FINAL PROJECT: FILM OPENING 

This is my final film opening project  

 

 Creative Critical Reflection 4 Digital presentation Informative video 

For my final creative critical reflection I answered the question: 

How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?

How How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text? by Francesca Roman

With this CCR I decided to use the app Canva, to create an informative video in which an audience can read and move along with. I added some palmful music in the background and using a background form the app I wrote down the audience and distribution strategies. 

Some main points that I mentioned is that my targeted audience was of the teenage years that said they preferred horror and thrillers over any other genre. I was Abel to read my audience with the conventions of my genre being followed or not. 

I also planned my distribution strategy with previous research on how similar films have been distributed. 

With the help of social media, carnivals, and festivals my film can expand and branch out to bigger companies willing invest or re produce the film and even reach theaters. 

I can also use product placement and advertising like posters and sponsorship with companies. 

 

 Creative Critical Reflection 3 Digital presentation Animaker video

For my third creative critical reflection I decided to answer the question: 

How did your production skills develop through this project? 

I decided to answer this question through the app animaker making an animated interview to answer and explore this question 

LINK TO DIGITAL PRESENTATION: ANIMAKER VIDEO CLICK HERE

As I mentioned in the video, I mostly developed my editing skills since that was one of my main jobs in this project. In comparison to the first project I knew how to make my transitions cleaner and how to add better sound to my film. 

My skills when it came to audio and lighting also improved since I was able to adjust some of the lighting in I movie to be concise and add folly sounds to the background to make the audio clear. 

My costume skills also developed as I was able to explore the meaning behind every costume and what even the color of a shirt could mean for a character. I made sure each costume was representative of the characters persona. 

In order to make this animaker video, I created an account and made my own avatar to make it look like myself being interviewed. I voiced both characters. 

I used a Voiceover feature on the app that allowed me to record what I was saying and make the mouths of the characters move in the same way. I also used the different poses and backgrounds the app had to make the avatars move as well and making the background look like a professional interview. I used the text boxes from the app to add the text. 

 Creative Critical Reflection 2 Digital presentation commentary 

For my second creative critical reflection I Answered the question:

How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues? 

I did this by make a commentary on my film opening

Through the use of props, actors, lighting and editing, conventions were challenged. Actors who might not be typical to the role were casted to break conventions as well as the lighting being brighter than a typical horror movie. 

We also followed conventions with blood and body parts. It was engaging being able to make some of the props, for example I made the blood using transparent glue and food coloring. 

Making the female a leading role in a horror film breaks conventions of a typical male killer. 

The costumes also followed conventions of a suspicious killer with her hood up and typical clothes for a teenage boy. His clothes were simple and plain typical for its times. 

The white noise of the background and no dialogue added to the enigma of the film since it created suspense for the viewers. 

In this commentary, I used a voice over to use specific examples from our film opening to demonstrate the convention being broken and the representation of different social groups. 

I paused in certain clips to show specific examples and was able to move back and forth throughout the video. I did this be screen recording myself moving the movie and adding a Voiceover on I movie. 

 Creative Critical Reflection 1 Digital presentation prezi

For the first creative critical reflection I answered the question: 

How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?

I believe that my role in this project had a major use of technology especially when it came to editing, sound and research. Without the technology I had accessible like a phone, computer or I pad I would not have been able to create our final project to look as clean as it is being presented. 

With applications like I movie and YouTube as well as airdrop I was able to compile the clips together and add choose which clips worked the best for the movie as well as make the sound clear. 

I was able to advance my technology skills because I had to research different ways to edit the sound from the actual clip, how to upload videos on YouTube, and how to make everything into a good quality. 

Technology was also used to communicate with my group and plan where to meet to film, inform the actors on when they had to film, and plan the roles, props, and the discussions about the project. 

Technology was one of the most helpful and useful benefits I had to make the movie as best as possible.

 Planning: Experience on the day of filming

Filming the final film opening was an immersive and exciting experience between a lot of people in my Media Studies class. 

 

 

We started to record after school at around 3:30 pm.

 

We had some trouble on the day of filming because just when we were heading to film, it started to rain. Thankfully when we got there the weather cleared up and was the perfect environment to film in. 

A picture of Valentina and I at the filming location ready to get to work! Valentina is one of the members in my group 

 We all met up at the gas station and got to work. We set up our props got the costumes on and started to record. 

 

Preparing Hugo to get into character 

Fabiana filming one of the scenes 

Some things did not go as expected, as I had written in a previous blog, I had originally wanted the lighting to be dark to give a creepy and mysterious touch to the opening, but due to everyone’s schedules we had to film earlier, meaning brighter light. Although that did not go as expected it was still a good time of day to film since it challenges horror conventions. 

 

At the gas station that allowed us to film with the props we made and bought

It took around 2 hours to film, and we were done by 5-5:30. The people that worked at the gasoline stop were very helpful and provided us with the trash bag as well as allowing us to film in the location. 

 

Our main character played by Alexandra and one of the students in our media studies class who was there to support, he also gave us a ride because of the rain

There were some mistakes and funny clips in which some things did not go as planned, but after some takes, we were able to get it right. 

 

The collaboration between different groups was a great way in which we all were able to feel comfortable which recording and preparing to film. 

 

 

 

 Planning: Editing

Another part that I was in charge of in my project was editing the video together. 

I made sure all the clips were put together, I made transitions, added the written text, and sound. 

This was all done through I movie as well as YouTube to upload the video. 

First I used I movie to place all the scenes in sequence and cut some parts of videos for clean transitions. 

Then I added the written text to the videos, like the date, and the credits to the screen. I used the text that I movie provides. 

I lowered the volume to all the clips and added folly and non diegetic sound to the opening. I used public sounds from I movie that can be used without copyright. 

For our production company, I used the same text used for the preliminary put I made out it on top of an image of a flashing light, and made the light be own for a long time for the text to show. 

Finally I used YouTube to upload the video with my YouTube channel dedicated to school work