Sound

    Hello there! So for this post I was able to research anything in relation to the portfolio project, so I decided to do sound since it's very important.  

    There are many different and unique sounds used in films. Sounds make up a film, and without sound the film would be bland. You might think that the visuals are the most important part of the film but that's just not true at all. Although the story is being portrayed through visuals, sound enhances and makes the film feel impactful and complete.

    A lot goes into creating and finding the right sounds. The first sound created during film making is the dialogue. Dialogue is also the most important sound in the film because it conveys the story and allows the audience to understand the plot and the character's emotions. The dialogue is also what keeps the audiences listening and engaged. Once the dialogue is edited and finished then all of the other sound effects are made.

    One of the types of sound effects made post production are Foley sounds. This is my favorite type of sound effect because it's so unique. I like how the Foley artists are able to perfectly replicate what it would actually sound like in the film. Without Foley artists some of the most common sounds like walking and body movements wouldn't be in most movies.

    This video from YouTube of Wicket eating a snack is a perfect representation of Foley sounds and other sound effects and how they make the film so much better. By adding the subtle footsteps of Wicket walking on the grass, the scene feels more real and finer. Without sound effects films wouldn't be as significant as they are. Sound is so important because it adds depth and texture to the visuals of the film, sets the mood and builds tension, and it helps express narrative elements that might not be fully shown by the visuals alone. I could use the knowledge I gained on sound effects and techniques to construct a better film opening sequence by creating and using sounds, in relation to the visuals being shown, to make the film feel as if it's coming to life.

Portfolio Project Genre

                            Genre Research

        As soon as I was presented with this project I started to think about what genre I wanted to my film opening to be about. I have been brainstorming and considering all of the genre options out there. Two genre possibilities that I have thought about the most were action and horror. These type of films have always stood out to me because it's what I find the most interesting to watch. That being said, I hadn't known much about these genres, so I had to do some research.

                                                                   Horror

    The horror genre revolves around creating an unsettling experience for its audience. Horror films are usually shot in a dark and ominous setting to heighten the sense of danger. The mise-en-scene elements typically have a lot of black and red to represent evil or danger as well as the addition of weapons. Also, this genre uses camera shots like the Dutch tilt and handheld to intensify the fear. On top of that the antagonist should be intimidating because it's the primary source of fear for the audience. This genre also requires an effective sound design to heighten tension and cause jump scares.

                                                                    Action

    Action films are mainly to keep audiences engaged and at the edge their seat. This genre of film embraces warm colors, high contrast lighting, props like weapons and vehicles, and frequent use of handheld camera movement and quick cuts to convey the intensity and chaos of the action. The primary intention of action films are its adrenaline-pumping moments, not necessarily towards creating a deep character development. One of the most crucial things about action films is their visual pacing as well as having an understandable and interesting plot.

Portfolio Project Transition

Transition Into Cambridge Portfolio Project

    From this moment on my blogs pertain to my portfolio project. All of the previous blog postings have guided me and allowed me to have a better understanding towards the portfolio project. I've learned so much in my class about media and I hope to express it all through my project. I am very grateful and excited that I can participate in making this project.

    My initial thought when I was introduced to this project was "What do I want my opening to be about". Creating a story takes a lot of thought and consideration, but that's why I love it, because I am able to display my creative thoughts. By deciding on what genre I want to do I can then think about how I want to tell my story. After I've decided a basis on what I want my story to be about I can then develop it even more to intrigue the audience. Since I'm just creating an opening to a film I plan on keeping suspense so that the audience will want to watch the whole film. 

    My other plan is to develop the characters of the film. This is another thing that I find fascinating because developing the characters is what brings the entire film to life and makes it enjoyable. I'm so interested in being able to create these characters with their own unique features. Also, showing the relationship each character has with each other is exciting. I'm very eager to be creative about these characters.

    In general I think this project is going to be a very fun and knowledgeable experience. Also, I feel like the start of this project is going to be a lot easier knowing how I want my story to be told and how I'm going to create it.

