saying for my video. Next, I began to record my video, which actually spanned over a duration if two days as I decided to reshoot because I was not happy with how the footage turned out. And lastly, it was time to edit. Editing is normally a difficult task for me as I am very picky with what my final product will look like. This left me editing for longer than I even anticipated before I started working on this component. Overall, it was just very time-consuming to complete, however, I finally worked on a result in which I am satisfied with. Throughout my entire year of being in AICE Media Studies, I have learned so much more than I ever expected to learn. I am glad I could make this video to see just how much I have actually grown in terms of being a media studies student.

Final Task Blog

For this next project, we were assigned to make the opening of a movie. In this movie, we had to leave the ending at a cliffhanger. Again for this project, I would still be working by myself. Similarly to the last project, working alone had many challenges involved. However, it does also have its benefits. This includes having full creative authority over what is made. Planning this project was very fun for me as it allowed me to express my imaginative side through film. Yet, when it came to things like safety and casting actors, this became a difficulty for me once again. I had originally planned to have my friend Cristy and I be actors in this film. However, this was unable to occur due to the Coronavirus pandemic that has caused all of us to stay home. The plan was for me to play the killer role and have me kidnap Cristy in the end. Changing the story was a pretty difficult job for me to do, yet I feel like I eventually came to an ending that I liked that also flowed with the original ending of my movie. Throughout this pandemic, I have adapted to these unforeseen circumstances and changed my film accordingly in a way that would still make sense to the audience. My skills in terms of filming and editing also improved throughout the process of me making this film. This project was the longest one I have had to do for this class so I had to be very patient with how I handled things. Eventually, I was happy with the final product even though it greatly differs from the story I had originally planned to film.

Music Video Blog

The next assignment that we were given to do was a music video. As previously stated before, I decided to work alone on this project. This was a new challenge for me as I am not used to working alone. However, I was determined to get it done even with the barriers that were placed. Planning and making a storyboard for this project was a lot more difficult than I had imagined. Because I had no help from other people, being creative and getting actors to play a role was very difficult for me. Thus, it led me to become an actor for my music video. This meant that I would have to get my friend Cristy to help me film and my brother. The filming process for this music video actually went by a lot faster than the commercial. Because my friend already had experience filming, it was easy to direct a scene and have her film it exactly the way I wanted it. And due to me already having experience with my last project, filming also became easier for me when filming the opening scenes alone. Finding the right filters and settings for the camera was still a process when filming outside for example. However, things like filming a pan or tilt shot did become easier throughout the making of my music video. Not only did filming become easier but so did the acting component as well. I learned how to keep a straight face throughout most of my filming which is something that was not present in my last project. Moving along to the editing process, this pretty much remained the same as my last project. Though this project, however, was much more time-consuming. Due to the music video having to be a minute long, editing took much longer to do for this music video. This also meant that I would need a lot more footage. With more footage, comes more uploading to my computer which again was a very time-consuming process. Moreover, although this took me more time to complete, I do believe it was worth it as it taught me patience and prepared me for the upcoming final task.

Commercial Blog

The first AICE Media Studies project that we had to make was a commercial. This commercial could be based on products such as Colgate, Nike, or Gatorade. For this assignment, my group chose to do Vans. Because this was my first filming project, I decided it would be more beneficial to work in a group. Thus, Audrey, Nerlande, Alicia, and I formed a group together. Getting started up was difficult because none of us knew what we were doing. Setting up the tripod and figuring out the workings of the camera was a process as well. Not only that but figuring out which angles and lighting worked the best took us time too. However eventually, things became easier. As you can probably tell, some of our camera movement was not the best during this first project. It took us time to get used to holding and moving along with the camera. This led to us having to do many re-shoots in order to get the shot that we wanted. Another difficulty for me personally was getting into an acting role. I found it hard not to smile between filming because I was not used to being filmed. However, this is something that I eventually get better at holding back following my final task. And lastly, it was time to do the editing. Out of all things mentioned, I already had the most experience when it came to editing. One challenged that I faced, however, was editing alone. Because I kept the SD card, it was my duty to edit most of the clips, which included trimming, cutting, adding music, and the graphic. This took a lot of work and I barely had any input from my group, which has led me to work alone for the next two projects. 

Editing Blog: Postponed For Now

Though I have about half of my project already completed, there is still a lot more to go. This not only includes filming but also more editing. Due to the current COVID-19 situation however, this process was halted for a while. Starting March 16th, my district had canceled school due to Coronavirus fears. Though this would have left me with more time to complete my film, another important situation blocked me from doing so. My roof had broken down meaning that I would have to stay at my aunt's house in the meantime. This lasted for about two weeks while the school was closed at the same time. Continuing on with the days, spring break also occurred where I was still left unable to complete my work. Not only did I still need to film, but I also desperately needed to edit. Yet again, the spread of Coronavirus continued among the United States. This meant that the school would remain closed for another month. One reason why I needed the school computers so desperately was because of its editing software. Pinnacle Studios, which was installed on the school computers, had the installs to create and edit titles which is what my editing software couldn't do. Without these computers, I feared that I would be unable to edit my film the way I originally wanted it to be. However, I tried to remain hopeful and continue on with my break. During my stay at my aunt's house, I decided I wanted to continue filming. Since I already had my camera and tripod, I figured this would be a great location to film because of its nice scenery. I decided to call my friend over to see if she was available to film. However, due to her concerns with the current virus, she was not allowed to film with me. Not only did this leave me with so much more filming left to do, but also editing as my story would have to completely change to connect with the current scenes I had already filmed.

