CCR Time

I feel like out of this entire project, the CCR took the longest but here it is!!! A bitter sweet moment.

Click HERE FOR CCR

Finally... My Film Opening

Here is my film opening, I hope you enjoy it! :) 

Click here if the video does not open!- Always need a back up just in case.

Project Reflection

   Over the course of the two months of planning, preparing and executing my film opening, there were multiple changes I needed to make throughout. Before being able to decide on what I wanted to do, I watched gosh knows how many different adventure film openings on Netflix and YouTube. Once I had, I wrote the generally idea of what I wanted. As shown in my earlier blog posts, I had created a story board for my original plan which was a combination of introducing the problem and conflict. Of course, I was trying to fit too much information into a two minute film opening which I realized later on. It took me a while to realize as well as it took me a while to think of a new idea. But this is why I changed the opening but kept the idea of the crime scene case. I chose to focus more on the case: the introduction of the conflict. Developing the case as well as implying that someone in the FBI agency was part of the murder of Agent Jackson by the shredding of a report meant to be in the case file.

   From the beginning though, I wanted to keep the shots including people minimal. This was because in class our teacher showed us the Seven Film Opening which expressed that idea, which I had liked. Also, I wanted to keep dialogue minimum to none to allow the shots and music to enhance the suspenseful tone. In the shots, I tried to amplify this feeling with the use of green tones and low key lighting. I originally was going to film and not star in the film but due to the Corona Virus, I had no other option. I was able to use makeup to make my face slightly older as well as had my brother film some scenes. The second part of the filming (the shots including me) were the toughest to film. I had to film late at night because there was too much outside light seeping in through the window which I payed for dearly at the end because I filmed for a good three hours and was exhausted. I filmed each scene multiple times because it did not fit the idea I wanted but before asking my brother to film, I tried to stack different things in my room to film so it would be steady which did not entirely work. I had to inevitably ask my brother for help but couldn't keep him too long because he was tired so the last few scenes with me in them, I needed to make a stand. If course it didn't stay up right and I had to film that scene a million times as well as I was not fully satisfied with my acting. I could not do the close up of the shocked face because of the stand problem and my family was all asleep by this time so I stuck with the long shot instead. This still intrigues the audience implying something is shocking and later showing what was wrong. In the end, I got what I needed and worked with what I was able to film. Luckily, I was able to film the first part of my film at my mom's office before we were in quarantine. Unfortunately, I had not previewed all the clips in great detail (which is ironic because I am a perfectionist) before I left which is why some of the clips are shaky. Sadly, I was unable to re-film them though because of the quarantine.

   Although the editing took quiet a while because I went through every video I filmed, I enjoyed this process the most. I got to test out different clips in different locations but I ended up sticking with the original idea which I had placed in my story board. I was also able to test different music from PurplePlant which was interesting but only one the sounds fit the suspenseful tone I wanted. The process was enjoyable for the most part. Towards the end, it was frustrating noting that I had seen it a million times but something seemed off that I couldn't point out. I asked some of my family and close friends who gave me recommendations. Even after taking their opinions and editing the clips, something was still off but I realized the music was slightly off and the color in one of the clips was slightly off pacing which was what was bothering me.

   The making of the props took super long because I wanted it to be just right. The folder did not take too long but the bulletin board took the longest. This was mainly because I did not know what I entirely wanted to place on it even after researching and looking to other boards for reference. I postponed it for the longest time but once I sat down and got the photos, newspapers, post-its notes and evidence bags and started placing them on the bulletin board, everything began to form together properly. After that, I was able to film the second part of my film opening.

   I am overall satisfied with the outcome of my film opening even with the inconveniences. I believe I was able to use my new knowledge of shots, composition, lighting and sound throughout the project and learned through other projects such as our soundscape project and music video project how to utilize these elements better which made it slightly easier to do with this because I was more comfortable with executing what I learned. I know pacing is very important and believe that the pacing of my opening is sufficient because each clip is not too long nor too short.

