Research/analyze/discuss three credit sequences from films within chosen genre

 Credits! What an honor it is to be credited for the work you are proud of, right? Well as one of the components needed to be inserted into our movie openings final project, I should probably understand what they are because they are so important. Credits are something I am not very well versed in so being asked to research 3 credit sequences from films within my chosen genre was very helpful in understanding what I would need to do for my own movie opening.  

The first movie opening credit scene I watched was from a cat on a hot tin roof. The beginning of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is rather low-key, but in the way that worms under your skin. The credits roll nicely against a moody background, almost like you ease into the tense and heavy atmosphere of the South. This is a technique that I would use, once me and Adrianna figure out the vibe we want to exert I want us to use the credits to ease us into the lifestyle of the characters, after deliberating with Adrianna I think we have decided that it is set in modern day and they are popular highschoolers who are well known in their small town, the credits will roll and set up the ease into the party scene, attending parties would be common for these characters. Another technique I would replicate but in our own unique way to set up the movie is the lighting and music, In the cat on a hot tin room the lighting is soft but shadowy, the music is only used to set the scene without being in-your-face, perfect for our openings vibe. The cat on a hot tin roof didn't overdo the credits with fancy visuals; it kind of pulls you in quietly, reflecting the emotional weight of the film, giving you a little preview of the complicated, almost suffocating family drama, i want to ease our audience into the drama and the sequence acting like a preview is the perfect technique to do that.

Candy, on the other hand, opens to a completely different vibe. The credits are super playful, colorful, jazzy, and almost like something out of a comic strip. The funky music and bold visuals really pop, setting up the tone for a story that will mix a light sense of adventure with deeper, twisted themes. It's like the credits are trying to warn you that things might get a little weird, but it's all part of the fun. Totally different in tone from the more somber Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, but both foreshadow what's about to come which is the perfect technique for our movie. 

Now, Damage opens with something much darker as slow and moody credits roll down intense hazy shots of glimpses of the twisted love story to come. The music is haunting, setting a really darker tone from the beginning.  Everything's slow and deliberate, easing you into a deep dive of obsession and guilt that the movie is about and that the opening establishes, building the sense of psychological tension before the movie even really starts which is exactly what I want my opening credits to do; foreshadow the rest of the movie's plot and establish the darker romance that we are focusing on.

Research/analyze/discuss three film openings from chosen genre

IM BACK AGAIN with another scintillating post. I was tasked with watching 3 film openings within the scope of the genre me and my partner, Adrianna, have decided to focus our final project on: psychological drama, romance. I researched the genre and found 3 perfect examples of the type of movie we are trying to create an opening for. I watched the openings and noted down the best techniques that I felt really established the vibe the genre calls for. 

The first movie opening I watched was from the movie ghost, In the opening of Ghost, Sam (Patrick Swayze) and Molly (Demi Moore) are introduced as a loving couple that we are rooting for. Sams death created a shift in tone as their playful and loving moments before created a calm vibe that his sudden death completely changed. The shift from romance to tragedy allowed the film to delve into the idea that love can transcend death and introduced us to the psychological underscore of grief and connection while Sam, as a ghost, protects molly the basic romantic ideas of love and loss. The filmmakers use close-ups of Sam’s confused face, some slow-motion shots, and even changes in lighting to show the sudden shift from love to loss after setting up the idea of this loving and light hearted tone but making it all come crashing down with the scenes of him dying during a robbery, are all techniques I would use as it’s a great way to set up the psychological drama — you’re not just mourning Sam’s death, but you’re about to dive into this whole other world where love stretches beyond the physical.  

 

 

The Invisible Man begins with an intense, subdued escape scene of Cecilia going out of the house in the dead of the night to get away from her abusive partner, Adrian. Filmmakers amplified the tension of the opening by stripping much of the noise, it allowed us to hear the Quiter sounds that are normally not paid attention to like the creaks of the floorboards, or Cecilias breathing, it all made everything feel so intimate and personal. Another opening technique that I thought really created tension was the close-ups of her face that clearly expressed fear, making you feel right in her shoes. These techniques all set up the psychological drama aspect of the movie very nicely and are things I would consider using.  

The beginning of Sleeping with the Enemy is just so intense: Laura, played by Julia Roberts, is faking her own death to escape from her abusive husband martin. She's hurrying to set up everything, you honestly just feel so anxious. The filmmakers use tight shots and dramatic lighting to make the whole scene claustrophobic as though you're with her trying to escape. We understand the danger she is in because the filmmakers cut between her cautious behavior and his dominating one the whole sequence sets the tone for the psychological drama and are techniques that would be helpful in creating the understanding of the type of danger the protagonist of the abusive relationship in my opening, is actually in . 

 

Whose watching?

 Target Audience

The target audience of a movie is incredibly important to know and understand throughout the movie process. knowing the target demographic you want to attract with your movie is helpful when filming so your audience can enjoy the experience therefore understanding the audience during planning is needed. After the film has been finished, marketing and distribution companies tasked with working with the creation need to know who to advertise the film to, so it is vital in all areas of film production that there is an established target audience. 

