Here are some potential scenes I think would be ideal for a thriller opener, especially at night time.
Sunday, February 24, 2019
Week 1 progress pt. 2
I believe having the right location for my film opener would be key, as it would help me come up with more ideas and the plot of the film. I decided to drive around town looking for places I could potentially film at. While driving I was coming up with potential scenes or scenarios at each location. I was looking for an abandoned building or behind a store with a long narrow alleyway. Two spots where I could potentially go back to film or change locations where a local abandoned CVS pharmacy and a loading bay for Publix. However while on my way back home, I passed by Markham park and decided to take a quick look since I haven't looked at any places with the scenery. I could definitely see some scenes being shot here, especially at night time where it gets dark and could add to the suspense.
Here are some potential scenes I think would be ideal for a thriller opener, especially at night time.
Here are some potential scenes I think would be ideal for a thriller opener, especially at night time.
Week 1 progress
After being officially assigned the project and spending weeks on deciding what type of topic to make my movie scene on, I’ve decided to go with a thriller, since I’ve already done prior research on that topic and I love thrillers, some of my favorites are “13 & 14 Cameras”, “Saw”, “The Purge”, etc. I haven’t yet decided on what particularly the plot will be but a killer would ideally be involved. However, I’m debating whether the antagonist should be easily known by the characters in the movie or have the characters oblivious to it, more of a hidden in plain sight. Movies such as “IT”, wherein the movie, a group of kids try to lure Penny (antagonist) out of his known hiding spot. Besides the group of kids, the city is aware of Penny but choose not to act on it, along with Penny being seen in old history books dating back centuries ago. This means Penny has been around of ages and the town has come to accept what he does. Or I could go the route of “13 & 14 Cameras”, where the landlord (I can’t remember his name, I think it was Carl) is also the killer, kills or tortures all of those who are staying in his complex. However, he’s extremely careful when making his killing and disposing of the bodies, he does such a great job of this. By the end of “13 Cameras,” a next-door neighbor asks him to help unclog a toilet, right after he was done getting rid of a body and cleaning the blood. He was able to maintain his identity the whole time while carrying a different persona. I’m leaning towards the “13 Cameras” route since I would like to give the audience some info that the characters don’t know yet, rather than having both the viewer and the other characters unraveling information at the same time like “IT”.
IT trailer : https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xKJmEC5ieOk
13 Cameras trailer : https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DHDwOUgNkpw&t=2s
IT trailer : https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xKJmEC5ieOk
13 Cameras trailer : https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DHDwOUgNkpw&t=2s
Tuesday, December 4, 2018
Research on Teens and Drama
1. Young Adult Drama
2. Young adult dramas usually have to do with school life, specifically high school life. They include social groups like cliques which have stuff like stereotypical characters like cheerleaders and jocks. Normally, they also have romance between characters and problems that come from those romances like love triangles. They also include a best friend to be with the main character like a sidekick. These type of movies normally have a teen dealing with issues at home/their personal life and their school life. Like dramas, each episode or part of the movie has a new type of problem so that the audience is always wondering how the character will deal with the conflict. The mood is usually overly serious, with some comedic effect here and there to lighten scenes.
3. When filming a teen drama, bright colors are used in the mies-en-scene to show the youth of teen life. The wardrobe is usually on-trend and up to date with current fashion. Because dramatic conflicts often occur, close-ups are used to show the facial expressions of how the character deals with the problem. Two-shots are used to show the relationship between the character and other people in the scene, which develops connections in the storyline. To show low points in the character’s life, low angles can be used which add a dramatic effect. Dim lighting that only shows shadows also add dramatic effects as well as tense background music. Upbeat current music can be used during happier scenes.
4. Teen Wolf- this shows a teen drama because the tv show is primarily shot at a high school where the main character, Scott, goes to. The show follows as he deals with both normal parts of being a teen and the troubles of being a werewolf. The show involves romance and the main character is almost always with his best friend, who helps him solve problems. The show uses current music often which appeals to teen’s love of music.
5. Gossip Girl- this teen drama also includes a main character with a best friend who acts as sidekick. The main character also has to go through a new problem each episode, which in real life would seem unrealistic. A main location of the show is their boarding school, and their mise-en-scene shows that through the setting and the uniform wardrobe. The show shows a lot of different romances and problems that come from those relationships.
6.
Post 2
In my film, I want to address the stereotypes behind teen athletes or jocks. The stereotype is that they are not the smartest and only are good at doing sports. According to the stereotype, they do not take hard classes and only worry about playing sports. I want to represent jocks in a different light in my film by portraying them as smart and capable of making smart decisions.
