Preproduction

 

Location

My group and I have been looking for different locations to record our opening scene. The setting of our opening scene is inside a police station and a interrogation room. We are planning to use our school as the primary location. The school office and the classroom is where we will be filming around the school. 

Actors

In our opening scene, me and my group members will be the main characters. Destiny would act as the detective and Dana will act as Dalia. My voice would be used as a character named Serena.. My classmates will serves as extras if needed. Considerations that I will have to make for scheduling and preparing the actors is creating a schedule that works good for everyone.

Film

Our film is a horror thriller so we have to use different techniques to meet the genre requirements. Our opening scene will make the audience want to know what's coming next. The film will give off a breathtaking and exhilarating vibe. We will use instrumental music during the opening scene to create suspense. I would use royalty free music to avoid copyright. During the opening scene, we will record dialogue. The dialogue will be between Dalia and the detectives and police officers among themselves. The sound will be recorded in-camera.

Storyboard

Shooting Schedule 

We added extra days for flaws and for perfections

Sound

During production we will record dialogue. When we go to edit and the dialogue is not heard in the original video we would add a voice over. During the shots, we would add background music to enhance the mood and feeling in the opening scene.

Technology

To record the opening scene, I will use my phone to record the whole opening scene. The phone that I'm planning to use is an iPhone 11.

Our Final Project

 My Final Project 

Title and Genre of my Final Project

The title of my final project is The Series of Blackmail Murders. The genre will be a crime thriller due to it having to deal with sociopaths and murders. This type of movie will attract teens, young adult, and adults of all genders.

The Film Synopsis

The movie that me and my group are creating is a crime thriller. The movie follows the life of Dalia after she is released from the mental hospital after spending 3 years in it. All of sudden, since her release there has been murders popping around the town of Carrington. When the police start to investigate the murders, they find that Dalia is near the scene minutes before every murder. Dalia is called in for questioning. She denies it but she knows that the town of Carrington knows about her past and is not forgiving. The detectives look more into the murders and found another person that is near the scenes but closer to the time of the murders. They find out it was Serena, Dalia's ex-best friend that was seeking revenge on her.

Opinion on Final Project

I think that this project will challenge my creativity and will be fun. I know that this project will require a lot of work and attention despite me having fun. This project will teach me not to procrastinate due to us being on a tight schedule and not having any room for extensions.

Research

During our research, we looked up different movies in our genre. We looked at those movies opening sequences and looked for similarities and differences. Looking up those movie opening sequences showed me what our opening sequence should consist of. I also looked at script writing and production companies that will be perfect for our final project. 

Production Company for Final Project

Many production companies specialize in crime thrillers. Some are Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, Hammer Film Productions, Blinding Edge Productions, Blumhouse Productions, The Weinstein Company, Dimension Films, etc. If I had to choose one on these production companies to produce my film, I would choose Warner Bros. The reason why I would choose Warner Bros. is because Warner Bros. is a popular production company and they produce various genres of different films. My choice of Warner Bros. would enhance the amount of audience I get for my film  since Warner Bros. is such a large and known production company.

Exhibition

My film will be exhibited on different streaming services. This is another way for my movie to make profit after being released in theaters.

 

Case Study

Black and Blue

History/ Target Audience

In August of 2017, Screen Gems received a script from Peter A. Rowling and Sean Sorensen would produce it under his Royal Viking Entertainment. In 2018, it was announced that Deon Taylor would be directing the movie. The first casting of the movie was Naomie Harris who played Alicia West. The movie was first named Exposure and then later retitled Black and Blue. Tyrese Gibson, Nafessa Williams, and other actors were casted in January of 2019. Black and Blue target audience is African Americans from the ages of 18. The reason why the target audience is for African Americans because the movie is about a African American woman on the police force in New Orleans, which is a predominantly African American city. The film encourages conversation about police brutality, corrupt police officers and how African American communities are over- watched the police and law enforcement. The movie is Rated R, that's why the target age is 18 and older

