Blast from the past (blog 11)

 Hi blog readers, today we will be reviewing past student work and discussing my opinion on their execution. Let's get into it!

Roll Call: I rate this one a 5/10. I did not care for the title sequence as it has somewhat poor quality and seems somewhat rushed compared to the rest of the opener. I like how the characters were introduced using a interrogation type of scene for each, and then using a voiceover to name each one in between shots. Personally, I wouldn't have been interested to see what else happens as the movie lacks detail or a wow factor that attracts me. One of my favorite parts was the use of a police car in the beginning and the incorporation of location consistently throughout the opener. My biggest piece of advice would be to attempt to make the opening less shaky, and use a better title photo/text.

New Everything: I rate this one a 2/10. I disliked the lack of music within the opener as there is generally nothing interesting going on, so the silence and sound effects feel awkward. I get the idea of him putting on headphones but they extended the silence too long to a point where the music feels random. And then there is no actual transition out of the music, it stops after he already took off his headphones. Additionally, there seems to be no "plot" besides him being a new kid who keeps listening to the same song. A strength is that the camera movements appeared to be more steady compared to other sequences.

Dreamland: I rate this opener a 9/10. I personally love the editing affects and how they used them to make it seem as if she was attracting/levitating the flowers. I also loved the mix between slow and fast movements. I feel like the dramatic change from the soft opening to the realistic atmosphere of the store was great as it created a fantasy vs. reality type of feeling. This is one of my personal favorites out of the past works as it actually intrigued me and feel somewhat like a movie I'd see in theaters. The only thing I would say is that I wish we received some internal dialogue to gain clarity as to what's happening, but the lack of it also peaks curiosity as well.

Dear Lover: I rate this opener a 8/10. I liked the strong use of nature, and how it feels as if the character is speaking to the viewer personally. I also enjoyed the flashback order of the story and how it feels as if it was a reflection back. I loved the camera work as well, as it's very steady and properly angled for the scene. I enjoyed the cliffhanger ending as it brought interest to the reader and overall think this opener was ready good. My only complaint is that the color contrast through the different shots ruins the sense of fluidity in the story, and I wished that the flashback vs. present lighting/color palette were more different from each other.

Dare to Thrill: I rate this opener a 6.5/10. I both liked and disliked this intro. It seems like a music video/creative youtube video compared a movie. I think the problem is that opener starts too suddenly, like as soon as you click play the music is blasting, the characters are running around, and it lacks a story. I honestly don't understand what is happening. I would get it if it was prosed as a flashback and something bad happens, or like there's something sudden which occurs disturbing the upbeat energy, but none of that happens. They get in the car, drive while blasting music, stop the car, look in the trunk, and walk away. Nothing that makes you say "Wait what???". I think the editing and portrayal of a fast pace is great, but it just doesn't feel like a movie.

Just a girl and a story

    Hello readers, this week we were tasked with creating a mood board for a 2-minute movie clip.In this blog, I will be discussing the storyboarding process, my challenges, and my favorite parts. 

       For my clip, I used a piece from the movie, Think Like A Man, based on the book by Steve Harvey. For a simple summary, in my storyboard, we witness two couples go on first dates (pink and blue being one couple and orange and yellow being another,) and the first impressions they gain when women are being picked up to go on the date.

Movie clip

Now let's look at the storyboard...

    Let's start with my overall opinion on storyboarding and what I've learned. I definitely think storyboarding makes the production process easier, as these scenes would be difficult to make using just verbal descriptions. The storyboard helps place specific elements of misc-en-scene into the event, elevating the storytelling. From doing one based on a scene, I've learned how to take an image and portray it in an incomplete way while making sure the main parts are properly conveyed. I've also learned how to make understandable stories without specific character dialogue to convey mood. For example, many scenes in my storyboard would seem plain or emotionless without minor scenes like close-ups, or elements like the way the shot is edited. 

    Next, we're going to talk about my challenges. For my challenges, I would say remembering that not everyone is going to see the scene I am trying to show the same way I see it, figuring out how to show cutaway scenes/different camera movements. For a lot of the shots, when I first started sketching, I felt like I could've done a better job conveying the emotions and actions of the characters in a way that the person looking at my storyboard could fully grasp the intent behind the scene. Also, there was serval scenes thar utilized cutaways to build tension between the characters or have camera movements which are difficult to show as it becomes confusing unless you are watching the scene, so I had a hard time trying to fully display those shots and how they interact with each other. But overall it was a good learning experience for me to test my skills and practice developing a story visually. 

Well, that's it for today. Thank you so much for reading and can't wait to see you on the blog! 

Two Girls and Two Boys

 Hello, for this week I will be speaking about my group members for my final project! My group will consist of 4 people (including me). These people are Jonathan, Jonnele, and Nyles. I will be giving you guys a brief introduction to my group members now. 

