Group Meeting Experience

Hi, so today I got the chance to meet with a couple students from my class to share each other's projects and give each other advice on how to move forward. We started by going around and describing our plan and overall plot. I was able to hear of some super creative ideas, and frankly, I was a little jealous. But, when I told my ideas, I received a lot of positive feedback that I did not realize I needed until now. I have been worried about making sure everything comes out perfect, and getting some validation really made me feel like I am on the right track. 

I basically pitched them both of the ideas that I discussed in my earlier blogs, sort of as if they were the directors. Most of them agreed with me that the first one, inspired by my parents, is very fitting for the romantic comedy, and adorable. But, when I told them about the second idea (meeting by getting into the wrong apartment) they said that it had more room and flexibility to develop, as well as feeling more like an opening than the first idea. This feedback was extremely helpful because it just reassured what I had been thinking myself. Although, someone did say that if I would like to go along with the first idea, then I should add more aspects to the plot to give it more depth. This is something I would like to bring up with my group in case we do decide to make our film opening about the beach. 

When I expressed my worries about my idea, such as the location, my classmates gave me advice on how to work around the situation. To elaborate, I said I was worried since I did not know what apartment I could film in. I had said that there might be a slight chance I could use my aunt's apartment in Miami, but it is not likely, as they live in Kentucky. One girl told me that when she did her one-word film project, she also did not have an apartment to film in, so she just cleared a few pieces of furniture in her home and used tight shots to give the impression that it was an apartment. This made me realize that I might have been worried over something that was not that big of a deal. In fact, I think that the tight shots could definitely work, as I want to emphasize the objects she is taking out of the boxes either way. I was glad that I was able to get some input from other people to help me figure this whole process out. I look forward to telling my group how we should lean towards tighter shots when filming.

I also told my group the small details that I would like to incorporate into the opening. Such as the use of a very elegant font for the credits to match the girl's personality. They agreed with this decision and felt that it was a subtle, yet efficient way to develop character. Moreover, I described how I would like an up-beat song playing from the very first scene, and to have the girl seen wearing headphones throughout the various shots. I mentioned how the purpose of this is to have the song completely cut out when her neighbor opens the door and she removes the headphones. The meaning behind this is to show how this girl is always in her own little perfect world, but when she meets the male lead, her world is disrupted. My vision is to make the contrast in sound from a feel-good song to all of a sudden silence emphasize this and give room for the chemistry between the two characters. I expressed all of these ideas, and my group members said that it was a smart idea and that it added depth and variety to the film. This feedback encouraged me to start researching sound and editing to prepare myself for what I would like to create and be able to execute it successfully. I also plan on checking out the film High Fidelity, as it was recommended to me by a classmate to further my research on romantic comedies.

Overall, this was a great experience as I got to get an opinion from an outside perspective, as well as reassurance that my group and I were on the right track. I hope to be able to participate in another group meeting further along in my project.

The Brainstroming Commences... with yet another idea!

 Hi, I am back and ready to tell you about the second idea my group and I brainstormed. I feel like I already told you about how I am kind of stressed about falling behind in this project and all that, so instead of boring you with the details, I am just going to jump in and describ the second film opening we came up with.

So, essentially it starts with a girl seen unpacking her belongings into her apartment. My actress, Chloe is my age, but we would like to make it seem as though she is a college student. I think we could do this by using a college banner. Specifically one of the ones people have hanging in their rooms that is in the shape of a triangle. We would also incorporate shots of all the things she is unpacking, including her trophies and medals. This establishes character, by allowing the audience to conclude that she is in a highly respocted college, and is a great student with many achievements. If I were to describe her with words known to be used in romantic comedies, then she is a 'nerdy girl' or 'try-hard'. I would also like to show her placing the objects she is unpacking on her shelves with exact preciseness. This could hint to the audience that she is a neat person as well as a perfectionist. 

This is what one of the college flags would look like, and help show the audience that she is a new college student. This image was found on Amazon and linked here.

This photo serves as an inspiration for what it would start to look like as she starts unpacking. The trophies and achievements are meant to show how successful and 'perfect' she seems. This image was found on a website here,

Based on the various film openings I have analyzed through my research, my group and I decided to start this scene with a song playing in the background. I feel like this is just the best option as it creates that feel-happy mood that plays perfectly into the genre of a rom-com. The girl, Chloe would be seen wearing headphones, so to show the audience that the music playing, is the same as the one that she is listening to on her device. The idea is to have the song be abruptly cut off as soon as she takes off her headphones and the plot progresses. 

