Audience and Institution Practice Essay

Assess the Importance of Marketing in the Media Area that you studied




       Films are created to be viewed and enjoyed. In order for this to be made possible, there has to be multiple forms of promotion. This is extremely vital and one of the most important things in the film process.

      Producers have a job to sell products and to do so they must connect with other producers and companies. Without promoting the film, there would be no audience to view it when it’s released. Producers use cross-promotion,  synergy, and cross-media convergence to market their films.

      Producers need the movies they create to be sold. The most productive way to get the film through to people is to market it. One way a film is usually marketed is by using synergy. Synergy is the most effective way to do this because companies work together to make a profit. The more marketing for a film, the better the chance it has of popularity. A prime example is Spiderman Homecoming, in this movie, the filmmakers partnered with Cinnamon Toast Crunch. This was effective because when buying the cereal, they’d see Spider-man advertised on the box.
     
       Another successful film that used synergy was Frozen 2. However, the marketing was kept throughout the company. It was better to use companies under the same conglomerate because that helped keep the money in -house.

        Cross promoting is another way to market a film. During cross-promotion, films often use other companies and not their own, to market their product. In many cases, in-house production is not enough for film companies to successfully sell their product. Because of this, they decide to branch out. They then come together with others that are not under the same conglomerate. A prime example is the movie Fantastic Beasts. In this film, they used AT&T when it came to promoting it. They tagged merchandise and posters that were posted in the AT&T stores to grab the attention of the audiences they wanted to reach.

       In the end, regardless of how well a film is marketed, that does not guarantee success. Many other factors may lead to the downfall of a film. A prime example and result of this is the movie Uglydolls. It could be very well possible that the audiences simply did not like the movie. This film was marketed very well and the numbers still came out way lower than expected. This is literal proof and shows that no matter how good a company markets a film, it won’t necessarily always be successful.

      In conclusion, despite some failed efforts in the marketing process, marketing is extremely essential in the filmmaking process. Many of the successful movies that are popular today would not have been as well advertised and sold as much if it wasn’t for marketing. The purpose of marketing is to get the film out to the audience and without marketing, there would be no other better way to do so.

24 Extract Essay

     The title of extract I chose was 24. The main idea of this extract revolves around the female character. From the information given, seemed to have been involved in a form of terrorism and espionage. Jack was attempting to retrieve information from her regarding the location of the bomb. She never strayed off the path of attempting to secure her being able to leave and she shifted it toward their benefit by saying the person who knows where the bomb is, will also be at that location.
         The camera went over the shoulder and shifted from her staring into the camera to him entering the room. It went back and forth between them as they kept eye contact. This also was displayed through eye-line match between them. The interrogation room was the main location during this extract but it was very empty and bland. Except for the blue streak across the wall, it lacked color.
         The low angle of the clock on the wall also revealed the camera. From that viewpoint, it seemed as if the camera was facing down and they wanted us to think so as well. However, it was not and was displaying the actions going on within the room to the individuals outside of the room. They were able to see the interrogation, it was not made clear whether or not they were able to retrieve audio and hear what was going on.
         Jack continued to pry at her for information and he was not getting anywhere. This increased the animosity between them and it was shown within their dialogue. This led to him becoming irritated and the scene quickly escalated. He then flipped the table which created diegetic sound and caused a slight reaction from her. The scenes were designed to be close and in the same facility but the rooms were designed differently.
        The tension rose when he became more aggressive and proceeded to restrict her airflow and push her against the wall. At this point, the bystanders began to attempt to stop this from happening and ran down to the room. Their struggle was displayed through a split-screen. When they entered the room the commotion stopped. She began to regain the ability to breathe properly.
       The director of this extract wanted to show the intensity of the situation. They made it clear that she was involved in terrorist activity. Her attempting to, or aiding to , attack the president was a direct form of espionage.

CCR (2 of 2)

In this blog, I will be uploading part 2 of 2 of my CCR.

Final Project: Movie

In this blog, I will be uploading the movie.

Music Video Project

In this blog, I will be uploading the music video.

Commercial Project

In this blog, I will be uploading the Commercial video that was done at the beginning of the school year.

CCR (1 of 2)

In this blog, I will be uploading part 1 of 2 of my CCR.

Re-editing the Final Footage

       We are finally done with our film! We have no more scenes left to film and nothing left to put together. All we have left is our CCR for this project. When we finished recording, we used iMovie to edit our film. We had to insert scenes from previous recordings and put them all together.

       We ran into a problem when editing because the app kept crashing. We then decided to airdrop the footage to one another and edit separately. One of my friends helped with the editing process because our group mate still has not responded to us. We also ran into a problem deciding who would be in charge of editing. We left the SD card readers and stuff at the school. Only because we thought we would return the following Monday, however, we did not.

     We made all the scenes go together and referred to the story board once again. Then we added effects and transitions to make our movie more interesting. We also added some slides with words on them to help smoothly transition the time changes within the movie. The time changes were not intentional, we just lost track of time when recording some scenes. For the sake of the due dates , we also decided not to reshoot the scenes.

Filming in Pandemic: Filling in the Holes

      Today was surprisingly a success. After all our hard work and dedication, we finished our film.
We had to film the most important part of our movie. We were missing the legal scenes. Our genre was legal-drama and we had not yet filmed a scene in a courtroom. Or any shots that even displayed a any legal aspect on our film. As soon as we all met, we brainstormed. We knew what needed to be recorded, but I explained to them the time limit we have as well. We had already filmed 1/3 of the movie and were at 1 minute and 45 seconds. That was a big problem, but we fixed it.

