Storyboard

I Present... the Long-dreaded Storyboard

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Now for one of the steps my teammate and I have been dreading the most... the storyboard. Both Leandro and I are not the best at drawing, so creating a storyboard is never that much fun. We find it simple to brainstorm the shots and camera movements we want to do but we have difficulty replicating the shot onto paper. Despite this, we still know that creating the storyboard is at our best interest for the long run.

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The storyboard is very essential when working with another brain. This allowed Leandro and I to make sure we have the same vision. Often times it can be difficult to express an idea through conversation, however, a visual helps overcome this. Additionally, creating the storyboard is a time saver. Both Leandro and I have busy schedules and finding the time to film is going to be a challenge. However, having a plan and the order of the shots we want to create is going to save a lot of time while filming. Of course we may have some on-the-spot-changes, but this is more-or-less our plan.

If my Drawings don't Translate too Well, we also have the Wordy Version

(List of Shots)

1) Music/ car sounds fade in as car  gets close
2) Back seat looking at road ahead; shaky shots
3) Side view window; shaky shots; trees/ background shown moving fast
4) Shot of side view mirror; POV shot; Person is shown through mirror; shaky
5) Shot of front view; mid-shot of man looking stressed: shaky
6) Shot of side view; pans slowly right; mid-shot; side profile; shaky
7) POV of rear view mirror while turning; shaky close-up
8) Shot from back side as he parks; mid shot; last shaky shot
9) Close-up facing him as he is parked
10) Series of close-up and mid shots of person on phone; some zoom-ins
11) Close-up shots of trash/ items + credits
12) Series of sweep shots of car; left + right pans
13) Close-up shot of feet; zoom in slowly; shows him stepping out of car
14) Left pan inside of car; follows person through window; follows until reaches trunk
15) Slight Tilt up; high angle shot; camera sees person looking back at the camera
16) POV shot of person looking in trunk; low angle shot
17) Series of shots that zoom out; from close up of face to parking lot; man yells out; shows he parked outside of lines
18) Camera tilts down as trunk closes; match-cut of the license plate to the title (Deadend???)

Credit Scene

Creating a Captivating yet Capable Credit Scene

As I mentioned in my previous post, Leandro and I wanted to incorporate our credit scene information by using the items in the car. We thought this was cool because it wouldn't be distracting and it was something we have never seen. However before committing to this idea and
figuring out how we want to achieve this, we decided to do some research.

Research

All credit scenes share the purpose of giving 'credit' to the main workers behind the film. This often includes the director, main actor, producer, writer, cinematographer, editor, and so forth. However, there are many different ways a credit scene can be done. Some films choose to create something different that adds onto the film and theme. While some want something natural and doesn't distract from the film.

"Fahrenheit 451" (1966) is a film that took a different approach for the opening credits. Instead of going the traditional route and having the credits displayed on the screen, the film narrates them. This helps in developing the dystopian society right from the start. In a world that bans all literature, it makes sense that even the audience didn't read while viewing the film. This throws the audience right into the society/ plays well with the theme.

"Raging Bull" (1980) is a drama about a middleweight boxer. This iconic opening features the credits in a blocky-white font that matches the vibe of the film. However, what makes this opener so iconic is not the credits. The simplistic shot of the boxer warming up in the rink is the star of the show. The composition along with the flashing lights gives the audience an idea to what the film entails (story of a "caged" boxer). The visuals are the center piece and having the credits shown in a simple way allow for no distraction or take away from the it.

After some research, Leandro and I still want to try and stick to our original idea of having the credit sequence displayed on the trash/ objects around the car. We want our sequence to fit effortlessly just like the "Raging Bull," yet be different and play with the theme just like "Fahrenheit 451."

Honorable Mentions

My Man Godfrey” (1936)

Se7en (1995)

Star Wars (1997)

Zodiac (2007)

Thought Organizer

Thought + Organizing = New Ideas

After figuring out our story and gathering our ideas relatively quickly, my partner and I started to wonder if we were missing a key detail. In order to best tackle this we decided to make a thought organizer. We thought this would help us visualize our project and ensure that we weren't missing any key details.

Thought Organizer

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Did it Help?

Overall Leandro (my partner) and I would both agree that the thought organizer helped us. We were able to come up with some cool new ideas in this brainstorming process. This also helped to reassure that we had the same vision and end goal for the movie opening.

