Audience and Institutions Practice Essay

Assess the Importance of Marketing in the Media Area you have Studied?

Marketing in film, to me, is one of if not the most important step in the film process in terms of captivating an audience's attention. The marketing aspect of a film not only tells the audience “hey here’s an amazing new movie we just produced please go watch it” but it also manages to portray to an audience the most important and action or drama-packed scenes that would make someone want to go view the movie. Marketing also helps a ton in the film industry as it works to reach out to all of the age ranges the movie is suited for and also getting them to want to watch the movie. The extensive marketing campaigns films and franchises put in place from not only the beginning of the release cycle but even during production of the movie amplify and seek out maxim revenue for the movie being produced. Marketing, in a sense, can never hurt a movie as its only meant to gain attention for the movie however if marketing is placed incorrectly or distributed late or at the wrong times its effect on the movie and audience could take a toll. 

The use of Marketing through merchandise like clothing, games and toys, and even posters gets an audience pumped about a film and reminded of its glory, or failure. The merchandise released after or before a movie is placed in theaters makes a big difference on the audience depending on what it is. The movie Jurassic World which was released back in 2015 and made 1.7 billion dollars worldwide released limited edition posters, video games, lego toys, and even an app. All this marketing put them out in the world to access all audiences and age range starting at 3 years old (with legos) up to any age. However, another movie, The Lego Movie, grossed about 469 million dollars worldwide and marketed much less than Jurassic World. They used their lego platform to promote the movie and worked with Warner Bros yet still made significantly less. This can be because it didn't reach out to such a wide range of audiences, however, they could have marketed in a vaster way to reach out to more age ranges. The brand could have tried marketing themselves and the movie on more adult consumed things and areas. For example, laundry detergent, in partnering with a brand to promote themselves or everyday household items that are typically used by adults. 

Marketing in film also manages to work seamlessly in immersing an audience into the movie by releasing sneak peeks of what’s to be seen either on their own or through the use of other platforms. Merchandise is one way an audience can see what to come, through the use of pictures or game characters, however, so is a trailer or the release of something before the movie even comes out. For example, the live-action Beauty and the Beast movie was seen to be putting out posters to promote the movie months before it had been even released or in production. In July of 2016, the official Beauty and the Beast twitter account released a poster of a single rose encased in a beautiful glass cover with the title of the movie and read “Coming Soon March 2017.” This got many fans extremely excited to see what’s to come as it was a brand new remake of such an iconic Disney movie with such an extensive and creative cast. The movie then was released and used another multiple marketing schemes like games, toys, merchandise, and more just like any movie however, grossed only 357 million dollars worldwide. Although their marketing tactics were phenomenal in getting an audience immersed into their movie almost a year before it was released, it still didn’t attract many people and overall made less than the Lego Movie which reached out to a much more limited age range audience. Another movie, Spiderman Homecoming, was seen to have followed in some similar marketing footsteps like Beauty and the Beast. They strategized by releasing merchandise before the movie came out to create hype and generate buzz and when the movie first came out there was a huge premier held to promote what was to come. They then released the movie along with any other games, toys, clothing, and synergy uses (they partnered with Cinnamon Toast Crunch on the cereal boxes) back in July of 2017 and generated a gross amount of about 880 million dollars worldwide. 

Overall, the use of marketing in all four of these movies worked in their favor as it generated buzz about each movie and also all, with the exception of Beauty and the Beast, met the average amount of money a movie makes in the box office worldwide of 373.2 million dollars. I believe that although all marketing strategies don’t work to reach some goals of movies it is still an extremely important process for not only any film to be released but products as well. Without the use of marketing and telling people a new film is coming, generating excitement around a long-awaited sequel to a saga, a stand-alone movie, or an original movie, much less money would be made by companies and producers. Although the process of making a movie is not always solely for the making of money and more for entertainment the production studios still need to make back the thousands, millions, and billions of dollars put in to even make the film. This is primarily a reason why all of the marketing aspects come into play for people to buy, use and wear as a way for them to get excited but also in a way promote the movie for the company. Clothing, toys, video games, websites, and even apps are all used as marketing strategies to reach out to all age ranges suited for the movie and as ways to create excitement or suspense to see what’s to come. 

Practice Extract Essay 24

During the extract of this movie “24”, it feels as though the director is trying to convey a sense of urgency about a potentially dangerous situation. The way in which the characters are interacting with one another emphasizes the urgency from two different viewpoints as it seems each character wants to go about the situation in a different way. The director clearly wants to instill a sense of suspense and thrill in the audience leaving them dramatically confused yet interested in what’s to come. It’s definitely seen that the message being portrayed is that of cautiousness. The characters are both so concerned about the issue at hand that they each want to resolve it in their own ways and can’t come up with a. way to work together to find a solution. The audience is left on a cliffhanger at the end o the extract wondering what to happen next. 

As I’m not aware of how to determine the beginning and end of different scenes I wanted to take a different approach to this extract. I have decided to break it down using the T.E.A format into three parts, beginning middle, and end simply as that. The extract lasts three minutes so each minute I will analyze differently. Within the first minute, the audience can see various uses of camera angles, editing techniques, use of sound, etc. For one, we can see the use of the over the shoulder shot which is also used all throughout the extract.  The shot expresses a way of seeing different points of view from characters and ways to see and understand dialogue from other perspectives. Another commonly used technique/ factor of this first minute is the use of dark lighting. The lighting is once again pictured all throughout the extract and it helps to develop the intensity and suspense of the scene as not everything is clear to see. These two factors prove my thesis to be true on the director's intension of portraying suspense, and mystery in the extract through the use of camera angles and mis-en-scene.

