Group Meeting 2/29: A Leap Day Miracle

Today we had a group meeting for our film opening projects. I was grouped with 5 other people and learned a lot from the experience. 

Hearing other people's process while working on the project was very enlightening. My group was very varied. There was a person who hadn't chosen their genre yet, and there was a person who completely finished their storyboard already. There was a person who wanted to create a story of relationship abuse, and there was a person who wanted to create a story about amateur robbers. There was even one group of two members (everyone else had worked solo). Seeing everyone's take made me feel relieved because that confirmed that there is not exactly one correct way to complete the project. It is a creative process. There is a due date, but there are many ways to finish by the due date.

One thing which was memorable about the meeting was hearing Agam's storyline for her piece. She is the one who is doing a story about a relationship, and it was very nice to hear how she wants to incorporate a flashback. We all talked about some ways in which she would be able to show it being a flashback through lighting and camerawork, as well as the question of if she even wanted the audience to know it was a flashback at first. The idea of a flashback is pretty close to the dream sequence I have planned for my film. I can't make it look like everyday life. It was very fun to discuss ideas with Agam's similar work.

Flashback from Ratatouille (2007)

When it got time to share and talk through my own project, it was very informative. There weren't necessarily any big problems or questions, but the group members pointed out some details which I'll have to remember and prepare for correctly. One of them is audio. I will be explaining my plans for the singing aspect of my film opening in the future, but for now, just know that recording the audio may be the hardest thing I will have to do for my film opening. The group worked with me in actually recognizing the task ahead of me and figuring out ways to create the most realistic sounds. I will need to practice with some sound editing apps. They also gave some input about the lighting, and how I need to make sure the bright auditorium lights don't completely overpower the actors. 

Overall, I really learned a lot from this group meeting. We're expected to have 1-2 more before April, and I am very excited for them. I'm intrigued about how everyone's portfolio's will progress. 

Possible Filming Locations

    There are only two locations I need. I definitely need an auditorium to showcase the high school teacher's dream sequence. I will not need an audience of people watching the chorus. The applause wouldn't matter to the teacher. The ultimate goal of the main character is to have a good enough group of students talent-wise in order to be respected as a teacher. The school he teaches at doesn't respect any arts, let alone chorus. Him being able to reserve the auditorium would be a dream.  If I am able to manipulate the lighting opportunities that come with the room, that would be great. I could have a bright singular spotlight showcasing the performance while the audience light is lowered until you can only slightly see the seats. This would further hint at how this performance isn't real. Of course, this lighting would just be a luxury for my project. My first goal is to find an auditorium.

    The second location allows for a lot more freedom. This "rehearsal" that the teacher tries to conduct could take place mostly anywhere. Ideally, it would be in a classroom. This way, it could take place during a period of a chorus class. We could include the school bell ringing (which ends class). My actual chorus teacher from my school has a setup in his room which would be easy to film the second half of my opening in. I am going to ask him if I could film in there sometime soon. Maybe he will relate to the material enough to allow me to do it! Even if that doesn't work out, I think this portion of the opening could be filmed in a hallway, a warehouse, or even outside. In this case, it would be an after-school rehearsal. If this happens, then I would have to take out the school bell and replace it with something else to signal the end of the rehearsal.

    If I am lucky, I would be able to film this entire opening at my school. We have an auditorium at my school, and of course, many classrooms. I think I got a pretty good chance at reserving the auditorium, especially since I'm in there so often due to my Theatre elective. When looking online at my school's activities calendar, I can see what events are upcoming and if any of them use the auditorium. My filming days wouldn't be able to be added to this list for others to see because that would involve a whole other procedure which isn't really needed for what would be 1 or 2 filming sessions. Some notable upcoming days where the auditorium would definitely in use are:

- February 29, March 1, 4, 6-8: Chicago the Musical rehearsals and actual show (which I am in)

- March 5: Latinos in Action meeting

- March 6th: SAT Testing + KEY Club after school

- March 11th: National Honor Society

- March 12th: Debate Tournament + Junior Class Ring Ceremony

After the dates above, the auditorium seems to be completely free. Still, I'm expecting there to be some pop-up meetings from some clubs. I will be away for March 13th-16th for a Thespian Competition. I would be able to film the classroom scenes any day I'm able to stay after school. However, it seems that the only filming days for the auditorium would be a day between March 18th-22nd. This technically aligns with my Schedule blog post, but it is still pretty late to film. I am hoping that it will all work out, but there is definitely a little bit of room in case it doesn't.

Story Outline and Film Opening Approach

(THIS IS ALL BOUND TO CHANGE AND PROBABLY WILL BUT HOPEFULLY WON'T)

    The film opening will be done with only two shots.

