Week Three - Actors

My friends that could act as characters in my film opening are all busy people; half of them are in college and I feel a little guilty asking them to take a day or two out of their life to help me with my project. They have work and other home obligations among other things, or being in college gives us such a dramatic distance apart that I doubt they'd be able to come down here.

However, they're the only people I've got unless I want to change around my whole plot and cut it down to one character. Even then, I'd need somebody else to either film or be an actor while I direct them, but either way I need the help of other people. I'm just concerned with their ability to help, and what I'll do if it doesn't work out and I'm left stranded.

If my friends can act in my production I'd be very glad because they are all so different, and in terms of representation and creating something unique they'd be a big help to me. They're between the ages 16-18, which is around the age of my target audience. I feel that this can be helpful in creating viewer empathy with my younger viewers around that age.

Week Three - Plot

I haven't had a chance to stop by any dollar stores yet, but instead I've been doing a lot of thinking about my film opening. I have the time now to mold the perfect idea, but I can never come up with ideas that I like on the spot. I'm trying to use Thriller/Horror films as inspiration to find something that really sticks with me, but for now I'm just trying to improve my picnic date idea. 

As I said before, this couple are planning the murder of a certain target. I want this to all be revealed within the opening obviously, and hopefully include a little shock value. I don't have any older young adult friends, so the people acting as my characters will be teens. It's dramatic, and as I can imagine would be problematic in the rest of the film- but lucky for me I don't have to film all that. 

I'm still mulling over my options for how they want to murder their target, and how exactly I'm going to convey all of this within two minutes. I thought that one of the characters could have a journal or "plans" of some sort that they discuss while at the picnic, or that they show while talking. I want to be subtle, but I worry that my audience won't understand and completely miss the point of my film opening. It's happened before, so my guess is that it could happen again. 

Next week we're having a group meeting so that my classmates and I can help each other with our projects- I know it'll be helpful, but I'll keep brainstorming until I can get some fresh ideas from them.

Week Three - Progress

I want my film opening to have an aesthetic/vintage aspect to it while still keeping it simple. As much as I want to go overboard and make my project astonishing, I need to stick to reality and just manage what I can do. Previously, I wanted to go online and order my props, clothes etc. but I was suggested by a classmate to hit up a couple dollar stores and see what they have; which is ingenious, by the way, I never would have thought about that. Hopefully they have things that aren't too obviously cheap.

Week Two - Storyboard

This isn't a final storyboard, nor is it the first one I've made but I thought I'd put something together anyways. My classmates have told me that storyboards have really helped them get their ideas together, and it has. I still have more to figure out but I like what I've got going so far. 

Week Two - Planning

It feels like I have a short amount of time to plan and film this project. It's given me a lot of anxiety; I'm not a professional filmmaker and don't have all the resources I need to make my production look good. I'd like to think I have confidence in my surroundings, but suburbia is boring and I'm not able to drive myself out to cool looking places to film, and I fear that those that can drive me won't be reliable. I seem to be good at finding all the problems but none of the solutions.

Once I settle on an idea for my setting, I'm going to try and film primarily over the weekends or any days that I don't have school. It also depends on the actors that I'm going to be using and what days they're available, but idealistically I'll be able to use actors that have pretty open schedules and maybe their own rides.

For right now I think I've settled on the idea of using three actors; two posing as the couple and the third posing as the character that the couple is targeting. It doesn't matter to me the sexes of the characters. What matters to me more is that they fit the vibe I'm looking for. They should look like average people, but at the least they need to be able to act and convince the viewers that the emotions they're displaying are real.

I'm going to ask my friends if any of them could pose as characters in my film opening. I do have friends that are legitimately a couple, and maybe this authenticity could come across well in my film, however one of the two is at FSU and the distance would be nearly impossible to schedule filming dates where it's convenient for the both of us.

I thought more than once that I could pose as one of the characters, not only because it's fun but it would make choosing actors simpler; however I want to be the one filming to get my vision across as closely as possible. Maybe I just don't trust other people enough to let someone else film, but who knows, I may be short on actors and need to take a loophole. I've settled on the idea that, if I really need to, I could pose as the character that the couple is planning on killing, as I'm not sure this character would really be filmed yet, but instead the couple would have physical pictures of the character.