The second minute of this extracts develops intensity even further as the audience now sees some tension building up between the two characters. The audience now beings to experience more of the use of incidental music which amplifies the suspense of the moment. The male character begins to get more aggressive trying to get information out of the female already intensifying the scene. However, this of the music used all throughout the suspense amplifies as the music matches the occurring situation. Another small yet important aspect of this second minute is the solid metal doors and furniture and the way it used in the scene. Although it is something that tends to be overlooked, furniture in scenarios like this play a vital role in developing plot and emotion in the audience. The furniture itself already gives off the feeling that this is not a place that’s generally considered a safe space for people. It’s already pretty empty and the use of plain, boring, sturdy decor and furniture only amplifies that. As well as how the male character throws the table across the room in a blast of anger. The sound the table emits frightened the audience whilst building suspense. Small, overlooked aspects as such play very important roles in developing a director's invention in terms of the portrayal of the scene to the audience. This further develops my point in stating the director's purpose, through the use of mis-en-scene and sound, is to instill a sense/ feel of suspense, intensity, and urgency in the audience. 

The last-minute of this extracts continues in building the tension between two characters however at this minute we also begin to see that tension dies down. The interference from an outside source rushes to the rescue of the female main character and suppresses the situation. One big element the audience sees here is an editing technique that isn’t so commonly used in movies anymore, called split-screen. Split-screen allows the audience two to experience two moments happening at the same time in different locations. The split-screen here depicts two people rushing to the interrogation room to stop the man in the room from choking and killing the woman. This, once again, develops a sense of urgency throughout the extract is not only solving the issue but saving someone that seems to be a vital part of the operation. One last thing that’s used much more in this last minute of footage through more than two characters is dialogue. The dialogue is clearly used throughout the entire extract for the audience to be able to understand what’s happening but now in this final minute, we can see the dialogue between more than two people. The dialogue is rather intense in this minute as the man gets much more aggressive and needs another stop come in and suppress him. The others that come in also use very strong dialogue in telling him to stop hurting the young girl. This use of dialogue expresses not only the emotion between characters, as all dialogue should, but it also develops the plot and intensifies the situation. 

To summarize, I feel as though the director's purpose with this extract was to build intensity, urgency, and suspense in the audience's emotions. Through the use of the mis-en-scene like lighting and furniture, shots like over the shoulder, and sound like incidental music and dialogue the audience can really see and understand not only to the situation at hand but the emotions it portrays. Through the use of sound the audience can experience the intensity on different levels from beginning to end starting low moving high and then a “happy” medium. The mis-en-scene, although overlooked, adds small yet vital aspects to scenes that help to portray urgency in the situation with the way they are used. Lastly, the camera angles and shots used to allow the audience to experience the emotions and purpose from different perspectives seeing not only the situation from one point of view, rather multiple points of view. Overall, the audience can experience the three factors of intensity, urgency, and suspense develop throughout the extract rising and falling during certain scenarios. 

Practice Extract Essay T.E.A Worksheets

Movie CCR

For my CCR this time I decided to take a more creative approach to it based on the times that we're living through right now with COVID-19. On the news now I've lately been seeing a lot of interviews done through zoom and other platforms or people can do social distancing. I've also seen this through a lot of talk shows like Jimmy Fallon Jimmy Kimmel Ellen etc. Therefore I didn't want to do just a simple interview face to face with somebody who is still creative I wanted to take my own little twist on it. I did it with my mom and she went to one room and I went to the other and we use zoom as a platform so she could ask me questions and I could enter them. I thought this was a really fun way to do my CCR as I'm sure nobody else has before since we've never lived through a pandemic like this in recent times. And I also thought it would be something that I would enjoy just creating and producing and putting out for somebody else to watch. It would be something that I'm very confident in putting out in terms of creativity and with my answers and something that overall I am just proud of. I thought it was something creative and I've never heard of anybody do something like this before and so I thought why not be the first. The weather I recorded it wouldn't allow me and my mom to be featured on the screen at the same time it would feature who was talking but I'm still very proud of the way that I made this and the fact that I was able to think of something like this is something I'm very happy about. 

Original Movie

Once again something I'm so extremely proud of this movie is that I even got it finished. By finished I mean the majority of it was done and it created a concise storyline that I was happy with. Due to COVID-19 as I blogged before I was not able to finish my movie. I didn't get to go out and film what it would have been the last 10 to 15 seconds of my movie which would have been the cliffhanger and the suspense builder to what would go after those two minutes. I'm very disappointed that I didn't get to do that as I feel like I'm handing in an incomplete movie however it's something that people face in the real world in the movie industry and is happening right now. Although some may not be putting out the work that they're not finishing I have to because I've worked way too hard for this to go unrecognized. Nevertheless, I am still very proud of the partial movie I produced and this storyline that I was able to come up with as I did work independently this time. I chose to not have to rely on anybody else like my other two projects and work on my own so that I could really have creative freedom. Although some of it led to my downfall I think I took it more as an opportunity to grow and learn from my mistakes than something to bring me down. All in all, I'm very proud of the work that I've put out and would only critique myself in the way that I'm disappointed I didn't get to finish those last few seconds that really would have pushed my movie over the edge to make it something I would be extremely proud of. 

Music Video

Some things from my commercial that I'm very proud of was and our just meeting the time requirements that we had to get through with that music video. My group and I encountered a lot of problems through the process of that music video from coming up with ideas to storyboard to planning to even film. The fact that my group and I even got that music video done amazed me because of the fact that a lot of the work that we did was separate but together. By that, I mean that somebody would go off to do one thing and somebody would go off to do another and in the end, we would just slap everybody's name on it and call it a group project. However, I'm glad that we managed to work as a team in some circumstances and decide to say listen up we can't keep doing such separate work and putting our names on it we have to begin to work together. The fact that my group and I were able to realize that we were not working cohesively is something I'm very proud of because sometimes people can't realize that and it leads to their downfall. All in all the most thing I'm proud of about this music video is that my group and I were able to come together and get everything finished on time and still put out a product that we were satisfied with. 

