Midterm Submission



I developed the film because I wanted to experience and understand the different dynamics and struggles that actually filming a film. Also, to gain perspective of the directors that do this for a living. I developed my film by showing that even in broad daylight that there is unsuspecting dangers lurking around every corner. Even in what would be thought of the most safest place: a school. This concept was thought up to make aware that it could be anyone and that children in school should keep their guard up, no matter who the person is.

The shots used was to help gain insight on the characters. There were high-angle shots to show how a person at their lowest point can reach out to a person that is in a higher place to help the person that is down. There were numerous long-shot to emphasis the suspense and that there is something dangerous around the corner.

The editing decisions were made to shorten some shots due to the background noise or the shakiness of the camera. Also, to cut some of the close ups to a rapid pace was to show the concentration of the actors playing cards. There were a series long takes and short takes to build up suspense and rapidly devolve it.

The fonts used was to display that each of the actors' names are different but also uniform as well. The title font was used to create jarring and straight to the point which is symbolic because the name of the title means a jarring sound. The font colors are also symbolic. The red if paying attention gives hint that there is a bad person among the names with the color font of white which symbolizes innocence.

Planning Activities - Schedule Filming

The filming will be scheduled next week on Wednesday. The goals of filming is to have as much of the filming done in that one day, so I can start editing the film without taking more time of my friends schedule. The portions I'm trying to film will be all of it. It was set on Wednesday because this will give all the actor and actresses enough time on bringing the props such as a pack of cards, and the flute used for a scene to school. It will also allow for notice when Adam needs to be dressed in all black. This will make him more menacing and stand out among the stark white building. The sticky note will be able to be made to the specifications on the script. Also, have time to instruct Adam on how to be holding Jordan when she is being dragged away and where he is supposed to drag her. It will give time for the actor and actresses to remember the script and make it feel natural. It will give time so that the actor and actresses will have their schedule clear and not worry about another appointment where they are needed. This will all no distractions. Also, the scenes with Adam with be first to film and this is because he has workouts after school that are mandatory. Jordan, Rebecca, and Abby will film after Adam.

Planning Activities - Storyboard


Long-shot: The long-shot of the courtyard shows the audience the setting of where the two actors are. It also shows what time of day the filming took place. It shows the whole body of the two actors facing each other in complete silence.

Mid-shot: The mid-shot shows the facial expressions and the movements of the two actors playing cards. It shows the audience that they are comfortable with each other and that they are completely concentrated on the card game that they are not aware of their surroundings.

Over-the-shoulder shot: The over-the-shoulder shot near the gym shows the audience that there is someone watching them. The actor for the over-the-shoulder will be dressed in all black which it makes it more menacing a suspenseful because get the feeling that this person has bad intentions.

Close-up: The close-up on the courtyard shows the facial expression of one of the actresses. She is in full concentration. This will show that she is not aware of her surroundings and into the game that she is not aware of the lurking danger she or her friends are in.

Two-shot: The two-shot on the outside of the cafeteria shows the audience the expressions of both of the actresses when they find the sticky note on the flute. It will show surprise and confusion of the received note which makes it suspenseful.

High-angle shot: The high-angle shot on the outside of the cafeteria shows that the person below the stairs is seeking help and guidance at the lowest point of her day. She is seeking help with kindhearted people that will drop everything and helpful which the actress is internally grateful.

Planning Activities - Scouting Locations


Courtyard:
This location was scouted out because it is where groups of friends hang out before or after school usually. This is also where Jordan, Rebecca, and Abby hang out in the mornings. Adam knows of the location because this where the football prep rallies are handled. It is also the best when it comes to lighting. It is almost always sunny which will be no trouble with lighting. This will put more emphasis on how Adam kidnapped a girl in broad daylight which usually never happens, but that causes more suspense, for this is where Jordan is most comfortable and supposed to be the safest place to be for a young girl.


Outside Cafeteria:
This location was scouted out because it closest to the courtyard and can help with the high and low angle shots because there is a stairway leading up to the cafeteria. Also, has black tables that can be sat on to wait for any news of Jordan. This is also visible for Adam who is watching the interactions of the three friends. This also will keep hidden on the flute being dropped and laying on the bottom of the steps.

