Audience and Institution Practice Essay

#3 “Nowadays, everybody consumes media texts in the same way.” Discuss with reference to the media area you have studied.

Not 100% accurate, but accurate enough to lead me to believe that this assumption is true. Although there are many ways for people to consume films they are certain ones that just stick to humankind. This allows me to form the opinion that they are consumed in the same ways. 

The way film is distributed is the way the audience will consume it. After prior steps are complete, both selling film rights and licensing agreements, they are allowed to basically start the distribution process. The first strategy is known to be releasing it through cinemas such as AMC, Regals, and Cinemark. As for where in the world it is shown, it is actually dependent upon the distribution companies. For example, Beauty and the Beast, and Spider-Man Homecoming were distributed worldwide while we were told Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 was just flat out distributed. Although they appeared in different times and different places they still appeared through the same concept, theaters. Which is how the audience consumes it. All three movies were first shown to the world with the same strategy which concludes to show that the people all consumed it the same way at first. 

When the films reach their theatrical run they now go onto the next distribution step, home exhibition. One type is physical media which includes both DVD and Blu-Ray. As we are told in our studies both Beauty and the Beast and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 were released on Blu-Ray and DVD shortly after their release in theaters. Although we were not told that Spider-Man Homecoming was transmitted through this type of home exhibition, I know for a fact that it was. Once again bringing us to the realization that the movies are shown in the same way, which allows me to believe that the audience is consuming it relatively the same. So far two consumption strategies are exemplified, but this is one more, the one I believe to be the most important. 

The second type of home exhibition is Digital Media. Now there isn’t a certain amount of ways to express it like there was for physical media. When it comes to digital you could literally stream it in a variety of places such as Amazon Video, TVs, Netflix, Xfinity Stream, and so on and so forth. Beauty and the Beast was released through Netflix although it was taken down, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 was released through Amazon Video and iTunes, while Spider-Man Homecoming was released through Xfinity stream. Now I’m pretty sure these 3 movies were shown in other places since there is a numerous amount of online services, but the important thing is that they were all online. 

In fact, we are also told how Comcast and NBCU pair up to increase the consumption made through digital media. Through many disagreements, brawls, and fights the two companies, one of the biggest TV distributions and one of the highest entertainment companies, came together for greatness. In the outcome, audiences were able to consume not only movies but talk shows, the Olympic Games, and plenty of other major projects. Not only were they able to complete synergy but they were able to increase the home exhibition within digital media. 

Although there are 3 strategies presented to consume a film, 3 is nothing compared to billions of people watching. These 3 common ways are basically the only ways we people can consume our movies and shows, and with the number being so limited it is only right for me to believe that opinion is correct. Nowadays everybody consumes films in the same way. 

Extract Essay on the movie 24

The theme I believe to be in the extract provided of the movie 24 is that anger cannot always be controlled. Through this essay I will demonstrate how media terminology was used to prove the theme. 

In the beginning of the scene, there was a zoom into certain objects, particularly the camera in the top corner. This seemed to be important because a camera signifies monitoring, by zooming into the object emphasizes the fact that the area is being watched which is a way they are being controlling. After this I noticed some props. The woman was in a chair handcuffed at her arms and legs. These props lets the audience know what type of predicament she's in, and allows us to think how the talk should go. However, this idea is contrasted by the sound motif occuring before the man spoke. Using this sound demonstrates how tense the scene is and foreshadows that the conversation will not go well even with all of the limitations.  

Moments into the conversation, a table is thrown. For a second anger got the best of him and in the next shot was the woman’s reaction. This reaction shot showed the audience where the woman was intimidated for only a quick second but went back to normal because she didn't think of it to be threatening because of the controlled environment they were in. She then expresses this through her dialogue. “Don't even bother Jack, lay a hand on me and you’ll be taken off the case.” The words are used in the sense of reassurance. Saying these words reminds both herself and him that he cannot hurt her because of the controlled factors. 

However, the anger is finally let loose and is first demonstrated in a low angle of their feet. At this angle I could see their feets being dragged across the room. Also noticing how fierceful and powerful the push was, letting his anger get the best of him. In addition, he choked her. While she was being choked I noticed her face beginning to appear pale, which I believed was makeup. The makeup helps us realize how powerful the anger was, putting herself in a life or death situation. Lastly, the over the shoulder shot used when the man looked over to the people that were monitoring showed the final concept of the theme. The faces of the people when they were looked at were in distress, this emotion was caused because no matter what they did to control the environment anger still got the best of him. 

The theme I believed to be of this extract was indeed one of the director’s visions. At the beginning you get to notice how the man is being controlled but tempted. Over time he lashes out for a quick second but is then calm because he is reminded of the controlling elements, but with a little more temptation he lashes out completely. No matter how much him or the people tried he still lashed out which shows us how anger can’t always be controlled. 

Fourth Project: Creative Critical Reflection for Final Task

And here it was, our last time to incorporate everything we've learned throughout this course. This project was a CCR, previously when we've done our CCR's we've done them in a less creative way, but this time we were told to make them interesting with a time limit of 12 to 15 minutes. We were given the options to either do a talk show, interview, or our own idea. To make things less complex and still fun I decided to go with the talk show alternative. Just like our previous projects, nothing was easy nor perfect. The issue I had this time with my project was the time length. For starters, I did not want to just go on and on about the question. This will result in my video being somewhat boring and allowing people to zone out. This effected me harshly because my recording were not hitting the time frame at all.

