Editing Process #2

Yesterday was a long day. I filmed my entire opening and afterwards I touched up and refined some of the clips before going to bed, but it wasn't much. I mostly just cut out the extra parts of the clips and added a few transitions. Today, I worked more on the editing and I think my film turned out pretty smooth.

Firstly, I added a black screen in between these two clips and make a fade into the bedroom scene. The reason why I made this hard cut to black is because the start of my film builds suspense and as soon as it's getting to the climax, it cuts out. This builds suspense and mystery and leaves the audience with questions. The fade into the next clip is also effective because it transitions from a suspenseful scene into a completely normal setting, a common convention in thriller openings.

After that, I started working on the sound. I looked up some sounds on freesound.org and pixbay.com. I needed specifically police siren sounds since I did not have that in the original video. I had to get 2 different ones because the first 2 shots don't have the sirens while the rest of them do. If I used the same sound for all of them it would have sounded wrong. I found one that I really liked but it was only 3 seconds long so I had to duplicate it and layer it so it would play in a loop. This makes it sound like its one long sound effect when in reality is is 3 separate ones.

Also, I only had one clip with heavy breathing on it and I thought it would be a good addition to the other clips so I extracted the audio from the original clip and duplicated it to match the length of the scene. 

With these additions, the first scene is completely edited and includes all necessary sound effects, transitions, and cuts.

I did not have much free time today to do my homework so I could only get this much editing done, and it also took me really long to find the perfect sound effects for the film. I decided to call it a day after finishing the first scene, and will keep working on the editing for the next few days. 

I plan to be completely done with all the editing by Saturday the 7th so I can have time after that to work on my CCR questions and refine any last touches that I may have missed.

Editing process post

 So I finished filming today and I started working a little bit on the editing. I did not do much as I was really tired from filming and doing other homework, but I imported all the clips into Clipchamp and refined them. My film turned out to be exactly 2 minutes long after cutting out the extra parts of some clips and adding some stuff.

I did not edit much but I added some transitions and played around with the sound in some of the clips. However, tomorrow I plan to edit a lot more. I will add sound effects, more transitions, and overall just make the piece better. 

I am happy with how the film turned out after cutting up the clips. I think it looks smooth and it flows well. I hope that after editing more tomorrow it will turn out even better and smoother.

Research for CCR Question 1

How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?

My film uses conventions respective to its genre, thriller. In the opening scene, the main character is seen stressing in their car with police sirens in the background. This already shows the audience that the movie will be about figuring out what he did to get into that situation. The first scene evokes a sense of mystery and thrill to the audience.

The caller scene, the main part of my opening, does a good job at establishing a sense of danger and thrill because the antagonist, who is not shown in the film (another common convention of thriller), presents himself as someone who has power over the protagonist. By having Xander (the main character)'s parents kidnapped, he has leverage over him. This is also a common theme in thriller movies because when the antagonist has leverage they can force the protagonist to act against their will.

Another key convention that my opening uses is it uses an anonymous protagonist. This is a very common convention in thriller movies because it builds mystery and suspense, especially for an opening. When a film doesn't reveal the protagonist at the start, it makes it brings more questions to the audience.

However, my opening also challenges some conventions, Instead of the protagonist being an adult like most thrillers, the protagonist is an ordinary teenager. This develops a theme of vulnerability and defenselessness, as Xander cannot do anything but comply with the antagonist's requests.

My opening represents social groups because it shows how ordinary people can suddenly be put in serious situations. Xander was a stereotypical teenager. He uses a smartphone, he has sports jerseys in his room, he has a videogame console. These are all common traits of modern teenagers. He goes home one day and finds out his parents went missing out of nowhere, this develops the theme that anybody could get caught in an unlucky, dangerous situation.

Overall, my opening challenges and complies with conventions of thriller such as mystery, suspenseful pacing, and challenges conventions by making the protagonist a regular teenager and everyday locations for filming. All these things make the movie feel familiar to audiences of the genre.

This image represents some of the key conventions that most thriller movies have. My film, being a thriller, uses most of these to give the full effect of the genre.

Group Discussion #2

 So today was the second group discussion in class. This discussion helped me because I was able to get and give suggestions to other people. The discussion was also fun because I got to hear about other people's film ideas and the whole process. Someone in my group made her room a whole jail cell and I thought that was really cool and creative. I also got a reality check that I have to film soon because many people have already started, and some have even finished filming already. 

