Film Opening Project (blog 7, fresh start)

So, scratch our previous idea I guess, haha.

After a discussion with our AICE Media teacher, it was clear that even attempting to make a story about a schizophrenic character was a very hard task. She made many good points, like how we were portray symptoms or which direction we wanted to take our story (happy ending or sad one). But the thing that really stuck out to me was when she asked "why do you want the audience to care about this character?"

And I had no clue.

It's such a simple question, and I just had no clue. I had a purpose of the film, but I had no idea why I wanted people to care about this character. It was in that moment I realized something with our project had to change. That's what we have been doing this past week, trying to come up with a new idea (hence the lack of any postings during the week). Honestly I was starting to get really nervous because I did not want to get behind on our schedule, but after brainstorming on Friday, we came up with a new idea!

Our NEW story will instead revolve around a social media influencer. We want to create a story around the realities and pressures of being a person who lives off social media, and how being invested in such platforms can be very damaging to a person's esteem. As for our opening, we plan on introducing our character by having them struggling to take a picture to post on our instagram, and then comparing themselves to other celebs.

Granted, I should mention that this story was not something that was completely made up. The reason how I got this idea was through a really famous instagram model Essena O'Neill, who famously gave up social media in 2015. The story is very long, but basically she gave up social media because she felt that she was 'keeping up a persona' and losing touch with her self-esteem in the progress. She made a video speaking about it, and I remember watching her video three years ago.

I feel as if this aspect of being an influencer or being on social media in general is not talked about.  As a person who uses instagram quite often, I find myself getting 'wrapped up' in other people's lives and wishing what they had, and I forget that they are people too. I also forget that not everything you see on social media is the full picture. There's a lot more that can be happening within a person's life and one may never know it unless that person shows it to you, and it is so easy to create that facade within apps. Because of that, I really want to make a story about it.

We got the permission from our teacher to proceed with this project, and tomorrow I'm meeting up with my group partners and we will work on shelling out our character and other components for our opening. I can't wait to get this project moving!

Film Opening Project (blog 6)

Today in class we came up with a final story, and how we would film our opening. We also covered what needs to be completed by the end of this week so we can start filming, including creating an official schedule we can start to follow:

- Rough Draft and planning of film done by 3/1
- Filming done by 3/8
- Start line editing 3/16
- VFX and finalizing by 3/21

My task it to complete the storyboard and to work on mise en scene/costume design. Today, my focus is to complete the set and costume design because I feel that storyboarding usually is better when it is done as a group effort. I presented my color palette and the overall visual aesthetic I had in mind to my other partners and they really liked it, and with that they were able to come up with a few ideas that I should try to convey within the set of our character's room. It began with the idea I had for the costume design.

A basic blue hoodie, it says "Utah Rocks!"

I suggested using this hoodie for the costume design, then Austin then came up with an idea. He proposed the character should be interested in nature and traveling (specifically to the Grand Canyon). The reasoning behind this trait is that they feel as if traveling will be some form of 'escape' from their mental disorder, and I LOVED the idea. It is relatively simple, but yet it shells out our character and it creates some sort of a 'spine'. Of course, we cannot completely convey this idea within two minutes, but what we can do is try to incorporate it within the set design to suggest that our character likes nature. My bedroom already has a couple of nature posters, but I do not have one about the Grand Canyon. I guess that means I am going to have to do some shopping, which is what I was planning on doing anyway.

poster I found off of Amazon

Because I want the colors to be seen throughout our character's bedroom, I am planning on getting a few yards of fabric so we can place blues and oranges wherever we need in various shots, such as using the fabric to cover pillows. I feel that by buying fabric we can get more uses out of it, plus it would be cheaper than redoing my whole bedroom anyway. Our group is planning on meeting up sometime on Friday so we can have a formal discussion on things we need, and to also come up with the storyboard too. For now, the project seems to be in motion, and all I can say is that I am very excited! :)

Film Opening Project (blog 5, Disney edition)

Good evening :) I'm posting this pretty late but it's because I just came back from Disney. This weekend I went to Hollywood Studios to see Galaxy's Edge ('Star Wars land') with my family. Being a huge Star Wars fan myself, I loved the new additions to the park and I had a really good time. I know you're wondering what visiting Disney has anything to do with my project, but I got some  inspiration while I was there.