Our New Ideas

Like mentioned previously, we came up with a couple unique ideas while creating this spall organizer/ mood board. They include but are not limited to:

• Having our movie title be in the style of a license plate. We would also like to have a shot of the actual car's license place match cut to the title.
• Putting the credits subliminally on items in the car. EX: "Director-Stephanie Boyarsky" is written on an old Coca Cola bottle. (future blog post about this soon!)
• We want to have a shot of multiple air fresheners piled up on the rear view mirror to symbolize that character's life is overwhelming.
• We also thought of a shot of the character parking messily into the parking lot to further show he is going through a rough mental state.
• One topic still up for debate is whether or not we should use a professional camera. We have a camera available to us, however, we are not that familiar with how to use it. The shots may be better but we don't want to risk losing any film material or having trouble getting the shots. We are unfamiliar with using real camera while we are pros at the iPhone camera.

Planning the Set

Car VS Car

Now that my teammate Leandro and I were finally able to settle (on a better, thought out idea), the project is starting to get really exciting. After reviewing the outline of our scene a couple of times, we realized we need to focus our opening on the mise-en-scene elements. The scene is going to be somewhat basic. Through research we found that most dramas don't start so dramatic, instead they introduce the characters or setting. For our piece we're choosing to do the same.

In order to develop this homeless man we have to focus on costume design and set design. We want him to be living in his car so in order for that to look realistic we need to make the car and him looked lived in. So we compiled a list of costume design ideas and the type of set design we want.

Prop List/ Costume Design

• Used wrappers/ cups from fast food
• Duffel bags on bags on bags on bags 
• Unique air freshener that hints at location/ personality
• Snack or food
• Sleeping bag or sleeping necessities
• Windows creaked open
• Clothes everywhere
• Man's clothing and overall color scheme dull
• Baggy, cheap clothes

We came up with this list pretty easily. My teammate and I simply just thought what our car's look like if we were living in it. While answering this question, we realized we had to figure out which car to film in. We are both grateful enough to have a car so we had options. We began comparing the two...

Hyundai Sonata 2012

Chevron Sonic 2016

We decided to go with my car. My car is a Chevron Sonic 2016 and despite being newer than Leandro's car, we concluded that mine looked somewhat older. All of the circles in the design and the pattern of the seat have off an older vibe. Now we still need to figure out where we want to put the car to film and the camera shots that will work best with the car and theme.

Planning the Film Outline

Changes...

Ok so some pretty big changes have occurred since my last blog post. My teammate and I have decided to scratch some of the ideas we had previously made. On my last post I said our idea for the drama was to create an opening about someone who became homeless due to the advancements of technology. I'm not sure if we were feeling very ambitious or it was the excitement in class, but after a few days of sleeping on it we decided to go with just the homeless idea. We wanted to focus on just one thing and make sure that idea was well received and produced.

So now that we have committed to an idea (hopefully for good) we were able to start envisioning how the scene would play out. During one of our meetings in class we can up with a layout for the scene plus some key features we wanted to include.

Scene Outline + Visions

1. Title Scene (yet to be decided)
2. Sound Bride into next shot
3. Shot of man driving anxiously
• Shots mainly of man, no shots of inside of car
• Fast paced editing
• Shaky camera movements
• Credit scene would be placed naturally through this scene
4. Man parks car into vacant parking lot
• Things calm for a moment 
• slower cuts/ still camera shots
• He takes a moment to breathe/ think
5. Man begins to make various phone calls
• He seems extremely stressed
• He is calling people for a place to stay
• Does not want to come across as a burden, makes up excuses to why he needs a place to stay, he does not tell anyone the truth to why he needs to crash
• During this scene, the inside of the car will be shown and it will be evident all his stuff is in there and it has been somewhat lived in (still shots)
6. After not being successful in getting a place to stay he goes out to trunk
• You see more props/ set design that hint he is homeless
7. He takes a step back and looks around him
• Finally you get a better picture to where he drove to
• Empty parking lot (maybe Walmart)
• He is planning to sleep here in his car

Some Possible Thoughts were Going to Sleep On

• Is this long enough for 2 mins or will we need to add more?
• Should the title be at the end, beginning, or even the middle or the scene?
• How do we want to incorporate the credits in the scene? (all we know is that we want it to naturally flow/ blend in with the scene)
• What props do we need?

