Costumes & Clothes what to love more!

              COSTUMING OPTIONS

In the Hunger Games clothing served as a way to express the character,and further connect with the theme. The design of the clothes was able to distinguish between districts and Capitol members. The impressions were the most important thing. The clothes were what made this movie more iconic. This is just one example of the roles clothes play in film.

Costumes are important because they express their personality,social status and play a major contribution in the film.They help tell the story and further develop into something much more interesting.

In our film opening I want our costumes to be able to convey our personality while resembling the theme. The clothes should be able to distinguish our personalities while remaining youthful yet captivating two high school seniors in the midst of taking separate paths. In our case our clothes are more simple so it’s not going to be difficult for us to achieve, yet the audience will still be able to tell our age.

 Here is an idea of what  I would like to go for!

PROCRASINATION AT ITS FINEST - SCHEDULES

 You see one of my worst habits is my procrastination, I mean clearly by the timing of these assignments I'm sure you could tell.I told myself this would be the year that I would get better at not procrastinating but I guess little by little.If I have to be honest that is one of my biggest worries about this project being on top of everything specially what I plan with my schedule.

That is why me ands my partner Davis established a scheduled that would work best for us.Something that is realistic for our daily lives including work, extra curricular, and school. So we decided on this schedule, something that is realistic yet works for the both of us. We thought about timing, strategy and our procrastination being that we are seniors!

Week 3 (2/10 - 2/16) – Pre-production

Have group meeting (where we discuss media theory)

Start to develop an overall idea for the film (brainstorming)

Start and complete the script & storyboard for the opening scene

 

Week 4 (2/17 - 2/23) – Pre-production

Plan & find locations (determine what café/campus spots we want to go to)

Plan mise-en-scène (decide the costumes, lighting, props, etc.)

Plan the audio (dialogue, background music, etc.)

Do a test shot (will check the framing, lighting, & sound of the location)

 

Week 5 (2/24 - 3/2) – Production & filming

Film the movie (record all scenes at different locations)
Complete the B-roll shots (signs, coffee cups, etc.)

Organize the footage (will make editing easier)

 

Week 6 (3/3 - 3/9) – Post-production

Film Work: 

Put together a first full version.
Sound mixing using our prior knowledge on projects we have worked in class. Adjust dialogue, background noise, and music..
Create opening credits and know the correct placement for them..
First test screening ask classmates on thoughts,advice, and even ideas on certain things we could fix.. 

 

Week 7 (3/10 - 3/16) – Finalizing the Film & Research question prep
 Revise final cut, adjust our timing to meet requirements,  fix small errors and improve transitions.
 Finalize our color choices.
 Prepare Reflection and start brainstorming what we might respond. 

 Research for research questions so what techniques influenced our choices .
 Research for the impact of different media theories and our distribution strategies and audience reach. Work on production ideas on how we will write our reflection, use what we have learned in the past.

Week 8 (3/17 - 3/25) – Reflection & Submission
Export & finalize film check for any  errors and rewatch A MILLION TIMES.
Film and edit ( Reflection responses).
Submit final project! YAY

This schedule is what we decided on. PRAY WE DON'T PROCRASTINATE!

Credit Sequence, lets talk about it!

Do you pay attention to the Credit Sequence?

A credit sequence is  a section of a film or television show that lists the people and companies who worked on the production. It is important because it acknowledges everyone who worked on the film. Sometimes people forget how much more there really is to film from the clothes, editing and directing to the producers and cinematographer. That is why it is essential to list and acknowledge their hard work. I mean imagine working so hard on something and not receiving credit for it.

It also serves as a way to set the tone for the film and begin the story. It is what gives the impression for what is about to take place as well as the films theme. Each film has a particular way of displaying it whether they take a more drastic approach or simple.They are also able to introduce the main characters. 

The Social Network (2010)

This first film is one I recently watched with one of my best friends, and while working on this post it came to mind. The Social Network is based on the creation of Facebook. What I noticed was how interesting it was to have a digital  look that has a more contemporary feel resembling font’s that are more clean. The credits appear on the city and night which sets the mood for the rest of the film since it’s related to technology and social media to technology.It made complete sense for what this film was.

Birdman (2014) 

Another film that’s has an interesting film sequence is Birdman  based on a former superhero who is trying to seek hope by being in a broadway show. The credit sequence establishes a more impactful font that had a simple clean look. What I like about it is how they are placed on the top left or in the center the screen so we can appreciate how it is almost blended to the background of the theater. They keep us focused on the credits yet intrigued in the film.

The Pursuit Of Happyness (2006)

The last film I wanted to include was The Pursuit of Happyness a man fighting for a better life for him and his son (lovely movie btw). I think you can’t go wrong with a serious and simple font feel which is something I would like to include in our film opening. It also does a phenomenal job at matching the feeling of the film, if you decide to watch you realize how much it matches the films reality and how straightforward it is. It establishes the emotional feel. This is useful because you begin to see the film and are able to stay hooked while staying paying attention to the credits. In my film opening I want the viewers to feel intrigued to watch the film while learning  about who was apart of the film.

 

DRAMA LAMA THE GENRE

WHAT DO I DO WITH MY LIFE?

Okay while discussing with my partner we couldn’t think of the right way to go about our film opening, with so many things going on in today’s age thinking about what to do felt overwhelming. We are also in the process of deciding what and where to go for the next four years of our lives. It’s an immense amount of pressure that has honestly felt stressful. How do I know that the choice I make will lead me to success or could possibly screw my life up completely? College decisions are stressful especially when factors like cost, location, and courses are involved. The hardest part of it all, change seeing your best friends leave to chase their dreams and being separated from someone whom you thought you could be with forever.

