Group Meeting

 Yesterday I had my first group meeting for our film openings. This was our chance to get feedback from our peers about our openings and what we had planned so far. 

I started out by just going over what I had planned for the opening so far. I talked about each of the scenes in the opening, along with some of the shots I would use. I explained how certain scenes would develop the characters. For example, I explained how the opening dressing up scene would establish the characters as well put together, while also being criminals. 

I then talked about how I discussed with my media teacher how I should incorporate the female character more into the film. I asked my group how they thought I could include more of the character after the alleyway scene. My group members asked me what I imagined the rest of the story being, which is where I realized why I was having trouble coming up with what happens next. I had really only been focusing on the opening to the film, and not what the whole movie should be.

So, my step plan is to figure out what the whole plot of my movie will be, just a general idea, and I think that will make the process so much easier than it has been so far.

Looking at my planned schedule, I'm a little bit farther behind than I would like, however I'm glad I'm taking the extra time to make sure I have a complete and well thought-out story.

Dialogue

 My film opening is very dialogue based, which can be kind of unusual for these kinds of projects. I think this is probably because it can be hard to write good dialogue, as well as visual elements being preferred. Although my opening will use a lot of visual elements for storytelling, I also want to use dialogue for exposition as well as context, and learning about the character. I decided to find some movies with good dialogue that is similar to what I may end up using. 

This first clip from Baby Driver (2017), may seem a bit unusual because of how Baby doesn't pay attention for most of the conversation. However, when Baby explains the plan, it does two things. It shows how Baby really does understand what is going on, and is well prepared. It also tells us what the plan is and lets us know what is happening next in the movie.

The next scene of dialogue I want to show is from Inglorious Basterds (2019). It's one of my favorite movies, but I unfortunately can't import the clip like normal due to it being a teeny bit graphic, so you can watch it here. This bit of dialogue unveils information about who the characters are, as well as letting you know the plan for the rest of the film. 

I want to use the dialogue in my film in a similar way to these examples. I want my dialogue to show who the characters are, some of their traits(such as them being cocky), how skilled they are at their job, and I want the viewer to be able to know exactly what they are about to go try to do. 

Possible Locations

 A crucial part of the planning for the opening is going to be finding good locations for all of the scenes in the opening. Because I live in the suburbs, there aren't that many good locations to film in. However, I did think of a few that I can use for some scenes.

The Alleyway

By far the hardest part was finding a good alley in my hometown. As you may have guessed, there aren't many intimidating dark alleys in my home town that looks like this. 

However, after some searching, I found what I think is suitable location. It's a passageway behind my local movie theater that is pretty dark, and although it's not technically an alley I think it would still work. 

I didn't have time to go out and take a picture of it myself, so take this google maps street view in the meantime. 

The Diner

Although I'm not sure if I will actually end up having a diner in my opening, in the chance I do, I found a few locations. 

This is the first one I found, which I would give the name, but I won't so I don't dox myself. It's a local diner that's been there for a while, but there's not much special about it. The second one I found is one with a 50s aesthetic, which I like a lot more. (Also the food is better, which doesn't matter for the film but worth noting). 

Out in Town

There is a scene where the characters are walking around in town talking to each other. For this part, I need a background that looks like the kind of place where there are gangs and crime. My hometown doesn't look like that, which don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for, but it makes it hard to film here. The only possible location in my town would be the town center. However, it's a little too cheerful for my purposes. However, it will work if I can't find a different location. 

I do think that I could make the bright colors work if I needed to, as I could make it part of the aesthetic. 

The Idea

So it's about time I finally have a concrete plan for what my film opening will actually be. As you know, the genre I am going for is Drama/Thriller/Crime. So, here was my original idea, and then I'll go through some changes that will be made. 

The Original Plan

The film would start off by introducing two people getting ready in the morning. As we watch them getting ready, we would establish two things about them. One, by showing them getting into suits, putting on nice watches, sunglasses, we would establish they are professional and have a good amount of money. The second thing we would see is them taking knives/brass knuckles, or some other kind of weapon to establish they are criminals. 

The next part of the original plan was to have the characters meet somewhere, such as a diner, where they would meet with someone. This person would tell them about a task their boss has told them to do. They are told to get something important from a girl carrying it. (What she has is to be decided later).

When they find the girl, they take her into an alley and tell her to hand over the item so she doesn't have to get hurt. The next shot would be her walking out of the alley, and the camera would pan to find both of the men on the ground, unconscious.

The Revised Plan

After discussing the plan with my media teacher, we came up with a few revisions to make the plot make more sense, as well as being easier to film. 

The girl clearly is the most interesting character in the opening. There is lots of mystery behind her, because how could this girl, (who is small and short compared to the two men), able to beat them in a fight so easily? This is why I'm going have part of the opening spend more time on the girl, perhaps introduce the character in some way. We also decided that it would be smart to cut out the diner scene, for both time purposes, as well as me avoiding having to call a local diner and ask for permission to film. 

