Project Schedule

     Good evening blog. I am back today to explain me and my partner's strict schedule for the next upcoming weeks.

    To start, most of our research phase is done and now we will move on to the pre-production phase next week. Me and Anabelle will be focusing on our story board and shot list this coming week taking one task at a time. We will be sure to take our time with this project and dedicate time and effort to make this project one of the best that this program will ever see. After we are done planning our production, we will scan all our options of where we will be filming our project. After that is done we will be in the last, but long straight of our goal. 

    Week 5: We will initiate our filming while we follow our planned schedule and use all of our planned mise-en-scene elements that we will have planned before hand.

    Week 6 and 7: These two weeks we will focus on making the perfect project to submit and we will make sure to put in an immense amount of time in the post-production.

    Week 8 and 9: The final two weeks will be dedicated to our last blog posts and the creative critical reflection task.

    Evidently, the upcoming weeks will be a handful for us but we will make sure to make this project special. That will be it for today blog. Until next time!

Where do I even start?

     Hello blog, it is good to see you again! Today I will be discussing how I will start the biggest project of the school year. Some of the most iconic movie opening scenes are in the action genre which sets the standards extremely high. I have been lost for the last couple of days on where I will film and also what will I do with my production. Lucky for me, I came across this YouTube video about opening scenes that gave me the starting push that I needed.

    This video was amazing and went deep into everything that I need to know for my production. It interested me how some movies choose which character to introduce in the beginning and the impact that it has in the film. One example of this technique is included in the opening scene of  "The Dark Knight (2008)" which chooses to introduce the main villain of the movie before the protagonist is shown. Although this would not development the character that will represent the movie, it gives the audience enough context early in the movie to understand who this character is.

    I am still not 100% sure if this is a step in the right direction but I will surely consider introducing someone besides the main character in my production. It will definitely set the suspenseful tone that I need in my production which will check off a big box in my check list. Still wondering if it is possible to create a fictional villain better than The Joker in this film but I still that is near impossible.

    Hope today's post filled you guys in through my research process. I will be back soon to tell you guys more about my research. Catch you guys on my next post. Until next time!

      

Choosing the genre

    As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I am interested in using character and tone development in production. I think an action movie contemplates with both of these techniques very well. As I started researching, I found a movie that does an incredible job developing both the tone, and the character during the film's opening scene.

    Baby Driver (2017) was a movie that was recommended to me in class and I decided to check it out. The way that the director sets a chaotic tone during a bank robbery informs the consumer plenty about the plot while also using music and camera movement to describe the driver's key role in the film. 

    Another film that will hugely inspire my production is Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). The opening scene is marvelous job in establishing the setting and most importantly the tone. the combination of the sound effects and the shots made by Steven Spielberg make this opening scene one of the most iconic action movie opening scenes of ALL TIME. Yes all time is right. 

    Moving on with my project, I love the idea of setting the tone with some chaotic and entertaining content as it never fails to deliver in action genre movies. My goal is to give whoever watches my project the excitement and blood pumping sensation that these two opening scenes give me. It is important that I show uprising suspense during the scene as it is done by these to films. The momentum will add more interest to the audience making my piece more enjoyable to watch. Action movie audiences are there to have a fun viewing experience and I will be sure to deliver.

    That is it for today blog! I will see you tomorrow on more film research. Till next time!

A Step Up to the Next Path

     Hello blog! From this moment on, my blog post will take a slight turn. I will be starting my portfolio project which has developed many big expectations on my part. This post will contain my brainstorming process and my initiative approach to the start of this journey.

    My initial idea is to have a character development approach. This idea is heavily inspired from the opening scene of the film "Stranger than Fiction" starring Will Ferrell. I was amazed how much an opening scene can impact a character's development before any major events happen in the film. The voice over technique used also covered most of the explaining which has the viewer free of any confusion or doubts about the foundation of the character's personality.

    Another one of my options will surely be developing the tone of the film early on. The tone of the film is one of the most important aspects to a production since it influences the feeling of the film to the consumer. Tone development in horror movies are always a great example of this since the conflict is almost always brought in during the first opening scene.

    I am extremely excited to start this new project and give the best of me for the next coming months. I hope that you guys stay along to witness my experience along this journey of thrill and academic greatness. See you all soon!

