Fonts

 I have decided I want to research and review the importance of fonts kind of early on my process because I simply want to do it now. Research can be fun sometimes and I want to learn about the importance of fonts so why not! I also know that fonts will play an important part in my film opening so it’s important they don’t get lost in the process.

Fonts are a crucial component of any design or communication, whether it be in print or digital media. They play a significant role in conveying a message or creating a visual impact, and their importance cannot be overstated. Here are some reasons why fonts are important:

1. Conveys tone and personality: Different fonts have their unique personalities and can convey a range of emotions, from formal to casual, playful to serious. Choosing the right font can help establish the tone and personality of a brand or message.
2. Enhances readability: Good typography is essential for readability. The right font choice can improve the legibility of a text, making it easier to read and understand. On the other hand, a poor font choice can make the text difficult to read and even lead to eye strain.
3. Creates a visual hierarchy: Fonts can be used to create a visual hierarchy in a design, allowing the reader to quickly understand the importance and structure of the content. For example, using a larger font size or bold typeface for headings, and a smaller font size for body text.
4. Supports branding: Fonts are an important part of branding, as they help to create consistency and recognition across various media. A distinct font can help distinguish a brand from competitors and make it more memorable.
5. Sets the mood: Fonts can evoke emotions and set the mood for a design or communication. For example, a serif font may create a more traditional or classic feel, while a sans-serif font may give a more modern or clean look.
6. Supports accessibility: Choosing the right font is essential for accessibility, as some fonts can be difficult to read for people with visual impairments. Using a font that is legible and easy to read can improve accessibility and make content more inclusive.

Overall, fonts are a critical component of design and communication, and their importance should not be overlooked. The right font choice can enhance readability, convey tone and personality, create a visual hierarchy, support branding, set the mood, and improve accessibility. Therefore, it is essential that I chose the correct fonts when I work on the writing that will be present in my mystery film opening.

Sources:

https://careerfoundry.com/en/blog/ui-design/beginners-guide-to-typography/

https://theusefulhuman.com/fonts-and-how-to-use-them/

Ideas ideas

 Okey so I’m going to use this post to discuss the different ideas I have for my mystery film opening. I have multiple ideas of things and stories I want to create so why not write them all down to organize them and be able to really see them all written down.

1. The Unexpected Discovery: The film opens with a character stumbling upon something unexpected, such as a body or a clue to a mystery. The discovery sets off a chain of events that drives the rest of the film's plot.
2. The Crime in Progress: The film opens with a crime being committed, such as a robbery or a murder. The audience is introduced to the victim and possibly the perpetrator, setting the stage for the investigation that will follow.
3. The Unexplained Phenomenon: The film opens with a strange and unexplained occurrence, such as a series of disappearances or paranormal activity. The protagonist is tasked with investigating and solving the mystery.
4. The Mysterious Invitation: The film opens with the protagonist receiving a mysterious invitation to a secluded location, such as a mansion or a remote island. Once they arrive, they discover that there is a mystery to be solved and danger to be faced.
5. The Past Revisited: The film opens with a character's past coming back to haunt them. This could be in the form of an old acquaintance seeking revenge or a long-buried secret coming to light, setting off a mystery that must be solved.
6. The Puzzle Piece: The film opens with a character receiving a puzzle piece or cryptic message that sets them off on a quest to uncover a mystery. The puzzle could be a physical object or a cryptic message that must be deciphered.

Eeeekkkk!! So many options and i’m honestly loving them all. Now I have to think about which one I want to chose…. I need some time.

Making it unique

Making my mystery film opening unique is going to be challenging. Making it unique is one of the things I want to ensure, as it is a key element of making a good film opening and allowing my audience to be intrigued in my film. So here are some things that I need to consider while I move forward.

Playing with audience expectations is one way to make my mystery film opening unique. By subverting the typical tropes of the genre and surprising your viewers with an unexpected twist or reveal early on can aid in the uniqueness of my opening.

