Color Pallet

 Cool neutral colors are typically featured in crime and mafia films. These colors set the mood for the audience. Neutral colors are typically used in these films because they are darker toned movies and usually do not feature any lighthearted moments or characters. Crime films are centered around murder and illegal motives so having bright colors would not fit the genre. Our films color pallet will be similar to the picture below.

Most of our characters will be wearing black suits as it is common for FBI agents. It is tradition for mafia members to dress very nice as they are very sophisticated and are upholding a image. A film that represents our color pallet well is the Godfather. Most of the characters in this film are dressed in suits and ties and give of the image of crime and wealth. The dark red resembles the blood and murder associated with films in this genre. Towards the end of our opening the mafia member is being interrogated which will feature blood.

Setting the tone

     Filming is starting soon, so I have started researching camera shot and angle techniques. In the website https://filmlifestyle.com/what-are-opening-shots/ I learned a variety of ways I can use different techniques to elevate the opening. The first technique I learned is an opening sequence. This is a short scene that introduces the general plot to the audience and typically features large text. 

    Next shot I researched was the effect of the opening shot. The opening shot defines what is to come during the film. Having a iconic opening shot is a good way to hook the viewers as well as foreshadow. In this video https://youtu.be/ACN3dw-ywAU I learned how the establishing shot in an opening can define the tone. In the Transformers dark of the moon by Michael Bay, we see a distance shot of a space shuttle. The camera quickly zooms paired with the action themed music setting the epic tone.

 In my opening I plan to incorporate this tactic of setting the tone by implementing mysteries and crime music. We will use this music because the plot of our movie is a FBI agent attempting to catch a mysteries gangster.

Storyboard

  This is a picture of our story board which will guide us when filming.

Our opening will begin with a wanted poster as shown in the story board. A FBI agent will inspect the poster and explain who he wishes to catch. The next scene features the protagonist walking to the beach. Then we will see a scene of the FBI agent discussing how dangerous the wanted man is. The end of our storyboard features the title, then ends with the FBI agent pinning down the wanted man.

Peer meeting

      Meeting with other students and hearing their feedback helped me a lot with my story and planning process. Some of the advice I heard was instead of planning to film week by week, finalize my storyboard and film everything in one weekend. I learned this would be more efficient in contrast to week by week filming because my ideas might change. Compared to filming all at once, my ideas will have been deeply throughout.

    Another thing I learned is to define my color pallet and mood for the film. One of my peers had a blog dedicated to her color pallet which gave inspiration to one I can create.

    

    Another thing I learned from my time with the groups is how I can covey certain themes through my characters. Before I wasn't really thinking what the characters in my story are going to represent. Now I am beginning to brainstorm deeper themes each character will convey.

    Here is a picture of my group.

Portfolio project schedule

Week one of the portfolio project will primarily be research. This week we will be learning about different genres and selecting one. During this week will also be brainstorming general ideas for our plot. Week two will be finalizing on the ideas in the previous week. During the week we will have selected our genre and plot, as well as our protagonist and supporting cast. We will also start to plan the basic ideas for where and how we will film. This includes characters, location, and outfits.

Week three we will start creating our script. This week will contain character dialogue research so we can represent our characters correctly. We will be creating our film/editing schedule. This will be a list of dates where we will be meeting and filming. Our schedule is starting next week. Every weekend we will meet up and film a scene. The editing will be the same, but during the week. This week we will also create a storyboard which will make it easier when filming.

The following weeks up until eight will be fairly simple just backing the schedule. This means every week we will be filming and editing. My partner will be doing most of the editing, and I will be the primary filmer. For myself I will be creating a blogging schedule so I don't get behind. The schedule will be a blog every other day, for example if four blogs are due I will complete one monday, wednesday, friday, and sunday.

Portfolio blog

     One of the most important parts of a opening and film is the characters, especially the protagonist. Me and my partners will covey deeper themes with our characters through mise-en-scene and dialogue.

    The protagonist in our opening will be strong and coveys leadership qualities. We will hopefully be able to convey his personality through his attire. He will be dressed nice and sophisticated wearing neutral colors. The neutral colors resemble his emotionless personality and his nice clothes represent his high regards for himself.

    The second characters that will be featured in our opening is a FBI director. Since he is in the FBI we will need to find a suit for him to wear. This character will also be serious and intelligent which makes sense since he is in the FBI. The focal point of the plot will be the protagonist turning himself in which create a lot of mixed emotions throughout the public.

Portfolio blog

     A key aspect of creating a successful opening is editing. Prior to this project I have little knowledge with editing. In this YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxzXEakrYO4&ab_channel=VinceOpra I learned some cool editing tricks that I think will benefit my project.