Link to opening scene "Stranger than Fiction": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDwTQ57YyzI

Music Marketing Blog Post #2

     The beginning of this project was tough starting with the brainstorming system since it was difficult to plan our music video. We decided to choose "Me and Your Mama" by Childish Gambino since we were all familiar with this song. We were able to break down the lyrics very well and make a connection from the lyrics to our artist. Since we all listen to hip hop music, creating our overall brand was not that challenging for us. Our music research was mainly based on some of our favorite artists like Kanye West and Drake. We later researched marketing strategies for some of the most famous artists in the hip hop genre to understand how artists work in this genre. I found making the presentation an interesting project and I enjoyed doing it with my group. We decided to divide the different parts of the presentation before we started and it worked in our favor. The most challenging part was the music video. We had to make some changes since we were not seeing similarities with the music video and our campaign. I think we could have planned the music video a lot better and came up with a more interesting music video.

    This project taught me a lot on how to manage my time. The addition of time that was given with this project made me realize to cherish the original time given to me. What I most enjoyed was learning about how the marketing works around the hip hop and funk genre because listening to their music does not show all of the hard work that is put in before releasing songs. The best aspect of this project is the research. The new research strategies that I learned through out this project will help me immensely during the upcoming portfolio project. 

Research and brainstorming/planning for my music video/brand development project

     Hello blog! It's me once again. This blog post will consist of my new in progress music video/brand development project on the hip hop/funk genre. My group was excited to get the song "Me and Your Mama" by Childish Gambino as one of the selections to make a music video on. All four of us are familiar with this song and we believe that we can do some good work on this project using this song. Due to the presence of mixed emotions in the song, we decided to make our brand to be emotional and relatable to our fans when it comes to love in order to receive as much listeners but also create a relationship from consumer to artist. The research to create our artists persona was fairly since we all are familiar with similar artist in the same genre with similar personality.

    Although our research was easy, we ran into some problems during the planning stage. We had difficulty finding what story to tell during our music video as well as the shots that will be used during the production of our video. In the end, we found a story that we stuck to that will do the job for our project. However, the planning for our branding was a lot smoother. We based our brand around artists like Pharrell Williams, Drake, and Kanye West. What they all have in common is that they all have clothing lines and could also be known for their fashion styles. We believe that being just as active on merch than on music will give our artists a different level of presence in several different marketing audiences.

    Our last and most important process of the project is the music video. After the struggles we had during the planning, we finally organized a plan to divide the filming and get our videos done as fast as possible. We made sure to match the shots to the lyrics of the song to make the video as most accurate as possible. We are also looking to using unique editing styles after we are done filming to help our project stand out from the rest. We will make sure to make this video feel magical and unique when it is time to present our project.    

Representation Post: Fresh Prince of Bel Air

 "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" is remembered as an iconic sitcom that dove into family values while making people laugh and learn about different backgrounds in a family. The main character "Will Smith" consists of an African American boy who lives in an unsafe neighborhood in Philadelphia that moves to Bel Air to live with his wealthy family members in order to fix some personal issues.

It was quite unique to see an African American actor lead in such a big role in a TV show at the time it was produced as well as having a lifestyle of wealth involved in the show. The main purpose of the show is to get Will to belong in his new home while encountering obstacles and new challenges he hasn't faced before. This particular aspect of the show perfectly represents the situation that some African Americans face in today's world due to racism and lack of support from society. Some episodes send a direct message to the consumers to inform real-life problems of prejudice, inequalities, and favoritism through a clever humorous approach toward the episodes.

This representation may not be like by some people but it represents a family that has values and understands where they came from but also who they represent. The series has an effect on the viewer that no matter where you come from or where you will end up in, there will always be a place to adapt and fit in as your own person. Although Will acquires pop culture and street persona in a rich neighborhood, Will ends up finding the right place in his family and his social circle in his new home.

As the series showcases the effects of social isolation that African Americans are prone to, it delivers a beautiful message that there will always be a place where people will be loved by others. As viewers reminisce about the adventures of Will in the Banks household, the show's enduring legacy serves as a reminder of its cultural significance, encouraging discussions about societal issues and the value of embracing diversity and acceptance in today's world.