The hallway entrance of the Gym:
This location was scouted out because it is very long and can be used as a long-shot when Jordan is being dragged away by Adam and round the corner out of sight. This is also very close to the courtyard which is a plausible when there is a over-the-shoulder shot of Adam observing the three friends. It has big pillars at the entrance which can hide Adam from being seen. This location can be used because Adam can see the whole courtyard.

Pathway toward the courtyard:
This place was scouted because it is where Jordan will be running frantically to tell the news of her instrument being stolen. There are several different ways that the courtyard can be entered. So, showing the pathway of where Jordan is going to run will help with making sure that Adam is not going to be seen and that Rebecca and Abby are visible in Jordan's point of view because she is going to jump on one of them.


Planning Activities - Shotlist


The most meaningful shots taken in this film will be the two-shot, the long-shot, and high and low-angle shot. The two-shot will be important throughout the film because it shows the facial expressions of both Rebecca and Abby at that moment of time. The two-shot will gauge how both of them feel, especially toward the end when both look at each other when they find the missing flute with the sticky note attached to it. The long-shot is important at the beginning and the end. The long-shot in the beginning of the film will establish the setting and the time of day of where the kidnapping took place. It is meaningful at the end which will show the Jordan being dragged away with Adam the perpetrator who stole her most valuable possession and now taking her away. This will show how far away from help she is even though her friends are only meters away from her. The high and low angle shots are very important. The high angle shots of both Abby and Rebecca looking down at the Jordan who is below shows that they are willing to pick up and help a friend in need. This shows that  both characters willing take the high road which is to be respected and put emphasis on how kindhearted they are. It can also be seen as a savior for the Jordan at the bottom of the stairs seeking guidance for them. The high angle can also show how low Jordan is without her flute with her. The low-angle also puts the same emphasis on how the ones standing on top the stairs are so willing to help her at a seconds notice and that is something to be admired in friends.

Planning Activities - Casting

The three characters Bibi, Abby, and Rebecca will be acting as themselves. Adam is the only person/character that is not acting as himself. The character is a thief and a kidnapper. He kidnaps to silence those he has stolen from. Jordan is one of the harder ones to silence because she fights back and that she will be having friends looking for her. So, Adam uses the sticky note to scare her friends from trying to come. If they are going to come then there will be consequences.



Bibi - I chose Bibi to be the actress for the one being kidnapped because she can bring in her instrument to be used for the film. Also, it will be more plausible for her to act on her lost instrument because it is actually dear to her. Her acting will be more believable because she is attached to the item and to have her think about the loss of her instrument will invoke a realistic way of how she would act if she lost it for real. Also, she has been able to sneak up on people and jump on them fairly regularly when not expected. This helps the other actor because it will catch them off guard which will have more of a realistic version of them flinching/jumping out of their skin.



Ethan - I chose Ethan because he is lanky and unassuming which many kidnappers are. This would give the audience a surprise when a person of that stature is able to kidnap someone that is of similar stature. Also, chose to have him lead because he would be a peer to that of the friendship group. This would in turn bring suspense because this would demonstrate that there are people that have wrong intentions even in a very safe environment of a school.

Rebecca - I chose Rebecca to act as a friend because she, Abby, and Jordan are actually friends so there will be chemistry that would not happen if all of them were acquaintances. Rebecca is able to play cards with no talking and help with the air of comfort before the storm. This is due to because of the Also, she has a slim stature that will counterbalance Adam's robust figure. Her face is cherubic/innocent which will also counteract with the heinous act that took place in the beginning of the film.

Abby - I chose Abby to act as the other friend of Jordan's. This is due to her being friends with Jordan and Rebecca to have chemistry that would not be there if it was outside of their friend group. Also, Abby has an innocent face just like Rebecca which will help the audience know that she is a good person and is willing to help a friend out in need. I also chose Abby because she can text quite fast and believably will act of how anxious she is on getting a text back that she will initiate going to look for Jordan because she is not responding.


Planning Activities - Script

The premise of the film is to cause suspense. It is about three friends and one has lost a very important possession. All of the friends look to find the instrument, to realize the one that lost possession is lost to the friends now. 

