Portfolio Project Week #4, Post #1

 Script

I worked and finished a script today. To be honest, it kind of felt like a waste of time. My opening does not have that much dialogue, with the majority being between the detective and suspect. Also, I knew what I what I wanted the characters to say and it sort of felt pointless to type it up all fancy when I could've just written down the lines quickly. I suppose this could be beneficial to the actors as they would not know their lines or exactly what is happening within the opening. Here was a part of the script looks like:

Like I mentioned in the last post I used this website to model my script after. Its not exact or nearly as professional but my script will get the job done. 

Figuring out some small, but important details

Also, I've realized I have not actually thought up of names for the characters. I think I want them to have fairly basic names like "Ryan" or "Josh". Josh would work well as one of the actors I have in mind is my friend, Josh. The suspect doesn't need a name, at least not during the opening of the film, as he disappears at the end of the opening and is not named before hand.

I also thought about what I wanted to call the film today. Other murder/mystery movies tend to have either "murder" in the title or something about the crime. Such as "Murder on the Orient Express", which is very fittingly named as it is about a murder on a train called "Orient Express." I think that since my movie is about a murder (the one the suspect is being interviewed about) and then a missing person (the suspect disappearing) I want to title it "Gone." Representing the life of the person who was murdered and then obviously the disappearance of the suspect. I think keeping it short and simple is a good idea as it also adds more mystery to all the things the movie could possibly be about.

Portfolio Project Week #3, Post #4

 I was able to get some free time today and work on my project just a little bit. I think I have an idea of where I want there to be dialogue. There is going to be dialogue between the detective and the suspect during the interrogation, just normal routine investigation questions. Such as, "Where were you on the day of the crime?" and the suspect will answer, so on and so forth.

During my time in class next week, I will begin working on a concrete script. I want it to be formatted correctly, so I'm taking a look at some websites that describe how scripts usually look (such as this one). I will also figure out where and when I want the credits and can hopefully start planning out the production process. I'm excited to finally get working towards producing this opening. 

Portfolio Project Week #3, Post #3

 After a very bust day, I finally found time to work on my project. I've finished the storyboard and I'm happy with how it came out. I am very much not an artist but I did the best I could for very rough drawings. For example, I had to lookup a clipart drawing of a chair because I struggled to draw the chair. I can understand it, and that is what is most important. I still have to figure out when/where I want the credits to appear and the actual timing of it all. The entire storyboard was a rough draft as is subject to change as I begin the production process. Hopefully, I will be able to stick to it for the most part. Tomorrow is also going to be a very busy day for me, so I hope to brainstorm a script and actually start one if I have the chance.

The last panels of the storyboard are shown above. They depict the detective taking a look at the computer one more time before rushing back into the interrogating room. As soon as he steps inside an eyeline match will be shown, which shows that the detective is staring at an empty suspect chair. I plan to end the opening here as it allows the rest of the film to pickup and develop on this initial mystery. 

Portfolio Project Week #3, Post #2

 I was able to work a little more on my storyboard today. I still have not completely finished it and I plan to complete it sometime within the next few days. I only have a few panels left and hope to work on them tomorrow or Sunday. After I finish the storyboard, I would like to get started on a script. The script should be fairly short as there is not much dialogue.

The second page of the storyboard

This page of the storyboard depicts the detective getting a call from another detective. The two detectives speak on the phone with the second one informing the first that they have finally retrieved security camera footage. The interrogating detective excuses himself at another room to view the tapes. It is shown on a computer of the suspect running the track as he claimed to have during the interrogating. Upon further viewing, the detective realizes that the person show in the tapes is not the suspect they have held in interrogating. The detective becomes increasingly confused as the tape continues to play.

Portfolio Project Week #3, Post #1

 Today, I began storyboarding. The first page shows the shots of the initial interrogation; the detective asking questions, the suspect answering, with a possible "flashback" from the suspects POV. The suspect should appear calm and will seemingly seem innocent, as nothing happened according to them. It took some time as I realized I had not actually fully developed a plot so in addition to attempting a somewhat decent drawing, I had to also think about the plot and how the overall flow will go. Here is a picture of the first page of the storyboard:

I still have to add panels depicting the detective going over the security tapes, the actual footage of what the security cameras show. Also, the interaction between detective and suspect after the detective viewed the tapes and found something that complicates what appears to be a simple/routine murder case. This is the very basic outline I created:

Next time I work on this, I will plan to finish the storyboard and develop the full plot of the opening. I will also try to develop a concrete script that could be used. I may also begin asking some of my friends if they would be willing to be apart of the opening. Although, I still need to organize my thoughts/ideas on the plot and work out the full story before I begin that. 
 

Portfolio Project Week #2, Post #4

 I think I have finally landed on doing a mystery/crime film. I am slowly starting to develop a plot. I want the movie to be about a murder. The opening would contain the detective and main suspect going back and forth retelling the day of the crime. It would appear that the suspect is guilty, but when the detective checks with other witnesses or security cameras, the suspect was not on the scene at all. I think this idea could work and can fully develop into a worthwhile project.

