Planning blog : #3 storyboard

 

This is my storyboard for my final task. 

- scene 1: This is an establishing shot of the House that the murder takes place. It also Says NE studios presents

-scene 2: Zoom in of the door opening and person walking in. As well as the name CINEMA CITIES 

- scene 3: Close up of a person walking into the room and screaming ( Nikki) 

- scene 4: Point of view shot of the body (which is what Nikki is seeing) with the Title credit to the actor... Elise Andrews 

- scene 5: medium shot of Nikki being interviewed at the table (music ques) and Title credit to the actor ... Nicole Rapanos 

- scene 6: same medium shot of Luka being interviewed at the counter. Title credit to actor, Luka hartt. 

- scene 7: medium shot of Luka getting a call about the body and running. This fades into the next scene

- scene 8: over the shoulder shot of Luka trying to come in (but the doors are locked) 

- Scene 9: another medium shot of police officer at the table being interviewed with Name credit given to actor.

- scene 10: the police officer checks all the windows and doors (eye level shot)

- scene 11- split screen, police officer investigates the crime scene 

- scene 12: another medium shot(finaly interview with the police officer) 

- scene 13: wide shot of police station.. with our movie title 'when no one saw her' 

- scene 14: police officer picks up coffee, and a jump cut to him getting a call from the detective

- scene 15: the police officer picks up the phone call(close up/ zoom)

- scene 16: police officer puts coffee down and rushes out of shop ( plus Music By: .. title is shown) 

- scene 17: jump cut to luka and Nikki talking 

- scene 18: shot reverse shot of Luka when he's talking to Nikki

- scene 19: then the shot of Nikki in the conversation

- scene 20: high angle shot of Nikki walking into the kitchen and getting out the vegetables. Title: edited by, Elise Andrews is flashed on screen. 

- scene 21: Nikki picks up the knife and sees it covered in blood (tilt) 

- scene 22: low angle of Nikki screaming and running to Luka with knife . Title : produced by Nicole Rapanos/ Elise Andrews on screen. 

- scene 23: jump cut of Luka running into kitchen

- scene 24- Nikki points to bloody knife and Lukas eyes widen . Title: story by Elise Andrews/ Nicole Rapanos.

- scene 25: investigator (still unseen) sips coffee

- scene 26: point of view shot of files on the desk at station . Title: directed by Elise Andrews/ Nicole Rapanos. 

- scene 27: police officer rushes in the room

- scene 28- over the shoulder shot of investigator talking to officer 

- scene 29- Extreme close up of the phone and it's text

- scene 30: screen goes blank: directed by Robert Glome on screen

Planning blog #2: title design

 

Font: The fonts I will be using for this project is cc-thriller and Halftone. CC-Thriller will be used for the titles of the actors, edited by, produced by, etc. Halftone will be used for the movie title and in the last scene for directed by.

Contrast: The titles using CC-Thriller will be white with a red outline to make sure they stand out and can casily be seen. The titles using Halftone will be either red with a white/black outline or maybe black with a red outline. 

The CC-Thriller titles will be smaller, but the outline will make sure they are still very visible. The other titles using Halftone, which are the more important titles, will be a lot larger. They will probably take up most of the screen.

Working Title: Right now, the title of my film is "When No One Saw Her." I don't think this will change as I feel it fits the story very well.

How will the titles enter and leave the screen? :

Most of the titles will fade in and out of the scenes, while some will suddenly appear for dramatic effect.

The smaller titles will fade while larger, more important titles such as the film title and directed by will suddenly appear on the screen. This would make them stand out more to the audience and provoke a sense

How long will each title be on screen before it disappears? :

The smaller titles will be on screen for about 5-6 seconds before fading away. The larger titles will be on screen for a little longer, about 8-9 seconds, so that the audience will see that they are important and pay more attention to them.

Planning blog 1: final task

 

Script:

House

Nicole walks into the house and see the body. 

Nicole 

*Screams*

Cut to Interview room

Investigator

"So, Nicole, tell me what happened."

