Vengeance - Creative Critical Reflection

      Wow. Well, here is my CCR. This is a bittersweet moment as I get to have this pressure of my shoulders but at the same time I'm closing a project that I've worked so hard on. Thank you to my partner, Raphael Pontes and my teacher, Mrs. Stoklosa for all the help and guidance. Goodbye blog.

Here is the link to the CCR: https://youtu.be/yW-_1kzYWVE

Vengeance - The Film Opening

This is our film opening, enjoy!

Here is the link: https://youtu.be/MCJ8ukBAMxA

Producing Vengeance

        Shooting went very well and we were able to use some of our friends to help us by acting as the cast of our film. We also used my partner's high beam lights to light the dark park and we ended up using my parents camera to shoot. I played the bully and my partner played the part of the victim of the bullying, Miguel. After finishing shooting we immediately came up with the name vengeance as it is the perfect fit for our film opening. 

         In the editing process, we used imovie and got certain pieces of copyright free music to incorporate into the film. My partner also used his piano along with his extensive musical ability to create awesome exclusive sounds that we incorporated as well. After all this we came out with a great product that I think people will really enjoy. We will be posting it on YouTube. 

Playing with the Drone

     My dad recently purchased a drone to film aerial shots of his farm to give him a better idea of what the land is actually like. With a drone like this available at my disposal I figured why not play around with it a bit and try and figure out how to use it as I may be able to use it to film a nice establishing shot for the setting of the film.

     Well, this plan did not really work out as planned as the drone malfunctioned while in flight and I lost control and hit a tree causing it to break and thus ending our ability to capture high definition shots from the sky, Yes, it is a bummer but that just means we will have to rely on good old fashioned shots to establish the park setting.

Reflecting on Process

        Considering we are nearing the end of the process of creating a film opening, I thought it would be appropriate to reflect on the work that we have accomplished and the respect I now have for filmmakers. Keep in mind this is before filming and editing, just the planning and researching has been completed and still, I fell drained from all the work that I have put into just a simple two minute film opening. It has helped me understand the amount of time that real directors and film makers have to go through.

        This has changed the way I view movies and the people who produce them, it is not an easy process. This journey has been humbling thus far and I look forward to seeing the fruits of my labor. The next time I go to the movies, I will not be complaining about the prices of the tickets that I used to consider too high.

Figuring out Production Equipment

      In preparation to filming, we have began to compile a list of the things we will need for shooting. Number one is the camera and we cannot decide whether we should use our iphones or the Cannon EOS that I have. After careful consideration we decided we would use our iphones for convenience. Number two, we will need some lighting and I have flood lights that can be altered and used for lighting. Number three, we will need a computer to edit on and for that, we can use my Mac.
     
        Along with this, we will also need actors for the film and for that role we can use my neighbors Pablo and Nicole who both have a background in drama. Most filming of course will be going down at the park with some secondary shots taking place in a few other places. At this point, we are prepared for filming and all we must do is plan exactly which shots we will use and in what order, my partner and I could not be more excited to finally start.

Conceptualizing

      Now that the nitty gritty details are done, the editing soft wares were done I could think about the ideas surrounding the film opening. I came up with a few general ideas worth sharing.

     The idea of a villain type character searching for two protagonists that have the one goal to save themselves from the horror of the main villain. This will be the basis of the film and surround the film opening.

Video Editing Software

      Now that sound is covered, my focus shifted towards the main component of the film, the visual component. Now in the quest for a video editing software, I was pretty much given three options. I could go with the typical iMovie, I could use Sonyvegas which I already had from a previous project, or I could go find another software online. First, I wanted to check out the prospects of a new software so I headed to google searching for awesome new editing softwares. I found some from Movavi and Adobe.

      After further research, I found that the best software for the price was the SOnyVegas software I already had. So with this in mind, I continued onto research to youtube video tutroials on how to use Sonyvegas effectively because although I have used the software before I would not consider myself proficient with it. I came across this video that helped me.

Looking for Sound Mixing Software

     In preparation for shooting the actual clips of our film, I figured I would begin to attempt to find a good and free sound mixing software. After the lessons in class, I've realized how important good sound is and I realize I will probably want to capture certain sounds externally and include them within the film. This non diegetic sound will add another layer to the shots.

      So, I began looking by looking free sound mixing software. I then came across NCH software for sound. It seemed like it would do but I wanted to make sure so I took a look at some video reviews of it from YouTube and it seems to have solid reviews overall with creators feeling pleased with the product. I will be downloading this and implementing it in my production process.

Villain Ideas

      Since I have decided the film would center around a villain/monster trying to get to the protagonists, I figured it would be important to do some research into movie monsters. On the amazing Pintrest page I always talk about and continue to use, I found an article by NPR on movie monsters. This article discusses two examples in Godzilla and King Kong and explains what makes these monsters so great.