Incorparating unique visual elements such as a distinctive color palette, surreal imagery, or experimental camera work can help my film stand out and create a distinctive visual style.

Developing some unconventional characters that are different from the typical mystery film protagonists is onother approach I could take to aid my film opening. I need to create characters that are unique, memorable, and defy some audience expectations as well.

Experimenting with different sound design can be another tool as well. I could consider using unconventional sounds, music, or dialogue to create a distinctive audio landscape that intrigues my audience.

All in all, making your mystery film opening unique requires a combination of creativity and experimentation. I need to be comfortable trying out different techniques and exploring unconventional ideas to make my film opening stand out amongst the rest.

Sources:

https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2018/09/how-to-be-unique-in-cinema/

https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/cinematography-techniques-no-film-school/

Tips and tricks

After watching some mystery film openings as well as other film openings from other genres, I have decided to compile a list of some tips and tricks I want to keep in my mind while I further develop my own film opening.

1. Grabbing my viewers attention: this opening scene will be the first impression of this film that my audiences will see. I need to make sure I make it count and make it worth their time. I need to ensure I start with an attention grabbing moment that will be able to set the tone for my film.

2. Establishing the setting: using the opening scene to establish my setting is a great way to set the tone and general plot of my film. It is important the audience has this important information early on in the film. I have to remember this is not necessaraly need to be done through a visual but also could be done with dialogue.

3. Introducing my characters: it is important to try and introduce the main characters of my film in the opening. This can help my viewer understand who they are and they motivations as well as they general personality.

4. Creating suspense: Usung the opening scene to create suspense and intrigue is key to a good opening, especially with the mystery genre. This allows to keep the viewer engaged and interested.

5. Music: the use of music is also something I need to keep in mind as it can be a helpful tool in aiding in setting the tone of my film. I need to make sure I chose music that fits the mood of my opening scene and also enhances the viewers overall expierence. 

6. Experimenting: I need to remember to not be afraid to experiment with different styles and approaches to my opening. I need to stay out of the bubble and experiment with different techniques with lighting, angles, and music to be able to find what I like and what works for me and my film opening.

I have to remember to captivate and engage my audience and leave them intrigued in my film. These tips will be able to aid in my overall process as well as the way I approach my next steps of developing my film opening.

Sources:

https://nofilmschool.com/beginning-movie-great

https://nofilmschool.com/best-movie-opening-scenes

https://www.moviemaker.com/how-to-start-a-script/amp/

Target audience

 Now let’s talk target audiences! This is one of the most essential points that needs to be addressed when creating a film opening. I need to make sure that my film opening is designed to engage and target the certain type of people I am trying to reach with my film. 

Since I am doing a mystery film opening, I need to first see what would be my best audience to target. I have to think about who do mystery films usually target? From my previous research, I have learned that mystery films usually have a large target audience of males and females ranging from 15-40 years. For my own personal film, I think I would mostly focus on reaching both females and males ranging from 15-25, which would be teenagers and young adults.

Now that I have set my target audience, I have to now think of ways to reaching it. What are some ways to target this audience? One of the first things I think of is representation. Nowadays there are many films that try to reach younger audiences trying to connect with them. Using things such as slangs and trending topics is one way to do this. This helps audiences see themselves in films and feel represented by them. This can allow for a large majority of audiences feeling seen and heard through hard topics as well, talking about things such as mental health and identity issues can help connect with audiences as these are topics that are not talked about often. 

Another way is through the characters. Creating relatable and lovable characters is another way of targeting certain audiences. It is important to create memorable characters that audiences will be able to connect with. This allows for films to receive more attention and love only through the way characters interact and act.

These are all things I need to take into consideration when developing my characters as well as my plot of my film. I need to focus on connecting with my audience and developing a film opening that will catch their eye.