    For my first member, I have Jonathan Smith. I've known Jonathan for 3 years now and we have become the best of friends. We've worked together in many classes previously and know how to work with each other to produce the best results. Though there are times we (mainly him) experience brain farts, at the end of the day, we both push each other to do our very best. Additionally, Jonathan is very interested in photography and videography, so his strong interest and knowledge will help the group out a lot when it comes to actually filming. 

    Secondly, we have Jonnele Mends. She is one of my closest friends and I have known her since 6th grade. Since we have known each other for so long, we have learned how to work with each other and what our individual weaknesses/strengths are to bring them together and produce quality work. Also, Jonnele has a strong work drive and will make sure we all are on top of everything we need to do, pushing our group to success. She also is a great communicator - which is definitely something I lack - which helps assure everyone in our group will be heard.

    Lastly, I have Nyles Farley. I met him last year during Powderpuff for homecoming. From that experience, I've learned that he is a hard worker who genuinely wants to improve everyone including himself. During Powderpuff, he was tasked with learning choreography and performing it which displayed his ability to work with others as well as showcasing his passion. 

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed! See you next time

Conjuring the Mise en Scene

 Boo! Did scare you? This week, we'll be analyzing the Mise-En-Scene of a movie to learn more about its composition and the thoughts that went towards portraying it to the audience. In honor of Halloween being this week, I decided to change it up and do it for a scary movie, The Conjuring 2! This is one of my favorite out of the conjuring movies. This movie follows the story of Ed and Loren, a couple who are paranormal investigators known for their ability to sense and remove spirits haunting families. We're going to look at 5 of my favorite scenes from the movie and address important elements like costume, scenery, lighting, actors, and more.

Scene 1: 

        To start, we are going to talk about one the most suspenseful scenes in my opinion. For context, Ed previously had made a painting of a entity he saw in the dream. This entity begins to play in Lorraine's mind with her experiencing a vision-like dream where the Nun comes out of the painting. I want to look at 2 shots showing Lorraine walking into the dark room, and then turning towards the painting. In this scene there's 2 main elements of Mise-En-Scene used to create a feeling of suspense and anticipation for both Lorraine and the viewer. The director first utilizes lighting. When Lorraine originally walks in frame the lights are off and the viewer can only see her face and the face of the Nun building anxiety for the viewer, since she's oblivious to what's behind her. Then, the director used a lamp to create lighting in the frame, having Lorraine turn, see the painting, and turn on the lamp. This creates a sense of relaxation for the audience. The second main element is framing. In this scene, within the frame, we only see the painting, Lorraine, and the lamp. This forces the focus onto the scene, giving the viewer nothing else to look at but the characters. Additionally, the scene is a loose close up creating a personal feeling.

Scene 2:

        For my second scene, I wanted to use the scene where one of the protagonist in the movie, Janet, is giving an interview when she suddenly becomes possessed by the ghost of Bill. In this shot, the director uses props, setting, and scenery to emphasize the feeling of invasion, but also portray a sense of a reality. The shot above takes place in the home of Janet, where she lives with her family. The setting can be interrupted to be so that Janet feels comfortable where she is, making the event of her possession even more disturbing. Additionally, the use of props such as light sources, a camera, coffee table, and a mic places attention on to Janet specifically, as they all face her. These two elements all contribute to the scenery as the create a intrusive mood. Janet being at home, which is filled with people from outside observing and questioning her, 2 cameras placed on her, and all additional props pointing to her already sets a feeling of confinement. Then the scene takes that feeling a complete step further, utilizing the heavy focus placed on Janet from the props to create a uncomfortable event.

Scene 3: 

        Lastly, for my third scene I wanted to use one that utilizes a jump-scare, created by costume, props, and actors. For context, in the minute of the night Janet and her sister are woken up by a haunting and ran to tell their mom, waking their brothers in the process. The mom comes in the bedroom and starts to lecture the girls, since she found a "Ouija" board in their room, when the door slams and the dresser is slammed against it, locking them in the room.  The director uses costume and setting to place a unsecure mood, having the scene occur at night inside Janet's bedroom (a place deemed to be safe) and all the characters in sleep clothes (comfortable) but the scene portray in a unsettled manner. Also, props are used to elaborate on the bedroom setting, with a poster and dresser visible in the background, and then using a drewer to come from out of frame and slam the door. This all comes together in the framing as in beginning of the shot we see the character places in a zig-zag position creating separation. The frame also separates the mom from the kids as they are visible in twos with the girls being inside the room, and the boys standing outside the door, but the mom standing by herself and back towards the camera. Then when the drewer slides forward this pattern is broken, now separating the boys from the girls and mom as they run to her for protection.

    Thank you for reading this blog post today! I hope you enjoyed your Halloween and watch The Conjuring. :)