Film Idea Development

Introduction 

         Today in class, My AICE Media Studies Team and I began to develop ideas for the genre and plot our movie. Our group goal is to make a horror movie that is a slasher with the purpose to scare and entertain my audience. We were given a worksheet that assisted us with our idea by looking at the following filmmaking concepts in the production of the film. The following concepts are as follows:

Reflection

       I have learned about the beginning stages of creating a movie’s plot first-hand with my group. I feel excited about my group idea since horror is a genre I gravitate towards in a movie. Me and my group came up with the final idea by thinking about what we felt our audience would like to see. I think our film would be best access by social media such as YouTube. I think our audience will be entertained and potentially scared by our movie since our film will be suspenseful, scary, and creepy.

Storyboarding Camerawork: Camera Movement Videos

 Introduction

    The assignment for this week was to practice using camera movement by taking short videos. The purpose of this assignment is to get a better understanding of camera movement and how they are used in film, by demonstrating examples of camera movement ourselves. Each one of us had responsibilities for this assignment. Kayleigh W. was the camera person and recorded the videos. She recorded the videos on her iPhone camera. Jayda L. was the actor and was the main character for the videos. Christie F. and I were the screenwriters for the videos and came up with the themes of the videos. 

Tilt Shot 

Dolly Shot

                                                                        Pan Shot

Tracking Shot

Tilt Shot

Zoom Shot

Reflection

    Overall,  the static camera technique seemed to be the most uncomplicated to execute since it simply requires standing still. However, the dolly movement was the most difficult camera movement technique for us to execute since we didn't actually have a camera dolly. My experience working on this video production exercise with my group was good. We split the work up to get it done easier and faster. In order to create our videos we used technology such as an iPhone. 

(Work Cited Links) 

StudioBinder (2020). Ultimate Guide to Camera Movement- Every Camera Movement Technique Explained. Available at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiyBo-qLDeM (Accessed: 11 November 2024). 

Camera Movement Techniques Organizer

 Introduction 

    The objective of the lesson today is to learn about camera movement and use this new knowledge to our advantage when producing our film. Camera movement is  a type of language used in film to create dynamic and compelling work. It changes the frame or perspective of a scene using movement of the camera. Camera movement is useful for film because it engages the audience and also plays a major role in telling the story. A cinematographer comes up with the ideas for which camera movement should be utilized which varies from the camera operator who executes the different shots necessary in film production. Two well reputed cinematographers are Bill Pope and Roger Deakins. Bill Pope has worked on several movies including The Matrix, Spider-Man 2, and Clueless , while Roger Deakins has worked on popular films like The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Blade Runner 2049. and 1917. Bill Pope started doing cinematography by shooting music videos in the 80s so he has about 40 years of experience under his belt and Roger Deakins has done cinematography since 1974, so for 50 years. Bill Pope has won awards for Bound (Independent Spirit Awards), The Matrix (BAFTA Awards), Spider-Man 2 (Satellite Awards), Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (Primetime Emmy Awards), and The Jungle Book (Satellite Awards). Roger Deakins also received a multitude of awards such as sixteen Academy awards for films like The Shawshank Redemption, BAFTA Film Awards for movies such as Fargo, Satellite Awards for the movie The Man who Wasn't There plus other films, Critics Awards for Barton Fink along with other movies, and more. One camera movement technique I already knew before this lesson was the pan shot. 

Reflection

    I learned about a camera roll shot, a tracking shot, and a trucking shot. We got our work done by using the school laptops in class to complete the assignment, as well as finding videos for the assignment when we were home. I did the work and research for the camera roll shot, the tracking shot, and the trucking shot. We used laptops and PowerPoint to which are tools we use the most. I would say that I am in intermediate when it comes to camera movement while I understand camera movement, I could use a little more practice. 

(Work Cited Links)

StudioBinder (2020). Ultimate Guide to Camera Movement- Every Camera Movement Technique Explained. Available at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiyBo-qLDeM (Accessed: 11 November 2024).