   I learned so much such as the importance of having an idea planned out a head of time and stick to a timed schedule to work on it. I delayed the second part longer than necessary to film which slightly stressed me out. If I had started my filming on the first part earlier, I may have been able to redo some of the clips I wanted. I also learned that outside opinions are necessary and helpful because what I may think looks good, may not seem the same to others. i learned that it is important to ask for help ahead of time instead of maybe bombarding people, like I did, especially before they go to sleep. Lastly, I learned the importance of each process in developing a film and have grown to have a new respect for the behind the scenes people in the film world.

Research. Research. Research.

    I have been doing more research and putting together my CCR over the past week which has taken longer than I anticipated.

   I learned a lot though not just from my research but I learned some new things about my computer such as how to screen record on it. I never knew that before and have had my computer for about three to four years. But I found that really cool that all I have to do is press the windows button on my computer along with the alt and R button. This is important because it is how I plan to prepare my CCR video.

   As mentioned in my previous post, I have already researched film distribution methods which I was astonished about the movie theater opportunities. With further research, I learned that only 14% of adults go the the movies at least once a month and 46% at least once a year. Although those are not the best odds, this is why I would like to distribute the film on YouTube which is used frequently by all ages. I did more research on YouTube and found from Teen Trending Report (2018) that "63.5% of teenagers watch YouTube daily- with 34% watching multiple times per day. 37.4% of teens have clicked on a YouTube advertisement while watching a video. 64% of teens have shared a YouTube video on Facebook, Twitter, or other social media." This information expresses that social media is an important part of distribution and advertisement for my film opening because it can spread more throughout others and a great plattform since majority of the population uses YouTube.

   Aside from that, I have also learned that 89% of females and 90% of males enjoy the adventure while 84% of females and 74% of males enjoy the crime genre. Alongside this, 89% people aging from 18-44 & 65+ , 90% people aging 45-54, and 92% of people aging from 55-64 enjoy adventure. 80% people aging from 18-29 , 84% people aging 30-44, and 81% of people aging from 45+ enjoy crime.


Anderson, M. & Jiang, J. (May 31, 2018). Teens , Social Media & Technology 2018. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/05/31/teens-social-media-technology-2018/

Schevitz, T. & Gharib, S. (August 13, 2019). New Survey Reveals Teens Get their News From Social Media and YouTube. Common Sense Media. Retrieved from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/about-us/news/press-releases/new-survey-reveals-teens-get-their-news-from-social-media-and-youtube

Teen Trend Report. (2018). Teen Trend Report. Stages of Life. Retrieved from  https://www.stageoflife.com/StageHighSchool/TeenYouTubeStatistics.aspx

Watson, A. (December 12, 2018). Most popular movie genres among adults in the United States as of December 2018, by age group. Statista. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/949810/favorite-movie-genres-in-the-us-by-age/

Watson, A. (August 27, 2019).Frequency of going to movie theaters to see a movie among adults in the United States as of June 2019. Statista. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/264396/frequency-of-going-to-the-movies-in-the-us/

Watson, A. (December 12, 2019). Most popular movie genres among adults in the United States as of December 2018, by gender. Statista. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/254115/favorite-movie-genres-in-the-us/

Almost There

   I sat down and tried to figure out what was bothering me with the film opening and couldn't initially put my finger on it. I had asked my mom, brother and two of my friends for their opinions to get different perspectives on it. After that, I determined that there were some issues with the music and I needed to extend it which took a while to get it right on beat to extend to make it sound like it was originally longer. I also edited the color on some of the second part clips to show its relationship with the first part so they seem more cohesive. There was a clip I wanted to use in between the change of settings but I unfortunately do not have a decent clip of a slow zoom of the folder with the office setting. I was able to make what I had work though to make the transition as smooth as I could.

   Aside from this, I started putting together the information for the CCR but have not determined how I plan to present it because I don't want it to be boring and I would not like to be shown in it but I am not sure how to present it as of the moment but I will be trying to determine that over the next three days.

