A Font's Importance

     Title fonts are extremely important in the world of film. Most of the time, if fonts are used correctly, the audience can get a sense of the genre or vibe of the movie just by the font of the title.

    Fonts can easily make a strong statement to your audience and gain their attention and make them more interested in the film.

Many famous brands or movie franchises utilize specific ongoing fonts for their films. Those fonts are ones always connected and associated with the same set of films. The recurring use of the same font can create bonding between movies of the same brand or franchise. These fonts can let the viewers know ahead of time, what they could be watching.

An audience should be able to infer what the film will entail just by the title, meaning the font must partially resemble the upcoming film. 

  Examples  

Harry Potter:

In the font recognized to be used in the "Harry Potter" series, the viewer can infer a series of things. First of all, the font incorporates sharp yet smooth edges on certain letters, this could show that throughout the series, the characters go through tough times that get sorted out later. The font also doesn't stay on one horizontal line, meaning it is a little wavy. This could also show that the films will be a little crazy or weird at times. The "P" in "Potter" resembles a lightning bolt which could hint that a lightning bolt will be important later on in the film.

Indiana Jones:

The "Indiana Jones" font is also a very well-known and recognized font. This is because of its close correlation with the movies. The "Indiana Jones" font shows the adventures to come in the series of movies. The fade from orange to yellow to white shows the tropical feeling of these films. These colors paired with the slanting shrinking font, give the audience the sense that these movies will be full of adventure and amazing experiences. 

After this research, I found out how important using the correct font is for an opening scene, and how fonts can completely change the feeling of the movie. 

  -Dana  

Sources:

“The Lost Art of the Film Title.” ZD Blog, 6 Nov. 2020, https://www.zilliondesigns.com/blog/the-lost-art-of-the-film-title/#:~:text=Title%20Sequence&text=The%20fact%20is%20movie%20makers,made%20use%20of%20custom%20fonts.

Undefined. “The Fonts of Steven Spielberg.” The Pixartprinting Blog, https://www.pixartprinting.co.uk/blog/fonts-steven-spielberg/.

Location Scouting

        I think as my third real post on my blog, I should talk about a very important part of any film, including mine. Location scouting is a vital step in the planning and research stage of filmmaking. Finding the perfect filming location requires an excessive amount of planning.

        Discovering the correct location can make a film way more engaging by establishing a suitable setting. Most directors decide on specific locations to portray a certain message or feeling that the film is supposed to create.

        Since my film opening is a horror film, I wanted to use a proper setting that fed into the eerie feeling of the unknown. This resulted in thinking of someplace dark or at least somewhere that covers the sun's rays. This was to provide the opening scene a hidden, lonely, and gloomy feeling.

          Beginning of the Opening Scene

A forest would fit the feeling I wanted to create perfectly. So, I ended up deciding to film the beginning of the opening scene in a national park. This is because they house plenty of forests and nature trails that could set the somber tone of the story. This is why I believe a forest would be a great filming location for my film opening. The large national park would also give me the space I need to film my shots effectively.

                     End of Opening Scene          

    

The second half of my film's opening is the main character waking up after the forest scene. For that scene, I will use my living room as the setting. This is so the character seems lazy and tired as she ended up falling asleep on the couch. This setting also shows that it is a new day in a new place.

      

        The two locations vary tremendously in the atmosphere and feeling being portrayed. This shows that the main character has two very different sides of herself. The character has a dark and gloomy side of herself that comes out at night, however, also has a normal life just like any other girl her age. 

        Setting can assist with not only the feeling the viewer receives but also showing how the main character is and how the story will progress with them. 

  -Dana  

Sources:

“Production Notes: Location Scouting.” Nevada Film Office, 10 May 2018, https://nevadafilm.com/production-notes-location-scouting/.

How is Horror Made?

For this post, I decided to research a very simple, yet important aspect of the project: genre. After a bit of thinking, I chose horror as my opening scene genre. This post will reflect on that decision by going in deeper into the making of horror films and the reasoning behind why they are so popular.

