Today I met up with a group of 5 people in my media studies class to talk about our projects. It was really helpful talking about our ideas and seeing how helping another solve their problem helps with our own problems. The other people in my group had problems with scheduling, plot ideas, and even just how to start the opening scene. What I learned from their problems were that I'm on the right track when it comes to time management. I've been posting lately, and I'm almost done with pre-production planning. Some other people still don't have a storyboard or an outline of what they are going to do. I also realized I should look at more mystery films, just to get a better idea of how to execute this film opening.
When we were reviewing my blog and ideas, everyone said they really like the idea, but they thought it was pretty abrupt of an opening. I think I might add a shot of Genova coming into the room, sitting down, and then start the whole montage. When I was planning, I was thinking, "Oh, like a tv show opening where there's a scene before hand and then the intro" but I know realize it has to be the actual first 2 minutes. So, I'll add more of an opening shot. Maybe even before the sitting down shot, I could add an establishing shot of the building she lives in. I have a competition in LA in 2 weeks, so I can film a building there. It might not be NYC, like it is in the plot, but I could fake it. I'm in Hollywood after all!
Somone also mentioned it could be like the opening for A Series of Unfortunate Events and I looked it up and it's almost exactly like what I had envisioned. Obviously, it won't be about "unfortunate events" but instead of dancer disappearances in NYC.
Alrighty then! Next step in my project is to storyboard it. Storyboards help organize ideas and give you a visual, no matter how bad you are at drawing. Not only are they helpful in the pre-production stage, when getting your thoughts in order, but also in the production stage. When you are out there filming, having your storyboard can be like your anchor. It can get overwhelming and you yourself don't know what shots you need, what you should film, ect. However, using a storyboard can help show you what shots you thought were a good idea and what shots had a purpose in moving the story along.
I figured that I should probably focus on my main character's personality and things she holds dear, because it is what defines her. This should be present during the intro, at least a little bit. Plus, hints of her personality and possessions can be used in the montage when showcasing different objects and cutting from one thing to the next.
I feel like her color palette should include blues, reds, pinks (for ballet reasons), blacks, and oranges. It would mark her intelligence, passion, wealth, and adrenaline seeking side. As I previously stated, I want her to be a blonde (it doesn't have to be that blonde but maybe a dirty blonde, enough to please the blondes but also relate to the brunettes out there) and preferably with light eyes (so that honestly the shots involving eyes for the intro would look cool with the lighting). I want her to have a necklace of some sort that she fumbles with each time she is deep in thought, which is often. With clothing, I want her to be all preppy whenever she is in dance, but her street clothing can be large T-shirts and jeans. There's no need for crop tops in her character and the storyline. I feel like the contrasting looks represent her two different lives and how shocking it is to her to see them connect all of a sudden with the disappearances.
Genova's Mood Board
Created by me on Canva!
As for the setting, it will take place in a boarding school for dance in a big city. Although I don't go to boarding school, I am currently doing research on what life is like for dancers that do this. I follow a pointe shoe brand, Russian Pointe, on their Instagram. They have ambassadors that take over the page's stories and they are mostly young adults/teenagers that go to foreign academies and live there for a little while. They live with other dancers that dance there. They do a day in the life blogs and so on. I feel like it is a good source to hear from these people themselves because they are all equally as passionate about dance as my main character. Obviously, one would find the place boring if they didn't have a passion from dance. I am also aware that social media, no matter what platform, can be a little misleading at times. That is why I also am asking my dancer friends, that have gone and slept at ballet summer intensives in other cities and even one who moved to New York City to dance at ABT, for their experiences; to make the feeling and tone more authentic.
Alrighty! So, I have figured out my genre and sub-genre. Genre: Drama. Sub-genre: Mystery. Now I just have to create a plot to it, even if I am making a montage of sorts, because it needs to introduce a film that does actually have a plot.