        The first technique I learned was changing the lighting. The way to do this is to alter the opacity, either raising the brightness or lowering it. This is very important and can set the tone for a scene. I also learned dhow to zoom in and out. This is an essential in film making as each shot cannot be in the same position. 

    This video refreshed me the basics of premiere pro. I am now familiar with chopping up clips and importing them. I also learned about how to important different music tracks. This is very good as if me and my partner want to use music we can with no trouble. Lastly I learned how to add text, this is essential for credits.

    

Portfolio blog #2

     In preparation for my opening in the portfolio project I have been researching different opening techniques. I hope to incorporate these various techniques to engage my audience.

     The first technique I have researched is an opening featuring a plot catalyst. This is when a specific item or event motivates the protagonist and influences the direction of the plot. In Star Wars a new hope Luke Skywalker only joins the resistance because his parents were killed.

     The next opening technique i researched is the flip genre. This is when the opening portrays a different mood/genre compared to what the film actually is. An example of this would be in a horror film. The opening would portray a light hearted mode when in reality the film is very dark. This is a good technique to attract the audience and surprise them when the mood changes.

Portfolio project research

     For this assignment me and my partner are considering action and mystery. I am doing research on the recent success The Batman by Matt Reeves. This opening is regarded as great and I love the mysterious and gruel setting its sets for the film.

    The movie begins with dark shots, and the viewers having no clue what is happening. I really enjoyed this aspect as it requires the viewer to make their own assumption to what is going on. Classical music was implemented in this scene which works well with the gothic setting and mood. This opening really makes you feel like you are in the movie having no idea what is yet to come.

    This is just brainstorming but I would like to incorporate some of these elements in my opening. I think a dark mysterious yet action packed opening would be unique and fun to create. In the beginning of the film the protagonist is shown wearing all beat neutral colors riding a motorcycle. If possible I would like to incorporate a shot similar to this. By far my favorite thing from Matt Reeves opening the film was the main characters dark monologue played as we see the setting. This enhances the already dark mood and would work for what I am brainstorming. Here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RREjIF0-lc is a link to this scene.

transition posting to portfolio project. Discuss initial plans, approach to project, etc.

    As a new assignment approaches I have decided to take a new approach compared to the past. For the portfolio project I will be incorporating more creative ideas and media making tactics. 

        

    Looking back on my past assignments a lot could have been improved on, specifically creativity. Most of my past work have been fairly bland themes. As I transition to the portfolio project I hope to improve on this aspect. Creating a opening is unique to every individual, and the only way I can stand out is by being creative. This is the perfect assignment to showcase everything I have learned up until now and I plan to make a project I am proud of.

    

    Currently I am still figuring out my route for this assignment. I want to make sure my idea is well though out as this is our biggest project yet. I plan to watch many of high scoring videos to gain a deeper understanding a what a good opening is. I also plan to incorporate positive metacognition to improve upon my mindset during this process. The weekly blogs and opening are each tough so I must make sure my thinking process is good.

Music Marketing Blog Post #2

   Many ideas were brainstormed and researched during the process of building a music brand. From merch, distribution, and technological convergence, a lot of key aspects had to be considered to make sure our brand would succeed. This assignment was nothing like I had ever done and taught me a lot about music marketing.

     First we set up a plan to complete the research chart, presentation, storyboard, filming and editing on time. Then after receiving our genre and choosing our song we began researching the industry and artists. For the case study chart I chose Lil Uzi Vert and his album Eternal Atake to research. Learning about Uzi and his two times platinum album gave insight to how we would go about marketing our own song and image. Next our group created a presentation and had to decide which specific platforms and collaboration we would use to market our selves. For social media we chose YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter as their average user age fall in range of our target age male 20-34.

    The next part of our planning was figuring out what type of music video we would use. We ended up choosing promotional as we thought it would be relatively simple compared to the others. One of our members drew a storyboard to be a guide when filming. This was one of the more challenging aspects of this assignment as creating a music video from scratch takes a lot of creativity. This is a picture of our finished story board.

    Once we finished all of the brainstorming and planning it was time to edit and film. This was a very challenging part of this project as we had to make sure our video is in sync with the song. My group struggled with the syncing aspect and our video definitely could have been better. Me and friend were tasked with filming and I was shocked how difficult it was. Finding good locations and making sure our actor was in sync with the song was for sure challenging. 

For the presentation unfortunately I wasn't able to make it the day we presented, but as far as my group said it went good. We created a script and assigned slides to each member, which made it easy for each person to present. Each member spent time memorizing their information so we can explain off of our head rather than read off the board.

    Overall I learned many new skills throughout this process.  I learned first hand the importance of filming and editing for a music video. I also learned how crucial planning and brainstorming is to your success. There were many things me and my group could have improved on, like editing, filming and creativity. Although we weren't perfect and could have done better I am I learned at least the basic level of music video creation and look to improved my skills in the future.