Production Skill Development

Throughout this project my planning has improved the most.  There are many things to plan like the shots, dialogue, location, props, and character design.  There are a lot of pieces that need to connect.  I have made a shot list, storyboard, mood boards, and props.  All of these things were done before the production so our film opening will be as good as possible.  During the filming I was the one behind the camera.  My filming has improved. In the opening there are many camera movement techniques like pans, tilts, and tracking shots.  I gained some experience as a director even though I was only directing 1 or 2 people at a time. My editing has improved greatly because before this project I had very minimal editing experience. 

The hardest part when filming was the opening shot. This is because I had to get the right lighting and tell the actors where to be and what to do. This part of the project developed my skills the most, since there was the most challenges.

Group Discussion

 In the group discussion we had in class I talked about my project and got great advice on how to improve the film opening.  I learned that you could color code your clips when editing.  This is helpful because you could organize your scenes by colors or make different layers different colors.  We also talked about the CCR and what ideas we had.  This was helpful because I was stuck on what I wanted to do for the CCR.  Some different idea's we came up with were a directors commentary, podcast, reaction video, PowerPoint presentation, and an interview.  

Set design

In the scene were the FBi agent was introduced the set design was an important part of the shots.  We wanted to create a messy environment in the office.

In the shot you could see alcohol and drugs.  This shows that he has a drug and alcohol problem. There is also a wanted poster for Solomon Issaac.  This is to show the viewer that this is the person trying to catch the protagonist.  

Through the set the design alone you know a lot about the character.  

Production process

 During our first day of filming, we went to town center to film the opening scene.  Then the next day we filmed the scenes for the FBI agent.

This a shot of how the FBI agent is introduced.  There are drugs and alcohol on his desk while he is working.  This shot shows that the FBI agent is addicted on drugs and alcohol.

The FBI agent then gets woken up to a phone call from his boss.  

This is a shot of the FBI agent at home still using drugs.

During these shots we went to my friend's house who had a home office that looks like a real one.  For the final scene we went to my house.

Opening shot

Our opening shot is a person getting executed by the protagonist.  The protagonist is always hidden.  The first thing you see is a persons face and while the camera zooms out you could see the gun and an arm.  Then when the person is dead he takes a note off his body.  The note says 465.  This foreshadows the later parts of the opening.  

Challenging Conventions

 My film will represent the poor and bring light upon drug use.  The protagonist could be viewed as a robin hood type character by giving back to the poor.  One of the scenes will be the protagonist giving back to the poor.  To bring light upon drug use the FBI agent will be addicted to drugs to function at his job.   

Drug and alcohol abuse are a major problem in society, and it is good that movies address this epidemic.  7.7 percent of the U.S population is addicted to drugs or alcohol and 39 percent are people from the ages of 18 to 25.  

Addiction Statistics (2023 Update) (addictiongroup.org)

11.6 percent of people in the U.S live in Poverty.  This is another major issue in the world.  11.6 percent of the U.S population is around 37.9 million people.

Poverty Statistics | Poverty Estimates- Federal Safety Net

Shot list

Shot 1 is a close up of the poster I created.

Shot 2 is a two shot of two FBI agents listening to a debriefing.

Shot 3 is a medium shot of the head FBI agent giving the debriefing. 

Shot 4 is a tracking shot of the protagonist but, never showing his face.

Shot 5 is a over the shoulder shot of the protagonist that zooms into the poster I made.

Shot 6  is a shot that zooms out of the poster and the shot is in the FBI guys office.

Shot 7 is a close up of the FBI agents face while he is writing he is reading his journal.

Shot 8 is a close up of what he wrote in his journal.

Shot 9 is a zoom out that shows everything on the FBI agents desk.

The next couple of shots will be close ups of what is on his desk.

Shot 10 is a over the shoulder shot of the protagonist sitting in front a building.

Shot 11 is a long shot of the protagonist walking toward the building.

Then the title will appear. 

Shot 12 is a shot where the protagonist is sitting down in a room and the FBI agent walks into the room and he is staring at the protagonist

Shot 13 will be a long shot of the FBI agent pinning the protagonist down.

Engage and distributed to audiences

 We will post our film on YouTube.  This will be good to get some exposure since we are amateur film makers.  The Crime/Action genres target audience is young adult males ranging from 16-35 years old.  While YouTube's target audience is 13 to 30 years old.  This is good because both of the target audiences overlap.  This means that the people we are targeting are also using YouTube.  

Some of You tubes demographics.

95% of people aged 18-29 in the U.S use YouTube.

82% of U.S males use YouTube.

YouTube has around 2.6 billion Users.

• YouTube by the Numbers (2023): Stats, Demographics & Fun Facts (omnicoreagency.com)

Obstacles

 During the week my partner was on a 1 week long vacation.  This forced us to delay our filming to this weekend.  Another obstacle is both my partner and I have little to no editing experience.  I am starting to watch some editing videos.  

This is a tutorial of the basics of premiere pro.  When we are editing the opening and get stuck we could refer back to this video.  This video talks about Importing and exporting clips, effects, and color grading.  It shows where all of the tools are and the most efficient way to use the tools.  For Instance this video showed me how to use LUTs "look up tables".  LUTs are the fasted way to color your clips.  This would be useful because you could use a filter that fits the color scheme of the film opening.

Poster

 

I made this poster on Canva.  This poster is one of the most important parts in the opening.  You will see it in the background, and it will be the star of some shots.  I made the poster as close to a real FBI most wanted poster as I could to add realism to the opening.  With the question mark in the spot with the photo will add a sense of mystery to the character.  

Sound

 

This is some of the soundtracks I have been listening to for the film opening.  These soundtracks will set the tone for each character in the film.  The tone could help provide an emotional connection between the viewer and character.  This is important because the beginning of the film sets the tone.  

The soundtracks will also make the characters memorable.  When you add music in the back round it makes it easier for the audience to remember the film as a whole.

The sound will also enhance the visuals of the film.  The sound will make the shots more impactful so the audience will be more engaged.  The music will also enhance the excitement and energy of the scenes.

Location Scouting

 During the week I was searching for locations to film.  The locations I decided to use are a home office, a garage, and a sidewalk in Weston Town Center.  

This is a visual representation of a home office.  I will be filming the FBI debrief scene here.  I choose this spot because it is the most realistic office, I have access to.  

This is Weston Town Center.  This is where I will be filming the protagonist walking down the street.  This is a perfect place because it is urban and with tighter shots, I could make it look like a bigger city.

I choose a garage because it is the best place for a dark scene.  It could look like a dark basement with the right lighting and angles.