Commercial

For my commercial, some things that I'm very proud about it was the fact that it was just finished in the 1st place as that was one of the first media projects I'd ever done and was not familiar with how to do anything that dealt with filming and editing, etc. I'm also very proud of how my group and I handled the situation 4 our commercial as we took two days to film. Although the editing is a bit choppy and could be more cohesive I'm proud of the way it turned out as me and my group mates had never worked on a project like that before and weren't extremely familiar with how to get this stuff done properly in a sense. For that project, I definitely thought it was going to be a lot easier than it was And I didn't think we would encounter so many troubles as I didn't think it was going to be as difficult as it was even though it was so easy. Comparing it To my music video and my movie it was by far the easiest out of three as it should have been. I got to film at school which was a lot easier than having to take out my own time to film And I had a group of people that were basically on the same level of knowledge as me so I didn't feel like I had no point in being in the group because I didn't know anything and everybody else did. Overall I think it was a really good basis of starting my journey through this class and help me learned a lot on how to use the software on how to film and how to partially direct. 

Re-edit

Due to all of the problems we have been currently facing in the world right now re-editing is thankfully something I can do at home easily. Although I didn't get to re-shoot like I planned because of COVID-19 I. I feel like my movie will not be as top-notch as I wanted it to be considering the stuff I was going to re-shoot was really going to add that extra oomph of suspense I'm glad I have enough content to re-edit. I've been thinking about the aspects I want to add to my movie since I have so much free time. For my re-edit, I want to add a voice-over which I had already been planning, but I also want to add a text conversation in there to give some context. I also realized that since now I don't get to reshoot with my re-edit I'm going to have to extend some of the clips that I have, which is somewhat ok. I just feel that the clips I have here now are slightly boring, and they're boring for a reason because it is mostly background information about my character. However, since I'm unable to go re-shoot and re-film things now I have to improvise and make do with what I have to make t more interesting so that the person watching wants to know more. For my re-edit, like I said, thankfully I can do this from my home and don't have to leave and all of the clips I have now are sufficient to finish off what I have. Yet a problem I am encountering is little things that ruin the movie. For example, when I would walk past a mirror you could see me or changing the angles/ points of view just looked messy and choppy. Therefore I am hoping to fix that now too and find some clips that don't have me filming in the mirror or blend the different cuts together in a different way to make it look more smooth. The one thing I am the most worried about for my re-edit is making it all look cohesive whilst still making sense and sounding good. A large part of my movie is the audio as it helps the viewer to understand what exactly is happening and why. Therefore, I'm worried that if my audio doesn't come out or show up the way I want it to it will ruin the whole aspect and feel of my movie, That is one of my biggest concerns as well as just the simplicity of the movie, in a sense. I know that there won't be too much going on in my movie which is not what I'm worried about. I'm worried that there may be too little or just too much in a way that the viewer won't understand what's happening. That's why I am trying to carefully plan out what I want to do for re-editing so that I have a clear path for what to do. Also having to change software from the one we used at school, pinnacle studios, to one now that I use at home, imovie, might be a challenge but I'm ready to take it head-on.

Day Postponed

My cast and I were supposed to be filming today but due to the lack of allowance of outdoor activity that has been postponed. Covid-19 has been a very big dent in my day to day life and has been very much impacting my abilities to film. My family and I are keeping safe with self quarantine and limiting our outdoor activity keeping it to a minimum. Therefore i’ve been with my dad who is half of my cast but we haven’t been able to meet up with my lead female role. We also have not even been able to go outdoors to film the last bit of footage I have left to take. This has been very hard on me as my movie right now is a bit off my 5-10 seconds. These last ten second are not only crucial to my passing grade but also vehicular to add the suspense im looking for. These last few seconds would also push my movie that much more over the edge making it more interesting and leaving viewers wanting more. Due to the fact that my footage right now isn’t the most captivating as it’s giving mor did a backstory on my main character what I have left to fil is very necessary. Covid-19 has not only been affecting my personal life but also my schoolwork. I fell very upset that i’m not being able to finish this up quickly. I’m hoping this coronavirus will pass rather quickly so I can get my movie done without worrying about getting sick.

Re-Shoot

After peer reviews I decided that I needed to re-shoot and make some changes to my movie. I almost wanted to shoot the whole thing again so that it all looked cohesive and well put together. I haven't planned a day to re shoot yet with my cast but I do know exactly what I want to do and have conveyed that with them. I want to add a scene with the kidnapper to make it more interesting and suspenseful. I also want to add a voice over and some music to help describe whats going on from the perspective of the main character. The voice over from the perspective of the main character could help to build understanding as well as suspense as shes unaware of whats happening to her. I also want to incorporate almost a "text scene" at the beginning to show what happens more towards the end of the clip. A lot of these aspects will emphasize my story line as on its own it is somewhat boring. I really want to also work on my editing skills as when I did peer review a lot of the groups I watched had some very advanced editing techniques and I want to see if I can also implement that instead of just having plain text

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Re-Evaluating

Due to the feedback, I got from peer reviews I figured some stuff I wanted and needed to change was necessary. How my movie was put together didn't look super cohesive as id like so that's one thing I wanted to get fixed. Also based on some of the information my peer reviewers gave me there are some angles I wanted to add to my movie. Although, I feel like my movie is so "plain and simple" I'm hoping that for my re-shoot I'm able to add in an extra 10-15 second of footage that will amp up the suspense in my movie. I also wanted to, on my own time, do another for peer review but from another group of people. To be it never hurts to get more opinions and the more criticism the better. In this stage of my movie id rather get the most feedback as possible so I can make the adjustments now rather than later. I want to create something that's both enticing and suspenseful and fits to make sense to be in the first two minutes of a movie. I don't want to create something that looks like an ending or a middle piece of a movie that you wouldn't understand or wouldn't need prior context for. Therefore all the criticism I get I plan to write down and take into strong consideration to then pt in my movie as I don't want to make something people don't like. I'm aware that I'm bound to run into some errors during this process as I'm not a professional so I'm ready to take that head-on. As I'm working by myself I know I'm also going to encounter more issues than someone working in a group as I don't have any help or guidance form anybody else other than my teachers so I'm ready to take the reshooting and re-editing on as I feel for it to be more or a learning experience than a setback. All in all, I'm hopeful for the future and am excited to put something out that people will enjoy.