Start of Planning

Putting the Car in First Gear

This week marked a big step forward in this project for my teammate and I. While I was driving, I got an idea for our drama film. I had remembered my dad once telling me a story about his friend who was homeless for a couple of months and had lived in his car. This man had extremely saddening yet triumphant story. Then I thought I haven't seen many movies on the struggles of homelessness (possibly due to society's negative assumptions of the homeless). However, it seems like something that would be a dramatic and telling story.

My teammate and I liked the idea, however, we needed more background information to be sold (plus make sure it wasn't cheesy). We were mainly looking for a touching back story about how this person became homeless. So we began to research homelessness. We found that bigger cities like New York and LA have issues with expensive housing and low-income people. We also found that many people become homeless due to losing their jobs. This idea of losing a job stood out to us more so we went done that road.

We like the idea of person who became homeless due to losing their job, however, we were still missing the wow factor. This is when my partner had come up with the idea of someone losing their job to a robot. This idea felt so right for us. It is something that society may begin to encounter more frequently in the future. We believe this will add the drama we were missing.

Not only will we get to show a new light on the homeless, but we will be able to show a future problem that may arise with technology growth.

Picture found at IMG_8603.jpg

Now how are we going to get robots in the film opening?

We flat out have zero budget. However.... we realized robots/ machines are all around us. We are planning to show someone getting fired from a Walmart/Target due to the lack of  workers needed. These stores have recently been incorporating self-checkouts which call for less help from workers. Changes in businesses may become more technology-driven in the future and we want to capture the dangers of that in our film.

TBA

We are still unsure if we want to make the film take place in the future but we are leaning towards having it take place in the present.

Our Inspirations:

Unbelievable (2019)
This show is not at all about homelessness but it evokes a dull and sad
 tone by its use duller colors/ filters. We want our opener to look similar.

Joker (2019)

We were inspired by the focus pull from the Joker to his

 mirrored self used in the opening. We plan on making

a similar shot with the fired worker to the self checking machine.

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

This movie represents the homeless in a

 positive light (although it is so sad)

Drama Film Openings

Exploring Some of Hollywood's Most DRAMATIC Film Openings

Every good drama movie has to start somewhere, that being the opening scene. The opening/ credit scene sets the tone for the rest of the film. In order to gain some inspiration for my own film opening I have researched some of the most iconic drama movie opening scenes.

Trainspotting (1996)

This film came out in the 90s and is about dealing with a heroin addict. This opening has become iconic by some of the unique characteristics used. The first thing that one notices is the fast paced opening. Right away viewers jump into an action packed world where teens are recklessly running in the streets. Bringing the viewers right into the drama grabs their attention and interest. Then we hear the main character having a monologue (aka what is so iconic from the opening). The monologue serves as a way for the conflict and character to be introduced. We hear the character justifying the aimless life of a drug addict and we learn that he can't stop even if he wanted to. The freeze frames stopping on each character serve as a way to introduce the character in a cheesy yet exciting way. For a paused moment we get to analyze each character. Lastly the opening ends with the main character hitting the ground while using drugs in a grimy room. This hints at the characters difficult and unhealthy situation he is in.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)

This is a newer drama released in 2019. The film is about the movie industry in Hollywood during the 1950s. The film mainly follows this story in the perspectives of a big Hollywood actor and his stunt double. Although the majority of the film is in color, the opening scene is in black and white and is shown on a smaller frame. The opening is meant to mimic a tv advertisement in the 50s. This is further developed by having cheesy background noises and a catchy slogan "Dead or alive you're just a dollar sign to Jake Cahill on Bounty Law Thursday's at 8:30 only on NBC." This allows the audience to feel as if they were truly watching an advertisement for "Bounty Law" in the 50s. Next it cuts to the "Bounty Law" interviewer asking the main actor and his stunt questions about the show. This is done to introduce the characters and the dynamic they have. The actor being the head of operation and a "pretty boy" while the stunt double is more in the shadows and isn't afraid of getting his hands dirty.


Both these intros do a good job of hinting at the films conflict, theme, and characters which are all necessary in a good drama. What I have taken away from this research is that my opening needs to transport the audience into the film right away. I need a wow factor that is makes the film interesting/ stands out while still appealing to what a drama calls for. Now all I need is a film opening idea...

