Creative Critical Reflection

CCR Prezi Link:

https://prezi.com/69ggw-siaeoc/rae-ccr/

The Final Product

Link to two- minute film opening:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ImncgBPVfE

Importance of Background Music

     According to Robin Hoffman, a composer, " Music can serve several purposes that are either important on the emotional side of the movie or help/enhance the storytelling". Music is important in movies and we are now tying to find the best music for our opening. Robin Hoffman's website tells me the different functions movies can have in a film. We want to choose background music that will create the atmosphere and portray emotion. Going through and listening to the different compositions, we were trying to decide between something more upbeat or something more calm and peaceful. We played them both while watching the opening scene to see which one matched better. I thought the more upbeat sound matched better and even complimented the movement within in the film. We are still deciding, as we will add the music after all of the editing is finished. When complete, we will also add the voice over monologue that the main character, Rae will be narrating. 




Sources: Hoffman, Robin. "12. What Is the Function of Film Music?" Robin Hoffmann. N.p., 21 Feb. 2017. Web. 09 Apr. 2017

Editing

     A couple days ago, we started to edit. Jessica is good at editing, so we used her computer and imovie software. It is difficult to pick which shots to use, but so far we have a good beginning to the film opening. The spotlight looks very good in my opinion. It really shows how she is the main focus and develops her as the main character. We have another shot in the auditorium of the spotlight being moved around on the curtain trying to "find" Rae. We want to include this but we are having trouble figuring out where to add it. We also had to crop a shot because some extra lights got into the frame. Another situation is figuring out where the credits go. The text color cannot be the same as the background color, and since the frame is always moving, the colors behind the text change. We also were  trying to decide how long each credit should be held up for. As our deadline is approaching, we are aiming to finish editing by Monday, April 10.

Extra Scene

   Earlier this week, we finished filming and began to edit. We filmed a scene at Jessica's house but we don't know if we will use that footage. We decided to shoot it just in case. While filming this scene, we had to make our own tripod, as shown below. Jessica and I were deciding which angle to use because one of the angles made the subjects look distorted. We finally got the ideal angle and composition and we began to film the dialogue. When we were finished recording, we realized we had a copyright song in the background (Because in the shot, Rae is watching a musical on TV). So. we will either cut that part out or not use the scene at all. In my opinion, I do not think we need the scene and I think it will be too long to include anyways. As we start to edit, we will see how much time the beginning scene is and decide what to do with the other footage we filmed.

                                                                  Homemade Tripod

What's Next?

     While all went well with the filming, there is still more to come. We are adding a voice over to the monologue. During this voice over, you will hear the main character's voice for the first time. This allows viewers to be inside of her head and therefore connect with her. We do not know yet how long the voice over will be, but that is something we will discuss in class tomorrow. Tomorrow we will record the voice over and then we will film the remaining shots we need. Once we have the shots and the voice over, we will begin editing. We all need to work together for this part because we need to decide which shots to keep and how to put them together. I am hoping that the editing will look as good as the shots that we have already gotten.

Take 1

     On Thursday we began to film. We had a story board to help us out, but we thought of a lot of new things as we were filming. We filmed the monologue that the main character is shown performing. We used our auditorium, which is perfect because the setting is meant to be a school auditorium. We were actually able to use the lights, so we used the spotlight. I was the one controlling the lights which are in the back of the auditorium and on the second floor. This distance made it a little hard to communicate, but we were able to do so just fine by staying the on the phone with eachher. While shooting, I had the idea to get a shot from behind Rae, seeing only the shining light (spotlight) that she sees. This shot came out very good and I hope we are able to use it in our opening.
   
     We had to shoot the same scene several different times so we could get it in every angle. This process took an extended amount of time. We used the spotlight to symbolize the dream of being an actress. It created high key lighting for this scene, which shows that she is radiating while acting because it is her passion. The outfit we used for the scene was chosen to represent the main character. The red shirt was chosen because it is bold, and the mismatching shoes shows that she is different and herself.

