Blog : Former student work

                                       Blog : Former student work

 Roll Call - This movie opening conveys that the movie will be based on a murder of a high school student, and the search to find the killer. The opening also includes clips of multiple people being interrogated in a private room. Some additional details are also given such as that the victim was the first suspects best friend, the second suspect was the victims tutor, and the third and fourth's relation are mainly unknown.

This opening had some good strengths, including the variation of camera movement early on. At the beginning of the opening, there is a hand held shot, which added a level of anxiety and suspense as the video shakes. The next shot moves up into the sky to show the building (it seemed to be a drone shot). However, the rest of the video seemed to be handheld, which I do not believe was needed for the rest of the video (in the interrogation room). This was a slight weakness concerning the camera work. Regarding the acting, I thought that they did a relatively good job playing their parts, especially the last actor who played the "jerk" and "arrogant" part. The sound effects were nice, but I felt that they could have been enhanced and played with just a bit more. 

New Everything - This movie opening depicts a high school boy getting up in the morning and getting ready for school. It also follows him going into school and entering in class. This is where we find out from the teacher that he is a new student. 

The sound effects in this movie opening were good, but very minimal. The story does not have much action to add sound effects to as it is except basic background, footsteps, and music. There is only one line of actual dialogue in the entirety of the opening, spoken at the very end by the teacher. This film also seems to be almost all handheld camera, which at some times matched with the story, but at other times felt like too much. Personally, I felt that the film was very unengaging and bored me watching it. The story line though, was clear as it was evident that he was getting ready and going to school, and is a new student. There were a few transitions, some were nice such as the door opening transition toward the beginning, but the circle wipe transition made the opening seem like it was "made by a kid". 

Dreamland-  This movie opening depicts a girls sort of "fantasy dream/ alternate reality" with depictions of fields flowers, flowing dresses, and reverse videos. About halfway through the video it takes on a new meaning and depicts a person going to Walgreens and getting a bunch of over the counter medications.

The sound was really good and gave the feel of being "on the clouds" in the first half of the video. The sound effects of the drug store are also very good with the sounds of footsteps, classic "store music" and background noise. The camera work was also good as the "dreamy-effect/aesthetic" was given with color tints in the first half. The camera shots and angles also helped me understand the story better. I think that the use of a closeup shot to add emotion may have been good, but I also personally like the aesthetic that it gives by not showing faces.

Dear Lover- This movie opening depicts the story of a girl who ran away from home on her eighteenth birthday due to her judgmental mother who did not approve of her relationships. She uses a "documentary style" and includes a "May 20th 2008" line that gives a timeline and "diary entry" vibe.

The music and the video of the first section of the video felt very "2000's movie" aesthetic with multiple angles of a small lake and greenery around it. These mix of high, low, wide, and close up shots of the scenery created a good dynamic. The dialogue was also very clear, so the sound was good. For weaknesses, some scenes had a shaky camera, where it was evident that it was handheld and not put on a tripod. This was a weakness, and I felt took from the overall video strength.

Dare to Thrill - This film shows a group of kids who find keys for a car, and recklessly drive around the parking lot and into the street, before parking and looking in the trunk and the running away (as if they had seen a dead body).

I personally felt that this was the most simple, but also best executed movie opening. What made this movie opening so strong, was the use of different angles, the music, and the acting. Throughout the scenes there were multiple closeups on the different parts of the car, the volume, the speed, the lights, and more. There was also video of the car on the main roads, from the outside. These shots made the movie feel professional and not like it was made by a kid. The sound was also very good and I thought created the main mood of the film. The music was loud and matched the film, all of the car noises were included, the kids playful screams and laughs, and background noise was at the perfect level. For weaknesses the only thing I could possibly say is the dialogue at the beginning being a little clearer as I had to turn it back to understand what was being said.

Blog : Group member blog post

 

             Blog : Group member blog post

Introduce all group members and describe why you chose these group members:

We have a total of 4 people in our group; Me, Aleena, Amaya, and Sofia.

All of the group members are in the 10th grade and we are all enrolled in many of the same classes such as AP chemistry, AP precalculus, AICE International History, and AICE English Language. We have all known each other for multiple years and talk regularly.

Aleena Abid -  Aleena is a 10th grader at Everglades Highschool. since she is in advanced classes, a lot of her time goes toward studying, and school is one of her top priorities. However, she does have other hobbies such as skateboarding, working out, watching movies, and playing cards.

Amaya Beauvoir- Amaya is a huge enjoyer of watching movies and TV shows. Amaya is very disciplined and is a hard worker towards her goals. Besides school she also reads, and is a part of many clubs afterschool.

