Meeting W Group / New Plot Update

 The group I was placed with really liked my idea, but decided to choose the park location where I am watching some soccer friends and this man "Mike" is pretending to be there which is also more likely to come off realistic since I have experienced it. They thought it would be an easier scene to make and fit into 2 minutes, so i can make it professional. I have to change my layout drawings or photos to represent the new location and talk about a new outline. 

My updated Plot Outline-

Exposition: For my updated exposition, I want my main character "Chloe" to be slowly driving down through the street next to the soccer fields in the evening/ becoming night as her friend is on the phone and they are speaking about this man "Mike" who doesn't seem to leave Chloe alone after she has blocked him constantly and rejected him.

Rising Action: The rising action is probably when Chloe is driving and Mike is seen through her window sneakily looking at the car and pretending to walk at the same time which brings the suspense that something is wrong and he isn't supposed to be there. She ends the phone call and sees her friends playing, so she decides to find a parking.

Climax: The climax will be when Chloe parks and gets out of her car and from afar as her back is turned away rom the baseball fields, Mike is standing in an odd way watching her and it gives the readers an uneasy feeling because of how close he is and she cannot see him. 

Falling Action: Chloe sits down in the grass to get comfortable and read while she is watching the boys and it becomes very dark around her since she is near the trees, but there are some lights, so she is feeling fine.

Resolution: The resolution is when the camera zooms into Mikes face expressing his immoral thoughts and desperation to get Chloe to just speak to him again because he has this addictive problem to her. 

Layout Pictures

This is the restaurant I will be using to film my opening, obviously I will try to cover the brand since I am not sponsoring it, but I will make a shot similar to this to represent the establishing shot of location. As well as the photo inside the restuarant is a view of where the door with the light coming through is, which is where Mike will walk in and at the cashier closest to the door is where Chloe will be while other customers are going to be eating.

     

The red line I have drawn out will be the road "Chloe" will be driving back home too since it is darker and late at night it can get very empty and scary especially since I am filming all of this from experience since I drive back from work at around 10pm usually.

The red circle on this photo is where Chloe's car will be parked and the blue circle is where Mike will be standing as he hits for her to get off work because of the desperation he has.

 

Plot Outline

I wanted to use a basic outline of my film opening to put it in a simplistic view. The bottom left is the exposition or introduction and the bottom right is the resolution or final outcome. In each one of those parts, I have split the scenes to fit it .Especially since it is just a film opening and not the full film in hand, it is harder to describe such a small scene, but I will do my best:)

Exposition: The exposition will obviously begin with Chloe being the first cash register, taking orders from customers while also speaking and joking around with her coworkers. As she is about to finish with a customer, this familiar guy "Mike", whom she has blocked many times and he keeps creating new accounts to try and text her, comes in. He asks her why she keeps blocking him and he realizes the managers in the store are all mad at him for interrupting other customers. Chloe confidently rejects his constant nagging about the blocking and tells him to leave her alone.

Rising Action: The rising action begins when the scene transitions to the night at around 10pm where Chloe is finishing cleaning up at her job. She forgets her bag inside the store and walks out towards her car after saying bye to everyone with a coworker. The coworkers car is on the other side, so they wave bye and Chloe keeps heading to her car. Mike is standing behind her waiting to speak to her and just watching. Chloe gets close to the car and realizes the door won't open automatically and quickly rushes back to the restaurant without noticing Mike.

Climax: As climax since it is not the most dramatic prt of the opening, but it is a pretty important part, I wanted to talk about when Chloe gets into the car to leave the main plot towards the end. Chloe is walking back to her car, Mike has disappeared from behind her and he is no longer there. She gets in and Mike had found another way to contact her begging for her to contact him in any way and that she better do it or he will get very upset.

Falling Action: As Chloe has been driving a few minutes in she notices around her that it is really dark and her mom gives her a call wondering when she is getting back from work. They have a quick conversation and she tells her mom her feelings towards this man "Mike" because she is truly uncomfortable with it.

Resolution: The resolution I wanted it to be intense and as "Chloe" is driving down this long dark road alone, she gets the urge to look into her rearview mirror and Mike is sitting behind her and she's driving. She almost loses control of the wheel because of how frightened she is and possibly screams as he is just sitting there. Thats when the scene cuts and the movie begins.