Editing Blog: More Editing This Week

After getting a lot of my filming done last week, it was finally time to begin editing. The editing process for me began last week on Thursday. Due to this day is an early release for my school, not only was I able to get a lot of filming done, but I was also able to finally begin editing. After transferring my footage from my camera's SD card onto my laptop, I transferred it onto my iPhone. As explained previously, this was quite a lengthy process. Due to this, I did not get as much editing as I wanted to on Thursday. However, on Friday I decided to continue editing. Previously, all that I had gotten done was placing all the clips onto the editing software. This included me deleting multiple takes and cutting some clips. Although the uploading process took long, this part was tedious as well. However, I am glad I already got it done. This meant that the editing process for Friday would be made a lot smoother. On Friday, I decided to add music to my film. This is a requirement for our final task so I wanted to chose a soundtrack before it was too late. For this, I decided to use the song 'Good For You' by Blood Orange featuring Justine Skye. I chose this song because it gives off an eerie vibe. Although this is not a royalty-free song, I will make sure to give credit to the artists as part of my title sequences. This brings me to my next editing task: adding titles. After I finish editing all of my required scenes, I will then begin adding my titles. I chose not to add titles now because I do not want them to be out of order. As soon as I complete editing and cutting any missing clips, I can then match each title with the order in which each title is supposed to appear.

Editing Blog: The Start of Editing

After a long week of filming, I finally got around to editing my footage. Due to last Thursday being an early release day for my school, I was able to film on this day. On this day, I filmed scenes at the coffee shop. This process took almost an hour but thankfully I was able to get things done along with my friend Cristy's help. She was in charge of filming while I was the actor for these scenes. After finishing up filming, we were able to go home finally. When I arrived home, the first thing I did was take the SD card out of my camera. This is because I needed to upload the footage from the SD card onto my laptop. To upload this footage, I used Google Photos to complete this transfer. This process took about 20 minutes, so I had to be on standby as the videos uploaded to my drive. However, the pre-editing process still continued. After uploading everything to my laptop's online drive, it was time to upload everything onto my iPhone. To do this, I had to access the Google Photos application on my iPhone and click the "save to camera roll" option on the app. I had to do this process for each individual clip, which took a while to do. However, after completing this process, I could finally begin editing my film. The first thing I began doing was deleting the scenes which had multiple takes for them. After this, I began to place my clips in order onto the editing software on my phone. The editing software that I used to edit was iMovie. I used iMovie to edit because it was free on my iPhone and because I find it more convenient to edit on my phone. After placing the clips in order on iMovie, I began cropping and cutting out the unnecessary parts. This was, however, all the editing I was able to do on Thursday.

Peer Review

For the next part of this assignment, we had to peer review. Though my teacher would not be in class during these peer reviews, we as students were still in charge of getting it done. However, this was met with an obstacle for me. I had forgotten to edit my footage along with put it on a flash drive. This meant that on peer review day, I had nothing to give for my peer to review. Although this was a problem for me on Tuesday, I had planned to edit my footage that day and let my peer review it on Wednesday. Yet, I left school early on Wednesday so I was again unable to get my film peer-reviewed. This was not a big problem for me however as I still have Friday, which is tomorrow, for my film to get peer-reviewed. Today, I was able to film more scenes and edit a little. This allowed my film to be finally 45 seconds after cutting and editing everything down. This means that my film will hopefully look a lot better tomorrow for it to get peer-reviewed. Although my film was unable to get peer-reviewed, I was still in charge of peer-reviewing another group's film. The group that I was in charge of reviewing was group 12. Since I was not there on Wednesday, I was unable to review their film on that day. However, group 12 sent me their film via text so that I could be able to review it by Thursday. While watching their film, I noticed a lot of things. One big issue was that the film was not long enough, only 33 seconds long. Besides that, I also found some things that I really liked about the film. That being the overall vibe that I got from the film. Though the film was only 33 seconds, through the title graphic and the lighting, I was quickly able to tell that this would be a horror genre movie. From this, I have become very interested in this film and I hope to see more from it when it is done as it easily captured my attention.

Filming Blog: Finally Filming Again

The filming process for this final task has been difficult. However, things are coming along together as of now. Today, my friend Cristy and I decided to continue filming again. Although we have already begun filming some scenes so far, there is still a lot more filming left to do. This includes scenes at Cristy's house and at a coffee shop. However, due to time constraints, we decided to only film the scenes that were in Cristy's house today. To begin filming, we first had to arrive at Cristy's house. So after school, my mom picked Cristy and I up and dropped us off at her house. When we arrived at Cristy's house, the first thing that we did was eat. After eating and talking for a while we decided it was time to finally begin filming. First, we cleared the area and made adjustments to the setting. Then, Cristy changed into her proper outfit, as she would be the only actor in these scenes. Next, we began setting up the filming equipment. This was, of course, adjusting the tripod in the right place and changing the filter settings on the camera. After all of these steps were done, we could finally begin filming. The first scene that we filmed was of Cristy packing her suitcase. We took many shots in Cristy's room of her packing her suitcase, however, we decided that this location wasn't working out for us. So, we decided to move into her guest bedroom. Here is where we re-filmed Cristy packing up her suitcase. After this, we began recording in Cristy's bathroom. For this scene, I filmed Cristy brushing her hair. However again, due to time constraints, I was unable to get more filming done on this day. I plan on filming more on Thursday, where I can hopefully get most of my filming done for my final task.

