May I present to you...

Hello!

May I present to you, the film opening you have been waiting for, Welcome Home!

Click this link to access my film opening:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=16UHs6KcA5PlcIXXVS6evt456xdDF4_Us

Thank you for following me through this journey! It was an eye-opening experience I will never forget.

The Perfect Font

Hello! After thinking about what the perfect film title shot would look like over the past couple of days, I have chosen the perfect font! Take a look:

Film Title Shot

For the film title shot during the credits in my opening, I have decided to use the Secret Typewriter font. I chose this font because it effectively sets the tone of my production. In just two minutes, it is hard to effectively convey tone to the viewer. So, the use of this font will help give the viewer visual cues that the film may not be as "happy" as it seems. In addition to using this font, I also put a darker filter over this clip. This way, the overt brightness that was in the shot previously will not confuse the viewer by having a conflicting, happier tone. Also, because the name of the film is the most important part of all the credits, I made the title bigger than all the other words that were shown before. This way, the title will pop in the viewer's face and will grab their interest even further.

With all these different components going into this one shot, I am confident that I have created the PERFECT film title shot. Stay tuned for more!

I just can't decide...

Hello! Today, I played around with all the fonts on WeVideo and I found my top three favorites. Take a look:

Merriwether

Merriwether was the original font I picked when I was editing my film opening. I liked it, but after researching fonts more, I thought I could take a better look at others. I found that this was still in my top three favorites, so this one is good for now.

Secret Typewriter

Secret Typewriter is one of my favorites. It has a grim look to it and sets the tone for the rest of the opening. It is unique and looks different from the other fonts I looked at, so that is why this one caught my eye. 

Sanchez

Sanchez is a very nice-looking font. This serif-style font fits well with the theme of the opening because when you think of "Welcoming Home," you think of comfort. This font looks very comfortable and can help reinforce the idea of the "double-sided" title that I came up with. It can trick the viewer into thinking that the film will be happy but then they will realize that the "Welcome Home" means something else as the film progresses.


I will need to take some more time to figure out which font I will use in my film opening. Until then, Stay Tuned!

FoNtS

HeLlO! I hAvE a QuEsTiOn...

What made you click on this blog post over all the rest? Did the title stand out against the rest? Keep this in mind as you read the rest of this post...

As I have already demonstrated, every part of my film opening is a conscious decision that is meant to set the tone or achieve the purpose of my production. One conscious decision I made during the development process of my opening is the use of a specific font.

Fonts are an incredibly important yet widely overlooked portion of a film. Most films that are streamed will lose their viewers within the first 15 seconds of its playing (Film Shortage, 2010, p.1). This demonstrates how crucial the opening of a film is to the overall production. An effective font can serve to grab the attention of the viewer, which is an important part of a film opening.

Not only should the font grab the attention of the viewer, but it also should set the tone of the production. Take a look at these film titles. Pay close attention to the font that is used.

In some film titles, the font serves to establish the setting of the film. In the case of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the font mimics the font of the world-famous Hollywood Sign in California. Pretend the title was written in this font. How would the viewer know which Hollywood the film is taking place in? Hollywood, Florida? Hollywood, Georgia? This specific font tells the viewer that the film will be set in Hollywood, California.

In other film titles, the font serves to establish the tone of the film. For example, if the film title "SE7EN" was written in this font, it would tell the viewer nothing about the production. However, because it is written in a faded, bold, two-toned font, it is effective in setting the tone of the film as ominous, dark, and scary.

However, according to Film Shortage, there are some fonts you should never use for your production. Not only does this include common fonts like Times New Roman and Arial, but it also includes fonts that are iconic of other productions or brands. For example, Disney is a brand that uses a very iconic font for all aspects of its corporation. When a consumer sees the Disney font, they immediately think of Disney. Take a look at this photo:

Even though those words don't say "Disney" chances are that you associated them with Disney due to them being in Disney's signature font. For these reasons, it is important I stay away from fonts that are iconic of other brands, businesses, or productions.

With these concepts in mind, I will search for a new font that will better fit my production. Stay tuned to see what I find!

References:

Film Shortage. Typography And Titles in Film. Retrieved from https://filmshortage.com/typography-and-titles-in-film/

May, J. (4 Oct, 2010). Smashing Magazine. The Art Of Film Title Design Throughout Cinema History. Retrieved from https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/10/the-art-of-the-film-title-throughout-cinema-history/#top

Second Edit

Hello! Today, I continued to edit my film opening. May I say, it has come together into an incredible opening. I still have some work to do, but it is in pretty good shape right now. Take a look!