Peer Review

This time for our next step in creating the first 2 minutes of an original movie my class did peer reviews. we sat down in class for about 30 minutes and essentially reviewed each other's movies. I reviewed a specific groups movie and then a different group other than the movie ever viewed reviewed my movie. we filled out sheets with questions on them asking just the basics of what this movie should include like different shots lighting storyline understanding etc. Funny thing stop could be a part of our movie that would essentially be the basis for a movie to come was asked. It was very important for us to do these peer reviews as it would give us an unbiased opinion as to what we have to improve on for the future. This helps a lot considering that we will be doing reshooting and re editing so it gives us some factors to take into consideration when we do redo our stuff. I felt as though the process went really well for me in the sense that the group that was reviewing my movie enjoyed it very much. They did think it was a little bit plain innocence as I thought it was in a sense as well . But I thought that the kind of plainness about it was OK as it was the first 2 minutes of a movie. to me the first 2 minutes aren't the most exciting As you were just trying to give background in detail on the characters and the situation that they are in. However some of the things that I do feel I missed out on with the peer review is excelling in editing. The group that I reviewed had such professional looking editing from the directed by two the studio that presents the movie to you something made up by us of course however it just looked so nice and put together. I knew that I wanted to incorporate that into my movie however my skills aren't as advanced as theirs of they've done pieces of art like this before. I do however feel like I could improve on a lot of things like this shots that I include in my movie as well as some information presented. I felt as though i should add a voice over into my movie to give more of a clear understanding of what's happening. A voiceover in the perspective of the character being focused on of course. All in all though i felt my movie was liked by my reviewers however did give me some good pieces of constructive criticism that will definitely help me out in the end. 

Editing

 I finally was able to go finish filming after encountering so many issues with filming. I haven’t fully do hard filming yet, I don’t think, however the pint where I am at now in my movie is somewhat enough for what I want to portray. It doesn’t however bring that horror/ thriller element into those first two minutes which is like to give a glimpse of if possible. The editing process for this however was rather easy. I placed all of my clips into my editing studio and basically had all my work cut out for me. I did however have some issues with time. Once I placed all my clips together I had almost 4 minutes of content. I had to manage a way to cut it all down whilst still making sense. I figured out a way to split up changes in events through titles. An interesting screen with a title would be put in based on where the change in scenery or action would occur. Once I had all my clips in order and flowing in sequence and cuts I went on to add some music. I strategically chose my using so that I would fit with the current events as well as something that could fit with a voiceover. Overall, the entire editing process for my original movie I feel went smoothly.

Filming Blog At My House

Since my last blog I have made many major changes to my original movie. One major one being that of changing the actual plot of the movie. After careful consideration of the factors that would be affecting my movie I knew I would have to make some drastic changes. Due to the fact that my love is due in a couple of days and I hadn’t filmed I had to figure out a way to fit my two main characters in my movie easily. My kidnapped and my girl. My dad who is playing the kidnapper wasn’t available to film at the same time the girl I had playing my main character was. For that reason I had to make some serious changes to accommodate for the lost filming opportunity and changed my sorry to be more girl focused. Therefore my new story is called Where’s Bella? and focuses on the kidnapping of a girl who’s lived in isolation her whole life. I felt this was a good topic as in my head I could easily see myself portraying it. I did film today and got majority ( 1 minute and 30 seconds) of my movie done leaving just enough space to leave the viewers on a cliffhanger at the end. I filmed at my house with my friend Haylie who was my main character. We ran into a couple problems filming due to mirrors and some outtakes and thing that ruined some of our clips. However overall we were able to get enough content to film a great majority of my movie. 

Filming Blog

  This past weekend and week of February 15-20th I was unable to film due to prior commitments I had made and some important that came up. Thus weekend I had work Saturday and Sunday the only times where I had an opportunity to film. My movie takes place at night which was when I worked and by the time I had gotten out it was midnight and too late for me to be out.  I had also gotten sick that week which prohibited me from being able to go out very much. Instead of my filming I decided to continue planning my movie and making some changes/ rearrangements. I decided that I wanted to change some of the plot of my movie as I realized what I initially wanted to get done was going to be difficult considering my age and access to certain locations. I was still for certain of the one location near the Broward Public Library that I wanted to keep however I realized that my club scenes weren't going to work out. I called places where I thought could be adequate to film these scenes and was denied entry even thought it was for "educational" purposes. For this reason, with the extra time I had from not filming I came up with a different plan to the first half of my two minutes.

I haven't completely decided what exactly it is I'm going to do to make up such a big chuck of footage I have lost but am thinking I want to keep the same story just change the location. A group of friends still hanging out, splitting up, and then one getting kidnapped. I also have to idea to do something from the point of view of the kidnapper and what he sees before he attacks. This would go from him planning the attack to actually going through with it. To make these final decisions I wanted to consult with the people I plan on making my cast to see when they are available to film. I wanted to use my dad as the kidnapper as he is an older man and is also a good figure to have around in case something goes wrong. However, my dad travels for work very often so I need to ensure he will be here during he weekend when I need him to film. I also wanted to make sure that my friends were able to film as they all have jobs as well and one of them, which I want to star in my movie is doing this project as well and also needs her own time to film. I ultimately decided that id film some scenes that feature the kidnapper on one day where I know my father will be available. As well as scenes that include just my friends on times I know they are available. Then while I'm with each group figure out a good day for all of us to meet up and finish the few scenes that include everybody.