The main character, let's call her Genova, is a dancer and is passionate about ballet. She lives in a big city and is currently going to a dance academy there and is living in one of their boarding houses. Therefore, she has no family around (none to stop her from investigating). Dance, however, is not this girl's only interest. Her dad used to be in the FBI, and she can never stop herself from listening in to the police radio. She always wants to know if she can solve a crime faster than they can. It was kind of a game for her. However, when dancers start missing from her own studio, including one of her best friends, she starts to realize how very real these crimes can be. She decides to investigate and is horrified by the things she finds... eventually solving the crime, but at what cost? Now obviously, all this won't be revealed before and during the opening credits, but it helps build context for the intro, and helps make sure it doesn't stray too far from the main theme of the movie.
For the intro plot I was thinking, maybe it can start off with one of those boards with the red string connecting everything. That can be our main focus in the montage. It can cut to other stuff that foreshadows the plot; For example, since I'm making it dance related, it can cut to a bloody pointe shoe, or one cut up into pieces. It can then cut to a "newspaper" clipping with a heading of missing ballerinas and so on. Every so often it can cut back to the board, or zoomed in pieces of the board, which holds clues and connections between all the missing dancers. It could hold papers in their handwriting, pictures of them on and off stage, a list of people they are close too, etc. There could be some extremely close ups of the main character studying the board, and their hands taking things off and adding things on. It can all be to the beat of the music and using special effects, such as glitches to make it seem more engaging. All of this would be showing the credits too.
So, I have multiple ideas I want to try. First, I want to come up with an overall plot for an entire film and then decide what film opening would be the best choice for it.
Things I want to my film to include:
Make it a drama that isn't only about the main character but an issue on something bigger.
Make it about a girl with a dream/passion
Discussion of topics involving real world issues (or at least focus on one).
Make it a montage (I feel like they are more engaging with the fast pacing.
I am currently reading a fiction book, on a friend's recommendation, called Stalking Jack the Ripper, and is a murder mystery book, and I am quite enjoying it. I was thinking that maybe I can do a murder mystery type of intro (well maybe not murder mystery, but it could be a mystery drama). I don't want the mystery to be the sole focus of the "film" so maybe I can incorporate dance into it somehow. Maybe the main character is a dancer, and she has to solve the mysterious disappearances of people that are related to the sport or something like that.
Stalking Jack the Ripper Book Cover
I also just finished watching a new show on Netflix called Lockwood & Co. and it is basically about ghost hunters. I feel like the intro for the episodes really could work as an example for what I want to do. It shows clippings and "old" photos suggesting disappearances and the supernatural. It also does a good job of suggesting the main characters themselves have to figure out the mystery. Watching this intro also reminded me of the Black Widow intro. Even though Black Widow isn't a mystery, it uses quick pacing and glitches to suggest something is wrong and shows enough context to show that people go missing, even though the main characters know why. Maybe I can learn how to create those glitches when I do my intro. Both intros can be my sample intros when I create my storyboard for mine. I would like to make a montage, just like the previous openings stated, because I honestly feel like it gives the audience a sense of what is going on, but especially in this mystery drama genre, enough to not to spoil the plot.
I figured that, with all the ideas in my head, I first have to be I have to be organized. So, I'm going to create a schedule for the next six weeks:
Week 1
Keep planning
Find interesting ideas
Narrow down plots
Create a storyboard
Create shot list
Create a plot list
Finalize character
Create character wardrobe
Find useful things
Week 2
Get critiques on my ideas
Revise project
Start filming process
Make a filming schedule
Week 3
Finish filming
Experiment to see what works in shots and composition
By the end of the week start editing project
Week 4
Edit
Figure out how to use graphics
Week 5
Editing
CCR creation
Week 6
Finish editing
Reflect on production and post-production process
The reason I'm spreading editing over the course of weeks 3-6 is because I have extracurriculars, rehearsals, my drama show, an out of state competition, and a family trip in the span of those four weeks. I'm still going to work continuously, but I just want to be safe.
I think it would be the latter. Being perfect is great, but in order to fully gain the trust and love of someone (including your target audience), you have to show humanity. Why do you think that when asked to name their favorite character, most people state the comic relief character? They are far from perfect and have many problems, yet in spite of all that they stay true to humanity and always find a way to cope with their issues.