Group members:

Lydia: Her story is about a scientist that wants to sell her glasses that can see into the future. When she tries to put them on, she sees herself dead in 5 days. After that she wakes up and the film starts.

Emma: Her story is about a girl who got accused of murdering her best friend and got thrown in prison for it.

Giovanna: Her film is about a guy who is investigating a murder and it turns out that his daughter was the murderer all along.

Amelia: A girl's parents have her whole life planned out for her. They want her to go to a specific college and everything. She has other plans for her future but doesn't know how to tell her parents because she is scared.

Cristina: It's about a dj who loves to make music but he is under 18. All the concerts and music events require the dj to be over 18 so that's his only limitation but he decides to make music regardless and go against the rules.

Eli: Her story is about a schizophrenic guy who gets accused of murder.

This meeting helped me because I got some suggestions for my project. Someone told me that I should make the CCR a phone call with the mysterious caller and I thought that was a really cool idea. This is creative and it integrates the actual characters from the film into the CCR. 

Group photo:

Logo production

This blog post will be dedicated to show my logo production process and what me and my partner were thinking while making the logo.

Step 1: Research

At first I was a little lost and didn't know what I wanted to do for the logo so I researched big companies and looked at their logos. I noticed they all had something in common, they were mostly simple and none of them were too detailed or had too much design in them, so I decided that I wanted to make my logo clean and simple.

Step 2: Background and font

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For the  background, I wanted to go with something classic and simple, so I chose this beige background that I thought looked very professional. Then, for the font I used 2 different fonts from Canva. These fonts are classic and simple. They give more maturity and make the logo look more professional.

Step 3: Detail

I had the background and font but I didn't want my logo to be so basic, so I decided that I wanted to add a film strip in the background because I thought it would fit the logo well. I know the logo is very basic but I think that makes it look more professional and I wanted to take inspiration from the biggest companies.

Production: Props and costume design

 For this blog post I will talk about the props that will be used in our film and the costume design for Xander. Since our opening is pretty straightforward and simple, not many special or unique props will be used, and the costume will be rather simple.

This will be the main prop, Xander's mobile phone. Since the whole opening revolves around a phone call, the phone will be on screen for most of the film. That's why this is a major prop that will be used in our opening. The iphone serves as a symbol of danger, and shows how simple everyday things like iPhones can be turned into symbols of evil and darkness.

The other main prop that will be used is the door mat. Although it is only shown in 1 shot, this prop serves as another representation of danger and it's responsible for revealing the severity of the situation. Before Xander moves the mat, the audience is not sure if the caller is telling the truth and it could just be a prank phone call, but when he sees that his key is gone the situation gets way more real. That's why even though the mat barely gets any screen time, it is a crucial prop to develop the meaning of the story.

Since the goal for this opening is to show how normal people can be put in serious situations, we want to make Xander look as normal as possible. With this outfit, he looks like any regular teenager. This shows that anyone could be unexpectedly put into a very serious and dangerous situation and it highlights the fact that it could really happen to anyone.

Since our opening is very simple, we will not be using many props, but these are a few of the main factors that contribute to building meaning in the story.

Production: Filming Locations

For this production post, I have planned out all the filming locations, and this post will illustrate how the film will be shot. I will show all the locations and describe them in this blog post.

Scene 1: Car scene

This is the car, where the very first scene will be filmed. This is the scene before the flashback where the audience sees all the chaos but does not know why. The shot will be taken from the passenger seat, and it will be a mid shot facing Xander, who will be sitting in the driver seat.

Scene 2: Bedroom scene

This is the bedroom, where the second scene, the main scene in the opening, will be filmed. Of course it is not ready for filming yet, as I have to modify some things like the background and the order of the room, but this is where it will be filmed. This is the scene where Xander calls his mom, only to find out that she has been kidnapped. Xander will be sitting on the bed and I will remove the couch so it doesn't get in the way of filming. This scene will consist of mid shots and close up reaction shots to make the scene more thrilling and entertaining. Most of the caller scene will happen here, until the next scene where he rushes to his doormat.

Scene 3: Doormat scene

This is the second to last scene, where Xavier is told to check under his doormat for his spare house key. There will be a close up of his hand lifting the mat and the key not being there, and also a few close ups and reactions shots to show his facial expressions and make the audience understand his emotions more. Also this is where the caller tells him to check the mailbox, leading into the final scene.