To avoid this situation, I added plenty of creative element for two reasons. One, to make my film less boring and two, to allow my film to be longer. After all of this my film was under the time limit, but eventually my teacher had the exception for our video to be at least 10 minutes. Looking back and reflecting on all of our projects there was plenty of room for growth and that's exactly what occurred. Before this class I never have ever made a film, but with everything I have learned within this course I am proud to say that I am now able to present to you a 10 minute video that is both creative and critical. Within this project I've shown everything that Ive learned and combined it into one. Although, I had one major issue at the throughout the project, I finished the project off with a bang.

I do not own rights to the the song. Credits to Khalid for the song Location

Third Project: Final Task

Lastly, the project we've all been waiting for, our final task. We were told that this project needs to be 2 minutes and an intro to a movie. Our genre was horror, so before we even thought to pick up a camera we had to do plenty of research both individually, and as a group. Our research was done to help us present the best opening as possible. In my opinion, the most helpful research was when we looked at how to do a title sequence, it really educated me and help me better understand the purpose of a sequence. Although I thought of this research to be most helpful, the other research did benefit in some way. After being educated we had a better idea of what to film exactly and how to do it. Filming and editing wasn't our main problem this time. This was because we have already dealt with such issues. But once again, everything was picture perfect. One of the main issues that I feel is worth discussing is how we achieved our time limit. Our project was told to be 2 minutes long, but when all of our footage was dumped into iMovie we have surpassed it greatly. 

At first, I cut everything that was extra and unnecessary, and secondly, I made things concise as possible to also cut down some extra time. This was still not enough, but somehow I made it work. As a group, I wouldn't say this was our most difficult project because we have already got the hang of things. But I will say this, on this project we had to incorporate everything we have previously learned and previously been through. This was our last time to create a storyboard and make it come to life, and once again we've done phenomenally. This may have been our last project where we start from storyboard to finish but in the back of my head, I already knew that we had just one last project that will show our skills even more. 

Second Project: Music Video

With all of the trial and error, we have overcome in our first project we thought that this one would've been a breeze, but of course, we were completely wrong. Our second project was a music video which had to be 1 minute and 15 seconds in length along with the song Location by Khalid. This project was way more complex than what we had previously done. For starters, we could not film it on campus, which means that we would have to find a schedule that works for everyone as well as a ride. When this was complete and the day to film came, we kind of already had an idea of what to do thanks to our first project. While filming, we decided to refrain from the amount of shots with all 4 of us since we did not have a tripod. We did so by filming from POVs and two-shots. However when the time was necessary for all of us to be in the film we either set the camera up or asked someone on the beach to record us. Overall the filming process went way smoother then or process for our first project, we had plenty of time to record what was needed without being rushed. 

In fact, this was our first project that we've recorded from our phones, and comparing the quality to our first project things went way better. As for editing, we did follow up with our own advice and used iMovie. As predicted iMovie gave us less problems and allowed for the whole editing process to go smoother. However, there were some things that we did not know how to do and had to do a quick search on google, but other than that things were perfect. Our overall process was way better than on first process with our first project even though this one was more complex. As a group, we will continue to use of phones and iMovie in our future projects to ensure that the process will go as smooth.

I do not own rights to the the song. Credits to Khalid for the song Location

First Project: Commercial

In our media class we were told to complete a 30 second commercial and my group had Gatorade as a product. At first we had no idea on where to go or how to start, but once we did we continued with flying colors. Overall, this project was successful. Our storyboard was amazingly presented and our film covered all of wanted aspects. The process on the other hand was not easy. For example, the first issue presented to us was our time limit, we had about 40 minutes to film and dumb all of our recordings. This may seem like a lot of time but to us it was bare minimum because it was our first time completing such a task. While dumping the footage is where the second and third issue came to place. The camera we used to record had horrible quality and the software, Pinnacle Studios, was very slow and  gave us plenty of trouble. It’s as if our first project was made for trial and error.

As media students, we used this project to learn from our mistakes and correct them for the future. As for the time limit, we decided to never record in a short amount of time again. Doing so will allow us to get the amount of time needed to provide the best film without rushing. In addition, because of experience with both cameras and software wasn’t swell we’ve decided to no longer use it. For the remainder of the year we planned to use our phones and iMovie. This was convenient because it allowed us to record and edit on our own times. Recording off of our phones will result the issue with quality and using iMovie will allow us to edit with having as much software issue as we did with the school’s. By finding ways to overcome these obstacles and still present a well put film shows that my group and I was ready for any media project thrown our way.

Re-Edit: Finding A Way

The ability to re-film is out of our control but we shouldn’t let that hold us back from trying to approve our film. When editing the first time around, we made sure that our movie was presentable. But did we make sure it was great? Although we were not able to go and re-film our last scene we thought it would be a good idea to look over our movie and see what we could re-edit. We already had some input from our peer reviews group, but the more criticism the better. We are reached out to two of our individual friends for them to watch our film and tell us more ways on what we could improve. Within the day everyone in the group came back with the advice. We proceeded with the group FaceTime call to talk about how we are going to re-edit with our circumstances. By The end of the call we have deliberated a numerous amount of things. Ranging from sciences needed to be cut and how a transition could be more clean.