Shooting Schedules

 For my shooting schedules, I want to take 2-3 days of filming small parts until i get the perfect scenes which do take time especially since i want them to be more filmed in the afternoon/night. I was thinking of filming around March 11-12 since its a weekend and before spring break since I may not even be in Weston. Obviously the days that I will be, I’m going to try to get the scenes i cant film on other days.

Since i will take 2 days over the weekend on March 11-12 to really put the effort into filming every scene i need, I want the editing to definitely be done by March 30. I will work on it throughout the week and if i need to fix any scenes, I still have that upcoming weekend as well. 

Storyboard Planning

For my storyboard planning I wanted to do 2 different short drawn storyboards to show my 2 film opening ideas. I still haven't decided which I want to do, I may just try both and see what looks better if I have time, but I genuinely have a very good idea of how I'm going to shoot them and I think they could be very good.

My first film opening idea is about Chloe heading to the park to see her friends and there is a few hints that there is a man "Mike" there just because he wants to be wherever she is and watch her. His obsession takes over and he kind of revolves his life on trying to be close to her. With the music and shots, I wanted to make it an uncomfortable video that portrays his feelings just by his face and emotions. This will also give a good start to the whole film because he won't approach her in this scene, he will just be introduced and the audience will understand what they are getting themselves into.

My second story idea is something very similar to my actual life and i actually got this idea when I was leaving work late at night and there was this black van there and I realized how scary the area actually looks. As well as driving down South Post  Rd. in the car by itself I always get the urge to look into my rearview because there is never any cars near me since its late. Pretty much this storyboard is more scary than the first one, but the film opening would start with Chloe working as a cashier and mike comes in tells her she looks pretty today or whatever and you can tell there is weird history there and that she's weirded out by him. It will transition to her closing and cleaning up and she either gets out of the door alone or with a coworker but heads to her car when she forgets her keys and runs back to the restaurant. When she comes back out, Mike has disappeared from the view since she never saw him and he was watching her from behind this big dark car and as she is driving she looks into her rearview and she sees his shadow. It will obviously be produced to be scarier than it sounds, but im stuck on which idea is better.

Technological Elements

 For the technological elements of filming my film opening, I wanted to use more professional equipment and strategies, so that I can succeed in my project. 

Since I currently don't own a video camera, I will be using an iPhone, specifically my dads iphone 13 pro max because it has the best resolution. It has a cinematic mode which makes the video look more like a film, but I don't know if its too much. With the iphone, I can dim the lighting, make it focus on the object I desire, and if I choose, put any filter to make the aesthetic of the video different. I will have downloaded Adobe Premiere or just use the app iMovie to edit my scenes together. 

My base for my phone will be the tripod to film steady shots, so the phone doesn't shake. I will use specific shots and angles to get the suspense to build up. I have no budget, so I will have to use what I have and a tripod is the only stable film equipment that I can use. I do want to make my film opening during the days lighting shouldn't be an issue 

This is a shot of Nicole Kidman in "The Others" 2001, where it creates a sense of desperation from the audience because someone has opened the door behind her and she is not looking towards that way, but a reflection as if she has no time to save herself. I liked how it is an over-the-shoulder shot where we can see her emotions.

The dutch angle shot used in this image can represent a feeling of distortion and fear because of its symbolism to something is obviously wrong and suspense is on its way.  It stresses the unsteadiness of the situation and causes more tension which is perfect for a thriller.

For sound, I obviously want eerie music which at points has loud, jarring sounds to raise the fear amongst my audience. This will have to be me making music because I don't necessarily want to take a sound from someone else and ask permission. My plan is to use a piano and maybe some foley to produce the creepy noises involved even though my film is not horror, it is a thriller/suspense.

Plot Aspects

My main plot aspect is that I want my victim in the film to outwit this assailant who is bothering her life and won't leave her alone. This is obviously a fiction story I am creating for my film opening and I do want tit to create an intensity especially with the fact that my plot will be about this girl doing anything to get this man from constantly following her and texting her to being gone from her life. This man may not be evil, I am still thinking about trying to make him evil or not, but he definitely has psychological problems that cause him to not notice the wrongness of his actions.

This movie may not make much sense since this film I'm about to describe is very opposite of what I'm trying to produce, but I wanted to describe how the "The Boy" 2016, was actually a big help in how I want to portray this assailant "Mike" to act.