Filming Blog: No Filming Again

Although I have already begun filming some of the scenes for my music video, I still need a lot more to be done. I would need at least 90 more seconds of film to make my film 2 minutes as of right now. The scenes that I have filmed so far include me being inside my bathroom. More in detail, during these scenes I am seen washing my hands and my face. I filmed these scenes with my friend Cristy last Friday. Though I expected to get more done on this day, this was all that we could have gotten done with the time frame that we had. It is currently the following Thursday now and sadly I have not made new progress yet with my filming. I was hoping I would be able to film the scenes in Cristy's house this week. However, this was a difficult task to accomplish as my schedule was been quite busy lately. Along with me not having a proper ride to Cristy's house, scheduling is hard to accomplish between the both of us. I initially planned with Cristy to film this Tuesday or Wednesday, yet these plans were halted as I had to babysit. This weekend, I still will not be able to film because I will be going to Key West for a school field trip. Though these days would have been beneficial for me to get more filming done, it will again have to be rescheduled again. Instead of filming, I have been busy doing homework and preparing for my field trip to Key West. I have also been watching lots of YouTube during my spare time as well. Though I am sad I could not film what I wanted to film this week, I hope next week will be much more productive. Next week, I plan on filming the day I get back, which would be Sunday night. However, if I have no time to film on Sunday, I will have to film on Monday afternoon instead. During this day, I hope to get the majority of my scenes done.

Filming Blog: First Day Filming

On Friday after school is when I decided I wanted to film. After not being able to film last weekend, it was finally time to begin the filming process this weekend. Thursday was the day in which I ultimately checked out a camera. The following day, I went home with my friend Cristy and we went to the first location of filming, which was my house. Due to my scenes taking place at night, we had to wait until at least 7PM to start filming. However, when it became 7PM, we were suddenly paused. This was because after opening the camera, I had realized that it was not charged. In order to film the expected scenes, I would have to leave the camera charging for at least 30 minutes. After the camera was up to charge, we could finally begin filming. The first scene that we filmed was where I was washing my face in the bathroom. To prepare the "set", I had to clear the sink of all its products. This included mouthwash, hairspray, and toothbrushes so that hand soap would be the only prop that the camera would see. Next, I had to fix my costume and makeup. This consisted of my taking off my watch and bracelets, along with putting my hair in a messy bun and wiping off all of my previous makeup. Due to my bathroom being quite small, the filming set up was quite cramped with the tripod. However, luckily we were still able to fit it in. Filming with Cristy was actually difficult at times because we often laughed a lot. This caused some of the shots that I filmed to be disturbed throughout filming. Although I intended to complete all of my individual scenes on Friday, due to the many interruptions that were caused, I will have to refilm a couple of these scenes on my own. This will be a challenge to do on my own; however, it must be done in order to get closer to completing my film.

Filming Blog: No Filming Today

After completing the entirety of the planning process for my final task, it was time to start filming. However, this next step was met with some roadblocks. Due to me not finishing my storyboard on Thursday in class, I was not able to check out a camera on this day. With this in mind, I had a new plan in order to check out the camera. This would involve me finishing my blog on the night of Thursday and checking out my camera on Friday morning. Yet, I could not do this either as I did not come to school on Friday due to me being sick. This was unfortunate as I had actually made plans with my friend, Cristy, to begin filming on this day. However of course, due to me not having a camera, these plans would have to be moved to next week. This left me with an entire 4-day weekend of not being able to film. During this time, I decided to reschedule carefully the days in which I would be filming in order to avoid confusion with the previous dates that I had set up. Though I was unable to film during this whole extended weekend, I still wanted to make good use of my time. Instead of filming, I spent this time doing homework for other classes, such as my math and marine science homework. I also spent this time watching mystery movies on Hulu as I thought it would be a good way to study for the upcoming AICE exam that I would have to take for this class. This journey eventually came to a conclusion on Thursday as this was the day in which I finally was able to check out a camera. Thus, the filming process would begin on Friday for my final task. This hopefully will still leave me with enough time to record all the scenes I want within the time frame that I had already planned out.

Planning Blog: Storyboard

Continuing on with the planning process of the final task, the next step was to create a storyboard to simulate a brief summary of the scenes that would be like for my film. The first thing I did was draw the establishing shot of my film. An important thing to keep in mind when drawing a storyboard for a movie is to make sure the box is completely filled. Leaving boxes with a bunch of negative space will make your storyboard look like no effort was put into it. Which is why I made sure to do this with every box that I drew. Another thing that I drew in my boxes was an example of what the titles would look like in two of the scenes. This is important as it could be used as a reference for future placement of the titles of my film. Additionally, for the lines under the boxes, I also made sure to describe the scenes in detail. This included the specific type of camera angle, shot, or movement. I also made sure to include the editing or sound aspects of the scenes as well. The last thing I did to complete my storyboard was uploading the pictures that I took onto a PowerPoint.

Planning Blog: Title Design

For the next part of the planning process, I had to come up with title designs. For this aspect of the planning process, I again had to create a PowerPoint to show these steps. The first thing that I had to think of was the font of the titles. This was an easy step as I had already pictured in my head exactly how I wanted the font to be. Next, I decided to think about the color of the titles. This one took me some time to figure out as it is very important to make sure your titles do not blend in with the surroundings. However, I eventually decided on a white or off-white color as it will contrast with the dark and eerie mood that the rest of my film will give off. Additionally, I also had to figure out how the titles would appear and reappear on the screen. I wanted this to relate to my movie so I decided to make the titles fade in and then disappear/ fade out from my movie as the main character, Cristy would be disappearing from my movie. Overall, this part of the planning process was fairly easy as I did not need to consult with anyone or make any compromises to decide on the titles that I liked best for my film.

Planning Blog: Location, Participants, Health, Schedule

For the next part of the planning process, I had to write about the location, participants, health, and schedule of which I would be filming. For these aspects of the planning process, I again had to create another PowerPoint for them. The first thing that I discussed was the schedule. Though my schedule has not been approved by all parties yet, I tried to choose dates in which I would assume most of the participants of my film would be available. I also created room for reshoots if this is necessary. Next, I began to talk about the locations that would be seen in my movie. Here I mentioned four locations in which I would be filming. However, depending on the circumstances, these locations may be subject to change. Additionally, I also talked about all the participants that would be featured in my movie, along with who will be assisting the filming process as well. Lastly, I decided to talk about the health and safety of shooting my opening sequence. This is the most important part of the planning process as the health of the participants should be the top priority when it comes to filming.
 