Stiles Stilinski (Teen Wolf) Luis (Ant-Man)
Sokka (Avatar The Last Airbender)
Most people dislike main characters, saying they are "try Hards" or "whiny when they had everything made in the shade." However, when a person is able to connect with the character, they subconsciously feel the need to protect them when their friends, or anyone in general, talks bad about them or if they die on screen. This is what I want to achieve with my character. I want her to be female, seeing as to most of the consumers would be most likely be female since it isn't an action film. Her personality can be sarcastic yet not too much that it gets annoying. Sarcasm is the language of Gen Z, and most people understand what it is. She can also be compassionate as well as passionate. Nobody wants a cold and indifferent character, especially as the lead of a film. I want her to be a leader and genuinely care about her family and friends and be able to lean on them for support. I want her passionate about what she does. Whether dance, singing, volunteering, or whatever is important to the plot I come up with, I want her to be determined to be the best she can be and enjoy doing it.
As far as appearances go, I want to go with a blonde character. As a blonde myself, I can attest that it doesn't feel good to have all characters that look like you be either obsessed only with fashion, non-intelligent, or the antagonist. There are a lot of movies that portray them like this: Mean Girls, Clueless, etc. I feel like a lot more girls could connect to the character if she was blonde, and maybe even people that aren't blonde could stop stereo typing blondes. I would love to have characters of different ethnicities and cultures be a major part of the film as well. I just want to create something that any kid could look at and me like "Hey! That's Me!" and love it.
Since I posted my last post, I have added one new genre to the list: drama. A lot of amazing movies come from this genre, I've come to realize through some research. Seeing movies like Top Gun: Maverick,which I recently watched with my cousins, and any coming-of-age film showed me how diverse drama can be and how many different routes you could go with it. Now my three options for the 2-minute movie intro genre are horror, musical, and drama. I am going to do research on all three and see which seems like the best fit for me.
Horror
Boo! Did I get you? Probably not...but it's ok. That's as much knowledge I have of creating fear. Yes, I did some research, but realized as much as I love to scare people, the horror genre is not my thing.
The two videos above are the opening scenes to two famous horror movies: Scream (1996) and The Conjuring (2013). If, and when, you click on them you'll come to realize they are both over 10 minutes long. This is done so that the suspense is able to build up and a clear introduction of the issue at hand is possible. The portfolio project, on the other hand, can only be 2-minutes long. I would be able to compress the suspense aspect into 2 minutes, but it wouldn't build up the way it should. It would not amount to be scary in the audiences' eye, until possibly later in the film. I like how both openings confuse you until, little by little, context is given. I could incorporate that in my intro somehow (and in a not so dark tone), whatever genre I choose, to keep audiences on their toes.
Musical
I have previously done a post regarding the musical genre, because I just love to sing my heart out! Some key points to include in a musical film intro: a musical number, colorful visuals, colorful costumes, and a foreshadowing of a romance (in most cases).
This opening scene is from the movie La La Land. It uses, for the most part, a really long take to show how everything is connected; the emotions of the people on that highway and eventually the two main characters. Most people are also wearing a colorful and bright color palette to categorize, if you couldn't already tell, the movie as a musical and imply that everything is working fine, except for what is going on with the two main characters who aren't wearing bright colors. I have seen similar openings like that of West Side Story (West Side Story (2021) - Opening Scene - YouTube) and The Greatest Showman (The Greatest Showman - The Greatest Show : Opening scene (Official Video) - YouTube) which vary on how they approach the opening, but they all include a choreographed sequence to an original song. I don't have the ability to make my own music, and asking for permission from another composer or artist might not work out if they don't answer in time. So, I don't think going with the musical option is the best course of action. However, I do like the idea of foreshadowing the plot of the story, which I might incorporate into my intro, like in the La La Land and West Side Stroy examples. I also like how in the Greatest Showman, they start off all cheerful and it looks like the main character achieved a dream of there's yet everything seems to fade away towards the end, revealing it wasn't real. I feel like this idea in particular could be a cool idea if I wanted to stick with an intro involving dance and a dream about being the best, or something like that.
Drama (We Have A Winner!)
This genre, I feel like, has the most potential for a two-minute film opening. Not only is it a genre I that I thoroughly enjoy, it also has many sub genres one can enjoy ranging from coming of age to tragedy.