Photos of the "village square"

While the overall design of Galaxy's Edge has no relationship with the idea for our film opening, one thing that really stuck out to me was the color palette within this area. A lot of warm browns and oranges were used, with some dashes of blues within hanging cloths, and with the blue sky too. My godfather took the photo (seen below) and then it hit me.

Photo of a rusty "landspeeder"

The oranges and blues in this photo (complementary colors) looked really good together, and I also liked the 'earthy' tones it had. I knew immediately that these should be the main palette within our project. The emotions that the colors convey will also be very fitting of our character or the story we are trying to tell. Orange suggests creativity or 'spunkiness' (our character is an artist) and the blues suggest conservatism, which also works really well since we want to make sure our character is not viewed as 'psycho' or 'chaotic'. Here are the specific colors I would want to use: 

I included the use of the cream color because I feel that it is a nice 'buffer' in between the contrasting colors, and it also works to create some resemblance of a complete palette. From what I have learned, a color palette consisting of two complementary colors does not look appealing unless someone is deliberately trying to create high contrast. For us, I do not think it makes sense to create high contrast because we want our film to feel comfortable and realistic. This color palette reminds me of the movie Juno (2007), which I think is good because the light-hearted tone of that film is exactly what we want to portray in our film as well. 

Movie poster for Juno, as you can see orange is heavily used

With this stuff I have collected, I can start creating more coherent mood boards! I am also planning on possibly creating a Pinterest board, as I feel the formatting of the website is perfect for making mood boards. Also, although I did not get the time this weekend, I will begin working on some sketches for character designs and/or scenes. 

Film Opening Project (blog 4)

So, after talking with my group members beforehand on Thursday, this weekend we are each planning on doing a bit more research. We also began using Google Drive and Calendar to help save any ideas/things and to help us keep track and stay on schedule.

A snapshot of our Google Drive folder

The doc labeled "bible" is basically where any crucial ideas, notes, and tasks are listed down. I think later on in the project we will probably organize this doc once it begins rolling. The second doc consists of our to-do list. As you can see, there's not a lot that is on there (yet) since we never got the opportunity to sit down and fully list any goals/tasks we want to complete. However, we are planning on meeting up sometime during the next week outside of school to discuss all of the research we gathered and conclude the planning process.

Speaking of research, my responsibility this weekend was to gather information on color theory and color psychology. Also, my job is to create an overall 'visual aesthetic' for our film. From what I have learned there are different definitions of color combinations, and those combinations can create various moods. The four different pairings are:

• Analogous: based on three colors located next to each other on the wheel; creates a sense of cohesion, order
• Complementary: two or more colors combined that contrast with one another; creates high contrast
• Split-Complementary: a combination of analogous and complementary colors; creates a sense of interest/uniqueness
• Triadic: using three colors at equal distances at color wheel, creates a sense of harmony
• Tetradic: using two sets of complementary pairs; using a tetradic palette can make it 'easy on the eyes'

A model of the three kinds of color wheels, RYB is the most common one

Color temperature is also another thing to consider when creating a palette as different temperatures can invoke different feelings. Warm colors (red, orange, yellow) suggest exciting and intense emotions. Cool colors such as blue, green and purple suggest calming and relaxing emotions. Then you have neutral colors (sometimes referred to as earth tones) which are said to invoke no emotions.

With this information, hopefully tomorrow I can start coming up with some form of palette for our film and begin on creating some ideas for visuals. I am planning on making a few mood boards and maybe even draw out certain scenes. I'll let you guys know how it goes. :)

https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/color-theory
https://www.colormatters.com/color-and-design/basic-color-theory

Film Opening Project (blog 3, idea down!)

