Group Meeting

 In class on 2/11, one member from each group met with members from other groups to discuss our project progress, and tips on how to improve them. Our group consisted of 5 members, including me, with each member being from a different group. The main focus of the meeting for me, was to find a solid movie idea. My partner for this project and I have been struggling to come up with an idea, but we want to do a coming of age movie.

Thankfully, my group members worked with me to help create an idea. We are torn between two options, but both revolve around a popular guy at school. The first idea would be a popular guy in school, who is known as a bully. He goes around bullying random kids, but the kids don't seem to care, and don't give him a reaction, and just seem confused on why he's doing this. He does this since it makes him feel stronger then he actually is. Eventually, he realizes what his doing is wrong, and turns to become a better person.

The second option would resolve around a kid who seems all happy in school, but inside, he's depressed. He covers this up by being kind to everyone, and always smiling. However, behind all the happiness, he deals with abusive parents, who are horrible to him and are always yelling at him, and beat him. This would be evident in the opening scene, as he would be getting ready for the day, he would wear long sleeves to cover his bruises. The scene would end with him going him going home to his room and his parents beating on his door, cutting off when the door eventually opens.

We will discuss with our teacher with option to choose, as this is a large decision for our group.

The notes I took during our meeting.

Research Blog

 To create our intro to a coming-of-age film, we will need a strong opening scene to introduce our character. We can use visuals and small details, which is more effective then repetitive dialogue. We need to demonstrate their personality immediately, such as in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, when he is shown faking sick to his parents. This shows what type of character he is.

To make the scene feel more authentic, our group will focus on lighting and mise-en-scène. We would want these to align with our characters personality. For example, if we wanted out character to feel careless and energetic, we can include handheld shots and natural lighting, such as in the movie Boyhood. For the mise-en-scène, it would reflect out character's nature. If our character is lazy, they could have a messy room with papers everywhere, or have a room filled with posters if they are a teenager.

                                        How lighting is used to enhance a scene

Music also plays a key role in setting the mood. The song chosen will needed to fit the main character's emotions. If the character is excited, we could include a fast, upbeat song, which could highlight a positive tone. Also, we believe that some scenes can benefit from a lack of audio. If the character is deep in thought or sad, having no music could make the scene more powerful, by demonstrating the emotional connection to the character.

By including all of these elements, we hope to create a movie intro that will grab the viewers attention into the main character's world. We want the views to instantly click with the character, and be hooked on the movie.

Schedule

If there is one thing experience has taught me, it is that an accurate timeline is crucial for the completion of any long-term project. Having  one will definitely keep on course and avoid last-minute stress by delineating each step well in advance, with enough time for revisions. So, I'm setting up my timeline now in order to keep myself accountable.

Instructions for this project that I used to make the schedule.

Here is the schedule:

Week One

• Research  Genre
• Create Plan
• Plan intro script
• Write Script

Week Two

• Complete movie plan
• Draw Storyboard
• Filming Locations
• Actors For Characters
• Decide when we film

Week 3

• Intro Creation
• Continue (if started)
• Recorded character audios
• Record Foley Sound Effects

Week  4

• Begin Editing
• Produce The First  Cut
• Make sure all needed Foley sounds are recorded

Week 5

• Continue Editing
• Create another edited version
• Compare the two styles to find which best suits the film

Week 6

• Begin CCR
• Start beginning research for CCR question #1
• Analyze Post Production

Week 7

• Continue   CCR
• Research questions 1-5
• Write the CCR
  
• Edit and Review

Week 8

• Finishing Touches
• Complete blog posts
• Extra Time
• For anything unexpected

With this timeline, I can work on trying to follow it, making any necessary adjustments along the way. Time management is something I've struggled with a bit in the past, and I want to stay disciplined, making sure not to miss deadlines. Of course, unexpected bumps may arise, but with this schedule, I'll be ready to deal with them effectively.

 

Credit Sequences

For our project, I have been researching opening credits from other coming-of-age movies, to give me inspiration on what to do for my film opening. Throughout my research, I have learned that character design can impact the opening credits and how they are shown, and how editing is used to support this.


