Saturday, February 27, 2021
Vlog in a Blog?
Friday, February 26, 2021
Staw wy Bowed
Thursday, February 25, 2021
Casting
Now, that I have my characters and their backgrounds solidified, it's time to cast these parts hehehe😎Casting is one of my dream jobs, so I'm very excited to do this part of the project!
Geraldine
- middle-aged female
- any race
Originally, I had asked my friend's mom to portray this fun role, but unfortunately, she won't be in town during the potential filming days (march 17th and 18th). My friend's mom gave me the idea to ask the one and only CYNTHIA LUTWIN. Yup, my drama teacher will be playing the role of Geraldine! I am so excited for Mrs. Lutwin to revive her acting career and portray this role!
Cynthia Lutwin |
Annette
- young adult female
- any race
- dancer
- young adult male
- any race
- dancer
Roy De Oliveira |
Wednesday, February 24, 2021
Everything Happens 4 a Reason
Tuesday, February 23, 2021
Propitty Prop Props
Prop List😎
Coffee
Mug (white-restaurant style)
Spray bottle (for cleaning table)
Small towel (for cleaning table)
2 Lamp/flashlight (for spotlight)
Bowl/plate
Soup/sandwich
Spoon (metal-restaurant style)
Water
Ice
Straw
Microphone
Microphone stand
Small stage
Salt and pepper
Menu
some 1950s diner supplies inspiration |
Monday, February 22, 2021
Costume, Hair, & Makeup
beauty is pain, my friends
Geraldine
- long, sleeveless dress (preferably black or dark blue)
- white or black (depending on dress color), elbow-length gloves
- rings
- earrings
- pearl necklace and bracelet
- heels
- faux fur shawl
- pinned back
- curled
- headpiece
- foundation
- powder
- blush
- mascara
- highlight
- minimal contour
- red or soft pink (depending on dress color) lipstick
Annette
- short-sleeved, v-neck, red dress
- white, elbow-length gloves
- hand bag
- earrings
- silver necklace and bracelet
- black character shoes
- skin color stockings
- side part
- curled
- headpiece?
- foundation
- powder
- blush
- mascara
- eyeshadow
- eyeliner
- highlight
- minimal contour
- red lipstick
Ricky
costume:- white, buttoned down shirt
- black dress pants
- black shoes
- black or red bowtie
- black or white apron
hair:- side part
- gel/hairspray
- paper hat
makeup:- foundation
- powder
- blush
- mascara
inspiration:
- white, buttoned down shirt
- black dress pants
- black shoes
- black or red bowtie
- black or white apron
- side part
- gel/hairspray
- paper hat
- foundation
- powder
- blush
- mascara
Saturday, February 20, 2021
Genre Research for Film Opening
It's a Musical!
After giving it a lot of thought, I decided to finally stick with the musical genre. I've previously done research on musical films, but I did some more digging to educate myself more.
My research can be found below:
Musical Films:
In musical films, songs are intertwined with the dialogue of the film in order to further develop the plot. The structure of the film and where the songs are placed contributes to the progression of the storyline. Characters burst out into songs and this suggests their passion for the subject or situation. In other circumstances, some characters wait to begin singing when the scene is close to ending or when they move locations and are alone. When directors make this happen, it's usually because the character is reflecting upon a recent situation or experience. The tone and mood that the message of the song conveys to the audience is crucial for comprehending the character's feelings and emotions. When the songs contain a slow tempo, it hints that the character feels melancholy about a certain moment and/ or experience. if the song is constructed by upbeat tempo, then the audience can infer that the characters are challenging each other. However, an upbeat tempo doesn't always symbolize tension, passion, or motivation, sometimes, it also represents joy and content. Overall, the style of the song selections aids in transmitting the intended tone and mood.
Moreover, the musical film genre may sometimes contain some form of dance. So many factors can be revealed about the character through their dancing as it showcases their body language and movement. In dance numbers that contain one character, it can be noticed how the character exhibits their bottled up emotions through dance; the relationship that the character has with themselves is also exposed. In addition, a two or more people dance number can be implied to demonstrate the relationship between the characters.
The production techniques of films are divided into three phases:
1. Pre-production- the crew of the film is recruited and they formulate an inventive storyline. For movie musicals, songs are created and composed during this stage as composers work closely together with screenwriters to embed the songs within the scenes.
2. Production- after the plot is finalized, period of time during which the movie is recorded. For movie musicals, the production stage might take the longest time since shooting requires several takes of a specific song, acting scene, or dance number in order for there to be enough material to edit.
3. Post-production- after film is shot, the "editing process" . In this stage, the editors pair up certain music and sounds to scenes. It should be noted that in musical films, the cast usually records themselves singing the songs at a professional studio and then these vocals are paired up and layered with the singing scenes in the film.
