Hello Bloggers! Today, I will watch several film openings while going in depth about what I feel can be worked on more and what I positively think of these openings! This will help and contribute towards my AICE Media Studies project with my great partner, Justin Ingleton, because of the incredible talent from these videos that will inspire me and my partner to create and share our content with you guys!
Roll Call:
Roll Call in my opinion falls somewhere between mediocre and decent. Let's start with the positives. I appreciated the editing techniques used in the film, effectively showcasing the various characters and suspects. These techniques helped viewers understand the concept and characterization of each individual. On the downside, I found the sound and visual transitions less impressive. For example, the camera transitions and movements felt clunky, failing to smoothly capture the essence of the police car at the beginning of the film. The sound effects could have been more precise and more well-defined; the microphone seemed too far from the characters, making their dialogue hard to hear. The ambient sounds also lacked the intensity needed to create a tense atmosphere.
New Everything:
New Everything in my opinion is visually pleasing in comparison with the first example with great transitions. However, the sound design and the viewer engagement need to be improved from what I saw. From my perspective, New Everything offers sound effects that generally correlate with the actions on screen, these effects could benefit from greater precision and clarity. For example, if we got more context or representation of the main character putting on his headphones as he enters the school could dramatically improve the scene. Like if I was the director I would add surrounding crowd noise at least during this moment to heighten the realism and provide the audience with a clearer understanding of the protagonist's experience and emotional state. While New Everything has potential with its vital visual elements, improvements in sound design and structural presentation could significantly enhance its impact.
Dreamland:
Dreamland is in my opinion an excellent film opener compared to the previous student works because it brings out truly captivating visuals resulting from excellent color grading and visual effects abilities. The sheer amount of creative artistry that goes into creating this magical setting within the opener makes it such an absorbing piece from the beginning to the end! One unique aspect that makes it outstanding is that it can create apparent effects of illusion by use of stark visual effects and make the reader feel that they are already in the scene; thus, it includes the audience well in the narrative. Even though this opener is stronger, it does have flaws. I noticed that the latter editing became inapt and jagged in its execution. To remaster it, editing and shots should be made faster and more intensively fitting the directed aim of the dream-stretchy effect, making the dream scenes even more normal and desperate under standard life sequences, which I’m seeking to be true.
Dear Lover:
Dear Lover is a really pleasing film opener particularly when compared to the first two student works. The techniques used in this opener not only captivate the audience but also invite them to anticipate the unfolding story. For instance, the adult version of the protagonist reflects a journey of personal growth, something that can build excitement in the viewers. While the film has its strengths, it also presents opportunities for improvement. The set designs for example is an important area where the production can improve its quality. A more visually engaging setting is crucial for fully immersing the audience in the story's romantic and enigmatic themes. By making adjustments to the props and overall design, the production could significantly improve the audience's anticipation, making the experience more captivating and engaging.
Dare to Thrill:
Dare to Thrill is undoubtedly the best project without question. This film incorporates essential elements such as editing, sound, and audience engagement, with no noticeable weaknesses. The camera visuals are impressively smooth, effectively capturing the thrilling moments of the subject driving a car. In contrast to previous films, where many camera shots felt urgent and shaky, this project feels smooth and creative, utilizing a variety of angles and shots. For example, consider the scene where several teenagers run toward a black car on the roof of a parking garage. The camera smoothly follows them to the vehicle, demonstrating an efficient use of movement that allows viewers to anticipate the exciting events about to unfold. This technique not only builds a sense of excitement but also highlights the film's technical excellence.
I also want to discuss the editing. The editing in this film is robust, providing fresh perspectives on the different reactions of the characters. For instance, during the scene where the characters are driving on the road, we see various cuts and angles of the car, enhancing the overall experience.
Thank you bloggers for taking your time to read my opinion toward these film openers! I can't wait for you guys to see not only my ideas but as well my partners Justin and Alexanders toward the AICE Media Studies Portfolio!
Hello and good day bloggers! Today I am heavily thrilled to share some exciting news about my final AICE Media Studies Project Portfolio! Can you guess what it is? Let’s have a drum roll, please…! I’m proud to introduce my group members for this project! After considering several options, I am convinced that I have assembled the perfect team. My good friends Justin Ingleton and Alexander Alonso are joining me for this journey! I’ve known Justin and Alexander for a while now, and I’m ecstatic to work alongside him since I share the same AICE Media Studies class period with Justin and I'm good friends with Alexander!
