AICE Media Studies

 I am reflecting on my final task. Here it is.

 After all this time, here is are my titles! Enjoy.

 In my last blog, I discussed working on my animated titles. It was so much fun! Now I'm moving on into the thick of it. Editing is such a tedious process. I can make it through if I lock in and focus.  I'm using capcut to edit again because it is what I am most used to. The software is beginner-friendly and free to use. I've downloaded the desktop version so I can use it on my laptop. Here is my plan: First, I have to sift through the footage to find what I want to keep. I filmed a lot of extra footage to make sure that I had enough. However, this adds a lot of time when it comes to choosing and organizing what I want to use. But, I can figure this out. It's not the first time I've done this! After I finish that, I have to cut and order the clips. This is my least favorite part, because of how long it takes. It's also very precise and takes a lot of focus. After I finish that, I can work on the fun part! I can add a custom filter over all the clips to give them...

  Do you remember how I included an animated title in my storyboard? Well, now is the time I start working on that! Luckily my past self took pity on my soul. (I have been traumatized by overestimating my time constraints in the past) I choose a simple animation! The main issue is finding software that is free and easy to use. I have years of experience with illustration and design, but I have never animated before. Maybe choosing animation wasn't the smartest idea. But, I'm ready to take it on!  I choose to use Krita to animate my title. I have tried this software before, just not for animation. Digital art is such a learning curve, so I am a little nervous about how much time it will take to finish. I'm mostly used to traditional art.  It's now been about 30 minutes since I've started the process of animating and I think I am getting the hang of it! I've sketched out my title on multiple frames. I chose to mimic letter blocks when designing, which means that i...

 After finishing the previous scene, we decided to take a break! We had been filming for a few hours and were getting hungry. We found a place to eat in the location. We all brought food to share! This was a fun breather from working.  Next, after we cleaned our table, we started shooting Cici's scenes. Her scenes take place at a picnic table. We didn't have to move at all! Stuff like this is always convenient. Especially because it was hot. I wanted to avoid anyone getting too tired or getting heat stroke. Health and safety always come first! I never want any of my actors to get hurt. I found another shady location so they can watch us film! Cici's actor was great. It took a little direction at first. However, that is always expected. It's why I am here after all! Siena got it right away though, after a few pointers. She also has experience in theater and acting which streamlined the process. I am so grateful for these wonderful helpers! We finished her scenes fast and...

 After the first scenes we took a break to rest. I wanted to refocus our goals. I reviewed the script with the actors. They seemed totally understanding! Well, for the most part! After, I focused on filming the scenes one by one. Like, by location. So, because we were closest to the main lost forest scene, I choose to move to that one. Filming this scene was very fun. The actors were in a good mood! They were laughing and joking around but not to the extent that they were too much. So first I got Lola into position. We had to make sure that everyone around was silent during filming to not mess up the sound. This made it a little difficult with surrounding noises of cars, but we finished it in a few takes. Lola did a great job of timing and understanding my goals. We make a great duo! Next, I got Juli to film her scene. She is very lively, which I had to focus. However, she has experience in theatre, which made her able to focus when needed. Honestly, I’m surprised she did not sugge...

I finally got to filming! Before I talk about filming I'll discuss the planning leading up to it. In my last blog I mentioned a set back, remember? Well, of course, I had to work it out. So I planned a new date. This date is about 2 weeks from the original, on a saturday. I make sure to check that I have transportation to and from the filming location. The first thing I do after setting this tentative date is confirm with the actors. They all said that they were available. After, I start confirming a day off to-do list and collect all the materials I will need. I am so glad that the date is for sure. I was also so excited to begin filming. On the day off, I grab all of my materials and head to the site a little earlier than the planned filming time. I wanted to confirm that our location is okay. Also, I remind the actors to come in costume. They all arrive quickly and on time. All of my actors are in a good mood and ready to film. First we start off with all of the scenes in the la...

 The dates that I had planned to film did not work out! I feel very stressed about it since I don't want to fall behind. In the meantime, I tried to find the next thing I could do. I rescheduled with my actors to the weekend after the one I originally planned. I love using Google Calendar to plan stuff. I put everything on there, including a list of all the tools I planned to bring. Also, I blocked out the entire schedule for filming and editing on my calendar. I realized that I am so busy this month!! 3rd quarter of school is the worst because I have so much studying. Luckily, I was spared a long weekend and early release day in the coming week. This would be the perfect opportunity to confirm my plan B. In the meantime, I wanted to clarify some styling decisions I made for the film. I want all the characters in the film to dress their age with clear personalities. Luckily, all the actors I cast already have clear personalities to go off of. Because of this, I can just give them a...

