Research, Analysis, Discussion on 3 Film Opening

 Heyyyy, so for this blog I have to pick three film openings based on a genre of my choosing. The genre I decided to pick is pshycological thriller. The three films I decided to pick are Black Swan, A Simple Favor, and Parasite.

Black Swan: Black Swan was released September 1st 2010, and is directed by Darren Aronofsky. The character Nina Sayers who is a ballet dancer become more and more addicted to her upcoming main role in Swan Lake. The opening starts with dim lighting on the main character, the setting is dark and unsettling as a male figure appears behind her from the shadows. The music throughout the scene is soft but still has a sense of intensity which elevates the sense of unease. The camera work, such as the handheld shots and bleak color palette, shows a sense of vulnerability through Nina, as her obsession begins to grow. This film opening can help me in my project because it demonstrates how film makers add tone and build character within only a few minutes of the film starting. Music and visual storytelling within the first few minutes show how this one scene can create that intense, and emotional feeling that sticks throughout the whole film. 

A Simple Favor: A Simple Favor was released September 14, 2018, and is directed by Paul Feig. It is about Stephanie Sanders who surprisingly becomes friends with Emily Nelson. However, their friendship takes a turn when Emily randomly disappears, giving motivation to Stephanie to explore her disappearance. The start is very upbeat and homey as Stephanie addresses her missing friend. She speaks about her friend missing as a mystery and the mixture of the dark undertone creates an unsettling tone. The opening intrigues viewers right away as viewers wonder where the friend went. Stephanies harmless vlog masks her not so innocent demeanor. It demonstrates a sense of hidden darkness beneath what appears to be perfection. This opening helps with my project to help establish important characters and create a plot for the film. Stephanies personality was introduced in seconds, which gives the viewers a clear view of who she is. Emily disappearance was also introduced quickly which created a problem for the audience and drives the plot forward. The film teaches how to engage an audience quickly and establish a plot.

Parasite: Parasite was released November 8, 2019, and is directed by Bong Joon Ho. The films focus is a give and take relationship between the Kim and Park families. It was the first Korean film to win Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and first foreign-language film to win Academy Award for Best Picture. The film starts off in the basement of the Kim family, the camera pans down to visualize their small and poor living environment. The natural light peering through the window highlights the low living conditions. Their urge to find free Wi-Fi shows that they are desperate yet know how to use their resources. This opening can help me with my project based on mise-en-scene and cinematography. It teaches how film-makers use camera work and mise-en-scen to use create a larger theme. It uses everyday actions to show a different lifestyle though a visual standpoint.

Genre Choices

 Heyyy, for this post I am focusing one two possible genres I might do for my project.

  The first choice is thriller, thriller is a genre choice chosen to keep the viewers on the edge of their seats. It's meant to be suspenseful and create a sense of anxiousness. Music plays a big role in thriller; it adds that extra effect that can heighten suspense. The editing is also quick paced and normally unpredictable which keeps the viewers interested in what could happen next. I think thriller would be such a cool genre to create because you have so much to work with. You are able to create such drastic plot twist, which can allow for creative flow as you can make the audience think one thing, when actually something else is going to happen. Even though sometimes it can be terrifying, the feeling when watching a thriller is just so irreplaceable. 

  The movie Psycho, by Alfred Hitchcock, came out July 16 1960, is a movie that is very recognizable to this day. a woman who steals money and flees, eventually checking into the secluded Bated Hotel, and runs into the creepy Norman Bates. Like this thriller, some thrillers are based off of real world events. This is neat as it allows for the director to take an event that was devasting for most people, and be able to share it with the world in their own creative way. This is an inspiration to me on the editing aspect, the editing has a lot of hidden meaning behind it, as the film is in black and white, so the editing plays a big role as there is no color to show sense of emotion. Only acting and editing. 

  The Second choice is romance, romance often involves categories like love, relationships, and emotional connections. Within romance, there are often themes like passion, longing, heartbreak, and personal growth. Editing withing romances is often soft, it uses soft transitions, slow motion sequences, and cross cutting to enhance intimate or climatic moments. Romance heavily uses close ups to capture chemistry or unspoken feelings. Mise-en-scene is often soft color pallets, and warm lighting. The setting is used in order to help reflect the characters emotions. As well as the costumes, the costumes help to reflect the characters emotional journey, which shows transformations within their relationships

  The movie Five Feet Apart, directed by Justin Baldoni, came out March 15 2019, and is inspired by the book by Rachael Lippincott. The film is about two teenagers who have cystic fibrosis who fall in love even though they have to stay six feet apart. The film is related to patients who have cystic fibrosis and what they go through on a daily. I feel like romance would be cool for a film opening because it instantly grabs the viewers attention and is intriguing. The powerful and intimate moment can create a immediate connection with the audience.

Portfolio Project

 In our Aice Media Studies class, for part of our final exam, our job is to create a portfolio. So, moving on, the majority of my blogs will be about my project! We are allowed to work in groups up to 4 people, or individually if we so choose. The goal of the project is to create a 2-minute film opening scene and use different techniques we used in class to demonstrate our knowledge on the subject. We had to take notes in class to give us tips on how to do the project successfully. I decided to work with a partner and her name is Simona. Starting this project is quite intimidating, but I feel we are prepared to take on the challenge and hopefully we end up with a really nice product.

One of the approaches I would be interested in doing is character development. I feel like this is such a big role inside film productions, it is so much fun to see one of your favorite characters evolve throughout the story. It allows for a creative outlet, and you have an almost endless amount of possibilities of who your character could be. It relies on costume design, how your character acts within the story, as well as creating dialogue to help your character grow throughout the film. Character development helps me to know what I want to focus my film on, creating the character just gets creative juices flowing, also, your character is not stuck how you originally make it! With character development, there could be something that it just doesn't seem how your character would act, and the great thing about it, you can fix it to make it make sense! 

The second approach I might be interested in is developing a conflict. The conflict has a lot of intensity within it which right away grabs the viewers' attention. It sparks interest in viewers and makes them wonder what will happen next throughout the film and keep them on the edge of their seats. It also reveals a lot about the protagonist and their struggles withing the story and also adds to character development. Starting off with conflict also helps to set the tone for the rest of the film, it gets the viewers more interested in what they are about to watch, knowing the characters are about to solve the issue before their eyes.

Music Marketing #2

 For this assignment, we had to create BTS ( behind the scenes) for our music video. This is what me and my group did:

Music Marketing 1

   Recently in class, we have been working on a project where are main goal is to create a band or artist, as well as a music video for them. My group came up with the artist Blaze Lane and has spent a large amount of time coming with her brand and identity. 

  Before we started this project, we had to research already made artist and their brands and identity. I think this helped me a lot because I got to get an idea of how some of my favorite artists made their name known to the world. It also helped to give me and idea on how to develop the brand and get an idea of different marketing strategies our artist could use. 

 We started the project off by creating a schedule, so we knew what we had to do on certain days to have our project done by the due date. On our first day, we decided to split into partners and two of us worked on the storyboard for the video and the other two worked on our PowerPoint. We got a mass majority of our PowerPoint done like coming up with her name, socials, brand, and different merch she would have. For the storyboard, we completed the full thing and were ready to show it to our teacher to start filming. On day two, we started filming our project, we got about halfway finished with it, which isn't bad considering we only had about an hour.

The following pictures is some of our work so far: 

Genre Research Blog Activity

 Horror

Genre: horror

Target Audience: The majority of viewers for horror movies are between the ages of 15 and 35, with a tendency toward young adults and teenagers. These viewers take pleasure in the excitement of suspense, moments that make you jump, and feeling afraid in a secure environment. They are frequently thrill-seekers and are drawn to genres that offer high-energy and suspenseful tales, such as science fiction and thrillers. A wide spectrum of thrill-seeking reasons is also satisfied by horror, which draws viewers with a variety of tastes, including those drawn to supernatural themes, psychological fear, and physical gore.

Genre Conventions (contents)- Themes: Common themes include mortality, supernatural forces, psychological torment, and revenge. Stories often revolve around survival, confronting fears, and the clash between good and evil. Settings: Dark, isolated locations like haunted houses, abandoned buildings, and forests are staples. These settings, combined with eerie soundscapes, build a sense of danger and isolation. Characters: Horror frequently includes archetypal roles, such as a “final girl” who survives till the end, morally ambiguous protagonists, and villains like monsters, ghosts, and serial killers. These characters reflect primal fears and societal anxieties. 

Genre Conventions ( production technique) - Mise-en-scene: Dim lighting, shadows, and a dark color palette (e.g., reds, blacks) create suspenseful and sinister atmospheres. Props like knives and other makeshift weapons heighten tension. Sound: Horror films rely heavily on sound to evoke fear—creaking doors, whispered voices, and sudden, loud noises to emphasize jump scares. Editing: Quick cuts and fast-paced editing amplify anxiety and create a sense of urgency and fear.

