Media Theory in Film Opening

    The media theory that I want to integrate into my project is the Active Audience Theory, by Stuart Hall. This theory is basically the concept of how different audiences interpret different things they see on screen relating to past experiences and their own social context. The main message that wants to be portrayed may not be fully understood because of this. Our film opening is mostly based on a very deep topic that can be interpreted in many different ways, a teenagers mental health and her having suicidal thoughts. Based on the audiences past experience, they could all interpret the different scenes in different ways, receiving another message from what we really wanted to deliver.

    One example of when the audience could interpret things different could be when Maddie, the main character, is going through her phone in social media, she sees her friends hanging out with out her. Some may take this as the feeling of loneliness Maddie feels from her friends not inviting her, and how she feels excluded by them hanging out without her. While other might interpret it as the effects social media as a whole can have  in a teenagers day to day life.

    Another example could be when Maddie takes out her diary to write. By this point the audience knows she is very depressed and sad. Some people could see her writing as a way of venting her feelings or a way that might make her feel better, or being more relieved. It could also be taken as a symbol of isolation, since she doesn't talk to anyone she write what she feels.

    Lastly, when Maddies mom comes into her room that could be interpreted in 2 ways. It could be a hope for the audience that Maddies mom came right at the perfect time to help her and talk to her. But it could also be taken in as a sign that its too late, Maddie already wrote down how she felt and its too late for anyone to change the way she feels, even her mom.

Film Opening Idea

With my group when we started thinking on what we should do for the project, our heads were blank. We began thinking we should do something that shows how Ai and technology has affected this society, but than realized it was hard to show. It was a real struggle to come up with and idea we all liked, but we got it.

The film begins in school, we will probably shoot it here in Cypress Bay. It is the last day of school before summer break. While this scene is playing we will show the credits. They will fade in and fade out slowly across the screen. When the bell rings for dismissal we will show everyone happily leaving school, meeting up with their friends. Here we will try to portray her as someone lonely using extreme long shots of her going to the car to go home. Here we will also try to show her being very lonely.

When she gets home she will walk into an empty house, all the lights off, and no sense that there has been movement that whole day. She will yell out "Mom! Im home!" but there will be no response, so she goes up to her room. She throws her backpack and sits in her bed watching her phone. In social media she sees all her friends hanging out with each other, excluding her. She gets up sad and closes her curtains. Here we have decided we will add the title of the film "Dear Diary;" It will be written on the screen slowly and will fade out slowly too. 

When we cut back to the girl we see her very nervously grabbing a notebook and a pen. She turns on her nightlight and sits down on her bad. She lays back and fourth many times, like she's unsure of something, and than she begins to write. We see it says diary in front of the notebook, but we don't see what it is she is writing. While she write we hear someone gets to the house, maybe a garage door open, we don't know yet. Her mom storms into her room and opens her curtains and try's to get her to go with her somewhere. The girl looks very depressed and she says she doesn't want to go. Than her mom get her up of bed and she throws the diary, it lands open. We see a shot of what she wrote, it will be something saying like "Im not even sure if I want to live this summer" hinting that she is having suicidal thoughts. Than the last shot is her mom taking her out of her room. 

This is just a broad outline of how we have thought of the film opening going. Later on in my future blog posts you will find out many more details, so I suggest you stay tuned!!

Group Meeting #1

Today in class we were put into groups to discuss our blogs and ideas for our film openings. We began by introducing ourselves to each other, I worked with Noah, Julian, Clemance, and Aneesh. 

Us in the Group Meeting:

We first did a word document where we shared all our blog url's in it. We each saw someones different. I looked at Clemance's and really liked it, I thought it was very engaging the way she would start her posts addressing whoever is reading it. Aneesh looked at mine, he gave me some feedback and said I should include more visuals, but overall it was pretty good.