That is when we realized why not dedicate our film opening to that. An idea that is simple yet so complicated. Who better to produce it than two high school seniors going through the same thing? Although were not sure which direction we are going to take yet we know it is involved with the drama genre. A genre that is involved with real-life scenarios and that our audience can relate or resonate with.

The rest of this post is going to be dedicated to some film openings that are within our same genre and have some similarity to what we are trying to achieve. I’m going to be discussing the film opening of films such as The Fallout (2021) , The Florida Project (2017), and Priscilla (2023).

The Fallout is a film based begins with the first minute being dedicated to many film credits such as the Warner Bros, SSS entertainment, Clean Horizon and Good Pals, each with their own introduction. It is followed by a close up shot of Vadel Cavell (Jenna Ortega) brushing her teeth with her hood up while urinating on the toilet while falling asleep. Her facial expression can tell us that she is tired and slightly out of it. Later, it cuts towards what looks like her younger sister Amelia Cavell (Lumi Pollack). It establishes the main character by introducing us to how she is while placing a ton of peanut butter on a piece of bread with dripping unbrushed hair. It allows us to understand her personality a little more. The scene cuts to a car driving where we are able to see her again with one of her friends singing in the car while stopping to get Starbucks coffee. A takeaway from this opening is that it establishes character and setting which I think is essential for having success in my film opening. The overall introduction specifies what looks like a typical teenager high-school morning. The film opening introduces us to her and the setting.

                                                         

The next film opening I wanted to evaluate is The Florida Project (2017) the film begins with introducing the credits along with their introduction, stating it is an A24, June Pictures, and CRE film. It is followed by a pitch-black screen where we are only able to hear what appears to be outdoor. It cute to a mid-shot of two small children sitting behind a purple wall wearing colorful clothes. Their friend begins to shout at them later letting them know there is “freshies at the future” where we are met with the purple wall and song celebration playing indicating that something “good” was about to take play. The credits also appear stating the characters, and producers. The colors and lighting allow us to establish the summertime setting. Why were the kids excited? To have a spitting competition spitting down below from the top balcony. What I like about this is that they allowed you to dream something amazing was going to happen when for them their excitement was having a spitting competition. Using this tactic helps keep the audience intrigued by adding a simple twist. Just from that scene we can understand the financial situation these kids are in which can help us develop ideas into what is about to take place for the remainder of the movie.

                                             

Finally, I want to dive into the film opening of the movie Priscilla where we can spot the pattern of the credits being introduced before anything else, each with their individual template. I think this is a very particular film opening specifically because it begins with red manicured toes walking on a pink rug. It cuts to an extreme close-up shot of light blue eyes drawn with a black eyeliner and dark thick lashes. She applies think eyeliner on the edge of her eye. It cuts in between her process getting too ready to introduce the credits of the film. From the hairspray, lashes, and lipstick we are easily able to determine the time they wanted to portray in this film opening.A takeaway from this film is the attention to detail in establishing the time and introducing us to the main character Priscilla.From the sound choice to the details in the living room, I want to be able to apply this use of details in my film opening.

Overall, each of these films implement their own form of originality introducing the character's, establishing setting and  including credits. All of these being in the drama genre represent real-life scenario and people!

 

DRAMA + HORROR A dive into these Genres!

 Who does not like a little bit of Drama? 

I think we can all agree that sometimes drama can be exciting, the kind of drama you gossip with your best friends that makes you want to go and grab a coffee. Sometimes drama is honestly what keeps our lives so interesting and as my Latin family likes to say it is the “Sazon” what makes things to be more appealing. 

That might just be why the drama genre is one of the next most preferred genres. Drama originated in ancient Greece where it was profoundly enjoyed in theater. The Greek word dran stands for taking action or “to do”. Throughout the centuries it has been able to draw people through the power of storytelling. It is what creates such powerful performances as viewers can captivate the characters' emotions and feelings. 

Drama has a serious tone where it can have more central real-life plots. For example, dealing with tragedy, alcoholism, complicated relationships, friendships and more. This genre tends to take on more tension that affects the audience. This is because in a genre like this one there is more character development and complexities in life that can result in the viewers feeling more connected. 

Drama is a genre I want to consider for my film opening specifically because it can be so relatable and that is what I want my audience to feel. One example of popular movie within this genre is one I recently watched called Anora (2024) based on a young woman who accepts her life for what it is until someone who appears genuine and makes her disconnect from the real world. She allows herself to dream but when reality hits she is confronted with the truth in a slow and painful way. 

 

BOO 👻

The Horror Genre  

Horror is another genre I am very fond of, especially because of how it never fails to keep you at the edge of your seat. Throughout this year I have learned a lot about this genre which is why I feel it could be a promising idea to choose this genre for my film opening since I am more familiar with it. 

Horror goes as far back as the oral traditions of storytelling where it began in true literature and novels in the 1700s. One of them being Horace Walpole's 1764 novel, a gothic story all the way to Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. What makes horror such a popular genre is the love for suspense and thrill that can help emerge each of our brains into another dimension. Captivating our imagination to filled with excitement and thrill. Also, what makes it so exciting is how broad it is ranging from gothic and psychological all the way to slasher and supernatural. It incorporates a variety of elements that create fears and anxieties that keep the viewers coming back for more.

I think it can be an acceptable consideration for my short film as it can create a drive of excitement, to see what happens next. An example of a movie within the horror genre I enjoyed is The Substance (2024) be warned if you watch its gross! I think what I liked was the message it displayed about the commodification of women's bodies and how it intersects with ageism both internally and externally. Especially in today's age where ruthless beauty standards have only inflicted upon young woman and girls more.