Nicole

"I have no idea! I was coming home from the store, and as I walked inside, I saw her. It was horrible."

Investigator

"Do you know if anyone else was home?"

Nicole

"No, the house should have been empty. I was waiting for Luka to come over that afternoon."

Cut to Luka in the Interview room

Investigator

"Luka, were you at the house when Nicole found the body?"

Luka

"No, I wasn't. I was coming over later, but she called me after calling the cops and I hurried over. 

Flashback of Luka getting the call

Investigator

"And you didn't see signs of anyone breaking in? Or checked that anyone was there?"

 Luka

"No. All the doors were locked and windows intact, and the police searched the entire house. There was definitely no one there."

 Investigator

"Okay. Next question..."

Cut to Investigator interviewing a police officer that searched the crime scene

Investigator

"Were you the first one to arrive at the scene?"

Officer

"Yes, me and the rest of my officers. When we got here, Nicole and Luka were waiting outside, both looked shaken and terrified. They told us the body was in the kitchen right when you walked in, so we went in to look. It definitely looks like a homicide."

Cut to officers looking for the body and investigating the crime scene

Officer #1

"It looks like she was killed recently. Within the last hour or two."

Officer #2

"Yeah. Did you check the doors and windows?"

Officer #1

"Yup, all locked tight. There are no footprints or anything around the body, it looks undisturbed."

Officer #2

"No sign of a weapon either. This'll be a tough one."

Cut back to interview room

Officer

"I have my whole team on it right now. We're going to figure it out."

Investigator 

"Good luck. Thank you, Officer."

Shot of police station with move title

Shot of Officer picking up a coffee in coffee shop

*Phone rings*

Officer 

"Hello?"

Investigator

"Hey, it's me. Are you at the station? We found something, and we need to show you, now."

Officer

"I'm on my way. Meet me there."

Officer puts coffee down and rushes out

Cut to Nicole and Luka on the couch at the house, talking

Nicole

"I can't even believe it. I mean, last time we saw her.."

Luka

"I know. Something was wrong. But she said it was just work. Do you think maybe...she lied?"

Nicole

"Maybe. I don't even know anymore. She called me a couple days before...she said her and her sister got in a fight, and her sister was going to move back home. Still, she said they had worked everything out. I just don't know what or who to believe."

Luka

"Me either. Hey, it's getting late. You need to eat something."

Nicole:

"Yeah. I think i'll cook something. I need to distract myself."

Nicole goes to the kitchen and gets out some vegetables. She reaches for a knife.

Nicole

*Gasps* "LUKA!"

Luka runs into the kitchen

Luka 

"What is it what's wrong?"

Nicole points to the knife, horror on her face. It's covered in dried blood.

Cut to the police station

Officer walks inside

Officer

"What did you find?"

Investigator

"I got a call from the victim's mother today. Her sister was supposed to arrive home yesterday, and move back in with the mother. But she never showed up."

Officer

"And no one has any idea where she is?"

Investigator

"None. But when we searched the victim's phone, we checked their messages. The sister sent one the morning of the murder."

Officer

"Well? what did it say? I don't have time for suspense, detective. I have a murder to solve."

Investigator

"It said; 'You should really change your locks.'"

       

Schedule

2/10-2/12: Filming will begin. We will film all the scenes at the house the first day, then use the next couple days to film the scenes at the police station and the coffee shop. 

2/13-2/14: These will be backup days in case we cannot film on one of the previous dates. 

2/15-2/20: I will begin editing the videos. I will cut the clips, arrange them, color grade them, etc. I will also add in the music.

2/20-2/25: I will finish editing, put in the sound effects and titles. I will also put in the voiceovers and make sure the final video is smooth and the audio sounds good. I will also make sure the story makes sense and is interesting.

3/1-3/2: I will upload the final task on my blog.