I'm going to need a lot of props to capture the aesthetic I want this project to emulate. I want everything regarding mise-en-scene to be meticulous; the dishes and food needs to be within a certain color scheme, and definitely within the same brand to show that this couple likes to remain organized down to the last point. They're not only wishing for their get together to be perfect, but their plans for killing this other person should show the same amount of care and attention. The characters' costume designs should be within this same realm. Considering that the setting is placed outside, I wanted everything to be dainty and floral patterned, including the dishware and their clothing, their bags etc. I have to shop a little bit to make sure I have all the materials I need.

Week Two - Research

Unfortunately, film ideas don't come to me as easily as other forms of art. It's frustrating and although I seem to be forming some kind of an original concept, I still feel dissatisfied with it. It's even more frustrating because I really enjoy thrillers, and I want to capture these genre characteristics in an effective way.

I want my film opening to be a thriller with the main characters established as a couple. My problem lies in what I want the conflict to be within their story. I've gotten outside counsel from friends and family members and they were able to give me ideas for a conflict, but they all sound like things that have been done before. I want to create something different that can incite emotion in the viewers, but not be too outrageous that it's just weird and turns people off. Maybe I'm just biting off more than I can chew, but I want the end result to be impressive, or at least something I'm proud of. 

My first instinct was to have this couple kidnap somebody or try and get away with a murder, but I know this has been done before and I'm afraid my film will be too similar. I thought of ways to skew that, for instance where the couple accidentally murders someone/is acting in self defense, or one of them ends up killing the other (whether it's established as premeditated or not) to throw my viewers off guard. Or I could establish that one of the characters is imagining their partner and hint that something's obviously wrong up until that point using camera techniques and sound elements to create unease. I want to focus on the couple and their interest in each other while still including elements of a thriller, playing with lighting and camera angles/shots to make a normally romantic scene seem eerie, like something's off.

An idea that I was seriously interested in using is making these couple of characters be at a picnic or a date of some sort. They're at a setting such as a park, where there's still people around but there's still open space to talk/move freely, or perhaps they even isolate themselves from everybody. Their dialogue and comfort with each other will be established early on to establish they're in a relationship and have been for some time.

I'm playing with different concepts in this setting, such as one of the characters begins setting up objects for their date while waiting for the second character to arrive; a picnic blanket or tablecloth on the ground, an assortment of different foods, drinks and their bag. My plan is to make this scene look playfully innocent as opposed to what the couple is actually meeting there for to discuss. When the second character arrives they greet and begin unpacking notebooks, pencils and different colored pens, maps, pictures, etc.

Depending on the music choice, I could edit shots matching the beat of the song, switching between shots of the characters doing cutesy couple stuff and planning the elaborate murder of another person. I've also considered putting a speaker or mp3 player of some sort in the scene to play the music of my choice, showing that the music is diegetic although it may sound at times non-diegetic.

I think that this juxtaposition between the thriller/romance scene contents can be effective in bringing out certain feelings of unease in my audience, especially if the music is chosen correctly; in terms of music I'm thinking about something simple.

I do have certain songs in mind, such as Tongues by The Frights, Michelle by Sir Chloe, Where Evil Grows by The Poppy Family, or Colour Fade by Funeral Suits. I would have to contact them and get permission to use their song in my film opening, but because I haven't settled on a specific song yet I've yet to contact them. I'm aware that I have only a certain amount of time to do this project, and it may take a while for them to approve of me using their music, but I tend to take a long while to consider all of my options thoroughly. I thought of these songs specifically not only because their meanings connect to my film content, but the beat of each song brings something different to the table in terms of how I'll edit. I've also seriously considered using more lowkey, instrumental music to make certain scenes silent to emphasize their dialogue or certain actions.

Week One - Film Opening Examples

Get Out (Jordan Peele, 2017)

In Get Out, a couple reaches the "meet the parents" milestone of dating. The girlfriend (Rose) invites her boyfriend (Chris) to stay at her parents' house upstate for the weekend. At first it seems like her parents' nervous attempts to accommodate him are due to the adjusting of their daughter's interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses Chris discovers a series of truths he never would've imagined. Jordan Peele uses close ups to focus more intensely on the emotions of the characters and relies heavily on mise-en-scene and sound, as most thriller films do. He uses a color palette specific to the theme of the movie which he shows through costume design and lighting; red is used to represent danger and bloodshed, and blue to represent the more psychological aspects of the film. 

