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.