From explaining my background and information of this past week and analyzing the problems I have already encountered and those I may come to face I have realized a way in which I have to make up for lost time. Therefore I've decided that when I go to film individually with my cast I will film many different pieces and stories. I will film chunks that could go for a story focusing mainly on the girls. As well as film chunks that fit for a story that goes for a more kidnapper focused story.

Planning Blog Storyboard

For this final step of planning before getting to my filming sequence I created a storyboard. The storyboard helps to assemble a layout for my movie for when I go to film. This will help me as then I don't have to spend time shooting and reshooting what I like. Instead I have it all done at once to get finished quick and easy. I encountered some tough parts in this when it came to drawing and going with some final touches to my scenes. There were a couple of things I was unsure of to place in once scene or the other or she seemed like it was too repetitive. I tried my best in planning something that captures suspense as well as horror.

Planning Blog Title Design

This title design blog was also one of the ones on the easier side as it’s something that’s mostly just common sense. I made sure to include the do’s and do not’s of creating my titles as well as the ways i would implement them into my movie. I also made sure to describe how I wanted to work with and play with my editing software to get the titles I wanted so they are subject to change. The hardest part about this blog was creating a working title for my movie. Although I did have multiple options It was frustrating and difficult coming up with them and I realized how some were just much better than others. I’m not totally in love with the title I have right now and feel I could do so much better. However, for now I’m sticking with what i’ve got until I get another idea from either myself or from one of my helping peers

Planning Blog Location, Participants, Health, Safety, Schedule

For this blog I wrote about some of the main aspects that go into getting my movie started and finished. I went over my scheduler, locations where I could and wanted to film, the people Is anted to include in my movie. Lastly, the health and safety that would go into producing my movie, from first aid kits to parental guidance and consent etc. This was one of the easier parts of my planning as i had already thought this out in my head. This was just a matter of putting my ideas on paper and waiting to execute them

Planning Blog Sound Script

For this blog I created my sound script for my final project of my original movie. I found this one to be much harder than that of the shooting script as i struggled to figure out what dialogue I wanted and surroundings sounds to portray the setting. For this reason most of my scenes have very little to no dialogue and mostly just sounds of the background. I also struggles with finding the right words to use that weren't extreme curse words. I want this to be a more mature film of older people getting kidnapped and usually when in a dangerous situation some tend to curse. For that reason I refrained myself from using them or went with their less aggressive version like using hell instead. Overall this was a pretty difficult script to write.






                             

Planning Blog Shooting Script

for this blog I created a shooting script for my final project of the first two minutes of an original movie. I found this script to be much easier than the sound script as I had already an idea in my head and a picture of what I wanted my original movie to look like. It was extremely easy to decide what was gonna happen and what scene. However, I did struggle with adding some new aspects to the movie as I didn’t have it all completely planned out in my head

Genre Research Silence of the Lambs

For my fourth and final title research movie I decided to go with the 1919 Johnathan Damme movie Silence of the Lambs. It is a movie that stars Jodie Foster stars as Clarice Starling, a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into a case and that Starling, as an attractive young woman, may be just the bait to draw him out. Through looking at some other horror movies and ones that came up when I searched Get Out, Split, and Insidious Art of the Titles provided me with the title sequencing and intro of this movie. Art of the Titles is strictly based on showing just the openings of movies and for this movie it was about five minutes long. 

How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?
The opening five minutes of this movie included thirty three different opening titles including that of producers, actors, music supervisors and more.

What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?

Unlike that of the past movies I've research, this intro was rather long and focused very mainly on one character and her actions as a Police Academy student. You could tell she was strongly dedicated to her line of work and training as basically the entire opening sequence is her running and training. You can tell she is part of the Police Academy as it says it on her clothing and she is called into one of the offices by her "boss".

What Connotations do these images carry?

The main connotation I got from this was the power and personality this woman most likely contains. You can see she is very strong as she tackle obstacle courses and her clothes show off her hard work as she is dripping in sweat. It also emphasize a type of independence she posses as she is all alone training and facing the course. As well as most likely a top student of the academy as during the middle of the training she is called into the office of most likely one of the superior officers.

How is the Genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
The genre of horror/thriller.mystery isn't very much enforced in this beginning sequence as it doesn't instill any type of fear or mystery in the viewer. The only mystery I seemed to have maybe picked up on is why is the police officer calling this trainee into his office? Did she do something bad? I it for good behavior? We are unsure. Other than that I did not catch any sense of fear or danger lurking and wasn't too strongly enticed. Of course, knowing that this was a horror movie would most likely make someone want to continue watching to see what occurs but this intro being more of a backstory for the rest of the movie doesn't do a great job of presenting the horror genre. 

How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?

The enigma just like the portrayal of the genre in this intro isn't very prominent. There is really no sense of mystery, puzzling, or difficulty of understanding. The actions were straight forward and simple easy for the reader to understand and interpret as it isn't something out of the ordinary for many day to day life. Of course not everybody is a part of the police academy going through obstacle and training courses but it is not difficult to understand what she is doing and what is occurs gig these scenes.

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

The opening sequence doesn't follow or include many strategies of enticing horror movie audiences. If someone was to walk into that move not knowing what it was, seeing any trailers, or having a slight idea of it they would not assume its horror. It has little to no aspect of scary, fear for life, danger concepts and only has a slight  bit of mystery.

How was technology been used effectively?
The use of camera movements helps to really portray what happening to the person who the camera is focusing on. For example, following the charter and she climbs up the hill by rope. Or as she conquered the rope tower climbing over it and flipping back down. The sounds emphasizes her running steps on the gravel rocky road. 