More research

 After analyzing mystery film openings, I now feel that I need to learn more about what truly makes a mystery movie. I want to truly indulge myself and learn more about the genre so that I have full understanding of it.

The main thing that I have now found is that many mystery films revolve around a detective. Usually they aren’t an official detective but mostly just someone that is determined to solve the mystery that the film is about. For my own film, this is something that I would definitely like to include as it is a key part of the genre, I really want to work to make my detective stand out. It is important that they have a motive for solving the mystery, they need to have some type of drive. Since my film opening will only be about 2 minutes, it is very hard to fit many of these things in, so I have to work to make everything fit in and be cohesive. 

Another key element in mystery films is the suspense. Suspense is a huge part of the genre and it is also something I need to focus on. Building suspense can be a little hard sometimes especially in the 2 minute timeframe, I need to make sure there is something that makes the audience interested in the film. Suspense is most often built by the audience knowing something the characters don’t know. For example, the main character is about to open a door, what they don’t know is that inside the door is their killer. Since the audience knows what is behind the door, there is a built suspense on what the character is going to do and what is going to happen to them once they open the door.

To be able to make my mystery film opening stand out, one essential part is to be able to have a good hook as well. The mystery that should surround my film needs to be eye catching, something unique and interesting. I don’t want it to be some regular old crime, it needs to be something that could appeal to my target audience (that will be soon determined). 

Another important thing to note is that mystery is a genre that is often piled into many others, many thriller, crime, and many other film genres often contain mysteries that are added into their plot lines. When taking a look at one of the most famous mystery films/literature which is Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who was the author of Sherlock Holmes, was able to create a character who has now been loved and known for decade’s .Through his books and films, Doyle created a detective with many redeeming qualities that allowed people to be inspired by both his flaws and strengths. The first mystery films are dated back to the silent era. Since their first appearance around the 1900s, there are many notable themes that take part in them. Things like suspense, drama, plot twists, as well as memorable characters all take a huge part in the genre. These are all points that I need to think about when developing my own film opening.  

Sources:

Martin, Emily. “The Appeal of Sherlock Holmes.” Novel Suspects, 13 July 2021, https://www.novelsuspects.com/articles/the-appeal-of-sherlock-holmes/. 

“Mystery Film.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Feb. 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_film. 

Class, Master. “What Is the Mystery Genre? Learn about Mystery and Crime Fiction, plus 6 Tips for Writing a Mystery Novel - 2023.” MasterClass, https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-the-mystery-genre. 

Getting organized

 Okey so before I start planning more of my project, I need to create some time frames before I go crazy. I need to make sure I stay organized and have enough time for every part of my process without having to rush anything. I also need to plan time in case something goes wrong or maybe if I need to do a lot of reshooting. So here goes:

First, I need to organize what steps I need to take. I know I need to do more research before anything, I already did my research on mystery film openings, but I need to get down to the nitty gritty of what makes a mystery… a mystery. Then I need to plan out what film I want to do, what will my plot be? What will my setting be? My characters? All of that planning will also need time. Then I need to create a detailed storyboard that will have my film opening all planned out. I then need to obviously do all the filming which will take a while so I have to plan enough time for that, as well as time for any reshoots that I might want to do. Then, probably one of the most time consuming, editing. As I am not an editing expert, I need to find a good software I can use to aid in my editing process. There are many more tiny steps that I will also need to take but for now that is the basis.

Steps:

-research 

-planning

-filming

-editing 

-final touches 

So, this project is due April 3. I have approximately 6 weeks to do all of it which sounds like a lot but I already know is going to fly by. I know I want to get all filming done at least by March 22, which would allow me a little over a week for all editing. I really do not want to rush any part of this project so this planning of my steps has certainly helped me know exactly what I need to do. This was certainly an essential part which has eased my nerves overall.