I'm imagining something like the image above, where it is a detective and suspect sitting in a room. Next class, I will begin creating more of a concrete plot. Depending on time, I may begin a storyboard/script.

Portfolio Project Week #2, Post #3

 After discussing with family and friends, I am leaning towards doing a mystery production. I think I want to work with a crime story. A story about a killing, or something along the lines. Here's some movies that fit into that category: 

Murder on the Orient Express
(2017)

Enola Holmes
(2020)

Sherlock Holmes
(2009)

Now, I am still yet to come up with a full story/plot. I've been brainstorming but have been unable to come up with anything. I will continue to research ideas and look at other, similar films for inspiration. I will also discuss more with family/friends to see if they have any input. By my next post, I hope to have a rough outline for a story and perhaps start thinking about the actual opening will be like. 

Portfolio Project Week#2, Post #2

 Researching:

So today, I researched genres. I looked up a ton of them - action, adventure, sports, romance, heist, spy, comedy - all kinds of films and genres. Some of the websites I used are here, here, and here. These websites were helpful in gaining information about each genre, its characteristics, and its overall format/basic story. 

I'm thinking about doing a sports or mystery film. I believe making a sports piece would be a little easier than some other genres. I know I have a friend that would love to star in a sports piece, plus I love sport and am knowledgeable in their themes. There is also a park very close to my house that contains a basketball court and a football, soccer, and baseball fields, making it a perfect and convenient to film. However, I think I would enjoy making a mystery opening more. I also think I would have more ideas for a story.

Murder Mystery (2019)

Forest Gump (1994)

In the time until next class, I plan to brainstorm ideas for a story. I'm going to talk with some family and friends about ideas I come up with and try to get feedback. I will also look over other sports/mystery films such as Forest Gump (1994), and Murder Mystery (2019). I'm really excited to actually start working on a story! 

Portfolio Project Week #2, Post #1

 Basics of blogging/examples of projects

Today in class we went over the basics of blogging. I feel I have learned enough so that my blogs will become powerful resources in my portfolio project. The addition of links, images, and videos will help me keep track of my work and allow me in the future to go back and reference things.

Also, today we went over some well-made portfolio project on our teachers website, here. I believe viewing these helped tremendously. It showed me what the expectations are for the project and made me believe I have the power to reach those expectations. Next class, I plan to begin brainstorming genre ideas and start my research. I can't wait to dive right into the project!

Portfolio Project Week 1 Post #1

 The Portfolio Project #1:

    Next week we begin the portfolio project. I'm excited; we have been working towards this all year. I plan on working extremely hard and giving this project my all. I will be brainstorming ideas over the next few days as we learn more about blogging in the next week. I'm going to make sure I space out my time wisely so I can work on this project with as little stress as possible. This should be fun, cannot wait to start working!

Music Marketing Blog Post #2

 Music Marketing Blog #2

Research

The researching stage of our project began with our group filling out our research charts. We researched two labels by the names of "Mau5trap" and "Monstercat." This research became crucial later on in our project. It helped to provide evidence to support our pitch. We even had to research more as the project went on and our ideas became more and more expansive. All the research we ended up compiling was critical and contributed greatly to our completion of this project.

    

Brainstorming/planning

Brainstorming and planning took up a lot more time for our project than we thought. Our group could not seem to get our ideas together and we all kept thinking of new things, and not liking each others idea, and so on. Eventually we got settled on the artist "Ryker" with his EDM song, "Didn't know." Then, we dived more into the details of our campaign. Our merch line, social media, website, etc. and how to spilt up or share the work. We went through many different ideas for the music video and we did not find one we all really liked until we were about to film. We found the mask and we all decided we want to go for a creepy, artistic style music video that seemed sort of out of place and random.

Production

Getting ready to produce our video was a lot more work than actually filming the video. We were running out of time and none of our groups' schedules seemed to line up. Eventually, we decided on a location and time where most of our members could meet. We were still racing against the clock and very little time to actually get there, prepare, and actually film. By the time we started filming, it was dark and creepy outside which winded up being very helpful. We got the footage we could and would have to make it all work together through the magic of editing.

Post-production

This stage in the project probably went the best. We still had very little time to edit the music video together but it winded up being easier than we expected it and it came out a lot better than what most of us thought it would. Since we filmed in a dark and creepy environment it aided in editing a ton. The effects we used were pretty easy to find and it overall went really well. To be honest, I think our groups expectations were a little low but we were all extremely proud of what we managed to put together.

Presentation

Now all that was left was to prepare for and then present our presentation. Our group met together on zoom a few times to go over what everyone was going to say and everyone took the time to practice their part. We decided that during the presentation, we would pass out glowsticks (seen on the left) as it was we used on the mask of our artist and thought it would be a creative way to engage the audience we were presenting to. When we finally were up to present, we were all very anxious and nervous but it went pretty well. Everyone remembered their part and we all knew what we were saying.

Reflection

Overall, I was/am extremely proud of our group and our project as a whole. I learned that in the future, I need to manage my time better. I also learned how to collaborate better and to take responsibility for what you have to do. The portfolio project will be aided by this project as it taught me to manage my time more effectively. Also, the production aspect should be helpful while I produce my portfolio project.