And last but not least, the Creative Critical Reflection. Click here to watch how I reflected on the entire production process.
In addition, click here to view the CCR on GOOGLE DRIVE.
Thank you to all my viewers who followed me throughout this journey! I hope you enjoyed.
Peace,
Ben
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Monday, April 10, 2017
Film Opening
Editing process
Hey guys,
The film has been going through the editing process on iMovie. It's almost ready to be shared, but there are a few roadblocks that have been encountered.
Finding sound elements are probably the hardest part. It is really difficult to find the perfect sound to match certain scenes, such as the flashback which requires a spooky but fast-paced sound.
Although this blog post is short, you will not be let down when you view our film opening.
Hold your horses!
Ben
The film has been going through the editing process on iMovie. It's almost ready to be shared, but there are a few roadblocks that have been encountered.
Finding sound elements are probably the hardest part. It is really difficult to find the perfect sound to match certain scenes, such as the flashback which requires a spooky but fast-paced sound.
Although this blog post is short, you will not be let down when you view our film opening.
Hold your horses!
Ben
Friday, April 7, 2017
Title
Good morning!
Today Andrew and I met and we realized that we needed to come up with a title for our film opening. Since the beginning, we wanted a unique and spooky title that fit our story. We knew that the name "The Open" which we originally had for our title was definitely going to be temporary.
To come up with this title, we evaluated every possible aspect of our film that we can match it with. We listed events, items, and people in our film such as the memory serum, the flashback, killers, the VHS tape, and the abandoned garage. After not coming up with anything after this, we discussed what truly shapes our whole story: the memory serum. Our protagonist is given a memory serum that wipes his memory, which shapes the rest of the story for the film. Having a title that is associated with his memory loss is key because it is the main factor of our plot.
After brainstorming about things that are associated with complete memory loss, we chose the title Wiped Out. We believe that this is the perfect title choice because his memory is completely wiped out, and he wakes up not knowing where or who he is. Unless we come up with something better than this title, we will be sticking to it.
Ben
Today Andrew and I met and we realized that we needed to come up with a title for our film opening. Since the beginning, we wanted a unique and spooky title that fit our story. We knew that the name "The Open" which we originally had for our title was definitely going to be temporary.
To come up with this title, we evaluated every possible aspect of our film that we can match it with. We listed events, items, and people in our film such as the memory serum, the flashback, killers, the VHS tape, and the abandoned garage. After not coming up with anything after this, we discussed what truly shapes our whole story: the memory serum. Our protagonist is given a memory serum that wipes his memory, which shapes the rest of the story for the film. Having a title that is associated with his memory loss is key because it is the main factor of our plot.
After brainstorming about things that are associated with complete memory loss, we chose the title Wiped Out. We believe that this is the perfect title choice because his memory is completely wiped out, and he wakes up not knowing where or who he is. Unless we come up with something better than this title, we will be sticking to it.
Ben
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Filming Day 2
Hey everyone,
Yesterday we completed our final round of filming. This was a long and treacherous process to say the least. For this day of filming, all we had to do was film the flashback scene. Although this seem like it is not a lot, it nearly took as long a the first day when we filmed most of our footage. Many events occurred that were not expected, but it did not stop us from succeeding.
First off, we had planned on having Andrew act as the individual that puts the syringe in the protagonist's arm, but our friend Sam matched the mise en scene aspect of this character better so we decided that he would take the role. He had a black hoodie, so he wore the hood which disguised him from viewers seeing his face. Sam did a great job because he is very dramatic and he made the scene look as real as possible.
In addition, our low key lightning plan did not go as planned. We originally planned on shooting the flashback scene in front of a black backdrop, but we noticed two things: the lightning did not look anything like we wanted to, and the black back drop would confuse viewers of where this scene takes place. As a solution to this problem, we turned off all of the lights in the garage and left the laundry room door open with the light on. This helps viewers see that we're still in the garage. The darkness in the room was used to make the scene spooky.
Shooting this scene took so long because we overshot and took so many retakes to make sure we got the perfect shots. This scene in particular has so many fast cuts, so the actions that are occurring are very detailed. Acting out a part of the scene where Sam has me in a head lock and threw me down in a chair was a very hard scene to film and took at least 20 retakes to master it.