It was now time to edit. Of course, we used the iMovie editing software. Our film was already stored here so we didn’t need to re-dump all of the shots. We used the criticism that was given to guide us on what to edit. I was the first want to get my paws on this task. I improved the film to the best of my ability. When completed I sent the film to the next member of the group. They then edited in addition to what was already done. We did this transition for about 5 times twin sure that everyone had a chance to edit. Doing this allowed for no mistakes to be left and an incorporation of the whole group. When this  process was complete we watched our film for the last time as a group to make sure that it was at full potential.

Here’s a picture of our final film in the editing software iMovie:

Re-Film: What We Hoped

After watching other groups final film and comparing it to ours, we've made the decision to re-film to improve our content. We've been planning this for weeks now. The location was going to be different from our original setting as well as the time, but this wasn't going to interfere with the footage. We've managed a way to get across that by just re-filming one of the scenes entirely. This decision would've helped our because it would've made our film stronger. With the feedback from other groups, we knew what to fix to bring our idea to our full potential. We dated this day to be the first day of spring break, but with life there is never full certainty. Over the past week us citizens has had our life changed drastically. All in the result of the Coronavirus.

A few days ago, our superintendent announced that schools will be closing to ensure our safety against the virus. At first this did not interfere with our scheduled plans because the day we were going to film was no school anyways. But as time progressed matters started getting worse. Businesses are closing, people are afraid to leave their house, and everyone is in disbelief. In a matter of just a few days, this virus has taken control of our lives. We were no longer allowed to go out and film, because everyone is so worried about staying safe. Although the intentions are believed to help us, we are only hurting in the process. Not being able to film was a minor setback, but not being able to return to school until April 15th is major. This virus is hurting many places in the world drastically.

Here' s a screenshot of an article of when the changes started to arise:

Editing: As A Group

As I've mentioned before, due to our issues as a group I had to edit most of the film at home by myself. But not to take all the credit, my group still helped in a numerous amount of ways. One way was introduced earlier in my blogs, they assisted me when I needed clarification. As a group member I didn't want to be the only one to have an input on the films selected in the movie. Whenever I had a question they were quick to any via text or FaceTime, I was able to depend on them. This resolution was helpful because it allowed everyone to have a say on the project. It also lifted some weight off of my shoulders because I wasn't the only one making all of the decisions. Some of these choice makings included transitions, fonts, and time-length. Without their help if they were a bad choice made, I didn't get all of the blame for it.

In addition, they also helped me with the title sequence. Although I was the lucky group member to get chosen to edit I wasn't really familiar with all of the hardcore stuff. Everything I did was pretty basic and easy, so when it came down to adding the title sequence I had some trouble. However, because of my reliable group I was able to lean on them yet again for another situation. When I completed the edit for the entire film I called my group to see what to do able the sequence. Immediately, they offered to take over and add the sequence in themselves. At first I didn't think this was the best idea since this part of the project was my task, but with some thought I agreed. I sent the edited film over to the group chat and the concerns were handled. In less than 20 minuets our film was completed, including the title sequence.

Here's a screenshot of my group's chat, this is the main way we communicate with each other when we're outside of class.

Editing Blog: The Full Process

In this blog I will elaborate the steps I took during the editing process. When I arrived home the first thing I tried to do was download all of the film, but the process was still going extremely slow. In the image below was way my screen appeared, but for hours.

Hours pass by as my screen stood there as if it was frozen, so I had to result in another option. As I mentioned in my previous blog, I did not fully complete the download until I was home. Which was done so with another tactic. I used airdrop between my iPhone and MacBook to  the send videos. Instead of just sending everything, I watch the videos on my phone and decided which ones I wanted to be on the  film. This made the process way easier and quicker. When this step was completed, I was ready to begin the editing process with iMovie. 

In iMovie, The first step done was removing unwanted parts of the shots. I then aligned the scenes where we were talking to make sure it sounded pleasing. Focusing on such things as smoothness between clips and no cut off sentences. I also did the same technique to make sure that our actions were aligned. When this was complete I rewatched the film to see if it was what we imagined. Our story got across and we completed our wishes, but there was one problem. The time frame, it was about one minute over what it was supposed to be. I did not see what to cut out, because I felt as if every second was necessary. Eventually I had to call in a group mate for some help. After we both watched the film over and over again, we were able to cut down the movie into its correct time length. 

Editing Blog: At Home

The editing process was not as easy as I thought it would be. To our hope, we expected it to be as easy as a breeze because of our previous projects but that was not the case. The problems started while attempting to dump all of our footage in class. There were about 246 shoots and it took forever to transfer onto the computer. As a group, we wished to at least dump all of our footage onto the laptop so we could get the editing process started. Everything was going very slow and only about 30 videos completely downloaded. I assumed maybe it was because of the school wifi or other factors. Although we wanted to get the work done in class, we had to result to another solution. I was then assigned to edit the film all on my own at home. 

