Audience and Institution Practice Essay

Assess the importance of marketing in the media area you have studied.

Marketing plays such an important role in the film industry. I personally feel that the usage of marketing is what allows these films to truly become successful. Most of the time, the way I hear about a new film is through the marketing techniques used. Cross promotion is one of the most well-known marketing tools in the film industry. This is a great way to bring attention to both companies through something that the audience enjoys.

Marketing can be seen throughout most films, whether it is in the trailer or in the film itself. One of the most well-known examples of marketing that I have seen is in the movie Despicable Me. This movie opened at the number one spot at the box office and pulled in approximately $56.3 million, making it the third-biggest opening grossing for an animated film. This film quickly became popular for these little yellow creatures shaped like fire hydrants, known as minions. These minions actually represent corporate synergy at the company Comcast, which is one of the world’s largest media conglomerates. Comcast wanted in on this film, as they knew it would be a great way to promote their company. As the filming industry continues to rise, companies in other industries, such as Comcast, start to realize the value in connecting their company to the new and improved world of television and film. When further analyzing this, I can see how important the use of marketing is for all companies involved. In this case, I can see that the usage of marketing allowed Comcast to lead both the distribution and development industries by bringing more attention to their company through something that almost everyone knows of. I can also see the benefits of marketing brought to Universal, who produced the film. The popularity of the minions led Universal to create another popular film that just focused on the minions. In this film specifically, we can see that the usage of marketing was very important in creating the popularity and success that this movie had in the film industry.

Additionally, marketing can also be used to bring attention to the film by advertising in different stores or on social media platforms. In the movie Beauty and the Beast, I saw many different forms of marketing used to help bring more success to the film. When this film was released Disney teamed up with different companies to bring in awareness. They teamed up with a store called Hot Topic, which is commonly known for having younger shoppers, to release t-shirts, jewelers, and mugs. They also teamed up with Target to release Beauty and the Beast costumes for children. This is an effective marketing technique because it not only brings attention to the store but also to the film. When younger kids see their friends wearing a shirt about a movie they liked, they may be intrigued to watch it and also buy the merchandise for themselves. Targeting stores with generally younger crowds of shoppers is a great way to get your film to be recognized. Additionally, Disney advertised on a social media platform known as Twitter. This was done through exclusive stickers and photos released only to this app. This is a very effective marketing technique because as more people retweet these stickers and photos, more attention is drawn towards the film. This marketing technique enticed me to watch this film. I saw some of my favorite celebrities retweeting these photos and using these stickers, which inspired me to watch the movie as well. Overall, we can see that the use of advertising in stores and on social media platforms is an effective way to rapidly spread the word about your film.

Additionally, one of the most common forms of marketing for a film is through cross promoting. When I watched one of the most well-known Marvel films, known as Black Panther, I saw many uses of cross promoting. This was used to help bring worldwide attention to this film. This film opened globally in February of 2018 and made $361 in profits in its first week alone. One of the reasons for this was because of the many cross promotions used. For starters, the debut of the trailer was made during an NBA finals game. This is an excellent marketing technique because there were millions of people watching this game that would likely be interested in seeing it. Additionally, Kendrick Lamar was the main feature of the Black Panther soundtrack. To bring attention to the film, he performed at the College Football Playoff National Championship Game and finished off the performance with one of the sounds from the movie soundtrack called “All the Stars”. This was a very efficient technique as this game had almost 21,646,000 viewers. Marvel used this as a marketing technique because they knew how many people would be watching this game. Additionally, anyone who likes Kendrick Lamar for this music would be more intrigued to watch the film knowing that he plays a role. Lastly, Marvel partnered with Lexus, which is a well-known car brand, to reveal a special and unique commercial for the 2018 Lexus LS 500 that was inspired by the movie. In this commercial, you can see the Black Panther on top of the car with special effects added. This is a good marketing technique as it brought more attention to the film anytime someone viewed the commercial. Overall, the use of cross-promoting is one of the most valuable techniques for marketing a film.