Also, I was not planning on reapplying the makeup, but after much thought we realized something very important. We kept trying to film a scene (with no makeup on) where Sam punches me in the face, which would be the cause of the blood from when I woke up from the beating. After attempting this, we realized it would be much easier to have the makeup on in the beginning of the flashback scene where Sam is wrestling me into the garage, which implies that he hit me hard in the face before the scene started and we wouldn't have to deal with acting out a punch.
Last but not least, as we were packing up our props and makeup, I knocked the black dirt makeup off the table and it fell right on to my white shoes. I made an attempt to scrub off the makeup, but I was not successful. This was a sad moment in our production process because everything was going smooth until the very end. I'm thankful that that I'm complaining about my shoes being ruined rather than something that has to do with the actual footage.
Yesterday we completed our final round of filming. This was a long and treacherous process to say the least. For this day of filming, all we had to do was film the flashback scene. Although this seem like it is not a lot, it nearly took as long a the first day when we filmed most of our footage. Many events occurred that were not expected, but it did not stop us from succeeding.
First off, we had planned on having Andrew act as the individual that puts the syringe in the protagonist's arm, but our friend Sam matched the mise en scene aspect of this character better so we decided that he would take the role. He had a black hoodie, so he wore the hood which disguised him from viewers seeing his face. Sam did a great job because he is very dramatic and he made the scene look as real as possible.
In addition, our low key lightning plan did not go as planned. We originally planned on shooting the flashback scene in front of a black backdrop, but we noticed two things: the lightning did not look anything like we wanted to, and the black back drop would confuse viewers of where this scene takes place. As a solution to this problem, we turned off all of the lights in the garage and left the laundry room door open with the light on. This helps viewers see that we're still in the garage. The darkness in the room was used to make the scene spooky.
Shooting this scene took so long because we overshot and took so many retakes to make sure we got the perfect shots. This scene in particular has so many fast cuts, so the actions that are occurring are very detailed. Acting out a part of the scene where Sam has me in a head lock and threw me down in a chair was a very hard scene to film and took at least 20 retakes to master it.
Also, I was not planning on reapplying the makeup, but after much thought we realized something very important. We kept trying to film a scene (with no makeup on) where Sam punches me in the face, which would be the cause of the blood from when I woke up from the beating. After attempting this, we realized it would be much easier to have the makeup on in the beginning of the flashback scene where Sam is wrestling me into the garage, which implies that he hit me hard in the face before the scene started and we wouldn't have to deal with acting out a punch.
Last but not least, as we were packing up our props and makeup, I knocked the black dirt makeup off the table and it fell right on to my white shoes. I made an attempt to scrub off the makeup, but I was not successful. This was a sad moment in our production process because everything was going smooth until the very end. I'm thankful that that I'm complaining about my shoes being ruined rather than something that has to do with the actual footage.
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| Rest in Peace |
Anyway, now all we have left is putting all the shots together and adding in the sound elements.
Check in for more details,
Benjamin
Sunday, April 2, 2017
Hey everyone,
Bad news. Unfortunately, we were not able to shoot today. The event that I was at ended up running way later than expected. Due to this delay, we had to postpone our shooting because we wouldn't have enough natural light for the scene. In addition, our videographer was not able to make it either.
Instead of letting it upset me, I will just accept the fact that everything happens for a reason.
On the bright side, we will be shooting this intense scene within the next couple of days. I'm really looking forward to it because it's my favorite part of our story.
Goodnight!
Bad news. Unfortunately, we were not able to shoot today. The event that I was at ended up running way later than expected. Due to this delay, we had to postpone our shooting because we wouldn't have enough natural light for the scene. In addition, our videographer was not able to make it either.
Instead of letting it upset me, I will just accept the fact that everything happens for a reason.
On the bright side, we will be shooting this intense scene within the next couple of days. I'm really looking forward to it because it's my favorite part of our story.
Goodnight!
Saturday, April 1, 2017
What's up guys!
Its a beautiful Saturday morning right now and the perfect time to blog.
So the other day when my syringe package finally came in it was not what I expected. I was expecting to open the box and see one syringe, but there were approximately 20 syringes in the box. I had to explain to my mom why a box of syringes came in the mail because she was a little sketched out. I found it pretty funny that Amazon sent me so many even though I only ordered one.