Institutional Conventions ( marketing)- Jump scares, suspenseful cuts, and intense trailers are used to promote horror movies. Promotions frequently highlight the film's intensity and distinctiveness while concentrating on particular horror clichés (such as supernatural or slasher aspects). As demonstrated by It Follows, which tested ads aimed at both younger audiences and older, nostalgic viewers, the genre frequently uses social media for viral marketing. Successful ads steer clear of overhype and utilize imagery and language that appeals to horror enthusiasts, strengthening the feeling of mystery and community involvement.

Film Sample #1- Hereditary: Hereditary examination of grief, familial curses, and supernatural forces is a prime example of psychological horror. An gloomy atmosphere is created by the film's use of creepy ambient sounds and dim lighting. The protagonist's psychological collapse is further enhanced by close-up shots and disturbing perspectives, and the use of sluggish, eerie images heightens the tension. Hereditary marketing focused on its unsettling family story to appeal to viewers looking for intellectual and atmospheric horror.

Film Sample # 2 - The Conjuring: The Conjuring, which centers on paranormal investigators coming across evil spirits, blends jump scares and strange terror. The movie employs close-up images and gloomy, cramped settings to evoke closeness with the protagonists' anxiety, intercut with loud, unexpected noises to startle viewers. Viewers interested in paranormal horror were drawn in by the marketing's emphasis on real-life case files, which added an air of credibility.

Other films:

The Shining - 

A Nightmare on Elm Street- 

Get Out- 

Psycho- 

IT- 

Representation

 Grey's Anatomy has been a driving factor behind the transformation of racial, gender, and identity depiction on television for almost 20 years. In addition to shattering stereotypes, the show addresses the perils of "othering" and exoticizing characters through its diverse cast, nuanced character arcs, and dedication to inclusivity. Allowing people to look at how the show's ensemble and characters like Cristina Yang and Miranda Bailey are good instances of representation, as well as where the show deals with problematic representation. 

Sandra Oh's portrayal of Cristina Yang is a prime illustration of how Grey's Anatomy subverts the conventional "model minority" trope that is sometimes used to describe Asian characters in the media. Although Cristina is an extremely driven and brilliant surgeon, her depth transcends the stereotypes of the hard-working, heartless overachiever. The one-dimensional representation of Asian women as robotic or exoticized for their intelligence is challenged by the show's acceptance of her emotional vulnerability, messiness, and genuine humanity. Although Cristina's brilliance and work ethic are important aspects of her personality, she also has depth because of her relationships, infertility issues, and vulnerable times. 

The character development of Miranda Bailey is a potent critique of the ways in which Black women are frequently "othered" especially in the workplace. As the dominant "Nazi" in the first few seasons, Bailey runs the risk of being viewed negatively by the prevalent assumption that Black women are too aggressive or irate. This is made more difficult by the show, which lets Bailey go beyond these strict representations. Her struggles with anxiety, family conflicts, and the demands of being a Black woman in a largely white, male-dominated field are all evident. In Grey's Anatomy, her vulnerabilities and fears are exposed, despite her initial exoticization as a tough, no-nonsense character. 

Grey's Anatomy sometimes problems with how it exoticizes or de-centers disadvantaged persons in its wider ensemble, even as it excels at avoiding stereotypes for many of its main characters. As LGBTQ+ women, characters such as Dr. Callie Torres and Dr. Arizona Robbins, for example, occasionally become exoticized due to their sexual orientation, particularly in the early seasons when their identities were viewed as dramatic devices rather than complete facets of their personalities. In a same vein, non-white characters like Maggie Pierce and Jackson Avery frequently live a de-centered life in which white protagonists like Meredith Grey's story are prioritized over theirs. 

In the end, Grey's Anatomy is successful in dispelling a lot of negative stereotypes and opposing the "othering" of its varied cast. The show develops a more sophisticated, inclusive story that captures the complexity of the real world by allowing characters like Cristina Yang and Miranda Bailey the room to grow. But like any long-running series, Grey's Anatomy occasionally falters in giving its underrepresented characters' storylines full attention, which leaves space for improvement in the ongoing discussion about media representation. 

Multimedia: Christina's breakdown (youtube.com)