We plan on incorporating the credits into the scenes of her unpacking her items. This is inspired by the film The Wedding Planner, which also embedded the credits in the shots of the very first scene. I would like to choose a font that is neat and pretty, to match Chloe's personality. If anything, the letters would be extremely straight and aligned to further that perfectionist lifestyle. The font color though, is something that my group and I have to decide after we film. I think this is the best way to approach this as we should decide on a color that compliments the lighting of the room and mise-en-scene elements. 

Anyway, so after she finishes unpacking we would like to show her getting some groceries. However, we realize that we don't have much time, so it might have to be simply her checking her mail instead of getting groceries. The reason behind the need for her to leave her apartment is to show her trying to reenter using her keys until she realizes that none of the keys fit into the keyhole of the door. Spoiler: she can not get in with her keys because she is trying to get into the wrong apartment door. When she continues to try to shove the key in, they fall to the ground and someone opens the door.

Surprise! It is the male lead. They introduce themselves and she realizes that she was trying to get into the wrong apartment. We would like to establish the chemistry and connection between them as soon as the male bends down to pick up her keys and they make eye contact with one another. When they begin to have a conversation though, another girl opens the door that the male lead was holding and holds it wider so she fits into the frame. We would like her to immediately say something along the lines of "Babe who is this?", and have the opening cut right after. I feel like that is the perfect place to leave the audience because it's clear that the three of them will have a conversation following that statement.

Now I realize that this is not really the enemies-to-lovers plot that I emphasized various times of including, but my group and ran out if ideas, and the ones we did think of were at times too cliche. Though I would still like to include a contrast between their personalities through what they wear, and how they interact when they first meet at his front door. For instance, she wears light colors and he wears dark, and he comes off as self-absorbed, while she is nicer. 

The only thing that I am worried about this film opening if finding an apartment in which we could use. Most of my group members and I know people who live in houses, and not apartments, so the hunt for finding a location to film in will prove to be difficult. But, I have to confess that I like this idea more than the one from the beach that I mentioned yesterday. I feel like this idea could incorporate all the elements that I have been researching for the past two weeks seamlessly and it just feels like a more professional opening to a film. However, I realize that some will call it cliche, and that the 'meeting because she was trying to enter the wrong apartment' is something that has been done before. Despite this, I would still like to move forward with this idea and alter a few aspects to make it unique from the rest. Other than that, I feel like I am in a better place than I was last week, and I am looking forward to speaking to my group members about what is next.

Brainstorming Continues

Hi, so my group and I have had time to regroup, and we were able to think of a few new ideas. This came as a relief to me because I was sort of freaking out since I could not think of anything. I think the pressure of thinking of a great idea and not falling behind in the schedule is what is getting to me. But anyway thankfully we were able to think of something.

So our first idea was actually inspired by the way my parents met. The scene would open with a montage of a group of girls having fun at the beach, and the atmosphere would sunset. My vision of this opening is sort of like in movies where people are running in the water and splashing each other while laughing and the lighting is dim; giving it a nostalgic/feel-good mood. When Chloe, the main character turns around though, the majority of her friends are not there any longer, except her friend Sarah. I know what your thinking, this came out of nowhere. But i hope that through the specifc shots and editing, I could make it seem as though time passed and Chloe and Sarah lost sight of the other friends and lost them. Maybe I could even include a short shot of the other girls walking off to get something and allow the audience to assume that they could not find their way back. 

Thee image below is essentially the lighting we are hoping to be in when we start filming. I realize that this may be difficult to get multiple shots of as the time frame of the sun setting is so short. I go this picture from a website here.

Clearly, this would cause a shift in the mood of the film. The lighting is now darker, leaning towards nighttime and the girls have no way home and no cell phone. I would make sure to not make the station too drastic, so to not fall into a thriller/horror category. I would do this by making the girls seem annoyed and a little worried, but not to the point of being scared since this is still a romantic comedy. 

Luckily, Sarah sees a group of people in the distance and recognizes one of them. This causes her to run towards them and Chloe is completely confused as to where they are going. I hope that by showing these small aspects of Chloe's personality, I could subtly develop character. The audience would be able to tell that while Sarah is headstrong, Chloe is more of a follower. The point of this is to hint at the film developing a plot in which Chloe comes out of her shell and becomes a leader herself. 

When they get to the group of people, Sarah immediately begins speaking with the person she recognizes, hoping to get a ride home from the beach and resolve their situation. However, Chloe expresses her worry for being around people he does not know. This is interrupted by the male lead. He does this by grabbing the hat off her head and putting it on himself. When Chloe realizes that a complete stranger just removed her hat she is very confused. Noah, the male lead, then says a corny line along the lines of 'Your eyes are too pretty to be covering them'. Chloe then makes an annoyed expression and is clearly unimpressed by his cliche compliment. 