Title Research Insidious

As my third Title Research Movie I decided to go with the 2010 movie Insidious. Through watching my other two opening sequences I was recommenced by Art of the Titles website to each the opening sequence for Insidious which is another horror movie. The opening sequence and fist few minutes of this movie includes important pieces such as actors who star in this movie, casting directors, directors, producers, music supervisors etc. 

How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?
The opening minute and a half  of this movie included thirty four different opening titles including that of producers, actors, music supervisors and more.

What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?

The opening scene of the movie focused mainly on following around different aspects of a room and enticing the viewer with various uses of strong, "scary" music. The entire opening was set in a black and white filter with red, sort of dripping and bloody, text. There was no particular main main aspect of this intro rather than a them e it follow oof keeping details similar and the same. There was a transition shot that seemed to have included some animation at the very beginning that was the lightbulb hanging at the top of the ceiling. 

What Connotations do these images carry?

The main connotation I got from this was very hideous in the sense that it was frightening. I had started watching this opening sequence last night and had to stop myself fro watching it because I got so scared. There is a strong image around the middle of the opening of a scary, almost rotted woman holding a doll. This excites a strong sense of far in the viewer and beginning to strongly introduce that idea that this movie is very horror filed and going to take some scary turns along the way. 

How is the Genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
For one the dark and gloomy grey filter/lighting suggest a feeling of danger and misery or sadness. Not the bright happy colors you would typically see if something good is going to happen. As well as the music in the background is very high pitched and solemn. The music is also echo in a sense as if it was to never go away. This alludes and introduces a type of queasy feeling viewers are going to get watching this movie. The intricate expression of sounds also alludes to complete silence and quietness.

How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?

The dark and gloomy grey filter/ lighting suggest a feeling of danger and misery or sadness. Not the bright happy colors you would typically see if something good is going to happen. Some mysterious questioning aspects begin the the first seconds of the movie when a mysterious, almost rotten character seems to be hiding in a closet holding a creepy doll. This scene then cuts to a blank screen beginning to introduce movie studios etc. leaving the viewer confused as to what had just happened. Also the fact that the end of the opening sequence there is a woman waking up in her bed lie she knew where she was bt the beginning of the sequence shows creatures living in her home. The woman wakes up with no care as if she wasn't aware that such things were inhabiting her home.

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

It keeps with the theme of what genre the movie is which falls into a more horror/thriller aspect. Things that are mysterious, scary, out of the ordinary, and sometimes on events or people you are typically wanted to stay away form during your years of childhood and development. The opening sequence of the movie does a very goos job and contrasting and falling into many of those things as it is something that in rather out of the ordinary. The showing of a child sleeping and haunting monsters. Then the mother and family waking up without a care as if they didn't know what was gun gun around them in the darkness of the night. Creatures living in their home, haunting and stalking them. The family being completely unaware. It entices the viewer to see what's to come an hoe the family finds out.

How was technology been used effectively?
The use of camera movements helps to really portray what happening to the person who the camera is focusing on. Fr example the way the camera moves around the house and the different rooms as if it was "walking through" does a good job of showing how and where weird creatures may be lurking around the house. It also portrays a sense of distance and length the characters are from one another. There is a child and a mom and through the way the camera movies we can see that they are somewhat far from each other. This can emphasize a sense of danger as if they are so far apart, especially the child as they tend to be the "targets" in scary movies, that they are more vulnerable to being attacked and not getting help quick enough. 

Title Research Split

For my second title research movie I decided to go with the M. Night Shyamalan movie Split. The first of the movie series which includes "Glass" as its sequel. Through looking at some other horror movies and ones that came up when I searched Get Out Art of the Titles provided me with the title sequencing and intro of this movie. Art of the Titles is strictly based on showing just the openings of movies and for this movie it was about one and a half minutes long. 

How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?
The opening minute and a half  of this movie included twenty two different opening titles including that of producers, actors, music supervisors and more.

What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?

Unlike that of Get Out, this intro was rather short and didn't focus mainly o and clear aspects, more motion (as in walking) features through a hallway. If anything the most prominent and most repeated feature was that of a black screen to project names, producers, directors, casting agents, music supervisors etc. There was another scene that was repeated which was the walking and, as if someone was looking up at lights, in a dark/ gloomy hallway at a hospital or underground tunnel/ basement.

What Connotations do these images carry?

The main connotation I got from this was soothing rather literal as it was shown through the opening. What I had seen and what was "given" to me was a girl almost as if she was knocked out on a d=bed or a stretcher being rolled through a hospital hallway. It seems as thought that person taking her had bad intentions because through the haziness you could tell the person wasn't wearing typical nurse/ hospital attire. The end of the opening also shows her waking up laying down and seeming lost as if she was taken there against her will. The very beginning also shows a man with a mask over his face reaching to to grab someone in the passenger seat of his car. This helped me to understand that it was most likely the girl being taken in the bed and waking up in a mysterious place.

How is the Genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
For one the dark and gloomy almost orange yellowy lighting suggest a feeling of danger and misery or sadness. Not the bright happy colors you would typically see if something good is going to happen. As well as the music in the background is very high pitched and solemn. The music is also echo in a sense as if it was to never go away. This alludes and introduces a type of queasy feeling viewers are going to get watching this movie. The intricate expression of sounds also alludes to complete silence and quietness. The wheels of the stretcher going along the ground and the heavy breathing for the person moving the stretcher.

How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?