Anyway, now that the syringe is here we are all set. We are planning on shooting the flashback scene tomorrow as long as our filmer is available. I also need to go grab the keys for the house because I am not allowed to keep them, due to the fact that I don't own the house. I'm a little nervous for this filming day because we need to experiment with low key lightning and it may not come out the way we want it.
In addition, our deadline has been extended, so we are gonna have extra time to get our work done. This is essential because it gives us more time to perfect our editing and complete our CCR.
This blog may be short, but I'm saving all the juicy details for after we shoot our final piece. I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the weekend and the beautiful weather!
BEN
Friday, March 31, 2017
The Art of Sound
Good morning!
After reflecting back on the filming that Andrew and I completed, I realized that I definitely need to do more research on sound, especially because it is such an important element to my genre choice and film opening. The sound choice must match what is conveyed in the film to emphasize the spooky and mysterious vibe that we're looking for. Besides the non-diagetic sound that will be playing in the background of our film to add fluency to our story line, we also need to create diagetic sounds that pair with our actions. For example, for a portion of our film when the protagonist screams, we will import a diagetic sound of the scream to match what is occurring. We realized that layering a sound memo of the scream onto the action would sound better than actually screaming into the camera while acting, because there are noises in the background such as birds chirping. From personal experience with sound editing, I have realized that making noises into a microphone on a voice memo will come out a lot clearer than the on-camera microphone would. We may also experiment with foley sounds to create sounds for actions such as footsteps.
In addition, the sounds that we plan on layering over our film opening are key to have because it is what truly makes the film spooky. For example, in the movie Psycho (1960), the shower scene would not be nearly as scary if there weren't scores and diagetic/non-diagetic sounds playing during the scene. The sound elements in the shower scene are a huge reason why the scene is iconic.
For now, we will be focusing more on completing all of our filming. Next week will be dedicated to finding the best sound elements and editing our film.
After reflecting back on the filming that Andrew and I completed, I realized that I definitely need to do more research on sound, especially because it is such an important element to my genre choice and film opening. The sound choice must match what is conveyed in the film to emphasize the spooky and mysterious vibe that we're looking for. Besides the non-diagetic sound that will be playing in the background of our film to add fluency to our story line, we also need to create diagetic sounds that pair with our actions. For example, for a portion of our film when the protagonist screams, we will import a diagetic sound of the scream to match what is occurring. We realized that layering a sound memo of the scream onto the action would sound better than actually screaming into the camera while acting, because there are noises in the background such as birds chirping. From personal experience with sound editing, I have realized that making noises into a microphone on a voice memo will come out a lot clearer than the on-camera microphone would. We may also experiment with foley sounds to create sounds for actions such as footsteps.
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| This is the microphone that we will be using for the sounds we create. |
In addition, the sounds that we plan on layering over our film opening are key to have because it is what truly makes the film spooky. For example, in the movie Psycho (1960), the shower scene would not be nearly as scary if there weren't scores and diagetic/non-diagetic sounds playing during the scene. The sound elements in the shower scene are a huge reason why the scene is iconic.
For now, we will be focusing more on completing all of our filming. Next week will be dedicated to finding the best sound elements and editing our film.
Sunday, March 26, 2017
First day of filming
Hey guys,
Yesterday we completed our first day of filming! In this post I will be giving you the inside scoop of everything that occurred.
To start, the makeup ordeal was pretty complicated. I was trying to contact any of my friends that are good at that stuff, but nobody was awake early in the morning before we started filming. Because I had nobody to help me put on the makeup, I did it myself! To be honest, I was extremely proud of myself with the way it came out because it looked pretty good.
Here's what it looked like:
After I put on the makeup, we made our journey to the house. As we were setting up our props, we realized that we could make the setting even better. On the far back wall of the garage, there was a big white bulletin board. We realized that if we printed out a bunch of pictures of little kids and posted them on the wall, it would make the scenery a lot more spooky. (This addition to our setting was vital because it followed our story line and emphasized the genre.) After we came to this realization, we decided to leave the vacant garage and drive all the way back to my house to print the pictures. On the pictures, we wrote fake addresses, drew X's over the faces to show that the kids have been killed, and splattered blood on the pictures.
