Genre Guess

In the end, the genre I have chosen is action. I realized that horror is a bit out of reach for me as my pitch doesn't exactly line up with the elements horror contains; when I was plotting my pitch, the horror genre strands far from the actual plot I had in mind. Plus, when in comparison with action, it stood out less to me; even though, I am content that I had the experience to research a genre that was out of my comfort zone in the sense of visuals. It seems that the way the action genre is founded, it was very close to the original idea I had in mind; to drive the plot by a sense of suspense with multiple actors. In conclusion, action intrigued me since I was already comfortable with it and it fits in with my pitch.

Genre Guide

Now, I have to research two more genres; which cannot be a repeat of the first used in our project. The two genres I picked were action and horror. My selections are personally just based on what attracts me as I tend to like media that involves a lot of movement and suspenseful plots. For action, it suffices much more than horror as it constantly involves movement, plot suspense, and overwhelming emotions; however, I have an interest in horror too. Although I cannot say gore and blood attract me, I do like how the directors all tend to follow the same template but all use different techniques to convey the same theme; honestly, that itself is a production, the pre-production and figuring out how everything will implement into one another. With these two genres in mind, I will have to research: common angles, mis-en-scene, editing, elements, examples, sound, and elements that I like/ dislike; by doing so, I hope to gain a closer connection to both genres and a clear understanding for which is better to use in my final project.
For action, common angles for action include aerial shot, close up, long shot, and high angle. Common mis-en-scene for action include: the protagonist's costumes tend to follow suits (sometimes include capes) and "regular" clothing they wear when they are just living their normal lives and not fighting crime; while, the damsel in distress tends to wear light and flowy costumes to represent innocence and love. Lighting includes mainly natural as most action will occur outdoors rather than in- there are some special cases, such as when shown the villain's story, where there is low-key lighting used instead; actors are focused around the plot but generally include the male protagonist, male helper/ donor, female accomplice/ lover, evil villain, and supporting characters; makeup tends to be more emphasized on the protagonist/ villain and other makeup tends to include fake bruising/ blood on the other characters; props include vehicles (race cars/ motorcycles), weapons (knives, guns), and high-tech machinery. Lastly, the setting is usually set in a modern big city where there's a focus on businesses and mass technology use. Common editing for action includes fade in/ out to create a dramatic transition to the next scene and to let the scene pop out to the viewers, graphic/ action match to make the film seem more visually appealing and catch the watcher's attention. Common sounds for action includes dialogue, voice-over, and non-diegetic. Elements of action include heavy movements, loud sound/ explosions, over-the-top battle/ fight scenes, and a significant death/ loss. Examples of action include Thor: Ragnarok, Fast & Furious, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and Rambo: Last Blood. What elements I like about action is the costumes (the details in the capes/ how it differs between the protagonist and antagonist), the lighting (tends to focus on its subjects and also creates a lighter visual impact when the victory is completed), the setting (usually takes place in modern-day cities but includes something fantasy-like.)What elements I dislike about action are the actors (it always makes the antagonist seem to be the bad one, even when they have reasons for their actions), plot twists (they tend to add one around the end when everything seems fine and it destroys the whole plot.)
For horror, common angles for horror include the birds-eye/ high angle, close-up, tracking/ pan shot, reverse, tilted angle, extreme long/ long shot, low angles, handheld camera shot, point of view shot, zoom, and over the shoulder shot. Common mis-en-scene for horror include: costumes tend to be very dark and overexaggerate loneliness/ imperfection for the antagonist (the one who is creating the horror.) Lighting usually is dark unless when it's focusing on a specific subject/ person (usually low-key lighting.) Actors include the protagonist (usually a shy female) and the antagonist (could be anything/ anyone a doll, a male serial killer, etc.) Makeup is included for bruises/ blood or for dolls/ little girls to represent innocence. Props are regular house furniture, weapons, and outside architecture. Setting usually occurs in a house (tends to be a rundown mansion/ house with a basement.) Common editing for horror includes a reaction shot, eye-line match, and jump cut. Common sounds for horror includes diegetic, (subtle) dialogue, and voice-overs. Elements of horror include low sound/ noises, long wait/ suspense, dark surroundings, and creepy objects (tilted painting, messed up doll, etc.) Examples of horror include A quiet place, Hereditary, The Witch, and The Conjuring. What elements I like about horror the costumes (design of the darkness/ innocence implemented between the characters, the makeup (how realistic the blood/ bruises look), the props (it seems they can use almost anything as a weapon.) What elements I dislike about the horror genre is the lighting (too dark), and the silence/ suspenseful music (it adds up to the horror but makes me very anxious.)