Camera Angles Activity

Low Angle Shot
Mid-shot

Canted Angle Shot

Extreme Close Up Shot

Wide shot

High Angle Shot


Film Genre Research - Get Out

The movie Get Out shows that there is a person driving off on a dimly lit road which causes suspense. It then goes to the vast amount of woods which emphasizes that something may be happening in the woods. It then shows old pictures of a man with balloons, a pregnant woman and then a person holding a dog with restraint. It then goes to a house and then it goes to man getting ready. Then it goes to a woman looking pastries. It then goes to the woman knocking on the door and they are meeting up and kissed for greeting. They are a couple it can be inferred.

The first scenes in shows a long-shot because get see that it is a human packing up and leaving in a yellow taxi. It then pans to the woods in the forest for quite some time. It then gives a wide shot view of different photos such as a man holding balloons, a pregnant woman and the guy in the background, and the person restraining the dog from attacking. It then gives a long shot form the a person's house. It zooms in and then there is another part of the house that is reverse zoom to then find a man getting ready for the day in his bathroom. The camera then pans to the pastries and tilts up to see a woman gazing at the pastries in questioning. It is over the shoulder for the guy is applying shaving cream to his face. It pans a little bit when the woman moves to her right. The man can be inferred by the audience that he is expecting someone and that is why we see him getting ready. The woman may be thinking about the man getting ready because she is lovingly staring at the pastries with bliss showing on her face. The audience then goes back over the shoulder for the man is now shaving. It then goes to a mid-shot of the woman that was gazing at the pastries in an elevator. It goes to the mid-shot of the man looking out the window. Goes to a mid-shot and then over the shoulder for both the man and the woman.

The opening has cut scenes throughout but most are cross cutting or parallel editing for the man getting ready to the woman finding a pastry that she was going to get. There are cut scenes when the camera was panning through the wood. There is an insert shot of the camera and the man seeing different pictures on the camera. It’s a shot reverse shot for the couple meeting back together.

The sound is incidental music most of the time to make it more suspense especially when the couple is going to meet up with each other at the end. This is due to them getting excited to see each other and this makes it more suspenseful.

These scenes are on location and not one studio because the bakery, house, and the landscapes are real. Also, the props such as the razor, camera, and the photos one the wall tell a meaning in the movie and has a different impact to them.

The roles that is stated in the actor's names, the music supervisor, music by, costume design, edited by, production designer, director of photography, co-producers, executive producers, produced by, written and directed

The money Get Out to make a 4.5 million dollars and it made 176 million in the United States but worldwide it made 255.5 million. Get Out has 149 wins and 194 nominations.

Film Genre Research - Zodiac



The movie Zodiac is a suspenseful thriller. The first two minutes of the movie shows clippings of newspaper articles that have droplets and stains of blood. There is also red circles and highlights of articles about murder and serial killers. They also show different names of the murders found. There is also a picture of the different symbols that would be assumed that the Zodiac killer used.

The first scene is a the camera tilting down and then panning to the headline which says San Francisco Chronicle. So, the audience now knows where this takes place. This takes in California. It is then at a canted angle so get to see the picture and the different words of the newspaper. It then tilts horizontally and then zooms in. This is to show the audience about how people are trying to decode the lines that the assumed zodiac killer left behind. The camera the repeats on the other side such as tilting down then goes to pan. It then shows the different pictures of the people trying to find the clues of who the zodiac killer is. It pans back and forth from different angles to show different events that are happening along with the zodiac killer.

The opening fades in and out when the credits of the people that made in the movie as well as the actors in the movie. It is continuity editing because the edits of the newspaper being together and jumping all over the place may not be seen as editing for the audience not paying attention to it. This creates fluidity in the opening.

The opening has incidental music of someone singing the lyrics of a song. This song is more upbeat which completely contrasts the what is being done on the newspaper. Though the song was also creepy in a way because there is no real words but it gives some suspense because don't know what the music is going to next.

The lighting from beginning and ending is the same due to being a newspaper. This newspaper is in black and white so it tells the audience that this newspaper is older and that they did not have colored print yet. The opening scene does have particularly any misc-en-scene except lighting.