Subsequently, sound is one of the main factors that contributes in making movie musicals so enjoyable. Some movies feature a character singing a solo. A singular voice can hint the absence of something essential to the character. On the other hand, in bigger musical numbers, the vocals from numerous people come together to show the unity within the community. Another factor of production evident in movie films is the set production. Lighting is another key factor that helps establish the mood of the scene. The costume and makeup featured in musical movies are often very natural. Most of the movie musical plots are non-fiction and the characters represent real humans. Nevertheless, some characters do require extensive makeup. Likewise, the camera shots, angles, and movements of musical films often follow the characters movements, especially in big dance numbers. Reverse shots are utilized to show the characters as they converse with one another. Long shots are camera shots that are primarily used in dance numbers; they are effective and appropriate because they exhibit the character's full body.
La La Land (2016)
- Colors
- Bright colors = happiness (when Mia and Sebastian meet each other, they're wearing bright clothing)
- Neutral colors = Sebastian usually wears neutral and simple colored-clothing to match with this personality
- Bold colors = Mia wears bold colors as she's extroverted and unreserved
- Framing
- Long shots = these types of shots are evident in the musical numbers of the film, specially the ones that have dancers; they show the character's complete movement and body language
- Medium close-ups = these types of shots are used when the director wants the audience to feel connected to the characters (during Mia's first audition, a mid-shot is used to show her disappointment when she gets rejected)
- Sounds
- Music = the soundtrack includes many, versatile melodies, each which represent characters' emotions (the music of this movie is composed by Justin Hurwitz)
- Diegetic sounds = are used to make the movie seem more realistic (the car horns during the opening scene and the sound of the forks and plates during the dinner scene)
- Non-diegetic sounds = are example of this would be the songs in the film since in real life, characters don't break out into songs
- Lighting
- Dull, dark lighting = used to create a serious mood/atmosphere
- Bright lighting = used to create an uplifting mood/atmosphere ("Another Day of Sun")
- Spotlighting = used to highlight a certain character/object (Sebastian being spotlighted as he's playing the piano)
Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench (2009)
- Colors
- The colors throughout this film are in black and white, since it was shot this way. However, the lighting aids in establishing a similar effect that color does.
- Framing
- Medium close-ups = these types of shots are used when the director wants the audience to feel connected to the characters (when Madeline shows Guy her musical skills on the trumpet)
- Long shots = these types of shots are evident in the musical numbers of the film, specially the ones that have dancers; they show the character's complete movement and body language (the tap number and when Guy and Madeline walk through the park)
- Sounds
- Diegetic sounds = are used to make the movie seem more realistic (the chattering and mumbling of people on the streets)
- Non-diegetic sounds = are example of this would be the songs in the film since in real life, characters don't break out into songs
- Music = the soundtrack includes many, versatile melodies, each which represent characters' emotions (the music of this movie is composed by Justin Hurwitz)
- Lighting
- Dark lighting = used to create a serious mood/atmosphere (when Madeline and Guy breakup)
- Bright lighting = used to create an uplifting mood/atmosphere (when Madeline and Guy reunite and the end of the film)
*** yes, I am a major Damien Chazelle fan***
Sources:
Butt, K., Mrđen., D., & About Kathryn ButtKathryn is an MA graduate in Film and Television from The University of Bristol. After moving from the depths of the countryside. (2018, July 11). How you can make contemporary, iconic film musicals. Retrieved February 21, 2021, from https://www.raindance.org/making-film-musicals/
PRODUCTION techniques By Ben ODONOGHUE. the production process the production process refers to the stages or phases that are required to complete a FILM, - ppt download. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2021, from https://slideplayer.com/slide/1431129/
Samuelson, K. (2017, February 24). La la LAND: Ryan GOSLING'S weird keyboard is a real thing. Retrieved February 21, 2021, from https://time.com/4680243/keyboard-la-la-land-ryan-gosling/
Guy and Madeline on a park bench. (2020, September 09). Retrieved February 21, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_and_Madeline_on_a_Park_Bench
HASTA LA VISTA!- go eat pineapple and watch La La Land :)
Friday, February 19, 2021
Characters!
Character #1: Geraldine
Background Information:
Geraldine Hays was born in Detroit, Michigan on February 9th, 1901. As a child, she enjoyed singing songs and telling jokes. She did not get along too well with her family as they all thought that she was a tad strange. Their constant judgement made her leave the household that she grew up in and she moved to Los Angeles, California. Likewise, she had a hard time making friends in Los Angeles. But after living there for over 30 years, she became known by every person in town. Geraldine continues singing as a hobby and she works as a secretary at Leylov Industries. Although Geraldine has never been in a romantic relationship before, she loves love. In other words, she enjoys seeing couples being happy with each other. Geraldine loves observing people and she's good at reading them. She also tries to match people up with one another. Additionally, she can be described as "cupid" or "fairy godmother" as she's always looking out for single people and observing how they interact with others.