 I will be using three fonts for my opening sequence.  1. A hand-drawn font for the title of the movie and main characters. 2. Capital Times New Roman (ex. DIRECTOR) for the roles of crew 3. Itallic all lowercase Times New Roman for names of crew and actors. (ex. julieta lencina) \ I choose these bright colors to contrast with the natural landscape of the setting. The name of the crew member is meant to be the focus of the title. With my hand-drawn title, I plan to make it very colorful and almost sticker-like in order to stand out.  Titles will fade in and out of each scene, and stay on screen for about 5 seconds in order to keep the pace of the film. At this point, I plan to call my film "Park". I choose this name because it is short and will look nice in the stylization I have planned and because most of the film takes place in the natural park landscape.

 SCENE ONE: Opening at the park, characters on a picnic blanket. - CICI: Hey, that's not funny! - LOLA: It's very funny, actually. - JULI: *Laughing* LOLA PICKS UP HER PHONE  - LOLA: My curfew is soon, I have so much homework. - CICI: Same. - JULI: Real. SCENE TWO: JULI IS WALKING ALONE IN THE WOODS. SHE IS WEARING DIFFERENT CLOTHES FROM THE LAST SCENE, INDICATING A DIFFERENT DATE. SHE ALMOST STEPS ON THE BRACLET THAT LOLA WORE IN SCENE ONE. SHE PICKS IT UP TO EXAMINE IT. SCENE THREE:  LOLA IS SITTING ALONE IN THE WOODS WHERE JULI WAS SEARCHING. SHE IS WEARING THE SAME CLOTHES FROM SCENE ONE. SHE IS SITTING ALONE SHAKING. CAMERA ZOOMS ON HER BRACLET WHILE SHE SQUEEZES HER HAND TOGETHER. SCENE FOUR: A HAND IS CONNECTING PICTURES OF THE PARK, LOLA, CICI, THE PICNIC BLANKET, AND WHERE LOLAS BRACELET WAS FOUND BY JULI. THE PICTURES ARE CONNECTED BY RED THREAD. SCENE FIVE:  CICI IS SITTING ALONE WITH HER HEAD DOWN AT A PICNIC TABLE IN THE PARK. SHE IS WEARING THE SAME CLO...

 Here is my storyboard! I choose to do it on paper with watercolor because I am experienced with those materials.

 SCHEDULE: 2/2/24- I will be printing the missing-person posters and recording the scenes with a bulletin board. I will also finalize and prepare costumes and props this day to be ready for filming tomorrow. 2/3/24 - Filming at the park begins. We will be filming almost all of the scenes on this day. 2/4/24 - 3/2/24 - Editing and after-effects will be applied in this period. I have built-in extra time just in case something does not work out and we have to have a change in plans. LOCATION I will be filming both inside of my house and outside at Birch State Park.  PARTICIPANTS: Actors: Juli - Julieta Lencina Lola - Amanda Gonzalez Cici - Siena Cruz Filming Ellis Holland Editing Ellis Holland Directing Ellis Holland Costumes and Make-up Ellis Holland Siena Cruz HEALTH AND SAFETY In order to ensure our safety, I had my parents stick around at the park. They have access to emergency services and a first aid kid. Additionally, the park has an onsite clinic, in case anyone gets hurt...

 This opening sequence includes the titles of the director, producer, actors, musician, and editor. Most of the imagery in this sequence is in the titles themselves, as they are animated with an effect similar to a spider. The font mimics a police report, and flickers and fades while onscreen. In the beginning, all the titles are linked with a capital "A" appearing much like a spider crawling down from its web, which calls back to the title, "Along Came a Spider." The background is primarily obscure flickering blue and green lights but fades into a video of a car driving down a secluded road. This creates a sense of suspense characteristic of a thriller film, making the viewer ask questions about the context of the video. Overall, the opening sequence reveals very little which is just as effective in portraying the genre as one that might be more clearly connected to a storyline.

 This title sequence includes the director, production company, costume designer, producer, and main actors. The entire sequence is computer-generated. However, it seems that it was created to mimic human skin, blood, and bloodstream. We can assume that the viewer is placed inside the veins of a patient at one point in the sequence. Also, it includes a transition where the human skin turns into snakeskin, which foreshadows the plot of the film. The murky green particles and low visibility add to the suspense in the sequence. Additionally, the graphic depictions of unnatural changes in human skin unsettle the viewer. These are textbook examples of the thriller genre.