We finally came up with a story! :D

At first, we had a lot of conflicting ideas for what we should film. Oliver had the idea of making a psychological thriller centralizing around a character with schizophrenia, Austin had the idea of making a movie about hacking, and I had the idea of making a movie about social class (very different, I know).

After a lot of going back and forth, we settled on making a movie about schizophrenia. However, we want to present it in a different manner than in the usual way Hollywood portrays the lives of people diagnosed with schizophrenia. Taking the things that we learned in our AICE Psychology class, Oliver and I knew that the normal way movies portray people with schizophrenia is not an accurate representation. Hollywood loves to either romanticize or vilify people with schizophrenia.

For our story, we thought it would be a cool idea to portray the life of a teenager living with schizophrenia in a realistic fashion. Rather than our character succumbing to their illness, it'll be about how our character deals with everyday life and the struggles of high school while diagnosed with schizophrenia. We also want it to be more centralized on the character's personality and daily life rather than their illness. One of our main goals is to 'humanize' people with schizophrenia, not isolate them into a mere group.

In order for us to get this right, it is essential we do research and broaden our understanding of schizophrenia.  In class this morning, we were able to find a few videos including accounts of people diagnosed with schizophrenia, and trustworthy websites that will help us develop a better understanding. This was one of the first videos we found: which is a Ted Talk where Celia McGough talks about her illness.

The next video is another account of a man named Quentin and his experience of having schizophrenia. The accounts follows his life throughout his teen years, which is the age range we would like our character to be in.

We also found various websites (and a blog) talking about the common stereotypes and exaggerations found in many movies about schizophrenic patients. Although we still need to some more research, we can begin to shell out our main character and create a backstory for them. Hopefully we can finish developing our story the next time we see each other so we can storyboard and then film!

https://hekint.org/2017/01/23/portrayal-of-schizophrenia-in-movies/
http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1474/exaggerations-and-stereotypes-of-schizophrenia-in-contemporary-films
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22555313

Film Opening Project (blog 2)

I've been doing some more research on film openings, and I think I'm starting to get a clearer idea of approaches we can take for our film opening. Because we do not have a multi-million dollar budget, it's crucial that we try not to create a story where the use of effects (or CGI) would be needed. However, it is equally important that we challenge ourselves and come up with a story where we can showcase our techniques. I guess it's about finding a balance in between difficulty (I'm still trying to find it though).

I did a bit more research on some film openings to expand ideas on how we can shoot our film opening, looking at techniques more than anything else. Although the audience does not get the clearest idea of what about to happen, the film opening for Se7en (1995) is nonetheless interesting. It beautifully establishes tone despite the simplicity of shots. Seeing this in my AICE Media class made my skin crawl, and I didn't even see one character or hear a bit of dialogue. Perhaps it's the lack of dialogue that gives this opening an advantage.

I know that I would not want to make a film opening about a serial killer or some type of mystery story, but the shooting shows how there is no need to film elaborate scenes to get a point across. If it serves for our story, maybe we can take inspiration from this approach.

On the subject of stories, I do have an idea. Rather than looking or taking inspiration from stories I like, I decided to focus on themes I would want to explore within our story. Through this approach, I'm hoping to make sure whatever story we chose will be a story we all want to film. Also, I'm hoping this can guarantee that our group won't become bored as this project progresses (thus losing our passion to create something cool).

Growing up strictly in suburban towns, I have noticed that there is a spectrum to the middle-class. There is also a specific way in which certain groups interact with others (sort of like an unspoken rulebook) which I think would be a pretty cool idea to explore. Although this idea isn't a theme per se, it connects with the theme of social classes (specifically the nature of the middle class). I have also thought about centralizing this theme within the realm of high school; there is already so much to unpack about high-schoolers in middle-class areas, so much.