Continuously, some films use different strategies to create excitement before the movie is even released. This is a successful marketing technique used to keep us captivated as to what is coming next. Universal Studios teamed up with many different companies to make the movie Jurassic Park become more recognized before the premiere. For starters, the original Jurassic Park movies were aired on bigger channels like NBC, before the release of Jurassic World. This is the main reason why I watched this film. After seeing the Jurassic Park films, I was very interested to see how different the Jurassic World film would be. This a marketing technique used by producers to leave the audience wanted to know what comes next in the sequel. After finishing the Jurassic Park movies, the people would be captivated to see the new and improved movie that would be releasing soon. In addition to this, Universal teamed up with Sony to create a behind the scenes commercial with some of the more well-known actors. This commercial was shown on some of the more popular tv channels to bring excitement to the release of this film. Not only did Universal use essential marketing techniques before the release of the film, but they also continued to market their film after the release. Universal partnered with bigger companies such as Legos, Mike and Ike, and Dairy Queen to create Legos based on the movie, dinosaur-shaped candy, and a Jurassic Park blizzard with the name of the film printed on the cup. One of the main reasons I watched this movie was because I saw the advertising for it on the side of my ice cream cup. This marketing technique is intentionally used to target the attention of the younger crowd. The Legos, ice cream, and candy are all great ways to quickly grasp the attention of children who would be interested in watching the movie. Overall, using different strategies of marketing is a great way to create hype for your film.

Lastly, marketing for films can be seen through special events. In the movie Furious 7, Universal Studios marketed through the use of special events. The trailer for Furious 7 was released by having a special Red Carpet event that allowed fans to watch the trailer and watch questions. The producers also created a website for the film Furious 7 that had contests, pictures, videos, and information. In addition to this, Universal CityWalk had a movie marathon at their movie theatre which featured the first look at one of the cars used in the movie. They also introduced the addition of the new ride based on the movie called “Fast and Furious Supercharged”. Before going to Universal over the summer, I had never heard of this movie. After I went on this ride, I was eager to watch the movie as soon as I got home. Now, not only did Universal Studios market through special events, but they also partnered with other companies as well. Furious 7 teamed up with a phone brand known as OPPO, which hosted promotional events for the movie. Furthermore, Furious 7 partnered with Forza Horizon 2 to release a video game based on the movie. The use of marketing used throughout this film demonstrates the importance of getting your film attention. Most film companies utilize many different strategies to get their film to be heard. I feel as if these marketing techniques are extremely important in having a successful film.

Conclusively, the usage of marketing is extremely important for a film. After looking at the many different types of marketing techniques, I can see how important these are for a film. The usage of marketing plays a huge role in the success and popularity of a film. The movies that have been most successful in the film industry today have exhibited numerous ways of marketing their film, allowing it to reach its full potential.

24 Extract Essay

                        24 Extract Essay

               

               The director wants the audience to feel a sense of excitement and suspense as more of the story begins to uncover who this woman is. This mostly relates to the thriller and action genres. We can see the thrill as the audience feels lots of suspense and excitement as they are eager to know more about what this woman has done. Additionally, we can also see the action through acts of violence from Jack such as when he flips the table or slams the chair the woman is sitting in against the wall. The main message that can be seen throughout the extract is that it is not always easy to have patience in potentially dangerous situations. It is hard to stay calm when you know something bad could occur at any second. In life-threatening situations, anger cannot always be controlled as easily. As this anger continues to build up, more violence and rage occur as an outcome.

                In the first scene, the author uses different techniques to begin introducing the plot and theme. The first technique was an over the shoulder shot. This shot was used to show the expressions of anger that Jack has as he tries to get more information out of the woman tied up. This allows for the audience to understand that Jack is directly talking to her. Even though it appears as if he is looking at the camera, the audience can infer that he is specifically speaking to her because her shoulders appear slightly in front of the camera. This is an excellent technique because it focuses directly on Jack, allowing the audience to form interpretations of his expressions and how he may feel. Another technique used to help introduce the plot and theme was crosscutting. Crosscutting was used to show the difference between the two main settings. From this, the audience can infer that one room may be the observation room, while the other is the interrogation room. The director used cross-cutting to show what was happening at the same time during the same scene just in a different location. This helps the audience to better understand where this woman is and what is happening around her. The usage of this technique adds to the director’s vision as it creates thrill and suspense as the audience starts to learn more about who these people are and who they work for.