Film Opening Second Edit

https://www.wevideo.com/view/1624030828

Music

Before today, I felt that my film opening was too silent. Due to the fact that there is no dialogue in the opening, I had to be careful to make sure that sound elements were used effectively. I used clips from two free, uncopyrighted songs: 100 Seconds and Sorrow in Raindrops. I picked these songs because their dramatic, ominous, and suspenseful tone is effective in setting the tone of the opening and grabbing the user's attention.

I had to get very creative with pairing the music with the visuals. I only wanted some parts of the songs and not others and I wanted certain sounds to be paired with certain moments in the opening. For example, the song 100 seconds is one minute and 40 seconds long (100 seconds... lol) but I only used the first three seconds of it in my opening. The tone of the rest of the song did not match the tone I was going for, but I really liked the first few seconds of it. So, I copied the first three seconds three times, and for each copy I had the volume level decrease. This created a loop where the three repeated audio segments flowed smoothly. I haven't had much experience in sound editing, so I was very impressed by how good it sounded.

Below are the full references for the songs

100 Seconds by Punch Deck | https://soundcloud.com/punch-deck
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US\

Sorrow in Raindrops by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Within the next few days, I will finalize the film opening. Stay tuned to see how it looks!

Filming Day 2 & Editing

Hello! Today, I left my house for the first time in days to film the second part of my film opening. Take a look!

Here is the full rough draft:

https://www.wevideo.com/view/1619372781

Take-Two

While editing the material from my first day of filming, I found that the shot of the female character walking past the photo of her family was not effective in conveying her sense of distress. Today, I decided to re-shoot that shot. It came out much better the second time around; it effectively hints to the viewer that her family has passed and that she is saddened by their loss. Take a look at the difference between the two clips!

DAY ONE
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1G-2oaYK9HzyG__4MqcAr5nZRMRFyggq1

DAY TWO
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1OXDgZLl00QglDpLcbBXpYnLBZUmKKj-m
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1LA4WzytwzbetiNecwgACEkRuB003W59u

Improvise, adapt, overcome

When my mother and I arrived at the park, we ran into a small issue, the park was closed! In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, all parks in my community have been shut down until further notice. My feelings of anxiety did not last for long, as I spotted a maintenance worker who unlocked the gate for me so I could get a few shots of the park. I am very grateful that the maintenance worker helped me solve this problem. At times like these, it is important to be kind to one another and help those in need, just like the maintenance worker did for me.

Within the next few days, I will be cutting my video down to two minutes and adding sound elements. Stay tuned!

Editing Update

Hello! During my time at home yesterday and today, I have started editing the first portion of my film opening. Take a look at this rough draft:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1YPvxEnUyjp-ktg5Vv5ktesIrihOFDc7E

After putting this piece together, I have found some problems with my production:

First, it is longer than I expected. The opening is already 1 minute and 27 seconds long. This is a challenge because that only gives me thirty seconds for the rest of the opening. It is possible to include the second portion in thirty seconds, but it may be more complicated than I realize. 

Second, something I found during my editing was that it was hard to convey movement and setting changes without showing the full range of motion. For example, when the female character was making her cereal, I originally filmed the whole process (i.e. getting out the bowl, taking the cereal out of the pantry, getting a spoon) but only included one part of it (putting the cereal in the bowl). I am still on the fence about that portion of the video because I feel that it does not flow with the rest of the production, as it is put together with lots of quick cuts. In the next part of my filming, I will have to deal with this same problem when the female is driving to the park. I can't show the whole process of her leaving the house and driving away because it will take too much time. So, I plan to only include a shot of her pulling in to the park. This will make the viewers assume that she went from her house to the park without actually showing it.

Coronavirus Update:

I am still stuck at home, as my community has been asked to practice social distancing. Therefore, I waiting for guidance as to how I should continue with this project. I am going to try to meet with my cousin for a very short period of time this week to film his short portion of the opening. However, I am unsure about whether or not I will be permitted, as matters are only getting worse.

Stay tuned!

Actors

Hello! Yesterday, I sat down with my family to discuss finding actors for this project. I do not have anyone in my direct family that could fit the description of the child character, so my mother came up with the idea of my little cousin, Jayson. She also volunteered to play the female character in the film. As I learned from my group meeting, it is important to have someone who the young actor is comfortable with to play the female role. Having my younger cousin and his aunt (my mother) playing these roles will ensure that no one is uncomfortable throughout this process. Here are the lead actors/actresses in Coming Home:

Female Antagonist:

Played by Lori

Age: 51

Lori is my mother. She usually tells me what to do, so it will be interesting to see the tables turned with me as director! She has a bubbly and fun personality, so she will need to act with a much darker persona than normal. Additionally, we will have to give her a small makeover to make her look less put together than how she usually looks.