Film Distribution

   Knowing that I am an ammeter, I would need different method to distribute my film. The theater is definitely not it because that requires lots of money. Since the target audience is around 13 and older, it should be easier to access since teenagers do not make too much money at the time.

   Film festivals would be a great option because they are inexpensive, gets my work out there and the target audience are usually also submitting their films as well. It would have to be local so examples would be Miami International Film Festival, Florida Film Festival, Boyton Beach Short Film Festival, etc. Of course they would have an entrance fee which ranges based on length of the film and time it is submitted but usually between $40-$75.

   Another place would be YouTube since people of the ages 18-34 use it more than other forms of social media. While 34+ YouTube is the second most used social media. It is easy to access and unless they pay for premium, it is free. To show recognition towards the film, I would advertise it through multiple social media forums and even ask my friends to do the same of teasers/ trailers. They would be presented on Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat because they are most frequently used by Gen Z and Millennials.

   Lastly, I would submit it to AMC, CineMark and Regal. AMC presents independent films and reviews them while Regal holds a Film Festival. CineMark allows independent screenings where you can invite people to come view your film.



Cinequest. (2012). Film Submissions. Marcato. Retrieved from https://www.cinequest.org/film_submissions

Film Festival Schedule. (2020). Film Festival Schedule. Regal Theaters. Retrieved from https://www.regmovies.com/static/en/us/theatre/film-festivals

Independent Film Screenings. (2020). Independent Film Screenings. CineMark. Retrieved from https://www.cinemark.com/private-events/independent-films/

Iqbal, M. (2020, March 24). YouTube Revenue and Usage Statistics (2020). BusinessofApps. Retrieved from https://www.businessofapps.com/data/youtube-statistics/

Office of Film and Entertainment. (2014). Florida Film Festivals. Film in Florida. Retrieved from 
https://filminflorida.com/florida-film-festivals/

Submit Your Film For Consideration. (2020). Submit Your Film For Consideration. AMC Theaters. Retrieved from https://www.amctheatres.com/programs/independent/submit-your-film

Editing Round 2

   I have been editing on and off for about three days or so. I put all the clips together and had to decipher which clips I wanted to use. Edit them to add more contrast and saturation. As I was editing, there is a clip that I have which was part of a transition but it has not turned out well. I took many shots of this but I do not like how ANY of them turned out which is extremely frustrating. I am not sure if I can redo it because it is the transition portion from my mom's office to my room. Due to the virus, I may not be able to redo it but I am going to try because it is an important part of the film opening. I am also a perfectionist and it is not fully how I envisioned the clips and all but it is slowly working out.

   Aside from that one clip, I have a minute and fifty-five seconds and need five more seconds which I am not too worried about because I need to add the title still which can be part of that time. There is something missing from it all right now, I am not sure what it is. I am going to postpone the editing for today because I think I have looked at it too many times and am trying to point out things that are off. I am not sure but something does seem off. I will most likely ask my family to preview it and ask for their opinions to see if that helps me figure it out. 

   I still need to do the background noises. I have some clips done which I did while filming such as the shredder sound. I need to make a list of sounds I need and will be doing that throughout the week. 

Filming: Day 2

   So I ended up filming last night. I had to do it at night because I needed the area to be dark so I can have light coming only from one source and I have a giant sliding door and the curtains can only do so much. The makeup ended up come out super nice. I used contour for the first time and eyeliner actually turned out well without having to do it over a hundred times.

 


   I really did not want to be in the film opening because I am not a great actress but again, the Corona Virus situation left me no other option. I had lots of difficulty shooting. My mom had found a tripod but it was for a camera, which we don't have... but I tried to use it anyways. I learned only after my phone fell a dozen times that it wasn't working. Since it was late at night, I tried not to ask my mom and brother. In the end though, my brother had to help me film, which was even more struggle some because he is tall and I have like a vision of how I want everything to look and it just was not working most of the time. The entire thing took about two hours and a half. I had to keep redoing the last scene because again, my acting is not the best and I was exhausted because it was 11:30pm by this point.
 
