Final Submission

This new opening differs the most from my previous iteration by the actual scenes that were filmed.. Following the feedback, I had received over my first iteration of my film and the second, I knew that I had to also improve the character dialogue and audio.

The sound levels and tone of the audio was very low and harsh-sounding at times, so I had to come across new and better equipment to prevent this from becoming too much of an issue again. I used wire-mics that clip onto the actors and can be easily concealed. Each microphone has its own audio channel and they report in real time what the audio levels is to the camera. This real-time feedback is important to determine whether the audio was usable during shooting the film at a location. I wanted the general character interaction to be the same as well as the location, but I slightly varied the actual location and the way the two characters communicated.


The motif of flash drives and technology are still present, and the actors still fit into the social groups that I was trying to represent. The progression of the beginning still occurs as a clear case study of boredom continuing into interaction by two people who feel the same, with one having darker intentions than the other. The beginning just serves to demonstrate and develop a more fulfilling and dynamic character by his cunning actions that deceived the other character in the beginning. The world the film is set in and the following events that would unfold are therefore expressed to a more exciting and greater extent from this in person dialogue and interaction.

Creative Critical Reflection

Candidate 5086 Critical Reflection

CCR Draft #4

How did you integrate technologies - software, hardware and online - in this project?

I integrated technologies throughout my entire project all from pre-production to post-production. I used simple text formatting programs to write down my research and ideas for my project. One of the examples in which I utilized a text formatting program, Microsoft Word, the most was when I was writing the script to my film. In it, I was able to adjust the margins and center text to represent dialogue and follow the useful conventions of writing a script. I had multiple minor tools that allowed for an increase in the work flow such as an SD card and an adapter for data transference.

The most practical tools during the production process were the camera and a tripod. The tripod allowed for the development of steady scenes to be setup and the camera had certain recording functionalities and playback features that allowed for the on-site changes to the shots that I recorded. I experimented with the multiple possible heights that could be attained using the tripod. I opted for a high that was usually over half of a meter, but I still experimented with the height periodically throughout filming. The printed copy of my shot-list and script helped direct my filming to provide direction and completeness to the product. The process of editing incorporated the most technologies that directly influenced the production of the film.

I utilized a temporary version of Sony Vegas 12, a professional film-grade program that would help with a majority of the editing process. I transferred film data onto a flash drive and then onto hard drives for backups, and then I loaded the video files from the camera onto the program. As I had planned, the loading my most satisfactory clips onto the program yielded a total timeline span of about 8 to 11 minutes. From here, I made my preliminary cuts to the scenes. After I had completed my rough cut of the scenes, my film opening had reached a length of 2 minutes. I could now use the other features that this program provided. The frame by frame ability of the program to cut out clips was very helpful because it helped be choose exactly how long I wanted scenes to last, thus, providing the effect that I intended on making. Just from the visual representation of the sound levels in Vegas, I noticed that the audio was poorly recorded. I had to try to equalize the audio levels using built-in functions in the programs that boost the volume of certain clips and ultimately increase the gain of the clips. This would introduce more noise to each clip that was changed. To combat this newly introduced noise, I tried to match it to existing royalty-free noise on the internet. This would allow for a homologous noise throughout the entire timeline. Downloading ambient noise on the internet was fairly simple, and placing I placed it into a new audio track of Vegas to allow me to edit it without many elements interrupting the clips.

I also used new tracks or layers to use the Media Generation tool to write text on the clips for the film opening credits. The standard font library didn't have enough appealing fonts for the genre of a psychological thriller so I downloaded a royalty free one from the internet. Whenever I felt as if I was missing certain elements that would benefit the editing in my final product, I would refer to resources on the internet. My skills at researching things like this as well as films, magazines, and how film industries advertise, market, and distribute their products improved from the use of technologies.

CCR Draft #3

How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

Before discussing how my production skills developed throughout this project, I find it important to consider how skilled I was at producing films at the start of my project. I had a more distinct appeal to films and I already had the skills behind editing and composing different videos in the past. The new challenges I knew I would be taking would mainly be logistical and dealing with real actors in a film. Throughout developing the film when I chose my actors and I filmed with them, I realized that I was correct about the logistical and production issues I would likely face. I was able to improve my production skills by employing better scheduling and management with my actors. I taught myself to understand the schedules of my actors intricately in order to accommodate their oftentimes cluttered schedules. This scheduling is important for me because my target actors were individuals fitting to appear like young adults.

My use of physical tools to assist in camerawork and filming was essential in producing nicely framed shots. I realized quickly after filming scenes for a film for the first time, that it is very important to be able to consider every element you are capturing. Color, sound, duration, and shapes are all highly important in producing excellent scenes full with meaning.