      As I explained in a previous blog, we specifically assigned one of our group members to edit the film. They have been very hard to reach so we filmed today without them. We then began to create and film the courtroom scene in the home of one of our group members. Afterward, we filmed the scenes we were missing, we basically filled the holes in our project.

      We then realized we still had to adjust to the time limit. The plan was to just add on the scenes to what we already sent in to be peer reviewed because it was what we had in our storyboard. However, that did not work simply because we would be over the time limit. We had to re-edit everything and completely disassemble our shots.
   
     We then thought back to our story board (none of us remembered to bring it) and brought together our masterpiece.

Editing During The Pandemic

       This Virus has literally ruined everything and changed so much for everyone academically as well as every other way. We aren’t supposed to leave our homes unless completely necessary. Our film is not finished and we have bot been able to get in touch with one of our group members.  He was supposed to be the one to edit the film for us and rearrange the scenes. We no longer have the equipment to film, it is all in our classroom. We know this project still has to get done, so we’re going to use our phones. The other 2 members of my group are 11th graders, as am I. We planned on receiving our AICE Diploma this year. We've been receiving updates about moving forward regarding exams from multiple sources. Everything is just so confusing, all we can do now is try our best to complete our assignments.

        We have progressed so much in this class together and individually and have come too far to simply give up now. We were told that we will still be graded, regardless of an actual exam. At first, we were going to just submit what we had so far, it didn't look as if we'd have another chance to complete the project that we worked so hard on. It was evident that we really had no choice, for the sake of our grade we had to.

         We cut more of what we already filmed, using iMovie and the photos app on our phones. We basically stretched our film and scenes. Then, our teacher sent us a message saying we received an extension to when everything was to be submitted. With this wonderful news in mind, we are continuing to film for the last time tomorrow. 

Editing Blog: Titles

      Hi guys, I’m back with an update about our movie, Double Deceit. We still have not left our homes to film anything as of yet. However, we have continued the process within the safe and clean environment of our homes. So far, all we need is to film two more scenes, those will take place at one of our group mates’ house. Her house is in a very populated and complex area where many people go in and out of every day. She lives near a bus terminal and we have been advised to not visit areas with such a high risk of contacting the virus.
     Basically, we are stuck in our homes and are communicating through social platforms and messages. We have began the process of doing the titles sequence and adding it to the beginning of the film. This meant we had to blend in the titles and come together to pick what color background and how long they will each be shown on-screen.
       Our movie is titled Double Deceit, so we wanted the title picture to express the words as their literal meanings. By reading the title and seeing the way it came on screen, the audience should be able to tell what type of movie it is going to be. The goal was to do like most successful and interesting movies do and plant an idea in your head before the movie even begins.
      We still have plenty of time to add tweaks and correct both minor and major errors in our film. For now, we are limited and restricted regarding our ability to do certain things outside of our homes at this point by both our parents and officials. But we do plan on getting this assignment done and perfected far before the due date now that we have extra time on our hands. I will be back to log more of our journey as film makers soon again.
    We do have hope that we will be able to reshoot some scenes again. In order for us to be completely satisfied with our project the scenes have to correlate and we will continue to edit along the way.

Reshoot

     Hey guys, I have bad news. We did not get to film today and reshoot anything. Due to the corona virus, many of us haven’t left our homes. We have been advised to not gather in groups to reduce exposure. Also, we were told to limit contact with other individuals and to be safe, so we haven’t really been out much. It doesn’t seem to have an effect on individuals our age, but we are taking precautionary measures and don’t want to risk anything. However, today we did try to film regardless of the circumstances but other factors lead to us not doing so. One of our group mates did not have a ride, the others had work.
      The next chance we get we will reshoot. We have two weeks off of school and plan to use them to finish our project. We don’t need to shoot every single scene again, only about one or two of them. We ran into a problem because we have a specific time frame we have to be within. We ran over the time and forgot about the two separate filming days.
     For us to reshoot, we may change our attire or keep it the same but we haven’t figured it out yet. Most likely, we will just record the individual scenes with the time crunch in mind. This will also aid in a more productive editing process because we won’t have to cut as much. We will film about 10 scenes and most will be 2 seconds (like flash pans).
      Our project is almost done, all we have to do is correct the time errors. Hopefully, we will be able to film this week or at least before we return to school. My next blog will be on another topic, but I will be sure to mention the progress we’ve made since.
     

Editing Blog

    Hey, I’m back to log my movie journey and to share our film making process. So far, we filmed some of our scenes and we’re peer reviewed. With our first assignment, we soon realized that our regular editing app that we had to use on the school computers would not work as well with this project. We also already had to struggle with the computers themselves, so pinnacle studios was a no-go.
       We really didn’t want to have to bear the hassle of a faulty app that we weren’t very sure of how to use properly. So we first started this project, assigned each individual of our group a role. My role was to be one of the actors and the idea person for the storyboard. Erik is in charge of editing and the actual putting together of the movie. We recently had a peer review assignment that was assigned so we could get a second view and unbiased or fresh perspective on our movie. This did prove to be very helpful because it let us know what our classmates thought. They were  also doing this project as well, so everyone was assigned an individual to peer review or a group.
    For the peer review, we were told that we couldn’t just send in clips. We actually had to put together what we had to film so far and put it on a flash drive. We only filmed the  scene at the park, and we did shoot some scenes more than once because of lighting or other issues. So we had to cut some of the footage and add it in certain places in order to be in sync with the storyboard. Then, we had to make sure that our film  was within the timeframe and didn’t go over or under it. We basically just cut and put together the scenes, but we did have a problem. Because  we took longer than expected to film, our peer review wasn’t the full movie. But it still went over the timeframe that the movie was supposed to be in. But we had to turn in something for our peer review. this weekend we plan on finishing the rest of our scenes, and I will be back to log the rest of our journey!