My Generic Genre Research

At the beginning of the year, everyone in the class was told to grab a piece of paper from a bin and then do research about it. The pieces of paper were filled with various genres in which we would group together with people that picked the same genre. Although it was interesting to get a randomly generated genre, I would have appreciated researching my own picked genre (which is happening sooner than later); but just to reinforce the experience- I really liked researching musicals. Of course, the first subject my mind focused on was The High School Musical Movie Series by Disney. Although now, I find it intriguing that there is a TV Show in creation for the movies- but it wasn't the only musical we could research. We needed various examples, different actors, other experiences, and it would've been appreciative to look into different time periods to give a sense of change over time periods and generations. Once we got the instructions, it was time for research.
We were told to research all of the following concepts: lighting, camera angles, movements, mis-en-scene, elements, examples, common sound, and factors that are/ are not appealing. Since there was so much work to be done, we decided to split it between our group (which contained three people, including me.) Personally, the hardest ones to cover were mis-en-scene and the factors that do/ don't appeal; this is because you have to really focus on what the director is trying to accomplish and how they merged all of these elements together in order to make the film they wanted. The parts of the project I completed were: movement, elements, common sound, and non-appealing elements. Looking back at it now, I realize I could have elaborated better on the movements and sounds as it's much more generalized and does not focus on a particular term, just a particular theme. On the other hand, it shows my growth and experience throughout this course and realization of the material that matters; which is one of the greatest parts I like about this course- the realization of exactly how much goes into media production and how directors elaborate their ideas through production. I can confirm, without any hesitation, that this project was the main bulk of our course material; if it was not assigned at the beginning of the year, I would feel that my experience was weaker throughout the course, had it been assigned toward the end of the year. At the end of the project's completion, all the group members showed each other their work and elaborated on the details of their slides; this made it convenient to learn about the material of the genre while completing it on time.
Furthermore, the actual project itself wasn't hard, it was just quite time-consuming; we had to make sure that the details we received were correct and also elaborated on so that it didn't seem confusing. Also, as I mentioned before, we couldn't just focus on one example as that would create too much genre bias from that one example; by using multiple films to examine it proves a variety of lighting, sounds, and movements could be implemented into the film to give across the director's ideas; the genre isn't necessarily specific to one type of each element, however, specific to a set of similar techniques for that given element. It definitely perked my interest in seeing the genre's main concepts change throughout the years, especially in the Silent era where live music was accompanied rather than editing it in the film's post-production. Also, the way the elements changed themselves in the genre was peculiar; as in, how sounds would become louder and more upbeat to support the movement which was fast and flow-like. Overall, the experience enforced the understanding just how much goes into creating a film, what the process is like, what factors are accompanied by a certain genre, and basically all of the in-depth details under the creation; this project aided me in my experience and thought process as a director and what factors I am attracted to.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/120FcK-anrMywLeSykKDuNpem6r_6TuaiBlkFmytXijQ/edit#slide=id.g6036323fc2_3_8