Completing the editing process at home was not the best option in my opinion. I had no idea on how to incorporate everyone’s opinion on what should be in the video if we all were in different locations. As a result, I had to choose the best videos out of the all the shots to put in our film. This approach worked sometimes but was sufficient, it didn’t always work because of certain reasons. For example, if they were two very good shots and I wouldn’t be able to decide. I will then call in a group FaceTime to get everyone’s opinion. With this process all of the group members had a say in something instead of one person doing everything. As a group, this is how it should be. Even though we were not in the same location we still made a way. 

Here’s a photo of the editing software I used at home:

Peer Review

As mentioned before, the scene where the blood was shown was my favorite. In my paper, I mentioned two explanations, including the lighting and concision. These were brief reasons but there are many more. For example, it’s purpose. Without this specific scene, the whole movie wouldn’t really make sense. It allowed the audience to understand what was going on throughout the film and how it foreshadowed what may occur in the rest of the film. As for myself, I was in bit confusion on the whole purpose of the film until the last scene. In addition, the way the scene was presented was also a good thing. Compared to the other scenes, I was able to completely see the one. Everything was clear, I was able to see the blood, the hands, and the tracks where it was being smeared. Due to the fact that this was an important scene, I feel as if the presentation was very important. 

Although the film had these few aspects of goodness, there was one main point that possibly damaged the whole movie. The film had potential but because of the lighting it's potential was not met. The majority of the film was dark which caused some issues for the audience. For example, when I was watching the movie I was not really able to tell what was going on until I watched it very closely. Even though I was patient with the film many viewers may not be and completely just turn the film off because of this reason. When watching a film, you should be able to clearly see what is going on throughout the whole film even if the scene is meant to be dark. It caused less confusion and allow the audience to view and understand what is going on completely. It was until the last film where we were able to see clearly. 

Filming Blog: Looking On The Bright Side

In the previous blogs, I strictly focused on the issues we had while filming. However, in this blog I will be mentioning everything that was successful. Starting with transportation. Excluding the others who couldn’t make it, the remainder of the group had no trouble making the 30 minute drive. When everyone arrived, we wasted no time. I got my camera out and recorded the first scene, the rest was then recorded off of my group mate’s phone. While filming, there was a scene where we had to capture all of us in the film. We had no tripod, so we had to find a way around this. We plopped the camera up on a night stand, and to our disbelief the shot was filmed perfectly. Scenes 1-8 were a success, it wasn’t until the last couple of scenes where we started to have problems. 

In scene 9, we had to switch our location. We went from sitting in the living room to going to a dark moody setting. At first, we wanted to film in the bedroom, but the window’s light was shining through. Our second option was to go in the closet, but the space was too small. At this point we were hopeless and desperate. Eventually we just decided to shoot in the bathroom. I covered the toilet with a sheet so it wouldn’t be noticeable, and as for the tub we made sure that the covers show no parts. After all confirmations that our setting looked okay we began to film our last two scenes. The first scene went pretty good, but the last one was a hassle. We had to film it over and over again to make sure this one sound was perfect. 

Here’s a screenshot from one of our scenes: 

Filming Blog: Resolving An Issue

Problems have refaced the surface. Just when I thought we’ve fixed all our issues while planning. It’s as if all the confirmations were done for nothing. As mentioned before, we had some extra people contributing to our film. We’ve already discussed time, location, and transportation. However, the extras had other plans. The night before, they decided to cancel. Excuses such as going to work, or having their ride leave them last minute we’re mentioned. Our group member tried to convince us that this was a mishap, but I refused to believe. As much as i wanted to be upset, the show must have gone on. 

The remainder of us still met at the location to film. It was a hassle having to adjust from 8 people to just 4 but we got it done. For example, everyone was given extra lines. This was done so the content of the film still got across. We also had to change our script and storyboard, since those included the extras. 

Later on it was brought to our attention, that our extras were at a party. The same people who gave lousy excuses, ditched us. But the anger was no longer there, my group and I still did what we had to do. 

Here’s a picture of us discussing how we could make our film better. 

Filming Blog: Planning & Scheduling

As mentioned before in our schedule, we’ve planned to film this upcoming Saturday. However, as we continued to discuss everyone’s plans to make sure the schedule aligned issues started to come up. One group member had a track meet to attend, and another had a family outing. There was no way around this, we had to find another day to film. Being the typical high school student, I suggested that we just push shooting to next week. But my group quickly reminded me that that time is coming down on us. If we did not record this weekend, it was going to be a hassle tryna to get the entire film done in one week. So what was it going to be? Would someone have to make a sacrifice? 

After long deliberation, as a group, we’ve decided to film on Sunday. This decision didn’t interfere with anyone’s plan as well as allowing us to get things done on time. Sadly, there was one minor issue, transportation. This was more of a me problem then a group problem. I’ve already confirmed my ride for Saturday morning. Even though my group mates thought of it to be no big deal, I knew that it was. My mother tends to get upset when I constantly change my plans. She might get so frustrated that she just completely decides to not bring me anymore. To avoid this, I just asked my aunt. She already lived close to our filming location which was a win win. Now that I have fixed my issues and our group issues we were set to film on Sunday. 