Location

-Nicole's house

-Elise's house

-Outside of police station

-Coffee Shop

Participants

Actors:

-Elise Andrews

-Nicole Rapanos

-Derek Landivar

-Luka Hartt

Filming:

-Elise Andrews

-Nicole Rapanos

Editing:

-Elise Andrews

Directing:

-Robert Glome

Health and Safety

There should not be any dangerous scenes in our film. However when Nicole handles the knife we will make sure it is handled safely and is dulled. We will also have our parents nearby in case we need help. We will have a first aid kit as well, especially for any scenes with running in case somebody gets injured. 

Our parents will be there at the house to help us if we need it, they have a first aid kit there and know what to do if one of us gets hurt. We will also all have phones to call 911 if there is an emergency.

Backup Plan

We have built in extra dates to our schedule in case we cannot film on the original dates we wanted to. If we cannot film at Nicole's or Elise's house, we can film at one of the other actors houses. We also have coffee machines in case we cannot go to the coffee shop, so we can still have a cup of coffee to use as a prop.

Title design research : Run Lola Run

What titles are splayed during the opening sequences?

- It opens with a poem by TS. Eliot, with simple white text on a black background. It then fades to black, and a pendulum begins to swing across the screen, revealing each title. After this there is a montage of a crowd, which fades out to for the title "Run Lola Run", before turning to a short animated sequence to show more tiles of people who worked on the film. Then, a picture of each actor along with their title is shown to conclude the sequence.

What images are prioritized in the opening sequence and why do you think they were chosen?

- There are many images shown in the sequence. It begins with a pendulum, clock, and lion each over a black background. Then, there is a montage of a crowd who forms the title when zoomed out on from above lt transfers to an animated sequence of the main character running, creating a sense of urgency. The simple green background with the mugshots and tiles of the actors following this juxtaposes it. These quickly changing scenes, as well as how different they all are, were chosen to illustrate the main character's race against time throughout the film. They show the clamor and confusion experienced through each image, building the atmosphere of the film.

How does the film establish a feeling of the genre from the outset? What did you see that made you feel that way?

- It establishes the atmosphere of the film, and how the main character is struggling against time, creating a sense of fear and desperation common in the thriller genre. It does this mostly through its use of imagery throughout the title sequence, as they are constantly changing and shifting, making it difficult to keep up with what is happening, conveying fear and urgency.

 

Title design research: ManHunt

 What titles are displayed during the opening sequences?

- The sequence begins with the names of the actors and directors. It lists the main people in and who worked on the movie. Then, at the end of the sequence, the title ("Zwart Water" in Dutch), zooms in from the middle of the screen as the background fades to black.

What images are prioritized in the opening sequence and why do you think they were chosen?

-The images in the opening sequence are blurry and dull. They show children running and playing, without showing their faces. This conveys a sense of mystery and suspense. The ink blots over the images also add to this. As the website "Watch the Titles" states, these images were chosen to use innocent looking scenes to evoke a sense of threat to foreshadow the atmosphere of the movie.

 How does the film establish a feeling of the genre from the outset? Why did you see that made you feel that way?

- It uses big, blocky text (solid sans serif), to give a decayed look which aligns with the thriller genre. This also helps focus the attention on the imagery. These dark, blurred scenes covered by ink blots which seem to seep into them, conveys a sense of darkness leaking onto the innocent depictions of the two children.

This establishes the suspense, mystery, and fear that is prevalent in the thriller genre.

Title design Research: Two Eyes Staring

 

 What titles are displayed during the opening sequences?

- The sequence begins with the names of the actors and directors. It lists the main people in and who worked on the movie. Then, at the end of the sequence, the title ("Zwart Water" in Dutch), zooms in from the middle of the screen as the background fades to black.

What images are prioritized in the opening sequence and why do you think they were chosen?

- The images in the opening sequence are blurry and dull. They show children running and playing, without showing their faces. This conveys a sense of mystery and suspense. The ink blots over the images also add to this. As the website "Watch the Titles" states, these images were chosen to use innocent looking scenes to evoke a sense of threat to foreshadow the atmosphere of the movie.

How does the film establish a feeling of the genre from the outset? Why did you see that made you feel that way?

