Project Idea Summary

CHANGE IN IDEA

After a meeting with my group we have decided it would be best if we changed directions in terms of the project we will be doing. Instead of filming a thriller film, we have decided to take more of a comedic approach to this new idea. All of us are big sports fans and are very familiar with the comedic scene in the film industry and we thought this would be a great opportunity to combine both of these aspects.

Summary Of New Film Opening

The new idea is centered around this high-school aged basketball player that is comically bad at basketball, During the opening we are going to show him trying to get better at basketball and perfect his craft. We were planning to show this through the use of personal trainers/coaches, the gym, and possibly other effects. We didn't want the entire opening to be about his progression and the sports side of the story, so we planned to have a scene that lets the audience in and hints to them at the main character's motivation for playing basketball and why he puts all this effort into it. We are planning to name the film "AIRBALL". The title in itself has a comedic aspect to it as it is a term used when someone shoots a shot in basketball and misses everything including the rim, backboard, or net. This phrase is also used when someone makes a bad joke as someone may yell "AIRBALL" in a sarcastic manner to poke fun at the person trying to make a joke to let them know it wasn't funny.

The comedic parts of the opening is going to be coming from the humorous aspects of the main character. Things such as his clothing, his dialogue, and his actions will be for the purpose of making the audience laugh at the character. This can be seen in infamous films such as Dumb and Dumber, and Step Brothers.

Group Meeting #1 Reflection

Jayden-

His film idea was based around a girl that lost her mother when she was little and she lives with her dad. One day the dad was trying to move out of the house to move on, and the girl wouldn't leave so out of a fit of blind rage, he hit her and took a picture of her mother and burnt it. He was inspired by a director he enjoys and this film is a psychological drama. 

Jaydens blogs

Luis-

His film idea was based around a dystopian world where there are zombies that are roaming the world and there are regular people that are living and surviving amongst them yet the people that are still alive are turning on themselves and the zombies aren't even the biggest threat, its the people themselves. This horror/psychological thriller was inspired by Population X.

Luis's Blogs

Fabiana-

Her film idea was about a man going to work and going through his day, but he is and has been dead for a year. When he gets in a taxi cab he finds his own wallet and the driver automatically knows where he wants to go. This is because the man died in a car accident 1 year ago and he is still going through life denying that he actually died. This mystery was inspired by her dad.

Fabiana's Blogs

Amparo-

Her film idea is a mystery/ thriller film focused on a giant party where  everyone is having a great time and then after the party ends they realize something bad has happened to a girl at that party. They were thinking of filming this with a combination of focusing on the main character and a collection of digital camera shots from different perspectives of party goers. This film was inspired by the movie Project X.

Amparo's Blogs

Kailen-

Her film idea is about a girl that wakes up in the morning and when she opens the door her friend is confronting her about a picture of someone that looks exactly at her at a party. The friend is saying that she is in big trouble due to this picture yet she claims it isn't her and she was never at a party last night. This mystery is going to be based around the girl clearing her name and finding out who framed her and why. The inspiration came from her own thoughts and the group's brainstorm.

Kailen's Blogs

Sound In Thrillers

 Films across all genres incorporate music and sound techniques into their film to enhance the quality of the product and to emerge the audience deeper into the movie and the plot. Thriller films are no exception to this. Depending on the sub-genre for thriller the movie could include intense music to compliment a action scene or something of that nature, or it could include creepy, ominous music during a movie where there is spooky scenes or mysterious things happening.

Diegetic Sound:

Diegetic sound is sound created from the character's world that they can hear. This type of sound includes footsteps, doors opening, or any noise made from the characters in the film. Diegetic sounds like these are often used in thrillers for action scenes. In the movie Baby Driver for example, while Baby is escaping the cops in his getaway car, he is playing music in his earbuds through his iPod. The audience is hearing the music as Baby would during this scene. This film does a great job of incorporating diegetic sounds into the getaway scenes as they also include outside noises such as tires screeching and cops sirens blaring as the music continues to play. The layering techniques used in this film are top-notch and can be looked at as a great example of creating a soundscape using several different diegetic sounds.

Example of diegetic Soundscape

Non-Diegetic Sounds:

Non-diegetic sound is sound that is only heard by the audience and was added on from the world outside of the film. This often includes music or sound effects that have been added in post-production to add depth to the film. Thriller movies often use non-diegetic sounds to create suspense during a scene. For example, In the movie Jaws whenever the shark is approaching a person or is about to wreak havoc, an iconic sound starts playing for the audience. The characters in the movie can't hear this noise however. This noise indicates to the audience something bad is about to happen in the movie and builds suspense and creates a mood of anticipation among the audience.

Example of non-diegetic sound

Schedule For Portfolio Project

Week 1:

• Complete first 2 blog postings
• Begin thinking about what genre our group should do.

Week 2:

• Complete 4 blog postings
• Begin forming a well thought out idea for the film opening.

Week 3:

• Complete 4 blog postings
• Brainstorm and work on storyboard for the sequence of events for our opening.

Week 4:

• Complete 4 blog postings
• Start thought on the different elements we can use in the opening including lighting, color, and different shots and angles to further the quality of the piece.