    The first shot will be on this bleak, desolate auditorium. It is very clean and professional, but empty. A spotlight will reveal a chorus teacher and his students practicing for an upcoming competition. Everyone is dressed in black, and you can tell that they are all very serious about this. Similar to the Annette scene (Check Annette blog post), there will be a slow camera circulating the conductor. In this film, he is the main character. Throughout this whole first shot, the chorus is repeatedly chanting the bridge in their new piece they're working on. As the camera turns to the 2nd half of this "sphere," the students comes into frame. The group explodes into the song's chorus, filled with harmonies and passion. After a full rotation around the class, the camera zooms into the conductor's content eyes.

    Around the 0:45-1:00 mark, everything changes. With the same close up of the conductor's eyes, the film transports into the real world. The once happy eyes of the chorus teacher are now tired. The beautiful performance in the dream sequence is replaced by all the annoyance of high school chatter. The camera zooms out and begins to rotate around the conductor again. Every single student is either completely unfocused or terribly untalented. There will be arguments and laughter and yelling (similar to the dialogue used in The Bear excerpt used in the One-Shot blog post), all while the chorus teacher tries to quiet everyone down and focus. After another full rotation, the camera settles back on the chorus teachers face. The school bell rings and a quick pan to it ends the scene. This is the exhaustion that the chorus teacher must go through every day in class.

    I think I have a very simple story. There is a very clear beginning and end to the piece. The opening will establish the weary tone of the film and will introduce the situation the chorus teacher is in. I am hoping that the audience will feel for the chorus teacher and his dreams of having an attentive, gifted class. If the film were to continue, it would be about this mentor relationship between the chorus teacher and a specific student who shows how gifted he is amongst a class of losers. Thinking on the spot, the full movie's tone could probably align with this 2006 television movie called The Ron Clark Story, starring Matthew Perry. My film would be a bit more imaginative, like we see in the opening sequence, but would have all the same small-town drama as the Randa Haines film. 

        

Choosing and Representing a Genre

I want to make the my film have a realistic take on life, but not be afraid to add some imaginary elements. I am imagining it focusing on one specific character and their relationship with the rest of the world. Life comes with drama and comedy, so I would consider my film to be a so-called Dramedy. I would really like a balance between the humor and seriousness of the piece. I have a few examples of successful dramedy pieces, but they lean a bit too much on to one of the sides in the opening:

Opening Scene from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

This genre-bending movie could go as far as to say it is a Sci-Fi film, but it's foundations and tone fully push it to be considered a dramatic story with comedic elements. Most of this clip showcases the main character waking up to catch a train. The world is very dull. He wakes up in a dark room and enters a darker city. The conflict of the movie involves a confusing narrative involving what is real and what isn't. When dealing with this mind-erasing machine, there are intense moments, there are sad moments, and there are funny moments. In the opening, though, there is only solemnity. I would not want to use this in my film opening. If I am going to experiment with longer slots, there must be something more exciting happening in each picture. 

Opening Scene from Soul (2021)

This main character in this animated movie hops between real life and the "Great Before," with all types of quarrels and hilarity that come with it. In this opening, Joe Gardner is trying to conduct his student orchestra and failing miserably. The ways the students act are very over-the-top to showcase that they aren't focused. None of the hijinks are realistic, but they are meant to be funny and showcase how animated the world can be, even in the bland parts New York. I would not need to go this route. There does not need to be this excessive humor in my opening. I actually plan to use the event of a performance like the one seen here as inspiration for my story, but there would be significantly less humor. The focus would be the tortured teacher artist. I plan to explain more of this in a future blog plot about my plot I've been promising to share.

It will be very hard to set the right tone in order for my piece to be considered a dramedy, but there is so much room for change and mold the tone that I am not too worried. I believe that I will have enough resources, help, and time to where I could experiment with my vision.

(Sidenote: There is something to be said about how both of the film examples listed above don't have their opening film credits (excluding company names like Disney and Pixar) until much later in the movie. I will soon have to think about where in the two minutes I should place the title card of my film, as well as the crucial people who worked on it.)

SCHEDULE

Starting today, I have now been working on this project for two weeks. I have mostly been researching other film scenes to familiarize myself with different results before I start working on my own. There will still be more research posts, but I will need to start moving into some planning soon. This is what I'm expecting the schedule to be for the next 2 months until I finish the film opening (including some conflicts which may force me to rearrange some things):

Week Three (2/19-2/25)
- Research genres. Analyze the scenes I've picked out from my previous blog posts. Pick which genre would be best
- Confirm the story. WRITE AN OUTLINE (and make a blog post about it). I have ideas already.
- Possibly script? (my scene will involve a lot of adlibbing)

CONFLICTS: Statistics quiz 1/24

Week Four (2/26-3/3)
- Create the storyboard. Here, I would be able to make sure nothing is too ambitious in my story and each shot is manageable. Here, I could picture if I could still be able to showcase enough techniques I've learned in my AICE Media class.
- Ask around for actors and camera operator and decide on a filming day. Give them a few weeks notice. I will need a lot of actors.