Boss versus Girl

My top two pitches are down to Big Bad Boss and Summer Vacation. I summarized both as I realized these two pitches are perfect when keeping in mind materials, time, actors, and costumes, and more.
Big Bad Boss is better to do for this assignment as it requires more work, concentration, and management as compared to Summer Vacation. This pitch also deals with more emotions, or less depending on the view, either way, it is a much more complex storyline than to that of Summer Vacation. This pitch also deals with a specific situation while the other deals with a regular decision many people make, such as going to college after graduating high school. The boss has to take into consideration the whole corporation as well as their own career while the other considers going to college to further their knowledge. Although both pitches interest me, I understand that this pitch would be specifically harder for me to do as I would have to schedule more extensively and intensely in order to set the scene correctly. The whole view on this assignment is not just to "extend a portfolio"; it is to advance and use new techniques that we've learned throughout the course. Considering this pitch uses much more scenery and props, that would also include the use of new techniques to not only set up properly but make sure the film is clear.
On the other hand, Summer Vacation is still a very good pitch. Yes, it is a very normal view on a teenage girl's life however, this view is specific to this girl and is also trying to show a universal lesson of accepting change and separation. In this current time, there is the greatest population of educated people and the ability to extend one's knowledge by attending an educational institutional after high school. Thus not only is it a relatable moment, however, it is presenting permanent change and growth; additionally, it is also allowing people to understand change is inevitable and the only way to feel truly comfortable is by accepting it rather than ignoring it. For this assignment, I don't believe it is challenging enough; it is understandable that the filming process itself is already long and invigorating although, considering this pitch is set for a more "Home" scene vibe, it will not be as challenging to create a schedule plan for personal households rather than actual establishments. In conclusion, I believe Big Bad Boss will just take more time and effort to create rather than this summer home feel.
In the end, I have decided to pick Summer Vacation; it seems easier although the concept of accepting change and growing through life is something that never gets boring to me. I believe with enough effort, this pitch will show others how to accept change in a dramatic way.

Starting The Final Task

I believe I've progressed a lot through this course and believe I retain more knowledge and terms on film compared to my prior experience. In my previous years to this, I maintained a growing interest in technological development such as coding and software; this core value helped me support the interest I have in developing technology. As I've mentioned before, I've had a peaked interest in filming due to my core interest in technology as both fields are easily related; however, more specifically my interest in visual production. Personally, visual production gives me satisfaction on the effort, time, and willingness put into the actual product, and to see the end piece is truly a remarkable memory because it reflects all the growth we've gone through to get to that point. When I was enrolled in this class and still learning the content, I began to realize that we build our own portfolios based on the projects assigned to us. The greatest contradiction, about the projects, is the amount of fun we have filming versus the amount of stress we have while editing. It's not always that way, however, filming involves constant movement, energy, and attention to the certain project while editing is trying to perfect the film into a product that meets the satisfaction, which takes about the same or more work. Overall, I've finished most of my portfolio and am very excited to start working on the movie opening.
I progressed a lot throughout this course and feel like I've been brought closer to the filming and production/ visual world. While creating the advertisement and music video, I learned: scheduling is very important, time needs to be precise and available, there needs to be a constant check on important details such as location and actors, and there has to be more film for backup. Additionally, I didn't realize mis-en-scene had such a major impact on film; before this, I did retain basic information such as the emotions should reflect the scenery and the scenery should be accurate for the time and location. Although, I did not emphasize how the list of costumes, lighting, actors, makeup, props, and scenery all tie together to create this complex storyline; but now since I've been filming more and having more involvement in production, it's hard to ignore all of those factors as those are the main factors for the entire film. One talent I would like to emphasize is my scheduling; for the most part, scheduling almost always remains consistent and if it changes, I automatically notify the actor(s) and the establishments. Although my other areas of filming have improved, I acknowledge that this skill has improved the most; even though scheduling was a talent I already had.
A pitch is a term from Hollywood to describe an idea where a film is created in 25 words or less; this pitch specifically is mentioned as an "elevator pitch." There are three ideas I have in mind: WWIII (World War III), Big Bad Boss, and Summer Vacation. For WWIII, a newly recruited soldier has to stand up against the war general when they can't get a grip after being newly drafted. In Big Bad Boss, a woman boss is already mean enough but completely throws away her humanity when new competition arises in the business and the workers can't stand it. Lastly, for Summer Vacation a high school graduate has been waiting for college her whole life but finds herself with separation anxiety when she can't deal with the changes.