-It uses big, blocky text (solid sans serif), to give a decayed look which aligns with the thriller genre. This also helps focus the attention on the imagery. These dark, blurred scenes covered by ink blots which seem to seep into them, conveys a sense of darkness leaking onto the innocent depictions of the two children.

This establishes the suspense, mystery, and fear that is prevalent in the thriller genre.

Movie research: Long Legs

 

• What conventions of the genre that you chose to base your final task on does this movie have?

- I am going to base my final task on conventions like quiet, and uneasy sounds  , rather than loud jumpscares. In this particular movie, instead of abiding to the normal conventions of a thriller, it has more of an individual style to it. Usually, the music and sound is loud and tries to scare the audience.. but in this movie , it is more eerie and ambient, quiet noise. This is a very cool thing to incorporate into my film, this is also due to the simplicity of it.

• What conventions of the genre did the movie have that you liked and why?

- I really liked how this movie had psychological themes . I really like psychology and in film, I think it's important to incorporate those aspects into it. Especially in movies like thrillers. This also contributes to that eerie and almost slow pace plot. This makes the movie very likely to hook the audience and capture that creepy theme. 

• What conventions of the genre did the movie have that did not appeal to you and you are thinking of not filming for your final task and why?

-This movie has a lot in the plot that relates to possessed dolls and devil worship. This is somthing I am not always particularly a big fan of. In my film I'm definitely not going to use that as any part of the plot. Usually things involving possession and cults take away from the actual plot and come off as lazy. In my project, I will focus more on a good plotline rather than those themes. 

Movie research: Knives out

 

• What conventions of the genre that you chose to base your final task on does this movie have?

- This movie has the classic conventions of people who have motives against eachother. In movies like thrillers, specifically ones that are based around murder mysteries; the characters are always talked about in depth and the audience always knows at least a bit of information on them. I definitely want to try involve this sort of convention in my project, I believe this makes it easier to grasp the audience and keep them hooked. 

• What conventions of the genre did the movie have that you liked and why?

- I liked the fact that their was a big , spooky, rich house. In thrillers, the setting is crucial, and in this specific one.. they made sure that the atmosphere was perfect. To add to the suspense-full plot, the entire house and setting created this eerie open space filled with characters and people. This keeps the audience in a spooky headspace and keeps them curious about what may go wrong. 

• What conventions of the genre did the movie have that did not appeal to you and you are thinking of not filming for your final task and why?

- I think this movie is a perfect example of a thriller, but what I didn't like specifically about it in particular was the fact that the family was trapped together . In these sorts of movies, a classic convention would be trapping characters together to create tension and suspicion. I dont think this is always necessary when it comes to a movie. I believe that level of tension isn't always crucial and I will not be adding this to my project. 

Movie research: The Housemaid

 

• What conventions of the genre that you chose to base your final task on does this movie have?

- My final task will be based on conventions I noticed. Things like building suspense, and excitement. This will be done through a fast pace style plot and development. This involves the protagonist doing things like racing and running , scrambling to get somewhere . In the housemaid she was found in a very mysterious and manipulative situation.  

• What conventions of the genre did the movie have that you liked and why?

- I liked the fact that they took a protagonist who wanted a "fresh start" in the film. Often times when the characters are not happy with parts and their life and need a new start, it puts them in situations that they may never usually find themselves in. Thus, the whole convention of a thriller. 

• What conventions of the genre did the movie have that did not appeal to you and you are thinking of not filming for your final task and why?

- one of the things I didn't particularly like about this story was a very  stereotypical convention for a horror movie. I didn't like the fact that this protagonist was seen as "naive" and in a vulnerable state. I don't always like the idea that this protagonist NEEDS to be in this state in order to fall into the traps of a classic thriller. In our video we will make it just the average person who falls into these struggles. 