CONFLICTS: Chicago musical rehearsal 2/26-2/29, 3/1

Week Five (3/4-3/10)
- Discuss costuming and lighting. Prepare it for the next week
- Filming location confirmation: Very important part of my film opening if the story can work out.

CONFLICTS: Chicago actual SHOW 3/6-3/8

Week Six (3/11-3/17)
- HOPEFULLY film the opening that Monday/Tuesday
- Begin CCR development

CONFLICTS: Florida State Thespian Festival 3/13-3/16

Week Seven (3/18-3/24)
- Finish filming the opening if needed
- DEFINITELY finish editing the opening
- Continue diving into the CCR

CONFLICTS: Birthday! 3/22 (project is more important though)

Week Eight (3/25-3/31)
- Wrap up everything
- CCR

CONFLICTS: College visits

Week Nine (4/1-4/2)
- Reflect and SPELL CHECK
- Submit the project and post links on this blog

I don't understand Annette (2021) but I like this one scene I think

Annette is a good movie. Maybe. I'm pretty sure. I'm not sure. Yet. Possibly. 

It seems like it has everything in a movie I would like. It's an original movie musical. I love GOOD movie musicals. The key word is GOOD. I think that they are very hard to get right. It is very easy to miss the target of creating an authentic experience. As I have said before, I am very engaged in live theatre. The "movie version of a broadway musical" route usually ends up making fans of both versions prefer the stage interpretation. Cut songs and cringey transitions into music can really be dealbreakers. Very few get it right. Some of my favorites are Tick, Tick... Boom! and Chicago. Maybe it's because they ACTUALLY got directors who had been in the musical theatre world and know how to translate it to screen.

For an ORIGINAL movie musical with no ties to a work on stage, anything is on the table. The audience will be watching a film with original music, so no one can get mad and compare it to anything else. The insane combination of Leos Carax directing an original movie musical using Sparks music and starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard was definitely interesting. Annette has some pretty wild concepts, and below are some of them:

- Marion Cotillard holding NOT a baby doll, but a DOLL BABY (Annette), who is completely sentient, a main character, and is not looked differently upon at all

- Adam Driver as a murderer, which is a common character for him, but this time he has short hair. Ahhh!

- Big Bang Theory's Simon Helberg in a dramatic role

 ^ This last one is actually the craziest. I watched this movie for the first time a year ago during finals week, and it was a pretty bad decision. This movie has so much to unpack, and there's so many visual cues and musical themes which will require multiple viewings to understand. I've kept battling in my mind whether it is a good movie, and I'm excited to rewatch it in the future when I'm not busy to form a better opinion after a year. Nevertheless, one part of it absolutely stuck with me. Ex-sitcom star Simon Helberg happens to have my favorite scene in the entire movie, and he isn't even singing:

To be blunt, I have decided that I will be using inspiration from this specific scene for my film opening. This is the scene I think about whenever I see someone mention something about Annette. Returning back to it now, this is exactly the idea that I need for my AICE Media project. The scene is all shot in one take and it is all filmed inside of a singular fixed location. Following this, I could experiment with longer takes without needing a large track for the camera to move. The camera continuously going around Simon's character is so simple but very engaging. I really love how the camera never stops moving and keeps the audience on its toes. The single shot still allows for a variety of compositions with how much the subject fills the picture. There is a switch in angles and framing across each "revolution" around the conductor. If I lean into that, it would allow me to show off some techniques I have learned in my AICE Media class. I will not be using the serious tone of the scene. I will not be using an orchestra, or a chorus, or Simon Helberg, unfortunately. I have other plans for the plot and genre, which I can explain in later blog posts. However, I am almost certain I will be using the same uninterrupted, ceaseless procedure used here. I am very excited. 