The roles are the actors names on the title screen, the name of the director's film, casting by, director of photography,

The cost to make Zodiac was 65 million dollars. The total worldwide it made was 84 million dollars. Zodiac was nominated sixty nine times and has three wins.

Film Genre Research - The Shining

The movie The Shining shows in the first two minutes of a the scenery of a lake and it tilts to the mountains. There is a long winding road with a bunch of trees that have only one car traveling on the road. This can be inferred that there is not a lot of people living out there or traveling there. It shows that this car is in the middle of the mountains alone. It then shows that a yellow car is more emphasized in the next scene that there is truly nothing but grass, trees, and mountains. It then goes to having the car driving next to the mountains which gives the audience that this a far drive and could be a potential rockfall. It keeps giving scenery and on the last part of the scene, the audience sees snowy mountains and a hotel near the top that blends into the mountain side which indicates that it is hard to find and a long to drive in the middle of the mountains where there is nothing else.

It starts off as an establishing shot of a lake. It then zooms to the middle of the lake. It then gives a canted angle to dodge the middle of a rock island in the middle of the lake. It keeps zooming. It then goes to an aerial shot of a yellow car driving through on a road in the middle of a dense forest on either side. It also gives canted angle to match up with the winding road. It then gives a long shot of the road when there is plains and the mountain is up ahead. This tells the audience that the person driving the car is heading toward the mountains. It then zooms when the car is driving next to a mountain. It zooms all the way that the audience is able to see the yellow car in more detail. It then zooms past the car to see the different mountains It goes back to an aerial shot of the car driving on a mountain side. It then gives a canted angle when the car disappears in the tunnel to make the audience feel that they narrowly miss from hitting the mountain. It then goes back to an aerial when the car comes out of the tunnel. It then goes to a long shot of the car continuing to drive. It goes to an aerial long-shot to emphasis the snow and that the car keeps going up to the mountain. It then pans to an shot of a building that matches the color of the mountain.

The editing techniques were cuts. There were longer takes for the whole opening. This makes it more suspenseful because it gives the audience more anxious because there must be a reason why the car is driving such a long way up in the mountains. The cuts were mostly when the scenery change to emphasis the progress of the car up the mountain.

The sound for the opening is all incidental music. The music starts off as intimidating and slow but the pace of the incidental music goes faster when the destination up the mountain gets closer. This shows that whatever up the mountain is something nerve whacking.

The opening for the shining is all on location because all the scenes were of nature and a yellow car driving up a mountain which can not be recorded in the studio. The lighting of the sun from the mountains gives the mountains a shady look because it looks like it is giving off fog. This in turn makes it more eerie to the audience.

The job titles that were used in The Shining is the actors names, featuring in The Shining, the executive producer, screenplay written by, produced and directed by, and based on the novel.

The movie cost to make was 19 million dollars. It made 47 million dollars in the United States. The Shining won fifteen awards and had then nominations.

Film Genre Research - Gone Girl

The movie Gone Girl in the first two minutes it shows blond haired girl laying on someone while that someone is petting her hair. She then looks at the person petting her hair. It then shows a beach where there a boat going across the water. It shows three buildings. There is one in the center is more run down and contrast of color of brown to the other two building that are big modern and stark white. It then shows a faded sign which can be inferred that it may be a mix of both old and new parts of this town. It flashes to other older building it then flashes to a developed and a nice suburban area. It then shows a for sale sign which can say that people are moving. It then shows other snapshots of run down buildings and the town. Then it goes to a guy standing near his trashcans looking lost and going back into his house. This could be the guy petting the girl's hair in the beginning.