                Moving on to the second scene as more of the plot begins to unravel. The first technique used was a long shot. A long shot was used to show the audience that this woman is tied up to a chair. In the first scene, only close-up shots were used, so the audience was unaware that this woman could be dangerous. It adds suspense as we can begin forming interpretations of what this woman may have done given the context of the “bomb”. The use of this technique adds on to the director’s vision of creating thrill and suspense as the audience may have been shocked to find out that she was not just sitting in a chair for her own good. Another technique seen was through the usage of dialogue. Dialogue gives the audience a better understanding of how this woman may have ended up in this situation. It gives an insight into her past and what she may be seeking. By referencing to “Versailles” we can see that she is trying to escape from someone or something. This adds on to the director’s vision as it creates thrill and suspense as the audience becomes more eager to find out what she is trying to uncover or hide from. The last technique used in this scene to help build on the plot was diegetic sounds. Diegetic sounds allow the audience to truly get an insight as to what is happening in the scene. Because these sounds were natural to the scene it may have more of a connection with the audience. The loud screeching of the chair being pushed against the wall and the slamming of the table shows how violent and angry Jack really is. This adds on to the director’s vision as it increases the level of action and violence as the theme starts to develop.

                Lastly, in the final scene, the main theme is uncovered as more details are revealed. The first technique used was a split-screen. This is an editing technique used to show two scenes on the screen at the same time. This was used to show the professionally dressed man running out of the observation room and into the interrogation room to prevent Jack from choking the woman tied up to death. The usage of a split-screen allowed the audience to see what was happening in both rooms, as the tension increases. This adds on to the director’s vision because it creates thrill as the audience begins to wonder if the professional man will reach the room in time to get Jack to let go of her. The next technique used in this scene was the setting. In this scene, both of the main settings (the observation and interrogation room) come together. This shows the audience that these people work together. At first, it may have been hard to identify this because of the way that Jack suspiciously looks at the camera. The audience may have figured that he was not supposed to be in the room at that time. As time goes on, we can see that these men may work together for some type of crime-stopping agency. This adds on to the director’s vision of creating thrill because the audience is excited to put the pieces together and figure out what these guys are trying to do based on the information they try to get from the woman. The last technique used in this scene was the actors. The main actors included Jack (the angry man), the woman tied up, and the two observers. Few actors were used so that the audience would focus more on the dialogue. The dialogue was so important, so the director did not want to include too many actors and take the attention away from the conversation between Jack and the woman. This adds on to the director’s vision as it creates suspense that maybe not many people are around her because she is highly dangerous.

                Conclusively, the director’s main vision is to create suspense ­and excitement for the audience. This is done through the usage of many different techniques such as over the shoulder shots, cross-cutting, long shots, dialogue, diegetic sounds, split-screens, the setting, and the actors. The director wants the audience to be able to identify the theme/message that it is not always easy to have patience in potentially dangerous situations. This message is developed throughout the use of many details and lots of action as well. Overall, my analysis closely relates to the director’s message as I discussed how the usage of action and thrill helped to build up this plot and overall theme.

               