Drama Research

Drama, Drama, and more Drama

Picking what genre I wanted to commit to has been slightly difficult. In the end I just decided to think about my favorite movies and which have entertained me the most. Thats when finally an idea hit my head. I want to make a drama, not like a cheesy high school drama movie, but like a real and authentic dramatic movie. But before I even come up with an idea I have to gain inspiration and figure out what makes a drama film a drama. My first step the RESEARCH:

Drama films are often serious and real. These films consists of a serious conflict, situation, setting, characters, and so on. I think I am drawn to this genre because of this realness it gives off. Ever since I was a kid I was more into real actors than a cartoon. My only reasoning being that I felt a deeper connection to more realistic characters or maybe I was just a "mature" 7 year old (if a 7 year old can even be mature).

DRAMA Topics and Focus

Drama films are not afraid to explore out of the box or taboo themes. Various films about current issues, poverty, drug addiction, sexual inequality, and so on live within this genre. Moonlight talks about being in the LGBTQ+ community when you are also a person of color. A Star is Born is a drama talking about the music industry and drug addiction.  Just like these movies, I want to tell a story that is relevant and impactful to our time. Choosing this genre allows me to tell a meaningful story (or the first two minutes of that opening story).

One commonality within dramas is a very deep focus on character development. Since the stories they are telling need to be emotional, dramas develop characters so that the audience can get a feel for the person's emotions and identity. In addition to this, character interaction is something heavily thought about in dramas. Often times the film is centered around a conflict between characters so the way the characters interact affect the story.

How to Add DRAMA in Editing?

Using editing cuts to match the speed of the story emphasize the drama. At more intense parts the cuts will be made faster to add emphasis to the drama. The cuts may be slower at more calming scenes so that a difference between calm and intense is more evident in the story. Sound also plays a large role in developing the tone. Placing a sad piano behind a fighting scene adds a sense of melancholy while adding an electric guitar gives power to the scene.

How to Add DRAMA in Mise en Scene?

Mise en scene elements are also very important. Although not all dramas have a very elaborate wardrobe or set design, it is still essential in developing a character and setting. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood had to focus heavily on costume design and set design to bring the audience back into the 50s era. Lighting is also important in telling the tone of the story. Many dramas have a sad or intense moment in the film. This is when lighting and colors come into play to allow for this tone to be emphasized. Euphoria, a drama tv show, emphasizes on low key lighting and blue and pinkish tones to emphasize the sadness and drugged characters.

Euphoria (2019)

How to Add DRAMA in Camera Shots?

Lastly, but possibly most important, camera shots, Some essential camera shots in dramas are close ups and two person shots. Close ups allow for a closer look into the characters and their emotions. Dramas heavily focus on feelings and emotions so this shot is essential in telling this part of the story. Dramas also show many dynamics between characters which can be visually told by two person shots. The composition and body language in a two person shot tells a story and dynamic between the characters far more than words could.

Close Up shot from Whiplash (2014)

After all this I feel slightly more comfortable in developing my DRAMA (capitalizing it just makes it more dramatic). However, I am still steps away considering I don't have an idea for my opening....

Alternative/ Indie Rock Marketing Campaign Project

Creating a Special IndieVidual

Just recently in class my group and I created a music marketing campaign. We had a lot of fun throughout this tedious process and were happy with the end result. This was a larger scale project so it was slightly overwhelming to start, however, we began with researching our genre.

What is Alternative/ Indie Rock?

Our 'artist' IndieVidual is working to be the next biggest name in the alternative/ indie rock genre. In order to pursue the best marketing strategies we had to research what this genre consists of. We found that the majority of people who are fans of alternative/ indie rock music were between the ages of 15-24. In other words, most fans are in an independent state of their lives where they don't rely on their parents/ don't have to take care of anyone. Most fans can be defined as hipsters as they usually don't follow the status quo in life. Overall, the genre values authenticity and forming deep connections between the artist and supporters. In terms of sound, this type of music is usually energetic, has deep messages, focuses on instruments, and is untraditional. Hence why so many "hipsters" are followers of this music.