From the movie Boyhood, the film decided on an interesting approach for the opening credits. To display them, the film opens with a shot of the blue sky and clouds, symbolizing the young child. After the shots are displayed, the opening credits are displayed on the screen. but are showing being written out, in messy handwriting. This shows how the child has character, and sets up his personality for the rest of the film.

The beginning of Eighth Grade takes a more traditional approach to opening credits. The credits are displayed in bold, clear letters in the bottom-left of the screen. While these credits are rolling, the main character is arriving for her first day of eighth grade, showing her getting ready and going to class. With the rapid cuts from scene to scene and close-ups, this hooks the audience to the movie, and intrigues viewers to keep watching.

The Breakfast Club begins with bold, yellow text on a black background. This creates a minimalistic design that represents the film's style of storytelling, which focus on individual characters. By having a simple title sequence like this, it reflects the raw emotions explored in this movie. After the title sequence, it follows with shots of the school, developing the story for viewers to enjoy.

Film Openings

 

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

The first intro of Ferris Bueller's Day Off effectively set the tone and introduce viewers to the film's themes and protagonist. The scene opens to a shot of Ferris laying in bed, with alternating between close-ups of Ferris and POV shots of him talking to his parents, convincing them that he is sick, and needs to stay home. He eventually convinces them, and is staying home for the day. This immediately develops the plot of the film, and sets up the movie for his unforgettable day off.

Wonder:

The introduction for the movie Wonder, establishes the film's heartfelt tone and introduce its central character, Auggie Pullman, with warmth and sensitivity. It opens with a close-up of Auggie's face as he playfully wears an astronaut helmet, symbolizing his desire to escape the judgment of the world and his love for imagination. This opening immediately sets up themes of acceptance, resilience, and challenges of standing out in the world that do appreciate any kind of conformity. By focusing on Auggie's innocence and his family's love, the sequence immediately embraces the audience, catapulting them into his story of courage and self-discovery.

Mean Girls:

The first 2 minutes and 30 seconds of Mean Girls establish Cady Heron as an outsider on her first day at a real school. Her parents, research zoologists who have homeschooled her while they lived in Africa, awkwardly baby her, making sure she has milk money and knows her phone number - treatment more fit for a five-year-old than a sixteen year old. via voice-over narration, Cady acknowledges this, but explains unique background. Dropped off across the street from school, she hesitates before stepping into the unfamiliar world of public high school; close-ups emphasize her nervousness as the indifferent crowd surrounds her.

Portfolio Project Post 2: Genre Choice

 As Parker and I develop our portfolio piece, we have discussed two options: a comedy and a coming-of-age drama. Two have an abundance of narrative and style to work with, and both can make our opening sequence memorable and exciting.

The comedy genre is marked with its lighthearted humor, quick wit, and absurdity of scenario. Comedies such as Dumb and Dumber and Ferris Bueler's Day Off use humor effectively in order to win over an audience and have a strong narrative base. With a comedy, we will have to work with comedic timing, memorable characters, and an accessible but over-the-top premise in a manner that will have an audience laughing and wanting to see more at its start.

The coming-of-age drama, meanwhile, is a character and emotion-based narrative. Examples such as The Breakfast Club and Stand By Me explore individual growth, identity crises, and unfiltered emotion. With a coming-of-age, we can have a real and powerful opening sequence that appeals to an audience through strong character work and an intimate narrative style that doesn't rely on humor but can use emotion effectively in a similar manner.

To make a decision, Parker and I will analyze both genres' most memorable opening sequences, break down conventions, and see whose work best with our skillset and vision. Whatever direction we go, our opening sequence will have to be immersive, exciting, and striking in its visuals.

Transitioning into the Cambridge Portfolio Project

As I begin my film with my collaborator, Parker, I'm anticipating challenging ourselves with creating a successful opening sequence for our film. With our portfolio project, we will have a chance to present our narrative, technical, and creative work. For the following several weeks, I will blog about our work, documenting development through planning and production, including post-production.

Our first stage in working with the project is thorough investigation, selecting a genre, and researching expert opening sequences for an inspiration source. We'd ideally have our opening sequence serve not only our purpose creatively but engage our audience, too. Parker and I will begin researching two possible genres, a comedy and a coming-of-age, researching their conventions and selecting one best representing our vision. Completing this stage, we hope, will give direction for our project, and have a basis for moving onto the next stage in our production journey.