Filming Blog: The Park

        So far, our movie has been a success! We finally got to film last weekend on Saturday. Everything came together so nicely. I was able to bring one of my friends to play one of the parts of the people that we needed, which was very helpful and turned out to be great in the end. Everyone played in their roles very nicely and the lighting was so perfect, we don’t have to worry about reshooting with better lighting. My role  was the kidnapper (the lawyer), and my face wasn’t supposed to show in any of the things that we filmed. I simply had to lure the child in with candy, which was pretty easy and basic. Also, this was the main part of our movie so precision was everything. 

         Then came the part where we had  to get all of the other actors together since we were going to shoot the movie in order of the story board slides. The toddler did create some difficulty and a little bit of a struggle, she was actually a young child, it was difficult to keep her attention throughout the whole time we were filming. So I had to wave one of her toy dolls at her and then lure her in with the candy after she saw the doll. 

         Overall, it was pretty fun filming and taking pictures because the setting was just perfect and so was the lighting. We procrastinated for a while and also had to wait for the area to die down because it actually is a playground and a park and people were there. One of the first rules we were taught about the filmmaking process was to not include individuals in the film that were not meant to be there unless it was for the purpose of the film as if they were bystanders. Of course, we didn’t want to get points off and we want our film to be exactly like the storyboard, so we waited. 

          I must admit, We didn’t use the camera or the tripod to film even though we checked it out. We didn’t use it because it will be too time-consuming to record or risk the battery dying. Also, we didn’t want to record and then have to rush into class the next school day and dump the footage and then save it. So we recorded on our cell phones, and after we finished filming they sent all the footage to me. Then, I sent it to the group chat for it to be reviewed and edited for peer review. 

Peer Review Blog For Movie

      I would have to say the most interesting part of this film was the way they kept my attention. I often get distracted or easily bored when watching films no matter the length. For an AICE Media film, this one was actually good. They also managed to keep my attention while also not giving away the entire story. Most short films are like that. Although this isn’t a short film, is seems as though it was. I do believe that they followed the instructions of the assignment because in the end. Meaning, I wanted more and did wonder what else was going to happen. It wasn’t too much or too little, and wasn’t boring or too adventurous. 

      I would suggest they filmed in an area with calmer weather. It was kind of hard to hear the dialogue with the wind. They should have used artificial wind that was lighter, and edited it into the movie.  I don’t think it would be very difficult for them to do this. I also suggested this to my group members for our project as well. An audience naturally won’t force themselves to struggle to hear the dialogue or the lower sounding sounds in a film. Then adding the wind after the dialogue or during it would be better. It would allow them to adjust the level of the sound so it won’t be so disruptive. Also, they would be able to blend the sound to their advantage. This would ensure that it would be able to fade in (sound wise) or fade out (sound wise). This would have been better for the film. 

Filming Blog: The Process

     I can honestly say the wait is almost over. After working so hard planning this project, we are less than three days from our first filming date. Once again, I’m being honest, and not even half of the work is done as of yet regarding this project. After we film on Saturday, we will have to dump footage and edit piece by piece. As I mentioned in a previous blog, the reason we did not film last weekend, was because I was not available to do so. Ironically, this weekend we ran into the same issue but not me this time. Another one of our group mates is not going to be present but we have to film. Since we have blogs due regardless if we filmed or not, we decided that we have to film this weekend. I have not been to work because I am sick with the flu. I also have not attended class but my group mates have kept me up-to-date with all the information regarding our project.

    I have the informed my friend, who is coming along with us to film this weekend, on what we are doing. I have been told by my roommates that since we are short of participants, I will have to play two separate roles. I told them that I honestly have no problem with that, but my role is to be the police officer. We also have another one of our group members playing the judge role so I felt as if she would be more fit to play another legal role. That would make more sense than having me to switch attire between scenes. I expressed my concerns to my fellow group mates, but they’ve been at school all day and I have not so I’ll just leave the decision making up to them. Ultimately, we each have the same goal so I hope that were able to achieve it. This is one of my last AICE classes so I hope to excel in this project. This is crucial for my group members and I pass the exam.

  I will be back with an update soon and hope this all goes well on our first filming day!