Young Child:

Played by Jayson

Age:13

Jayson is my little cousin. He is a rambunctious ball of energy but sometimes can be a little shy. He is 13 years old, but he looks much younger so he will have no problem looking like a child for the film opening. Having my family member play this role eliminates the possibility of making the young child feel uncomfortable while filming, as he is comfortable around my mom and I.

How lucky am I to have such an amazing family that is willing to volunteer their time to help me with this project? Together, we will make this production incredible! Stay tuned to see how it comes out!

Location Scouting Day 2

Hello! Today, I scouted a location for the indoor portion of my film opening! I did not have to go very far, because I found that my own house would be the best and most practical place to film this portion. Here are some locations in my house I will be filming:

Dining Room

This dining room will be an excellent location for the most important shot in my opening, the shot of the woman eating dinner alone in a dark room. This shot is so important because it will help establish the character as a lonely individual who has a dark personal life. This location is one of the few areas in my house that can get dark enough for me to film this shot. Also, there is a lot of space behind the table, which will serve as a break from the tight shots of the character and will further demonstrate her character as lonely. 

My Room

My room is the best room in the house for me to film my "bedroom preparation" scene. In this scene, the woman will tidy up the room and put a stuffed animal on the bed in preparation for her new housemate. This scene will serve to create suspense, as it will forshadow that the woman is preparing for something odd. My room is the best place to use because I would not need to find any props to use and it can get very dark. This will allow me to film shots that will be effective in creating suspense and a dark mood.

I will be moving into the filming process within the next week! Stay tuned to see how this all comes together!

Location Scouting Day 1

Hello! Today, I drove around my city looking for a location to film the playground portion of my film opening! I went to three different parks, take a look!

Hunter's Pointe Park

This park is a beautiful location to film. Complete with a covered area, a two-story playground, and a lake, this is a  very strong choice. However, I have a problem with this location, as it is very bright and somewhat bland compared to the other parks. The playground does not have many elements and the park does not seem like it would match the story I am trying to tell. It looks too much like a vacation destination, not like an average park in an average town.

Jardin Park

This is Jardin park, another beautiful location in my community. This is a great location, but there is one thing that is stopping me from using it as my filming location. In the background of the second picture is a road, which is connected to a parking lot that is just out of frame on the left-hand side of the photo. Having this location so close to a road/parking lot will make it hard to control continuity error in my film because I will have no way to keep cars out of my shots. Continuity error can appear if a car moves when I am in the middle of my filming, as one second a car will be there and the next second it disappears. For this reason, I will not choose to film at Jardin Park. I must say, however, I have realized that my community looks more like a vacation spot than an actual town! These are some beautiful pictures!

Oakbrook Park

This is Oakbrook park, the location I have decided to film the playground portion of my film opening at. There are many reasons why Oakbrook park is the best location to film.

First, it is the only park that is not solely surrounded by palm trees. Although these palms are quite majestic, they do not fit the setting I am trying to develop for my film opening, as they stand out and take focus away from the characters. In addition, the trees at Oakbrook park give more shade than the trees at the other parks do. This will allow me to be able to have multiple different lightings that I can choose from based on how I want that shot to feel. For example, at the beginning of the opening during the credits, I want the shots to be bright and fun. During the scene where the female approaches the child, I want the shots to be a lot darker. This location will allow me to do just that.

Secondly, it is far enough away from any surrounding roads that no cars will get in any of my shots, so I will not have to worry about continuity error.

There we have it! I will be using Oakbrook park as my filming location for the playground portions of my film opening. I am excited to be filming at such a beautiful location.

Changes to the Outline

Hello! After reviewing my storyboards and outlines, I have decided to make some changes to my idea in order to create a better film opening.

First, instead of conveying the female character as mentally unstable from the start, I will make her seem like a normal woman throughout the film opening. Before, I was trying to show too much change in too little time. Instead, I will only show her as a normal woman throughout the duration of my film opening, as it is only serving to introduce the character, not show how she changes throughout the whole film.

Furthermore, I will not include the scene where the female character has a breakdown, crying and damaging stuff around her house. Instead, I will replace it with a scene of the subject preparing the room she will keep the child in by making the bed and placing a teddy bear on the pillow followed by her eating dinner alone in a dark house. The shot of her eating dinner alone will be especially important, as it will depict the extent of her loneliness, which further develops her character.

These changes will help to create a more effective film opening for my project. I can't wait to see how they look!