Genre…

Finally… the most awaited moment of this century, I have finally chosen a genre! And it is………… MYSTERY!!! WOOOOOO! Exciting right? Yes yes I know. I’m actually super excited for my mystery film opening. I am honestly such a huge fan of mystery movies and literature which is one of the main reason why I chose it. I also leaned into mystery because I have so much fun coming up with different scenarios and plot twists which is going to come in really handy when I start developing my ideas and plot. Now comes the research part. To be able to film a successful mystery film opening I need to really indulge in the genre and learn all there is to learn. 

First, I need to look at some popular mystery film opening:

Knifes Out:

https://youtu.be/UmgscfptEkw

Knives out (2019) was a really popular mystery movie that was able to gross about $26,769,548 on the opening weekend. This goes to say that it was a successful launch. The question is why? Amongst the many mystery movies, why was this a hit? The first thing to analyze of course is the opening. The first thing I noticed is the music. Music takes on such a big role in mystery films, the use of the dark and suspenseful music allows to create the ambience for the rest of the film. So the first thing I should take note of for my own personal film opening is to allow myself time to find a good opening music song. I need something that will set the line for the rest of the opening, something that will captivate my audience within the first few seconds. Another interesting thing to take note of is the lighting of these 2 minutes of the film. There is noticeable darkness to most of the shots, this also adds to the suspense and mystery of the film. And of course the most noticeable aspect of this mystery opening… the dead old man. Of course within the first 2 minutes of the film we are introduced to a dead person which we know is what the mystery will be about. This is the classic whodunnit scenario that is of course a theme amongst mystery films.

Memento:

https://youtu.be/WHhlTXyBxPM

Now this is genuinely one of the most interesting movie openings I have ever seen. The creative decision to use a reverse effect on this first scene is what allows it to captivate the audience so early on, it is such a creative and risky choice. This is an important thing to think about, I have to be creative enough and use new techniques to captivate my audience. This mystery movie opening also contains something that is used in many of these movies…can you guess what it is? Yes… blood, blood, and more blood. Of course the thought of dead corpses isn’t the best but dead people is something that creates a great amount of suspense. This is also a very big theme amongst mystery movies, most of them revolve around solving someone’s murder. Which of course will also take part of my own mystery movie opening. 

Pink Panther :

https://youtu.be/_pKPxHZ5OcQ

Pink Panther (2006) is personally one of my favorite mystery movies, it is a comedic mystery which is my absolute favorite. While the movie is live action, the opening credit scene is the classic animated Pink Panther. This is also something that is used to attract their audience into their movie. They are also able to use this animation to create a unique set of credits. This allows for the credits shown to not be boring like they usually are. They use creative techniques like setting them on fire to add an interesting illustration. This opening credit scene, while not live action, is also used to introduce the characters and it shows a little of their personalities. This is useful because while there are no words heard, the audience is still able to learn about the characters and plot.

Overall, this research has definitely aided in my process going forward with my mystery film. There are many news things that I will now need to add and look for in my own mystery film opening. The main thing that I need to focus on is being able to really captive my audience with my opening. Using things that are creative and have not been seen before will be extremely helpful.

Sources:

“Knives Out.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 27 Nov. 2019, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8946378/. 

Beginning of my Media Studies project

Good morning, afternoon, night or whatever time you are reading this. My name is Lara Gimenez and today starts one of the most exciting project of my life so far.

First of all, I am nervous. Not only because of the actual creation of the project but also because of this blog. As an over-thinker, this whole “writing down my thoughts and process” is hard. I feel like I do not know what to say or write. I know it’s going to be a long and hard process, but honestly part of me cannot wait. I feel like this project is going to be so fun and really going to allow myself to improve on so many skills such as communication and time-management. 

Since this will be a very long project, the first thing I did was read all directions very well. Since I was absent on the day the instructions were given, I had to rely on my reading skills to fully understand everything, my friends were also a big help on helping me understand the project. Now after understanding the project, comes the first obstacle. Choosing a genre. I genuinely believe I am one of the most indecisive people on this earth, I simply cannot chose between anything. I have a hard time choosing my favorite color so having to choose a single genre for this project is impossible. But after a lot of thinking, I am choosing horror. Or maybe comedy. Or action also sounds fun. Okey… I don’t know yet. I simply need to sit down and think about what I would do best and what I would enjoy the most.