Filming Blog: To Be Continued

     All I can say is my group mates and I, once again, did not plan well. As a result, we did not film this weekend. I can honestly say that this time, the unproductiveness was not a group effort. I was not able to find a method of transportation to and from the filming site. Also, when we were creating our storyboard we did not think about the amount of actual individuals that will be needed in order to film every role of this film correctly. We ran into the issue of having a less amount of people that we needed. Also, one of our group mates did not have the proper attire in order to correctly play his role in our film. Being that we all had saturday off of work, and one of our roommates is not employed at all, we could have still film and improvised. However, we did not want to risk going off script and not following your story board exactly as we created it. We we’re given careful instructions by our teacher and told not to go off script. It was explained to us that is would be more efficient to keep it exactly as it was unless it was absolutely necessary to make changes.
       Being that we still have enough time to film, we just decided to reschedule on a day that we will all be available and have stable transportation. One of my friends was a part of our music video in a previous project. I suggested that the same friend could join us in this project as well. That would eliminate the problem of not having enough people, even though we still need one more person. We plan to film this upcoming weekend on Saturday. My role is to be the police officer at the scene of the kidnapping. Fortunately, I do actually have police gear. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to wear it unless I am at detail assigned by the police department because I am a police explorer. On the bright side, I will not be at work at all Saturday, so I will be available as well as my group mates.  I also brought up the idea that we could film in another teachers class that I know, but were  also instructed to not do that. Hopefully, we will film this weekend and it will be a success.
       

Filming Blog: Before the Beginning

    Hey, I’m back with another project assignment and will be blogging every step of the way. The final steps toward filming our movie have been put into action. We were supposed to film this previous friday being that it was a holiday and we were off from school. However, we did not do so. In order for us to film we have a process that takes place within our classroom. The first step to this process is having a finalized plan. We were instructed to finish our 10 storyboard pages and then add them to a google slide presentation. After doing this, we were supposed to then embed the presentation into blogger and publish it.
   When it came to minimizing the workload on one individual, I assigned certain tasks to certain people in our group. I decided to designate Erik as the individual in charge of completing the storyboard and even a week after, he hadn’t completed it. This set us back in terms of signing out filming equipment and leaded up to us receiving an F for the the assignment. Not until today, the assignment was completed when I did 5 of the pages. The main issue was that our schedules did not correlate and one of our group members was not entirely dedicated.
    This was a fail on all of our parts, but we plan to film this weekend or early next week. I decided since the last project was filmed at my house, this time it should be filmed at a different location. As of today in class, we decided where we want to film first. However, we are short actors for our project and are still figuring out the minor issues. From the beginning, I have been stressing to my group members the importance of precision and being informed. Now that it is time for us to pick up our cameras and film, everyone else in the group realizes what I was saying all along. This process hasn’t been difficult so far. I will be back soon to speak about new details in our movie. Tune in for Double Deceit.

Movie Planning : Storyboard

Planning Blog: Location, Sound, and Participants

Planning Blog: Health, Schedule, and Title Design

Shooting Script

      Attached below is the shooting script. You cannot have a film without planning what will be in it and its sound. Hence the names of the blogs: shooting script and sound script. To summarize, a shooting script is what will happen in your film. Where the scenes take place, who will be in it, the action, that type of thing. A sound script is all the sound that will be included in the scenes. When my group and I were working on this, we had to make sure that the sound and the scenes were matching up. We also had a little trouble coming up with what we would include, but we figured it out. These scripts were created on Google Slides. Embedded in this blog is the shooting script.

Sound and Dialogue Script

  Attached below is the sound and dialogue script. One necessary step when planning a film is the writing of scripts. In the film, there are two types of scripts, shooting script, and sound script. Shooting script has what will be filmed, and what camera angles are to be used. The sound script contains not only the dialogue but also background noises that are to be featured. When writing the dialogue script, my group and I had to truly put our pitch into action. We needed to come up with dialogue and sounds that fit not only the pitch but also the genre. Once we came to a conclusion of the events and scenes of our film, the writing was able to begin. To make the script, we used Google Slides. This allowed for an organized way to showcase which scenes contain which sound. Embedded in this blog is the sound script.

Title Research: Goodfellas Movie

What movie was the title sequence from?
A: I did a movie called Goodfellas. This movie is about a man who grows up in a mob and tries to advance himself. Henry and his two friends advance from misdemeanors to felonies.

What website was used?
A: In order to watch the clip Goodfellas, I used the website artofthetitle.com.

How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?
A: There are 16 titles displayed in the opening sequence.

What images are prioritized in the opening sequences ?
A: The images that are prioritized are black screens with words coming up on them. The words slide across the screen like a car zooming on a road. The next images are the men in a car. They open the truck and there is a man there all bloody. One man then proceeds to stab him and another one shoots him.

What connotation do the images carry?
A: The images carry an explicit representation of someone doing a deed they are not supposed to. The color black represents that something bad is happening. The images also carry the sound of a car, which creates a wonder of what is happening.

How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
A: Genre is reinforced through symbolic and technial codes because the drama comes from the suspense from the black screens of not knowing what is going on. As the screen comes on, all that is seen is 3 men in a car. Sound is then heard from the trunk, which creates drama because the men don't know what's going on. Crime is enforced through the scenes because there is a bloody man in the trunk. One guy proceeds to stab him and the other shoots him.

How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?
A: The film establishes an enigma from the black screens by creating suspense on what is actually happening. It leads the audience to want to know what is going on. When the actual pictures come on, it leads the audience to wanting to watch the movie, as they are being captured by what is going on.

What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?
A: The film uses the sound of a car speeding and swiping the words across the scene, creating drama because the audience wants to know what is going on. Drama is also created when the men hear bumping in the trunk, and pull over to check it out. Crime is created when the bloody man is presented, and one man stabs him repeatedly while the other shoots him.