   In order to get the set up, I had to rearrange a good portion of my room so it looked like a mess and was difficult to get around.  I did not originally plan to use green but I needed to like manipulate the lighting more to only show on a particular potion of the room/ object so instead of putting it completely over the light, I used it around and did not cover a small portion to get the lighting.

 

Manipulating Makeup

   Due to the Corona Virus and the continuation of social distancing, I was unable to get one of my friends to be my actress. I had hoped social distancing would not for this long, but unfortunately it has so I am going to be the actress and ask my brother and mom to help me film if possible or stack a bunch of stuff lying around my room to get the right height and film like that.

   Since the ideal age range for the main actress is mid twenties and I am only seventeen, I have been looking up how to use makeup to manipulate how old I look. Although I have heard that I look old for my age, I still need to age a bit more.

   I know Wikipedia is not the best idea to use for research but Wikihow was one of the more helpful sites I came upon on how to manipulate makeup. Although I could follow a tutorial, each persons facial features vary so the general idea of what I need to do was better to understand then trying to follow a video.

   Overall, I found that I need to 110% need to figure out how to properly use contour because that will create more defined features such as the cheekbones and nose. After that, I need to go over it with bronzer to ensure it is blended and pops out. To even it out, I also need to apply highlighter right above the cheek bone. It is advised to use translucent powder but I don't have that and cannot currently get some because my mom doesn't want me leaving the house. I will also need to apply eye shadow and avoid bright colors so I will use more neutral tones. I will also attempt a slight wing eye liner because all the sites I went to expressed that it helps make the eyes look bigger. I already use concealer, color corrector and foundation which will not be a problem.

   I will be filming either tomorrow or next week and will be trying the makeup look the same day to ensure I don't waste makeup. I also usually get it on the first try and then can't redo the look another time so I plan on doing it the same day as I film.

Neecey. (2019, August 8). 15 Makeup Tips to Look Older. All Women Stalk. Retrieved from https://allwomenstalk.com/make-up-tips-to-look-older/

Savy. [It'sYourGirlSavy]. (2018, December 2). How to Make Yourself Look Older Using Makeup [YouTube]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I_mq5nPPrs

Vann, D. (2020, January 7). How to use Makeup to Look Older. Wikihow. Retrieved from https://www.wikihow.com/Use-Makeup-to-Look-Older

Bulletin Board Props

   I have been stalling on the bulletin board mainly because I was worried I didn't have enough to cover the board and it would not turn out well. I finally sat down and started working on what I could and once I did, the rest seemed to fall into place.
   I started with the composition of the newspaper articles. I used multiple websites to make the template because I wanted them to be different and did not like how some turned out; I even made an account with Flipsnack because their templates were the most realistic and easy to navigate. The newspapers were part of the case Agent Jackson went undercover: the murders the gangs were a apart of. There is an article from South Carolina, Florida and Georgia. I searched up newspapers from each area to place as the header: Florida was Miami Herald and Sun Sentinel, South Carolina was The Sun News and Georgia was The Augusta Chronicles.

   After I tackled the newspapers, I needed to fill more space so I made evidence bags. I recreated  one from what I had seen when I searched up "evidence bag templates."

   I also needed to create the evidence to reside in the evidence bags so I needed a font for the notes. I found a royalty free website FontSpace.

   After I printed, cut and assembled my props, I rearranged them a few times on the bulletin board to figure out which way I wanted it. With the photos, map, evidence bags, newspaper and post-it notes. This is how it turned out and how I plan to have it set up for when I film. I haven't filled out the post-it notes yet but I will be doing that before filming.