Planning Blog: Shooting Scripts

For the next step in starting my final task, I had to make two planning blogs. One for the sound script and the other for the shooting script. For the shooting script, I had to talk about every scene of my opening sequence in more detail. Not only did I have to describe each scene that was taking place, but I also had to describe the camera angles, movements, and shots taking place during each scene. My opening sequence starts off showing the cars at the back of my house. So for this scene, I envision a wide shot and a tilt camera movement as being ideal for making this scene more vivid. Because I am working alone for this project, it is easy to have an idea in my head and picture out exactly how I want it to be planned. However, during times of filming this may become difficult. Because I am also going to be acting in my film, getting a good cameraman to film these shots the way I want them to be filmed may become a challenge. I will try to film a couple shots myself, yet for some shots, such as the two-shots, this is not exactly possible to achieve. However, I hope that through making this PowerPoint, the cameraman that I chose will be able to recreate my vision according to what I had in mind.   

Planning Blog: Sound Scripts

For the next step of my final task, I have to create two separate scripts. The first script is about the sound that will be heard in my movie while the second script will be about shooting the actual scenes for my film. In this first blog, for the sound script, I will have to describe every sound that can be heard throughout my film. Although some scenes may have no dialogue, it is still important to note that fact throughout the process of writing the script by saying 'no dialogue'. Additionally, it is also important to note what type of sound us being made. For example, if someone says something, their statement would be quoted and written down onto the PowerPoint followed a bulleted list format. Furthermore, for this script, I also had to mention who exactly in the film is saying the dialogue. Along with what action was taking place while the dialogue was being said if necessary. This also includes their tone of voice while saying the dialogue, if applicable. However, for a sound that is not dialogue, it is still important to include them in our script as well. Every bit of sound that will be heard in the film must be included with a description of what the sound is like. This is so that people can have an idea of what the film's intentions are when including this sound in the filming or editing process.

Title Research: Get Out

The fourth movie title sequence that I have decided to research is called Get Out. This opening sequence comes from the website www.artofthetitle.com
1)How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?
There were 27 titles displayed throughout this opening sequence. Each title was in a simple and plain font which was a teal blue color.
2)What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?
The opening sequence begins by showing a man putting something in a car's trunk. After, images of a forest are prioritized in the opening sequence, along with pictures of a dog and a pregnant woman. However, these images are later followed by the introduction of two characters shown doing their daily activities.
3)What connotations do the images carry?
The first scene of the forest carries a connotation of mystery and the unknown as the audience is unaware of what they will find in the forest. The appearance of the two characters doing daily activities also connotates the relatability of these characters and how they may connect with the audience as well, which may help them feel more engaged in the movie.
4)How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
The genre of mystery is well-established in this opening symbolically through the forest. in many cases, the forest represents something hidden or unknown, leaving the audience to believe that this connects with the plot of the movie.
5)How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?
This film establishing the enigma of mystery again through the forest, but also through the first scene, The man putting something in the trunk is never explored, later on in this opening, leaving the audience to wonder what may happen to this scene.
6)What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?
The usage of everyday adults allows this film to appeal to its target of adults. It connects the life of everyday adults who may be watching the movie into the relatability of the characters in the plot.
7)How has technology been used effectively? (You want to consider camera angles, transitions, and editing techniques)
Technology has been effectively used in this opening sequence through cameras. Because the titles do not stand out too much in this opening, it is important to pay attention to the camera movements as they serve a strong purpose to the effect of the viewer's perspective on the movie.

Title Research: Atomic Blonde

The third movie title sequence that I have decided to research is called Atomic Blonde. This movie came from the website www.artofthetitle.com
1)How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?
In this title sequence, there were 31 titles displayed. Each title had a spray can detail to it either already on the title, or an effect was used to represent it being placed on the title.
2)What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?
Images of the main character, possibly the protagonist of the movie, are prioritized in the opening sequence. In these first couple of scenes, the woman is seen walking across the streets on Great Britain, the flags were shown at the side of the building help the audience infer that this is the location that she is currently at.
3)What connotations do the images carry?
These images carry the connotation of a confident and possibly rebellious woman. She is seen wearing heal high and walks with a stride in her step. This quickly allows the reader to infer that this character is someone who may play a large part in the movie, whether it is as a villain or a hero in the story.
4)How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
The genre of mystery is reinforced through the woman's character. Though we see her walking with confidence, we as an audience still do not know much about this character. Her use of sunglasses also connotates a mysterious character.
5)How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?
This film establishes an enigma from the outset through the woman in the opening scenes. No information is given about her or who she is so the audience is left full of questions as to how she may relate to the movie itself.
6)What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?
The edgy and dramatic editing and lighting establish the fact that this a movie that was not made for younger audiences. The mysterious main character also ensures that this film appeals to its target audience.
7)How has technology been used effectively? (You want to consider camera angles, transitions, and editing techniques)
Technology has been used effectively in terms of editing techniques. The spray can paint was an interesting effect that was added to the titles which make each name stand out to the audience.