In this film, this apparent "doll" moves around the house in discreet ways while its caretaker finds him watching her sometimes and sitting in positions that she never placed him in even though he is an inanimate object and cannot move by itself. A part that I really enjoyed in this movie is when this woman would pass by "Brahms", which was this doll like boy, room and find him sitting down staring at her or pass by the kitchen and he would be sitting in a position watching her. I really thought the way they portrayed it was very uncomfortable and frightening and even though the doglike part may make tit scarier, I wanted to add similar aspects of this movie to my film opening to create that sense that somebody is watching you. This is an important plot aspect to give an overview of what the film will be about.

This next movie that I will reference also includes the main plot of my film which is the fact that my main character "Chloe" manipulates her way out of a situation that can escalate to something dangerous using strategic ways. The kidnapping of Lisa Mcvey is obviously a horrible story and has nothing to do with my film, but how this girl has the intelligence to manipulate her kidnapper gave me an idea of how I want my main character to be able to outsmart this man who has psychological issues and doesn't seem to stop being obsessed with her. Lisa Mcvey does end up escaping her kidnapper and finding out he is a serial killer and it is told from a true story which my film will not. I just believed the idea of using the gaslighting and manipulation was an intelligent way to keep the audience entertained and surprised.

My Characters

      Hello! I am going to be describing both of my main characters in my film opening in the view i want to portray them as, but I am not 100% this is exactly how I want to picture them yet, it is just a planning.

I have seen plenty of movies with similar stories to mine in the thriller genre. The girl, who is the victim, usually has a name that gives an innocent look and feel to her which contradicts the darkness and evil in the story. After looking for many options, I didn't want it to be basic like Annabelle or Abigail, so I decided to go with the name Chloe. 

This is the type of clothing and style I want Chloe to have to really represent her different style with her different personality.

Chloe is more restricted and private. Although she is being seeked out, she has the intelligence to sense when she is being watched. I wanted her to be a minor to really represent how young this girl is and how she is still not considered an adult. She is the eldest of 3 brothers and her age is 16. Her colors refer mainly to brown shades more of the wood type of brown colors. Sort of studious and artsy, but she likes going to the park to watch her friends play soccer. She is very confident and bold if she needs to defend herself. 

My other main character, who will be the assailant, will not have his name be mentioned as much. Just his presence mainly, because I prefer for him to have no name for the beginning since his personality is unknown and he hides a lot. The name I have decided for this man will be something simple. In a lot of similar style films, like in "Amber's Story" 2006, the man was considered unknown because they never really found out who was this person who killed her. My story will be different because Chloe will have the strength and power to overcome this trap she is in by being followed. Since this man will be made known in my film, I wanted to give him the name Mike which is a common American name as well to symbolize the normality of this man and how he was just a regular person who has this secret life where he becomes obsessed with Chloe. Mind you, he is still young. This man is about 21 years old. He is still in college, but has some issues where his way of thinking is not morally right. I did not want to make him dress in black and a hood when he is watching over Chloe. 

He has a bit of personality disorder, so at time he is dressing like a modern young adult and then at other times, the other side of him comes out and he dresses a little bit more shady.

This is the mood board I've created for Mike to show that he is like any other regular man and has a bit of preppiness to him. He is serious and very private, but always wants to look neat.

The background to this story is that Chloe knows Mike since they used to work together at a restaurant. She had confronted him about obsessive texts he used to send her and has blocked him many times over the phone. I am still planning this part of how it will be symbolized during the opening, but i feel like it changes the traditional story of this type of film.

Genre

    The thriller/suspense genre is meant to create a fear and uncomfortableness. It has many unexpected twists and tension and it can be a bit hard to make a professional well done thriller film opening. I want to create a more original thriller film opening where it is not predictable. Many suspenseful films begin with a shock factor where the audience knows what's to come. It is like a mystery just with more fast paced moments and much anxiety. I want to make it a more psychological thriller because of my main characters experience with this man who has obvious issues. 

   I want to use references from kidnapping movies like "Amber Alert", even though my film would be completely different, it would have the same anxiety feeling the audience gets while watching this girl n.a bike being watched and kidnapped by a man in a car. I think in an angle where you see the man in my film sort of standing alone staring from afar and a close up of this girls face looking behind her to notice can produce some sort of chills especially adding one of the most important parts of the genre; sound. The eerie and uncomfortable noises and jumps of sound will make the scenes way more intense then they are. Since most thriller have some thin high pitched noises as their shock factor sounds, I can create some with any instrument and find a way to make it originally creepy.