Editing Blog (Music Video)

As of today, I am still filming various scenes. Some of the footage appeared interruptedly in accordance to the others; however, on the positive side of my progress, some editing has already been established. I dumped all of my raw footage onto my computer in a safe location, to the point where none of my footage would be in jeopardy. I compiled all my film into one folder to compare the various takes I shot and to see what film should be deleted or kept. For some scenes, there were exceptions as various takes were shot well and that those various shots could be used in different ways. I am still in accordance with the timeline of the project so that the final product will be sent cleanly and professionally to my teachers on time; hopefully, editing will not be so enduring as small features of editing my film (such as filters) are already present in my film. The bulk of my editing process will now be to adjust the music from the video and laying out the proper transitions; which I hope to do during the weekend with my free time.
I have learned much about the editing process, especially from the commercial; additionally, editing will be taken into on my laptop, as I fear that quality interruptions would occur by phone. So, what I hope to do for this music video is to adjust the film as quickly as needed. This part will include trimming the videos, cropping the video image area for clearer focus, and adding the appropriate transitions along the way. Trimming the videos will not be difficult so that can be done during unscheduled times; most of the videos require trimming as it took a considerable amount of time to start and end the scene. Which leads me to the next part, as I elaborate on transitions used; there are several settings on the camera which allows for the perfect setting and perfect filming. One of the features included a fade in/ out and burn-in/out; which I used for several scenes as they were being recorded.
Although, the transitions are not the only feature that is incorporated into the camera; the camera also has various setups such as cinema and portrait. Cinema was the setting that included several filters over the original footage. Filters were used consistently throughout the footage; this is to represent the change from the makeup era to natural beauty and expressing yourself without regret. Additionally, the type of filter used was to correlate to the area of the scenery and to establish the mood for that particular scene. Throughout the film, the various filters used also correlate with each other in the sense of emotion; as the sad scenes had darker filters such as Dramatic B&W while the happy footage used filters like vivid. Now that I have created a rough schedule of future editing, I am able to see the next steps to take from my position as I am recovering film, as well. By creating this schedule, I will edit in the appropriate time manner and allow for my video to look smooth.

Filming Blog Park (Music Video)

First, I started filming at the beach during Thanksgiving Break, however at the beginning of when the break started. There, at Hollywood Beach, we filmed the necessary scenes; it took relatively quite a long time to set up and to walk around to the places that we needed to film at. While filming at the beach, I set the camera's settings to capture my film ideally for that location. I took into account the amount of lighting, the reflection from the water, and background noises that could disturb my video; so there were times throughout the day we had to wait for the perfect scenery. Also, we had to take into account the amount of space around us; this is due to wanting a relatively vast space around the filming area to distinguish ourselves from other people at the beach and to maintain people out of the film that didn't seek to be in the video. Although,  it was faster set up than normal as other actors were helping me to set up the tripod and camera in the wanted positions. We first showed up to the beach around noon and the filming took us all the way until the afternoon but, at least we got it done.
Then, I had to refilm the Young Circle Park scenes; sadly, the film was corrupt so it could not be dumped onto the computer. Although it was a loss, it showed me what angles I could have done better and what type of transitions or filters to use and etc. The park scenes were easily done since we already created them before and all the actors already knew what to do and what to expect in the film. Keeping that in mind, the only time-wasting part was walking around the park to the ideal locations and waiting for better conditions. Other than that, it went better than expected as we originally showed up during the afternoon and left before evening. Now, the scenes from the park look more polished and realistic since the actors got used to their parts. Although, one actor could not make it due to personal issues. Because of that inconvenience, the actor shows up in other parts but not the whole video; however, it does not cause dramatic confusion as the message is still properly delivered.
Lastly, we had to reschedule the home scenes; also known as the scenes in the bedroom and bathroom. These scenes were supposed to be shot at the end of break; however, I got very ill and the scene retakes for the park practically overlapped with the filming schedule for the house. So, we decided to film later on in the week, even if the school is in session we were able to get enough time for a few scenes. The schedule is mainly to show up to school in the costumes that are supposed to be in my film; of course, as they are still school dress code appropriate. Extras such as props would be left in the house and set up when we get home. Filming should not take more than an hour or so and should leave in enough time for homework and personal life. Although, since there is a large number of house scenes I do expect a bit of time to be occupied with setup and positioning.