Genre Decision Blog

 I decided to choose Thriller as my genre choice. Between the three genres I studied, thrillers are by far my favorite. They are the most entertaining to me. These movies, when I watch them are always so interesting and I am always hooked into the plot. Movies like the Grudge are very scary and creep out the audience to the point that they are focused on the plot and story. I think filming a thriller will be fun and interesting, I am very excited to start this project! 

Genre research 3: Thriller

 Common CAMS in the genre

• POV shots
• Low Angle shots
• High Angle shots
• Close-ups & Extreme close-ups
• Dolly zoom
• Slow panning/tracking shots

Common CLAMPS in the genre

• Mundane or disheveled costumes/clothing
• Darker shades of clothing
• Low lighting
• Isolated lighting
• Facial expressions to convey fear or suspense
• SPX
• Prosthetics

Common Editing in your genre

• Jump cuts
• Cross cutting
• Smash cuts
• Montage

Common Sound in your genre

• Silence
• Ambient sound
• Non-diegetic sound
• Dissonant chords
• Creaking, footsteps, breathing

Example films of your genres

• The Woman in Cabin 10
• The Housemaid
• Gone Girl
• The Grudge
• Somewhere Quiet

What elements of the genre that you like and would use if this was your genre?

I like many of the common sounds elements, such as ambient and dissonant sounds. I would use this to create suspense and heighten scenes using fast-paced music or sounds like breathing or footsteps. I also would use dark, low lighting and POV/slow panning shots to continue to build suspense. Jump cuts and cross cutting would be the editing I would most likely use.

What elements of the genre do not appeal to you, and you would not use if this was your genre?

Elements such as smash cuts and montages do not really appeal to me. I would also not use many zoom or close-up shots, and the costumes would be interesting and not really disheveled or dirty, I would not want to use simple mundane clothing and would try to create a more detailed costume that added to the mystery and suspense of the video. I would also not use prosthetics, as I din't think they would add much for my specific video idea.

Genre research 2: comedy

common CAMS

- establishing shot 

- medium shot 

-close up 

-high angle 

-eye level

- tracking shot

- zoom

Common CLAMPS 

- costume -Causal/ silly 

-lighting -bright 

- acting- silly/ comedic 

- makeup- can be silly or casual depending on plott

- props- all sorts of examples usually silly 

-sets are usually pretty casual 

Common Editing 

- fade in

- shot/ reverse shot 

- eyeline match

-fade out

- dissolve 

- jump cut 

Common Sound

- Diegetic sound 

-non- Diegetic sound 

- sound bridge 

- sound motif 

-dialogue 

- voiceover 

- ambient sound 

Example films 

- Dumb and Dumber 

- Zoolander 

- planes , trains and automobiles

- national lampoon's : Christmas vacation 

- zootopia 2 

What elements do I like and would use in my video if this was my genre?

- I like how comedies are very light and easy to watch. They have very funny and witty lines when it comes to Dialogue. I like that a lot about them. If I were to make my intro to my movie.. a comedy, it would be a lot of fun to film. The lighting is always very bright and almost cheery, I would definitely film my video like that. 

What elements do NOT appeal , and I would NOT use in my video? 

- something specific that does not appeal to me when it comes to comedies.. is the costumes and outfits.  They can be very plain and not thought out, since they are usually the average person. Nothing stands out to me about them. I definitely wouldn't use the average outfit and makeup approach. Another element would be to dissolve the scenes to conenct them,  I would rather do a jump cut and make a more dramatic switch.. to be comedic. 

Genre research 1: Action

 Common CAMS: 

- high angle

- eye level

- low angle

- pan

-tracking shot

- establishing shot 

- medium long shot 

Extreme close up

Common CLAMPS:

-costume 

- makeup

- lighting/ color design 

- props

- sets 

Common Editing: 

- jump cut

- dissolve 

- split screen 

- cross cutting 

- eyeline match 

Common sound:

- diegetic sound 

- non- diegetic sound 

- sound motif 

-voicover 

- ambient sound 

Example FILMS: 

- Die hard

- Kill Bill (Vols 1& 2) 

- James Bond: Goldfinger 

- Wonder woman 

- Avengers: End game

- Mission impossible - Fallout 

What elements do I like and would use.. if this was my genre? 