Creative Critical Reflection for the Final Task

          The Creative Critical Reflection was the last and final step in completing the final task. To wrap everything up I had to create a video of myself discussing some important topics. This was a 12-15 minute long video with lots of information included. I went in-depth on four key points that played a huge role throughout this whole project. This was such a fun experience because it felt like I was on a talk show. It was also a lot of fun to edit because I could be as creative and unique as I wanted to be. I got to add in so many cool pictures from my film and from online to make the interview come to life. I also got to add in the music that was played at the beginning of my horror film. I added in the music at the end of my talk show to wrap everything up and end on a peaceful note. This also creates a connection between my film and the reflection video.
          This process took a lot of time. I had to re-shoot each question multiple times to ensure that there were no mistakes and that the audio could be clearly heard. It’s important that you film somewhere with good and natural lighting as it makes the scenes much easier to see. Adding in photos was very fun, however, this took a lot of time as well. For each new topic, I had to find the photo and then import it into iMovie. Once they imported I had to ensure that it would appear as a split-screen so that the audience had some type of context with what I was saying. I then had to place the photo in the right spot and trim it to the right amount of time. If photos were placed in the wrong spot it wouldn’t correspond with what I was saying and may confuse the audience. Overall this process was a lot of fun to experience. I got to see what it would be like to be in an interview or on a real talk show. The knowledge I gained from this was so important and can be very useful in future experiences.

Final Task: Horror Film

          This was the last film that I made with my group members for this class. I was so excited to film this because I knew how fun it was going to be. My group and I all loved the horror genre. It is such a fun and thrilling genre because it has so many aspects to it. We knew from the beginning that horror would be the best topic to focus on. We had so many ideas, but sadly we knew we could only choose one. We thought a lot about which idea to choose. When we finally selected a topic we knew that we had chosen the right idea because it fit best with the genre. We were so excited to film this because in the horror genre you can be very creative.
          After filming this, I still managed to learn more information. This time I learned more about the editing process. Because this was an introduction to a film there had to be title sequences displayed on the screen for specific amounts of time. I was unaware of how to do this, so I had to figure out how to teach myself. Luckily, this was a very easy thing to learn. It's important to be able to know how to do this for future experiences. Overall, this project was a lot of fun. Throughout each task, I learned so much that was not only useful for this class but can also be applied to future experiences. I am so glad I got the chance to learn so many new things and have a lot of fun throughout the process.

Music Video Project

          After learning a lot from the previous film, I was ready to film again. I was very excited to begin this project because these types of videos have always interested me. Instead of filming a commercial, we were instructed to create a music video. All of my group members enjoyed music videos, so we knew this would be a very fun project. When deciding what song to use my group and I all agreed on the same song. Surprisingly we all shared a love for an artist known as Khalid. In particular we all enjoyed one of his most well-known songs called "location". This was the perfect song to use, as it creates such a calming and enjoyable vibe. As a group we all knew this would be the right song to choose because it had such a good message to it. We had so many ideas and were so excited to begin filming.

          Because we already had experience with filming there were less issues this time around. We used our own cameras to film to ensure that our clips wouldn't be blurry. We also learned to give ourselves lots of time to edit so that no mistakes were made. I did not think it was possible to learn more, but to my surprise I obtained lots of new information. The most important thing that I learned was to film each scene multiple times. Luckily we did this because in one of our scenes the clip cut off. If we had not filmed multiple scenes, we would not have been able to use this scene. It's always important to have backups just in case any of the footage gets messed up. I'm glad I was able to learn more information to assist me in the next project. It is important to learn from your mistakes to become better in both the filming and editing processes. Overall, this was such a fun film to make and I truly enjoyed every second of this process.

Gatorade Commercial Project

          This was the first film that I ever created for this class. In this project, we created a thirty-second long commercial. This was such a fun experience. I was able to learn essential knowledge from it. My group and I decided to make this commercial about Gatorade. We chose this topic because we thought it would be the most fun idea to create a commercial out of. Because this was our first film it took us a while to grasp the concept. We had to re-shoot many scenes because the camera was difficult to operate. Once we learned how to use the camera is was a very fun experience.
          I learned so much from the editing and filming process that I was able to apply to the other projects throughout the year. The first thing I learned was to film using our own cameras and not the ones issued by the school. When using the school camera, all of our scenes were very blurry. This deteriorates the quality of the film, as it is harder to make out what is going on in each scene. This was a good lesson to learn because moving forward it would be much better to not have blurry footage. Additionally, exporting footage from the camera was a very time-consuming process. It took a lot of time away from editing because we needed to make sure each scene exported properly. Overall, the knowledge I gained from this project helped guide me in the projects that came after. If I hadn't learned from my mistakes, I would not have been able to produce an excellent film in the end. I'm glad that these mistakes were made because in the end my commercial still looked very realistic and creative.

Re-edit Blog: COVID-19 Continues to Spread Globally

          Unfortunately, my group and I were unable to re-edit our film due to the recent outbreak of COVID-19. COVID 19 is very dangerous and contagious, especially to younger kids and senior citizens.

Individuals have been recommended to stay indoors and to prevent going out as much as possible. Schools have announced that they will remain closed until at least the beginning of May to prevent this disease from spreading even more. My group and I decided that it would be best to follow orders and stay indoors. Although we were upset, we knew that this was in our best interests. Luckily, our film did not need much re-editing as there were only minor issues that could easily be fixed. As a group, we decided to go on a group call as this would be much safer than risking our health. On the group call, we discussed what needed to be done to put the final touches on our film. We spent lots of time brainstorming and collaborating ideas until we finally came up with the best solution.

          As a group, we collectively agreed that our film already met the necessary requirements. There were a few minor issues with the title sequences that would only require about 5 minutes of editing. There was no need for us to meet together to fix such a simple issue. While staying on the call, each group member took a different task to make the best use of our time. Nadia's task was to make sure all of the transitions we used were smooth and fit with each scene. Katia's task was to make sure none of the scenes were blurry and that the scenes were in the correct order. Sophia's task was to make sure the title sequences were in the correct order. My task was to make that the title sequences remained on the screen for the correct duration of time.

Re-shoot Blog: Interference with a Global Issue

          Unfortunately, my group and I were unable to re-shoot any of our scenes. This was not any of our group member's fault as we were all prepared to film again. The previous week, my group members and I all got on a group call and decided on a day to re-shoot. After deciding on a day that worked with all of our schedules, we were very excited to film again. However, unexpectedly a disease known as the Coronavirus (COVID-19) began to spread globally. As a result of this, the school was shut down and orders were made to remain inside of our households. Again, my group members and I got on a group call and discussed what would be best for our film and ourselves. After lots of thinking, we decided that it would not be worth risking our safety at this moment. All of our scenes were very well put together and honestly, did not really need to be re-filmed. It would not be worth risking our health just to re-shoot one scene that had a minor mistake.
          My group and I used this group call very wisely to brainstorm ideas about our film. We knew that we would not have time to re-film before the due date because of the sudden outbreak of this disease. The scene that we had planned to re-film only had a simple lighting mistake. I thought back to when we previously filmed and remembered an important detail. During the filming process, we shot each scene multiple times in case any issues occurred. Luckily, we had filmed this exact scene in a room with better lighting. After looking through what seemed like thousands of videos of deleted footage, I finally found the one I was looking for. This scene was perfect, as there was a slight bit more amount of light in the room. It was just the right amount of light to still create the horror effect we wanted. This worked out so much better, as none of my group members including myself had to risk our general health or safety. Throughout this all, we still managed to fix the small problem and produce a great film overall.

Editing Blog: Adding In Music

          Finally, my group and I were on the last stage of editing. We were very excited to finish editing and to see the final product. There were still a few things that needed to be fixed, but this did not take much time. First, we had to set the timed duration of the title sequences. We needed to ensure that each sequence appeared on the screen for the specific scene and then disappeared when the scene was done. It was important that only one sequence was shown at a time, to allow for less confusion. This was a very simple fix that involved pressing on the title and setting the time that we wanted it to be shown. After this, we moved on to making sure the transitions between scenes were smooth as well. It is important that the audience can tell when a change in scene has occurred. This will also allow the audience to see when a different shot/angle is being used. For example, switching from a scene with an over the shoulder shot to a scene with a low angle to add suspense and show what that character was seeing.
          The last thing I did during the editing process was add in the music. My group and I had to ensure that this music was copy-right free as it was one of the requirements for our film. I took many steps to be certain that our music met this specific requirement. When searching for music to use, I did a detailed search on YouTube and the internet. After searching through many songs, my group and I finally decided that we had found the right song. We then edited this copy-right free song into the beginning of our film. This music would be played when the title sequences were being displayed. The song we chose was absolutely perfect and greatly matched what was being shown in the scenes. It was also used to extenuate the true horror genre. By starting out with a very happy song, the audience would be more surprised/thrilled when the horrific events occur. We did this by stopping the music when the plot begins to occur. For example, the music plays as the friends are gossiping and having a good time. However, when the music cuts off the scenes begin to get scarier and darker as the Ouija Board is brought out. After all of these exiting steps, my group and I wrapped up our editing process and finally got to watch our amazing film!

Editing Blog: Adding Title Sequences

         After the exporting process, it was finally time to put the clips in order. Unfortunately, this process took a long time. This caused me to be a little setback. Luckily, my group and I edited very early just in case any issues like this occurred. Once all of the clips were on the software I got right to work. It is very essential to the film that all of the clips are in order. If the clips aren’t in order, the film will not make any sense to the audience. Luckily, some of the clips were already in order. A few clips were out of place, but this was an easy fix. We simply had to drag the clips into the correct order.
           This was an easy process of checking to see what the clip was and adding in to correspond with the other scenes. After this, we moved on to adding the title sequences. Adding the title sequences was much more intricate and time-consuming. It took a while to make sure that we had the title slides in the right order with the corresponding scene. We did this for each of the title sequences that were required to be in the film. These title sequences would be shown throughout the beginning of the film in different scenes. The order of these sequences was very important as well as it would make more logical sense. These are used to give credit to the crew and actors of the film. Additionally, they are used to make this film seem more realistic and add more thrill to the genre. Adding in the title sequences truly allows the film to begin to come together and reach its full potential.

Editing Blog: Exporting and Trimming Scenes

          After finishing the filming process, my group and I were very excited to move on to the editing process. The first thing we did was go through all of our footage. I wanted to ensure that we selected the best footage. For most scenes, my group and I filmed many shots. This is why we needed to go back and choose which scenes turned out the best. It took us a lot of time to delete the footage that was not necessary. We had to pick the scenes that not only turned out the best but also fit the genre and plot of the film. After this, I began to trim the clips. I needed to make sure that my film met the strict time requirements. It took lots of time and perfection to meet the time requirement and make sure the scenes fit as well.
          However, there were a few issues while trying to meet the time requirement. Our time kept going over the maximum amount. As a group, we collectively decided that we had to cut the less important scenes from the film. After cutting these scenes we perfectly fit the requirements and had no more concerns. After this step, I began to import the footage. Instead of using Pinnacle Studios, my group and I used iMovie. Using iMovie was much easier, considering that we filmed using our iPhones. We had some trouble importing all of the footage due to the computer we used. However, this was resolved by using a different computer to export. After we switched computers, the export process went very smoothly and all the problems were resolved.

Peer Review Blog

          While reviewing this film there were many aspects of it that I enjoyed. Overall, the film did a great job of establishing and making sure the audience could clearly identify the genre. Additionally, they created a sense of mystery at the end to allow the audience to want to know what comes next. The aspect that I enjoyed the most about the film was the scary creature shown throughout the scenes. This creature not only looked so realistic, but it also added great value to the mystery and horror. At the beginning of this film, the creature is shown lurking around the house. As the scenes go on this creature starts to become more noticeable. For example, you can see the creature lurking in the back of a scene with the main character brushing his hair. As the scenes go on, the audience begins to form ideas of what this creature could be. This was an excellent technique to keep the audience wanting to know what will comes next and what exact significance this creature has.

          While reviewing the film, there was one main aspect that I felt needed to be adjusted. This would be the lighting. In most of the scenes, it was very difficult to see what was going on. Even though the darkness was intended to create a horrific effect it was very difficult to comprehend what was happening in each scene. Adding a slight amount of light would allow the audience to get a better visual. This would also give us a better understanding of what is going on like it for less confusion. For example, a flashlight or lamp could be used. Additionally, scenes could be shot in a room with little natural light coming in. A closet or bathroom is a great room to film in as they usually don't have much light coming in. Using these techniques would allow for better visualization, while still creating a horror effect.