Morals/Values:
-Kind
-Funny
-Sneaky
-Observant
-Outgoing
-Ardent
The Archetype:
The Creator. The archetype that would best fit Geraldine would be The Creator. She has an extraordinary vision when it comes to pairing people up and she's very imaginative. Nevertheless, it could also be argued that she fits "The Jester" archetype since she has incredible comedic timing and she never fails to make a room full of people laugh.
Geraldine Hays was born in Detroit, Michigan on February 9th, 1901. As a child, she enjoyed singing songs and telling jokes. She did not get along too well with her family as they all thought that she was a tad strange. Their constant judgement made her leave the household that she grew up in and she moved to Los Angeles, California. Likewise, she had a hard time making friends in Los Angeles. But after living there for over 30 years, she became known by every person in town. Geraldine continues singing as a hobby and she works as a secretary at Leylov Industries. Although Geraldine has never been in a romantic relationship before, she loves love. In other words, she enjoys seeing couples being happy with each other. Geraldine loves observing people and she's good at reading them. She also tries to match people up with one another. Additionally, she can be described as "cupid" or "fairy godmother" as she's always looking out for single people and observing how they interact with others.
Morals/Values:
-Kind
-Funny
-Sneaky
-Observant
-Outgoing
-Ardent
The Archetype:
The Creator. The archetype that would best fit Geraldine would be The Creator. She has an extraordinary vision when it comes to pairing people up and she's very imaginative. Nevertheless, it could also be argued that she fits "The Jester" archetype since she has incredible comedic timing and she never fails to make a room full of people laugh.
Character #2: Annette
Background Information:Annette Ross was born near Los Angeles, California on November 13th, 1931. She has lived her whole life in Los Angeles and is the daughter of William and Diane Ross. Annette is an only child and has been spoiled her whole. However, she doesn't like to brag about the resources she has because she wants people to not judge her for her money, but by her humbleness. Her dating history is quite messy: she had four boyfriends during high school and none of these relationships lasted over five months. Once she graduated, she met Billy and they dated for a year. Her recent breakup with Billy has had a negative impact on her. Annette is the type of girl to fall in love quickly; nonetheless, she's very reserved about her feelings for people and refuses to admit that she's in love. She also enjoys being mysterious and by doing this, she hopes to catch people's attention. By the same token, she often acts uninterested to see who will come to her at their own will.
-Humble
-Caring
-Mysterious
-Passionate
-Reserved
-Adored
The Archetype:
The Lover. The archetype that Annette fits is The Lover. While she doesn't always express her feelings, she is very passionate about what she feels. For example, she was in love with Billy, but she never admitted it. Annette is always seeking love and she has no problem falling for someone quickly.
Character #3: Ricky
Sources:
Social security. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2021, from https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/decades/names1950s.html
Perch, D. (2020, July 16). What are 12 Brand Archetypes? Retrieved February 21, 2021, from https://thesocialgrabber.com/what-are-12-brand-archetypes/
Dang, B. (2020, August 04). The 12 archetypes of digital marketers. Retrieved February 21, 2021, from https://medium.com/better-marketing/the-12-archetypes-of-digital-marketers-ad2b0a0786ac
Lock, C. (2013, February 06). The most common job for women is the same as it was in 1950. Retrieved February 21, 2021, from https://theweek.com/articles/467944/most-common-job-women-same-1950
Thursday, February 18, 2021
Plot Finalizeddddddd!!!
Helloo, helloo, helloooo🎕🎕🎕
I got on a facetime call with my friends, Ashley and Kailey, tonight to discuss somethings that we had to plan for drama club. As the call was coming to an end, I asked them if I could present my plot ideas for the film opening project to them. They said yes and I explained in detail the three ideas (check out my last blog post!). After expressing my ideas to them, they gave me some feedback. They liked the first option, but they thought it was too simple and the third option seemed to complicated since there were too many genres getting mixed up. We all decided that the second option was probably the best since it was simple, yet intriguing.
Facetiming Ashley & KaileyIn addition to asking Ashley and Kailey, I also asked some other friends and my family and we all talked about every option in detail and we came to the conclusion that choosing the second idea would probably be the best. We made the following chart to weigh some of the pros and cons of each storyline.