How has technology been used effectively? (Consider camera angles, transitions and editing techniques)
A: A high angle was used to create the suspense of the trunk and what was inside. The black screens transitioned to an actual car driving, which confirms the noise of a car zooming. Also, editing played a role with the eyeline match scene where the guys were looking at the trunk and it showed the trunk.

Title Research: Smokin’ Aces

What movie was the title sequence from?

The title sequence researched is from the 2006 film, Smokin' Aces. It qualifies as multiple genres, two of which are crime and drama.

What website was used?

In order to watch the title sequence of Smokin' Aces, I used the website watchthetitles.com.
How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?

Throughout the sequence, a total of 29 titles are displayed. They start with actors, then some producers, and the final one is the name of the film.

What images are prioritized in the opening sequences?

In the titles, prioritized images are those of people. The images feature still frames of action shots with an artistic filter over them.

What connotations do the images carry?

Overall, the images give off a feeling as if they are intended to be intimidating. This feeling comes from both the action poses and the artistic filters.

How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset

Genre is hardly reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset. In symbolic codes, the genre is reinforced in the opening sequence based on the images. The fact that most of the still frames in the title sequence feature characters with guns ties into the genre of crime.

How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?

The film establishes enigma through the use of and colors. The colors and overall design used are similar to that of the art style pop art

What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?

The film appeals to its target audience by being what it intends to be. As it is a crime film, it features images depicting scenes that can be expected in crime films. Also, the coloration in the title sequence is unique, which can also potentially appeal to the audience.

How has technology been used effectively? (Consider camera angles, transitions, and editing techniques)
Without the technology that was used, the title sequence wouldn't even be possible. It uses a mixture of transitions, added music, and other effects.

Title Research: Seven Movie

For this blog, I chose a movie from another website to indulge into the title. I will be answering questions about this movie. The questions are:

- What Website?
I got this movie off of ‘www.watchthetitles.com’. This is the website that I decided to use because it’s easy to navigate. I had no complications finding my movie and watching the opening sequence.

- What film?
The name of this movie is Seven. This movie is about a retiring detective that decides to go on one last case with a new detective in town that he was paired with against his will. Through this last case they realize that they’re dealing with a serial killer. This serial killer justifies his crimes by using the seven deadly sins as his motive. Being that one detective is new on the force and the other is an old dog, the two have a tough time coexisting. Despite this, they both have the common end goal that is catching this serial killer.

- How long was it?
The title sequence was 2 minutes and 8 seconds.

- How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?
There are 27 titles displayed during the opening sequences. Of that, the title of the movie was shown after the 6th title and once again after the 26th title.

- What imagines are prioritized in the opening sequences?
The images that are prioritized are the ones that showcase gruesome murder and equipment along with news.

- What connotations do the images carry?
The images connote mystery, death and overall chaos.

- How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
Genre is reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset in many ways. In symbolic codes, the genre is reinforced in the opening sequence based off the images. As stated earlier, the serial killer justifies his killings as punishment for what he thinks is the “ignorance” of others regarding the seven deadly sins. In the outset, it shows what seems to be someone planning and this planning is showing us what is beneath the surface which is the killers multiple murders. In technical codes, the genre is reinforced through the lighting. The lighting for the shots along with the angles are used to create an eerie feeling.

- How does the film establish enigma from the outset?
The film establishes enigma by the use of props and color. The outset is in black and white with weird and unusual props being used.

- What strategies are used to make sure the film appeals to its target audience?
The strategies are the sound, lighting, and focus of the camera onto certain things such as the props.
The non-diegetic sounds along with lighting and focus of the camera all draws the audience attention and has them intrigued. While the sound has them on edge, the lighting also establishes enigma and the focus of the camera leaves them curios and guessing.

- How was technology been used effectively?
Technology was used through the editing techniques of fade-in and dissolve. This caused an effect of leaving the audience curious and on edge as discussed earlier. Also, through the camera angle of extreme close up and camera movement of pan. This is where enigma is once again apparent.

Title Research: Hostage Movie

What movie was the title sequence from? 

For this blog i chose The movie hostage. The movie is about an officer in the Los Angeles Police Department (Jeff Talley) who quits the force and relocates his family to the suburbs. He becomes the the sheriff in a sleepy town, and thinks he has escaped the the hustle in his old job. All is well until an elaborate local heist puts him back in the center of action. 

How Long was the title sequence ? 

- The title sequence was 2 minutes and 56 seconds long. 

What website did the title sequence come from?

- The sequence was from www.watchthetitles.com

How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?

- There were 31 titles displayed during the opening sequence. Also, the title of the film was shown after 7 other titles came up on the screen.

What images are prioritized in the opening sequences ?

- There were men who were “paused” as in standing still. They were armed with heavy artillery and their gear had symbols from different police forces and departments, such as SWAT. The rooftops of the large buildings were also shown at different angles which explains the setting of the beginning of the film. 

What connotation do do the images carry? 

- Negative because heavy police presence usually  means there is a threat. Heavy artillery is deadly force used to take out an immediate threat.

How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?

 - Many of the shots in the titles are in front of pictures of the tops of buildings. They are also not in color which creates suspense and curiosity in the view were because he wants to know what the setting is going to be like.

How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?