Scene 4: Mailbox scene

This is the mailbox, where the final scene will be shot. This is when the caller tells Xavier that "the instructions will be in the mailbox", and he goes to check. The first part of the shot will be a mid shot from behind the mailbox that shows Xavier opening it, without revealing the content inside. After that there will be a close-up of his face, making a surprised or concerned face. From this, the screen will fade into black and the title will be shown.

These are all the filming locations that will be used for the filming process. Our goal is to start filming by next week, as I will not be able to film this weekend because I will be out of town. I think with this and a little more planning we will be ready to start filming our thriller opening.

Planning Post: Script

 So I made a 'script' for my opening that wasn't really a script, it was more like a summary, so I am going to make an actual script now so I can be ready to start filming this week.

Scene 1: In the car

Sounds: Heavy Breathing, police sirens

Lighting: Normal nighttime lighting

    Shot 1: Establishing shot

    - Long shot of parked car

    - Car sits still with police siren sounds in the background

    Shot 2: Medium shot

    - Taken from passenger seat facing Xander (main character)

    - Looks around nervously (heavy breathing)

    - Shadows across his face

    Shot 3: Close up

    - Close up of his eyes. Police sirens reflect on his eyes

    - Eyes moving quickly, scanning surroundings

    Shot 4: Close up

    - Close up of his hands gripping the steering wheel

    - Hands shaking, sirens get louder

    Shot 5: Extreme close-up

    - Extreme close-up on the sweat dripping down his forehead

    - Extreme close up showing heavy breathing

    Shot 6: Hard cut to dark

    - All sound cuts out

    - Fades into next scene

Scene 2: In his bedroom (flashback)

    Shot 7: Establishing shot

    - Wide shot of bedroom

    - Xander sitting alone

    - Text on the screen that says "earlier that day"

    Shot 8: Medium shot

    - Xander looking at his phone constantly

    - Side angle

    Shot 9: Over the shoulder shot

    - Camera behind Xander showing phone screen

    - Text that says "Hey mom are you okay?"

    Shot 10: Close-up

    - Close-up of phone screen

    - Showing the message was sent

    Shot 11: Close-up of his face

    - Visibly nervous

Scene 3: Phone call

    Shot 12: Close-up

    - Phone lights up

    - Phone ringing. "Incoming call from Mom"

    Shot 13: Close-up

    - Xander answers the phone

    - He says: "Hello, Mom?"

    Shot 14: Medium close-up

    - Slightly pauses

    Caller:

        "If you ever want to see your parents again, listen closely."

    - Caller voice is calm and a little distorted

    Shot 15: Close-up

    - Close-up of Xander's face

    Xander:

        "Who is this?"

    Caller:

        "That doesn't matter right now."

    Shot 16: Close-up

    - Shows Xander's reaction

    Xander:

        "What are you talking about?

        Where's my mom??"

    Shot 17: Tight close-up

    Caller:

        "Your parents are safe... For now."

    Shot 18: Reaction shot

    Xander:

        "how do I know this isn't a joke?"

    Shot 19: Camera gets closer

    Caller:

        "Check under your front door mat...

        You keep a spare key there don't you?"

Scene 4: Front door

    Shot 20: Tracking shot

    - Xander rushes towards door

    Shot 21: Close-up

    - He lifts up doormat

    Shot 22: Insert shot

    - The key is not there

    Shot 23: Extreme close-up

    - Shows the shock spreading through Xander's face

    - Breathing really hard

Scene 5: Continued call scene

    Shot 24: Medium shot

    - Phone still in his ear

    Caller:

        "Now you see."

    Shot 25: Slow push-in

    Caller: 

        "Now, if you want to see them again, follow my instructions."

    Shot 26: Still shot

    Caller:

        "Check your mailbox.

        You'll find everything in there."

Scene 6: Mailbox scene

    Shot 27: Wide shot

    - Xander walks to his mailbox, alone

    Shot 28: Tracking shot

    - Camera follows as he approaches the mailbox

    Shot 29: Insert shot

    -Hand opening mailbox

    Shot 30: Mid shot

    - From behind the mailbox

    - Shows Xander's reaction (shocked)

Final scene: Threat

    Shot 31: Close up

    - Of Xander's face

    Caller:

        "You have 5 hours.