My Partners:
So what can you expect from us? We will be focusing on camera movements and directing the project while actively participating in acting and production! I am confident that our teamwork will lead to an amazing final product! I am genuinely excited about this collaboration and relieved that I will not have to tackle this project alone. It’s a great example of what teamwork can achieve, and I can’t wait to showcase the end result. Thank you for your ongoing support through this journey, and I look forward to sharing more updates about this meaningful project soon!
Hello Bloggers and happy November! Today, I have gotten the chance to create a storyboard based on a short scene from any movie, and the movie that I've chosen would be one of director Jordan Peele's horror masterpieces Nope. Now, you might be wondering what the context of the scene you're about to witness is. Based on the analysis of drawing a storyboard, I've chosen to recreate this scene in which one of the main characters, OJ Haywood, goes in search of something or someone miraculously turning on their barn lights. As OJ goes in deeper search and turns the lights off, it again turns on mysteriously, where right as he turns around to go back, he sees a mysterious "alien" looking entity rise up out of the shadows. Keep in mind that the movie Nope is centered around the idea of aliens, which the characters were not meant to see, that are trying to capture the "impossible shot" of proof of aliens. Now, back to the scene, as OJ tries to get a video of the so-called "aliens," another entity appears in front of the original one. However, in the end, these weren't aliens but children dressed in alien costumes but more simply a misdirect to the audience.
Storyboard:
Creating the storyboard although had some challenges and rewards that transformed the process into a fulfilling creative journey in my opinion. As I meticulously crafted each sequence, I encountered moments of uncertainty, especially since art doesn't always come naturally to me. However, I discovered numerous sources of inspiration that helped me overcome those hurdles and infuse beauty into my designs. As I grasped the concept of drawing deeper into the storyboard's development, it became abundantly clear that this tool is highly essential for filmmakers. It acts as a dynamic visual roadmap, capturing each scene's essence and guiding the narrative's pacing. Nevertheless, the development of storyboarding is challenging yet the reward is well worth it.
Hello fellow bloggers! Today I'm excited to dive into an analysis of one of my favorite films by exploring its mise en scene elements. You might be asking yourself, "What exactly is mise-en-scene?" I'll admit I was a bit skeptical at first as well. This French term translates to "put in the scene," basically saying everything viewers see on the screen, from the setting to the actor's performances. So for today's blog post, I'm thrilled to focus on a great film that perfectly shows these concepts known as La La Land, directed by Damien Chazelle.
Lighting & Props:
First and foremost, the lighting that's utilized in this film is essential for creating the musical masterpiece that is well known today! In these specific screenshots, the lighting here evokes a general mood of romance and focus as we see the character Sebastian in the spotlight of playing piano in the mind of all the love surrounding him when he himself is lonely. In the second screenshot, we can also see that Mia is in a moment of deep heartbreak as she looks at Sebastian, who plays the piano in the softly lit restaurant as seen in the first screenshot!
Additionally, the piano symbolizes Sebastian’s love for jazz and his dedication to preserving its traditions. It serves as an important idea for his creativity and passion to pursue music, mainly opening his dream jazz club. The piano here also reflects his struggle to balance his arts and how successful he will be in the near future. For instance, in this scene shown above Mia first notices Sebastian when he plays the piano at a restaurant, even after being fired mid performance. This moment shows her curiosity about him that represents the piano literally with this special moment.
Now that you have learned about the use of lighting in La La Land, the use of location is highly important to take in!
Location & Setting:
Equally important to lighting, the locations and settings used in La La Land are genuinely an important aspect of making this film, as the broad area used in the background can help establish moods and emotions towards the characters. In these specific screenshots, the location and setting in this circumstance helps to evoke a romantic and sweet tone with the help of the vibrant purple sky in the background. In addition to the two following screenshots, we see how jaw dropping the beautiful landscape of Los Angeles is as seen by the characters Mia and Sebastian as they learn more about each other. These purple type backgrounds also help evoke a sense of love and attachment from one individual to another, which helps imply that the characters Mia and Sebastian are not alone and are experiencing true love.
Thank you bloggers for reading my post about one of the greatest films in the entertainment industry!
Greetings Bloggers! Today I've had the chance to create a mood board based off my movie analysis post I published a few weeks ago on the cinematic masterpiece Dune: Part Two! It was insanely fun to make a blog post on this, as I had the choice to search up all of the pictures that corresponds one of my favorite science fiction movies ever created! It gave me another open perspective to fully immerse myself in this world by learning more about its atmosphere and environment! And I might say the lore behind this world is insane. Now without further ado, let's take a look at the mood board, shall we?