Researching the One-Shot Scene

    As I begin research for my film opening, I am certain about one thing. I want to make a piece which incorporates longer shots. I don't know if I will do a singular shot for the whole two minutes, but I would like the least amount of cuts possible. Something about one singular, continuous shot is very intriguing to me. It may have to do with how much experience I have with live theatre and performing in it. In live theatre, there are no "cuts." I have been a part of good theatre and a part of bad theatre and they both have one thing in common: The show must go on. I would really like to experiment in creating the longest scenes possible with this project to mimic the exhilaration of a live performance where the audience chooses what to focus on. I have researched some great examples:

Scene from Joe Wright's Atonement

    This 5 minute long take takes the viewer through the aftermath of a Nazi attack in Dunkirk. The camera takes the audience through the beach as hundreds and hundreds of soldiers find their own ways to recover and rebound after the battle. I read the book Atonement in an AICE Literature class, and seeing this scene played out on screen was incredible. In just one shot, you can see such a variety of stories about peace and mayhem. 

    Although I respect the effort it took to create this beast of a scene, I cannot say that I will be taking inspiration from it for this project. It is truly just too ambitious. This long, wide tracking shot is the same type of technique you can see in movies like Sam Mendes's 1917 and Park Chan-Wook's Oldboy (2003). I don't think showcasing a sprawling landscape will be a smart idea with my resources (none) and my location (Florida). Still, I found one aspect of the Atonement scene to spark my interest. A group of men, perched up on a hill and blaring a soldier's tune, comes into frame. The calm melody that comes with this picture completely contrasts the chaos of the event. I found the use of music very riveting, and I am thinking about adding something like it to my scene.

Scene from The Bear (Episode 7, Directed by Christopher Storer)

    This (snippet of a) scene is where I think I could see my film opening heading towards instead. Originally an 18 minute singular shot, the scene above showcases 2 minutes of it. It is a stressful nightmare after a character accidentally forces the staff into a spiral of cooking, frying, baking, and yelling. The shot featured above is basically all filmed in the restaurant. While the scene from Atonement was a mix of establishing and long shots, there is no time for that here. The team has gotta get this food out! 

    Medium shots follow the cast through each of their tasks. This is something that I think I may follow for the long shots in my piece. The luxury of filming in one building is much easier than finding something like the stretch of beach in Atonement. Although the one-shot technique mixes very well with the stress and "dramedy" of The Bear, I would assume that it can work well with other genres as well. As I begin to decide on my genre and plot of the opening, I will see if all of these ideas holds up. If I make my film a one-shot scene, or even if I use a small number of long takes in general, I cannot make it look like I am showing off. If I decide to give in to the fun anxiety that can come from watching a one-shot, that would be very hard to make realistic (loud ≠ stressful). I am excited to see if all of this works out. Worst case scenario: I'll actually have to edit :(

TRANSITION TO THE BEST FILM OPENING PORTFOLIO EVER

Hi! All future posts from here on out will be focusing on my portfolio project. Expect to see posts about my planning, preparation, and execution of the 2 minute film opening. I already have big plans, but I’m gonna try not to bite off more than I can chew. I hope these blog posts will keep me at a regular pace. Right now I’m gonna research and watch a bunch of different film openings to familiarize myself with their techniques. I’ll share what I find soon.

Music Marketing Blog Post #2

Working on this Music Marketing Project has been an eye-opening experience. As I mentioned in Post #1, my group and I deeply researched the genre given to us before starting. Familiarizing ourselves with the Pop practices in distribution, marketing, and style helped us create an outline for the task at hand. Our brainstorming began with plot points for our storytelling in the music video and techniques to add promotional clips of the band. Since the music video was going to be our introduction to the world (along with the song), we focused on that first. We worked on subjects in order of when they were to come up in our marketing campaign. It mimicked how we would feel being in the middle of those moments.

I unfortunately did not take part in the music video filming. I was in New York. Still, until the moment I left, I was helping out in thinking of camera shots and angles and editing techniques to make the video the most visually appealing. Even while in New York during my free time, I had started production on our groups Canva presentation for our marketing campaign. It was not ideal, but I believe we made the most out of our situation. 

Our Canva presentation was well rounded in showcasing different aspects such as our target audience and our distribution methods, but I am particularly proud of our social media slides and how we seek to gain exposure. Our slides show how we plan to use Youtube, Tik Tok, Instagram, and more sites to make our band be seen and heard everywhere. It is important to mention the impact that social media would have to our fans, since many of them would be made up of teenagers. 

Julia noted Ed Sheeran's rise into fame, and we plan to use his same old passion of going to outlets and venues and spreading the word about our band through concerts. I thought of how popular it is for people to turn songs into a different genre completely. I inputted how we could start pop-up acoustic performances of our tech-EDM songs to invite listeners of different genres like folk and pop.

As we prepare to submit our project, we each recorded voice memos to be included to piece the presentation from beginning to end. I am very confident that our presentation shows how our song, marketing, distribution, and band stays true to our genre and is different enough to spark a big hit for the band.