- The music that is playing in the background is calm but it gets louder then calm again in a way. The music also has a suspenseful beat to it. Toward the end of the titles and when the film is about to begin, the sound decreased. This created suspense and tension because all of the sound that was playing before was action-like but then it suddenly cease-and-desists. 

What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?

- The title of this movie will cause individuals with interest in this genre or type of movie with draw them in. Also the titles quickly exit as soon as they enter which makes the process of showing them faster and makes it easier for individuals to not lose interest in the movie before it even starts.

How has technology been used effectively? (Consider camera angles, transitions and editing techniques)

- Fade in and fade outs created suspense. Also the aerial view shots of the tops of the city view established location.

Title Research: Watch the Titles Website

    The website, watchthetitles.com, is a website that provides examples of titles in film. This includes movies, TV shows, and even interviews. A typical film title sequence includes multiple different things. Titles aren't just the title of the movie. Titles also include cast such as the director, and also notable actors. I chose to use this website for a few reasons. The first of which is the simplicity, as the site is easy to navigate. 

     The website is divided into 3 major categories: Title Sequences, Designers, and Studios. There is a search bar to find if there are title sequences included for a specific film. If just browsing, the website also has titles divided into different categories. The categories are Feature Film, TV Shows, Event Titles, Student Projects, and Video Games. With each category, there is a selection of titles from films of that category. Each title clip also has paragraphs written going into detail on the film. There is a brief summary of the plot, and the year the film was produced. There also is a section labelled 'complete cast'.

Tile Research: Art of the Title Website

      I am looking into the “artofthetitle” site because it’s an interesting site that is focused on intriguing movie titles. This site brings awareness to things that we typically look over when watching a film. This is specifically in the beginning. Throughout this site, I've seen multiple films with interesting titles. The site is introduced to a viewer by having the top 10 best title sequences of 2019 as the front page as you can see from the picture. Underneath these films, there's paragraphs that provides background information about the films and the meanings behind the titles. This site even dwells into the color schemes of titles. It lets you know why the titles may have been placed in that specific location, the feeling the titles may or may not be trying to draw from the audience, and even the production team behind it.
        This site has taught me that the titles have an enormous amount of importance to the film. Throughout this site, I've also learned that the directors emotions behind the film shines through in ways we wouldn't think of. Most films are the directors way of bringing awareness to an issue that may be important to him/her. Also, we can also even go as far as learning who/where the money for making this film came from. The names in the beginning is likely to be the names of the companies that aided in the film. This site is definitely the place to go for a further look into the meanings of titles. It gives an intense amount of detail that I highly doubt any other site has to offer.

Genre Research: Denial Movie

         A film example of the Legal Drama genre is a movie titled "Denial". It can be found to watch on Hulu, and for sale on other platforms. It dramatizes the Irving v Penguin Books Ltd. case, where David Irving, a holocaust denier, sues author Deborah Lipstadt for libel. Irving tries to prove that there were no gas chambers.
       Lipstadt visits the former Auschwitz concentration campsite to gather evidence that the holocaust did in fact happen. The case concluded with Lipstadt as the victor. I found the film interesting, as it shows the extremities of the beliefs of some people. I liked how the film portrayed the case overall.

Camera Angles:
   - Medium long shot: the teacher is talking to the class
   -    Medium close up: the teacher near the glass window speaking to the students in the classroom
  -     High Angle: The can of food being emptied

Camera Shots :
⁃ Two shot: Her and the dog entering the room, she has a box in her hand as well
⁃ Point of View shot: Walking up the stairs and when the can of food is emptied
⁃ Medium Close up: When they introduce her as an author

Camera Movements:
⁃ Zoom: They zoom in on the lady’s face when she is praying outside in the snow
⁃ Tracking: Her walking around with the boxes in her hand
⁃ Flash pan: The transition from when she is on TV so when she is performing live about                        what she is saying
⁃ Stationery: When they enter the bar

Costumes: Throughout the film, the costume doesn't change much. It features a lot of formal and semi-formal attire, such as what you would find in a courtroom.

Lighting: The film consists of scenes that are both indoors and outdoors. In the outdoor scenes, the lightning is natural lighting, and in the indoor scenes, there are ceiling lights, and possibly lighting rigs.

Acting: The acting in the film helps to portray the plotline. The actors are able to make the viewer feel that what they say is their actual beliefs.

Makeup: Some of the female characters appear to be wearing makeup. Also, the hairstyles on characters are more likely than not done by the makeup team.

Props: Props in the film are all related to the scenes depicted. This includes the judge's gavel, and also plates and cups in a scene where the characters are eating.

Setting: Settings include in a restaurant, the courtroom, the remnants of a Nazi gas chamber, and a classroom.

Genre Research: Roman J. Israel, Esq. Movie

This movie was about a man named Roman. When his boss dies unexpectedly, he has to takeover and defend a young man accused of murdering a store clerk. What I liked about this film was the fact that the movie starts off by giving background story on how Roman was being disbarred. It had the qualities of what you would see in a court case packet, which was different than most movies I've seen.

What I disliked about this movie is that I felt that it moved too quickly. I feel like they should have established exactly who Roman's boss actually was and what he looked like, before he died.

Camera Angles:
1) Eye level: The camera was fixiated directly at the judge.
2) High angle: Roman and the book in his house.
3) Low angle: Camera is pointing up at the man.