Me and Adrianna have decided that our film opening is a film about a toxic relationship between a younger couple, it will cover tragic ideas that only mature minds can handle which is why our projects target audience are those between the ages 15 - 25, who are the most susceptible to abusive relationships with a bad mindset of being unable to find help and leave. They are younger so we know they will appreciate a more modern vibe which will be emphasized through the lighting and music choice, as well as the scenes and actors. And it is aimed at those who enjoy a suspense driven plot, that creates a conversation about relationships, abuse, and loss.

We have previously talked about the movie waves in other blog posts, as it is a great example of a movie in the psychological drama/ romance genre, so it has a similar target audience.  Waves is aimed at young adults dealing with relationships, family pressures, and personal growth.  Fans of emotional, character-driven dramas that explore love, loss, and redemption will really connect with it. It is for those who enjoy coming-of-age stories with a raw, psychological edge.

 

Writing the Story and Picking the Genre

    Okay! Ready to hear the juicy details? well as you already know we are now focusing on our final project, creating a movie opening, and Adrianna and I decided we wanted to use this opening to establish a storyline as well as highlight an issue in need for more representation, we decided that this was a good opportunity to start a bigger conversation about abuse, toxic relationships and domestic violence and we wanted the opener to portray a toxic couple. We started thinking about the next step of this project and knew that picking a genre was the most logistical thing to start thinking about so we would know how we wanted this to look once it was finished and decided that a romantic tragedy/psychological drama genre fit the concept the best.

     We researched both genres trying to gain some inspiration for what we wanted our price to look like and understand how we would do it, we learnt and understood that a romantic tragedy centers on a love story that is doomed from the start, often leading to a sorrowful or heartbreaking ending. The genre explores deep emotions, personal sacrifices, and the sometimes-painful realities of love, with themes of loss, fate, and the tragic consequences of love gone wrong. 

    An example of this genre is the movie a star is born, which is a movie starring Lady Gaga that depicts the story of an abusive relationship between ally, an aspiring singer, and Jackson who is famous. the root of their relationship issues come from his addiction issues and their love thrives in dysfunction.

    When researching the genre of a psychological drama we learnt that the genre focuses on the inner workings of its characters' minds, often exploring their mental and emotional struggles, anxieties, and complex motivations. The genre delves into themes of perception, identity, and psychological conflict, often blurring the line between reality and the character's distorted perceptions or fears.

    An example of this genre is the movie waves follows the emotional storyline of a "nice" family, focusing on the impact of a traumatic event on two siblings, Tyler and Emily. The film explores themes of grief, guilt, and healing, highlighting the complex dynamics within family relationships as each character navigates personal tragedy and redemption.

Transitioning into the Cambridge Portfolio Project!

 

Transitioning into the Cambridge Portfolio Project!

        Hellooo to my fans at Cambridge! I am pleased to announce that moving forward all my blog posts will focus on the completion of my Aice media studies final project component. Previously, my posts have been about projects I have participated in to develop the skills that my final project requires me to utilize, but now they will be about how I am using them to develop a successful piece. 

    This transition began in class where we went through a thirty slide Nearpod and learnt about film openings and how they are used to establish context, develop characters, and ultimately develop a purpose, we wrote notes and then we were then briefed about what our projects required of us and tasked with thinking about what we wanted to do for it. 

   During this period of time, I was changing my schedule so I moved from my AICE media teacher, Mrs. Stoklosa's, fifth period class to her first so I wasn't exactly sure of who I would work with, but after talking to some of my new classmates, I decided to partner up with Adrianna. after many conversations I felt we had a similar work ethic and ideas, and I knew we could produce a masterpiece that would dazzle all of you across the Atlantic :)))

     Adrianna and I decided that we wanted to use this opening to establish a storyline that the rest of the hypothetical movie would develop, we also wanted to highlight certain issues in need of more representation, so we thought it over a lot and decided...

    

                    Read the next post to learn more about our project 

    

Behind The Scenes

The behind the scenes of our music video

 

Becoming a Music Marketing Genius

We were tasked by our teacher to form a group, we chose who we felt we would produce the best work with and then we each got given a different music genre. My group was given the genre of "alternative indie". The next thing we needed to do as a group was choose two music distribution companies, and we decided on the Universal Music Group and Warner Records. We dug deeper into their backgrounds and their representing artists, and then we each chose an artist they represented in the alternative indie genre (from the whole roster of them, I picked out the band The Neighborhood, a band covered by Universal Music) and we started our research, delving into their marketing strategies and target audiences. for the band i chose, the neighborhood, their target audience, was mainly young adults, and they marketed themselves digitally and non-digitally through social media, streaming platforms, and live shows.

After completing our research, we created a schedule planning out dates to complete the remaining components of the project to accomplish our task accordingly. When that was done, four choices of alternative indie songs were offered, from which we picked the song titled "trouble". We were further educated by a lecture given on types of music videos, and after the deliberation process, we decided to create a storytelling music video on a heartbreak as it matched the main idea of our chosen song. We were all on the same page on this as we thought there was this sadness to the song that we needed to highlight in the video concept we were working on. We then created a 20-section storyboard outlining the main scenes and shots that would need to record to comprise our music video, as well as a presentation on the fictional band we created.