While I like the third option a lot, I think there might be some problems when filming it because my manager said that I can film at Lucille's as long as I don't make the restaurant look bad... and having a murder scene in the restaurant will most likely make the restaurant look bad.
YAY! Now that the plot has been solidified, it's time to work on characters!
HASTA LA VISTA!- go eat pineapple and watch La La Land :)
Tuesday, February 16, 2021
Plot?
While my plot is still under construction, I have come up with some ideas:
OPTION #1
1956. Annette is eating at a diner when she stumbles across the diner's busboy, Ricky, and their eyes don't leave each other. The constant eye contact builds tension between them. Annette asks her server where the bathroom is and as she walks to the bathroom, she walks by Ricky (their hands brush against each other- lights go down, a spotlight tracks them, downbeat of the music plays) and he twirls her (dancing commences). After they finish dancing, they end up in the same position where their hands touched (lights go up). Annette continues to the bathroom and Ricky continues cleaning the table- as if nothing ever happened.
OPTION #2
1956. Annette is eating at a diner when she stumbles across the diner's busboy, Ricky, and their eyes don't leave each other. The constant eye contact builds tension between them. At a table nearby the table where Ricky is cleaning, a lady, Geraldine, is eating. Annette asks her server where the bathroom is and as she walks to the bathroom, she walks by Ricky (their hands brush against each other- lights go down, a spotlight tracks them, downbeat of the music plays) and he twirls her (dancing commences). During this "fantasy" moment, Geraldine in on a small stage with a microphone singing the song that Annette and Ricky are dancing to. After they finish dancing, they end up in the same position where their hands touched (lights go up). Annette continues to the bathroom and Ricky continues cleaning the table, Geraldine is sitting at her table eating her soup- as if nothing ever happened. As Annette makes her way to the bathroom, she passes by Geraldine and Geraldine gives her a wink since she knows what happened (the screen closes in on Geraldine winking -like in the 1950s sitcoms-).
OPTION #3
1956. Annette is eating at a diner when she stumbles across the diner's busboy, Ricky, and their eyes don't leave each other. The constant eye contact builds tension between them. Annette looks through her purse (extreme close-up of the purse, shows that she has a knife in there), she slips her knife in her glove (or dress?). Annette asks her server where the bathroom is and as she walks to the bathroom, she walks by Ricky (their hands brush against each other- lights go down, a spotlight tracks the, downbeat of the music plays) and he twirls her (dancing commences). After they finish dancing, they end up in the same position where their hands touched (lights go up). Annette quickly pulls out the knife from her glove and discreetly kills Ricky. Since the restaurant is empty (manager is in the kitchen), no one sees. She places the knife on Ricky's body and places his hand over it. She then leaves through the back door (the screen closes in on Ricky's body -like in the 1950s sitcoms-).
------
I'm not sure which one to stick with. I feel like the first one might be very basic, but it's simple and it gets straight to the point. The second option gives the film a comedic (and possibly cheesy?) tone. At last, the third option involves some psychological thriller elements in addition to the musical elements; nevertheless, I think it would be hard to film the killing scene and I don't really know if there would be a point of having that fantasy moment (the one where they dance and the lights are down, with a spotlight on them).
mmmm... I am going to go do some more thinking...
HASTA LA VISTA!- go eat pineapple and watch La La Land :)
Friday, February 12, 2021
Slow Progress
I've been thinking a lot about this project for the past 24 hours or so. I decided that I wanted to create a film opening for a 1950s musical movie. At first, I was a struggling a bit because I wasn't too sure how to make the movie radiate the 1950s vibes. I did some more thinking and DING! DING! DING! it came to me that I should film it at my job, Lucille's American Café, which is a 1950s themed diner. I texted my manager immediately asking if he would let me film for a couple of hours after the restaurant closes. He replied within minutes and he said yes! YEAH YUHH!
This made me more excited to film. After securing Lucille's as my shooting location, I realized that I would need more factors such as costume, makeup, and mise-en-scène elements that will contribute to create that 1950s vibe. However, I don't have a plot line just yet, so I can't focus on costume and makeup right at this moment. What I can do though, is learn how to edit videos to make them look like the 1950s so that by the time that editing comes around, I am prepared to edit.
These are the YouTube videos I watched that taught me how to make videos look old fashioned:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0Q1cIncoJM
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZted8NDWE8
Thursday, February 11, 2021
HERE WE GOOO
Welcome film lovers, chocolate aficionados, and cat enthusiasts!
Monday, February 8, 2021
Music Marketing Blog Post #2
Music Marketing Project PT. 2
Melancholic Farewell & CCR
It's currently 3:26am I just finished editing my CCR Well world, here she is. My second baby. CCR-Cupid's Advocate (link just in cas...