In the beginning of the scene it shows a close up a woman that is assumed to be the girl that is gone. It then gives a long-shot of the beach and a modern looking house. It gives a high angle shot of a faded sign to show that it has not been updated or well kept over the years. So, the audience could infer that is an older part of town. It also reinstates the verdict because there is an old Coca-cola ad that says five cents. It then pans to a neighborhood that is well kept and seems to be wealthy because the grass is well kept and the houses are in nice condition. It then gives a series of long-shots from the old building to a beat up inside of a house to a house hidden in the woods to the town where there is now one around. The camera tilts up to a very old clock on a post that shows the time 10:55 which tells the audience the time when this takes place. It shows the eeriness that there is no one there to change to time of the clock, It then goes to a mid-shot of a man standing outside his house near his garbage cans looking confused. It quickly goes to wide-shot to the side of the man when he is looking down his street. It then quickly goes to a mid-shot of the man when he starts walking back to his house. Then it goes to long-shot and in which it pans to where the man is walking to his house.

The editing techniques were all cuts. Each of the cuts were from buildings, to the town, to the wealthy neighborhood, to where the guy lives. The buildings varied from very old to somewhat modern or up to date housing. There were more long takes in the beginning and more short takes or cut in the middle. It then when back to more long takes when audience sees the guy.

It gives incidental music with a voice over of a man. This man talks about his relationship with his wife. It then goes to ambient music because there is the sound of the ship going by as well as in the next scene with the dog barking and the squeaking of the sign. It also gives birds chirping for atmospheric. There is nothing else besides atmospheric and incidental which creates suspense because there is nothing else that is making noise.

All of the opening scene is on location. The lighting of the beginning where the girl is laying on the guy's chest is dim lighting to create a melancholy effect. The clock in the town is 10:55 but the lighting is not as bright as would be expected for 10:55 in the morning. This makes it more unsettling. The costumes for the man is very plain to make it seem to the audience that he is an average normal guy that hasn't done anything.

The job titles is the actors names that will be showcased in this movie. Another title stated is casting, sound design, music by, costume designer, film editor, production designer, director of photography, executive producers, produced by, based on the novel, screenplay by, and directed by.

The budget for this movie was 61 million dollars. The movie made 167.8 million dollars but worldwide it made 369.3 million dollars. Gone Girl has won sixty five awards and had one hundred and eighty nominations.

Film Genre Research - Panic Room

Panic Room in the first two minutes of the film there is a landscape of many different skyscrapers. They skyscrapers vary in size and shape. So, the audience can infer that this will be taken place in a populous area where there are many different people from very wealthy citizens to very poor citizens. At the end, it shows a park surrounded by skyscrapers. This could be inferred to New York City. It also gives a view of the busy streets with a bunch of traffic and has digital screens which is another indication. The people in the sitting and lounging around so it is inferred that it is a normal day and there is nothing significant going on. It then goes to people walking down the streets in a fast paced manner which gives another hint that it is New York City because of the hustle and bustle of the people walking on the sidewalk.

It starts off with a establishing shot of the different skyscrapers with. It then shows two other shots of different buildings. The buildings were at different angles. It then pans to another set of buildings that cast a shadow on the building behind it to give a more eerie effect. It gives another
shot that could be on a dolly because it rotates. It the pans to the title Panic Room. It then gives somewhat of a high angle and give a pan on the actresses name. It then gives a long shot of the cars down below. It then gives a high angle of the words casting by Laray Mayfield and it gives more emphasis on the taxis and cars down below. It then pans to the costume designer Michael Kaplan. It gives a high angle on the music by Howard Shore. It then tilts slowly up on the credits of the film editors. It really then gives a high angle for the production designer to show how tall it is. It then gives a low angle on an olden building to make it more intimidating. This low angle is at credits written by. It then gives a long shot of the park. Another scene is the camera tilting down to see the people walking at a rapid pace.

The editing used in the Panic Room was usually cuts. These cuts show different parts of the city. Many of the cuts were of different of different skyscrapers around the city from older to newer. These cuts showed the different areas that are in the city such as the park, the streets of the buildings, and also part of the electronic billboards.

The sound for this opening is mostly incidental music to give a feeling of suspense and wariness that something is going to happen. There is a voice over at the very end with a woman's voice telling the audience of the amenities that she has for her house that she is going to see because she list four rooms with forty-two hundred square feet. The audience can infer that she is going to buy the house that she is list the amenities off of.

These shots were definitely on locations. The lighting is natural and it is a clear blue sky which tells the audience that there is nothing to be worried about because it is a perfect day in the city and nothing bad is going to happen in the day time.