Production

Filming began January 16, 2019 and concluded on February 28, 2019. The movie was shot with CineAlta cameras and Sony smartphones. They filmed around New Orleans. Some places in New Orleans that they filmed at is the Degaulle Manor Housing Projects, Algiers (New Orleans), and Evergreen Supermarket. Black and Blue is produced by Sean Sorensen. The production companies that contributed to the making of the movie are Screen Gems, Royal Viking Entertainment, and Hidden Empire Film Group

Distribution 

Black and Blue came out in theaters on October 25 of 2019. As that date was coming close, the actors did many interviews to promote the movie. In those interviews, they explained the importance of the movie and why it made sense releasing it in the current times we are in. Many posters were made with different actors to promote the movie. Also, various of trailers were released to give people an idea of what the movie was about. Black and Blue had a special premiere on October 23, 2019 in Atlanta. Many celebrities were in attendance to support the movie that represents what really happens in African American communities around the world and how corrupt law enforcement can be in the world. All of these things were to make sure that the movie catches the attention of the intended audience. 

Marketing

Once Black and Blue left the theaters, it was also released on streaming services. Those streaming services are Hulu, Sling TV, Vudu, Prime Video, and Apple TV. This is how Black and Blue makes money even after it leaves theaters and the box office sales are final. The total money that Black and Blue made from DvDs is about 2.6 million.

Cross-media convergence and energy

This movie did not sell merchandise to promote the movie. Songs that were made for the movie, that are streamed also benefit the movie when they are streamed.

 

Script Writing

 

Research

Thriller Film Scripts 

In order to write a thriller film script, you have to add conventions. 5 tips to write a thriller script is to make the main character compelling, create an interesting villain/ antagonist, build obstacles for your main character/ protagonist, and add plot twists and turning points. Most thriller movie scripts start with a mystery that needs to be solved.

Funding, Production, and Distribution

 Production 

The Big Six

The six "majors" command approximately 90% of box office takings

• Paramount Pictures
• Universal
• 20th Century Fox
• Warner Bros. Pictures
• Walt Disney
• Columbia Pictures

They are part of of vast conglomerates that are both vertically and horizontally integrated 

The "Indies"

Studios that work outside the major studio system are know as 'independents" or "indies"

• Summit Entertainment
• Film 4 Productions
• Icon Productions
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

The "Mini- Majors"

Some of the leading "independent" studios have come to be know as "mini-majors" these include studios such as:

• Dreamworks
• The Weinstein Company
• Lionsgate Entertainment

Production refers to the making of the film

• Finding the idea
• Writing the script
• Assigning it to a studio
• Setting up a budget
• Hiring crew and casting actors
• Filming
• Editing

• In order for a film to begin production, it needs investors to provide funding
• The box office success is never guaranteed so investors try to reduce the risk of losing their money by becoming involved
• Before a director can start filming the funding has to be made available by all investors

Distribution

The distribution part of the film industry is a highly competitive business of launching films in the stores. Every film has its own distribution plan to make sure the movie hits the right audience. When starting a marketing campaign, the film distributor to decide how it will represent a film to a potential audience. Marketing is one of the most important aspects of a film's distribution

• Posters
• Trailers
• Special Premieres 
• Merchandising
• Interviews

Exhibition

After a film is released in the theater, the film is released to several different streaming services. Examples of different streaming services is Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Starz, etc. This is an opportunity to make profit long after the movie leaves the theater. Other ways of exhibition for films is DvDs and when the movie airs on television.

Sources

https://www.slideshare.net/robertclackmedia/productiondistributionexhibition-an-intro-final-for-media  

My Movie Genre

 Thriller

Thriller- is a genre of a movie or show designed to hold interest by the use of intrigue, adventure and suspense.

My Final Project

Me and my group have to create an opening sequence for a movie that we create. The genre of our movie is Thriller. We used a subgenre of horror which is crime thriller. Crime thriller is a thriller that usually focuses on a serial killer . Crime thriller use psychological aspects to build tension/suspense.