While I know that you are probably EXTREMELY excited to know what genre I will chose… okey fine maybe not that excited but… maybe a little? Anyways, you will simply have to wait for me to choose, I really want to think about what I would enjoy the most to create. Since I know I will not have fun creating a romance, I can at least cross that off the list! One down… probably like 50 to go.

Welcome to my hopefully entraining and exciting blog.

Music Marketing Blog Post #2

 In my music marketing project, it was first extremely essential to be able to organize the whole project as a group. It was necessary to arrange our ideas and thought on the project to be able to start the project right. This included reading the instructions clearly and making ensuring all parts were clear and understood. If there were any questions, we were able to use our class time to ask for clarification. This process ensured our next steps would be well ordered and erased confusion. After, a crucial step in our procedure was to create a plan moving forward. This included a schedule, as well as what each member of the group would be in charge of. This organizations allowed us to have enough time to finish our project and allowed all group members to be equally involved in all aspects of the project. 

Schedule:

When taking forward our research, we made sure to really focus on understanding rock music as a whole. It was necessary that we understood the brand of rock and what makes it so unique and interesting. It was interesting being able to focus on just one genre of music, it brought forward a whole new aspect of rock and we were able to truly appreciate the genre as we learned more about it. The research was able to aid in our music project because it was a foundation that we built of off for our artist, for example, once we learned that a lot of rock music artists really focus on building a connection with their fanbase, we knew that we should also focus on that aspect with our artist and fans.

Moving forward with the project, our next step as a group after researching and learning more about the rock genre was to think about the artist that we wanted to create. There were many aspects were discussed as we started to build our artist and brand. We decided to talk about what were some unique qualities our artist could have to appeal to our audience. It was important for all members of the group to give their thoughts and ideas regarding our project. After discussing what our artist and brand would look like, we started brainstorming what the music video would be. We decided we wanted to tell a story through our music video that would allow our audience to get to know our artist more through the story they wanted to tell. When filming the music video, it was a lot of trial and error, there were some shots or scenes were we thought did not fit into our music video like we originally thought; therefore, there needed to be some changes from our original plan but overall it all worked for the best. 

Storyboard:

Post-production, it was important for all members of the group to give their thoughts throughout the whole process. If there were any suggestions or comments we were all sure to mention to help our music video to be what we liked. It was important to be proud of our work and to be something that we were all thrilled to share with our class. It was also key to think if our music video would be something that our group, as music enjoyers, would be interested in if we come across it normally. It is a major step of the process to also organize all of the points we wanted to share. Our points needed to be clear and we needed to be able to express all of our thoughts and ideas so they could be understood. This project also allowed for a lot of creative freedom when creating our artist brand which allowed us to add some fun aspects such as our “clickbait” YouTube videos.

Example:

When presenting, it was really important that we divided up all the parts for each person, we tried to give each member of the group a slide that they understood well and could easily communicate all points. It is always hard to present as a group since not everyone might have the same presentation skills and some people are simply not comfortable with public speaking, with this in mind, it was also important they we all as a group were confident in our topics and tried our best when speaking. A key part was making sure we all practiced presenting together before to ensure our presentation was meeting the required time and to help each other with our points.

All in all, this project has been an essential part that will aid in my Cambridge portfolio, it had taught me a lot about hard work and time management. Having to work with three other people also helped me trust other people and helped me gain more experience working in a group. This project also taught me the importance of communication, it was important to never stay quiet and to voice my opinions. It was a very time consuming project that taught me so much more about marketing as well, it will aid me when formulating my Cambridge portfolio with all the marketing strategies I was able to learn more about.