        Don't waste a second."

    Shot 32: Fade to black

    - The caller starts a timer and you can hear it ticking

    Shot 33: Title screen

    - Title is shown on the black screen, with clock still ticking in the background

            

    

Portfolio Project: Audio Elements

Sound is one of the most important elements I plan for my opening because audio can create fear without having to show anything. I focused on using realistic sounds to make the scenes feel intense and urgent.

I plan to include sounds such as sirens, breathing, phone ringing, and background silence. Sirens suggest danger and chaos, while heavy breathing shows panic. Phone sounds create tension before important moments happen.

I also plan to use silence to create tension. Quiet moments make the audience feel uncomfortable and alert, especially right before something important happens. This makes the audience nervous without needing visual scenes.

The antagonist’s voice was planned to be calm but threatening. A lot of thriller movies make the antagonist have a calm but confident voice to show power and threat.

I also plan to use a ticking clock at the end to make it seem like the lives of the character's parents have a 'time limit'. This makes the situation feel urgent and stressful.

Overall, my sound design planning focuses on building atmosphere, increasing tension, and guiding the audience’s emotions throughout the opening.

Portfolio Project: Mise-en-scene elements

This blog post will be focused on the visual style of my opening, rather than props or costumes. I want to use camera techniques to build tension rather than relying on action. Thrillers often create fear through things that the audience does not see completely, so I want my project to heavily rely on the mystery aspect.

Shot Types:

Close-up shots will be used to capture emotions like fear, stress, and panic. Seeing the character’s facial expressions helps the audience understand what he is feeling. This makes the suspense more personal and intense.

I also plan to use wide shots to show that the character is alone on this. Large, quiet spaces can make a character seem small and powerless, which increases tension. The switch between close emotional shots and wide lonely shots makes it more interesting.

Another technique I plan on using is ending with a cliffhanger. Instead of revealing everything, I want to leave the audience with unanswered questions. This is common in thriller openings because it encourages viewers to keep watching.

Overall, my visual planning focuses on suspense, emotional connection, and mystery rather than fast-paced action.

Portfolio Project: Mise-en-scene elements

When planning the mise-en-scene for my opening, I focused on realism rather than exaggerated visuals. I want to make the scenes be located in familiar places, such as a bedroom, a car, and the front of a house. This helps make the story feel more realistic and intense.

For costume, I want Xander, the main character, to look as normal as possible, with outfits such as jeans and a hoodie. This reinforces that he is a normal teenager and not someone who is used to being in dangerous situations. Casual clothing makes the situation feel more unexpected and realistic.

Since thrillers usually use common objects to build suspense, I do not think I will need any strange props. The phone is essential for communication and threat, while everyday items like keys and mail become dangerous. Using normal household objects makes the story feel more realistic and uncomfortable.

I want to use low-key lighting to make the story feel more dark. Dark lighting creates mystery and fear without showing anything extreme. Shadows help make scenes feel tense, which is very common in thriller.

Overall, my mise-en-scene choices were designed to support realism, atmosphere, and suspense. 

Portfolio Project: Character Development

When making my opening, I wanted the main character, Xander to feel realistic and relatable, especially since the target audience is teenagers. Instead of making him a hero or someone with superhuman skills, I designed him as an ordinary teenager who got placed into a serious and unlucky situation. This helps the story feel more real and emotional.

The call (2013)

I focused on showing a range of emotions such as care, confusion, fear, and urgency. This range of emotions is good for a thriller opening because it shows how quickly life can change when something unexpected happens. The audience should be able to connect with Xander's panic and stress.

I was inspired by thriller films like A Quiet Place, and The Call, where normal people are forced to react to extreme situations. These characters feel realistic, which makes it more suspenseful.

Another choice I made was not showing the kidnapper. By only hearing the voice, the threat feels more mysterious and powerful. This usually makes the danger more intense for the audience.

Overall, my goal was to create a character the audience could sympathize with, making the thriller more emotional and engaging.

Portfolio Project Story Script

Opening scene:

We show him in his car looking around frantically, breathing hard, and there’s cop sirens in the background.