After we completed our set up, we started filming. All of the lightning in our film opening was natural; we messed around with the garage and left it open a crack so we can have minimal lightning in our film, just enough to see what is going on. After taking many retakes and different shot variations, we finished most of our film besides the flashback scene. We couldn't shoot this scene because the syringe still hasn't been shipped to my house, so we will shoot this scene next week.
Overall, day one of filming was definitely a success. After a long day of filming, Andrew and I enjoyed some delicious subs.
Until next time,
Ben
Yesterday we completed our first day of filming! In this post I will be giving you the inside scoop of everything that occurred.
To start, the makeup ordeal was pretty complicated. I was trying to contact any of my friends that are good at that stuff, but nobody was awake early in the morning before we started filming. Because I had nobody to help me put on the makeup, I did it myself! To be honest, I was extremely proud of myself with the way it came out because it looked pretty good.
Here's what it looked like:
After I put on the makeup, we made our journey to the house. As we were setting up our props, we realized that we could make the setting even better. On the far back wall of the garage, there was a big white bulletin board. We realized that if we printed out a bunch of pictures of little kids and posted them on the wall, it would make the scenery a lot more spooky. (This addition to our setting was vital because it followed our story line and emphasized the genre.) After we came to this realization, we decided to leave the vacant garage and drive all the way back to my house to print the pictures. On the pictures, we wrote fake addresses, drew X's over the faces to show that the kids have been killed, and splattered blood on the pictures.
 |
| Before |
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| After |
After we completed our set up, we started filming. All of the lightning in our film opening was natural; we messed around with the garage and left it open a crack so we can have minimal lightning in our film, just enough to see what is going on. After taking many retakes and different shot variations, we finished most of our film besides the flashback scene. We couldn't shoot this scene because the syringe still hasn't been shipped to my house, so we will shoot this scene next week.
Overall, day one of filming was definitely a success. After a long day of filming, Andrew and I enjoyed some delicious subs.
Until next time,
Ben
Saturday, March 25, 2017
Mise en scene elements
This makeup element will be used to make the protagonist's face look dirty and mistreated. It will show viewers that he was abused and fell onto the garage floor getting his face dirty.
This makeup will be used on the face of the protagonist to show viewers that he has been hit over the head and knocked out before he was injected. He will also have blood on his arm where he is injected to show viewers that it was an aggressive action.
When I went to buy mise en scene elements, I was unable to find a syringe to use for the injection scene, so I am ordering one on Amazon and having it shipped over night to my house.
Attached below is what the syringe looks like.
Now that we've purchased our mise en scene elements, our next step is to begin filming. I'm beyond excited to begin this process.
Peace,
Ben
Friday, March 24, 2017
Setting
Hey guys!
Good news... I have received the keys for a house that has a vacant garage that we can film in! Thanks to my dad, we have now made progress and have a setting for our film opening. This location is perfect because it is located in Weston Hills, which means that it is right down the block from where Andrew and I live. If we ever need to reshoot, the distance is not a problem at all.
In addition, this garage is perfect because it is rather empty, so we don't have to move many things around to get the shots we need. It definitely fits the setting that we portray in our story, and we can always alter it to make it more eerie if we need to.
Attached below are pictures of the setting.
Now that we've chosen our setting, our next objective is to buy our mise en scene elements and props.
Stay tuned,
Ben
Sunday, March 19, 2017
Opening Credits
Good afternoon everyone!
Today, I will be discussing our opening credits scene. This part is imperative to our production because it reveals the title of the film and who created and acted for the film.
We have not come up with a name for our production yet, but we are planning on displaying the title in an eerie and mysterious font. We chose this idea because it matches with our genre, and it would only make sense if the title font matched with what the production is about.
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| opening title font example |
Coincidentally, this font name is called “Something Strange”, which fits well with the mysterious vibe of our plot line.
Like Napoleon Dynamite (2004), our opening sequence will have the credits on different items, but it is different in a way because the items in our sequence will be shown in a long take of a pan around the abandoned garage.
Hasta la vista,
Ben
Andreasowhat. "Napoleon Dynamite Opening Titles." YouTube. YouTube, 29 June 2011. Web. 19 Mar. 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-gjywJN6tA>.