Title Research: Velvet Buzzsaw

The second movie title sequence that I have decided to research is called Velvet Buzzsaw. This opening sequence comes from the website www.artofthetitle.com
1)How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?
In this title sequence, there were 17 titles displayed. Each title was displayed on the screen using a fade in and fade out effect.
2)What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?
The images that were displayed in this title sequence was actually drawings. This drawing included a man staring at a painting, a man almost burning in the fire, and a woman smoking. Each drawing transformed into a new drawing. For example, the smoke from the burning fire would enlarge into a new drawing, which would be the woman smoking.
3)What connotations do the images carry?
The connotations that these images carry translate into a larger message, which can show how art is always transforming into something new every time depending on the way someone may look at the drawing.
4)How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
The genre of mystery is reinforced symbolically through the usage of art. By using the abstract language of art, the audience is left puzzled by the way this will relate to the movie later on. Additionally, the genre is also expressed technically through the usage of transitions. The audience is again left wondering how each image relates to the next, and whether this gives an insight into the upcoming plot of the movie.
5)How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?
The film established an enigma by using drawings. Due to art being subjective to almost every human being, the meaning of the drawings is left as an enigma, as its meaning may not be truly discovering until the movie reveals it.
6)What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?
The complex usage of transitions and art allows it to appeal to its target audience of adults, rather than children.
7)How has technology been used effectively? (You want to consider camera angles, transitions, and editing techniques)
Technology has been used effectively through the usage of transitions, along with digital art which was used throughout the entire sequence.

Title Research: Underwater

The first title opening that I have decided to research is called Underwater. This sequence comes from the website www.artofthetitle.com
1)How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?
In this opening sequence, there were 25 titles displayed. Each title that was displayed quickly faded in and then out while simultaneously getting lower and lower on the screen during the first couple of titles that appeared.
2)What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?
The types of images that were prioritized were ones relating to the ocean. For example, these images included geographical maps of the Pacific Ocean and the Mariana Trench. Newspaper clippings and drawings were also included in this sequence, describing the deep depths that have been drilled so far. Additionally, models of ocean equipment and ships also appeared in this title sequence.
3)What connotations do the images carry?
The connotations that these images carry are an unknown danger. By expressing the daring depth of thousands of feet, the audience can sense a large amount of danger that this movie may entail. This creates a large amount of suspense as the audience begins to wonder what exactly this entails for the upcoming plot of the movie.
4)How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
Symbolically, the genre of mystery is reinforced from the outset as not oo many clues are given right away. Though such words as "daring" and "danger" can be seen on the screen while watching this opening, not much else information is given about the movie plot, leaving the audience anticipating what's to come next. The genre is also reinforced technically through its use of music and effects. Suspenseful music and disappearing texts give the audience insight as to what the vibe this movie will give off.
5)How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?
The film manages to establish an enigma from the outset by again, not giving much information about the plot itself. Though we know the movie is about the ocean, the enigma is established as we don't know what the characters have to do with the ocean, or how the plot will progress.
6)What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?
The creation of suspense allows the film to appeal to a more mature audience, younger audiences would not be fons od this type of vibe.
7)How has technology been used effectively? (You want to consider camera angles, transitions, and editing techniques)
The editing techniques are used effectively in this movie, such as having the first couple of titles disappear and continuously go lower and lower on the screen.

Title Research: Watch the Titles

The second website that I have decided to research is called www.watchthetitles.com. This website again shows opening title sequences, similar to those on www.artofthetitle.com. However, the videos on this website are displayed a little differently. The homepage includes a random opening each time from a variety of genres that you can watch. It takes up the majority of the screen and constantly changes so that the audience always has something to click on. Additionally, by scrolling down you are able to see interviews done by various acclaimed title designers. This is a feature that I like about this website because it gives an insight into what the creator wanted to achieve and how exactly they achieved this. Not only does this give me insight into the creative process of making titles, but it also allows me to see the similar aspects that creators from the same genres use when making their own title sequences. By watching some of these interviews, I can hopefully tap into my creative side as they did and create titles that display the vibe of what my film will entail. Scrolling down even further, the website is then followed by categories. These include feature films, TV shows, event titles, student projects, and video games. Though this is an interesting feature of the website, it is not necessary for me to look into them. It is only important for me to research titles from films, specifically mystery films, as that is the category that my opening sequence directly follows. One major thing that is different about this website from Art of the Title though, is the fact that it gives a brief explanation of the effect titles created upon the movie. This is a vital feature that will allow me to make the best title sequence possible for my own film.

Title Research: Art of the Title

For the next part of this assignment, we have to research titles for our opening sequence. This is an important part of our opening sequence as it engages the audience by providing a feel for the movie. Having good titles can set the tone for the genre of the movie as well, even if the audience is unaware of what movie is to be expected. The first website that I used was called www.artofthetitle.com. Here, I looked at the genre of mystery movies as that was what my film genre would be. On this website, I found many title sequences, ranging from the classics to new releases of 2020. However, it is most important to be looking at openings within the last three years from now as they would be the most relevant. The title sequences that I found on this website range from all different genres. From horror to comedy, each video on this website displayed its title, along with its year of release. Though this website also included titles from TV shows, for this assignment I only needed to look at movie title sequences. For creating my own title sequence, I will have to emulate a certain vibe that entails what my film will be about. Even though I am not making the entire film, the titles play a very important part in sending the audience a signal of what this film will be like. This is why researching other title sequences is a crucial part of this assignment. By watching other sequences that fall into the same category of my genre, I can see what similarities are followed by most mystery movies the maximize the potential of my own movie.

Genre Research: 2:22

    Some common camera angles that I found in the movie 2:22 were high angles, low angles, and eye-level angles. Some common camera movements that I found throughout this movie were very slow pans and tilts, along with slow zoom-outs, and tracking shots, which were all found in the opening sequence of the film. Additionally, some common camera shots that I found while watching this movie were wide shots, dutch/oblique shots, long shots, medium close-ups, and medium-long shots. 