Caller scene:

Then cut back in time he is in his room sitting down and he’s worried because he hasn’t seen his parents all day. He texts his mom “Hi mom, are you okay?” Then, he gets a call from his mom. He answers it and there’s a strange guy on the phone that says, “If you ever want to see your parents again, listen to my instructions.” The kid doesn’t believe it’s real, obviously, so he says, “how do I know this is real?” Then, the guy says, “you know that spare key you keep under the door mat?”. The kid checks and it’s not there. Then the guy says “Listen closely, if you ever want to see your parents again, follow my instructions. Check your mailbox, you will find the details there.”

Final scene:

For the last scene, we will do that the kid checks the mailbox and he looks shocked, but we don’t reveal what is inside. Then, the guy says "you have 5 hours. Time is ticking." And then we hear the sound of an alarm counting down, and the screen fades into black, but the clock sound is still there. Then we show the title, with the clock sound there still.

Portfolio Project: Media Theory

One media theory I want to use for my portfolio project is Roland Barthes’ Enigma theory. This theory explains that stories create tension by giving the audience questions and not answering them until later. This makes the audience curious and makes them want to keep watching.

In my film opening, mystery is created from the start, when the guy is shown in his car stressing with police sirens in the background, and the audience does not know what happened. This makes the audience curious from the first scene, because they wonder what happened to the guy for him to end up in this situation.

The mystery theme continues when the film cuts back to him in his room when we see his parents are missing. The phone call from the stranger raises more questions, such as who the man is, where the parents are, and why the guy is being targeted.

The final scene, where the boy checks the mailbox and looks shocked, is a strong example of the Enigma theory. The audience is not shown what is inside, which leaves them wondering what he has found and what will happen next.

By using Barthes’ Enigma theory, my opening constantly builds suspense through unanswered questions. This is effective in thrillers because it keeps viewers engaged and wanting to continue the story.

Portfolio Project Idea and Inspiration

A quiet Place (2018)

My project is a thriller film opening that focuses on a teenage boy being placed in a dangerous and mysterious situation involving his parents. The main idea is to create tension and make the audience question what has happened and what will happen next.

The story is based around themes of fear, and mystery. I want it to be like his life is suddenly interrupted by something that happens, forcing him to do something against his will. The opening is designed to hook viewers through suspense, mystery, and stress instead of action.

My main inspiration comes from popular thriller movies, such as A Quiet Place and The Call. These films are good because they create tension using sound, silence, and unknown danger. They also often place normal people into extreme situations, which makes the story feel more realistic.

The call (2013)

I was also inspired by how thriller films usually start with unanswered questions and dramatic moments that make the viewer want to keep watching. My goal is to use similar techniques in my project to build suspense and keep viewers hooked.

Overall, my project idea is to create a thriller opening that immediately captures attention and introduces an extreme mystery.

Group Discussion #1

Group Members:

Sebastian: Wants to do a story about a teenager who suffers from depression and confusion and his friends are the only thing keeping him going

Cristina: Drama about a teenager who wants to be a DJ but struggles to get recognition

Noah: He wants to do a drama/social realism about a teenage boy who lives in poverty and does a lot of bad things such as smoking. 

Python: He wants to do a sci-fi about a scientist who tries to make glasses that let him see the future but it malfunctions and shows him dying 5 days later. The rest of the opening is about him trying to find out how or why he died and trying to prevent it

Emily: She wants to do an opening of a guy and a girl  driving somewhere together, then the guy's phone starts ringing. He ignores it and it keeps on ringing, he gets called multiple times. The girl is constantly asking who it is and trying to take his phone when he stop the car and makes a note. He writes something in the note and gives it to her, and she looks shocked.

Clara: She wants to do a kidnapping story where a guy gets abducted and tied to a chair after finding a dead body on the road. He apparently has something that's valuable to them and they want it back.

Conclusion:

So when I presented my idea, I explained that I want to do a thriller but I don't know what it will be about yet. I said that I had this idea for the opening where a guy is walking in a park and he sees a phone ringing on a bench, but I don't know what will happen next. They said that it was a good idea and I could make a good story out of that.

Also, I explained that I still wasn't 100% sure if I want to do thriller or social realism. Some of them said that social realism would be good because it's not as common of a genre as thriller, but others said that since I already have an idea for thriller, I should stick with that.

Overall, this meeting helped me see other people's ideas and progress, and take some inspiration from what they are planning to do. 

Group Photo: