Portfolio Project - "Setting the Stage"

Mise-en-Scene

This fancy word "Mise-en-scene" gets thrown around a lot and many don't actually know the meaning behind it or what it is used for in a film. While it can be confusing to construct it can be understood fairly easily. Mise en scene is the arrangement of scenery and stage properties in a play. Translated from French, it means "setting the stage" but, in film analysis, the term mise en scene refers to everything in front of the camera, including the set design, lighting, and actors. Mise en scene in a film is the overall effect of how it all comes together for the audience. In an earlier blog post I pointed out lighting and actors but I have not been too specific on setting and set. Where you shoot and how your set is comprised are huge for setting the mood of your film. If you are set in a house there is more privacy involved and intimacy because all of the things are happening within one roof. With Mise-en-scene the important thing is to be intentional and stick with choices. When the director carefully chooses a set or costume a good director will make it deliberate and another form of representation I mentioned in another blog post. Overall, within my film intro, there is the use of sweat I want to add to help portray hard times and hard work. That means using a spray bottle filled with water to make the subject look sweatier or waiting hours till he has created authentic sweat none less makeup will not be used however certain elements like the one I just mentioned will. 

Case Study - The Dark Knight

By controlling what is shown in the boundaries of a screen, Nolan controls the understanding of the audience. All that Nolan puts into every Dark Knight scene and film is the “mise-en-scène”. The mise-en-scène is how he creates meaning within Bruce and even the Joker at times. In The Dark Knight, the costume is used to add personality to the characters. The Joker wears a suit of green and purple and his face is plastered with white and red makeup that emphasizes his smile. Batman resembles a bat with an all-black suit with a sharp nose and ears. The Joker's costume and makeup are iconic and are a crucial part of the Dark Knight. The Joker's appearance is well known to many but the Dark Knight altered the costume and makeup from previous Batman movies. While the Dark Knight is not perfect it does cleverly incorporate aspects of darkness and gloom that I may choose to add to my own films

The primary Mise-en-Scene elements in The Dark knight are:

1. Costume design (Batman)

2. Makeup design (Joker)

3. Lighting (Low-Key/shadowed)

Portfolio Project - Representation

Teenage Representation

While in the preproduction part of my film intro something that I wanted to incorporate was the representation of a teen. No, not a coming-of-age film with sappy drama and cliche storylines but something much more mature and rich. While that may sound far-fetched one thing that separates teenagers and adults is maturity, and I want to convey that within the intro. So while the main athletic subject will be a teenager, his mind and determination form him intro a much more adolescent character, especially when relating to other characters within the film. However, there are still some aspects of childhood that I want to keep within the main subject such as the inability to ask for help and the waves of emotions that come with hormones and puberty. I want to overexaggerate his/her adult side and be more realistic with the teenage side if that makes sense. Something that I find difficult however is trying to create a character that is both relatable and cryptic at the same time. I want the audience to feel as though they have felt the same feelings that the subject has felt yet have no idea what they are going to do next or if they are going to give up.

Case Study - Dune

While there is not a lot of focus on teenage representation in this film there are definitely moments where a sense of perfection and high standards are put on the main character Paul as he in the successor to the throne. For instance, his hard work and training to lead the army in the new world. Something that is representative of his young age is his curiosity and rejection of control as he disobeys his orders and does what he feels is right. He is forced to grow much faster than he wants to which is something that will do my film a lot of justice. While there are certain things that are harder to capture one thing I want to be sure of is the emotional connection that the character has to their craft. With paul, he is connected to the kingdom both in blood and in the heart which is why he takes on the responsibility of becoming the next ruler. For my character, I would like to create a hungry and impactful connection to basketball and find a true linkage to him/her self through the sport.

Portfolio Project - Creating a "Look"

 Film Look

 

When you watch a film the directors always have a "look" that they are known for that separates them from other directors. There are many things that can create a "look" but the first is what kind of camera you use and how you use it. Many cameras can do different things, especially with various lenses. Something that makes a film unique is using certain S-Log's. An S-Log is a gamma curve designed to record and transmit as much of the information recorded by your camera's sensor as possible. S-Log breathes life into your images by preserving the wide color gamut and dynamic range recorded by the sensor. Essentially what an S-log dies is to make it easier to control what colors are represented within your scene and make it flat in order to color grade more easily as well. When filming raw with S-Log's your footage can come out much nicer in postproduction. 

Something else that creates a unique film look is the use of composition and styling shots. One of the greatest tools in film is composition. The same shot can convey different meanings depending on how the shot is composed and where important figures are placed. One thing that separates a lot of films is how the director uses composition to elicit feeling and emotion. Some films are so unique that without saying a word you can tell who the director is. The hardest part about creating a unique look is trying not to limit the creation and creating intentional shots that are well planned out and affirm the meaning that you have given to the film. 

Case Study - The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson)

In the grand budapest Wes Anderson utilizes a lot of unique composition that are fundamental parts to his films. Something that makes his films different is Wes Anderson's symmetry and profile shots, with actors and props promptly entering and exiting the frame. Each action is cued by another action, much like the overall philosophy of the concierge and hotel staff. This extends to the dialogue as well. His use of symettry gives a sense of comfort and satisfaction which is something he plays around with, within his films. 

Within my own film I would like to create a look based less on composition and more playing with lighting as that is another tool of unique films like 'Get Out' with darker colors or Midsommer with lighter colors and lighting. Within mine i want to create a darker tone because I want to give the impression of a harder and more perfectionist life that eats away at their soul rather than a super enjoyable thing. I would like to show that being the greatest isn't always about haveing fun but also getting things done. This is why it is important to have a 'look' and not become fixated on just taking a camera and recording mindlessly.

Portfolio Project - Finding a Talent

 Actors and Actresses

My film intro will be heavily dependent on having an actor or actress that can properly portray someone going through this awkward silver lining between pain and triumph. I also want my actor/actress to act in that sport in real life. Something that I find tacky and unprofessional is when talents are cast to be these sports stars however, they end up using stunt doubles and people who actually move like they know how to play instead of just casting someone who can act and play. While that might seem like a difficult task it beats Troy Bolton playing basketball when the audience knows that Zach Efron couldn't play ball if you gave him a ball and an open gym. The reason I want a real player is to achieve this sense of realism. This film is about perfection and putting all cards on the table for what you love and if the actor/actress cannot portray that then it would be an injustice to what I am trying to achieve.

Case Study - He Got Game

The movie He Got Game directed by Spike Lee does a good job of combining street life and basketball in this perfect harmonic balance. When watching this film I felt the same emotions that I wanted to pour into my film intro. Firstly, it has a great sense of emotion and character. Jesus (Ray Allen) is heavily determined to play basketball and the film's use of close diegetic sound when he holds that ball captures that essence brilliantly. Secondly, Ray Allen who plays Jesus Shuttlesworth (main character), is a real Hall of Fame NBA player. This use of a real player takes the movie to another level and is another example of why I would like to use a real athlete rather than just casting a good actor with no athletic abilities. The best emotion comes from people who have truly experienced it because they can replicate those characteristics more easily and authentically than someone who hasn't. 

Portfolio Project - Shepard Tones

 Shepard Tone

When trying to come up with a few ideas for my portfolio project I came across an audio technique that I really want to use called a shepard tone. What is Shepard Tone? It is an auditory illusion of continuous swelling sound, which can build tension or suspense. While researching this I watched a video on Vox that perfectly described the mechanics behind the Shepard tone. The way that it works is that the tone is a sound that comprises multiple sine waves separated by an octave and layered on top of each other to give off the effect of an ever-rising sound. If you are interested, hear it for yourself on this video of a dark Shepard tone.

Why is it called a Shepard tone you may ask? Roger Shepard invented this acoustic illusion in 1964. His basic idea was as follows: When the pitch rises one step, the harmonic composition is altered (a little less high, a little more low harmonics).