The roles that Panic Room shows has the names of the actors, casting by, costume design, music by, film editors, production designer, director of photography, produced by, written by, and directed by.
The movie cost to make was 48 million dollars. The Panic Room made 100.4 million in the United States but worldwide made 196.4 dollars. Panic Room won one award and had nine nominations

Project Selection - My Decision

My decision is doing a film due to having more creativity. I'm able to use the footage I create to make an impact without telling the audience. Also, the sounds of the film will create an atmosphere that will help move along the plot and create a tone that could be ominous, dramatic, or anything in between. The skills that I possess is my writing skills. I'm able to write creatively for the plot of the story which is the ultimate goal is using filming techniques to convey a story. Another skill that would make the film project best suit me is my imagination. I would be able to see different scene in my head which would save time figuring out the shots that would be used during the limited time shooting the film. The main determining factor is I would like to try to be creative when it comes to conveying a certain emotion to the audience and be able to deliver it. A brief description of my project is a group of friends will be casually playing a card game when one there friends not playing cards runs in and says her instrument is missing. They then see a figure standing and the one missing the instrument will confront the mysterious figure and is then dragged away while the others try to help her. The genre of the film would be a thriller. I will be working alone in this film project.

Project Selection - Film

are able to have different effects. The scenes such as 
The part of film production that interest me is that of process of filming a scene to get a certain outcome. An instance is from Newsroom which gives a series of short takes when there is chaotic action in the newsroom to make the audience feel everything is happening all at once and makes the audience feel frantic for them. The director uses very long takes for emotional scenes to make the audience feel there is something building up to a pivotal scene that will change the plot drastically. Another aspect of film production that interest me is the relationship with the actors and how the costumes affects the plot. An example, is from Ferris Bueller which that actors had to have chemistry to pull off that they had a good relationship with each other. Also, the costumes that Ferris Bueller pulls off gives some lead way to his personality of being carefree, sly, and charming as well.

The skills that I possess would make a good fit for the film project is my consideration about the whole picture. I will come up with the plot and try to figure out what camera angles and shots would go with the plot. One more skill I think would be a good fit is writing out the dialogue because I write short stories in my free time. This would help me because the dialogue will make an impact on the story.

The challenge for the film production that I will have is being able to schedule, manage, and make sure the actors have time to be available for shooting the film. Also, the figuring out the props and costumes for each of the actors that will be effective for the story that is being portrayed. One more reason is editing afterwards. The challenge will be figuring out which sounds would go into the film. The camera work would be a challenge to because must figure out what angles and types of shots that will effect the film.

Film production interests me due to the impact of emotions on screen. The emotions does not have to be stated through dialogue but portrayed in the actors actions and facial expressions. Also, the camera shots such as close ups, etc 
are able to have different effects. The scenes such as 

Project Selection - Magazine

The aspects of print journalism that interest me was the process of making the magazine. I found it interesting that the process of decision making such as setting up what should go in the newspaper from All the President’s Men is relatively the same as in the Newsroom that was set in 2010 on what would go on television. Both aspects have to come to a decision on the stories should go where and how to format the media form to have the audience engaged. Another way that print journalism interest me is that there a variety of different areas that a print journalism can write about. For instance, when doing the magazine analysis, I was able to see a variety of different magazines from cooking magazines, to sports magazines, to celebrity magazines, and many more.

The skills I possess that would make me a good fit for the magazine project is my writing skills. I would be able to write quite well because of the creative stories I've written in my free time. Another skill would be my persistence. I would play around with the format of the magazine to make it well structured and eye catching ot the reader.

What would be a challenge to doing the magazine project is the structure. The structure of the magazine will impact the readers perusing through them. Also, the contrasting of colors to make the magazine stand out would be hard to achieve because if there is too much contrast then the eyes will not be able to focus on what it was intended to focus on. If there is too little of contrast then it will not catch the reader's eyes. Also, the size of the pictures can be a challenge because depending on how big or small it is then the reader will focus on it more or less. Also, the pictures have to stand out to the reader, so the reader knows exactly what is to be expected of the magazine while enticing them with the stories inside the magazine.