Target Audience for Crime Thriller

The target audience for crime thrillers is predominantly male. This is because it is known to interest them more. In most crime thriller, a male is the main character and runs the whole movie/show. Crime thrillers are often rated PG-13 or R. Which means that the target audience will be from ages 15 and older. Not to old like around 35 years old.

Conventions of Crime Thriller

Crime thrillers have a lot of specific conventions that make the movie what it is. One convention is MacGuffin. MacGuffin is the antagonist desire. The antagonist make their actions personal to the antagonist. The story ha to contain elements of suspense. Conventional characters in a crime thriller is the protagonist, the antagonist, innocent bystanders, psychotic individuals, and characters with dark pasts. Music is important in a crime thriller. Reason why because the music creates the mood. Specifically, non-diegetic sound creates the mood in the movie. Also, the silence technique which builds up suspense and tension. Lighting is also important in a crime thriller. Low key lighting is what is mostly used in a crime thriller. The use of shadows through lighting shows can describe a character. Another convention is the camera angles/ movements. The most used in a crime thriller is tracking and close ups. These are the most used conventions in a crime thriller.

Location of a Crime Thriller

The location of a crime thriller can take place in a regular town or city. Most crime thrillers can actually happen in real life due to their plot. So they film in cities or suburban to give a real life feel.

Production Companies

Production companies that specialize in crime thriller is Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, Hammer Film Productions, Blinding Edge Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, The Weinstein Company, and Dimension Films.

Opening Scenes in Crime Thrillers

In other movies in my genre, the opening sequences reveal the main characters but the opening sequences are not the same in all movies. Some are flashbacks, flash- fowards, and some reveal details of a crime that's going to happen. 

Crime Thriller Movies

 

Sources

https://www.slideshare.net/jdennington/crime-thriller-genre-17679110

https://storygrid.com/thriller-genre/ 

https://crimereads.com/the-most-haunting-settings-in-crime-fiction/

Editor Reviews

Editing- to prepare film or video by deleting, arranging, and splicing, by synchronizing the original film/video.

Ex: A sequence (is a number of scenes joined together that could be a large percentage of the movie when it is finished.

Editing Software Review

I have a project that requires me to edit videos. There are different types of editing software/websites that allows me to edit videos to make a short video. I researched and evaluated 3 different editing software. I researched Openshot.org, Clipchamp.com, and Vimeo.com. While I researched and evaluated the different editing software I looked for is it accessible from anywhere, ability to lay multiple tracks( both audio and video), ability to strip or mute audio and natural sounds from video, and ability to collaborate with other users. After all of researching and evaluating of the editing software, I decided to use Clipchamp.com for my project because it's the easiest and it has a lot of features. 

Openshot.org

As I did my research I found a lot of useful information about Openshot.org. Openshot can read and write most video and image formats. I can create or add as many tracks as I like. This includes watermarks, background audio tracks, and background videos. Clips on the timeline can be adjusted in many ways, including scaling, trimming, rotation, alpha, snapping, and adjusting. Openshot has an advanced video editing timeline which contains dragging and dropping, resizing clips, zooming in and out, alignment, preset animations and settings, slicing, and snapping. Also, Openshot has many great audio editing features built-in, such as displaying waveforms as part of your video. 

Clipchamp.com

As I did my research, I found that Clipchamp.org follows all the criteria for my editing project. I can access it from anywhere. Both Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge carry the website/app. This editing software allows to trim unwanted parts and reduce videos to their most important sections. Also, I'm able to combine multiple clips, adjust audio levels, add multiple audio tracks, or completely mute or replace audio. This falls under the both criterias to be able to lay multiple tracks and to be able to strip or mute audio and natural sounds from video. When I or someone else edit a video under account its accessible by anyone as long as their logged into the account.

  Vimeo.com

Vimeo.com didn't include anything that I need to be able to do this editing project. It doesn't allow me to lay multiple tracks or strip or mute audio. Those requirements are the most important for my editing project. Plus, Vimeo is harder to work and the website doesn't give you any instructions on to use their software.