Marketing Trends

Social media is one of the most used marketing tools used in today's age whether it be from a metal band to a country singer. The Neighbourhood is band, within alternative rock, that uses social media as a platform to market. They encourage their fans to use #THENEUTIMES to support them and get them trending on Twitter. They also have an Instagram, Youtube, and Facebook where they choose to communicate with fans and advertise their work. Running a website is something slightly different in this genre. Bands like Cage the Elephant, Foster the People, and many others have websites which serve as a hub for all information. The websites have special dates, merchandise, important announcements, communication accessibility, and some even stream music. Speaking of merchandise, band tees are a staple within this genre. A shirt, hoodie, etc. can be found for almost all rock bands and are even sold in stores like Hot Topic which is targeted at hipsters. Today, most artists within this genre use both digital and physical distribution. The Neighbourhood, Cage the Elephant, and Foster the People all distribute music through Spotify, Youtube, Apple Music, and so forth. This is done to reach more people with smaller amounts of money. However, these bands also sell Vinyls to go along with that vintage and odd vibe that many hipsters cherish. Besides this, alt/indie bands contribute to live shows/ festivals. Foster the People has performed at 15 festivals since 2017 and don't plan on stopping soon. They love having live shows to connect with the fans but also reach a wider audience since many people there will discover them due to the other names under the festival.

Brand Development 

With the research we compiled, we thought it was best to develop Indievidual as someone relatable and a fellow hipster. To achieve this we created a specific color scheme, clothing, and attitude to further his persona. Within the artist's platforms we utilized a darker color palette of black, gray, white, navy blue, and hints of mustard yellow. The idea within this was to make him appear masculine and mysterious/dark. However, we incorporated the yellow to serve as a nod to his name. Yellow is a color that is quirky, not liked by many, yet can make someone stand out. It is the color of a spotlight. We wanted to emphasize that Indievidual was different. This idea was furthered by playing with light within the music video, merch, website, and so on. We liked the idea of having a spotlight on the artist in the video and on the merchandise to represent the same idea of standing out. However, playing with light also allowed us to create shadows which went along with the persona. Shadows helped to represent the artist's and song's dark side. In terms of attitude we want him to be a slightly edgy hipster who can relate with other outcasts. He is someone down to earth that can be easy to talk to even in a fan-artist relationship.

Marketing Products

For the digital marketing products we created an Instagram, Snapchat, Youtube, and Twitter. Each platform would post updates, videos, advertisements, and just basic photos of the artist. Each going along with the artist's aesthetic.

IndieVidual's Instagram Page.

Along with the social medias, the website will match the artist's vibe. The website will serve as a hub for all information where tour info, links to social media, a gallery, contact info, merchandise, and an 'about' section can be found. All fans can easily reach this website and scroll through, whether it be on phone or computer. This makes it easy for fans to stay updated and connected to the band.

IndieVidual's Website

Our group also made an effort to focus on tangible objects. Physical items serve as a way to market the artist into peoples everyday lives. Clothing items were something we wanted to put a large focus on due to it's popularity within this genre. We believe it is beneficial to sell most items on our own website to yield best income. Additionally, we think it is best to not price the items too high due to our target audience not being super wealthy and many people wouldn't pay for an upcoming artist. Although most clothing will be sold via website, we also wanna have an exclusive item sold at Hot Topic. The store sells many other band merchandise items which may allow our artist to be discovered through people who appreciate the alternative rock genre. All our clothing goes along with the same color palette and spotlight idea to keep reinforcing the persona.

IndieVidual's hoodies and shirts.

Other smaller but still efficient marketing products we made include a concert ticket contest. The contest would be won via Twitter. Before every show someone who tweets using the hashtag #INDIEVIDUAL is entered in a contest to win free tickets to a show. This will increase activity/ talk on Twitter and may entice people to see the show. We also incorporated a Polaroid giveaway. One can enter by subscribing to our emails through the website. The winner receives a polaroid camera and an exclusive photo of IndieVidual. This will encourage people to subscribe to emails and maybe even attract new fans. Additionally this is efficient because hipsters love vintage items. Lastly, we would like to give out free wristbands at every show. This can serve as a trophy/ memory for going to the show. This may spark conversation and interest in band.

Free wristbands given at every concert/ show.

What Can I Take Away?

Through this project I was able to see how much work goes into an artist's marketing plan and products. Everything must be meticulously chosen and thought out. I also learned that a music video is so much more than showing the artist while the song plays in the back. It serves as a way to represent the artist and the song. Everything down to clothing and lighting can change the feeling the video evokes. Production and marketing can be a stressful thinking process but a reward and feeling of accomplishment in the end.