Again, the dark and gloomy almost orange yellowy lighting suggest a feeling of danger and misery or sadness. Not the bright happy colors you would typically see if something good is going to happen. Some mysterious questioning aspects begin the the first seconds of the movie when a character seems to strangle or grab someone agains their wishes. This scene then cuts to a blanc screen beginning to introduce movie studios etc. leaving the viewer confused as to what had just happened. Also the fact that the end of the opening sequence is the a girl waking up in a. mysterious, rather dark room, opening her eyes slowly as if she didn't know or feel that she was asleep, or possibly knocked out. The girl seemed extremely confused and at a loss of memory looking around trying to figure out where she was and how she had got there.

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

It keeps with the theme of what genre the movie is which falls into a more horror/thriller aspect. Things that are mysterious, scary, out of the ordinary, and sometimes on events or people you are typically wanted to stay away form during your years of childhood and development. The opening sequence of the movie does a very goos job and contrasting and falling into many of those things as it is something that in rather out of the ordinary. A girl being attacked, knocked out, and taken on a stretcher into a place that set not familiar with by a person she doesn't know is a min aspect of making this movie mysterious and enticing the viewer within the first few minutes.

How was technology been used effectively?
The use of camera movements helps to really portray what happening to the person who the camera is focusing on. For example, the very beginning is a POV shot of someone sitting in the passenger seat of a car looking over to see someone launch at their face. The camera does a good job of portraying that speed the head as it movies and it's backing away as the character comes closer. As well as some low angle shots when the girl in on the stretcher being dragged. These shots show the person behind her pulling the stretcher taking it "farther into the darkness'. This does a good job and showing the power and authority this taller figure has and how they have the control in this situation. 

Title Research Get Out

As my first Title Research Movie I decided to go with the 2017 movie Get Out. By going through some pages and searching I found the opening sequence for Get Out on Art of the Titles. The website provides just the opening sequence which is about three and a half minutes long.

How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?
The opening minutes of this movie included twenty seven different opening titles including that of producers, actors, music supervisors and more.

What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?
Most of the imagery you saw around three quarters of it all is woods and nature.As if you are in a car looking out of the widow at all the trees you are passing on an empty road.

What Connotations do these images carry?
This can show or represent solidarity, isolation, and loneliness in the woods all alone and lost. This is most likely setting the tone for the rest of the movie as it is horror. Giving the viewer an idea of whats to come next.

How is the Genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
The genre isn't super reinforced in these few opening sequences except for in the very beginning and for the woodsy parts. The very beginning shows someone getting in their car and driving off in the middle of the night in a secluded neighborhood. The opening also shows many happy things like a happy couple together and baked good inducing happiness and smiles. Therefore the viewer can exactly tell it is horror or can get the idea that a sudden twist is to come.

How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?
Enigma is strongly established just through the first few pieces of the opening and basically the prioritized images of the opening sequence. Those being the tracking shots through the woods and the mysterious man or woman getting in the car and driving off into darkness in the very beginning.

What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience? 
I don't think and didn't see many prominent or common strategies being used as this movie seems to be more about the twist in the movie that isn't expected. I can see how using a strategy of starting the movie on more of a light, heartfelt note can be used as a strategy to trick the viewer into thinking everything will be okay. As well as having the audience assume the two first characters seen are the main ones and something will happen to them in the end. Otherwise, I didn't see many conventional and typical features of a horror movie being used in this opening sequence. This gives me the idea, and most likely any other viewer that the movie is one of those that starts off fine and turns into something very creepy and distraught as new discoveries come about and stories are unraveled.

How was technology been used effectively?
The tracking shot used very prominently in the woods and basically the most prominent piece of the opening sequence is portrayed very well. It helps to show or give the reader and idea of a car driving past the woods waiting for something to happen, building up tension. This also was a good setup for titles being placed in and gave a clear, concise background making everything easy to read. The pan at the bakery showing the baked good did a good job of 1. just showing off the food and giving the viewer an idea of a delicious bakery insinuating delicious smells. As well as give a good pan to then close up on the woman who can be assumed to be one of the main characters buying the pastries and introducing the first character.

Watch the Titles

Forget the Film, Watch the Titles! is a project dedicated to the art of title design and its creators. Launched in 2006, the recently renewed website features a growing collection of over 200 title sequences and behind-the-scenes content, offering a unique glimpse into the people, ideas and processes behind their creation. A fantastic USP is the ongoing series of short documentaries about the world’s leading title designers. Some things I learned and saw was that 1. Many title sequences are designed to be strictly informative and present the cast and crew. Others are created to give the audience a taste of what’s to come. But some transcend their proper function to become landmarks of popular culture and cultural symbols of their time. For example, Saul Bass’ Anatomy of a Murder, Iginio Lardani’s The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, and Kyle Cooper’s title sequence for Se7en have all left a mark on culture as a whole. I saw on this website how, unlike art of the titles, they organized and categorized the work they had better and more efficiently. This website included TV shows and had a section where you could watch and research just TV shows instead of movies. It also had sections for feature films, student projects, video games, event titles, and french fridays. Just like art of the studios this website also included sections to look for designers and studios and also ad a search. I did however find the same issue with this website as the last and that was that it had no organization of genres. I couldn't look at specifically horror or specifically thriller. The inclusion of the search bar does help but for someone like me who isn't fully familiar with movies, movie names, and genres movies fall into it is a little difficult.