Filming

     Today, we are going to film in the auditorium after school. We have a storyboard, planning how we will shoot this scene. We also wrote a script. We are including a voice over to get inside of the main character's head so the audience can form a connection within the first few seconds. We are checking out a tripod from our teacher to get steady shots. It will start with a close up and switch to a medium shot. The shots will be switching from frontal view to side view. We are also going to film multiple scenes. We wont have time to include everything we want, but we are going to film everything and pick out which shots we like the best. I hope everything goes smoothly!
   

An Idea

     This week we will start the actual filming of our production. We will use our school to film the stage acting scene and the other school scenes. The other scenes will be filmed in a house. We were discussing how we should display the opening credits. We wanted to do a cool opening with the credits written on objects. Although this would be interesting, we feel that it wouldn't match the dramatic tone we are going for. We decided we will just present them as regular text on the screen.
     I think it would be a good idea to have Rae's opening acting to come to a stop from the interruption of a school bell. Since she has underlying problems with school, the bell could be a repeating motif that symbolizes how school always interrupts her. I have not yet told my group about this idea but I will next time we meet. Next time we meet, we will also begin writing the script and stage directions for the production. Those will be posted next week.

Rae

     Since the title is crucial to out project, we finally came up with one. The title of our film will be Rae. This is the name of the main character. With this title, people will know immediately that the film is based solely on one character. This leaves a strong impact on the plot and develops the convection of a drama film. The one worded title is also easy to say and pleasing to hear.
     We decided that the main character (Rae) will be dressed a little different than an average high school student. She will be wearing a dress and high socks to show that she likes to express herself. Her style will be a little but different and eclectic since she is a part of drama, where strongly expressing herself is expected. This will be the first impression of the character, so it is important to dress her the way we want people to see her as.

    During the week, our group met with our peers to get feedback about what we have so far. To be honest, we did not have much at this point. We knew what we wanted the general plot to be but we did not know what background story to pair with it. The feedback from our peers was very helpful and beneficial. They gave many ideas of conflict and how we can progress the story.
    So, the main idea is that a girl in high school wants to pursue a career in acting. Though she is very good at acting, she is doubted by those around her. On top of that, she has to be in high school which she feels is taking away from her acting. It's not that she does not want an education, but because she is not the best with grades, she is having a hard time with her acting. Our opening scene will depict this conflict and introduce the character.

Planning to Film

     Since we already know how we want to start the film opening, we will begin shooting this week. We will need to use an empty auditorium for this shot. some misc-en-scene elements need to be discussed. We need to figure out how the main character will dress. I think this is important because right from the opening shot you can get an idea of her age. We will dress her in a young-looking outfit like shorts and a tank-top or a casual dress.
   

     One of the group members, Rachael will be playing the main character. She is actually in drama class and can relate to this story line very well. Most of the opening scene will be shot in a school setting. I cant wait to start story boarding and filming. 

Plan Plan Plan

We were thinking that our opening shot will be a close up of the main character who is shown acting. The lighting will be bright and shown under the impression that a stage light is on her. While she is gesturing and acting, the camera will pan out and show her on a stage in an auditorium but with no audience. Her enthusiasm for acting will contrast with the empty auditorium. It also symbolizes the struggle she will face of pursuing an acting career based on people not believing in her.

    In the rest of the film opening, we will introduce her life and her attitude. We will also introduce the conflict. The conflict consists of her negative attitude towards school and her struggle with it. We will also introduce the conflict of people telling her she cannot succeed with that kind of dream.

    Archetypes will be introduced including a mentor who is a teacher at the school. According to research, “the mentor was once in the hero’s position”. This is important to consider while developing the characters. Maybe we can hint in the opening that the main character’s mentor once had a dream like hers but he gave up on it. The mentor is usually an outcast of society. It would be ideal to make this character appealing to the audience with a sweet, outcast personality. We will later discuss the development of the main character and create a storyboard.