Camera Movements:
1) Pan: This was a movement from the notepads on office shelves to Roman in the office.
2) Tracking: The camera was moving with Roman as he walked inside the courtroom.
3) Zoom: At the beginning of the movie, the zooming in on the words.

Camera Shots:
1) Three shot: Two men and a woman were talking in the courthouse.
2) Over the shoulder shot: The camera is over the defendant's shoulder, while Roman is in front of him, talking.
3) Two shot: The Judge and officer who was talking.

Editing:
1) Fade in: From a black screen, to the office.
2) Shot/ Reverse Shot: This shot was from Roman, to officer in the courthouse, back to Roman.
3) Eye-line match: This shows Roman looking out the window, and it shows what is out the window.

Sound:
1) Voiceover: This took place at the beginning of the movie, with the voice of Roman.
2) Dialogue: This dialogue was between Roman and a woman talking about William (Roman's boss who had a heart attack).
3) Digetic: The car sounds as Roman was walking to the courthouse.

Costumes:
Since this movie mostly takes place in a courthouse, policewear, an orange jumpsuit, and professional clothing is worn by people in the movie.

Lighting:
In the beginning of the movie, Roman is seen in an office, which has a sufficient amount of lighting. The movie then goes outside, which is natural lighting. Lastly, the courtroom is well lit, as important deeds are being taken care of.

Actors:
Since this is a legal based movie, most of the characters are normal people, and others acting as a defendant, a judge, lawyers, and officers.

Makeup:
The defendant is seen having a bruised eye when he talks to Roman. Also, the lawyer on the prosecution has light makeup on.

Props:
Brief cases, handcuffs, and a mallet are mostly shown throughout the movie.

Settings:
- The courtroom
- The office
- Outside
- The outside of the courtroom.

Genre Research: Western and Legal Drama

Genre Research: PINK Movie

       One of the movies that fall under the Legal Drama genre is a movie called “PINK”. This movie can be found on Netflix. It’s about a sexual assault victim that is getting charged unjustly with the attempted murder of the man that attacked her. She’s defended by a retired lawyer that challenges the rape laws in their country that is India. This movie was interesting as it brought awareness to the things that happens to people in other countries. I liked the fact that although the lawyer suffered from bipolar disorder that he was ashamed of, he still came out of retirement to defend these girls. Being that the attacker is the son of a politician, no other lawyer in town wanted to take the risk of defending her.
       What I didn’t like about this movie is the fact that it portrays Indian society towards women who don’t follow what they think is the right thing for women to do. Another reason why no one wanted to defend the victim is that they felt that she was in the wrong although she’s the one that got attacked. This movie was overall a whirlwind of emotions.

Camera Shots:
- Extreme Close Up:  First shot of the lawyer. He’s now introduced to the plot.
- Two Shot: The scene where the attacker and his friend were filmed on their way to the hospital.

Camera Angles: 
- Eye Level: This is filmed as the girls are panicking and in a frenzy about what happened.
- Low Angle: The

Camera Movement:
- Zoom: It zooms into the attackers' bruises
-Pan: This was used in the courtroom during the trial.

Costumes-
This movie takes place mostly at the police station, outside in the streets and the actor’s homes.

Lighting-
This film was shot indoors and outdoors. Outdoors there is natural lighting and indoors there is no ring light but there is the ceiling light.

Acting-
The acting in this movie is good. The girl plays her role as a damaged sexual assault victim being that later on in the movie, the attacker found her and kidnapped her. This was to roughen her up. The guy is very aggressive and well executes his role as he does an excellent job of acting in it. The lawyer takes medicated pills to keep his bipolar disorder at bay.

Makeup-
The females in this movie are not wearing makeup. If so, it’s for the scenes where they are crying. This is done to make a dramatic effect. It has the ability to keep the audience intrigued.

Props- 
The props used in this movie were hand props such as the lawyers' briefcase, phones, pills, and weapons.

Settings-
The settings in this movie vary. The setting includes home, hospital, jail cell, the park, and the police station.

Editing:
- Fade-in: This is in the beginning of the movie as it goes from credits to the opening scene.
- Cross-cutting: Camera went back and forth between the girl getting kidnapped to the lawyers house.

Sound:
- Diegetic Sound: Sounds of cars passing by.
- Dialogue: All throughout the movie.

Genre Research: The Judge Movie

     This movie was like many others that I often enjoy watching on my free time. It displayed real-world family problems and relationship issues. What I found the most interesting was when the lawyers' child began speaking to him about the divorce he and his wife were thinking of having. She showed actual knowledge and did not hide the fact that it bothered her.
     The only thing I can say that I did not like about this film was the mother dying and them announcing it in court at the beginning of the movie.