This is most of what my group has put together, after using my own parents' story and twisting some parts a bit. Our hope is to show the girls getting a ride home, and then that the two leads meet again two weeks later at a party. My vision is to have the opening end abruptly as Chloe opens the door for him and their two eyes meet again. I realize that we might be adding too many clips for such a short time frame. This is one of the biggest issues I am worried about if we continue with this idea. Another part that I dislike is sort of how there was no approach at the beginning. I felt as though we did not get a chance to establish character at all. I mean we could try to establish the setting of the beach through shots along with the montage, but I just feel like the meeting of the two characters was rather quick. 

So, my group and I hope to discuss this idea more and maybe change a few things so we feel more confident about it. After all, the last thing we want is to spend weeks on something that we don't truly have our hearts set on. Also, we are going to a group meeting soon in which we could get the feedback from fellow students. I am confident that that experience would help us greatly and inspire us to change a few things for the better. I will be posting another blog specifically dedicated to that group meeting, so stay tuned. Other than that, this beach scene was the first idea we came up with, and I will be going into my second idea in another blog. 

Enemies to Lovers film opening

 Hi, so now that I have backtracked my plan/idea, I was thinking that the best way to think of a new one was to get inspiration from a film that is using the same trope as I am. So, that is why I have decided to take a look at the film: The Hating Game. This film is a perfect example of enemies to lovers. The two characters are executive assistants of the co-directors of their company and have completely different personalities. This was shown through mise-en-scène elements, such as the female lead's side of the office having bright colors and her red lipstick. While the male's side of the office is completely monotone and void of color. This stark contrast was made apparent the second the film started and the characters were on camera. My group and I were looking to do a similar approach in our previous beach idea in which we established that the two characters were opposites through their clothing and dialogue. However, looking back at my past idea's outline, there was not enough of a stark contrast. This is yet again another reason why my group and I have decided to revise our outline. In this next brainstorming process with my group, I am going to show them how well The Hating Game created such contrast between the character's personas, and let them know that it is something I would like to do as well in our film opening. 

The opening also included very tight close-ups of the character's features such as eyes, hands, and their small movements. They did this because as soon as the female lead would do something, the male lead sitting across from her would mimic her movements. These actions, paired with the expression on the female lead's face make it clear to the audience from the very beginning that she does not like him. This is assumed as most people do not enjoy when others copy their every move, and for him to do that means that he must enjoy getting on her nerves. Unlike my outline, which involved the male lead acting rude to the female, this film needs no dialogue between the two characters- the conflict between them is inferred. I feel like this is a more professional approach to establishing conflict. However, for me to alter my idea and go a similar route to that of The Hating Game, I would have to establish to the audience that the two characters already know each other. In my original outline, my character had just met. But as I know that I struggled in writing dialogue, a simpler way might be to skip over the part of the meeting and jump into the part of them not liking each other. I will talk about this with my group and get their opinion on the matter. I know that my group does not want to scratch out the original idea completely, but I personally think we should start fresh since I see the beach idea going nowhere. 

Another thing that this film's opening incorporated was sounds such as music and voiceovers. I particularly enjoyed the music because I felt like the beat of it matched that of the conflicting shots between the two characters. The voiceover was also interesting as it gave context to the very different people present in that office building. Since the voiceover was from the perspective of the female lead, the audience was able to get a sense of who she was and her personality. In a way, not only did this film's opening establish a conflict between the two leads, but the character as well through the way that she spoke of her dislike towards some of the people from the company. This made me realize how completely looked over sound when brainstorming. I feel like adding a song would be a great way to make it a little light-hearted or silly, as it is a romantic comedy. This is another thing I would like to bring forward to my group when we see each other again, as we could essentially plan a scene surrounding a song that would convey what we would like to show. 

Lastly, the quality of the film opening was amazing. In each close-up of the characters' faces, I felt as though I was seeing them in real life instead of through the scene. I know that we are not judged on camera quality during our film opening, but I truly believe that it plays a factor in how it turns out in the end. If the video is poor quality, it may take away from what I want my audience to focus on. This is why I have been researching some high-quality cameras that are not too expensive. The camera below is one I found on Amazon, and is currently the one I am thinking of purchasing.

Scrpit Writing

 Okay, so I have basically just used my outline to write the script. I have never written a script before, or seen what one looks like. So, I searched for some sample scripts and found some that are pretty straightforward to follow the format. The image below was the formatting that I used when writing the script. I found this on a website online here.

To be honest, when I started writing the script I cringed at the dialogue. For instance, there were some scenes that I feel like no one my age would realistically say with a straight face. I think that is a sign that I should change some things. I know I have to keep in mind that part of a rom-com is that cliché/cringy aspect, but I just am not sure if I am happy with how my script turned out. Furthermore, when I showed my group members, they were on the same page as me. We are planning on just scratching our outline and starting over fresh since the one we have right now is not working out. This is a little frustrating, but I think I just have to be confident and organize myself well so we get a lot done next week when we regroup. I am planning on researching more scriptwriting since my first attempt made me realize that I am not the best at writing dialogue that is realistic. Hopefully, when I start researching, I can practice more and be able to develop a well-written script for the new outline we have in mind. I also think I am going to watch a couple rom-coms over the weekend to get my creative juices flowing and think of a new outline for our film opening. Anyway, I attached by first attempt at the script below. Remember it is not the best as it was my first try, and we are not using it. (I could not emphasize this enough)

Beginning of the brainstorming...

 Hi, so I know I have mostly been posting my research and my thought processes of what I want to use/do not want to use. But today I actually have an outline to show you. Last week I was unable to meet with my group members as they were absent. This is mainly why I was posting so much research. However now that we got together I feel like we made a lot of progress. 

I am sure the planning document I provided below makes little sense, as we just wrote down whatever was at the top of our heads. So, I will explain it to you so you can better see our vision. We are still unsure of how the film will start concerning the credits, so for now I will skip over that. The first official scene we were thinking of using some establishing shots of the beach to make it obvious where they are. We would have a medium shot of two girls sitting by the shore: one tanning and another one reading a book. After a few sounds of birds chirping, we would include dialogue between the two girls. We have chosen our lead actors already, and luckily they seem excited to do it. So I will refer to my female lead as Chloe. We wanted the film to start off with Chloe being upset due to a past break-up. We chose this because we had a hard time deciding what the conflict of the movie would be. So, we thought we should give her a conflict that happened prior to the time of the movie to make it simpler for us to film. So, the shot of the two girls' dialogue would mention how Chloe is feeling following the few months she has had on her own. Chloe is going to be an uptight girl and secluded, because of her lack of trust following her last relationship. Her friend, on the other hand, we were thinking should be more carefree, and the crazier version of the two. We hope to not only do this through their dialogue/actions but also from the get-go with mise-en-scène. For instance, Chloe would wear simple, bland colors, while her friend is more abstract and fun.

We thought we would introduce the male lead by having him accidentally throw a football at her. Clearly, we are trying to add some of the comedy within our opening to truly make it a rom-com. After the ball is thrown at her, Chloe is made to be completely surprised through a series of close-ups. An over-the-shoulder shot of Chloe's body will reveal the shadow of the boy standing over her, holding out his hand. When Chloe opens her eyes to see who stands before her with their hand stretched out, I would like to include close-up shots of both character's initial reactions to meeting each other. A slight pause between the two of them is all I want to include to hint to the audience that they find each other interesting. But only SLIGHTLY so as to not make it painfully obvious from the beginning. Chloe will then get up and begin arguing with the boy, who for now we will call Justin. I think them arguing so early in the film will make it clear to the audience that this is an enemy-to-lovers type of film. 

Just like we will use mise-en-scène for Chloe, we will do the same with Justin. We were thinking of showing him in a reckless light by having him have messy hair, and wear black/dark-colored swim trunks. In addition, when Chloe yells at him for hitting her with the ball, Justin makes a snarky comment to establish that he is unsympathetic and rude. When Justin begins to walk away, Chloe's friend will make a comment about how he is attractive, and Chloe will deny it instantly. This is to further the perception that she is closed off from wanting to meet other people. However, a close-up shot of Chloe looking back to see Justin walking away will reveal that she agrees with her friend that he is attractive. 

The following scenes will show that time has passed and now Chloe and her friend are leaving. As they are exiting the beach, Justin and his friends stop them and ask them if they want to go to a party their friends are having. While Chloe's friend is elated by the possibility of going to a party, Chloe immediately disses the idea and says she will wait for her in the car. As she is walking away, a medium shot/countershot of Justin looking at Chloe shows him having a curious expression. Then a shot of Chloe entering the car passenger door will reveal Justin's hand coming above Chloe's shoulders as he slams the door shut. This aggressive and unexpected act will be enhanced through the sound when editing. I think this is where I want to include the title as it is the most dramatic part yet. I don't plan on ending the film there with the title, that is just what my group and I have thought of so far. 

Keep in mind that this outline is not set in stone, and we might change our minds and go a completely different route as this is a fresh idea. But, so far I like it because it has a teenage feel to it, which is something that caters to people of my age, and so easier for me to film.

Rom-Com Script Writing Research

 Hi, so I thought that the best way to continue my research is by researching scripts, and the most important parts of them. I started off by looking through a website that described the 5 step recipe for writing a rom-com. 

One aspect the website mentioned from the get-go was chemistry. I agree that this is something I have to strive to recreate within my film opening, because if the audience can not tell that the two characters are love interests, then it won't be a rom-com. I wanted to take my research further by seeing an example of the chemistry captured on camera. So, I have decided to look back at the film, The Wedding Planner. When Steve saves Mary from the trashcan, he is shown falling on top of her. The shot of them on the floor together establishes intimacy as well as chemistry. The close-up shots of their faces staring at one another also show the audience that there is a spark between the characters. The audience can clearly tell that they find each other attractive. This unspoken chemistry is something I would like to incorporate in the scene where my two stars meet. However, my goal is to make it subtle, so to not make it seem too cliche or corny. I want the film opening to be realistic in a way, so avoiding the over-the-top love at first sight is something I want to do.

This is a clip of when Steve saved Mary and they met for the first time. I found this clip on YouTube.

In addition, my group members and I are looking to establish a sort of opposites attract within our film opening. We were thinking of using mise-en-scene elements such as clothing to establish the female lead as up-tight and reclusive, while the male lead would be established as reckless and unapproachable. We hope these contrasting elements will make it obvious to the audience that the trope for our specific film is enemies to lovers in a way. On the chemistry matter, we would still like to have their first interaction to establish that they find each other attractive, but not necessarily like each other yet. One prime example of our take on the initial chemistry is the film The Ugly Truth. When the two characters meet, the male lead, Mike, makes it apparent from the start that he finds Abby attractive. This was done through his blatant facial expressions of interest. However, the dialogue between the characters makes it obvious to the audience that the two do not get along. This is similar to the approach we would like to make within our script. Establishing interest through eye contact and small glances, but using dialogue to create a conflict between them. I believe this is the best approach given that our actors are not professionals and so, pretending to be in love at first glance might be too difficult for them.

This is a clip of the two characters arguing, but it is clear that Mike is interested in Abby. I found it on YouTube.

Portfolio: Analyzing Credits in Fim Openings

Hi, I'm back. I felt that I since I am creating a film opening, it is imperative for me to start researching opening credits. Therefore, I have decided to analyze the opening credits to How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days.

The editing of the credits, as well as the title placed onto the Composure magazine, is not only very well-done but visually appealing. I think this form of credits catches the viewers' interest from the get-go and is a great start to the comedic aspects of the movie. Also, the use of the girly magazine headlines hints to the audience that the plot will have something to do with the magazine. This is indeed the case, as the female lead pursues the male lead because she is writing a specific expose on him. I also think that this opening scene creates a 2000s vibe, fitting with the time release of the film. Although these credits are very cool and would look great for my opening, I am new to editing, so I am not too confident about creating such a scene. However, I do think researching these types of credits is helpful as it lets me keep my options open and explore new things. I just might want to focus on something I am confident about making as this is such an important project.

The opening credits are seen here (found on YouTube):

Another film opening I thought was very well done was the one from the film, The Wedding Planner. Similar to How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days, it takes place in the 2000s, so to someone today, it is seen as a classic. The credits for this scene were done in a pretty blue, cursive font. I think the purpose of the cursive choice was to make it appear almost princess like/elegant. I came to this conclusion once I saw the shots of the girl preparing the dolls to get married. It gave a sense of a fairy tale wedding, and the various props and costumes the dolls had on leads me to assume that a wedding is something the young girl dreams of. This is something that is further proved when a shot of the young girl depicts her wearing her own tiny veil while finishing the pronouncement of her dolls. This implies that she sees herself having the perfect wedding in the future. I think that I am leaning toward this form of integrating credits instead of one that requires lots of editing like in the sample I had showed earlier. I feel like it does the job equally, if not better by introducing the main character's hopes and dreams-which links to how it plays an important part in the plot of the story. I also feel like it goes along perfectly with the title The Wedding Planner, since the background clips of her setting the dolls up literally show her planning a wedding. I would like to recreate something similar- having all aspects from the font, color, and shot in the background all link to the title and plot of the film. I look forward to telling my group members how promising these types of opening credits are and how we should start planning our plot so we could match it with the credits.

The clip of the opening credits is seen below. This was found on YouTube.

