Mise-en-scene Blog post

Mise-en-scene Blog Post

     The mise-en-scene project was a very unique activity where we had to represent a character through creative ways. My group's character was a guy that works at a bank, parties, goes to the gym, and lives in an apartment in the city. We named this character Bob. Our goal was to represent this character in a very unique and creative way that nobody else would think of, and we decided to make a minecraft world where we built all of the main things in his life. 

    We built an apartment, a bank, a gym, and a dog park, all connected by a big road. We also made a party room inside of the apartment to show where he hosts his parties. To illustrate Bob, one of our group members made a 3d model of what we thought he would look like, and we put it in the mood board, where we also presented images of what he does in his daily life. Our mood board portrayed Bob as a rich guy in his 20's who enjoys spending time with his dog and balances his life between partying and working. 

    For the presentation, we had 3 computers logged on to the minecraft world and another showing the mood board. In the minecraft world, people could move around and we made signs along the way telling them what to do. The point was for them to walk around the structures and explore all the elements of Bob's life. 

    We developed Bob's character with the pictures shown in the mood board, and what we built in the minecraft world. The signs in the minecraft world helped to understand what each thing meant, and what it has to do with Bob's life. For example, in the entrance of the bank, we put a sign that said "this is the bank where Bob works." So as the people were going through the world they slowly learned more about Bob through the signs and structures. 

    Overall, I think we did really good on this project because we had a very unique idea, and our project was very interactive, making it more fun for the people to watch. I think our layout presented Bob's character very clearly while also adding some fun to it. All our group members put in the same amount of time and effort, so nobody did too much or too little. I think our project was one of the best ones as it combined fun with learning.

Genre Research Blog Activity

 

Why Do People Love Horror Movies?

Horror has always been a very popular genera in the film industry. Directors like Jordan Peele, John Carpenter, and Ari Aster have made movies that scare and entertain people all over the world. Horror films are usually made for teens and young adults who enjoy suspense, mystery, and thrill. One of the most popular examples of a modern horror movie is Get Out by Jordan Peele, which made over $250 million.

The stories in horror movies usually focus on fear, danger, and survival. They often show normal people trapped in abnormal scary situations dealing with ghosts, killers, or monsters. The main goal is to make the audience feel nervous or afraid of what will happen next. For example, in The Conjuring, a family moves into a haunted house and has to deal with evil spirits. In Hereditary, a family discovers a terrifying supernatural curse that has haunted people through generations.

Horror movies use special filming techniques to build tension. The lighting is usually dark, with heavy shadows. The sound effects, like creaking doors, quiet whispers, or sudden loud noises, make people jump. The camera work often uses many close-ups and shaky movements so the viewer feels like they are trapped inside the story with the characters. The pacing switches between slow, quiet scenes and fast, loud moments to keep the audience confused. Makeup, props, and computer effects are used to create blood, monsters, or ghosts.

The marketing for horror movies often relies on mystery and fear. Trailers usually show short flashes of scary scenes without giving away the ending. Posters often use black or red colors, scared faces, or the villain’s image. Many horror films are released around Halloween when people are already in the mood to be scared. Some use viral ads or fake “true story” claims to make the movie seem real, like The Blair Witch Project did.

A good example of a successful horror movie is The Conjuring. It follows ghost hunters Ed and Lorraine Warren as they help a family being haunted. The film uses low lighting, quiet moments, and loud jump scares to build suspense. The characters act like the danger is real, which makes the story feel believable. The movie poster shows a hanging noose and a lonely farmhouse, which are both signs of fear and mystery.

Another example is Hereditary. This movie mixes family drama with dark, supernatural horror. It tells the story of a family dealing with grief and a deadly curse. The movie moves slowly, with quiet scenes and creepy images that grow more and more disturbing over time. The trailer and posters were simple, showing only the family’s faces and sad music to create a feeling of dread.

Other popular horror movies include The Exorcist, Halloween, The Babadook, It Follows, A Quiet Place, Scream, and The Blair Witch Project. These films all use fear, suspense, and good filming techniques to keep people entertained and remind us why being scared can be fun.

Sound Project Reflection

     After making 2 sound projects, I learned a lot about the aspect of incorporating sound to develop a story. I learned how to fit specific sounds into scenes, and how to develop a story with only sound. I learned all the different sound techniques and how to apply them. Another crucial thing I also learned is how to make foley sounds. I had to make many foley sounds for both projects and fit them perfectly into their corresponding scene. 

    For the first sound project, I had to make a story that lasts around 60-90 seconds using only sound. The only thing shown had to be a black screen and the sounds had to make the whole story. There was a limit of 7 words that could be used and a minimum of 4 foley sounds. 

    For the second sound project, I had to add sound to the one word film which I had made before. This film was a 60-90 second story about a singular word that was given by the teacher, (pessimistic), but no sound was allowed. So to add sound to it, we had to do many foley sounds and replicate the exact rythmn of the film.

    For sound project 1, I had to brainstorm fun and interesting ideas as this is a unique topic. Me and my partner decided to make a story of an alien invasion in a city. We had to gather many sounds to replicate a city atmosphere and it was hard to find good sounds to replicate an alien ship. 

    While brainstorming, we made an outline that helped us keep track of our ideas. We would write thing about the story and what sounds we thought would be needed. We also included which audios we would do foley on. 

    The outline helped a lot because it helped us keep track of every sound that we needed and make sure we didn't forget anything.

    We used clipchamp

    I think that we did good overall, but there are some things that we could improve. I think the transition and smoothness between sounds could be improved, and volume levels could be adjusted to make it more smooth.

    This is my sound project number 1:


    For sound project #2, I approached it by thinking of pessimism. The first thing that came to mind was a student taking a test and thinking he was going to fail. I didn't know if this was a good idea but I ran it through my partner and he liked it. After we made it, we had to add sounds which was hard because we had to match everything perfectly as seen in the video.

    During brainstorming, we made an outline that covered all the sounds we wwere planning to use for the project and how we were planning on making them.

    The outline helped a lot because it made it easier to remember how to make each sound and make sure we didn't forget any.

    We used clipchamp.

    I think that we did a good job on making and picking the right sounds, but there are some things to improve. Firstly, our editing was not so good, so some of the sounds were not timed correctly or just sounded unnatural. Also, my time management was not good, and I ended up rushing it at the end.

    This is my sound project #2: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JkInJpc9l6_6zscFO_A6L-bPTP0ts7Mw/view?usp=sharing