ActionScene (2021). Upside Down Cross Scene - “Janet”- The Conjuring 2:The Enfield Case  (2016) Movie Clip. Available at:  https://youtu.be/Vc9KXoVIYJk?si=eU5C6diPpp315xe- (Accessed: 11 November 2024) 

Movieclips (2020). Us (2019) -Hall of Mirrors Scene. Available at: https://youtu.be/hYvxbtiGvrk?si=dC5DmLgksgJf8XrS (Accessed: 11 November 2024) 

Movieclips (2022). Midsommar (2019) - The May Queen Dance Scene. Available at: https://youtu.be/dMN7Jkh_0E4?si=cjnZ4krup6Vu0UTK (Accessed: 11 November 2024) 

Final Group Formation

 Introduction

    I am creating a film opening with three other classmates whom I have worked with before. Our group dynamic is very good and positive. We try to divide the work amongst each other evenly and get it done in time. My group consists of three girls: Jayda L, Christie F, and Kayleigh W. The name of our production company is Sunset Crew. We came up with the name because we wanted a group name that would represent us in a good way, but would also establish how we are a team, thus the birth of Sunset Crew. 

Genres that I prefer to consume are horror, mystery, and fantasy. I love how creative these films can be and the way they are able to jostle my emotions. I also love film themes such as Good vs. Evil, Supernatural, and Compassion and courage. My favorite movie has to be Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The synopsis of the film is that Harry Potter and his friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, return back to Hogwarts for their fourth year, when a trial known as the Goblet of Fire is announced. However, there are terms and conditions one of which is that the contestants must be 18 years old, so Harry Potter wasn't able to participate. Unbeknownst everyone, Harry's name was called and he became the fourth competitor, despite there being only three traditionally. Harry must prove his worth while also making it out alive and face his struggles being connected to Lord Voldemort.  Three ways producers use mise en scene to engage me with the movie is by implementing the use of cool, dark toned color, camera framing (especially during the action in this movie), and costume by establishing that the characters are wizards and witches by wearing robes and witch/wizard hats. I learnt about loyalty between friends as well as letting yourself grieve and mourn for the dead. I think my group mate all have similar interest because when thinking of what genre we would want our movie to be, we all instantly agreed on horror, and we all watched a similar amount of horror, mystery, and fantasy movies. 

Reflection

    My group's strength is our ability to all do work and be organized. Jayda L. is very good at organizing the power points and word documents and Christie F. is good at helping us complete tasks and work, while Kayleigh is great at leading the group. However, as a group I feel that we must be better at communicating with each other for the assignments and work. When it comes to our team assignments we talk to each other at school if we need help or have a question. When it comes to school and outside of the classroom, we do exchange small talk, but my schedule is very different than theirs so I don't see them around. After school, we tend to text each other in our group chat if we need to figure out whose doing what or if we need assistance. 

Storyboarding Camerawork: Camera Composition

 Introduction

    Camera composition is a crucial element in filmmaking. It helps set up scenes and structure while keeping the audience engaged. Camera composition can be used to create multiple effects, such as a huge focus on a main character or introducing character relationships. It creates an aesthetically satisfying scene for the audience. There are different types of camera compositions, and it's important to know when to use each one. One of the most popular example is the rule of thirds which focuses on positing a person or main object in one of three squares on a nine-squared grid. The goal of this assignment was to explore different types of camera composition and apply them to take effective shots. 

Reflection

    I enjoyed working with my group while working on camera composition. We reused our old pictures to highlight the composition in each image. As mentioned above, many films and movies use composition and it helps to engage the audience. We used the PowerPoint application to add our pictures onto slides and edit them. We then analyzed it together to create 9 slides that define how the composition applies in each picture. This assignment taught me a lot regarding camera composition and i was able to improve my limited knowledge on it.