The last opening scene I want to tell you about is from the film Love, Rosie. Unfortunately, I am unable to insert a link/clip as it is unavailable anywhere. Despite this, I would still like to discuss why I enjoyed this film opening so much. For one, the film starts with a shot of the main character placed in the right third part of the scene, where she is seen with her hair messy and displays an unhappy expression. This itself generates intrigue in the viewer as to why she looks upset. The setting, although not in focus, is clearly either a wedding/party, so one can assume that something occurred at the party that made her upset. The sharp focus on the character and low focus on the area around her give the shot ample space to add the credits beside her. These credits, unlike those in The Wedding Planner, are simple white letters. I think the purpose of this was to draw the audience's attention to the character and not the credits. This would be a great concept to use for my own project if I was thinking of doing a scene where the character is the priority, so the credits do not have to be special. I am also planning on using the composition of the scene as well, by placing my credits on one side of the screen while my character is on the other. Furthermore, I realize that this opening scene is not as telling and interesting as the other two I mentioned, but I really like the simplicity of it as it creates curiosity and interest within the audience. Not to mention that the following shots are full of action and movement, so clearly a simple beginning was used to contrast the next clips shown. This technique is yet again, something I want to bring up with my group. I think the use of contrast was engaging, and I would like to create something similar. For instance, I was thinking of presenting my character as having a rigid personality, but further along my opening, I want to introduce the male lead and create a contrast in the mood between the two clips. This is unlike Love, Rosie, as the film starts with a clip in the future and shifts to a clip of the past so to show how she got to that point, but similar in the way of creating contrast between the very first shot and the shots that follow.

Blogging Schedule

 Hi, so right now I am organizing my schedule for when I am to be posting my blogs. My goal is that this way I am more organized and motivated. These dates are not set in stone, as there may be unforeseen circumstances, or I might post more than the 3 I have chosen a week. But anyway, this is my general schedule for now.

- February 13, 2024

- February 15, 2024

- February 16, 2024

- February 17, 2024

- February 20, 2024

- February 21, 2024

- February 22, 2024

- February 26, 2024

- February 28, 2024

- February 29, 2024

- March 5, 2024

- March 6, 2024

- March 7, 2024

- March 12, 2024

- March 13, 2024

- March 14, 2024

- March 18, 2024

- March 20, 2024

- March 21, 2024

- March 25, 2024

- March 26, 2024

- March 27, 2024

- April 1, 2024

- April 2, 2024

Portfolio: Rom-Com Genre Research

 Hi, so I've realized that I may have rushed into analyzing film openings without truly researching the genre as a whole. In the past, I have researched horror, and I found that by just simply discovering common conventions of the genre, I am able to comprehend most plots and scenes. 

One thing I have noted is the infamous meet-cute. This is arguably the most important part of the film. Luckily for me, the meet-cute tends to take place in the film opening. It must be romantic and quirky, while also not being too cliché. Romantic comedies are intended for both males and females, as they include a little romance and a little laughter. My goal is to make sure my meet-cute is not too cringy and become more of a romance than a comedy.

One meet-cute that I particularly enjoy is from the film About Time. The two characters are meeting for the first time on a blind date. Everything about the scene just felt perfect and meant to be. The use of dim lighting creates a romantic setting, and when the male character first sees the woman walk through the door, a little bit of high-key lighting shows through and gives her an ethereal look. The use of piano music also began to play as soon as they saw each other. This music was something I had noted in my previous blog about another film opening. Clearly, it is a common aspect to include when creating an intimate scene, and this makes me want to further look into adding it in my own film opening. The director's use of over-the-shoulder close-ups also added to the mood of the film, as it emphasized their expressions and viewers could clearly see they are already smitten with one another. I find this tactic to be successful as it gives viewers a more vulnerable and personal look into the interaction. I am not sure if I would want to create such a passionate scene for the start of my film, as I do not want to come on too strong. However, I do plan on creating an amorous mood since it is a romance.

This clip of the meet-cute was from YouTube. It is seen below.

Another form of a meet-cute could be not so cute at all. In 10 Things I Hate About You, for instance, the two characters only interacted with one another because the male lead was acting on a deal. Essentially, if he took her out on a date, he would be paid. The actual meeting of the two characters, however, was not as romantic as it was for the film About Time. Instead, the scene is just a soccer field and the medium shot of them walking side by side should create a sort of bond between them, but instead does the opposite. While the girl is wearing a bright yellow jersey, the boy is dressed in black and gray. The stark contrast between the two seen side by side allows the audience to infer that they are not actually interested in each other. This is further shown through dialogue in which the girl does not want to go out with him and is walking away from him as he is speaking. The form of the meeting is not cute, but it does establish the plot and engages the viewer more than your average cliche scene. This is something I want to discuss with my group members, as I am sure that a different approach to the norm could be seen as more original/authentic for our film opening. I also believe that this type of rom-com caters to younger generations more, and so is the type of film that we see in theaters today. I would want to create a similar stand-offish energy between my two leads, so viewers could be anticipating what happens next, instead of having them fall in love in the first minute of the scene (seems anticlimactic to me).

This is the deal that establishes the plot of the film.

This is the meeting of the main characters.

