Blog Post 8- (Film opening credit examples and storyboard outline).

 Hey Blog! It has been a long week of researching, blogging, and coming up with ideas for my film opening. In my last blog, I revealed my finalized storyboard along with my shooting schedule. In this blog, I will continue to brainstorm ideas as well as give some examples of how I will incorporate credits within my film opening. Below I created a sample of my film credits with pictures I found online that look similar to what I will be recording for my film opening. With the help of filters, I will be able to achieve the aesthetic/ vintage look I am going for.

Storyboard outline:

Following the inclusion of Ambre Productions Presents, there will be multiple shots and angles with different credits (ex: Starring Amber Diez, and Ryan Diez, Sound editing by Amber Diez, Editing and cinematography by Amber Diez, Music by ..., Produced by..., Written and Directed by Amber Diez). After all the credits are mentioned I will have my anonymous female character carry on the story by putting the letter in her bag and mailing it to Matt. I'm still unsure of where I'd like to put the title of my film. That will be decided during post-production. In my next blog, I will reflect on the production process of my film opening. Until next time :) 

Blog Post- 7 (Shooting schedule and finalized storyboard)

Hi, blog! In my last blog, I presented half of my storyboard as well as costuming options. In this blog, I will show my finalized storyboard as well as my shooting schedule. To keep organized, I decided to make a filming schedule in Canva. Canva is a fantastic platform for creating any type of graphic design. Throughout this project, I will be relying heavily on Canva to make my film opening eye-catching! I plan to film on the 12th and 13th of March. I'm eager to get started recording as soon as possible so that I'll have enough time to edit and space to deal with any issues that may occur.

YAY! Finally, I've finished my storyboard! Making the storyboard helped me come up with new ideas for each of the shots in my film's opening. I'll probably make adjustments to it since I am sure I'll come up with even better ideas throughout the days I'll be filming:) As I've mentioned in previous blogs, my main goal for my film's opening is to use numerous shots to define my character's personality. The words Ambre Productions Presents will appear at the start of my film's opening.  Following that, I'll have brief clips of the room decorations/props of my anonymous female character. All of these clips, as illustrated in my storyboard, lead to my anonymous character mailing the letter to Matt. 

Here is an example of the start of my film opening. (may change during post-production).

Blog Post-6 (storyboard/costuming options)

 Hello, blog! In my last blog, I discussed my film's opening colors, font, and set design. This blog will show you half of my storyboard and costuming options. I'd want to start my film's opening with a light pink backdrop color with the words Ambre productions presents. Then I will have several medium closeup shots to include credits and describe my character with the help of set and props. For instance, as illustrated in my storyboard, the credits will be accompanied by short clips of my anonymous female character's room to give the audience a glimpse of her personality and interests. 

Costume design plays an important but sometimes overlooked part in making a film memorable. This is why I've come up with a few different clothing ideas for my two characters (as shown in the images below). My female character favors neutral colors (greys, creams, whites, etc.) along with her favorite color... light pink. The clothing will be simple to put together because my female persona is anonymous and will not necessarily reveal herself. Matt, aka Mathew, my male character, tends to dress casually in earthy colors like blues, greens, and browns. In my next blog, I'll go through my finalized storyboard in further depth and discuss when I'll be filming/editing my film opening :)

Blog Post-5 Brainstorming (colors, fonts, set design)

Hello, blog! In my previous blogs, I discussed the genre, characters, story themes, and technical components of my film's opening scene, "The Letters." I've been brainstorming several ideas for what I'll put in my opening throughout the weekend. Colors, props, lighting, and so on. I will concentrate on color and hues during my post-production period, as I said in my one-on-one discussion in class. I'm mostly trying for an appealing color scheme because it's popular among my generation. During class, I was looking up some inspiration for the different types of shots I would like to include in my film opening. I did start creating my storyboard, but I want to make sure everything is perfect before it is set in stone. (my next blog will show a glace of my storyboard). 

I'm currently debating which font to use for my film's opening. Here are some examples of the several fonts I'm considering. They may appear somewhat similar, yet each has its own unique touch. That is why I must select the perfect one! I plan to incorporate numerous shots in the introduction of my film that will use items to express my character's personality. Such as using her favorite markers to decorate her letters or demonstrating her incredible organizing skills! My storyboard and outline for my film opening will be presented in my upcoming blog:) Until next time <3

(Font Examples)

Blog Post-4 Technical Elements

 Good Evening blog! In my last blog, I discussed the plot aspects of my film opening as well as planning. In this blog, I will mainly focus on the technical elements I will use for my project. What I mean by technical elements is the camera I will use, editing techniques, setting props, color, and sound/ audio to successfully create my film opening. The technical part of the film is very important as this is a mood piece that requires just the right amount of lighting, understated sound, and carefully placed props. The picture below shows the different types of fonts I will be deciding to use for the credits and title for my film opening.

