Group Meeting #2

For group meeting #2 I was paired up with Veronica, Luciana, Felipe, Srikara, and Raina. I was so excited to hear everyone's ideas so let's talk about them!

1. Veronica's blog URL: superdupercoolblogbymemacaroni.blogspot.com

Veronica’s film opening introduces the Treblemakers, a struggling band obsessed with fame, while establishing themes of jealousy, sabotage, and toxic ambition. Filmed at TC, the opening sequence shows the band performing poorly as a bored audience watches, immediately highlighting their lack of success. The characters’ personalities and relationships are revealed through both their actions and body language: the selfish, jealous frontman stands confidently in front, the bassist stays close beside him without trying to outshine him, the talented but fearful keyboardist hides behind the bassist due to frontman’s past sabotage, and the detached drummer lags behind, showing his disinterest. The bassist’s care for the keyboardist is shown when he carries the his instrument while he walks on crutches, reinforcing their friendship. Conflict builds when it is revealed the frontman stole the band’s instruments, leading to the keyboardist being beaten by the original owner after their performance, showing the consequences of the frontman’s selfishness. Each member’s dialogue reflects their personality, reinforcing their individual characterization. The title, A Major Flat, appears at the beginning with opening credits and the sound of instruments tuning, before transitioning into the first performance scene. I think this is a very creative idea that seemed very detail oriented as she explained it very throughly, which is always great. I’m curious to see how their group is going to play around with body language and their script to give each band member their own unique character identity. 

CCR idea: podcast or something else creative (podcast with her being the guest and the host is an animated figure (stickman))

2. Luciana's URL:  ana224bb.blogspot.com

Luciana’s film opening presents a tragic love story centered on a couple during a fight that escalates to the moment the boy hits the girl, exploring themes of love and emotional conflict. The sequence uses no dialogue, relying instead on three different types of music to guide the audience’s emotions: slow, sad music during the argument, happy music during flashbacks of their relationship, and neutral music at the end to create emotional neutrality after 2 very extreme sides of the emotional spectrum. Just before the moment of violence, the film cuts to a flashback showing the couple happy, emphasizing the contrast between their past and present and making the moment more impactful. The film ends with the girl receiving a message on her computer, leaving the resolution open-ended. Flashbacks will be distinguished through changes in lighting tone, color, and editing pace, such as softer lighting and slower pacing for happy memories and harsher lighting and faster pacing for the present. I think this is a very intense idea that, if done right, could be very powerful. Me and Luciana are both going to use differences in lighting and colors to signify change or time passing in our openings, so we shared different ideas we could both use (editing techniques, pacing, meanings behind colors, etc.)

CCR idea: interview/presentation

3. Felipe's URL: lipecouto.blogspot.com

Felipe's film opening of Shift Happens is a comedy/action sequence that follows Paulie, an overconfident car fan involved in underground car racing. The opening shows Paulie meeting a dealer, Mr. Clutch, in an alley to receive a rare car part, presenting a serious tone inspired by The Fast and the Furious films. Quick cuts of Paulie installing the part and driving to a car meet are influenced by the style of the Need for Speed games. The tone becomes comedic when Paulie meets his friend Jay at the race and exaggerates his car’s features with ridiculous fake parts, parodying car culture elements. The opening ends with Paulie confidently starting a race, only for his car to break down immediately, reinforcing the film’s humor. I read through the script as Felipe explained the story and I really liked it. I actually found myself smiling at some of the lines, meaning they did a good job on the comedy aspects, which is really hard to do. 

CCR idea: either a voiceover presentation or an in-character interview as Paulie

4. Srikara's URL: https://myportfolio-journal.blogspot.com/

Srikara's film opening is an action sequence where a drug deal turns into a kidnapping, introducing the main character as a drug dealer with a personal motive tied to his best friend’s death. The opening uses some dramatic visuals, like he mentioned a shot of the protagonist's eyes closed opening and a nighttime sky, to create tension and mystery. During the encounter, the kidnapped victim realizes he knows the dealer, revealing the reason behind the kidnapping and hinting at a deeper backstory and possible past crimes. The concept was inspired by the opening of Suits, where Mike Ross is introduced through a risky drug deal that changes his life, but this film challenges expectations by turning the deal into a hostage situation. to be totally honest, I was a little confused on the plot but I feel like this is one of those openings that read better visually rather than trying to explain it, so I'm excited to see how it develops as they go into production.

CCR Idea: an interview with the drug dealer; Veronica suggested it'd be cool to end it with his arrest for dramatic or comedic effect.