Here’s a picture of my group and I when we were discussing our issues. 

Storyboard for Final Task

This is our storyboard. This story board will help out when it comes to the filming and editing process. Like in the past, the storyboard will act as a step-by-step guide for filming and editing.  For example, while we are filming we can look back at our storyboard to see what camera movements we wanted and in what scene or when to use them. We could also use the storyboard for the editing process. The storyboard could help us to remember what we wanted our titles to look like and what type of visuals we want. Overall, the storyboard helps to remind our group of our initial ideas for the film. This is helpful because we have found that sometimes while we film or while we edit we forget what we wanted and in what scene. So the storyboard helps us with this. The storyboard also helps us see if we made any changes when we finish our film or what stayed the same.

Planning Blog for Titles Sequence

In this google presentation my group and I spoke about the titles of our movie. We spoke about where they would be, what they would look like and more aspects of the titles. Examples of this include color, size, and structure of the titles. This is all included in the presentation. We also came up with the name of our movie. This posed some difficulty because we had our whole script but couldn't think of a title. We wanted our movie title to correctly summarize our movie but at the same time not give the plot away. Eventually we came up with the title. This presentation will be very useful to our group because we can use it as a reference when we are editing. And will remind us of our original title ideas if they change as the process goes on.

Planning Blog: Location, Sound, Participants, Health, Schedule

In this presentation, the aspects schedule, location, participants, and health are focused. Within our schedule, we chose as a group what days will be best for us to record. As for the location after deliberating thoroughly we decided that it will be best to film at  Sophia’s house. Furthermore, we decided on how many people we would need to conduct the film. We chose three people for our group then three extras from another, the total will result in a great representation for a group of friends. Lastly, we discussed things we can do to make sure we are safe. Which included simple things like transportation. Exchanging views about these four aspects will be beneficial to us in the future, we won’t have to replan or rethink of anything. This will prevent wasting time from our filming process. 

Sound Script for Final Task

In this Google Slides presentation, my group and I wrote out a sound script. This is a script that discusses the different sounds that would be used in our final task video. The sound effects discussed correspond with the shooting script. It is very essential to have this all planned out in order to have a smoother filming process. This script acts as a general outline for all the sounds that would be included. My group and I selectively picked out the sounds that we thought would work best with each scene. We made sure that the sounds would be able to contribute to the overall theme being horror. These sounds also allow the audience to better interpret and understand what is going on. For example, when the beat increases in the background music, the audience can assume that something is about to happen in the scene. It is extremely important to be able to identify when there will be a shift in the tone of the scene. As expected, there will be a few minor changes that may occur to the script to better suit the film. However, these changes will only be small and will not result in tremendous differences. Overall, this script will help tremendously as we begin to film, as it provides a layout for what we will need to do and edit in.

Shooting Script for Final Task

In this google slides presentation I wrote out my groups shooting script. This is a script with all of the words, camera movements and some notable editing styles. This script can act as an overall outline for our movie clip. Each slide is a new scene. So for each scene I wrote out the dialogue and the characters movements. I also like said before noted any camera movements, angles or shits that were new or important to the scene. I also did the same for any added in things that would be for the editing process. We could use this script during the filming process and follow it religiously. Of course some changes are bound to be made because that's what happens in a film. But if any changes are to be made they will be minuscule and the overall plot will remain similar to the powerpoint. And the powerpoint will be very useful for the rest of the process.

Title Research: Cargo

1) How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?

During the opening sequences of the film “Cargo”, there were 10 opening sequences to the film. Some of these included the producer, executive producer, director, director of photography, etc.

2) What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?

Throughout the opening sequence of “Cargo”, they showed a woman with bare skin in a very dark place. The woman seemed as if she was very frightened and lost. The woman was also very bony and skittish as she sat there constantly checking her surroundings. This shows that something terrible most likely happened to this woman but the audience doesn’t know until the film is watched.

3) What connotations do the images carry?

The connotations of the images in the opening sequence of “Cargo” carry a very eerie and frightening feeling for the audience. This feeling is created mostly from the setting and character expressing skittish and scared actions. The setting is dark with very dim light focused on the main character of the opening sequence. On top of this eerie setting, the main character is incredibly freaked out which is why the images carry very fearful and creepy connotations.

4) How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?

Throughout the introduction to this film, the genre is reinforced through symbolic and technical codes. The directors use symbolic codes to show what is beneath the surface of what we are seeing. In other words, this is a way of showing the audience what is behind or the cause of the horror that is being shown. This allows the audience to understand what is going on and have a better understanding of the emotions being portrayed. In the case of this film, we see that this person is being abused and is clearly terrified. Additionally, technical codes are used to show all of the ways equipment is used to tell the story in a media text, this includes the camera work as well. This film's introduction shows the story of someone who is being abused. The person experiencing the horror is very frightened and clearly feels alone. The directors also add to this effect by having the camera shake to make it look as if this person is being watched.

5) How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?

The film establishes an enigma from the outset as they show a damaged and scared individual however, not showing the audience what specifically happened to that individual. Doing this will result in the audience wanting to know what happened to that individual as the movie continues. They also develop enigma as the individual rapidly and constantly checks her dark surroundings. This causes the audience to question these actions and what the individual is scared of or looking for as she sits in a very dark area.