    The costumes that I found in this movie included mainly everyday, regular clothing. Along with business-related clothing for the opening scenes, which included many people in suits. The lighting for this movie was very bright as it used natural sunlight for the scenes that were filmed outdoors. However, even for these outdoor shots, the hue of the lighting tended to be more on the cooler side to portray the mystery of the film. The actors in this film were pretty serious throughout the movie except for when the main character, Dylan, would start to hear noises again, in which he would start acting more hysterical as a response to this. The makeup in this movie is not extremely prominent as no characters tended to wear heavy makeup. Additionally, there were no action or fighting scenes so no blood was involved. The props for this movie tended to be briefcases, along with cellphones and guns which were important in the opening scene of the movie. The setting for this movie takes place in many different areas depending on the scene. Some of these settings include a restaurant, outdoors at a park or a train station in New York City. 

    The common editing that I found in this movie were jumpcuts, cross-cutting, cutaways, and eye-line matches. Some common sounds that I heard throughout this movie were diegetic sound, non-diegetic sounds, dialogue, snd sound motifs. Some common elements of this movie that follow similar elements of most mystery movies are the fact that it includes a lot of scenes that involve suspense. 

     The element that I like that most about this movie was its opening scene, This got me very interested in watching the movie through its use of slow camera movements and the non-diegetic sounds that were added. One element that I did not enjoy about this movie was the costumes. I feel as though more costumes could have been added to make the movie more interested as they tended to only be regular everyday clothing.

Genre Research: Killers Anonymous

   Some common camera angles that I found in the movie, Killers Anonymous, were eye-level angles and high angles. Some common camera movements that I found throughout this movie were tracking shots, quick pans, and tilts. These were mainly used for the action scenes in the movie. Some common camera shots that I found in this movie were wide shots, long shots, medium close-ups, and close-ups, which were typical of the main characters.
    The costumes that I found throughout this movie were quite different from what is normally found in most mystery movies. This is because the main characters, who were a group of killers, wore articles of clothing such as leather jackets, boots, and bandanas. The lighting of this film was also pretty different compared to most mystery films as the lighting tended to be pretty bright and often used color, such as orange and purple, to display certain settings. The actors in this film were often times serious as it dealt with the subject matter of assassination, however, some characters tended to have a lighthearted attitude sometimes. The makeup for this movie included lots of blood as there were many fighting scenes added into this movie. The props for this movies mainly included weapons of all sorts. More specifically for fighting scenes, common weapons that were used were baseball bats, swords, axes, and guns. The setting of this movie took place in many areas such as a bar or in a restaurant. Additionally, some action or fighting scenes also took place in an underground basement and a nightclub.
    Some common editing that I found while watching this movie were jumpcuts, shot/reverse shots, eye-line matches, and action matches. Some common sounds that I heard throughout this movie were voiceovers, dialogues, diegetic, and non-dietic sounds. This movie also featured a relevant score that used guitar and western music in order to enhance some fighting scenes. Some common elements that I found in this movie that are similar to the elements found in the mystery genre included crime, which was suspenseful as it also brought in the aspect of murder.
    The elements that I liked about this movie was that it tended to stray away from some of the common conventions found in most mystery movies, such as the attire. I also enjoyed the score of this movie as I felt as though it really enhanced the scenes of the movie. However, an element that I did not enjoy about this movie was the lighting. I felt as though the bright and vivid lighting often did not fit the aura that the movie was going for.

Genre Research: Spinning Man

    Some common camera angles that I found in the movie, Spinning Man, were eye-level angles and low angles. Some common camera movements that I found in this movie were slow pans and tilts, and tracking shots. Some common camera shots that I found in this movie were two-shots, three-shots, over the shoulder shots, wide shots, and medium close-ups. These shots mainly featured the main protagonist, Evan Birch, who is a detective along with other characters whom he may be interviewing.
    The costumes that I found throughout this movie were mainly business-related. As Evan Birch was a businessman, his attire would mainly consist of suits and professional work clothes. However, those whom he was interviewing were often found wearing regular, everyday clothing. The lighting in this movie was somewhat dim yet still used natural lighting. However in places like Evan's office, the lighting was also dim, however, it had a green undertone which helped to create an eerie mode. The actors in this movie were normally very serious as this movie talked about a serious subject matter, which was a crime that was committed. The makeup that can be found in this movie for women was mainly everyday, minimal makeup. There was no blood featured in this movie as no fighting or action scenes were involved. The props for this movie included a briefcase, along with a folder and a desk that could often be found in many scenes were Evan was at work. The setting for this movie again was in a workplace, more specifically an office. Some other settings in this movie also included a cafe and other people's houses of whom Evan would be interviewing.
   The common editing that I found throughout this movie included many jumpcuts, along with eye-line matches and cutaways. The common sounds that I heard throughout this movie were dialogues and diegetic sounds. This movie did not feature a strong soundtrack or even non-diegetic sounds as well. Some common elements in this movie that I found that relate to the mystery genre were the solving of a crime, along with the costumes that were similar as well. The costumes were normally always business clothes or everyday regular clothes.
    The element that I liked the most about this movie was the fact that Evan was actually able to interrogate and interview many people following the crime. However, one element that I did not enjoy about this movie was its lack of suspense along with the lack of a strong soundtrack. Though it was a movie with a good storyline, it was hard to remain interested while watching it.