5. Raina's URL: Raistellar.blogspot.com

Raina's opening is titled Is He Breathing? and it's a drama/coming-of-age story that follows a girl struggling with grief after her boyfriend’s death by suicide right before high school graduation, focusing on themes of mental health, guilt, and hidden suffering. Dreamlike flashback sequences show their relationship as artificial and surreal, with bright, lush, earthy visuals emphasizing that these moments are memories rather than reality. These scenes highlight how he hid his pain, leaving her feeling responsible and emotionally lost. The opening uses the song Metamorphosis by Your Arms Are My Cocoon to enhance the emotional tone. Raina actually DM'ed/emailed a few different artists and she said about 3 of them responded with permission to use their songs, Raina just felt Metamorphosis fits the vibe the best,  and she thought using a real copyrighted song would make more sense as it feels more real and meaningful. And they're actually almost complete with filming. Out of all the films in this group meeting, this one was probably my personal favorite (shhhhh) because, as Raina mentioned, she took inspiration from the movie Perks of Being a Wallflower, which is one of my favorite movies ever. I love how real and raw she wants to make it and I think the style of the film seems like something she's very passionate and detailed about. I'm definitely gonna look for hers when its done :))))

CCR idea: either as a lighthearted interview with her dad to contrast the serious themes or as a voiceover presentation explaining the creative choices. 

6. Mine: https://kmediadiary.blogspot.com/2026/02/

I talked about my film opening and these were some tips my group members gave me:

- boyfriend being visited in jail interview possible CCR

- police interrogation video possible CCR

- use minimal dialogue after accident 

- add some matching jewelry to make girlfriend's outfit more recognizable too

Overall, it was a very successful meeting and it was very insightful to get some different outside perspectives!!!

KBlog, byeeeee!!!!

If It’s in the Frame, It Matters: Prop making

 For our film opening, there are many props that go into it, which gives us an insight to the minds and personalities of the characters. Let's talk about them!

1. Detective Board for room scene

To me, this was the most important prop in the opening, because it's the first impression of what Adam's had to go through in the year within the time skip that we imply. The key was in the details, showing exactly how off the rails he's gotten.

Obviously I had no access to real police files or evidence of a crime scene, so my mom had the most genius idea ever: my family loves a game night, and our favorite games in particular are actually the murder mystery games where you get sent a bunch of files and evidence and try to solve a murder using the evidence provided. It contains witness statements, police reports, pictures of potential suspects, maps, pictures of a crime scene, and they all look pretty legit. Since I have a whole drawer filled with some old mysteries me and my family solved, I thought using the papers from the game and having a little arts and crafts night to suit them to our accident would look super cool and real on camera. So, I went digging through a bunch of boxes and found some pictures I thought suited our car crash.

I found:

- a map of a town;  I wrote on it with red pen to show a "plan" forming (he's figuring out traffic patterns and best routes to take)

- several witness statement files

- pictures taken on a camera of a road with caution tape

- text message screenshots (I doodled on them to make it look like he was trying to find some sort of secret code on them)

- security camera footage of a road with a girl's body on the floor

- Newspaper I ripped into small sections (I doodled on these as well, as if he was finding clues in them)

- a note he would send to the people responsible for his girlfriends death (says something along the lines of "you will pay for what you did")

- a drawing of cars racing through street (like he's analyzing exactly how the crash occurred)

- a picture taken on a camera of the killer's keys (there's keychains on them and I doodled on some writing as if he's figuring out what each keychain means)

and several other small details to make it seem more naturally placed and like he did it himself. I also labeled each thing I put on the board with sticky notes, like he's trying to arrange his thoughts, and I took some red yarn and ran it throughout the board like he's trying to put all the pieces together like a puzzle. 

Addison's also going to print out a newspaper with her face on it since she's playing Sarah, and we're gonna stick it in the middle, to show that Sarah is the catalyst of Adam's whole mental breakdown and the reason he's doing all of this. 

here's a picture of how it ended up. I doodled and fixed them up and I think it looks really cool and once we put it on our set and play around with lighting and editing, I think it would be super creepy and unsettling to look at:

2. memorabilia of Sarah for room scene

For Adam I thought there needed to be an emotional detail of having many different elements of Sarah scattered throughout his room, to show the actual gap she's left him now that she's been gone. Not only memorabilia but also aspects to show how he's been living without her. 

memorabilia consists of:

- framed pictures of them together

- matching bracelets that is now only one on his nightstand

- her stuffed animals

- gifts she may have gotten him (baskets of stuff)