Harris, Jonathan S. "381 Free Scary Fonts." FontSpace. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2017. <http://www.fontspace.com/category/scary>.
Friday, March 17, 2017
Low Key Lightning
Good morning and Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
Today's post will focus mainly on low key lightning. Because low key lightning is huge part of our film opening and I am not very familiar with it, I will be collecting research to understand it more. For those who don't know, low key lighting is a film element that uses most dark tones to create a dramatic, ominous, and mysterious image. Low key lightning uses as little amount of light as possible, so it makes the subject look scarier than if the whole face was lit. It is possible to create low key lightning with natural light, but its very tricky so we will be taking the easier route by using flashlights and a studio light.
Steps for creating low key lighting:
1. set up a dark black backdrop behind your subject
2. Keep the light source focusing on your subject, not the backdrop
3. Have a reflector next to the subject (optional)
4. film away!
Below are two examples of what we plan on having it look like:
Today's post will focus mainly on low key lightning. Because low key lightning is huge part of our film opening and I am not very familiar with it, I will be collecting research to understand it more. For those who don't know, low key lighting is a film element that uses most dark tones to create a dramatic, ominous, and mysterious image. Low key lightning uses as little amount of light as possible, so it makes the subject look scarier than if the whole face was lit. It is possible to create low key lightning with natural light, but its very tricky so we will be taking the easier route by using flashlights and a studio light.
Steps for creating low key lighting:
1. set up a dark black backdrop behind your subject
2. Keep the light source focusing on your subject, not the backdrop
3. Have a reflector next to the subject (optional)
4. film away!
Below are two examples of what we plan on having it look like:
| example of low-key lightning set up |
| example of low-key lightning set up |
Stay tuned for more details!
Ben
Harpley, Gil. "Advanced Photography Studio Lighting." Photography Tips. N.p., 13 Feb. 2012. Web. 18 Mar. 2017. <http://www.photographytips.net/advanced-photography-studio-lighting/>.
"High/low Key." Pinterest. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2017. <https://www.pinterest.com/silvaTree/highlow-key/>.
Peterson, David. "Using Lighting Style to Create Mood: High-key and Low-key Lighting." Using Lighting Style to Create Mood: High-key and Low-key Lighting :: Digital Photo Secrets. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2017. <http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/tip/3558/using-lighting-style-to-create-mood-high-key-and-low-key-lighting/>.
S.R.L, TDM. "Top Design Magazine - Web Design and Digital Content." Top Design Magazine – Web Design and Digital Content -. TDM S.R.L, 18 Mar. 2017. Web. 18 Mar. 2017. <http://www.topdesignmag.com/learn-how-to-create-better-photos-by-reading-these-extremely-useful-tutorials/>.
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Storyboard/setting
Greetings colleagues, I'm back again to update you on our progress. The last time Andy and I met, we sketched out what our film opening should look like. We're still working on brainstorming ideas for the credits and the sound elements. We're definitely leaning towards stings that add continuity to the mysterious vibe. In addition, we are also searching for places to film that would match our eerie story.
Our storyboard is attached below!
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| the storyboard masterpiece |
As you can see in our storyboard, we will be using techniques such as quick cuts, diagetic sounds, stings, cross cuts, close ups, low key lightning and various shots to make our film the best it can be.
In addition, our setting is a major element for our film opening. My father is a realtor, so one of our best options is to use one of the abandoned garages that he is that haven't been sold yet. This coming weekend we plan on going with my dad to some of the houses he has and choosing the best fit to match our story.
Attached below is an example of what we're looking for.
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| Abandoned garage example |
Next week we're going to focus mainly on filming our opening.
Until next time,
Ben
Salonen, Robin. "Abandoned Garage." Abandoned Garage. Robin Salonen, n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2017. <http://robinsalonen.artstation.com/projects/KRkkB>.
Sunday, March 12, 2017
Exclusive story sneak peak!