MOOD BOARD:
As seen from the mood board, the Water of Life is an important aspect of the story of Dune. It is derived from young sandworms and is pursued by the Fremen for its fortune telling properties, though it is important to note that it can be harmful to the untrained. This showcases the Fremen's connection to the natural world of Arrakis.
Equally important to the Water of Life, the crysknife, crafted from sandworm teeth, is an important tool that illustrates the Fremen's deep respect for these majestic creatures and their reliance on them for survival. Where similarly in this scenario, the giant sandworms in the movie play an important role in the movie that shows this thing as a formidable challenge and a valuable resource at the same time because of the spice they produce.
In contrast to the Fremen’s environment, the Harkonnen atmosphere is also a place of what you could think of as exploitation where it has constant shadows and a sense of dread if you think about it. Their surroundings are dark and filled with a sense of dread where this contrast shows the difference between the natural beauty of Arrakis and the Harkonnen's control.
As seen on the mood board, the Harkonnen's build tall grey like metallic structures at the center of their territory. They aim to extract or produce resources from everything and everyone. For example, one of the antagonists known as Feyd-Rautha represents this with his frightening face and deadly weapons because of how well he fights people, showing how far the family will go to be aggressive.
Thank you for reading my blog guys! See you on the flip side!
Hello Bloggers! I know it's been a long time since I've posted a blog, but I'm finally back and have a surprise! I made a scene based on only sounds, and to be honest, I'm heavily surprised with it. The process was actually relatively straightforward when it came to editing the project because I knew how to edit with iMovie's editing software, the app in which I used to make the story. The software was simple to assist my editing skills, considering it was easy to grasp the concept of utilizing the different tools on the app as well as use sound layering with the various types of audio provided on YouTube that I used, like the sound of heavy panting, thunder, rain, etc. This provided more ease towards doing the project, considering how the ambiance from these audios gives a better atmosphere. Without the audio given from YouTube, I would agree that the process of making the project would be challenging. One aspect, however, wasn't technically challenging. Still, it was an obstacle when editing, which was the impact of the audio created by my partner Justin, who initially made the sounds as if they were at ease but needed to be as if they were urgent.
To begin with, the scene starts with a student snoring on one gloomy morning as you hear the faint noise of rain dropping down outside, followed by DING! The alarm goes off as the student wakes up in shock, saying, "I'm late!" They then sprint out of bed to go downstairs as their heartbeat gradually intensifies with heavier breathing, the loud creaks of the wooden floor, and thunder in the background singing. They're now sprinting downstairs in a hurry to go to the kitchen to eat breakfast and retrieve an apple, then sprint back upstairs to retrieve their backpack, and then go back downstairs and out the door.
Some of these sound effects, however, weren't made from YouTube but by my partner Justin Ingleton, like the sound of the door opening and closing, and the refrigerator door opening and closing. The sounds of footsteps on the wooden floor and marble, made by me, were considerably easy to make using my shoes to make a stomping/stepping effect. Additionally, the creation of backpack sounds made also by me was also simple because I just shook my backpack to make a sudden ringing noise that is common. Now that I've shared my challenges and experiences in creating this project, I'm thrilled to present it to you! I hope you enjoy my Sound Project as much as I enjoyed creating it.
(P.S. It would enhance your experience if you read the script as you follow along. This will give you a deeper understanding of the project 🤗)
I've also included a foley video, which shows how my partner Justin and I created the sound effects used in the project. I'm excited for you to see the behind-the-scenes process that brought this project to life!
Sound Project:
Script:
SCENE STARTS
-Subject snores loudly
-Faint rain can be heard from outside
-Subject wakes up abruptly (stops snoring) and gasps as he hears an alarm
“(gasps in shock) I’m Late!”
-Subject rushes out of his bed
-Subject opens the door
-Subject sprints to the stairs
(Heavy heartbeats are heard)
-Thunder can be heard rumbling as he steps down the stairs
-Subject pants heavily as he rushes downstairs
(Creaking of the wooden floor can be heard)
-Subject runs downstairs
(Heavy footsteps are heard)
-Subject rushes to the refrigerator
(Rapid footstep marbling can be heard)
-Subject flicks the light switch
-Subject opens the fridge and gets an apple
(Sounds from the fridge opening can be heard)
-Subject closes the refrigerator door
-Subject eats the apple
(Squishing of the apples heard)
-Subject flicks the light switch while their heart beats heavily
-Subject runs back upstairs
(Wooden floor creaking is heard rapidly)
-Subject rushes to his room to get his backpack
(Ringing of the backpack can be heard)
-Subject rushes back downstairs
(Wooden floor creaks are heard rapidly)
(Footsteps on marble can be heard on the downstairs floor)