A significant example of mine is when I wanted to follow conventions of producing dark scenes as seen in psychological thrillers. The glaring problem with this is that the cameras were either not advanced enough to handle low light scenarios, or the lighting was not effectively used or placed. After reflecting on my first time filming, I knew I was struggling with both issues. I scheduled times to use better cameras with my instructor and I opted to using consistent or custom lighting. I decided to always light my scenes to improve the clarity of the shots and to be able to adjust the scenes in post-production. The editing process should have control over elements of color and timing of the scenes. I found it was very important to provide as much material as possible during filming, even having recorded the scenes you wanted to record, to make editing much easier. At the beginning of my project I couldn't use filming well enough in conjunction with my editing. Towards the end of my project, I was much more conscientious about this glaring issue of mine and I made sure to produce as much material as possible with as much planning as necessary.

CCR Draft #2

 How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?

My product engages with audiences who like to view action and horror movies and individuals who are accepting of psychological thrillers. The camerawork, sound, and mise-en-scène established a sense of realism, which would help audiences engage with the film by relating to it more. They will become aware of this film opening and be engaged with it by advertising. The advertising will be best accomplished through film posters at cinemas as well as film trailers on the internet on sites like YouTube. Recently, social media advertising of films have also made some impact and it can reach some audiences. The film baby driver, drew some popularity through its film trailer on YouTube. The film Bird Box engaged with audiences by presenting a dark theme in its film trailers. The Bird Box film also benefited from the occasional viral popularity of the film on the internet regarding certain noteworthy aspects within the film. The trailer focused on the interesting premise of the film, and it was able to effectively engage its audiences to go view the film. My film would most benefit from screening traditionally at theaters, where the most revenue can be generated. If this doesn't work as well, or supplementary distribution is required, I would digitally distribute my film through video-on-demand services. Using Blu-rays and other similar means of digital distribution which are effective as a supplementary ways of distributing towards your target audience. Blu-rays make use of exclusivity and special offers within it to ensure that audiences who may have already seen the movie can find a way to view it again if they liked it. This was done for the film A Quiet Place, where behind-the-scenes footage and other things would be shown for its Blu-ray release. A Quiet Place also attempted to continue gaining support through its release on video streaming platforms like Amazon's VOD service. This ensures they are able to keep up in a competitive market that is full of films trying to get as many sales after traditional methods of distribution. An important thing to consider before distribution is clearly determining your target audience. Your target audience can more precisely be determined if you were to survey individuals or establish a website that demonstrates the premise of your film, with an email query to develop statistics on the individuals who signed up on the website, showing their interest in your film. Some audiences may be niche, which makes the distribution process even more important. A niche was met in Ill See You In My Dream's Distribution. The film was initially screened at a film festival and from there, distributors realized it is beneficial to target older and artistic audiences. While knowing their target audience would consist of older individuals, they were able to find the best time to release their film for their audience. Using existing data they determined May would be the best month of release and the ticket sales that month appeared to reflect that. I will use existing and freely available research on my target audience to distribute to as many people as possible. I should also screen my film at a film festival, which can help my film gain the appraisal and attention that is required for the film to be profitable. Using these important guidelines and facts from my research, my product should be able to engage with an audience and it should be able to reach as much of that audience as possible.

CCR Draft #1

 How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?

My film product utilizes conventional camerawork techniques seen within the genre of psychological thrillers. These include the appropriate use of handheld cameras and the use of angled shots. Psychological thrillers utilize a variety of different shots, and the sound and mise-en-scene elements contribute to the genre of the film further. This genre creates story that focuses on the unstable psychological states the characters are in. The title reflects the disturbing premise that is set between the two main characters, which is to "ruin your life." As a convention, the titling is fitting and it holds true from the humble beginnings to the chaotic downfall that the actors of these characters understood with portraying the characters. Psychological thrillers use mystery, drama, action, and paranoia to properly elevate the quality of their film. Mise-en-scene transforms the film opening more towards psychological thrillers. Films in this genre utilize ordinary settings with apparently ordinary people. This is highlighted in my film opening through the plain costume design and deliberately plain settings, such as the library. Silence of the Lambs accomplishes this within its own opening, in which many of the individuals are seen wearing uniforms, with exceptions to the people of seniority. The setting for the opening of this film appeared fairly ordinary, with a forest and offices being shown. Mise-en-scene in psychological thrillers attempt to evoke a sense of realism in their film, to draw viewer’s attention. My film represents individuals who are students or other working individuals who are young and reasonably economically stable. My film represents students the most strongly. The issues posed in this film are the most important. One of these issues is of boredom, and perhaps loneliness as well. As a psychological thriller, my film aimed to address this issue that every individual faces. A film focusing on boredom is not always the most common thing seen, but the topic of loneliness is addressed much more. A highly successful film in the most recent years highlighted this. This film was Mr. Robot, where it strongly conveyed these issues to their audiences.