Documentation Process of Music Video

Music Marketing #1

Music Marketing #1

       

    

    For my research and planning process my group decided that it would be best to split the project up so that it could be done quicker and more efficiently. By doing this it would give us more time to work on the music video. During our research my group figured out that TikTok and Instagram are social media apps in which popularity is easier to obtain and where our profile is more noticed. So we decided that we would be using those social media apps mainly to promote our artist.

    Our song is "Me and Your Mama" by Childish Gambino. We're gonna completely base our music video off of our storyboard with the addition of a few changes. We intend to make a artistic music video, because we thought that it would match best with this song, and in the video there is going to be a man who's in love with this girl but he can't have her.

                                        Genre Research Analysis

    Genre- Horror

    Target Audience: The target audience for horror films is typically 15 to 24 years old and male, but it can vary depending on the film and its marketing

    Genre conventions (Content): dark settings, mysterious and intimidating villains/antagonists, disturbing sounds, usually a few jump scares, a ton of fear and screaming, a lot of blood, violence and weapons, there is also a lot of black and red colors worn by the killer

    Genre conventions (Production Technique): Low key lighting(for shadows), lots of close-up shots to intensify the characters fear and wide shots of the characters to portray their isolation, a bunch of handheld camera shots to create a sense of unease, and the use of red or black colors in the set design.

    Institutional Convention: Horror films are usually marketed using Word-of-mouth, where horror fans are encouraged to share their thoughts with others. Virtual reality, where the horror films have incorporated virtual reality experiences into their marketing campaigns, allowing audiences to explore locations relevant to the film's story. Press junkets, where the film promotion often includes press releases, advertising campaigns, interviews with the film's actors and directors, and merchandising. Missing person flyers, where missing person flyers may be used to market horror films. Fake police reports, where horror movies may be marketed by publishing fake police reports.

    Film Sample #1: The movie "IT" is a good sense of a horror film. The main character of the film is a scary clown, who's a killer. Also, Pennywise has the color red on his face as well as the red balloon he carries around. This color scheme shows how he's a dangerous being. The dark scenes in the movie also help embody that this film is a horror film. This film also has jump scares and jump cuts. On top of that, there's also some gory scenes and weapons.

  

    Film Sample #2: Another great film that embodies the horror genre is "The Conjuring". The dim lighting throughout this movie as well as the use of wide shots helped establish that sense of isolation and suspense, and the jump scares created that fear and intimidation. The gore and the black clothing from the "demon" also helps with establishing that horror.

A couple more Horror films include:

                                                                 The Shining

                                                        

                                                                     Smile

                                                                 LongLegs

                                                                A Quiet Place

        

                                                                Insidious

Sound

     During this project I learned all about the different types of sound and how they're used. Because of sound there's a more emotional impact to the film and allows for the film to be more watchable for the audience. I also learned that the only sound that is captured during the filming production is the dialogue and the sound effects are made last and are called Foley sounds. Although sound doesn't seem like a big deal, it's one of the most important parts of the film.

    The directions for this project were to create a scene with a minimum time of 1 minute and maximum time of 2 minutes. This scene should display something that could occur in a literal 1-2 minute times span, with only the use of sounds, no visuals. During this scene groups were allowed to incorporate the use of dialogue, but there was a maximum of 7 words. Groups also had to create a minimum of 4 Foley sounds. After the project is complete the groups must turn in three files, a completely edited sound file of the scene, a movie file of the four "Foley stage" sounds, and a file with 1-3 images of the editing timeline.

    During the brainstorming part of the project my partner and I had to figure out what we wanted our scene to be and after we established that we tried to picture all of the sounds you would hear, for our particular scene. The outlined contributed a lot to the organization of our sounds because we were able to get the idea of how we wanted to order our sounds. The editing resource that I utilized was Adobe Premiere.

    What I thought was done well was the Foley sounds, because they sounded very similar to their actual sounds. I also thought that the the sound effects I chose were well for my project. What I think I could've done better is the layering of my sounds. I didn't do too bad but I definitely think it could be improved.

Link to project: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rc5Qeu3U71UIpitp-tHYAnXgdwlvzP9x/view