Overall, there are various types of meet-cute that I could include in my project. Since I will be having friends playing the characters in my film opening, it is safe to say that I can not expect them to recreate such romantic energy as seen in About Time. But, a snarky meeting that implies an enemies-to-lovers plot like 10 Things I Hate About You is something that I am sure my fellow peers would be willing to do. This is why I am leaning towards more of a meeting that was a result of a prior conflict/arrangement. 

Portfolio: Genre Research

 While there are many different genres that my group and I are interested in pursuing, we are primarily focusing on rom-coms. This particular genre could be seen as outdated, but I feel we could create a fresh look within the genre. In my process of researching famous rom-coms, I chose to study When Harry Met Sally. This classic movie was loved by many, and my aim is to learn what techniques Rob Reiner utilized to create such a successful film. When watching the starting credits, the use of up-beat piano music made it so the opening clip was not boring.  The happy nature of the song also allowed me to infer that it is to gradually introduce the viewers to the romantic comedy energy from the film. I found this technique interesting, and am inclined to do something similar with my own film opening. However, the black screen behind the credits seemed a little boring to me. Instead, I would want to have a background shot, perhaps an establishing shot, in which the credits would be shown off to the corner. This way I could engage my audience from the get-go.

Furthermore, something I noted from the film opening that was unlike anything I see in rom-coms was the use of an interview before the movie had begun. The interview was of two elderly people telling a short summary of how they met and fell in love. When the scene, as well as the music changes, it is clear to me that the film is not about the people in the interview. I came to the realization that Rob Reiner put an interview there to almost tell viewers that true love exists. Given that the couple was of such an old age, it is surprising to any viewer to see them together after so long. Clearly, this is meant to inspire people that love prevails. Although I could not tell by just the opening clip, the movie actually inputs various interviews of different couples with different stories. This furthers my belief that the film wants to show the great possibility and success of finding 'the one'. I do not think I plan on putting interviews within my film opening, but I do believe that it was an interesting way for the film to further the theme of love. I would like to create the mood of my film at the beginning in a similar fashion.

I found the film on Tubi here.

Citation:

When Harry Met Sally (1989). Tubi. (1989, January 1). https://tubitv.com/movies/100001223/when-harry-met-sally?start=true&tracking=google-feed&utm_source=google-feed

Transition to Portfolio: The Beginning

To start my portfolio off, I have learned of a few different types of film openings. Some establish characters, settings, mystery, or conflict. I am currently in the process of researching examples of such film openings to get more insight on how they are filmed. 

Out of all the types of film openings, I am leaning towards either one that develops a character, or one that develops a conflict. The sample opening of Stranger Than Fiction really sparked my interest because I felt as though I was able to get to know the character in just 2 minutes. I also enjoyed the technological editing aspect of it. It gave it an unreal nature and furthered my perception of how the main character is unlike anyone I have ever seen. 

This short film opening was found on YouTube. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDwTQ57YyzI

Another film opening is one that develops conflict. I believe this type of opening has so much room to play around with and many different approaches I could take. Specifically, I am interested in either a man vs. society conflict or a man vs. man conflict. I think this is something I am able to recreate in my own environment. Although I can not realistically create a film opening similar to one as The Hunger Games, I believe the many conflicts I see in everyday school is something that I could delve into. 

This is another film opening, of the first Hunger Games movies. I found this clip on YouTube as well. 

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p51D9dOqz9s

music marketing reflection: rock genre

Since my classmates and I were given such a big project with various aspects to it, we approached it by researching successful music production companies, as well as case studies. This research allowed us to identify popular marketing tools and the best platforms to distribute to our desired audience. We focused our research on Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group, since they are two of the most well-known companies across the globe. We narrowed our research to Coldplay and Red Hot Chilly Peppers when searching through WMG. We noticed that Coldplay has become so successful because of the audience interaction that they provide their fans. This is something we planned on including when we began to create our own campaign. We also noticed that the two rock bands we very active on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tiktok, etc. Even so, they would often livestream concerts to allow for greater audience engagement. Once again, this aspect of creating a connection with the fan base is something we look forward to representing in our own band. In addition, we researched the rock bands U2 and Royal Thunder, both produced by Universal Music Group. One thing that stood out to us through our research was the heavy investment in tours and marketing. Since U2 is planning on performing in the Las Vegas Residency Sphere, they have primarily marketed that tour. Various clips on social media of the immersive experience within the Sphere stadium have viewers desperate to experience it themselves. This leads us to assume that the decision to perform in that specific stadium not only encourages fans to attend but also guarantees large amounts of media exposure for the band. Since our rock band is just starting it, we could not possibly be able to play in such sophisticated venues as U2. However, we strive to work towards that level of relevance. Below is a chart of the research we gathered for the two companies, as well as the 4 case studies.