  What Is Horror?  

Let's start this post with a simple question: What is horror? Well, horror films tend to represent disturbing, dark, and deep matters that appeal to certain audiences. Horror movies are made to create feelings of disgust, suspense, terror, fear, and tension in their viewers. 

Horror films are more likely to attract a younger audience rather than an older one. This may be since many popular horror movies include jump scares or gory scenes that appeal to a younger audience. This genre intrigues mainly teenagers or young adults between the ages of 15 and 25. 

  How Does Horror Provide Fear and Suspense?  

Fear and suspense are two of the most important aspects of any horror movie. Not knowing what will be coming next or not expecting a scare that is right around the corner is what gets everyone on the edge of their seats during horror movies. These emotions are portrayed in horror movies in multiple distinct ways. 

  Lighting:                       

If used correctly, lighting techniques can be the difference between a good and a bad horror film. Lighting can change the whole feeling a certain scene portrays to the audience. Horror movies tend to utilize darker lighting to add to the suspense and mystery of the film. Darker lighting is also used to fit with the dark topic or theme of the film. Horror films also use darker lighting to incorporate spooky shadows and create a hardly lit atmosphere and setting. Lack of vision is a very common strategy used by many horror movie directors to make the viewer feel like they are actually in the film.

                  Sound:  

Sound aspects are incredibly

important in any film but especially horror films. Utilizing sound can add to the suspense and creepiness of the story. Using stings or scores is a great way to keep the audience on edge. Horror movies would be boring with no added sound. Sound is so important to horror films that when the movie is very quiet, the viewers know something is about to happen. Whether it's an absence or a sudden burst of sound, all sound elements are precisely used to feed the most suspense to the audience.

      

 Camera Techniques: 

Horror films typically use unusual and unique shots, angles, and compositions to create a certain emotion or feeling. Using camera techniques efficiently can create feelings of confusion, fear, suspense, and so much more. Quick cuts and fast movement of the camera could add suspense or fear indicating a potential-jump scare. Using low and high angles can change the viewer's perception of characters inducing an even scarier environment. Certain camera shots are also used to hint at things that characters can't see in the actual movie, such as showing a killer hiding somewhere when the victim is still clueless.

All in all, this research will help me create my horror opening scene. One that is much more accurate and enjoyable to watch for the audience.

  -Dana  

  Sources:  

“Horror Film.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 10 Feb. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/art/horror-film.

MyTutor. “What Are the Conventions of a Horror Film and How Would the Audience Respond to This?” MyTutor, https://www.mytutor.co.uk/answers/57621/GCSE/Media-Studies/What-are-the-conventions-of-a-horror-film-and-how-would-the-audience-respond-to-this/.

Theworm. “Who Is the Haunted House Demographic?” FearWorm, 9 Mar. 2020, https://fearworm.com/who-is-the-haunted-house-demographic/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20usual%20age%20for%20the,rather%20than%20an%20older%20one.%E2%80%9D.

“Why Sound Is so Important in Horror Movies.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/why-we-love-horror/202209/why-sound-is-so-important-in-horror-movies#:~:text=Key%20points,of%20such%20biologically%20potent%20sounds.

Opening Scenes

Research:

     Research is the most important step in any project. Researching creates background knowledge and a sense of direction in which way you want to lead your production. In this blog post, I have decided to talk about the importance of opening scenes in any film and why having a good one is vital. 

Opening Scenes:

     Opening scenes of movies and shows are one of the most important parts of the films. Opening scenes give the audience a feel of what will be coming next, and if the beginning isn't interesting or eye-catching enough, many viewers may choose not to continue with the movie. The first scene also lays down the tone for the rest of the film. These are some reasons why opening scenes should be intriguing enough to grab the audience's attention.