Within the next week, I will figure out exactly what is going to happen, and then write the script for the opening.

 

Music and Mood

 I want to be able to set the mood of the opening right away with the song that I choose to use. A film that uses music to set the film amazingly is the film Almost Famous (2000). Here is a clip from one part of the movie. The song Misty Mountain Hop by Led Zeppelin fits the mood super well, the upbeat beat and lyrics matching the fun the characters are having in New York, as well as matching their conversation. 

Then in a later part of the movie, a part that is more somber, they play Tiny Dancer by Elton John. It marks a part of the story where the good times are coming to an end. 

Another movie that uses music to set the mood very well is the movie Joker (2019). In the end, when the city is in chaos, the song White Room by Cream plays, a hard rock song that has lyrics that reflect going insane. 

For my opening, I want the music that plays to introduce my characters as important or cool. I also want to make sure the song I use could be good for music sync. One song that could be good for this is Sing Child by Heart. 

Another great song for this could be Sunshine of Your Love by Cream. 

Both of these songs also have the benefit of having good instrumentals, and being fairly easy to play, meaning it would be very possible to cover these songs if I wanted to use them.  

Project Schedule

 One of the most important parts of a project going to plan is, well, actually having a plan. And an important part of having a good plan is having a good schedule for the project. I've constructed a project schedule to help me stay on track.

• Week Three:
•  Finalize Idea
• start on script
• write storyboard
• Week Four
• find song for opening
• finalize storyboard
• Week Five
• Find location
• Find actors
• Plan on filming date
• Week Six
• possibly record cover song
• find fonts
• prepare custom design/props
• school trip*
• Week Seven
• finish school trip
• start filming
• Week Eight
• finish filming project
• start editing
• Week Nine
• finish editing
• graphics
• peer review
• final reflection

It may seem unusual how late filming is in the plan. The reason for this is something called Student Television Network. Every year, they hold a competition called Crazy 8, in which schools compete to create an 8 minute news package in just 8 hours. We are given a prompt, and we must make all the news stories fit the prompt. We must then find something in the local area of Long Beach, California, where the competition is held, and write, film, and edit the entire thing. My team practices every weekend for ten hours for this competition, meaning I won' t have enough time on a weekend to film until after March 18th. This is why lots of planning is important to make sure I will be able to fully film on time.

There is a chance I will find time to film parts I can film before the competition, in which case I will post how it changes my plan.

Some Inspirations

     After going through a few potential ideas, I have decided the genre I want is Action/Thriller. I want to do this genre because of the artistic style I want to use. A movie that I really love the opening to is Baby Driver (2017) by Edgar Wright. The movie opens up with a car chase scene as they try to get away from robbing a bank. However, right before the chase, we see Baby in the car waiting for his associates to rob the bank. Here, we get introduced to the character with his interaction with the music . The opening credits to the movie in the next scene are done super stylized. Every. Single. Little. Action is synced to the music that is playing. I love the idea of setting up the mood of the film with the song that is playing.

    While I love how every movement is synced with the music, I don't want to do a long shot as my opening take. When I use whichever song I choose, I want to sync the music with both cuts and movement.

I really want the shots in the opening to feel well placed. There are times when I'm watching a movie or tv show, and I look at the shots and think to myself, "Wow that looks really good". You can make any shot make people think that if you frame it well. A good example of a film that does this a lot is Pulp Fiction, although most of Tarantino's movies are shot very well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsfIB98b-8c

When I make a storyboard for my opening, I will spend a lot of time planning out each shot so every shot looks carefully planned and pleasing to look at.

Week One Post 1

 As we begin the next stage of our class, we are moving on to the film opening portfolio project. This has been something I have been looking forward to all year, as I have always wanted to create something like this. I'm currently thinking that I want to work on this project alone, because I want to both be able to get all of my ideas onto the screen, as well as seeing my abilities as a filmmaker. 

My current plan for the project is that once I figure out what I want my story to be, I will work hard to make sure I have a good plan for the project. I don't want the filming or editing process to be rushed for this project. I want to have a good shot list that I can stick by, to make sure that I can get as close as possible to what I envision. 

I think the hardest part of the planning for me is set design and a location. There are many ideas that I have that would require filming at a place such as a dinner or dark alleyway. That is an element that would require a lot of planning in advanced to make the project workout. 

Music Marketing Post #2

     When we were first assigned the genre, we started off with our cases studies on the genre. We analyzed the different bands images and how they portrayed themselves for their brand. We learned about how different bands like to express themselves with their lyrics and videos.    

    For the music video, we decided that a promo was the best option for our band. This is because a band just starting out wouldn't have the resources to spend more on a music video. We also would want to use a promo to develop our brand. A promo would allow us to introduce the band members to the world, as well as portraying the band as rebellious and crazy.