Hey guys, we've finally came up with a film opening idea! Here's how it looks so far:
Our genre will be a mixture of Mystery, Suspense, and Thriller. The film opens after opening credits end with a shot of a man walking up in what appears to be an old abandoned garage with blood dripping down his forehead. He wakes up with a raging headache and cannot figure out what happened before he got to this setting. The scene fuzzes out and cross cuts quickly to a shot of a man grabbing another man and injecting him with something (which is later revealed to be a memory serum), but the faces are not revealed. The camera pans around and in the darkened back corner of the room, the camera pulls in on a VHS tape that is on the ground. The man gets up and proceeds to walk out when he sees a girl dead on the floor. This opening will allude to conflict and set the mood and plot for the rest of the story.
After the opening scene, the film will proceed with this plot:
It took us a good week to finally brainstorm this story idea, so I am thrilled to finally have the base of our project.
Now that we've created our story, our plan for this upcoming week consists of:
1. creating a storyboard
2. doing more research for our film
3. find a setting and props for our film
4. planning out our filming process
I can't wait to share more details with you guys as our journey progresses! Now its time I celebrate the weekend and enjoy a nice burger.
Peace out,
Ben
Our genre will be a mixture of Mystery, Suspense, and Thriller. The film opens after opening credits end with a shot of a man walking up in what appears to be an old abandoned garage with blood dripping down his forehead. He wakes up with a raging headache and cannot figure out what happened before he got to this setting. The scene fuzzes out and cross cuts quickly to a shot of a man grabbing another man and injecting him with something (which is later revealed to be a memory serum), but the faces are not revealed. The camera pans around and in the darkened back corner of the room, the camera pulls in on a VHS tape that is on the ground. The man gets up and proceeds to walk out when he sees a girl dead on the floor. This opening will allude to conflict and set the mood and plot for the rest of the story.
After the opening scene, the film will proceed with this plot:
The man is trying to decide exactly what happened before he got to that abandoned garage but he can't ever figure it out. He walks to a nearby small town and uses that town to settle down for a while before he tries to embark on the rest of his journey. The man will go to the police station to try to figure out if anything has happened recently in the story, and it is revealed that there is a serial killer and another accomplice who have been nearby and 17 young girls and guys have been missing over the last 3 months. The man throughout the movie will keep having flashbacks of the injection scene but faces are never shown. As the movie reaches its climax, the man has a flashback of the moment he was injected, and in his hand is the VHS tape from the opening scene. The man runs to the abandoned garage place and searches for the tape. The tape has a message on the back that says play me, and the man runs to the town to play the tape to the police, believing that the serial killer probably attempted to murder him. Watching the video, it is revealed to the audience that the man has been the serial killer the entire time, and the video is of the man killing a little girl. (He records himself every time he kills someone) . The police arrest the man, and the camera slowly zooms out to see a man who was lurking behind the scenes throughout the entire movie, hinting to the audience that this man at the end is the accomplice who injected a memory serum into his accomplice and framed him. The screen fades to black.
It took us a good week to finally brainstorm this story idea, so I am thrilled to finally have the base of our project.
Now that we've created our story, our plan for this upcoming week consists of:
1. creating a storyboard
2. doing more research for our film
3. find a setting and props for our film
4. planning out our filming process
I can't wait to share more details with you guys as our journey progresses! Now its time I celebrate the weekend and enjoy a nice burger.
Peace out,
Ben
Research!
Hey guys, I'm back again. Andrew and I met up once again and we decided that we must do extensive research to figure out what we should incorporate into our film, as well as what parts of the genre stand out the most. I've been watching Youtube videos to get a better understanding of the thriller/mystery/suspense genre mix.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgKukhIw5eY
In the opening scene of Scream (1996), the sound elements truly emphasize the thrill and suspense displayed. The scary stings added throughout the dialogue between the protagonist and the killer/antagonist make the scene way scarier than it would be if its silent. The sound also adds to the eerie vibe. As the protagonist is running through the house to lock all the doors, the sting added in the background creates suspense and makes the viewers want to know what is about to happen. This video shows how sound elements are imperative to a thriller movie opening. It also introduces the main characters for the rest of the film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I0sFdL3khs
In the opening scene of The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), the camera movement and editing are key components. Throughout the whole scene, there are fast editing cuts from the protagonist to the cops who are chasing him to create an energetic and chaotic scene. The cuts play a huge role because it emphasizes that the scene is intense and adds fluency and dynamism to the scene.The editing helps the characters understand and grasp onto the plot a lot more because the fast cuts let the viewers see many different aspects of the scene. This scene helped me realize that camera movement and editing skills are important to intensify a scene and add fluency to a film. It also showed me that you must use the proper editing techniques to match the tone and mood of the scene to add continuity to the scene.