    Camera Shots:
1. Wide Shot: When the lawyers are in the bathroom and Hank is confronted by the counsel on the opposing side
2. Long Shot: When "The Judge" is entering the courtroom
3. Point of View: The conversations in the car
    Camera Angles :
1. High angle: The drive on the way to his fathers' house, showing the city and the water
2. Eye-level: Throughout the dialogue
3. Low angle: The confrontation about the car accident
    Camera Movement :
1. Tilt: "The Judge" entering the courtroom in the middle of the movie
2. Zoom: Hank is on the plane, and receives a phone call about his father
3. Flashpan: Dialogue back and forth with officers in the department

    Costumes: This movie takes place mostly at the courthouse and the homes of the characters. They wear business attire when in the courtroom and semi-formal throughout this film.
    Lighting: The beginning of the movie is filmed outside where there is natural lighting and sunlight. The lighting is the same throughout because they are in buildings, except for when they are in the basement because of the storm. The light is very dim then.
    Action/Actors: In the beginning, they are in a courtroom and there is a quarrel between the two lawyers, in the bathroom one of them urinates on the other. They show the body of the main characters' deceased mother in the casket. Most of the actors are either a part of the trial, policemen, or family members of the main characters.
    Make-up: The deceased mother is dressed up in the casket. Throughout the movie, the attire of the characters does not really change. When "The Judge" is vomiting and defecating himself in the bathroom, he looks rather pale.
    Props: The empty ring box that Hank has. Everything else is inanimate and stays the same.
   Setting: 
- The house of "The Judge"
- The courtroom
- The courtroom bathroom
- The judges' chambers
- The cars

Genre Research: Chosen Genre

        After researching these three genres, we chose legal drama. The reason why we chose this genre is because we felt that it would be more interesting. Also, we would have more availability to get props and costumes for this film. The legal drama would bring a smart but twisted effect for our audience.
      We feel that the western would be too standard. It is unlikely for us to be able to create a desert looking setting with cowboy hats and guns. For a musical, we feel that it wouldn't be that interesting. We wanted to choose a genre that would have our audience on the edge of their seats. With legal drama as our genre choice, that is sure to happen.

Genre Research: Musical Genre

     This assignment was about explaining what a musical film was. We were given a genre and were told to give an example of the camera angles, movements, and shots. Our PowerPoint was to include pictures and colors that correlated with our genre. Since our genre was musicals, we used uplifting colors and the transitions that would help our PowerPoint pop out and be more visually appealing. This assignment was to expose us to the fact that there is more to a genre of a film than what is shown on the surface. After this assignment, when watching other films and productions it was easier to point out movements and shots. I believe the purpose was to do this, and it worked. Musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing.​

Chosen Pitch

        The two pitches that we narrowed the choices down to is 'The Escape Room' and 'Double Deceit'. The reason why we canceled the 'Forbidden Love' pitch is because there is not enough availability for us to film it. It would be too long of a storyline. Even if we tried to fit it in two minutes, it would look very rushed. We also canceled it because Escape Room and Double Deceit. would be more interesting approaches, than an African - American and a Caucasian falling in love. Additionally, those approaches have more availability to film. In the next paragraphs, we will explain why.
        The first pitch is The Escape Room. This pitch is about a group of people who had their drinks drugged at a party, then they find themselves in a room they must escape from. The storyline that we were going to make for this pitch is how different obstacles are in the room, making it hard for them to escape. What makes it even harder is that the pill that was slipped into their drinks has the ability to impair their thinking. Only one person out of the whole group is going to survive this course. My group and I figured that this would be an interesting film to make. However, there is not enough availability. We would have to make an 'escape room' and all the obstacles to suffice our filming needs.
       The second pitch is Double Deceit. This pitch is about a woman who is a lawyer by day and criminal master mind by night. She is defending a woman who is being charged with neglect for the kidnapping of her son. What the woman doesn't know is that her lawyer is the culprit. My group and I decided that this pitch is also a more interesting approach. It also has more availability for us to film. We would be able to incorporate the characters, the plot, and the cliffhanger all in two minutes. We feel that this may be our choice out of both pitches.
         The pitch that my group and I decided to choose was Double Deceit. We chose this pitch because we thought that it would be a good way to catch the attention of our audience. There is no proper way to present a cliffhanger, than to have your character playing both sides. We also thought that it had more availability than the other two approaches. It would be easy for us to film a kidnapping, a law type of environment, and more. We feel that the most important part of this two - minute film is to leave the audience on the edge of their seats. Leaving them wondering is exactly what we will achieve by choosing Double Deceit.

Start of Final Task

        Hey you guys , I’m back. And in case you forgot , name is Micahia. I am still currently in the 11th grade here at Fort Lauderdale High School. If you remember, the purpose of these blogs is to keep track and record of my progress in my AICE Media class. We went on a break for a while but we are back in business now and ready to get started. We are starting another project, this one will be a movie. It’s not exactly us filming a movie. Our assignment is to create an opening for a movie. In my previous projects, I worked with the same group members. However, we’ve decided to add another individual to our group. Janell, Jessica and I added Erik to our group. He will be our cameraman.
         I’m excited for this new assignment because we get to ultimately be on our own when coming up with ideas. With the music video we had certain directions and limitations and the commercial had to follow a certain format as well. But this movie is all from the ideas we have in our heads. The way we want it and we have more time to film. I learned when doing the previous projects that it’s all about time and preparation. Also, location is everything. With a good location you have good props and lighting and that sets the scene of what the idea is.
      The movie requires pitches. A pitch is a Hollywood term to describe an idea where a film is encapsulated in 25 words or less. It’s usually one sentence and explains the entire idea. We wanted to brainstorm ideas so we were instructed to come up with 3 different pitches. 1st Pitch- A group of people have their drinks drugged at a party, then they find themselves in a room they must escape from. 2nd Pitch- A white male, black female find themselves in love with each other and although this isn’t the olden days, their love is still forbidden. 3rd Pitch- She’s a lawyer by day and criminal master mind by night, she abducted her clients’ child and wants to build a new family with him.