While this meeting was going on, I was taking notes to later write this blog post, you can see them here:

  

Than we began to talk about our ideas, not going to lie it was a real struggle to get everyone to share what they where doing in the group. Everyone was shy and pretty "confused" on what they where doing, it was hard but we pushed through it since no one wanted to participate. Clemance's group is doing a psychological drama/romance, about a toxic relationship. She told us that the opening scene will be shots of an abusive relationship, than it will cut to the main character walking through a party, this will show the credits. She will see this partner and get flashbacks, and than run up to him and they hug. Clemance told us that she is actually going to host a party at her house where she will record these scenes. The actors are going to be her friends and her group partner's cousin will play the guy.

 Noah told us how his group and him had an idea  to do a horror/thriller film opening. It was going to be a car driving by and it breaks down, smoke comes out of it and while the people fix the car, another car drives by with something creepy inside. They told him he shouldn't do this idea, so we where trying to help him to find a new one.

Aneesh and Julian are working together, they began telling us their idea of doing a legal drama, the setting being in a courtroom and someone getting death sentence. We all began discussing how it was pretty hard to create and put together that scene so if they had any other ideas. Aneesh mentioned something abut a video game. We came up with the idea of basing the film on that, the opening shot would be a kid in a dark room playing a video game, he's super invested in it. Maybe after it cuts into him waking up later that night of the day after and he is now IN the game, by the way, its a horror video game. And than from there one they develop the story.

We also talked about specific techniques we were going to use: for example i'm doing a lot of extreme long shots to show loneliness, and color to show sadness. Noah wants to focus on lighting, Clemance wants to focus on editing.(setting, establishing the plot line, she will focus on that)

Im am super excited to see how all their film openings turn out and hope all the thoughts we had helped someone with their project!

Color Sceme

Color scheme is a very important part of films. The color scheme can help set the mood and even make the audience of a film feel certain emotions relating to what is going on. The colors chosen hep emphasize the feeling that the movie wants to show, even if its small. Some colors can make movies feel happy, and other can make it feel scary or sad. For example, a scary movie might use dark colors, and a love story could use warm and bright colors.

Some examples of colors/tones that make people feel certain emotions are: 

• Warm colors (red, orange, yellow) – These colors feel happy, exciting, or could even be a little scary depending on how their used. They make things feel full of energy.

• Cool colors (blue, green, purple) – These colors feel calm, sad, or mysterious. They are great for quiet or serious scenes.

• Neutral colors (black, white, gray, brown) – These colors don’t stand out much. They can make things feel real, old, or lifeless.

Some other facts about how colors are used in films:

• Color symbolism – Colors can represent things. For example, red can mean love or danger, while blue can mean sadness or peace.

• Monochromatic color schemes – Some movies use different shades of the same color to create a strong mood.

• Contrast in colors – Bright and dark colors can be used together to make things stand out or create tension.

• Desaturated colors – Taking color away can make a movie feel old, serious, or lifeless, like in black-and-white films.

• Color in different genres – Horror movies use a lot of dark and muted colors, while kids' movies use bright and playful colors.

For our opening scene we are planning on doing something that starts very happy but eventually becomes sad and depressive. For the initial shots we plan on using bright color, to show happiness and excitement. It will be the first day of summer, so we want to make the audience feel that way, and with the right colors that will be possible. But as soon as things take a turn we decided it will be best to use cool, darker tones. The lighting will be soft and dark to make the mood even sadder. The main character will be displayed very sad and lonely, and we think this color scheme is best to show the contrast of these two emotions from the beginning and the end of the opening. Color choice also helps a lot to make the audience feel something, this can make them emphasize with the feelings the character is going through and understand their state of mind. This can help make the scenes of the opening more powerful.

Some examples of movies that displayed a color scheme very well are:

• The Wizard of Oz  – Starts in black and white, then bursts into color to show the magical world of Oz.

• Joker – Uses dark greens and reds to create a gritty and unsettling mood.

• Blade Runner 2049 – Uses deep oranges and blues to create a futuristic, lonely feeling.

• Black Panther – Uses rich purples and golds to represent royalty and Afrofuturism.

• La La Land – Uses bright, dreamy colors to create a romantic and nostalgic feel.

Schedule Outline

Time management is super important, especially in a project like this that takes over a long period of time. It is highly important to be organized and know when you are going to get thing done. Here you will see in the term of 8 weeks what my group and I will focus on to achieve this.

To do list: (in chronological order)

• 4 blog posts per week
• Decide on who will be the actor
• Find a place to film
• Finalize opening film details
• Create a story board
• Find music
• Record scenes
• Find outfits for the actors, or decide on what they will wear
• Buy/create needed props
• Export/edit scenes
• Finalize video (make changes if necessary)
• Create the Reflection

All of these things are what we have to complete in 7 weeks since the first one was last one. This time line of when everything will be completed will help us remain organized and productive.

Timeline:

Week 1 (1/29-2/2)

Complete 2 blog posts

Start brainstorming ideas for film opening

Week 2 (2/3-2/9)

Complete 4 blog posts

Research film openings for genre chose (Drama)

Finalize idea of what the story will be about

Research on mise-en-scene elements we want to include in our film

Meeting with teacher to discuss idea

Set filming dates

Week 3 (2/10-2/16)

Complete 4 blog posts

Start working on props for video

Finalize actors and clothing they will wear

Week 4 (2/17-2/13)

Complete 4 blog posts

Start filming

Finalize what music we will need

Week 5 (2/24-3/2)

Complete 4 blog posts

Continue filming

Fix any details needed in terms of production

Week 6 (3/3-3/9)

Complete 4 blog posts

Edit/export everything needed

Re shoot scenes (If needed)

Week 7 (3/10-3/16)

Complete 4 blog posts

Finish editing film

Revise that everything is done

Begin reflection

Week 8 (3/17-3/25)

Complete 4 blog posts

Finish Creative Critical Reflection

Research info relating to the reflection

Any final touches to project

Drama Credit Sequences

For my film opening project, as you already know we decided to do the genre of drama. It the beginning of the films it is usually where you will see the credits from the movie. The way they are displayed, and the background of them help set the mood and tone of what is going on. Some examples of drama films that interpret this really well are Fly Me to the Moon, The Hunger Games and Five Feet Apart.

Fly Me to the Moon (2024)

The credits for this movie appear in the opening scene of the film. The credits are white words that slowly appear and disappear on the screen. They show up while Kelly Jones (the main character) arrives at NASA, where the movie takes place. The credits shown are important names, like the actors (Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum), the director, and the people who made the movie. The way the words fade in and out feels smooth and professional, making the movie seem important. This matches Kelly’s confident personality and the big mission she will be part of. The credits help set the mood of the story.

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

In the opening scene of The Pursuit of Happyness, the credits are simple white words, we fisrt see Chris Gardner (played by Will Smith) waking up his son, and the credits show the main actors' names, than we see more credits that appear over shots of the city of San Francisco. The music is soft and calm, which makes the movie feel serious but also hopeful. The simple credits help set the mood for the emotional story about Chris’s struggles and what will come in the movie.

Film Opening Genre

 

Film Opening Genre

For our film opening we are leaning towards doing something under the drama genre. These are some of the film openings of some movies that I watched and summarized as a sense of inspiration and ideas of what my group and I should include into our film opening. All of the components these film openings include help set the mood and the theme of what the movie will be about.

1. Sound of Freedom (2023)

The movie's film opening starts in Honduras. A dad takes his two kids, a boy and a girl, to what looks like a modeling tryout. At first everything seems happy and exciting for them but than, it is clear that the people running the tryout are bad, you than realize that they are child traffickers. The dad realizes too late that his kids are in danger. The scene starts bright and hopeful but turns dark and scary. This shows the movie’s main idea: the danger of child trafficking and the fight to stop it. This film opening uses contrast starting bright and happy but turning dark and scary to show danger.

2. The Truman Show (1998)

The movie starts with people talking in a documentary, they explain that Truman’s whole life is a TV show, but he doesn’t know it. Then we see Truman in his town saying hello to his neighbors and going to work. Everything looks perfect. His life is way too perfect. The colors used in the film opening are bright, the music is happy, and people act extra nice to him and everyone else. The way the camera films him makes it clear that something is not right. The shots used create a scene in the audience that make them believe Truman doesn't know he is being filmed.  The "hidden cameras" make things feel fake and strange. This opening shows that Truman is living in a fake world, and that one day he will try to find out the truth.