As for the camera, I am thinking of using either my phone or a professional camera to record my film opening. The camera really depends on the vibe I am going for, so that being said, that decision will be made later in the filming process of my film opening.  I will be filming most of my opening in my home as everything I am brainstorming for my opening are things that can easily be recorded there. For example, my bedroom fits the characteristics of my anonymous female character so I will mostlikely film there. Below are some examples of the style I am going for for my film opening!

(Color Scheme)

Blog Post-3 Planning/Plot Aspects

 Good Afternoon Blog! In my previous blogs, I've discussed the genre and characters that will be the framework of my short coming of age film! Today, I will tease you with the basic premise of the film. As said before, I want my film opening to be aesthetically pleasing to the audience. As well as making it feel like a calm atmosphere (since the anonymous character is portrayed as a female that enjoys writing letters while listening to her favorite music). But the real question is why? Why is she writing letters instead of just sending a quick message through her phone? These are the types of questions I want to float around the minds of my audience. The picture below is a list I made on Google Docs. When I make these lists, it allows me to stay organized and not miss out on any important things I have to do on a certain day. 

My two characters are a quirky duo that will create the necessary intrigue, suspense, and drama to the piece. You have our anonymous female protagonist, who though very artsy and talented, hides behind her work and is quite shy with boldness hidden within. Our strong male lead has fallen short of love and by accident discovers our anonymous female artist and finds he is becoming enthralled with her beauty. In my film opening, I want to show the female going out of her comfort zone by creating her first letter and sending it out to Matt. 

(Graphic Design I created of "The Letters")

Blog Post- 2 Characters

Hello there, blog! In my previous blog, I introduced my genre, which revolves around a Coming-of-Age narrative. You may have spotted two photographs with letters on my last blog, which may have sparked curiosity. "The Letters" is the title of my short film. The reason I chose to do a Coming-of-Age film opening and titled it "The Letters" is that letters are an outdated form of communication for people my age due to social media, texting, and calling. 

I made a decision to do a mood board to show my character's personality traits (shown in the pictures below). My first character is an anonymous artsy persona who enjoys reading poetry and loves the color pink. She enjoys writing in calligraphy and likes to make her letters aesthetically pleasing to the eye. She also likes to make healthy meals such as salads and smooth bowls and loves to eat waffles in the morning along with her lavender tea. She is mostly motivated by all aesthetically pleasing things, including her choice of men. Yes. She is somewhat shy and timid but occasionally surprises with a bolder side. 

The next character is the protagonist in my opening film, which goes by the name Matt but whose full name is Matthew. He wears glasses, is generally considered good-looking, and has blue eyes and brown hair. Matt comes from a well-to-do family and is used to getting what he wants except the love of another woman. He loves to read books, especially topics related to romance. Matt is quite educated, and his parents aspire him to go to an IVY League College. His parents are strict and tend to be very controlling. He had gone through a series of heartbreaks which has caused him to lose his trust in women. 

In my next blog, I will discuss the plot aspects of my film opening. Until next time! :)

Blog Post 1- Coming of Age Genre (The Letters)

The first step to creating my film opening was to come up with a genre. I really wanted to do a coming-of-age story that introduced the characters, created some intrigue and curiosity, and left the audience guessing what would happen next. It was extremely difficult in selecting my story idea since I didn't want to sound cliche. In my heart, I wanted it to feel like an original piece of filmmaking but also respect the techniques of films that came before mine. It is important that my audience feels a sense of connection with the character as those types of films make people feel like they have a friend by their side. It's called relatability! 

Another important aspect of my genre/theme is that the audience is taken on a step-by-step ride leading to a conclusion that will not yet be revealed. In this journey, the audience will feel a sense of empathy, mystery, and a sense of satisfaction as the story slowly unfolds. It is important that my opening is not anti-climatic and gives my audience a visceral experience. In my next blog, we'll be discussing the characters of my genre including the heroin and the protagonist. Until next time folks! :)

My Portfolio Project!