The opening to the thriller Run Lola Run includes the director, animator, production, and production studio, and the actors of the main characters in the show. This opening prioritizes reoccurring motifs of time and vertexes. They also emphasize quick shots, along with unclear and hazy visuals. There is also a large portion of animation, adding to the unreal feeling of the sequence. They also prioritize images of haste, such as running and quick cuts, which link back to the time motif throughout. This feeling of unease and confusion adds to the conventions we generally see in thrillers, exciting the viewer very quickly. It introduces us to the motifs and overarching storyline of the show, which results in a very effective opening sequence.

A large part of my opening sequence are the titles. Because of this, I have decided to dedicate a large amount of my research to titles. To do this, I will be using a website which compiles a bunch of opening sequences from a variety of films. I choose to use watchthetitles.com to browse title sequences. I am excited to see the diversity in titles. I am focusing on the thriller genre because that genre of my final task. I am curious to how the genre will translate in such a limited amount of time provided by the final task that I am working on. I plan to watch 3 title sequences and record my thoughts. I want to take some risks with my project. I am excited to start!

Welcome back guys, I want to look at a few cinematic examples of the mystery genre to further my research. I'll be exploring Rian Johnson's film "Knives Out" today. Camera Angles Movements and Shots: High Angles Low Angles Tracking Shot Eye Levels Establishing Shots Over-the-Shoulder Shots Point-of-View Shots Two Shots Three Shots Mis-En-Scene Character Wardrobe Natural Lighting Naturalistic Makeup Symbolic Props Mansion Setting Editing Inserts Action Match Jump Cut Shot Reverse Shot Fade Out Sound Non-Diegetic Sound Sound Effects I like a lot of things about the film, like the way the old mansion setting creates a spooky and mysterious atmosphere, the way the angles highlight the power dynamics between the characters and advance the plot, the various props, such as the knife in the study, and the diverse outfits that each character wears that correspond to their personality. But I don't particularly like the chosen music; I think it could have sounded more myster...

  Welcome back guys, next, I'll be exploring Kyle Newacheck’s film "Murder Mystery" today. Camera Angles Movements and Shots: Wide Shots Close-Ups Tracking Shots Pans  Eye Level Shots Zoom Medium Close Ups Two Shot High Angles Low Angles Mis-En-Scene Character Wardrobe Varied Lighting Naturalistic Makeup Mystery-Related Props Cruise  Hotel Editing Insert  Fade-Out  Action Match Sound Suspenseful Soundtrack Score I enjoy the variety of camera angles, movements, and shots that are used to show different ideas, like how they showed everything in the scenario with a wide angle, and their distinct clothing, which emphasized the mystery, like when one of the killers removed her hat. The cruise set, however, I dislike it since it keeps a lot of the mystery contained in that one tiny area, making it seem unnaturally small.

  Welcome back guys, finally, I'll be exploring Harry Bradbeer’s film "Enola Homes". Camera Angles Movements and Shots: Low Angles  High Angles Tracking Shots Wide Shots Close-Ups Long Sots Zoom Eye Level Shots Medium Close-Up Mis-En-Scene: Character Wardrobe Naturalistic Lighting Naturalistic Makeup Period-Specific Props Period Set Design Editing: Jump Cuts  Inserts Shot/Reverse Shots Sound: Score Suspenseful Soundtrack Especially in the chase moments, I enjoy how the tracking shots are used during the action scenes. During investigation scenes, Enola's intelligence and drive are revealed through close-ups of her face. I also like the Victorian England set because it provides some historical detail to the plot. But since Mycroft Holmes is portrayed as an antagonist, I don't like the way he acts. His performance, in my opinion, could have been more strongly emotional.

 It was super interesting researching all these genres. They are all similar and overlap slightly, but they have enough difference to effect a final product. The first genre that I knew I was not going to do was action. Action is usually brash, bloody, and masculine. This does not really fit the vision I had in mind for my movie. This caused me to strike this genre right way! I do think it is a good genre but it is not my favorite. The next genre I am crossing off the list is mystery. I really wanted to do mystery and it was very close to being my genre, however the best part of mystery (the ending) would not be included. If I was doing a longer project then this might've been my choice. So, that leaves thriller! I choose thriller because I really enjoy the conventions of the genre. I think the use of thriller conventions with my project would make a really interesting contrast. This is why I choose this genre!