Case Study - Dunkirk 

In Hans Zimmers score for Dunkirk there is a start of ticking which is a central theme within his work like Sherlock Holmes. He creates the Shepard tone with three octaves the first and highest octave going higher and higher, the second going at a constant frequency, and the bottom one slowly becoming audible. When looped together it sounds like a scale going on for infinity. A Shepard Reset Glissando is when the Shepard tone is repeated continuously. 

Portfolio Project - Finding a Genre

The Challange

For my media portfolio project, I wanted to do something more on the horror and thriller side. However, there was a challenging part of the project that is I was restricted from doing anything kidnapping or stalking. What that means is that I have two topics to choose from, monster/fantastical which involves creating a creature. This would be problematic as creating a creature would involve a lot of makeup design and effects that I do not have the resources for. The second option is to create something dramatic like a murder scene which is hard to incorporate without stalker elements. Thus, I am thinking of changing my approach to something dramatic or romantic. I would like to tackle topics of teenage life in suburbia because that is something I am very familiar with. An inspiration I took was from Waves where the main character is determined to be a great wrestler but his life takes a turn for the worst. 

Ideas

Something that I've been paying a lot of detail to is college applications, relationships, and mental health. I would like to incorporate these within my intro because these topics are easier to convey from the teenage perspective. While there are a lot of directions this could go I would like to take a dramatic Jordan Peele approach with a lot of emphasis on the real and true hardships of being a teen. A few things I am unsure about are the kind of student I want them to be; athletic, academic, or artistic. I do know that I want to portray a hard-working student and exaggerate how difficult it is to become perfect at your craft. Another thing I want to incorporate is a vast sense of audio and the use of diegetic sound. 

After consulting my teacher there was something I wanted to avoid and that's making it too montag-y. It can easily give too much information at once that could lead to a harder job making a compelling film because there is no "give". During a ted talk video we watched in class from  Andrew Stanton about making a story he says "give them 2+2, not 4". Something I would like to avoid is giving too much too early which would "give them 4" and not achieve the message of the film which is perfection. The sense of trying to not be the best, but the only. The important thing about the story is that it remains truly authentic. I want a lot of emotion to be incorporated and to stress the inability to balance everything while also managing mental health. 

 

Portfolio Project - Outline

Approach to Project

The portfolio project is a huge part of the AICE MEDIA project. There are three things that I am looking to gain from the project. I want to first get a good understanding of how to create a good intro by researching and seeing what good movie intros look like. A good movie intro always includes a deep foundation for all the movies so that people can understand what they are getting into. I also noticed that good movie intros always end with people wanting more. This keeps people engaged and wanting to continue watching the movie. Another important thing within a movie intro is having good credits which is something I want to continue within my film intro.

Initial Plans

My initial plan is to come to an understanding of which genre I want to first create. There are different emotions and feelings within the different genres and I want to create something with a lot of suspense so I might lean towards thriller/horror. First I will storyboard and come up with ideas for how I want the shot to look. I will also look for talent and people who can act within my film. There are many things I want to do within the project and it starts with brainstorming and becoming creative. Shooting what I know about is the main goal within this first part of the production.      

Country Music Marketing #2

Research, Brainstorming, and Planning

When first introduced to the country genre our group was not the most intrigued as it was not something we particularly loved and felt like it did not represent our acquired tastes. Nonetheless, we triumphed on and proceeded to go on a "Journee" that is country music. We first did our research by creating a music marketing chart to see what a real artist in the industry looked like and how we could model our talent after a successful artist. We formed a google doc and got to work spending about a week on the chart itself. With good preparation comes great success so we became the most prepared that we could be. Within the music marketing chart we researched the history of two major production companies, Warner Bros. Music Nashville and Sony Music Nashville (Nashville is the home of country apparently). But not only that, we looked at a few of their most famous artists and how they marketed them. For example Blake Shelton is features at the top of Sony Music Nashville's home page on their website. Linked to that is his social media platforms as well as he newly released album and streaming services that have them. The use of cross media convergence cought our attention and we especially made note within the use of Facebook (Meta) and how popularized that was.