However, I am apprehensive about taking on this idea because I think that other students in my class are probably thinking about covering this theme too. It's not that I want our story to be "quirky!" or "unique!", I just don't want to limit our options of using interesting techniques to tell a story that has been told before. There's so many directions we can take it's a bit overwhelming... I guess I maybe need to pitch a few of my ideas to my other group members so we can finally come up with a story we all enjoy.

I'll let you know how this goes, hopefully the brainstorming process will be over soon.

Film Opening Project (blog 1)

And we're off! Me and my group partners are finally starting to work on our film opening! :)

I've been thinking of ideas of our story and what direction we should take our project, and as of now I am still in the brainstorming stage. I know that our genre is drama, so I have been doing some research on how some other drama films start their openings. From what I see, we have two directions. We can either create a story with a light-hearted tone, or take a more serious route. I've been looking at some film openings as references and here's what I have observed: 

Although Marley and Me (2008) is anything BUT a light-hearted movie (thinking about it makes me cry to this day) it is a good example of a drama that takes a 'friendly' approach in introducing the story. I believe that the opening starts by alluding to conflict since it's made clear that Marley is a "clearance puppy".

I may be biased since it is one of my favorite movies, but I think Dunkirk (2017) has to be one of the greatest film openings ever. Its simplicity is what makes it so much more profound; there's no gimmicky effects, no dramatic dialogue, just the story in its rawest form. The simplicity of it is also what makes it feel so real, it feels as if you are walking with the main character. Not only is it captivating, it is a good example of a drama opening with a serious tone. 

I am referencing these two film openings because of one key thing in between the two of them, their simplicity.  I want to make sure that for our film opening we try not to create a story that is very elaborate, but rather we make a simple story elaborate through our technique. Also, considering the fact that none of us have money to rent out locations or can drive very far, a story that is easy to tell based on our location will help through the filming process too. After all we are just students, not Universal Studios.

I'll keep you guys posted :)

Music Marketing Project

In our music marketing project, my group members and I worked to create a marketing campaign for our Brooklyn-based indie-rock band, Super Cyber-Punk Space Cowboy Band.

MEDIA AND DISTRIBUTION TRENDS

We mainly focused our research on Grizzly Bear and Cage The Elephant since they embody the genre that our band falls under (indie-rock).

The first thing that we saw among our case studies is the overall image and presentation of indie-rock bands. It is quite clear that the branding emulates a nostalgic feeling, and also enables the use of bold coloring (typically yellows or reds) to suggest individuality and creativity.

TV on the Radio's album cover, homage to Radiohead's album 'Ok Computer'

Cage The Elephant's album, high contrast of photo looks as if it was taken on a polaroid 

Grizzly Bear's most recent album 'Painted Ruins' utilizes reds and oranges

For Cage The Elephant, their band started through performing in local clubs and grunge scenes, developing a stronger sense of their image. We noticed that bands tend to be marketed as a whole, and it is not very common for an individual in a band member to be recognized above the other (although some bands do tend to draw attention onto their lead singer).

In terms of social media usage and demographics, Twitter and Instagram are the apps that are most commonly used. This makes sense since the age-range of users on Twitter and Instagram make up for a large representative of the indie-rock target audience. 75% of instagram users are 18-24 year olds, and 80% of Twitter users are millennials. Cage the Elephant has around 9,345 tweets that averages out to about two to three tweets per day ever since they created their twitter.

Main page of Cage The Elephant's twitter

Twitter is a good app to increase audience interactivity and for promotion. Since any user (regardless of whether you are following them) can retweet or comment on a post, it allows for a connection to be built amongst audience and band members. Instagram also has these features, but it is more commonly used to maintain the image of a band.  