Filming Blog: Genre Reinforcement Throughout the Film

          My group and I wanted to ensure that it was clear for the audience to identify the genre throughout the film. It's important to establish this genre to allow for better comprehension of what is going on. I made sure to take this into account during the filming process. While filming, my group and I took many steps to create a more mysterious and horrific effect in some of the scenes. In the scenes where we wanted to create a mood of suspense, we made sure to film in a dark location. These locations include the bathroom, closet, or laundry room. These are great locations to film because there is no light coming into the room. We then used the flashlights on our cell phones to light up the room. Using our flashlights allows for less to be identified in each scene. This creates horror as the audience is unaware of what is going to happen next.
          Another thing I did while filming to ensure that the genre was clearly established was the usage of props. During the most horrific scenes, we included props to frighten the audience and extenuate the scenes. In most of the scenes, we used an Ouija Board. An Ouija Board is a very commonly known scary board game. We used this board to show the audience how scary the scene could actually get. Without having the Ouija Board in the scene, the audience would not be able to identify that something is about to happen in the scene. Additionally, we shot the scariest scene in the bathroom. This was because we wanted the girl to disappear by being possessed. We were able to do this through the usage of a shower curtain. We had one actor go behind the shower curtain and pull the other actor when the lights flickered. This created a mysterious effect as it is unknown to the audience who the antagonist is.

Filming Blog: Overview of the Scenes

          After overcoming the issue that we faced with not having enough people, we were finally able to film. Luckily, we resolved this issue and found a way to film around it. Firstly, we began to film our scenes. These scenes would show the title sequences. These were very casual and simple conversational scenes. For example, these scenes would include sitting on the couch and talking or walking through the front door to establish the location. These scenes were also used to give background to the audience about the plot and what was going to happen. Throughout these, we also included tracking shots, over the shoulder shots, and an establishing shot. These shots are important as they allow the audience to identify a change in the scene. It also adds a more creative effect to each scene and the film overall.

         After filming these shots, my group and I moved into filming the next scenes. These scenes were used to show the moments that led up to the horrifying event. These scenes were very scary and mysterious. For example, one of the scenes would be in a dark scary room with the Ouija Board. Another scene would show the girl being possessed. These scenes were used to make it clear to the audience what was going on and hint to what may happen. In these scenes we used high angles, low angles, pans, tilts, medium shots, and close-ups. Using these shots is a great technique to make the film really come together and reach its full potential. Overall, the film process was very fun and exciting. We had a few setbacks, but we quickly recovered in order to stay on schedule.

Filming Blog: Resolving an Issue

          My group and I decided that we would all film on Sunday. This was a day that worked with all of our schedules. This would allow us to have more time to film and edit. Everything was going as planned, until we ran into a dilemma. The people outside of our group, who agreed to be in our film, could no longer film with us on Sunday. All four of them had somewhere to be, but said that they could film the next weekend. However, we did not want to wait until last minute to try and get everything done. If we waited until the next weekend, one of our actual group members may have been busy. This left us in a difficult situation, as we needed them in order for our scenes to work. We were determined to finish all of our filming that weekend so that we could resourcefully use class time to edit our film and allow it to reach its full potential.
         We knew we had to figure out a way around this because we may not get another opportunity to film. As a group, we collectively brainstormed different ideas. It was very important to us that the scenes made sense not only for us, but for the audience as well. If the scenes aren't comprehendible to the audience it will be harder to follow along and identify the genre being used.We went back into our script that we had previously planned out and began to make edits to it. We needed to make edits and remove some of the scenes that required more people, due to the difficult situation that we faced. We collectively came up with amazing and creative ideas that would work with the amount of people we had to film with. It took lots of thinking and analyzing to finally come up with the final edits for each scene. As a group, we were very relieved that one bump in the road didn't affect our whole film. Luckily, my group works very well together and we were still able to produce an excellent film, regardless of a small issue that occurred.