- love letters she wrote him

aspects to show his mental state: 

- glasses and dishes left around his room

- messy clothes on the floor

- pills on nightstand (maybe sleeping ones because he has trouble sleeping since that night)

Here are some things I'm gonna bring to fill the room:

3. Flowers and card for the car scene

This last one's really just a note to self, but I'm still gonna document to show my thought process. I want to get some flowers but kinda of wilt them a little and an anniversary card but try to rip it up a bit. I want to do this because in the car before they crash, Sarah and Adam are fighting. I wanna show how in their last moments together, rather that appreciate their love, they were angry at each other. This will add to Adam's breakdown later on as he feels some partial guilt for that being his last interaction with Sarah before she died. So, note to self; BUY THAT AND MAKE IT

some inspiration for what I want: 

OKAYYY now that that's been thought out, filming can begin! We are gonna start filming this week and hopefully be done within the next 2 weeks. 

KBlog, byeeee!!!

Behind the Outfit: Costumes

This is where the fun starts, costume design and creationnnn!!!!

Now that we figured out our characters and their background, time to dress them! We want to make the costuming very intentional with colors, patterns, and styles, so let's look for some options:

Sarah

For Sarah, we want to find a very recognizable outfit that she will wear throughout the opening (and rest of the hypothetical film). The best way to do this is to use easily recalled patterns that will be unique only to her. So something like a striped shirt would be perfect. The reason for the clothes to be easily recognized is because Sarah will be wearing this when they get into the car accident, and she will show up in Adam's mind to haunt him, and she will remain in the same clothes to convey that she is dead. These aren't the exact clothes she will wear but we will look through our closets to hopefully find something similar.

 Link to shirt and pants inspo:

PacSun. (n.d.). Nessie striped T-shirt. PacSun. https://www.pacsun.com/edikted/nessie-striped-t-shirt-9584541.html

PacSun. (n.d.). Ultimate low rise baggy jeans tinted gray. PacSun. https://www.pacsun.com/pacsun/ultimate-low-rise-baggy-jeans-tinted-gray-9491341.html

Adam

For Adam, he's going to go through a shift in clothing before vs. after Sarah's death. He will wear colors and fun styles when he is happy with her in the beginning, but after the accident and the time skip he will wear muted colors and bland outfits. This mixed with his change in hair and makeup as well will show how Sarah's death has sent him into a mental spiral. 

Before accident:

links: PacSun. (n.d.). Red terrain heavyweight hoodie. PacSun. https://www.pacsun.com/pacsun/red-terrain-heavyweight-hoodie-0190522800128.html

PacSun. (n.d.). Dylan baggy jeans (light wash tinted). PacSun. https://www.pacsun.com/pacsun/dylan-baggy-jeans-light-wash-tinted-0131454210044.html

After accident:

I had a fun little detail we can add, Whatever color Sarah's shirt is I want to use as a pop of color in whatever Adam wears after her death. Almost as a way of showing how she consumes his mind and stays haunting him as he searches for revenge for her killer. So, in this example I'm gonna use red because the inspo shirt for Sarah is red:

plinks: PacSun. (n.d.). Number One SRS full zip hoodie. PacSun. https://www.pacsun.com/true-religion/number-one-srs-full-zip-hoodie-0190609780015.htmlPacSun. (n.d.). Bennett baggy flare jeans (faded black). PacSun. https://www.pacsun.com/pacsun/bennett-baggy-flare-jeans-faded-black-0131454210213.html

Okay yayyy costume ideas have been set, filming is starting soon, and I'll update more on the cast, the production process, and more soon!

KBlog, byeeeee!!

Trust the Plot (Or Don’t): Plot Rerouting

 Let's talk about the NEW plot, and find some inspirations for the vibe we wanna give off in the opening. 

Main Plot

Our film opening follows a couple, Sarah and Adam, who seem to be the blueprint of a perfect relationship. The mise-en-scene will reflect this idea, with bright coloring on the scenes and bright costumes and set decorations. They will be driving together and suddenly get crashed into by another car, killing Sarah who was in the passenger seat as Adam drove. This sends Adam into a guilt spiral as he feels partially responsible for Sarah's fate, and makes it his mission to find the driver who crashed into them that night. What started off as a sweet, relaxed love story ends in a revenger plot that a year later is still a mystery. The mise-en-scene will change entirely to show the shift in tone. Muted, gray colors will be the coloring on screen and in elements like costuming and set decorations as well. The rest of the hypothetical film would be Adam's plan being carried out after finding Sarah's killer, while he still goes into psychological war by himself as Sarah pops into his life as a hallucination and reflection of his guilt and trauma from that night. 