Week 5:

• Complete 4 blog postings
• finalize costume and prop details that will be used for filming and make sure everything is ready to go.

Week 6:

• Complete 4 blog postings
• Film the opening when everyone has free time. Can be over several days, but would be better if all done on one day.

Week 7:

• Complete 4 blog postings
• Edit the film opening and add effects and other touches such as that to better the final product.

Week 8:

• Complete 4 blog postings
• Add the final small details and additions to the film opening to make sure it is ready to submit and everything is ready to go.

Thriller Credit Sequences

American Psycho:

American Psycho Opening Credits Scene

The credit scene for this film is taking place in a very fancy restaurant with Patrick Bateman and 3 others sitting at a table for which seems to be lunch time. Just like the opening scene, there is a sophisticated song playing in the background and Patrick Bateman is actually the most polite out of the 4 of them. This rivals the rest of the movie as he eventually spirals into mental insanity.

Baby Driver:

Baby Driver Opening Credits Scene

This film is centered around Baby and his love for music so it was only fitting to have the credit scene be him walking around Atlanta to the beat of the music coming from his earbuds. Some of the lyrics were incorporated into the setting as some of the words in the song were written around the street most often shown as graffiti.

Shutter Island:

Shutter Island Opening Credits Scene

This credit scene pictures the different items and places that will be in the movie. The ominous background music adds a level of uncertainty and uneasiness to the audience that would match the feelings of how the investigators are feeling entering this spooky mysterious asylum.

Thriller Film Openings

 The genre my group has decided on is a thriller. We believe that this specific genre will evoke the most emotion out of the cast and will in turn  make the film opening more appealing to the eye and will captivate the audience. Three great examples of thriller films over the years are American Psycho, Baby Driver, and Shutter Island.

American Psycho:

American Psycho was released in 2000 and directed by Mary Harron. Christian Bale stars in this thriller centered around a young businessman in New York City and his killing numerous people and acquaintances. Bale's unstable mental state throughout the movie plays into name and drives him to continue with these killings.

American Psycho Film Opening

This film opening is very calming and sophisticated as it introduces the Main Character, Patrick Bateman. During the opening there is a somber piano song playing to calm the audience. This song pairs with the actions in this scene as the sophisticated song goes hand in hand with Patrick's sophisticated morning routine. The majority of the scene includes a mixture of white, black, or gray colors. These monotone colors don't show much emotion. This color scheme represents Patrick and is emotionless state that he is in.

Baby Driver:

Baby driver was released in 2017 and was acclaimed as one of the top movies of the year. Ansel Elgort stars as Baby in this film. This film is about a star getaway driver that is music crazed and his journeys and adventures as he helps his crew escape from heists and cops around the city.

Baby Driver Film Opening

This film opening is full of action and adrenaline induced behavior which is a fit for the rest of the movie. The opening introduces a little bit about Baby to the audience, and the kind of work he is in. Baby is very unique compared to the other characters in this scene as he is very outgoing unserious as he is singing along to music while his acquaintances are robbing a bank. His red car he drives further represents this as red evokes emotion from the audience and the bright color attributes to Baby's personality.

Shutter Island:

Shutter Island was released in 2010 and directed by Martin Scorsese. Leonardo DiCaprio stars in this film centered around two investigators going to an insane asylum to find out how an inmate escaped from this island. As DiCaprio digs deeper into this asylum he realizes the terrors that the walls have witnessed and realizes the levels of complexity this case has.

Shutter Island Film Opening

This opening introduces the characters of the two investigators and tells us a little bit about the island they are going to and foreshadows the events that could take place. The opening starts out with shots of DiCaprio throwing up due to the rough waters. This uneasiness suggests his worry for this upcoming investigation. There is mysterious music playing in the background which adds to the unknown that these two investigators are approaching.

Possible Genre Choices

During our initial discussion about selecting the genre there were a few that kept floating around in the conversation, horror and comedy. These two genres are very different from each other in several ways.

Horror:

Horror films typically include a mysterious, dark, and unsettling antagonist, and an innocent, weaker, protagonist. Often times the stereotype is a teenage white blond haired girl is the protagonist, while a mysterious strong man or creature is trying to hunt her. The soundscape plays an integral role in setting the tone for the scenes throughout the movie. Tense, spooky music that is playing in the background is a common attribute of horror films. The colors of the majority of horror movies include dark, monotone colors to add to the mysterious, spooky aesthetic. These elements blend together to make the audience feel attached to the movie and evokes strong emotions of fear, terror, and horror among them.

Comedy:

Comedic movies usually have more than one star in the film. Whether this be a co-star or a group of characters leading in the film, they use the multiple characters to create more funny moments for the audience. The plot in these movies can range in a variety of things, but a common theme is that the main characters are tasked with a mission or something to do, and along the way they run into many obstacles or have funny moments that delay them. Comedies often consist of bright uplifting colors, with upbeat light music to blend in with the actions of the characters. Comedies are often mixed in with other genres as well. Numerous movies are romantic comedies, action comedies, or sometimes even a horror comedy. Comedies are an extremely versatile genre that can be used in different ways to achieve a goal or desire when producing and directing a film.