     Especially with horror and thriller movies, hooking your audience in before starting the rest of the movie is vital to gain a large audience. Many horror movies start with a scare to give their audience a jump right into the type of movie they're watching. Others start calmly but later progress into a more gruesome and frightening intro.

Case Study 1:

     For example, in the opening scene of "A Quiet Place", the plot starts easily with simple shots of landscapes and a run-down town to show the setting. Then moving on to the main characters of the movie by showing them in a supermarket. The conflict of the movie is then revealed showing that sound is prohibited or dangerous in the world they live in.

     Later on, in the opening scene, we see the youngest son playing with a loud spaceship toy he found at the store. Before anyone could save him, he gets snatched by a large monstrous creature and presumed dead. This forceful opening shows how horrifying this world is and how little mercy the monster holds. 

     This film's opening is a great example showing a slow start turning into something much worse. This kind of opening gives the audience some time to watch the movie before jumping into the scariness of it. The beginning also offers a huge attention grabber as the viewer wants to know what happened to the son and why sound is prohibited in this world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_FdjXqSZlc

Case Study 2:

      Another good example is the opening scene of "Scream" (1996). The beginning is a very well-made, attention-grabbing start to the movie. It starts with a blonde lady making popcorn and receiving a phone call. She assumes it was a wrong number call as the man on the other side of the phone, doesn't know who she is. However, as he keeps calling her house over and over, she gets more and more annoyed.

  

      After a small chat, he clues her and reveals he is watching her as they speak. he keeps calling back as she keeps hanging up and every time she hangs up, he gets angrier and threatens to kill her. The pressure rises as the audience is waiting for something to happen. 

     Although the movie starts slow, every time the mysterious man calls the blonde character again, the pressure gets higher. This opening scene keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat waiting for more to happen and wondering where the story could go. This also gets the audience wondering who will survive in the end.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn5SkCvPEYo    

 The movie also uses stings to add to the creepiness and suspense the movie offers. The opening scene also uses close shots to show deep emotion in the character's face. The movie uses the popcorn on the stove to metaphorically represent the tension rising and to show how scared the girl is every time the man calls back.

   - Dana   

Sources:

Matt. “Screenplay Opening Scene Examples: Begin Your Script the Right Way • Filmmaking Lifestyle.” Filmmaking Lifestyle, 21 Nov. 2022, https://filmlifestyle.com/screenplay-opening-scene/#:~:text=Without%20a%20strong%20and%20engaging,TV%20show%20you%20are%20writing

My First Real Feel

Hello! 

My name is Dana

    This is the first day of my new project. Today I finally learned what this project really entitles, and why every little subject in it is vital. This made today the hardest yet simplest day of the project. The day I don't necessarily do any work but get so much information and explanations thrown at me.

    I can tell this project is going to be long and overwhelming, however, the idea of the vast area of creativity given to me makes my heart jump. Even though making up the beginning of a movie for this project will be difficult, the thought of being able to create almost anything I want makes me excited to start.

    The first step of any project is to brainstorm and research, in this case, I must research genres. I've always been fascinated by horror movies and shows, so going into this project, I already had that genre in mind. However, before deciding anything or thinking of specific ideas I had to learn more about it and see if it fits what I really want to do.

    When I'm not in school or doing homework, I typically do not like thinking about any schoolwork or anything related to school. However, this project has invaded my mind. All I think about is different ideas I could incorporate into my piece. This project is mind and eye-opening to the fact that creativity is the tool for success in a field like film.

The Process of the Music Marketing Project

 Music Marketing Project Process

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Once my group and I had received our series of songs, we decided as a group which song we would want to work with. We started the project by brainstorming and producing ideas for our Music Marketing Project, and the music video that went with it. We also did brief research on the artist and his song. We followed that with deeper more informative research on our song’s genre and how songs with that genre are produced. After we had completed our necessary research, my group and I gained a larger understanding of our project and genre. We also comprehended what the genre soul music had to offer and how many artists utilize it in a music video. Before continuing, we assembled all the ideas and research we had found in a Word Document to keep ourselves organized. Making this short yet detailed summary helped my group and I stay on track by maintaining our original thoughts and the message we wanted to portray. 