     On Celadonbooks.com, they mention that, "Psychological thrillers are terrifying because they shine a light on the dark side of the human mind. " I want to make it clear on the opening the malicious thoughts this man is thinking just by portraying his face with no dialogue just expression. Obviously, the whole plot of the movie is pretty dark and surrounds a negative topic. This thriller will have fictitious aspects and I'm not sure where I want to add some supernatural effect, but it will come to me as I keep planning my film opening.

Approach To Portfolio

     I have come up with some ideas, but I am still unsure of what I want to do because obviously I want the film opening to be well done and professional. One of my options is to make it a thriller genre of feeling like someone is watching you because I can definitely relate to that feeling in moments where I'm very paranoid and I've had experience with a stalker before. I can construct it to show the real paranoia of the main character and make it seem real and authentic. I want to begin my approach to the project by being the main character and obviously asking my boyfriend or family member to film for me. I was thinking of filming at a park in Weston or at my house, I am still unsure because when this stalking event happened to me it was at the park, so I could reference it to my own story. 

I would want to create a suspenseful sound using like a violin or piano if not I will use a song from the internet and make sure I'm allowed too. I would shoot various angles to show my feeling of suspense and nervousness or if I'm not the main character I will try to get the person I'm feeling to represent paranoia and nervousness. This person will be coming closer as the video continues in subtle ways that don't give the plot away too much. This person who acts as the stalker will be dressed pretty regularly except with maybe a hood on and mainly their motions will prove their significance in the movie. It will be during the day as if she was driving or watching her friends play soccer which is very similar to my real story and this person that this main character knows because its not the first time they have seen them watching in different locations will be staring or walking nearby trying to blend in, but she feels a negative feeling like the person is bad.

This girl will be a very bold girl who is not afraid to fight back and is confident. Im thinking that the end of the opening scene could be like various shots of her flashing in and out like in distress because this person scares her so much that she doesn't feel in control and its as if this person is everywhere nd she can't escape it.

Blog Post #2

      For my Music Marketing Project, the brainstorming and planning was set from the beginning. One of my teammates had constructed a timeline by when we should be done with certain aspects of the project. We all had decided to split the slides in the powerpoint apart and the research. I chose to create the story and write the storyboard to create an idea of the music video we planned on filming.

     Since we decided to get the research charts done first, Alejandra and I decided to find a music company that is very known to then find artists within it to research about. Santiago and Panayotti did the same with another company. When I found the company Sony Records Nashville, the website included all th country singers signed to this label. That is where we found Miranda Lambert and Niko Moon. I did my research on both artists and their marketing strategies. It was a big difference since Niko Moon is not as recognized as Lambert is, but I found information on how she released her music and partnered with different companies to make herself known. 

     My next job was to create the storyboard which was a little complicated because my group was indecisive of what story we wanted to portray. I came up with a few ideas and they seemed to like it, so I began to draw and write out our scenes imagining a location near Weston we could film using each of us. The plan was great until Alejandra had a hard time finding an opening with a job, so the storyboard shifted completely and we ended up just filming a few different shots at school which changed the aesthetic of the video, but it completed it in a way anyway. Santiago, Panayotti, and I also decided to change the ranches location to a park because we hadn't thought the location well through since parking in those streets is very complicated. The powerpoint was the second to last thing we finished, were I researched about the target audience our brand was connecting too and I made a fake instagram page to post our false album cover and "promote" it. I found out many ways more southern/country people listen to music which can be different from how I listen to music. 

     To film the music video and edit it was the best part for me because I truly enjoy it. We had to adjust to our location and we figured it out a the park and grocery store. Any last minute scenes were added in our own homes that I had my dad or brother film for me. I had Santiago and Panayotti send me the last few shots, so I can edit it into the project. I tried my best to make the video have a storytelling meaning because it could be confusing at time, but at the end it did make sense and we had over 1:30 minutes. I do wish we could've planned the music video with more time to really grab the aesthetics and props or our country genre, but there wasn't enough time. The presentation was a bit rough because of our unpreparedness since we didn't equally split the work and Alejandra did not want to speak because of her accent. It did bring us down and my technology issues, but overall we finished every aspect of the project.

     In this Music Marketing project I learned how important communication with your group is and how everybody needs to be onboard with our decisions. I also learned that to film just a minute of a video takes a very long time. I believe these aspects will help me in my Cambridge portfolio because I now have a better idea of how to communicate my stories onto a video and know how long it will take me exactly to film a few minutes of a video.