Genre Research: The Commuter

       The common camera angles that are found in the movie, The Commuter, are eye-level angles and low angles. These angles were mainly focused on the main character, Michael, many times. Some common camera movements that are found in this movie are pans, tilt, and many hand-held shots as well. Some common camera shots that I found while watching this movie were dutch/oblique shots, medium close-ups, two-shots, and three-shots, which often feature the people who were on the train with Michael.
     The costumes that I found while watching this movie were usually work-related. For example, the main character, Michael, was always wearing his business suit as he was oftentimes going to work. Additionally, on his commute to work some people on the train, however, were wearing everyday regular clothing. The common lighting that I found in this movie tended to be somewhat bright, as Michael was outside a lot. However, the lighting was never made too bright in most scenes to create a vibe that translated to Michael's seriousness. The actors in the movie tended to be pretty expressionless throughout the movie, however, Michael's family or the random people he met on his commute were charismatic or happy. Generally, there was not any relevant makeup in this movie, besides the fake blood that was added whenever there was a fight scene. The props in this movie include everyday objects, such as a briefcase or a set of playing cards on the train. Yet for some fighting scenes, guns were also included. The setting of this movie is mainly on a train as that is Michael's way of commuting to work. However, the first couple of scenes also feature Michael's house briefly.
      The editing that was featured in this movie included mainly jumpcuts, cutaways, eye-line matches, and action matches. The common sounds that I heard were dialogues, diegetic sound, non-diegetic sound, and sound bridges. Common elements that I found throughout this movie that match the common elements of the mystery genre include suspense, along with murder. One important element that was also found was Michael's solving of the "puzzle" which can be similar to him solving a crime.
    The elements that I enjoyed about this movie were the action-filled fighting scenes, along with Michael's way of figuring out someone's identity by using the clues around him. One element that i did not enjoy about this movie was the setting that it took place on, which was the train. I felt as though there could have been more settings incorporated into the movie.

Decision Day

Previously, I had to research a genre and make a PowerPoint based on its conventions and camera and editing elements. Which was also followed by researching two other genres following the same format. For this research section, I decided to research the horror and mystery genre. I feel as though my pitch followed similar plotlines of which you could find in those types of movies. Similar enough, through research, I found that elements found in horror and mystery movies did fit to what I have envisioned for my film. However, the mystery genre is a much better fit in terms of its elements. A lot of gore and loud non-diegetic sound can be found in horror films and is actually one of the key elements of these types of films. Yet my film will not feature these elements. More fittingly, my film will feature suspense and crime which better fall onto the category of the mystery genre, which is why I chose the mystery genre for my opening sequence.

Genre Research: Horror & Mystery

For this project, I have decided to research the horror and mystery genre

        Some common camera angles of the horror genre include eye-level angles and high angles, which are frequently used to show the protagonists' faces. Some common camera movements found in horror films include very slow pans and tilts and tracking shots. Typically the pans and tilts will slowly reveal a location or subject. While tracking shots are much faster as they show cars driving or people running from an antagonist villain. Some common shots found in horror movies are extreme close-ups, two-shots, over the shoulder shots, and medium close-ups.
      For horror movies, the costumes vary heavily depending on the character. A villain, for example, may have very baggy and distressed clothes. However, in comparison, the protagonist usually wears normal everyday clothes, which later gets stained and messy as the film progresses. Lighting is normally very dark in horror movie scenes. Most of which feature no natural sunlight at all. Often the only lighting that can be found in horror movies comes from a flashlight. The acting in horror movies is usually very dramatic and intense. Both the villains and the protagonist have to be very serious in order to create tension between each opposing end. The makeup found in horror movies is again also very dramatic and intense. Usually, fake blood and FX prosthetic makeup are applied to the actors in order to give a scarier and convincing feel to the movie. Typically, props can vary depending on each type of horror movie, but mainly any weapon of sorts can be commonly found in horror movies, some of which include knives, baseball bats, hammers, and axes. The setting for horror movies frequently takes place in a house or in a forest. More specially, the basement or back yard of an empty house or a vacant cabin in the woods
     Common editing used in horror films includes shot-reverse-shot, cutaways, eye-line matches, action matches, and reaction shots. Common sounds found in horror movies include non-diegetic sound, diegetic sound, sound bridge, and dialogue. Suspense and intensity is a very common element that can be found in all horror films, it is a key aspect that makes a horror film a horror film. Along with this, typically a lot of gore and blood are featured, along with many killings and dismemberment of the characters or animals involved. Confusion is also an element that is featured mainly through the first half of the movie, which leaves viewers interested until the very end.
     What I like about horror movies is the style of editing that can be found in most of them. Typically, the editing is really fast-paced and exciting which keeps viewers like me interested. Along with the intensity of the movie, I also enjoy the dramatic killings and gore that can be found in horror movies. However, one thing that I do not like about horror movies is the lighting. I prefer movies with bright lighting and vivid colors so horror movies are not my favorite in terms of lighting.
     Some examples of horror films that have been released within the last three years include Us, The Prodigy, Child's Play, and La Llorona.