In addition, my group and I furthered our research by investigating digital marketing and its impact on the music industry. We discovered that following the COVID-19 pandemic, most concerts and tours were completely canceled. This greatly impacted artists and their sales, which led to a shift to digital marketing. Despite not being able to see fans face-to-face, artists could stay relevant by being active on social media platforms. A simple way to do this is to stream performances on live streams. This showed us how important technology is when marketing/distributing music. 

The next step in our project was to develop the brand. Once we chose the song: Time is Running Out, we knew we had to decide on a name that reflected the chaotic nature that the song portrayed. That is why we decided to name our band: After Hours. It hints at defiance and rebellion, ultimately what we want to represent the band as is daring and exciting. We figured our target audience would be young adults, either male or female, from the ages of 16-22. We felt using dark colors such as black and red would go along with the daring theme as well as the 'night vibe' that would go hand in hand with the name. When creating our logo, we incorporated these colors, while also adding a ray of sunlight. This was to emphasize the sun going down, and once again go along with the After Hours theme.

Once we had decided what our brand was going to look like, we chose to begin filming the music video. This decision was primarily because we wanted to get a head start on the editing portion since we knew that it was something we were not used to doing. Before we started to film, we created a storyboard of all the shots we would like to include. Although After Hours is a band, we decided to take the promotional route and primarily feature the lead singer. Through our storyboard, we planned different locations we know would best fit the video as well as a variety of shots. (ie. high angle, tracking, low angle) We hoped that this would make our music video more visually appealing/entertaining.

Storyboard: 

Now that we had the plan for our video completed, all we had to do was film. The process of filming proved to be a challenge because of the bright lighting. To have better quality, we filmed during the afternoon and the lighting turned out to be brighter than we anticipated. However, looking back, the lighting on the background reflects the same ray of light within our band's logo, so it worked out for the best. The rest of the filming process turned out to be very successful. We utilized both our iPhone camera and a digital camera to create a 2000s feel as well as a grungy, rock vibe. We changed locations numerous times from a local stage to a closed off-road. The reasoning behind the stage was to emphasize the local and nature of the band. On the other hand, the location of the road closed was to add to the rebellious aesthetic and brand. We filmed each scene that involved lip-synching with the audio playing in the background so our lead singer could time the lyrics just right. This proved to be successful when I began the editing process.

At first, I felt very intimidated to edit the video, given that I had no expertise in using a sophisticated editing platform such as Premier Pro. However, I found that once I began to add the clips it became simpler to understand and navigate. I chose to add clips of lip-synching on parts that are of normal pace and to add fast cuts and shaky movement on parts such as the chorus. Since the song is very loud and chaotic at the chorus, I felt the fast cuts would reflect that. I feel that the laughter, smiles, and close-ups of the lead singer also add to the realistic/relatable feel of the band. I am sure that that aspect will allow the band to form a connection with their audience.

Now that we had completed the music video, all we had left was to start the marketing campaign presentation. We were inspired by our research to include a large amount of audience interaction. Specifically, we mentioned contests that fans can win by interacting with Instagram posts and commenting on polls of what they would like to see. We thought this gave the band a refreshing and open look to their audience. We also included various social media samples such as Tik Tok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. This is where we planned on having live streams and behind-the-scenes footage of the band to allow fans to see another side of the members. In addition, we included our website, which would be made interactive so fans can navigate easily and be taken straight to streaming platforms with just a click of a button. We also mentioned the various forms of cross-media convergence we planned to utilize such as local magazines, radio, and music blogs that would reach a local young adult audience interested in the grungy rock genre. On each slide a member of my group spoke in-depth of each aspect of our campaign to better describe our brand and it's intentions. We found this to be difficult because we often did not know how to best word what we would like to say without saying too much and too little. However, we organized ourselves and wrote small scripts so we could stay on task. This proved to be beneficial in the end. Some social media samples are seen below.

This project has taught me various things. For one, do not procrastinate. Although the completed most aspects ahead of time, I would have liked us to complete it earlier so we could have had longer time to perfect small details and make it overall a better campaign. I also learned to download my work constantly. Unfortunately, most of our presentation was deleted without us noticing, and we had to redo it all over again. Luckily, we remember the information, but now we know to constantly download and save work before it gets deleted. Another thing I learned was to improve communication. At times, I struggled to communicate with my members, and it did not help that we had very different schedules and extracurriculars. In the end, we were able to come together and complete the project, especially after most of it was deleted. This project taught me various aspects that I plan to use in my portfolio project. For one, editing on Premier Pro. I did not know how to edit on that specific platform, but now I feel more comfortable navigating it and I am sure it will allow my upcoming project to be even more sophisticated. I also learned to plan ahead and be organized so that when it is time to film, I know what I plan to do. Therefore, this experience allowed me to learn new things and break previous patterns.