Map Of USA. (n.d.). Map of USA. Geographic Guide. Retrieved from https://www.geographicguide.com/america-maps/usa.htm

https://www.flipsnack.com/page-flip-software/editor/fuilva2sk

Online Newspaper Designer. (n.d.). Online Newspaper Designer. Retrieved from https://www.makemynewspaper.com/designer/app/open/template/11

Hirche, C. (n.d.). Newspaper Clipping Generator. Fodey. Retrieved from https://www.fodey.com/generators/newspaper/snippet.asp

Harris, J. S. (August 24, 2019). Something Strange Font. FontSpace. Retrieved from https://www.fontspace.com/something-strange-font-f17510

Upcoming Plans

   This upcoming week, my main focus is the preparation of the second part of the film opening. I need to possibly change my plans with the female actress because of the Corona Virus current situation and social distancing. I also will be preparing the bulletin board this week. I already have some photos and the string. I need to find more photos. I was trying to find newspaper articles to help which I haven't been able to find. I will also be adding post-it notes and doing more research on the board. The connection part will not be so difficult, it is just finding all the elements.
   I am looking at the board as a giant brainstorming map or a bubble map. It allows ideas to flow but in this case, it allows the connection of different elements. The set up won't be the hard part, it is just getting all the elements done, which is my plan for the upcoming week.

Edited v. Unedited

   As I mentioned previously, I had to edit the clips individually multiple times. Although I had light that was emitting green, it was not as prominent as I wanted it to be. I also wanted it to be more contrasted which I was able to successfully do during the editing process. Although I was unable to test the blue lighting during filming, I was able to edit it in which I found was not the tone I was going for and was more sad than ominous. These are the edited v. unedited clips

 

Dun Dun Dun

   Music.

   Music has a way of creating a tone and connection all on its own without visuals. But with visuals, the music can be more influential of the tone. Therefore, the music is important to dictate because if you have a tense situation, you definitely should not be having sad music in the background.

   I have been looking for music or quiet some time now and realized I will not know what I am fully looking for until I actually have the visuals done. Although I was imagining everything in my head as I was listening to the music, nothing seemed right. Since I started editing and have the first half done, I started looking at the music again. I had initially written down some beats I had liked which turned out to not work once I put it with the visuals. 

   Once I had gone through every single song on the Royalty Free website- Purple Plant under creepy, I realized that I was looking under the wrong area. So next, I went through "Tense." Most of them were in fact tense but many were not fitting the vibe I am going for. I was listening to each one while playing my edits on another tab to see if it worked. I finally came upon "Cat & Mouse," which I had written off as a no when I initially wen through the music. After listening to it simultaneously with the videos, it worked for the vibe I wanted. Just to be sure though, I continued looking through other songs but nothing after that seemed to work. 

   I still need to film the second half of the film opening which hopefully still works with the music but we shall see. 

Cat & Mouse. (2020). Cat & Mouse. Purple Planet Music. Retrieved from https://www.purple-planet.com/tense

Adapt. React. Readapt. Apt. - Michael G. Scott

   Adapt. React. Readapt. Apt. - Michael G. Scott. I personally LOVE The Office and since they have many quotes that can relateable, this one fit perfectly for what I had recently endured. These little GIFs give off a visual representation of my reactions during this situation.

  Let's start with the basics. I am a huge perfectionist and it bothers me when the slightest thing is off which is why I took so many shots. I was going through ALL the clips I filmed on Sunday and oh my it took forever.

  I went through and edited EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. To ensure the green would be more prominent and the contrast was higher. I planned to go through each one to see which best fit the vision I was looking for later. Of course, this was all for nothing. I sent all the clips to We-video (edited) and they only showed up unedited. I thought it was a glitch so I deleted all of them and re-uploaded them. Unfortunately, that did not work which was/is frustrating. So, I was right about editing being the most difficult factor. But thank goodness the program allows me to edit them.

   While undergoing this mess, I also realized that some of my videos are way to shaky for my liking. Due to the Corona virus and the social distancing situation, I am unsure if I will be able to return back to my mom's office to re-film. They can suffice but again, I am a perfectionist and that is not the ideal. I will have to re-adapt.