    Moving along, the next genre that I have decided to research is the mystery genre. Some common camera angles found in mystery films are low angles. Typically, this is to show a character waiting or walking somewhere. Some common camera movements also include slow pans, tilts, and zoom-outs, along with tracking and hand-held shots. Some common shots that are found in mystery movies are medium close-ups, two-shots, wide shots, and long shots.
     The costumes that can be found in mystery movies tend to look more professional than in most movies. Costumes can include suits, business or work clothes, and even everyday clothes are common as well. The lighting in mystery movies can vary heavily depending on the movie or the specific scene. For example, scenes may be very bright as they are outside with natural sunlight. However, some scenes may be filmed in an alleyway for example, which will include very minimal lighting. The acting in mystery movies tends to be a lot more serious than most movies. This is because the subject matters in mystery movies tend to be about murder or crime which is also a very serious subject matter. Makeup found in mystery movies is very minimal usually. This will include everyday, casual makeup for women and occasional blood on the actors depending on the scene. Props for many mystery movies include cellphones, police cars, briefcases, and knives for defense scenes occasionally, just to name a few. The setting for mystery movies can differ, however one thing that I have noticed in many mystery movies is that they usually feature a scene with someone in public transportation, such as a train or subway station.
     Common editing that can be found in mystery movies is cross-cutting, cutaways, shot/reverse shots, and jumpcuts. Common sounds that can be found in mystery movies include diegetic sounds, non-diegetic sounds, dialogue, and sometimes voiceovers as well. Some common elements overall that can be found in mystery movies are the subject matter of crime. Specifically, the crimes can be of a murder involving one's partner. Additionally, the protagonist is also either the one who committed the crime or the person who is trying to solve the crime.
      What I like about mystery movies is the common elements of crime or murder that can be found in many of them. This makes for a much more interesting plot as it leaves the viewer curious to see how it can be solved. One element that I do not like about mystery movies is the costumes. The costumes tend to be quite boring and usually have no interesting aspects to them as they rarely ever change styles throughout the movie.
     Some examples of mystery films that have been released within the last three years include Get Out, Wind River, and Murder on Orient Express.

Genre Research: Action

For this project, we had to work in a group to create a PowerPoint about a certain genre. Genres were assigned and my group was given the action genre. We had to describe the lighting, camera angles, camera movement, mis-en-scene, common elements, examples, common sounds, what we like about the genre, and what we do not like about the genre. To make the process go faster, we split the work into 3 slides per person. I was in charge of doing the common elements of the genre, finding example films, and common sounds. The first slide I decided to work on was the example films slide since I already knew many action films. Through making this slide, however, I've discovered many other new action movies. Next, I worked on the common elements of the genre, some of which include fighting scenes, CGI, and villains. Finally, I began to work on the common sounds of the genre, which can include loud music with beat drops at the climax of the scene.

Deciding the Final Pitch

After thinking deeply about which pitch ideas I favored the most, I've narrowed down to two pitches. The first pitch that I've chosen is about a hitman who just made another kill; however, someone spied on him, so he will have to come up with a deal with the stranger. For this pitch, the opening will only include the preparations of the hitman, along with the scene where he kills the victim. However, the last three seconds will be showing when the hitman turns around and sees the stranger behind him. This allows a cliffhanger to be made, without actually revealing the deal that will be made. I like this pitch idea because I feel like it would be fun to film with my friends. Additionally, I also have a song in mind that I feel would work perfectly with this film. I also enjoy the type of suspense that would be made while making a film like this. However, there are some downsides that would come in following through with this pitch idea. One of them being the lack of male actors. This would result in going to farther lengths to secure a male actor, or just not include a male character.

Furthermore, I have also narrowed down to one more pitch idea. My second idea would be about two friends who go on a road trip together, but one of them has secret plans for revenge and getting away with murder. For this pitch idea, I would be filming the two characters stopping to get food at a shop. Yet, when they try to continue driving, the car suddenly runs out of gas. This would lead to the actual killing of the other friend, yet the murderer would drive away, leaving the story on a cliffhanger. I like this idea because it would be easy to secure the actors. I also like this idea because it seems enjoyable to film with my friends. For this pitch as well, I also have a song that I feel would fit in perfectly with this scenario. However, there is one major downfall to using this pitch. Securing a location would be difficult as I do not have a permit to film.

For this project, however, I have decided to go with the second pitch. I chose this pitch because it is the most convenient one for me to do. Due to the limited amount of time that will be assigned for filming, it is important to keep deadlines in mind. Which is why convenience was the main factor in deciding a pitch. Additionally, this is also just the pitch that I favor more. I feel more passionate about wanting to film this pitch idea because I find it to be more exciting. Through this pitch, I feel as though I'd be able to express my creative side while editing. And lastly, I chose this pitch over the first pitch because my friend who has agreed to be an actor also prefers it over the first one. As the director and producer of this film, I think it is important for my actors to enjoy what they are getting involved in as well. This will make the overall experience much more enjoyable for both of us,

Starting the Final Task

Hello, my name is Karen and I am currently taking AICE Media Studies at Fort Lauderdale High School. I am 16 years old and currently in the 11th grade. I live in South Florida, U.S.A. as of now. I like to listen to music and play guitar for fun. Not much has changed since the last blog I wrote in October. One major difference though is that it is a new year. It is now 2020 which means that our final task is due in a couple months! Since I am in the Cambridge program at my school, earning this credit would be really important to me. I am determined to work hard in order to get this project done, however, this may be a difficult task. This is because I am working alone on this project. Although I've worked alone for previous projects, this task may be more difficult for me as the film has to be 2 minutes long.

Out of all the projects that I have filmed in the class, I have learned many new skills. Some of which including learning how to work a real camera, along with the settings and filters that come along with them. Additionally, I also learned how to set up a tripod. More specifically, which angles would look better with my scenes. Along with this, I have also become a better editor. This skill, in particular, has been challenging for me as the editing process takes a lot of patience. However, I've grown to appreciate the efforts that go into creating a finished product. I am excited to film this project as I can use it to express darker themes. These are themes that would have otherwise felt out of place in other projects such as the commercial or music video. Furthermore, I am also excited to work with my friends for this project as they would be used as actors for my film.

A pitch is a Hollywood term used to describe an idea where a film is encapsulated in 25 words or less. It is usually only one sentence. Currently, I have three pitch ideas for this upcoming project. The first one is a story about a hitman who just made another kill. However, someone spied on him, so he will have to come up with a deal with the stranger. Next, my second idea would be about two friends who go on a road trip together, but one of them has secret plans for revenge and getting away with murder. And lastly, my final pitch idea would be about two life long friends, yet one of them randomly disappears one day without saying goodbye. It's her friend's mission to find out her whereabouts