In the movie the Blindside, the main football player is not very bright. He is taken in by a family where he is seen as very quiet and not very smart. However, he is a really good defensive linebacker, so that is mainly what the family sees him as. It takes a long time in the move for him to be seen as more than just a football player. While people may not have viewed him in a positive light before, after seeing him play football, they like him. He is almost fully characterized by his ability to play football. In the documentary tv show Last Chance University, the football players at the junior colleges are portrayed as only focusing on making it to a better college or the NFL to continue playing football. They are show struggling through their classes and not really doing anything else besides playing football. The only setting in which the subjects are shown in is on the football field practicing or playing another school. The players are shown struggling through their classes and being problem students off the field, but their talent on the field is showcased a lot.
I do not like these representations because it makes it seem like athletes are very one dimensional. They are not shown as doing anything else besides playing the sport, and they are not shown as being good at anything else besides the sport they play. I do not think this stereotype is true because I think that athletes can have more talents than just playing their sport. They can also be smart and want to chase another dream or job as well as playing the sport. I don’t think it’s fair to limit athletes to only their athletic ability, and not look at their other personality traits as well.
I will retain the characteristics of the jock being athletic and playing a sport that he loves. However, I won’t make that the only thing that he is good at. I may also make him really good a reading or math and maybe offer another career path that he may want to chase. By building his character off the field, it gives the message that he is more than just an athlete. This challenges the typical stereotype of jocks by showing their other talents.
Monday, November 12, 2018
Triller Genre Research
Thrillers
These type of movies normally contain a female protagonist whos young and in distress and a man as the foil serving as the antagonist. The setting normally carries the characteristic of isolation, for example, an abandoned warehouse, woods, field. Which gives the feeling of a “nowhere to run and hide” Normally some type of romance is involved in the ploy along with violence. Both subgenres play off of each other in thrillers whether its violence that leads into romance or the other way around.
When filming a thriller, many directors follow a similar format. Including tilt shots or disorientated shots to help create discomfort and confusion for the viewer. Throughout the movie, you will find close-ups and extreme close-ups when the protagonist is on screen. In order to create a sense as if "all eyes are on" the protagonist when they're speaking. High angles are common to help establish dominance one character may have over another, normally used with the antagonist over the protagonist. Lighting in most scenes is normally dim, gloomy in order to make things difficult to see and to create suspicion and confusion. Editing is normally featuring quick shots in which create a build up for suspense along with confusion, which is complemented by the lighting. Suspense plays a major role in this genre, whether it is fast paced or slow paced.
The target audience for thrillers is a large array of ages from the ages of 15-50. There is a large pan due to it being relatable to both male and female since many thrillers include violence and romance. Because of this, this has allowed thrillers marketing teams to take multiple approaches to gain attention for their upcoming movie. Social media plays an instrumental role since their target audience (15-50-year-old) are on social media. Trailers and ads for the movie would appear on their timeline or screen in order to get the viewers attention.
The movie "Pyscho" is a perfect example of a thriller movie. This movie and one scenario, in particular, give examples of what many directors use. There is a scenario in which the young female protagonist is in the shower, unaware of what's coming next and vulnerable. The killer or the male antagonist is slowly coming into the shot, in which the scene quickly turns into a quick edit montage of the woman being stabbed to her death. However, while the stabbing is occurring, this is being shot from multiple angles, one being the high angle. And another being close-ups and extreme close-ups of the woman being stabbed. The bathroom in which this scene occurs allows for there to be "nowhere to run or hide" feeling, which ultimately lead to the woman's death. The antagonist quickly runs off of the screen, however, the murderer can't be recognized due to the room being poorly lit.
Another example of a thriller movie following this format would be a "Nightmare on Elm Street". One scene, for example, one of the protagonists is sleeping before being unexpectedly killed by the antagonist. However, the room is on the second floor, creating the feeling that there is no place to escape or hide if she was awake. The monster is invisible and moves into the room undetected before the slaying. Since the monster is invisible the identity is not revealed for that scene. Once the initial move is made, a quick montage begins of the woman being thrown around the bedroom like a ragdoll. Including close-up shots of the woman realizing she's possed and her screams for help. High angles are also featured when she is initially possed and is quickly thrown in the air and begins to levitate. With the scene taking place at night, the room would be pitch black, however, the moon serves as the only source of light in the room.
1 Nightmare on Elm Street https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISzAuk-2NYs
2 Pyscho https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s22lNU5jXM4\
3 Intruder https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCjsHXSjlHA
4 It follows https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI7TFTH5f5I
5 13 cameras https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRKG9KiOIkk
Intro to blog
Hi, my name is Marco Ruiz. I'm a senior at Cypress Bay High School, I created this blog for my Aice Media Studies class. I hope you enjoy my work.
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