   I still have the second part to film which I need a slightly older actress which I need to figure out because again the Corona virus fiasco has been a pain to deal with. But I will manage and figure something out. Hopefully sooner than later.

Filming: Day 1

   I spent the day filming, a whole seven hours at my mom's office. I got there around 12:00 p.m. and left around 7:00 p.m. I had forgotten a tarp to cover the window blinds to reduce lighting so it took a while for my mom to drop that off and help me set it up. I had to rearrange the room for an effective set up. Although it looks quiet crammed, I did not want to destroy her office set up so tried to work around it.

   Since it is her office, I did not have to bring any office supplies to set up the desk to look like an office desk. I did not anticipate the lighting to be as struggle some as it was. I wanted to add color so I used a green t-shirt. I was going to test blue but the shirt color did not emit the color throughout the room.

   I only really had Sunday to film in her office because my mom works Monday through Saturdays which can be hectic. Therefore, I took an arrangement of shots just in case. Because the green is not strong as I want to it to be, I will have to edit it to be stronger.

   Although the set up looks hectic, it was effective and surprisingly easy to maneuver through.

   Another difficulty I faced was the fact that I had to use my phone as the camera. I do not have a proper camera I could use to film with. I also did not have a tripod or anything to stabilize my phone. I could not borrow or buy one because of the Corona Virus panic so some of the shots are a bit shaky.

Investigation Report

After researching the format and necessities of a police report, I was able to effectively create one for the film opening. Again, mise-en scenes is a very important part of my film so I would ideally like everything to look as realistic as possible. Some of it diverts from a real, legitimate report because there were some elements that needed to be present that are not typically presented within a report. This would be the mentioning of Agent Jackson being undercover. 

 

 


These are my reports which I based off of my research but used the template of crimscene.com. The following are the example I based the template off of.

Incident Report Homicide. (n.d.). Investigation Report Homicide. Crime Scene. Retrieved from https://www.crimescene.com/elf-evidence/472-elf-incident-rpt-dead

Write Investigation Report. (n.d.). How to Write the Investigation Report. Kelvin Top Set. Retrieved from https://kelvintopset.com/how-to-write-the-investigation-report/

Investigation Report Template conduct for Case No. 0132. (25 February, 2019). Investigation Report Template conduct for Case No. 0132. Safety Culture. Retrieved from https://safetyculture.com/wp-content/media/2019/02/investigation-report-sample.pdf

The Florida Senate. (2019). Florida Statute. The Florida Senate. Retrieved from https://m.flsenate.gov/Statutes/782.04

Color My Mind Amused

   Color manipulation is one of the coolest things that we have learned. The meaning of different colors are universally known and majority of the time without the need for explanation. Red is associated with anger and love which blue is associated with calm and isolation. Although they sometimes contrast each other with different meanings, it is universally known that these colors represent these emotions.

   Knowing this and doing more research on how different colors are manipulated, I would like to either go with using blues or greens in the opening to add more depth to the piece. Since there is no dialogue, the tone needs to be expressed more directly. Green creates an ominous feeling while blue creates the feeling of sadness and isolation which emphasizes the importance of the case.The use of blue coloring is used within adventure films such as Infinity Wars, Maleficent, and Harry Potter.

 

   As I was researching, these particular images from movies caught my eye because the colors are what I am looking for with my opening. Not as prominent as used here but I like it visually and feel it will enhance the emotions of the viewers. I am unsure which one I want to go with and may experiment with it during the filming process by adding those colors onto the light to create that feeling. 