-I like the elements in action movies that make people on edge and hooked into the plott. This can be achived through jump cuts and editing. This can include the way it is filmed, and often times the catchy and simple storyline. I would use stuff like this for my film due to the elements that pull the audience in and make them want to watch. 

What elements of the genre do NOT appeal , and I would not use? 

- I do not always like how unrealistic the fighting is. Somtiems it can be too violent and too overdone. If I did my movie opening as an action movie sequence.. I would definitely cut out the overdone fighting scenes. 

Pitch Blog

 

PITCH A: Two girls are trying to live about their life and enjoy their day... while all of a sudden, things take a turn. 

- I think this would be a cool pitch since I live near a big outdoor area that we could try film at. This could be cool and fun to film due to it being spooky and I could put a lot of effort into the noises and visuals. This would also be a very doable thing to film as well, due to my friends and I not being actors and in need of something kind of easy... this would be very realistic.  

PITCH B: Best friends want to have a chill day and come home to hang out when they see something horrific and need to discover, uncover and investigate the crime before it gets put on them. 

- This would be such a cool idea due to my love for true crime and investigation. This would also be easy to pull off due to its simplicity in filming. I could set up a fake scene in my home that shows a mystery and I could spend the whole film trying to figure out who did it. True crime, and crime scene footage seems like an easy and doable thing to film. I will study movies and crime scenes to see the angles and ways to film. 

CHOSEN PITCH: Pitch B: Best friends want to have a chill day and come home to hang out when they see something horrific and need to discover, uncover and investigate the crime before it gets put on them. 

Group Blog

 I am going to continue to work with my good friend Elise! We have known eachother a long time. Due to this, we have gotten close over the years. We attended the same middle school and have been inseparable since. 

Elise is a lot of fun to work with but also a very good, hard worker. She really prioritizes stuff like school. This also makes me want to work harder and stay focused on school.  This is why I couldn't think of anybody better to work with.

We both think alike on ideas and are open to ideas. It makes the work a lot easier when you work with sombody who really listens. An example is, in middle school we did a group project together. The project was for civics, we got it done in a flash! This is all due to our good work ethic.  It was about the bill of rights and had a catchy tune to it and came across very well, everyone loved it. This is how I know we will be able to float ideas around easily and agree on them! Elise is a very talented person in many ways. She likes things like literature and music. She is a phenomenal artist and pianist! This year, it's been great to work with her! 

I look forward to completing even more work together this year. I know with our dedication and motivation to work, we will continue to do phenomenal. 

Intro Blog

 My name is Nikki, I am in media studies because I love films. 

If you look below, that is a picture of me playing live at one of my gigs. Somthing about me is that I love music, I play guitar and bass. I have been fortunate enough to play MANY shows and I love playing live music! I have also got the opportunity to record in the studio for an album multiple times. I have been playing in this band since I was 14, so I have had a lot of learning experiences and come a long way from then. Just the other day, as you can see in that photo; we played at a Cafe and record shop. We had to jump through some hurdles along the way, but it ended up being a very busy show and the crowd loved us. Despite the complications and difficulties... We still stuck by it and went on with the performance.

I am also a collecter of all sorts of physical media, including Records, CDs, cassets, DVDs, and VHS tapes. Most of my life and the way I dress is based around the music I am into, it is a nice outlet for me. 

I also am a movie enjoyer. Some of my favorite films include, Vannila sky, Eternal sunshine of a Spotless mind, memento, Deathproof and the Rocky horror picture show! I love watching movies and having sombody to talk to about the films, I find all the aspects of them very fascinating. The idea of being completely immersed and into a piece of art is something that is beautiful. 

Other than music, or school, a really nice part of my life is the fun dates I get to go on. One of our favorite spots is a little diner called Moonlight . The walls are covered with posters from movies, some of my favorites include the Pulp Fiction ones!

I look forward to watching and studying more movies.