Art of the Titles

Art of the Title is an online publication dedicated to title sequence design, spanning the film, television, conference, and video game industries. The publication is both an educational and historical resource and a contemporary publication, focusing on the creative process behind the design of title sequences. While I was on here I was able to discover and watch, or re-watch some of the opening sequences of different movies. I selected many movies that fell into the genre of the one I wanted to create, which was horror. I did this because I felt it would give me a better idea and more of a perspective on what to do rather than just winging it. I was able to learn that many intros for horror movies really aren't THAT scary and the titling or font of the text isn't always was entices the viewer. I also learned that spreading out names and aspects of the opening minutes is best that way the viewer isn't overwhelmed with information. It also showed mt how you can fit in names and stuff with other aspects of the intro and ways to do it without interfering with the opening sequence. As well as how the opening sequence doesn't always necessarily have to be something with actors and can be many pictures, or a map, or something that gives background to up coming events. I saw how the website included many movies and genres I had never even thought or known about. It was also very spread out and in a loose term messy. There was horror mixed with comedy, or animation and many movies I saw I had never heard of. This made it somewhat confusing for me as I wasn't exactly sure of what to look for. I did like, however, how you could choose or search different designers and studios if you were looking for something specific. As well as, even thought not withing my knowledge it included many different movies which is nice if you ar ejsut looking for some examples. 

Genre Research US

US was a movie created by Jordan Peele as a follow up, not sequel, to his first movie Get Out. Get Out was a super successful movie in the box office which gave a very frightening twist to the racist white people america used to be overpopulated of. The follow -up to Get Out was the movie US which is about a family who has just recently moved and a demented form of their doppelgänger family begins haunting the and trying to kill them. Us is a 2019 American horror film written and directed by Jordan Peele, starring Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Evan Alex, Elisabeth Moss, and Tim Heidecker. The film follows Adelaide Wilson (Wyong’o) and her family, who are attacked by a group of menacing doppelgängers. Common camera angles are Reverse Shots, Close up, Tracking-pan Shots, Zoom Shots, Wide Shot, Low Angle Shot, Over the shoulder Shot, Hand held Camera Horror, Birds Eye view shot, Cantered Angle. Common Lighting is Uplighting, Silhouette, Spotlighting, Underexposure, Harsh light (hard light, chiaroscuro, Prominent and projected shadow, Shooting through objects (internal frames, Shooting through elements. The common theme among all of these different lighting methods is that they all obscure or distort reality in some way. The suspense and tension that is built during a dramatic and horrifying scene keeps the audience on their toes and coming back for more. Horror films work because of the editors’ efforts and decisions. The horror genre is one place where the editor needs to meticulously work their craft in order to get a desired outcome from the audience. Even better still, a video editor can translate the lessons learned from cutting a horror piece into building dynamic tension into almost any video. In turn, the video editor hooks their audience, grabbing ahold of their attention. Common editing used in this movie is usually fade to black and straight cuts. Fading to black gives a mysterious and tense feel and may make the audience feel at unease. They suggest fear of the unknown giving the audience what they may experience in the film and tell them not everything is right, even when it seems to be. Straight cuts are very basic but allow for fast paced shots and potentially jump scares. Common sound is One unsettling and hidden “sound” that is given credit for freaking out an audience is infrasound—a low-frequency sound that cannot be heard, but literally unsettles human beings down to our bones. Some things I really enjoyed about this movie was the soundtrack. Jordan Peele is very good at picking music for these movies and is able to pick a single song that fits the movie which is the one that you recognize it by. Like Frozen has Let it Go and Into the Unknown, Us has its song as well. Some things I didn't enjoy of felt were somewhat of a let down was that it didn't meet my expectations interns of scare and "oh my god' factor as the first movie Get Out did. Jordan Peele did amazing in portraying a very eerie and creepy way but the scariness factor wasn't there for me. I still thought it was an amazing movie but it could've been done better.

Genre Research Annabelle

Annabelle is a movie that focuses on a demented doll whose name is Annabelle. Hence the name of the movie. The concept of the movie is based on a  true story of a raggedy anne doll which wa possessed and haunting families. The doll and its movie spans to other horror movies which have the same concept like the conjuring. Annabelle is a 2014 American supernatural horror film directed by John R. Leonetti, written by Gary Dauberman and produced by Peter Safran and James Wan. It is a prequel to 2013's The Conjuring and the second installment in the Conjuring Universe franchise. The film was inspired by a story of a doll named Annabelle told by Ed and Lorraine Warren. The film stars Annabelle Wallis, Ward Horton, and Alfre Woodard.Common camera angles are Reverse Shots, Close up, Tracking-pan Shots, Zoom Shots, Wide Shot, Low Angle Shot, Over the shoulder Shot, Hand held Camera Horror, Birds Eye view shot, Cantered Angle. Common Lighting is Uplighting, Silhouette, Spotlighting, Underexposure, Harsh light (hard light, chiaroscuro, Prominent and projected shadow, Shooting through objects (internal frames, Shooting through elements. The common theme among all of these different lighting methods is that they all obscure or distort reality in some way. The suspense and tension that is built during a dramatic and horrifying scene keeps the audience on their toes and coming back for more. Horror films work because of the editors’ efforts and decisions. The horror genre is one place where the editor needs to meticulously work their craft in order to get a desired outcome from the audience. Even better still, a video editor can translate the lessons learned from cutting a horror piece into building dynamic tension into almost any video. In turn, the video editor hooks their audience, grabbing ahold of their attention. Common editing used in this movie is usually fade to black and straight cuts. Fading to black gives a mysterious and tense feel and may make the audience feel at unease. They suggest fear of the unknown giving the audience what they may experience in the film and tell them not everything is right, even when it seems to be. Straight cuts are very basic but allow for fast paced shots and potentially jump scares. Common sound is One unsettling and hidden “sound” that is given credit for freaking out an audience is infrasound—a low-frequency sound that cannot be heard, but literally unsettles human beings down to our bones. Some things I really enjoyed about this movie was the fact that they were able to make it as realistic as possible in including vey similar aspect of the real life events that occurred. The way in which they found actors to portray Ed and Lorraine Warren. As well as how in the credits they put on pictures of the actual event and detailed date information. Some things I didn't enjoy is that although the dll they made was extremely scary they did not stay true to the ragged anne doll" theme. The real doll is a raggedy anne and I would've preferred much more to see the a version of the demoted doll rather than a character they made up themselves