BLOG 12: FILM OPENER VISIONS

BLOG 12: FILM OPENER VISIONS

Hey, sunshine, welcome back to my blog! 

    Today's blog will be EXCLUSIVELY about my film opening (YES!! Finally it's my turn). I will elaborate on some of the film opening's ideas my team discussed, as well as give the advantages and disadvantages of each. With that being said, let's JUMP into today's content🦘🦘.

Horror Theme Idea

    The first idea that gets suggested is a horror-themed film opener from Little Miss Cleongy. Her idea sounds exceptionally interesting; if the film opener was to be executed properly, it might turn out to be one of the most APPEALING openers. With the eerie elements, we can easily capture the viewers attention from the scary yet thrilling atmosphere. Similarly, with this wide-ranging genre, my team can incorporate a variety of filming techniques/angles to convey the purpose of the genre (and also prove our MASTERY in media's knowledge😉). Despite that, after further discussion, we started to realize the downside of this genre; although it's an innovative idea, it requires a HIGH demand in filming skills and acting skills. The opener has to be properly recorded in order to achieve the advantages I stated; hence we could consider this as a double-edged sword (which can do more harm than good😥).

Coming-of-age Theme Idea

    Another idea that got mentioned is a coming-of-age theme. This opener prioritizes the emotional/relatable aspect rather than targeting the instinctive emotion, fear. This opener will mainly revolve around a girl who, for the first time, celebrates her birthday alone after her mom's death. We all admitted that this is a more doable genre, as the setting, props, and costumes were all prepared. Thank God! 😫 Little Miss Barbie volunteered her house as the film's setting, as her mom coincidentally celebrated her birthday recently, so we were planning to utilize those as the set's props. This makes this idea more approachable and realistic to proceed with compared to the last idea. Conversely, the storyline for this idea is a bit complicated; hence we have to plan the most OPTIMAL way to incorporate the most details while ensuring we don't exceed the time limits since this idea's ONLY strong point is the captivating storyline.

BLOG 11: EVALUATING OPENING SHOTS

BLOG 11: EVALUATING OPENING SHOTS

Hey, sunshine, welcome back to my blog! 

    Today's blog will be exclusively about past works from AICE Media Studies 9607. I will examine 5 film opening videos, then CAREFULLY analyze each strengths and weaknesses as well as any improvements that can be made (because there is always room for improvement😉). With that being said, let's HEAD straight to today's content!!

Roll Call

    The first film opening in this list goes to Roll Call. Truthfully, I got quite IMPRESSED by the strong visuals; the group did a great job in introducing the characters (it was CREATIVE). The mood was set to PERFECTION; they effectively corporate the music and sound effects to further enhance the mood, thus helping draw the viewers in. However, there might be areas where the pacing is TOO SLOW🐌 and where the story isn't immediately clear. Additionally, the film opening lacks high-quality effects or, I might say, professional-grade cinematography. I do understand that they might not be able to afford the equipment (since they're high schoolers), but to make it feel more like a Hollywood movie opener (yes, this is my goal too🥹), they could improve the lighting and camera work. Beside that, introduce the conflict or main plot sooner to create a cliffhanger that would HOOK the audience quickly.

New Everything

    Second on the list is New Everything. First of all, let's all give the person who chose the setting a round of applause👏🏻👏🏻. The choice of setting PERFECTLY highlights the contrast between the world and the main character's state of mind. I'm in LOVE with the innovative ideas and the fresh perspective. Plus, the CREATIVE use of camera angles definitely ties the story as a whole. Despite that, there are some issues with the sound quality; improving the audio quality will for sure help them earn a few more points. Likewise, although the idea was unique, they weren't able to interpret it well; the transitions between scenes weren't smooth, resulting in a bad, interrupted overall flow. Adding dynamic scene transitions to ensure each shot contributes meaning to the narrative can ELEVATE the watching experience.

Dreamland

    Next is Dreamland; its fantastical and imaginative setting DID ITS JOB. Their unique concept made a HUGE contribution to its ability to capture the audience's interest. Its visual is also a MUST; the visuals are extremely vibrant and engaging (it kept me up doing this blog🤣). Now move on to its weaknesses. The storyline is a bit confusing in my opinion (the slow- pace is KILLING me). The group obviously relied too much on the visual effect without spending the same effort in the character development stage. However, by strengthening the narrative as well as the pacing, this will ensure that the characters are well-developed and more relatable, which would make this opening feel more like a Hollywood production.

Dear Lover

    Follow after Dreamland is Dear Lover, unlike the others, this film opening is categorized as a desperate romantic trope, which contains LOTS of emotional. The character interactions were well executed, which helped create an engaging and heartfelt opening. Furthermore, the dialogues were EXTREMELY relatable and natural, which help attracts more audiences who're going through the same experience. Nonetheless, the film obviously struggles with production quality; it CONSTANTLY illustrates inconsistencies in acting. Similarly, the pace was too slow, making it harder for viewers to invest in the story. To fix these, the team can consider enhancing the production values and ensuring consistent acting, plus a clearer exposition and a more defined plot in the opening scenes can make it feel more PROFESSIONAL (Hollywood-like😉).