 "10 Traits of the Mentor Character Archetype: Hagrid + Haymitch." Better Novel Project. N.p., 27 Nov. 2015. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.

Story Idea

Today, me and my group discussed our actual story idea. To me, this is one of the hardest parts of the film making process. We established a genre already- drama. So we tried to think of a conflict and we kept in mind that the character needed to be connected to the audience. While thinking about this, we decided to produce a film that would relate to us personally. A film about the school system. First we thought about how our school system could have a negative effect on us. We disagreed on how to portray it. Two of my group members wanted to do it from a first person point of view with the camera being the eyes. I felt that with this idea we would have trouble getting to know the main character.

    After debating how we would deliver this idea, we decided to move to another plot. We got the idea of having the main character as an adolescent who is trying to pursue a career in acting. Her struggle is shown throughout high school. Her dream is unrealistic and many people tell her that her dream cannot come true.

    So, in our film opening, we have the idea to introduce the main character mainly but also introduce the conflict.

Next, we will work on the character development, getting to know our character inside and out.

Characters and Story

     Since our group will most likely go the Drama genre route, I decided to do research on film characters. Since Drama films focus a lot on a character, I thought it would be important to know more about characters in films. According to my resource, you must know the character inside and out. Include details such as attitudes, emotions, and values with a certain personality and know the character's backstory. The backstory will provide sociological, psychological, and physiological details. While creating the character, details are important because we must predict how the character will react to different situations.
     For each character we introduce, we need to know the character role. This means the hero, the friend, the villain, the traitor, the narcissist, etc.
     To write the story for our plot, this website brought me this equation to write a good story:
                                                       (Character + Want) x Obstacles = Story

The opening scene should have symbols or relations that will pull together later in the film. With this research about characters and story, I am ready to start thinking about our plot idea. 

American Beauty

    Many film favorites are of the Drama genre where it can be very diverse. With a Drama, the aim of the film is to move viewers emotionally. Many times the characters are emphasized and they must deal with a conflict. The movie is the journey that the character goes through and what happens during that difficult time.  

American Beauty: Film Opening 

This film is a personal favorite of mine and fits in the Drama genre. The opening scene introduces the characters. The main character is narrating and he describes his daughter and wife from his point of view. Within the first few seconds of the male talking, you can hear his monotone voice. Already, a main characteristic is revealed. As the film opening continues, he is shown normally going throughout his day. Nothing spectacular or interesting really happens. But that is the point of the character development. He does start the narrating by directly telling the audience that he is going to die. This element gives the story a hook for the audience to latch on to. By showing the character's dull life, the audience is able to connect with him and feel sympathy for him.

American Beauty- opening scene 

https://prezi.com/rb5k_semwcvg/drama-as-a-genre-codes-and-conventions/
https://www.slideshare.net/libbyannjones/research-into-drama-film-genre
http://www.screenwritersutopia.com/article/49c9661c

The Beginning

     When I was told that I would be creating a two minute film opening, I was excited. I have always had a passion for films. Watching movies was all I did during the summer, with each movie adding new knowledge and new ideas to my head. I have always known that the movie making process was extensive. From the plot idea to the set design, and everything in between. So now that I actually get to be a part of this process, my first question is, where do I start?
     I decided to start by looking at multiple film openings from various films. I learned that these film openings are important because they are the first impression of the movie. While looking for examples, I came across lists such as "10 Memorable Film Openings". I think lists like these are inspiring. The goal of my group's film opening is to be memorable and different.  The opening needs to hook the target audience and set a certain tone that will be relevant throughout the whole film. Some examples include The Matrix, The Shining, Silence of the Lambs, and Silver Linings Playbook. These examples showed the different kinds of film openings that can be present. I also thought it would be important to research any correct order for the names in the opening credits. I found a list of the names to be displayed and will refer back to this webpage while actually producing the film opening.
     I am excited to be starting this project and will report to this blog throughout the process of the production.