It is pretty easy to do only two minutes' worth of content and I'd have more liberty with what I want to do. I can talk about real world issues, issues important to me, or even just make a lighthearted piece. I can start off with a song, like a musical, if I wanted to, or even build suspense. For example in Vertigo, (Vertigo Opening Scene - Rooftop Chase - YouTube) they build tension, without outright spoiling the movie or telling you the plot. It is a chase scene, without the movie being considered action. That is what I mean when I say that with this genre, I have creative liberty.
Today I start my portfolio project journey. I've heard rumors of what the project was, and had many ideas come to mind on what it could be. Well, this week I found out what it was: A 2-minute movie intro! How cool is that? I have been brainstorming what I could do and researching openings from various movies. But first comes first, I need to pick a genre. There are so many options to choose from: Action, fantasy, horror, musical, adventure, comedy, drama, crime & gangster, war, western, science fiction, and historical.
I mostly watch fantasy and dystopian movies, I like the escapism it allows you to achieve, but I know that might be a little difficult to accomplish with the resources at my disposal. I was thinking maybe to do a musical or a horror piece. I am currently a dancer that dances for a local studio and does Royal Acadamy of Dance examinations every year. I am also enrolled in the musical theatre program at my school. I know a lot about those aspects, and they could be perfect for the musical genre. The point of creating something authentic is to truly understand the content, right? For horror, I was thinking I could use my knowledge of these things and twist the story a little bit, like in Black Swan.
I have my ideas, but another question pops up; How will I be able to put my idea of choice into a two-minute video? That requires more planning that will come in the following weeks and research that will be done next week. I am just really excited to start this project and let my creativity have a go at doing something I enjoy.
There were many steps in completing this project: research, brainstorming, planning, production, post-production, presentation. All components in making the final product of the project were equally important and one could not have been possible without the other. Our music marketing campaign discussed our made-up client, Avalon, and her song "Send My Love." The song falls under the pop genre of music.
To begin, we researched other pop artists and what they did to market and distribute their music. Singers like Adele, The Weeknd, Harry Styles, and Taylor Swift all used digital and physical means to distribute and marketed with technological and cross-media convergence. Once we made a chart with all the information we found, we came together as a group and discussed what course of action to take. In the end we were able to decide what we wanted our client's message to be, what she wanted to be portrayed as, what type of music video we wanted to make (storytelling), how we were going to film (with a storyboard), and how to organize the presentation. We created a schedule to know when we should complete certain tasks of the overall project.
We decided to film with equipment available to us; a T3i and a tripod. It only took us one day to film the entire music video, but it did take several hours. With the storyboard and the lyrics in hand, we executed the shots the way we wanted them to be portrayed. For example, we wanted to show the main character being distressed and feeling confused, so we used handheld shots and Dutch tilts to show the chaos in her mind in the moment. The plot goes as follows: A woman comes home upset and starts taking down pictures of her and her loved one in a moment of frustration. She ends up breaking a few things. When she throws herself on the bed, she spots her guitar and decides to write a song. In this she gets flashed back on the good times with her boyfriend and then how he mistreated her. It ends with the song being sent in the mail.
The post-production consisted of editing the music video. Both Adobe Premiere and Adobe Photoshop were used. The unedited song and the raw footage were placed in the Premiere app and edited on there. The footage was edited so clips would cut at the beat of the song and have meaning. As for the graphics at the beginning of the video, they were made on Photoshop and exported as PNGs.
The presentation was organized accordioning to the guidelines in the rubric. We included who our artist was, the song, how we want audiences to view her, what we plan for the future, how we intend to get to said future, etc. For the actual presenting, each group member presented 3 slides (not continuous), and there was a total of 12 slides. We decided it was best and most engaging to the "record label" audience if we changed the focus of who was talking each slide.
With this project I learned how to more efficiently work as a team and respect others' ideas. I was also able to apply the knowledge I had on camera composition, editing, mise-en-scene, shots, and what they mean, in order to make this a meaningful and purposeful project. I deeply feel like this application of what I learned in my Media Studies class could help with my Cambridge portfolio.
(Little Women 2019) (Elvis 2022)
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