6) What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?

Many strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audiences such as the setting, the font of the titles, and the score. The setting, font of the titles, and the score all appeal and make the audience want to continue watching to see what happens next. This is an excellent film strategy because the directors give an insider as to what is happening. This gives the audience a reason to continue watching. Additionally, the main theme is clearly identified which allows for fewer misunderstandings and more enjoyment of the film. The directors and producers also do not identify who the person causing this terror is. The audience can infer that this person is behind the camera due to the horror on the woman’s face and the shakiness of the camera. This is also an effective strategy because this makes the audience eager to find out who this person is and what they are doing.

7) How has technology been used effectively?

The technology was used very effectively throughout this film introduction. The film producers did an excellent and effective job of incorporating camera angles, transitions, and editing techniques. One camera angle used in this film was a close-up. This close up was used to extenuate the fear and terror of the film. When the camera shows the close up you can see this woman clearly feels trapped and is extremely horrified. We also can notice how she is shaking and appears to be cold. Using this shot was important in allowing the audience to understand and see how this woman is feeling and also allows us to infer what may happen next. One transition that was used as a transition from shaking very frightening images to showing the woman sitting alone in the corner. This is an effective transition as it shows the pain the woman has been through and where she is now. This also allows the audience to see the other victims involved in this unknown horror. This is an important detail for figuring out what type of horrific situation she is in. One editing technique that was used was the add-in of the sound. The music allows the audience to sense when something important is about to happen. In this film, the music begins to get higher and more intense as the antagonist is about to be introduced. Overall, these examples of camera angles, transitions, and editing techniques used in the film show the role that technology has played in creating this amazing horror film.

Title Research: Dead Silence

My group and I decided to research different title sequences from opening scenes in horror movies. To research I decided to choose the movie Dead Silence. This is a horror movie that I found on Art of the Title website. I choose this movie because the title sequence fits perfectly with the movie and makes sense to the plot.

1.    How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?
     In the movie Dead Silence, there were in total 21 titles in the opening sequence. These included a quote and other important jobs that played a part in the film like producer, casting agent, director etc.

2.    What images are prioritized in the opening scene?
There weren’t many images placed in the film, mostly videos. But there were times when the video would freeze on something important to the plot, that they wanted the audience to know. For example, the whole opening scene was a man making the doll which was the main focus of the film and sometimes it would stop on images of sketches of different dolls that were being made. This might’ve been prioritized because they wanted the audience to see how the doll was made.


3.    What connotations do the images carry?
The images that were prioritized in the opening sequence had a creepy and horrific connotation to them. The images enhanced the already created creepy and unsettling feel that the commercial already had.


4.    How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
 When it comes to technical codes, they genre was reinforced by them using camera angles to their advantage. Throughput the opening there was a man making a doll and most of the time, the camera was a POV. And all it showed was the, and hands making the doll. And in some scenes, it wasn’t exactly a POV shot but it still never showed his face and only showed his hands. This might’ve been done to show the character and foreshadow a type of mystery or importance that he has throughout the film. They also used symbolic codes by showing a quote in the beginning of the sequence. This could symbolize what the film could mean and the lesson in it. This could also provide some background information.          

5.    How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?
The film establishes an enigma from the outset but showing the man’s hands and not revealing his identity. By doing so they developed a creepy and mysterious figure that the audience will start to question as the movie carries on. They also develop the enigma of the doll. This is because while the doll is being made, they could question if it’s going to bring good or bad to the film and what its role is going to be.

6.    What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?
  The main strategy that as used to appeal to the audience was the score. The score really engaged the audience and again added onto the terrifying feel of the movie. Since the audience is watching the movie they obviously want to be scared, so by using this scary music it will appeal to the audience by adding to the affect. They also use colors to scare the audience more. The whole opening sequence was in black and white and the titles were in red, so the black and white with red titles engages the audience into a scarier mood.

7.    How has technology been used effectively?
  In this opening sequence technology has been used very effectively. There were many transitions used in the sequence to go from one clip to another. They used lots of dissolves and slides to do so. They also used angles and shots effectively. There were lots of jump cuts used to show the passing of time when the man was making the doll. And the whole sequence the camera was either shot at a POV or eye level angle. But overall technology was used very efficiently because it added to the genre and all aspects made sense to the sequence.