       The article goes on to explain how people love to see destruction, it intrigues us. Also, in Godzilla the director creates a sense of empathy for the monster where you almost feel bad for it. These are the two main components that make a monster (or a villain) amazing. With this in mind I have to begin to craft a villain in my mind that has the capability of causing serious damage while still having a purpose that the audience can understand and empathize with. This also comes full circle to one of the first postings I had in which I discussed the importance of giving characters an overall purpose or goal and now I know this rule should not exclude the villain. Time to get to brainstorming!

Opening Scene Ideas

      I opened up this piece of research with the goal of finding the characteristics of a good opening scene to a film. I want to research this so I can start thinking about how I want to open up my film opening. Before any research was done, I already understood the importance of the opening scene to a movie as Mrs. Stoklosa has stressed it many times in class lessons. So, I set out to find the key components of great film openings.

      I went to the Pintrest page Mrs. Stoklosa has linked on the syllabus that has a flurry of resources for creating film opening and within this page I found a video showing off a bunch of awesome film openings. This compilation helped me realize that the main components to nailing your initial scene is to establish the setting, set the mood, set the pace, and establish characters. Also, create a very engaging and visually appealing scene that will sharpen the audiences's attention. I realize this seems like a long list but it is necessary to at least check off some of these criteria to have a solid opening. This has already given me ideas with establishing the setting by having an extreme long shot of the neighborhood park to open up. I think this opens the door for an aesthetically pleasing shot as well as serving the important purpose of showing the audience the setting of the film.  

Lighting options

      At this point I am pretty sure I will be shooting at least some portion of my film opening in the dark. I already decided I want the primary footage to go down in my neighborhood park but I just recently figured I would shoot in the dark to intensify the situation and make it more thrilling as there is an element of surprise in what exactly lies in the shadows of the shots. Also, I figured there is more options in terms of lighting choices that can go into creating the exact setting and mood I am looking for.

      I began to look online for resources that could give me an idea of lighting techniques to use and how exactly to go about using them and what impact they can have on the shots. I came across this amazing page where components such as light direction, light quality, light intensity, and others are discussed. The page even included two videos that talked about the difference between soft and hard light and how to create a black background respectively. The main takeaways I got from this page were as follows: The differences in effect between soft and hard light and how to make a hard light source produce soft light. The man in the video displayed the many ways you can soften light including reflecting off of certain surfaces. I will be sure to use this knowledge when lighting my night scenes at the park. 

Deciding on Setting

     While looking at the Pintrest page linked on Mrs. Stoklosa's website, I came across an interesting Youtube Video by D4Darious in which he explains top 15 mistakes beginner filmmakers make. While watching the video I noted a few interesting tips he gave. Tip #1: have a colorful and interesting background in your shots. Tip #2: have dynamic shots with multi-layered depth. Tip #3: lighting and sound are crucial elements in creating a proper film. These were the main takeaways from the video.

     

       With this knowledge in mind, I began to think about where I would like to shoot my thriller film opening. Keep in mind, I plan to include more than one setting in my film opening but I think I will primarily be shooting the footage at my local neighborhood park. This park would be perfect as it allows for an interesting scenery/background. Also it should bode well with the quick paced theme of the story line. Also, the park has a variety of settings that could be utilized including a field, a gazebo, and a playground. This could all come together to produce a interesting and versatile flurry of shots.  

Finding Target Audience

       Another crucial step in creating the film opening and coming up with characters is looking at what demographics we should be hitting. I found a helpful chart that shows the demographics for the thriller genre. According to this data that was collected in 2006, the under 25 age group is a healthy percentage of the audience for thrillers. Comparatively speaking, it is clear this is the group we will be targeting as our means of distribution will most likely include YouTube which is viewed by younger people.
   
      Also within this article that I linked is the description of the thriller genre. It is characterized by quick cuts and camera angle changes. This fits the interests of the target audience too, as young people generally prefer fast paced story lines. With this in mind I have several strategies I want to employ. Through my research so far, I want to allude to conflict with characters that have a goal and I want to use quick cuts to intensify the situation.

Deciding What to Create

       I opened up my work on this project by going to Mrs. Stoklosa's website and finding a link to a film media resources page on Pinterest. I know I wanted to create a film opening but I was not sure exactly what this film opening would be about. My goal was to find something that could point me in the right direction. I came across a post titled "Seven Steps to the Perfect Story". Through reading this post, I found that my film opening should introduce a problem as the story of any good film should be overcoming a problem. I also remembered that in our class PowerPoint, one of the main aspects of a film opening for a suspense/thriller movie was to allude conflict. With this in mind and along with the fact that this is my favorite genre I figured, why not center my piece around a conflict and create a thriller?
     
       So, at this point I have decided I want to create a film opening to a thriller movie. I will now focus on trying to lay out my planning for my film opening using this post. First, understand story, got that. Second, choose your plot. I already have plans for this one and it involves having a two protagonists getting saving themselves from a dangerous felon. This by no means will be the final story line, it was simply the first thing to pop up in my head and I will continue to explore possibilities.