Pre-accident inspiration

(Warm tones show calmness and familiarity)

[Image on Pinterest]. (n.d.). Pinterest. https://pin.it/4c68hNhqp

[Image on Pinterest]. (n.d.). Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/4292562141071462/

Post-accident inspiration

(Muted colors convey a depressed state)

           [Image posted on Pinterest]. (n.d.). Pinterest. https://pin.it/7tJ0ZzFUx

[Image posted on Pinterest]. (n.d.). Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/334955291057626062/

 I'll post more in-depth costume descriptions to fit and develop the characters, but for now, I have to figure out filming days because that has to get done soon!!!! 

KBlog, byeeeee!!!!

media theories!!!!!!!

 Everybody's favorite time is here...media theoriessss

I'll be honest, at first, I did NOT like researching media theories only because I didn't understand how they were different and couldn't see the uniqueness of each. Now, I can actually appreciate how they help in processing and analyzing media. So, with that being said, let's look at some theories I can incorporate for my final!

1. Enigma Codes

Enigma code are central to genres like psychological horror because confusion and suspense are key genre characteristics. These types of films often withhold information from the audience, leading to unanswered questions about what is real or not and who can be trusted. They even lead to questions open whether certain events even happened. These codes force audiences to feel involved and immersed, as they try to connect these fragmented pieces and figure out the clues themselves. The partial revealing of information builds more tension and reflects the protagonist's confusion as well. By not feeling completely informed, the audience remains in a state of unease, which is the purpose of psychological horror. 

example of an enigma code: Unkrich, L., & Molina, A. (Directors). (2017). Coco [Film still]. Pixar Animation Studios.

2. Hall’s Reception Theory

Similarly to enigma codes, Hall's Reception Theory encourages fan immersion, which could stem into different interpretations of a plot as well. Different viewers may find different meanings behind elements of a film, for example, a protagonist to some can be seen as an antagonist to others. Open endings and unreliable narration like that can lead to debates among audiences. This reflects another goal of psychological horror which is to leave an audience unsettled and questioning what they've seen. 

Hall's Reception Theory explained: Hall, S. (n.d.). Encoding/decoding model of communication [Diagram]. Media Studies. https://media-studies.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/hall-diagram-602x320.jpg

These 2 theories would be super interesting to develop and would definitely show Cambridge that our group has a great understanding to genre characteristics and conventions, which could mean our opening scoring high??? Only time will tell, though.

I'll talk to you guys next time when we start figuring out actual character development and mise-en-scene!!

KBlog, byeeeee!!!!!

Resources: 

Media Studies. (n.d.). Action & enigma codes. https://media-studies.com/action-enigma-codes/

Media Studies. (n.d.). Stuart Hall: Encoding and decoding. https://media-studies.com/action-enigma-codes/

Starting From Scratch

 Okay...so about the serial killer thing...we decided to scrap it. Which kinda sucks considering the research that went into all that specifically, but it made more sense to do something a little more simple. 

Our group decided that it'd be easier to achieve this plot in 2 minutes if it was based off an accident. So, instead of a serial killer, it's gonna be focused on 2 friends got in a car crash because of the driver being distracted. The crash kills the friend in the car, which makes the driver feel guilty for her death. He then wakes up in the body of that "victim" and it leads to his psychological demise fueled by guilt. 

This idea seemed a little less complicated which makes the narrative way more clear. Here's the storyboard for this idea:

While it's different from the original idea, this is more psychological and dives more into the mental  tension built from past actions. I'm glad we finally figured out how to do this and i'm so excited to start the actual production!

KBlog, Byeeee!!!

Plot Time!!

 Now that I've researched and established my genre, it's time to figure out the plot!! Like I've probably said before, I've been thinking about this idea for a second now. And after talking with my group members, I feel pretty set on what we want to do. 

We landed on a psychological horror film opening with some fantasy genre aspects. Since it's psychological horror, the scariness needs to come from mental or personal aspects, rather than it simply being character vs. monster. We want to explore themes of karma and morality, and how that can lead someone into a spiral. This can be explored through unorthodox forms of punishment, which is the main element of our plot. While there's been many different movies where people switch bodies (think Freaky Friday (2003)), what gives ours more tension and eeriness is the fact that our protagonist, a serial killer, will have to wake up in the body of one of his past victims and relive the days of their murder, BUT from the victim's perspective. This means the serial killer will not only live as his victims for a day, but he will also have to face himself as he feels his own wrath/actions. This becomes a challenge to his empathy, morals, and his overall state of mind.