Title Research: 30 Days of Night

Today my group and I watched the opening sequence to the film '30 Days of Night'. We were able to watch this film using the website: Watch the Title. This website provided us with the resources necessary to further investigate the introduction of a film. I chose the film '30 Days of Night' because it perfectly matches the genre of horror that I plan to focus on throughout my next project. This film will be a great resource to look back on for future references. For instance, I may get stuck on what the next step is when filming my introduction to a movie, but luckily I will have an excellent website and resource to look back on. Now, let's move on to analyzing certain aspects of the film.
          The first thing I analyzed while watching this opening sequence was the number of titles displayed. The number of titles displayed during the opening sequence of the film totaled 18. These displays are used to give credit to the people who worked on the film. While the titles were being displayed, many photos were also being shown in the background. These photos portray a very terrifying and scary connotation. They were used to signify to the audience that the film will be scary and mysterious. It creates a sense of mystery as well because the audience wants to know more about what these horrifying photos are and what role they will play in the film. These photos appear to be crime scene photos or photos of corpses which gives the audience hints about the main theme and plot.
          Throughout this introduction, the genre is reinforced through scary symbols. For example, the music playing in the background creates terror along with the way that the pictures are shown on the screen. Additionally, technical codes were used to extenuate the horrific effect. For example, they used Polaroid photos displayed across the scenes to show the main setting. These photos are used to help tell the story. The camera work is also very shaky and sudden which is also used to create a more scary setting.
          The film establishes an enigma through these Polaroid photos. The person who is causing horror is unknown, however, their effects are shown. In the pictures, it shows people who are all dead and killed during the night. This keeps the audience interested because they want to know more about who is the killer.
          This film uses many effective strategies to appeal to the target audience. For starters, they leave many mysteries open which leaves the audience wanting to more. This is a great strategy to keep the audience wanting to watch more. Additionally, the producers make it clear what the setting and theme of the film will be. This ensures that the audience will not be confused and can enjoy the film.
          The introduction to this film did an excellent job of successfully integrating technology. They used many different shots, angles, and editing techniques. One shot that was used as a close-up. This shot was used to show the blue, cold faces of the people who were killed. You could see the look of horror on these people's faces as they were being killed and could do nothing about it. One movement that was used as a zoom. The zoom was used to show the line of Polaroid photos showing all of the dead people and then zooming into each photo to show the cause of the death. For example, some photos had gunshot wounds while others had stab wounds. The last way technology was integrated was through the editing in of the music. The music is what really extenuates the horror in the film. The music is very creepy and gets faster as something is about to be shown. It also signifies to the audience when something is going to happen.

Title Research: The Reaping

How many titles are displayed during the opening sequence film? 

In the opening sequence, “The Reaping,” it includes 23 titles. Providing credits to the directors, editors, producers, and etc. 

What images are prioritized in the opening sequence? 

Altogether, there weren’t many actual images shown in the sequence. Fairly, they replaced this aspect with small objects such as leaves, salt, pepper, and the legs of a frog. 

What connotations do the images carry? 

As mentioned before small objects replaced the perspective of images. However, they retained the same responsibility, to establish a perception of the movie. All objects illustrated in the sequence established the same feeling, mysteriousness, and creepiness. This connotation may give the audience a sense of fear or uneasiness.

How is the genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?

As for technical codes, a microscopic camera was used to film the salt/pepper. The seasoning didn’t seem too obvious instead it appeared to be tiny particles under a microscope as if you were a scientist conducting an experiment. As for the leaves and the legs of the frog, I’m not really confident what it symbolizes but I’m sure it would be introduced to us later on in the movie. 

How does the film establish an enigma from the outset? 

The sequence somewhat foreshadows a summary of the film. By doing so, it establishes an enigma. Although we do not know exactly what happened in the film the opening sequence gives us a feel of what the movie will be about. 

What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience? 

In my opinion, the main element that caught my attention was the use of colors. The sequence started out with the color black but later on showed us red. This continued for the remainder of the sequence. The way the editors went back and forth between colors is what kept me engaged. Even though this is what appealed to me there are plenty of other components used to keep the targeting audience interested. Such as music, images, and editing.

How has technology been used effectively? 

Throughout the whole sequence a song was playing, this song gives the audience the feeling that the film would be something creepy. In addition, technology was also presented in a variety of ways, including angles, editing techniques, sounds. Many of the snapshots were presented at a low angle. They transitioned from one another using techniques such as fade-in and fade-out.

Title Research: Watch the Titles Website

Today, we are looking more in-depth on the website: Watch the Titles. This website is an excellent resource for interviews, feature films, TV shows, event titles, student projects, and video games. All of these will be essential when beginning our research for the project. While exploring through this website my group and I discovered many incredible things! The resources on this website allow us to browse through many different films and watch the introduction of selected movies. This allows us to have a better understanding when we begin to film and also access to an important resource that can be used throughout the project. Not only did we discover phenomenal features we also obtained lots of knowledge. My group and I learned the importance of the introduction to a film and how it contributes and affects a film. The introduction allows the audience to generalize what the film may be about. Without the introduction, the audience would not have a clear understanding of what the film is going to be about. Additionally, we also learned about what goes into the making of these films. We learned about this by watching interviews with films directors and producers. In these interviews, the main crew gives detailed descriptions to give people an inside view of everything that goes on. Overall, this website is such an amazing resource to have. We learned so much through research and exploration on this website that it will great to have for future references.

Title Research: Art of the Title Website

    The Website, Art of the Title is a website that gives examples of different styles and designs that can be inserted into a film.  The titles in a film tell the audience of the actors or important jobs involved in the filmmaking process. The design and style of the title sequences are important because it frames the film. These titles normally open a film and give the audience a first impression on what the film will contain. The order and timing of the titles are also crucial to the feeling and purpose of the movie. Everything about a title has to make sense and fit perfectly into the movie. We are studying this website because we want to see examples of movie titles that work well with the movie itself. Seeing these examples will get our creative juices flowing for our final task. We will be able to grasp the idea of how titles should work into a movie. Since we will be making our final task a horror film, we will be researching examples of horror title sequences. The title sequences under the horror genre are often very different in styles but all have a creepy, horrific feel to them. We will need to see how certain horror film sequences look so that can pick ours and make the look, order, and sequence specific to our movie. An example of this is that certain titles can pop up when an important character is in the scene. Or the titles can pop up in scenes that can foreshadow a certain character or event.  This website shows us the best of the best title sequences in film. This will show us great title examples that our group can learn from. Researching from this website will ensure a perfect title sequence that flows and makes sense to the movies purpose.