3. Challengers (2024)

The movie starts with a big tennis match, the main character who is played by Zendaya is one of the tennis players on the court. She looks strong and confident, and the camera moves fast, the sounds are loud, and everything feels exciting. Then suddenly flashbacks show, they where about some drama between her and two other players. The scene shows that there is more than just tennis, there are problems between the characters too. This opening sets up the movie’s mix of sports, love, and competition. The fast editing, loud sounds, and quick flashbacks help create a sense of energy and tension

Genre For My Portfolio Project

Genre For My Portfolio Project

For my portfolio project I need to pick a genre for my film opening. I have two choices, romance and drama. 

Romance

Romance movies are about love and relationships. They show how people fall in love, go through problems together, and try to stay together.

Romance films are usually about two people falling in love, showing sweet and emotional moments between them that make the audience feel connected to the characters. These movies usually include problems that test the relationship making the move end in either a happy or sad ending. These films typically use soft and warm color tones to create an intimate feel, and emotional music helps set the mood. Common themes in romance films include fate, destiny, and personal growth through love.

Some examples of romance film are:

The Notebook (2004)

Anyone But You (2023)

Drama

Drama movies are about real-life problems and strong emotions in the characters about something in specific. These movies are focused to make people feel connected to the characters.

Drama films focus on characters facing personal struggles, with deep and emotional storytelling that feels realistic. The settings and dialogue are usually made to feel real which helps the audience connect to the story. These movies usually focus on themes like love, loss, and facing challenges. They have characters with strong emotions and personal growth. The story is usually based around some sort of conflict between the characters. Lighting and camera shots create stress, soft background music adds emotion. Drama movies show real, strong feelings and relationships.

Examples:

The Truman Show (1998)

The Fallout (2022)

Beggining the Cambridge Portfolio Project

Beginning the Cambridge Portfolio Project  

  From now on, my blog posts will be about my Cambridge Final Project and all the process and things I do over the course of 8 weeks to complete it. The past blogs have helped me learn a lot of things that will help me make a good film opening, which is one of the components for the project. The other two components are these updated blog posts and a reflection at the end. Starting this project feels a bit overwhelming, but with what I’ve learned so far I feel like I can do it. 

    In a nearpod I learned about film openings and why it's important to have a purpose in the beginning. I will work on this project in a group of 4. I have already worked with these classmates and I think we make a great team so I am excited to see what we come up with. We have to decide what we will base the project off on, and what genre we will make the film opening consist of. We definitely want to incorporate a lot of the approaches to the film opening we learned about while taking notes on the nearpod, like establishing the setting or what will be the conflict of the film. We also want to add a lot of cool shots and sounds to make it interesting for the viewer. I will research deeper the genres and we will brainstorm on the story and how it will go. Than later one we will plan everything out and put it all together, but don't worry, ill be documenting it all on here. Stay tuned to see how this process will go!

 

Blog Posting - Music Marketing Project

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BLOG :)

Music Marketing Project Process

 Music Marketing Project Process

    This week we started a music marketing project in class, the concept is to create and market and song, singer, band, etc. depending on the music genre given to you. My group and I have R&B as our genre, we decided to base the project on a band called "The Brokers." For this assignment we have to make a presentation and a music song given to us according to the genre. The song we chose was Coming Home_Soul. With the group we had to plan out when we where going to complete everything, and make a sort of calendar to be more organized. Before we record the music video and edit it we created a story board of what the video will consist of, with that we will begin to film all the scenes/shots that will be included in the video when we edit it later on.

    To complete the presentation we had to do a lot of research of ways music is advertised. Luckily we did a whole project on that before this so we where mostly orientated on how this was done. The presentation includes things like who the band members are, their target audience, their streaming services, the marketing strategies, and things like the bands logo, album and flyers. We re searched many R&B singers and bands to see how they market and promote their brand to the audience and got some inspiration from that, some of it being creating a website or an instagram page. This project is so fun and interesting to do, this is what we have done so far but we will keep researching and finding out ways to promote out band furthermore.