In the opening scene of Scream (1996), the sound elements truly emphasize the thrill and suspense displayed. The scary stings added throughout the dialogue between the protagonist and the killer/antagonist make the scene way scarier than it would be if its silent. The sound also adds to the eerie vibe. As the protagonist is running through the house to lock all the doors, the sting added in the background creates suspense and makes the viewers want to know what is about to happen. This video shows how sound elements are imperative to a thriller movie opening. It also introduces the main characters for the rest of the film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I0sFdL3khs
In the opening scene of The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), the camera movement and editing are key components. Throughout the whole scene, there are fast editing cuts from the protagonist to the cops who are chasing him to create an energetic and chaotic scene. The cuts play a huge role because it emphasizes that the scene is intense and adds fluency and dynamism to the scene.The editing helps the characters understand and grasp onto the plot a lot more because the fast cuts let the viewers see many different aspects of the scene. This scene helped me realize that camera movement and editing skills are important to intensify a scene and add fluency to a film. It also showed me that you must use the proper editing techniques to match the tone and mood of the scene to add continuity to the scene.
One of the most important elements that we must tackle in our film opening is the setting. According to thewritingplace.wordpress.com, "Setting is the time and place where a scene occurs. It can help set the mood, influence the way characters behave, affect the dialog, foreshadow events, invoke an emotional response, reflect the society in which the characters live, and sometimes even plays a part in the story." If we're working on a thriller genre, our setting must perfectly match the eerie and mysterious mood of our content.
Thankfully, this research has created clarity for me and gave me a better understanding of the thriller and mystery genre mix.
Until we meet again,
Ben
"The Bourne Ultimatum 2007 : The Opening Scene (HD)." YouTube. YouTube, 27 May 2016. Web. 12 Mar. 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I0sFdL3khs>.
"Scream (1996) - Opening (1/3)." YouTube. YouTube, 01 May 2015. Web. 12 Mar. 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgKukhIw5eY>.
"Story Elements: Importance of the Setting." The Writing Place. N.p., 13 Apr. 2010. Web. 12 Mar. 2017. <https://thewritingplace.wordpress.com/2010/04/13/story-elements-importance-of-the-setting/>.
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
The Beginning.
Hello, my name is Ben Eiglarsh, and this is where I will be updating you throughout the process of my AICE Media Studies film opening project. I am thrilled to be able to collaborate with my partner Andrew Briceno, to create the best film opening we can produce with all of the elements we have learned throughout this course. On the first day of the project, Andrew and I viewed a few examples of film openings in order to get an idea of what we should do. The first obstacle we encountered was choosing a genre. We decided that we would choose a genre that we both find interesting, so we narrowed it down to horror, suspense, or mystery. These are also genres that we can mess around with and think of many different ideas. It was pretty simple to eliminate the genres that we didn't like, but the main challenge is coming up with ideas with our remaining genres. I know if I continue to brainstorm and stay patient, eventually I will come up with a brilliant vision that Andrew and I can expand on. For now, I'm pretty satisfied with our progress because we've only just begun this journey. Anyway, stay tuned for all of the behind the scenes details throughout my pathway to success!
Dirks, Tim. "Detective-Mystery Films." DETECTIVE-MYSTERY FILMS. AMC, 2017. Web. 08 Mar. 2017. <http://www.filmsite.org/mysteryfilms.html>.
Dirks, Tim. "Thriller and Suspense Films." THRILLER - SUSPENSE FILMS. AMC, 2017. Web. 08 Mar. 2017. <http://www.filmsite.org/thrillerfilms.html>.
Dirks, Tim. "Detective-Mystery Films." DETECTIVE-MYSTERY FILMS. AMC, 2017. Web. 08 Mar. 2017. <http://www.filmsite.org/mysteryfilms.html>.
Dirks, Tim. "Thriller and Suspense Films." THRILLER - SUSPENSE FILMS. AMC, 2017. Web. 08 Mar. 2017. <http://www.filmsite.org/thrillerfilms.html>.
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