How will we convey all this in 2 minutes? That's actually a great question. As of right now, we are still figuring out the best approach when it comes to tackling all this exposition in such a short timeframe, but our group feels the best way to do it is to establish overall background info and context, and end the "excerpt" with a suggestive tone, almost like leaving the audience in suspense, wondering what will happen next. We can do this by showing him waking up in the different body, but not explaining it. A fun idea which might work is that we show the victim, doing daily morning activities but with small flashbacks to foreshadow the murder; although we don't want to reveal that its the killer in the body until the end of the 2 minute clip. Like tricking the audience into thinking it's a normal morning routine but then there's a fun mirror transition to show that the visions being shown from before are actually from the POV of the serial killer, not the victim, and he's actually in the victim's body that whole time. That misdirection and playing with the audience also fits the psychological horror genre due to the confusion it evokes. 

I actually found some really cool inspiration from the film Last Night In Soho ( 2021) for how we can play with the characters and the mirror: 

Last Night in Soho | How the mirror effect was achieved [Video]. (2024, May 17). YouTube. https://youtu.be/4ipPJ5Ug7eU

We want to figure out the best way to make our opening complicated enough to where it's interesting and a intriguing storyline, but still simple enough to where the viewers can understand what's happening by just watching those 2 minutes. It's an ambitious task, definitely, but I have a lot of faith in our group and I know we will make it work!

Alright that's all I have for now, 

KBlog, byeeee!!

More Than Names: Credit Sequences

Hey blog! I'm backkkk... today I want to analyze how credit sequences can be transformed from simply listing random names into a way strengthening a film's narrative; and how I can achieve this myself...so let's start!

1. 

The credit sequence of the film Se7en (1995) is immediately disturbing, as the audience is pulled directly into the mind of someone damaged and obsessive. The distorted texts, fast cuts, and strange imagery convey a sense of instability, a fragmented mindset, and compulsive behaviors. Seemingly ordinary objects are shown in weird, unsettling ways, turning normal things into something threatening or uncomfortable. The rough editing and and chaotic visuals also reflect an unstable mind, which is a key element in the psychological horror genre. Instead of explaining the story, I can do something similar to this sequence and use distorted, manipulated visuals and rhythm to place the audience in a disturbed psychological space, setting up the tone for the rest of the story right from the beginning. 

Link to this credit sequence: Se7en (1995) title sequence [Video]. (n.d.). YouTube. https://youtu.be/-BJkDyCdw0c

2. 

The credit sequence of the film Silence of the Lambs (1991) unsettles because theres a false sense of calm and control while it slowly builds psychological tension. The dull colors, slow yet steady pacing, and serious tone help immerse the audience into the developed world, and puts their audience in a state of unease instead of fear. Again, this is a key factor in the psychological horror genre, showing how can be created from the mind rather than sudden violence. For my credit sequence, I can take inspiration from these techniques and use things like slow pacing and minimal sounds or dialogue to create unease. Allowing the credits to feel quiet and controlled can juxtapose the loss of control that our protagonist will face later. 

Link to this credit sequence: The Silence of the Lambs (1991) title sequence [Video]. (n.d.). YouTube. https://youtu.be/AuMu4Hmk_s8

3. 

The credit sequence for the film American Psycho (2000) is unsettling the same way Silence of the Lambs is, as it creates the same false sense of control and calm. Although American Psycho is a little more ironic in its approach, creating polished visuals and slow pacing to reflect the film's theme of obsession with appearance, routine, and perfection, which reflects the protagonist's (Patrick Bateman) moral detachment and his emotional emptiness. The sequence plays around with misdirection, making ordinary things (ex. the action of cutting steak) seem threatening (showing knife about to strike something out of frame) until its true meaning is revealed (steak is revealed with knife cutting into it). Taking inspiration from this sequence, I could use techniques like misdirection, repeated routines, or juxtaposition, like calm music for a very not-calm sequence, to possibly make my opening really stylized to the genre I'm trying to capture.  

Link to this credit sequence: xKase0wsvno [Video]. (n.d.). YouTube. https://youtu.be/xKase0wsvno

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?

That credit sequences can heighten the themes in the story from the second they start, they can symbolize or foreshadow future events, or they can simply engage the audience into the story and make them feel any intended emotion, which immediately immerses them. I'm very excited to play around with different techniques and experiments until I find what feels right. 

K blog, that's all I got for research today, byeeeee!