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After deciding our song and researching for a while, we decided to start planning our filming. We used a storyboard to show the music video step and how it was going to look. The storyboard also helped a lot once we began filming, to remind my group and I what came next. This also helped us figure out how much time we would have to spend filming and help us block out the hours necessary. After discussing, we established the days and hours we needed to film. 

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The first day of filming was on Tuesday, January 24th. We went to my house right after school and ended up filming and editing together until 6:45pm. We filmed everything we were planning on filming that day in just over an hour. However, we accidentally filmed it in portrait mode, so we had to go back and refilm everything. Surprisingly, the second time we filmed the clips, the acting and shots were exceedingly better than the first time. Thankfully, we finished filming that section before the sun began to set. 

My group and I also decided to edit those clips so we could get a feel on how the project fit with the song. This also let us figure out if we wanted to cut anything we filmed that day or remove or add anything for the next day of filming. Editing on two different days also saved time as the amount of time we needed was split between the two days of filming. This was also a good place to figure out if we wanted to use any transitions or special effects in our music video. 

Our second day of filming was Tuesday, January 31st. We had a couple more complications since several members of our group had important plans and could not meet for too long. We had to film the second half of our project in an hour and a half. Everything came out nicely, and only a few shots had to be re-filmed.

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After my group and I finished filming, we finished our editing process. We decided to make a badly made rough draft of our music video. This was to see if the clips fit nicely or if we had to change anything. We removed one clip and added another that was easy to film. After that, the editing process was fairly easy due to us editing half of the music video a week prior. Once we had finished editing the shots together, we made sure they matched to song accordingly. We then went back in and added a few transitions in between a couple of shots. This included one clip dissolving and fading into the other and a couple clips being made a little blurry on purpose to remove a sense of clarity. Another editing strategy we used was changing clips speed slightly. This helped us adjust the clips to make sure they fit perfectly with the song. 

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During the week in school and at home between both of our filming's, we decided to work on the other components of this project. This included the PowerPoint presentation and other related research.

We divided the slides for the PowerPoint presentation into an even workload for everyone. We did most of the presentation during class time, and anything that was not finished we had to finish on our own at home. We planned to make the content on the slides very wordy and big paragraphs and then take a picture to have a record of all the information we researched. This helped everyone know what the slides they were going to present were about by memory, without looking at the screen. A couple of days before the presentation due date, we went back into our PowerPoint and changed the format. We added pictures, symbols, and transitions. We also shortened the content on each slide to a small minimum, using not full sentences and bullet points.

On the day of the presentation, my group and I all felt extremely confident with our information. We had called several times before to practice how we would present and what information we had to know in our heads while talking. We also gave each other pointers and helped each other with figuring out what details and information was worth talking deeply about, and which should be glided over and just mentioned. This helped our group gain a flow throughout our PowerPoint presentation since we had practiced together so many times.

We presented our PowerPoint, effectively and precisely. Once we finished and read the critiques, there was a couple of things that could have been improved or added to our PowerPoint presentation, however, overall, my group and I did a respectable job presenting our PowerPoint, the information we researched, and the music video. 

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During the making and creation of this project, my group and I went through troubles but fixed them quickly and efficiently. One thing that limited the number of problems we encountered was our planning. I learned that planning and researching before starting the actual project is the most crucial step of any project. Researching and planning helps organize your thoughts are focus where you want your project to be headed towards and what message you want to portray through it.

If you do not brainstorm or plan as a group what you want to show through the project, more problems will arise throughout the making of the project and everything will turn out messy and all over the place. Planning and brainstorming every single detail at the beginning of the project takes time but saves so much eventually. Running into a project with a blind eye is the worst decision and a waste of time, and this project has helped me understand that. 

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Dana