This film opening shows a man walking through a suburb at night talking to his significant other on the phone about directions to her house. Once he hangs up, a car drives by and Peele shows in the background, unbeknownst to the character, that they've turned around and are following him. As the car stops beside him, eerie music is playing loudly from the inside. They continue following him and he decides quickly to turn around the other way he came and crosses the street. As he does he realizes the door to the car is open; the music gets louder as he turns around, emphasizing his fear as the stranger comes up behind him and chokes him until he passes out. The stranger drags him to their car and puts him in their trunk, and when the assailant closes the car door the music stops. 

The credit scene alludes more to the main characters, showing a long POV shot of trees passing by from a car window, representing the long, dreary car ride the couple is going to take upstate. The rest of the opening establishes background information that's revealed later on in the movie, alluding to a major conflict.

A Quiet Place (John Krasinski, 2018)

A Quiet Place takes place in a world where mysterious creatures who hunt by detecting sound will kill anything that makes the slightest of noise. A family must live in complete silence to survive, protecting each other while also trying to find a way to fight back. The movie has minimal dialogue and uses only diegetic sound as the protagonists use sign language throughout the film. This produces thrill and terror when there are louder sounds, as they stand out. Krasinski uses costume design and the color red to emphasize feelings of danger and depth in the audience, utilizing the nature around them and the color green to contrast with feelings of tranquility and hope. 

The opening to A Quiet Place begins with a black screen displaying "Day 89" with low, eerie music, hinting to the conflict of the film. This cuts to an abandoned town and the inside of a store where kids are running through. The characters are introduced, showing a teen girl wearing a hearing aid and her two younger brothers followed by their mother and father. It's established that they communicate in sign language and pay special attention to making sure they make no sound whatsoever. A lot of background information is established, showing they've made their own way of life in order to survive, and that the youngest child is too young to understand they need to be silent. 

The use of sound elements by Krasinksi is excellent, the music adding depth/dread or whimsy where dialogue could be; for example the youngest took a toy rocket with batteries in it, and on their way home from the store, had turned it on and made noise. Intense music picks up as the father puts his things down and runs towards him, then stops as a creature runs towards the boy and kills him, taking him offscreen. The title is shown for a short period of time coupled with low music, made after sand is thrown on screen to reinforce their way of safe travel.

Us (Jordan Peele, 2019)

Adelaide Wilson, accompanied by her husband, son and daughter, return to the beach house front where she grew up as a child. Haunted by a traumatic experience from her past, she becomes increasingly anxious that something terrible is about to happen and realizes her worst fears have come true when four masked strangers come to her house at night. When the masks come off, the Wilsons are horrified to realize each stranger takes the appearance of one of them, forcing them into a fight for survival. Peele uses humor in Us to build tension and anticipation, which is incredibly effective. His use of color and mise-en-scene, similar to Get Out is symbolic of the theme of the movie; he uses red in his costume design to represent death and danger and uses lighting to create sinister undertones between characters. His use of sound works to invoke terror in the audience as well, using music and silence to build suspense when necessary. 

The opening to Us is long. It begins with a small excerpt, followed by a TV advertising an organization and a Santa Cruz boardwalk, revealing the setting and timeframe of the movie. This is reinforced when it cuts to the next scene and introduces the main character as a young girl at a carnival there with her parents; it's nighttime, making the lighting all that more dramatic as the sky is pitch black. She walks off when her parents aren't watching her and ends up in a fun house, where she runs into another little girl that looks exactly like her, introducing the conflict of the movie early on. 

During the credit scene that follows right after, the camera zooms out on an extreme close up of a bunny, revealing a room full wall to wall of rabbits in cages, and tables with chairs filling the room; the choice of music is dramatic and operatic. Both the sound elements and film content are meant to give an eerie feeling to the audience. The red font of the title and credits are important to reinforce the theme of the movie being a psychological thriller as well. 