Sofia Ali- Sofia is very passionate about school and works extremely hard to do all of her work and make it the best it possibly can be. Outside of school she loves watching a lot of shows (I can never keep up), and spends time with her family and friends.

All of my group members work really hard in school and in all of the previous groups I have been in with these individuals, they did their work. I can't name a time that any of these people have not done their part, they are good team players and work well on all of their work, so I know that they will contribute their fair part in the effort.

Blog : Story Boarding

 

Blog : Story Boarding

The clip I chose: 

https://youtu.be/8Yqw_f26SvM?list=PL86SiVwkw_ocKiorFcbYfUzcejwUyI9ND

 "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory- Violet Blows Up Like a Blueberry Scene (7/10) | Movie clips"

My storyboard: 

What I learned:

I have learned that story boarding is a visual representation of a script. It allows movie producers to show the other people who will be working on the movie exactly how they want it to look. Pictures do more than words, and a script alone can do. A story board not only shows the basic scene, it also shows or describes the lighting types, camera movements, colors, focus, and the type of cuts/transitions between scenes.  I learned that a story board is a critical part of the movie-making process. 

I think that storyboarding very important because without a storyboard, how are the crew setting up the movie going to visually understand what the producer wants? The cameraman also needs to visually see how he will need to utilize his equipment to get the perfect shot. A storyboard is important because without it, the movie may not come out as wanted, as easily. A storyboard is like a bridge of communication and full understanding for everyone on set.

Story boarding is a critical part, but it does come with its challenges. It can sometimes be very difficult to visually draw the scene to perfection. It can also be very difficult to find balance and figure out how much detail to add, because sometimes the more detail that is added in a very small space can make the drawing messy and unclear. When I was storyboarding, I found it difficult to make my drawings clear but also detailed.

Blog : Mise en Scene

Blog : Mise en Scene

A QUIET PLACE DAY ONE

In this scene the main character walks into a shop to buy something. The setting is the shop and the location is downtown New York city. The actors in this particular scene are the worker at the shop, the main character, and the cat who is sitting on the counter. The scenery is all of the things in the store, the decoration and the setup of the isles and shelves. This use of mis en scene creates a very hectic mood paired wth the loud "city-sounds" that are also played. It is set in low key lighting to create anticipation that something bad is going to happen. 

This scene comes towards the beginning of the movie. The main actor is the main character, who is walking with her pet cat. The main characters costume is a soft yellow cardigan and a maroon beanie hat. The characters in the background are wearing casual clothes as well. The location was in New York City and the setting is a crowded street in the downtown city area. The scenery, or set dressing, is the multiple posters and little shops and cars behind. The lighting is key lighting on her face as there is one main light shining on her. In the movie this is meant to mimic sunlight. The framing is just big enough to portray the main character up to a mid shot and enough of the background to understand what is happening. She is in focus and the background is slightly unfocused, making emphasis on the main character.

The location of this scene is an abandoned place in the location, New York City. The prop in this scene is the flashlight that he is holding and pointing towards the camera. The costume for the lady is a shirt, yellow cardigan, and marroon beanie. The man is wearing a suit and dress shirt. These costumes help convey to the audience the fact that this invasion happened at such an unexpected time, and everyone was frozen in whatever they were wearing at the time. The actors are the man, the lady, and the cat. The frame allows for midshots of the two main characters and this allows their faces to be seen. Their expressions show their emotions and also, their different personalities and mentalities in confronting issues. 

This scene depicts the main character walking down an abandoned street after the alien invasion. The lighting makes her character look almost like a sillohette. The irony of the setting being a bright and sunny day and the town being abandoned makes an eerie mood. The location is still New York City, but now after everyone has fled or died. The scenery consists of abandoned cars and buildings and lots of destruction. Her prop is a small bag that she is holding in her left hand. The frame size and collection of scenery creates an overall empty, creepy, and slightly relived mood. 

The scenery consists of empty boxes and rubble scattered everywhere. This shows the emptiness of sorrow of the area. This portrays the destruction that has occurred here.

 

This scene has many elements of mis en scene. The lighting is low key lighting, showing a sad and miserable mood, as they are in a hospital and the main character had also just given a speech about how horrible it is there. The lightimg reflects this mood visually. The scenery consists of a mainly empty room with chairs huddled around in a circle. The framing of a wide shot shows the audience the full scene just enough to show the emptiness and depressing feeling of the place. The location is New York, the setting is a hospital. The main characters prop is her journal which she writes her poems and personal writings.