Filming Blog (extra) : Scheduling and Planning

          Unfortunately, my group and I were unable to film last weekend. However, we used this time resourcefully to plan and schedule for when we are able to film. This was very important as it will make the overall filming process much easier and smoother. We spent many hours on a group call discussing and reviewing each scene from the storyboard. We did this to ensure that everyone was on the same page and that there was no confusion throughout the group. We also went back and double-checked that we included many different angles and shots into each scene. While doing this, we also added things that we felt would fit into each scene. This allows for much more time to film, as we will not be worried about making sure we included these important factors. As a result of doing this, my group and I will not waste any valuable time. This will be so helpful, as it will help reduce the amount of time we spend filming and allow for more time to edit.

          One of the main things we focused on during this group call was the props and setting. We brainstormed many great ideas about what should be used for props and what settings we should include in our film. We also discussed how we could integrate special effects to allow each scene to reach its full potential. Each member of the group agreed to bring certain props as well. We wanted to ensure that we would have everything that's necessary to film in order to make the filming process less stressful. Props and special effects are important as they will extenuate the horror and fully bring out the genre. We also discussed what settings where we will be filming. We wanted to ensure that the audience could tell a change in the scene. It's important that the audience can follow along with what is happening in order for the plot to make sense. Overall, it is very important that we took the time to plan and schedule. As a result of this, my group and I are much better prepared and organized and ready to film as soon as possible.

Planning Blog: Storyboard

   This is our storyboard. This storyboard will help out when it comes to the filming and editing process. Like in the past, the storyboard will act as a step-by-step guide for filming and editing.  For example, while we are filming we can look back at our storyboard to see what camera movements we wanted and in what scene or when to use them. We could also use the storyboard for the editing process. The storyboard could help us to remember what we wanted our titles to look like and what type of visuals we want. Overall, the storyboard helps to remind our group of our initial ideas for the film. This is helpful because we have found that sometimes while we film or while we edit we forget what we wanted and in what scene. So the storyboard helps us with this. The storyboard also helps us see if we made any changes when we finish our film or what stayed the same.

Planning Blog: Schedule, Location, Participants, and Health

In this presentation, the aspects schedule, location, participants, and health are focused. Within our schedule, we chose as a group what days will be best for us to record. As for the location after deliberating thoroughly we decided that it will be best to film at  Sophia’s house. Furthermore, we decided on how many people we would need to conduct the film. We chose three people for our group then three extras from another, the total will result in a great representation for a group of friends. Lastly, we discussed things we can do to make sure we are safe. Which included simple things like transportation. Exchanging views about these four aspects will be beneficial to us in the future, we won’t have to replan or rethink of anything. This will prevent wasting time from our filming process.

Planning blog: Title Slides

In this google presentation, my group and I spoke about the titles of our movie. We spoke about where they would be, what they would look like and more aspects of the titles. Examples of this include color, size, and structure of the titles. This is all included in the presentation. We also came up with the name of our movie. This posed some difficulty because we had our whole script but couldn't think of a title. We wanted our movie title to correctly summarize our movie but at the same time not give the plot away. Eventually, we came up with the title. This presentation will be very useful to our group because we can use it as a reference when we are editing. And will remind us of our original title ideas if they change as the process goes on.

Sound Script for the Final Task

In this Google Slides Presentation group and I wrote out a sound script. This is a script that discusses the different sounds that would be used in our final task video. The sound effects discussed correspond with the shooting script. It is very essential to have this all planned out in order to have a smoother filming process. This script acts as a general outline for all the sounds that would be included. My group and I selectively picked out the sounds that we thought would work best with each scene. We made sure that the sounds would be able to contribute to the overall theme being horror. These sounds also allow the audience to better interpret and understand what is going on. For example, when the beat increases in the background music, the audience can assume that something is about to happen in the scene. It is extremely important to be able to identify when there will be a shift in the tone of the scene. As expected, there will be a few minor changes that may occur to the script to better suit the film. However, these changes will only be small and will not result in tremendous differences. Overall, this script will help tremendously as we begin to film, as it provides a layout for what we will need to do and edit in.