A brief view of Grizzly Bear's instagram feed,  a snippet of their latest album can be seen within each post (even the composition of other posts mimic the shape of the album design)

The distribution for indie-rock bands focus on the use of streaming services such as Spotify. 29% of Spotify users are aged 25-34 and 26% are 18-24, which is again the age-range that makes up the majority of indie-rock's audience. Youtube is also a very commonly used platform to upload music videos, so often so that Youtube has became the norm where artists (from all genres) will post their videos online. Online merch stores are available through a band's website, can and people buy album CDs or Vinyl records (keeping in tone with the artistic style). However, merch sales do not appear to be a huge priority for indie-bands.

Almost all indie-rock bands have a website, but that is usually the only bit of internet presence (unless you count youtube). One key feature about the website within indie-rock bands is how most of the site will be primarily focused on a newly released song or album put out.

Snapshot of Grizzly Bear's homepage

DEVELOPING BRAND

Our main goal was to make sure that our branding matched the styles of our case studies, yet having its own twist to it. That is why we decided for our band to include some sort of space/psychedelic theme. We also included the use of logos (the use of our alien face, eyes, etc.) as a simple yet effective method of establishing some sort of symbol or 'identifier' of SCPSCB band within the public eye.

Symbol of SCPSCB

Starting off small by performing in small venues is the most logical route to start collecting a small audience and to build our resume. Live performances and venues can help establish us locally, and where we perform also gives insight to audiences on what genre of music we play. If possible, promotion through local papers can help generate buzz around Brooklyn of who we are, and using posters to advertise upcoming venues is vital.

MARKETING PRODUCTS

For our website, we made sure that it was centralized around new our music video and new released song. We also made a simple online merch store which is displayed on our site. In general, our website was going to be the only kind of presence SCPSCB would have on the internet (minus youtube of course). We made sure that our Twitter and Instagram accounts also had a link to our website in our bio for our target audience or for any professionals who want to get more information on who SCPSCB is.

WEBSITE: https://kathy0pericas0g.wixsite.com/scpscb

A music video for our newly released song could help with our marketing for a couple of reasons. Of course, it also helps to promote our new song. It is a tool to help establish our branding/image. More importantly, also helps expand our target audience to people who do not live within our local community. We found some statistics below showing the value a music video can have for our single:

• January 2020, 93% of most watched Youtube videos are music videos
• 73% of teens say music videos are best content to show artist’s creation (according to Vevo)
• Also, 67% of teens more likely to share music videos in comparison to other media (also Vevo)

To not make a music video would be a huge disservice to SCPSCB and to our target audience.

If you would like to see the video, it's available on our website (link above).

We were challenged to come up with a creative way to promote our band besides using our website and music video. Because the main goal for an upcoming band is to get established amongst their community, we decided that the using a QR code sticker and posting in various shops could be a cool tool to promote our website. Using media convergence in our marketing means there are more ways for our target audience to be informed about our band. According to Scanova.io, QR codes are predominantly used amongst people ages 24-34 (so it could be a tool to reach our older target audience as well).

Design we came up with for QR sticker, features our band logo

WHAT I'VE LEARNED

If I'm being honest, I thought that this project would not be very stressful and it would be a pretty easy assignment (was I wrong haha). It ended being very challenging, and it did push me out of my comfort zone to try new things. Filming a music video is so much harder than I thought it was, and after this project I've developed a very deep appreciation for filming music videos. I watched different ideas come together to create a final result that was so much cooler than I could've ever imagined :).

Even though I was pushed out of my comfort zone, there were moments where I was playing it really safe (such as the music video idea or the presentation of the band) and I think that showed in our overall presentation. I also realized that after presenting, some of the work we made was not from the heart. It was all about making a flashy band that people would like, not really about making a project that my group members and I liked, which may have been the better way to approach this project. I know now that the next time I film a video or put together a project it should be coming from a desire to put together something really cool, not just for a grade.

However, I'm not disappointed about the final result of our project(I'm pretty proud of it actually). While it wasn't perfect, it did teach me a lot, plus I think our video was pretty cool. I'm glad that I made mistakes in this project because it's helping me see what I need to work on, and how I can develop my skills to be even better. Overall, I had a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward for the next opportunity to film and make something my group members and I really love.