However, we saw one major flaw within the genre and why it wasn't as popular worldwide. It was OVERDONE. Many of the melodies, vocals, and instrumentals people had heard a thousand times and it prevented the genre from gaining more traction. So instead we chose to modernize country with the use of Neotraditional Country. Neotraditional country removes the cliche background tracks with newer instruments while keeping the same traditional vocals. In order to get a better understanding of this we pointed towards artists like Grammy Award-winning Steve Earle, and modern country star Carrie Underwood. Each were known for their modernized approach to country with a neotraditional country.

Now that we knew what we wanted to get out of the project we finally put pen to paper to come up with an artist that would sell. Journee Fae was the name we chose so that we could play on the word Journee in multiple cases, in addition the name is memorable so people can have her stuck on their mind. One thing that we did during the planning phase was map out how we were going to market, distribute, and brand Journee and what marketing techniques were other successful artists using that we did not think of. We came to the conclusion (and were required) to make a music video to brand our artist and introduce her to the world. We began storyboarding to come up with a plot that was modern and relatable while also using the traditional vocals of country. After storyboarding and coming up with how we wanted her to be portrayed on camera we were ready to film. 

Production/Postproduction

We chose to go with a music video entitled 'Need You Now' that involved storytelling and not the artistic route, however there are artistic elements within our piece. We chose to storytell because we wanted Journee to be a relatable artist not some industry plant that was just like every other artist. We wanted her uniqueness and character to be shown in a deliberate manner so as to raise the audiences awareness of the kind of person she is. Speaking of audience, while creating the music video we kept in mind our target audience of 30-60 years old. While also trying to bring in younger viewers because of what we were going for in our neocountry campaign which is why the story is revolving around a teenage girl going through heartbreak. It is something almost everyone has went through and is part of all audiences some more than others. We used blue color in the starting shots to evoke a sense of sadness and depression and worked with tight camera angles to show her anger and underlying pain with the break up. One thing that we struggled with in the production was making the story fully cohesive. While it was clear she was upset about a guy we never specified the b
reak up or that she wanted to see him again. The only thing that was driving the story was the lyrics, which is not a good thing. Overall though we combated that problem with important shots of the boy and her face to establish the connection between the two and the longing for one another that they have. We chose to end the video with a shot of both of them looking at one another from across the street symbolizing their attraction for each other while at the same time evoking a sense of distance both literally and metaphorically.

Editing was the easiest part of our project. There were not many problems due to all of the meticulous planning we did in the beginning. Something that helped a lot was the storyboard which took our piece to the next level and made all of the shots very easy to place. The only thing to really complain about is the difficulty of syncing the mouth with the words of the song. However, there is no way around it and that is just the work of editing. The timeline was relatively short with a little over a minute. While the piece was not very long, we believe it added substance to the character and might prompt people to become more open-minded about the country genre. We didn't deviate too far from tradition because she is a new artist but over time we marketed her to break norms and become a newer generation of country that is not bound by the same audio techniques and instruments. 

Presentation

The last step was to present. We took a lot of the brainstorming from the beginning and put them into google slides. We maintained big picture items and made sure not to overdo the slides with information as it is hard to read and bad for the presentation. We created slides for each group member to speak from and presented the information clearly and concisely. We created the slides to be more interactive so we liked all of Journee's social media such as Instagram, twitter, and facebook. We also created merch that we linked to the powerpoint in order for us to discuss her branding and revenue. We even went as far as to dress up for the occasion wearing country outfits. Every part of the project was meticulously planned out for a successful campaign.

While the project was not 100% perfect we did learn a lot about marketing and music videos. The big take away from this is that a great marketing campaign always starts from great planning and knowing your market. Doing your research is not only important for presenting but also to create something that will actually work in the real world. While country still isn't my favorite genre I can say that there is somewhat an appreciation for the people behind the stars.