Week One - Thriller Research

When this portfolio project was first assigned, I had no idea what I was going to do for it. I tried to take into consideration things that I've been through that I can relate to, and therefore make my film opening more raw or emotional, but I don't think the world's ready for that level of transparency with me yet. Maybe one day.

Yet I still find myself drawn to vulnerable, gut-wrenching genres such as romance and thrillers. Although I can't find my idea fitting solidly in either genre yet, I'm going to compile research here concerning thrillers and hopefully that'll lead me on a path to seeing my vision more clearly.

Thriller Genre Conventions

Thrillers are generally targeted towards young adults (15-21 year olds) because they're invested in the plot and enjoy feeling suspense and mystery. Movies in this genre do this by keeping the audience alert and on the edge of their seat, using editing and camera movements and techniques as well as various mise-en-scene elements, and most importantly sound to create anticipation and thrill the audience. 

Movies in the thriller genre all share key elements concerning the plot. They tend to follow certain themes of death, reality, identity, existence and purpose. The protagonist is set against a problem that they need to solve, providing action scenes, character development and multiple points of view throughout the film. The protagonist's needs, wants and fears should also be established early on to create viewer empathy/concern, making the impending danger and escalating tension in the film all the more impactful. Flashbacks can also be utilized for this same reason to give the audience insight on why characters are the way they are. Humor can be used to add tension too. 

Using suggestive camera angles, framing for emotion and showing what the characters don't see can also help reinforce anticipation in the viewers. Backlighting helps give a sense of mystery by creating silhouettes and low key lighting adds shadows that create a sinister tone, which adds fear and tension. Quick edits/camera angle changes during significant scenes also accomplish this. When it comes to sound, music is important; it can be eerie, create high tension or be silent. Silence can be especially effective at thrilling the audience. Mise-en-scene is also important to emphasize the theme of the film, for example using popular thriller colors such as red, black, dark blues and purples.

Week One - Music

Indie/Alternative Rock

Some popular trends with artists in this genre are mainly based online; this involves using different social media platforms and holding a website where all of the artists' information can be put in one place. Digital distribution of music through various streaming apps is also popular, as well as distributing videos on sites such as Youtube. Live shows and festival appearances also aid in marketing a music group. Our case studies, Foster The People and The Neighbourhood, both use websites as a hub for all their information mainly utilizing Youtube to store their music videos. Foster The People has performed in 15 festivals since 2017 and The Neighbourhood in various festivals such as Edgefesr and Osheaga. 

My group chose to develop the brand of our artist by relating to our target audience, which is primarily 15 to 24 year olds. Firstly we decided to use the artist's name to lure fans in, using "IndieVidual" as a play on words to the genre of music he plays but also to point out that this artist is a one of a kind individual. We used our various social media platforms to reach out to them (Youtube, Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, Spotify) as well as using our merchandise to interest our fans, such as our various sweaters and wristbands that can be won by entering a raffle on Twitter. They could also win free tickets to a show of ours or polaroids and their own polaroid camera.

My group and I created several types of merchandise to market IndieVidual; hoodies with different designs on them, shirts and wristbands are available on our website and in select stores (Spencers, Hot Topic). Below are examples of the hoodies with colorful logos of the artist, Adam Dalton, as well as a T-shirt with another one of his logos to give his fans a variety of things to choose from.

Through this project, I learned that video production is more difficult than I thought. There's also a lot of creative freedom and mobility when filming and editing together a music video, and I enjoyed this aspect quite a bit. While I wasn't able to utilize this exactly to my full potential I was still able to put together something engaging that captured the vibe of our artist, and kept in mind techniques that I could use in the future.

Everything that's put into a marketing campaign is done with finite purpose down to the last detail to ensure that the target audience is drawn in by the content they're seeing. I had to pay special attention to this concept while creating a marketing and distribution campaign with my partners, specifically noting mise-en-scene elements and meanings behind color, costume design, set design and lighting to center around that Indie vibe of being hipster and not sticking to the status quo. Everything had to be cohesive to make our message clear with our audience that this was someone to become invested in. 

Needless to say I still have a lot of work and exploring with film to do, however this project gave me necessary insight into the struggles of film making and the accomplishment from creating something different and sharing it with other like minded people.