In my last endeavor, the Music Marketing Project starring Rykerstrikes, we chose to make the video eerie and dark. In my upcoming Portfolio project, I decided to do more of a realistic character-themed opening concentrating on an individual protagonist who the story centers around. I plan on making this new film opening engaging and entertaining as it is a way to capture a broad audience. I will use my own life experiences while creating the new opening fiction film as it will be relatable to the audience. I am prepared for any challenges yet to come! In a few short days, I will have a rough draft of what my film opening will look like. 

Music Marketing Project

The Music Marketing Project our group just completed was a total team effort. It required an unbelievable amount of collaboration, discussion, and organization. Without any of those components, to be honest, it could have been a disaster! In the end, I feel we pulled off a challenging task that resulted in us having an amazing appreciation for the process of filmmaking!

Our group was definitely open to many great ideas. Everyone had a say in this project. We really wanted to maintain organized, and doing this allowed us to stay on top of it and complete our project without a rush. We started off by choosing our song. We automatically went with the first song as it was very unique, and that was what we were going for. After selecting the song, we began to brainstorm different ideas regarding what our music video would look like. Initially, we wanted to do blurry shots with flashing lights, but the team loved when I suggested that the main character should have a mask with a secret identity to create suspense. We still did include the different color flashing lights in our music video to create an EDM vibe, but we wanted our central focus to be our main character. 

In the following few classes, our group brainstormed what our main character would look like. We took inspiration from the former singer Marshmallow and his mysterious identity. Using this information and research, I decided to create our logo. Our logo consists of x mark eyes and a stitched-looking smile (shown below). We chose this because it goes with the EDM vibe and amplifies the mystery around the character. We all decided to utilize everyone's strengths as a group, and mine is in the creative process, so we decided that I would do most of the designing. 

We really wanted our merch line to stand out! To do this, we decided to create a limited-edition merch line that makes our fans feel a sense of urgency. Our merch line consists of hoodies, t-shirts, hats, beanies, and more to come in the future. We used our sinister-looking mask for limited-edition merchandise. The merchandise will effectively promote the rykerstrikes brand as our fans display them to the public. We also have our all-time merchandise, which consists of Ryker's name with a lightning bolt to go with the electricity of the EDM style of music. Our group agreed on using neon colors in contrast with the dark to enhance the mood of our project. 

Rykerstrikes merchandise:                           Limited edition Rykerstrikes merchandise

As for our music video, we all got together and joined minds. The team worked quickly and efficiently because we wanted to get to the post-production editing process. We created our mask for the video using a few items. We had a plain white mask as our base, and we used glowsticks that Berkly (one of my partners in the project) had at her house. We made the shape using several glowsticks and tape (as shown below) creative, right! We filmed in several areas of the location we were filming at. We started off at the sidewalk, then the park, then inside a dark room in Berkleys home. We got several shots/ angles for our music video, but the editing was a crucial part of reaching our desired look, feel, and vibe of the video. 

The post-production process involved coming to a consensus on the details which we felt were important to making this music video stand out. We eliminated some things that we thought we would use such as unnecessary clips of our music video (B-roll). We also decided to integrate cool special effects into our music video to go with the color palate we were going for. The total post-production process was about 4-5 days. We really wanted our video to be unique, eye-catching, and provocative.  

                                               Editing techniques examples: 

Leading up to the presentation there was a lot of anxiety. The team wanted to make sure the presentation was professional, informative, and covered all aspects of the hard work that we did. We wanted to make sure that the presentation flowed and didn't go off-topic. We kept our audience engaged by adding a personal touch by giving them glow sticks to create audience participation during the presentation. Our group decided to split the presentations into parts and have each person present a certain aspect of the project. We selected Vanessa to discuss the distribution/ marketing trends & target audience. Then Berkley discussed marketing and distribution. We then transitioned to my part about the Campaign Outline. Douglas explained the website and the meaning behind our music video. Berkley concluded the presentation by recapping all the important points of the Rykerstrikes video presentation and marketing.

The music marketing project was a great learning experience. It taught me the fundamentals of how to work as a team, how to combine our ideas into a concept that utilized all the different themes, techniques, and terminologies that we have learned in this class. All the different aspects of this project will help me in Cambridge Portfolio because it required the team to practically apply the knowledge we learned from creating a theme for our video, how to shoot the video, post-production work, and presenting the total concept to the audience.