Group Meetings

Hello! Today in class, I participated in a group discussion with a few of my peers. During this discussion, we each presented our ideas and gave feedback to each other. This discussion made me feel confident in my project, as my peers loved the idea of challenging stereotypes by featuring a female criminal. Additionally, they were impressed by my research of serial killers, sexual abusers, and kidnappers that will help me create a character with the correct qualities for my film.

I got some advice about a problem I was having regarding editing my opening. I do not own any advanced editing software, so I asked my peers what they recommend. One of my peers recommended using the free trial of Final Cut Pro to see how I like it, then purchasing it to use for future projects if necessary. Another peer argued against this, stating that I should not start with services like Final Cut Pro and Premiere because they are too advanced to just start learning how to use now. Based on my peers' advice, I will use a platform called WeVideo, as it is easy to use and is given to me by my school.

Another problem I got advice about was how I should go about finding actors for the opening. It was recommended to me that I should focus on finding a real mother-son duo to play the role. The purpose of doing this would be to make the young child comfortable with doing what is asked of him, as he may be uncomfortable with being directed by someone he doesn't know or isn't comfortable with. This would be important, as I would never want to make anyone feel uncomfortable when they volunteer to act in this project.

This discussion was a great way of answering some questions I had and getting some advice for my opening. Moving forward, I am now more confident that this project will be a huge success!

I picked the perfect name...

Hello! After consulting with my peers and doing more brainstorming, I have chosen a name for my production! Here is a description of the process that I went through to pick the name:

After eliminating a portion of my names after my name game, I had these names remaining:

• Stranger Danger
• A New Life
• A Mother's Love
• My Son
• Vacancy
• Black Street
• Columbus Hill
• Welcome Home
• Home Sweet Home

To narrow the list down, I talked to my parents and they said that these names were the most effective for my film idea:

• Stranger Danger
• A Mother's Love
• Vacancy
• Columbus Hill
• Welcome Home
• Home Sweet Home

From this list, I looked up those names and I found that "A Mother's Love", "Vacancy", "Welcome Home" and "Home Sweet Home"  were already taken by other productions. I was disappointed because, in my opinion, those were the most effective names for my film opening. After taking those names off the list, I was left with:

• Stranger Danger
• Columbus Hill

I truly did not think that either of these names were appropriate for my piece. They did not match the tone I was trying to establish and would have been ineffective. Instead of picking from these two names, I have decided on naming my film...

Welcome Home

Although this name is not the most unique of the bunch, I have decided that it would be the best fit my film. I want to convey the idea that the "mother" (a.k.a. the kidnapper) is blind to the fact that she is causing harm to an innocent child. Furthermore, I want to show that in her mind, there is nothing wrong keeping the child, as she is doing what she is doing out of love and not out of evil. 

"Welcome Home" is a good name for this idea because it can be seen from multiple perspectives. Think of it like this: from the "mother's" view, it can be taken as a genuine welcome home, as she has brought the child back to what she thinks is now his home. On the other hand, it can be looked at with a more ominous perspective. In this perspective, the home can be seen as a resting place, somewhere where someone will stay for the rest of their lives without leaving. For example, someone who is dying and will be buried or kept in one place for eternity is sometimes described as someone who is "going home."

"Welcome Home" is a perfect name to represent the characters' conflicting viewpoints of what occurs in the film. From the "mother's" perspective, she sees it as her doing a good deed by bringing a child to a safe environment that she sees as home. The "son" is oblivious to what is happening to him and sees nothing wrong, but the viewers understand what is truly occurring. The viewers, who are taking the perspective of the "son", see it as the boy being taken against his will and being a victim of a horrible crime.

I can't wait to see how "Welcome Home" comes to life! Stay Tuned!

Something you've never seen before...

Hello! Today, I decided on an idea that I will create my film opening on!

Mason's Media Studies Studios will create a...

Female Criminal Film

I decided on creating a female criminal film because it was a unique and engaging idea that challenges societal stereotypes.

Here is a rough outline of what the film opening will look like:

1. Opening
1. Mason's Media Studies Studios (MMSS) logo
2. Title- Fade to establishing shot of female in the car outside of a park
3. Close-up of a boy playing on the playground
2. Home 
1. The female drives home and eats dinner alone in a dark house.
2. Series of shots with pictures of (assumed to be) deceased husband on the wall.
3. Female prepares basement for child
3. Park
1. The female gets out of the car, clearly distressed.
2. Female walks to the child sitting on a bench.
3. The child turns and faces the female.
4. END

I will work on more details this week, so stay tuned!