Genre Research On “Us”

After all of our film watching, we decided to analyze the film US as the last film. This film consists of the genre horror, thriller, mystery, and psychological horror. As done before, we are going to analyze the film using specific components. 

1.Common CAMS in the movie

· Angles:

• Dutch
• Eye Level

·Movements:

• Zoom
• Trunk Shot 
• Hand-Held 
• Over The Shoulder

·Shots:

• Over the Shoulder
• Medium Close Up
• Extreme Closeup
• Long Shot
• Two Shot

2. Common CLAMPS in the movie

·Costumes:

• Red suits for the doppelgänger’s 
• Casual clothing for normal people
• Torn clothing towards the end of the movie

·Lighting:

• Dark 
• Light from fires
• Artificial Lights
• Normal lighting 

·Actors: 

• Each person had a doppelgänger’s so the main characters plus the copied version of them
• There were also some bystanders of the city who weren’t really included in the text

·Makeup: 

• The burned up face on one of the doppelgänger’s 
• The blood
• Cuts, Scratches, and bruises from fighting

·Props:

• The scissors.
• The fire
• Items used to kill the main characters 
• Items the main characters used to getaway

·Setting:

• Although the setting in the film occurred in one city, it still managed to change a lot. Which includes the beach, the two houses, the car, and where the doppelgänger’s lived. 

3. Common sound in the movie:

• Dialogue 
• Non-Diegetic 
• Voiceover
• Incidental Music
• Sound bridge

4. Common editing in this movie:

• Fade In/Fade Out
• Shot, Reverse Shot 
• Eye-Line Match
• Graphic Match`

5. Elements of Horror, Genre in the movie:

• Bloody Scenes 
• The Fighting/Killing
• Led to scary psychological thoughts 

6. Elements of the genre the movie had that I liked

• The film played out very well and realistic. Everything that happened in the film was very straightforward and relevant to what was going on. Incorporating the graphic scenes and the discussed elements also gave a boost to the horror that was going on. 

7. Elements of the genre that the movie had that I didn’t like

• Us was the type of movie that would leave you thinking of trying to find out the purpose of the movie. Due to the psychological horror, some pope may overthink too much and actually be truly frightened rather than being amused.

Genre Research On “Boo! A Madea Halloween”

We continued to further our research in the genre of horror by watching more films. For instance, the next movie we chose to analyze was Boo! A Madea Halloween. This film had both the genres, drama, and horror. Down below is a list of what we analyzed. 

1. Common CAMS in the movie

· Angles:

• High Angle
• Low Angle
• Eye Level

·Movements:

• Tilt
• Pan
• Tracking

·Shots:

• POV Shot
• Medium Shot
• Establishing Shot
• Two Shot
• Over The Shoulder

2. Common CLAMPS in the movie

·Costumes:

• Throughout the movie, there were only two types of costumes. Casual clothing to match the setting of the house or either Halloween costumes for when the actors were at the frat party. 

·Lighting:

• Dark setting
• A beam of life when the possessed girl appeared
• Normal lighting when in the setting in the house

·Actors: 

• They weren’t any unordinary actors in the film, everyone incorporated as part of the norm. For example, the main character and her family, the frat boys and the people at the party, Madea and her friends, and the possessed girl. 

·Makeup: 

• There wasn’t really any makeup shown in the film 

·Props:

• Flip Phone for Madea and her friends.
• Trick-Or-Treat Baskets
• Boxes

·Setting:

• At the beginning of the film, the setting was at the main character’s house and the frat house. The setting then transitioned to the woods when the frat party was shut down. The characters then ended up to return to the house and fart party after the possessed girl appeared.

3. Common sound in the movie:

• Dialogue 
• Sound motif
• Ambient sound 
• Diegetic sound
• Sound bridge

4. Common editing in this movie:

• Cutaway
• Insert
• Dissolves
• Eye-Line Match
• Graphic Match`
• Wipe

5. Elements of Horror, Genre in the movie:

• Personally, the only thing that exemplified horror was when the kids were in the wood playing the game and the possessed girl appeared. The director incorporated both sound and editing to make the situation seem more surreal to enhance the scary effect. 

6. Elements of the genre the movie had that I liked

• Overall, the film was very amusing to watch. All factors analyzed above were incorporated into the film properly, this allowed the audience to have the true focus on what they were watching rather than focusing on errors the director could’ve made. 

7. Elements of the genre that the movie had that I didn’t like

• On behalf of myself, I don’t truly believe that this was a horror movie. Although the film incorporated the one scene where horror was exemplified, horror was not shown throughout the whole movie. The movie focused more on drama than it focused on horror.