Baker, L. (2016, August 2). Manipulating the Audience's Emotions with Color. The Beat. Retrieved from https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/manipulate-emotions-with-color-in-film/

Fusco, J. (2016, June 24). The Psychology of Color in Film (with examples). No Film School. Retrieved from https://nofilmschool.com/2016/06/watch-psychology-color-film

Renee, V. (2016, September 12). This Infographic Reveals the Connection Between Color and Emotion in Film. No Film School. Retrieved from https://nofilmschool.com/2016/09/infographic-reveals-connection-between-color-and-emotion

Filmmakers Use Colors. (n.d.). How Filmmakers Use Colors To Set The Mood Of A Film. Digital Synopsis. Retrieved from https://digitalsynopsis.com/design/film-movies-color-psychology/

Let's Be Low Key

   Lighting manipulates the emotions viewers have on the film. It sets the tone before any music is played or any dialogue is presented. This is going to be one of the more difficult parts for me: the set up of the room with the lighting.

   I am going to utilize low-key lighting because it creates that dramatic effect I am looking for. The intense contrast will create the tone of suspicion and the idea of being untrustworthy as the case file is introduced. My mom's office is surrounded by windows so creating a more dark atmosphere will be slightly complicated and I will need to rearrange the room which will take me the longest as well as getting the right light being presented through the camera.

"How Low-Key Lighting can Instantly Make Your Film Dramatic" by Caleb Ward

After doing some research, I found this visual in one of the websites the most helpful because I can get a visual idea of how I need my set up to be when I start filming. I realized that the lighting needs to be angled on the side to create the intense contrast on the subject. Of course when filming, I will take more clips and experiment with it so I have a variety of shots to choose from during the editing.

Ward, C. (2015, July 7). How Low-Key Lighting can Instantly Make Your Film Dramatic. The Beat. Retrieved from https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/how-low-key-lighting-can-instantly-make-your-film-dramatic/

Renee, V. (2017, June 24). A Guide on How to Use Light to Communicate Emotion for Film. No Film School. Retreived from https://nofilmschool.com/2017/06/guide-how-use-light-communicate-emotion-film

Board Troubles

   So update on props. I found a bulletin board but I am not sure if it will be too small but I do have the red string and tacks for it. I still need to determine the layout of the bulletin board and more evidence to put on it. I was looking at examples online and are using these for inspiration. I found that I have the option of either using just photos or use a combination with other stuff like newspaper articles, maps and locations.

Hopefully after I finish the investigation report, I will have a better idea for the bulletin board layout. 

Photo Aging

   My worries about the clips for the bulletin board has been lifted! I used the app recommended from the group discussion, FaceApp. Although what I was able to use was limited, I feel that it is sufficient for the image in the film. It won't be shown for too long but I want to ensure that they look close to the age I am looking for.

Before:

 

 

 

After:

 

Group Meeting

   Today, we were put in group to discuss our ideas and main concerns/ challenges for our film opening. It opened my eyes to other people's ideas and their concerns, which were interesting. Thankfully, we were each able to contribute to help each other with some of these concerns which was a relief. This meeting answered majority of my concerns for my mise-en-scenes elements. I was worried about adjusting photos to make people look older and younger but the group advised me to use the app FaceApp which has been very helpful. Another concern I had was the bulletin board being too confusing so instead of using many photos of people, I will include locations and newspapers. I still need to work on my set up to start filming and being able to manipulate lighting. I will hopefully be able to work on that this upcoming weekend as well as getting all my props finished. Now that I have a better idea of the bulletin board, I can get started on this as soon as possible and get a proper layout.

Plans, Plans, Plans

   Now that I feel more confident about the opening, my plan for the week is to focus more on scheduling filming and work on my props. My props are vital to my opening because it is the main focus so I would like them to look as real as possible. I am also a perfectionist so I will be working very hard and diligently on my props throughout the week. So far, I started working on the case folder. I still have a lot to do though.
I need to make...

• investigation reports
• photo of my victim
• photo of people involved in the case
• case folder
• set up of the bulletin board

I need to buy...

• red string
• print photos

   

   I will be borrowing my mom's office shredder, printer, filing bin and desktop computer. I already have tacks and the bulletin board.

Before I start filming though, I need to do more research on how I can manipulate lighting to make it more suspenseful. 

   This is the case folder as of the moment but I still have more to add towards it which I plan to finish up throughout the week.