Dare To Thrill

    Last but not least, Dare to Thrill, which is my ABSOLUTE favorite among the five film openers. The film idea was unexpectedly unique (it for sure caught me by surprise😤); the chosen genre helped create a thrilling mood. I can feel the excitement and the adrenaline running up my head through the action-packed sequences and a fast-paced storyline. Yet, the character development was a bit lacking, or maybe the plot is just too predictable🤷🏻‍♀️. The simplest way to fix this is to add more depth to the characters, which can be done by adding more 'personality' to the characters; also, by introducing more plot twists, it can helps keep the audience engaged. On top of that, there were some issues with the special effects (NO big deal😁). The team can improve their editing skills in a short period through online videos, hence ensuring high-quality special effects and seamless editing that will contribute to a more Hollywood-like feel.

BLOG 10: FACES BEHIND THE PROJECT

BLOG 10: FACES BEHIND THE PROJECT

Hey, beautiful, welcome back to my blog! 

    Today's blog will focus on my new, gorgeous group members. Little did you know, I went through heaven and hell to recruit these talented ladies in order to create the greatest film opening project for my devoted readers (y'all DESERVE THIS🔥🔥). In addition, I will elaborate in detail on the reasons behind these recruitments. With that being said, let's walk into today's content (YES, let all be demure this time🎀.)

Our future Marine Biologist💖✨

Little Miss Barbie

    My first target of this strategic recruitment is Geraldine, but I will refer to her as Little Miss Barbie from now on (as per her request🤫). Little Miss Barbie is one of the most creative people I've known; there is no such thing as 'limit' for her. She will always mischievously find an alternate route to any given problem. She is the literal definition of "think outside the box."😅🤣. Knowing this charming side of her, I knew for the very first moment I had to group with this girl, no matter what it will take😈. Her creativity will make an impactful contribution to our future project; not only will it ensure the film opening is interesting, it will also help our project stand out among thousands of other submissions. Therefore, she is a 'must' in my genius recruitment plan🥸.

Little Miss #2

Our future Nurse💖✨

    The second victim on my list is Thu, but we will refer to her as Little Miss #2, simply because of her extreme obsession with these Baby Three plushies🙄 and also an inside joke about her name's pronunciation🤣. The biggest reason behind this recruitment is her excellent editing skill👍🏻. Logically thinking, editing skill is the most significant requirement for this project; it combines numerous small ideas to create the IDEAL project we've envision. Her long history of being an editor in group projects gives her an outstanding editing skill compared to people who are her age; this can be proven through the sound story project we did back in blog 6. Fun fact, me and Little Miss Dino grouped on our sound story project, and it was truly a perfect experience. Our chemistry was on point; we were able to fulfill the lack of others and deliver an "excellent" project (this is feedback from my teacher, by the way😚). Judging from the working experience and her remarkable skill, she definitely made it on my hit list😈.  

Our future Plastic Surgeon💖✨

Little Miss Cleongy

    Last but not least, Gyongy, our last stunning member. We will refer to her as Little Miss Cleongy DeLipsits or Little Miss Cleongy for short; this name inspired Cleo DeNile because of their high resemblance (their SLAY-NESS, of course💅🏻). Little Miss Cleongy is widely known in our friend group for her high fashion sense; she is the MODEL, the face representation of our group. Along with the fashionable taste, she is also blessed with an impressive artistic ability; she consistently incorporates her aesthetic touches into her blog entries, which contribute to an endearing atmosphere that captures everyone's interest (I've mentioned her once in my blog 3, so go read if you haven't😉). Moreover, having her in the group will further enhance the appeal of our future project, laying a foundation for our promising film opening.

P/S: I will link these wonderful ladies’ blog pages down below, so go check them out😘

• Little Miss Barbie

• Little Miss #2

• Little Miss Cleongy

BLOG 9: ACTION SCENE SKETCHES

BLOG 9: ACTION SCENE SKETCHES

Hey, lovies, welcome back to my blog!

    Today's blog will solely focus on the storyboard. I will be storyboarding a short clip from Officer Black Belt (Obviously! because my favorite hubby starred in there😁). I will document what I've learned along the way, as well as any obstacles I went through. Most importantly, I will also discuss the importance of storyboarding (and don't worry, I will include the clip I storyboarded so you can fully understand it😉). With that being said, let's SPRINT straight to today's content🏃🏻‍♀️.

Officer Black Belt's Story Board

Story Boarded Clip

    I believe the storyboard to be the MOST important process in a film's production. Not only does the storyboard help plan out the shots needed to be created and how to create them, but it's also helps identify potential issues and hence ADDRESS them early on (this can limit any extra time and cost during production). On top of that, a storyboard helps keep everyone in the team on the same page; this can ensure everyone's ideas were coordinated properly and thus indirectly avoids UNWANTED arguments and builds cohesive teamwork. Beside that, I've learned an important skill while storyboarding. I've learned how to EFFECTIVELY analyze a shot, including how to identify its mis-en-scene's elements, camera movements, and shot sizes. This skill will come in clutch later on with this class's writing exam (let's all pray for my A's yall's🥹). Honestly speaking, it was difficult for me at first since I didn't know what to include in my drawing or description. It took me a total of 2 hours just to finish the storyboard. However, as I finished more and more drawings, I was able to reduce the time needed for each shot; hence, I had a better experience near the end of this assignment😤. I will rate this experience a BENEFICIAL/10; I will definitely do this again😁.