A significant example of mine is when I wanted to follow conventions of producing dark scenes as seen in psychological thrillers. The glaring problem with this is that the cameras were either not advanced enough to handle low light scenarios, or the lighting was not effectively used or placed. After reflecting on my first time filming, I knew I was struggling with both issues. I used different camera shots to demonstrate some meaning from the film. I initially used a long shot of the exterior of the library, to produce an immediate setting. This scene was shot with a handheld camera because it would produce an appropriate amount of instability to make it seem like someone is watching from a distance. After a prolonged horizontal pan of the interior of the library ending with one of the main characters set on the right third of the screen, there is a cut to the action of the actor muddling through a book. This was a nearly a wide shot to demonstrate the character's body language and to provide some focus on the background, which is a well-lit area with many white tones that match the costume of the character. All of this serves to introduce the character in a mundane manner, while knowing that his actions are what you would expect within a library. The slow movement of the horizontal pan, and the wide shot of the character immediately develops a tame tone with some dissonance as more of the character's actions are revealed. Psychological thrillers often make use of framing that incorporates the environment and the character, as well as movement, to create some appropriate sensation of uneasiness or dissonance within a character. At this point, I'm only slightly hinting audiences about the mental state of the character. The next set of events serve to build upon this purpose of subtly showing the character's boredom and troubled mind as the representation of psychological states is something many films demonstrate though framing and movement. After a take that longer than most of the other takes, there is a cut from action as the character knocks a flashdrive, which is the main prop in this scene, towards the ground. The insert shot of the flashdrive served to drive meaning into the object, which is what it conventionally does, and it also serves as an element that characterizes the character and introduces him further. This insert provides another element that helps embody the character's state of mind without revealing everything immediately to the viewer. This is unlike some other films because it attempts to control the audience's collection of events to the same extent that the character attempts to piece together things as if it was some mystery. After the insert there is a vertical tilt to the actor, the tilt has a slow movement and an extreme low angle is produced as a result. Low angle shots are commonly used to establish power dynamics or to embody different perspectives. In this scene, the low angle accomplished both and more. The character is looking directly down at the camera, where the object is relatively placed. Therefore, the audience knows that it is now being looked at as the flashdrive, and the meaning is henceforth produced. The character establishes a power dynamic and reflects mentally towards the flashdrive, deliberately taking his time to pick it. The low angle characterizes the Alex even more because he is being shrouded in darkness from the harsh lights set above him, the darker shading of his body demonstrates his darker or more malicious state of mind. Alex is once again conventionally set in the left third of the frame.

After this important introduction, the premise of the film is innocently established, the progression towards this development uses different camera techniques that are commonly seen in psychological thrillers. This extreme high angle contrasts the low angle from a few seconds ago and it serves to characterize Alex once again while providing some focus on his hands while avoiding his face. This is to show that he is currently devoid of significant emotions. The shots for dialogue utilized a highly common technique, which is the shot-reverse-shot. This is able to control when the character's facial expressions are shown and the use of this over a phone call is a slightly unique element as it preserves the angles of the shot-reverse-shot but it alters the location. Towards the ending section of the opening, Alex is shown in a close up, which typically serves to show the emotion of a character. I used it to show Alex's emotions of how he is searching for something to oppose his boredom which is consuming his though processes as shown with the previous shots. The final shot that had the most significance in framing was when Alex was the subject that was set parallel with the background. Half of his face is showing in another close up in the right third of the frame, this shows that his emotions seem to have improved after making a strange dare within the dialogue. Although this shot only shows half of his face, which would reasonably symbolize that he is hiding some other emotion or he is only showing half of his face.

The film opening mostly used short takes and almost longer takes were used to emphasize certain portions. There were sound effects that were dissonant when Alex was looking at the flash drive in order to demonstrate some instability in the character, as seen in other psychological thrillers that incorporates these sound effects, like Jaws or Silence of the Lambs.

Quarter 3 Submission

The improvements of this film opening is to introduce a more coherent introduction with improved audio and pacing. The revisions I have made led to progress in all of these areas of improvement, although I need reflect on some aspects of my film opening with my class during a screening to determine what can be improved upon even more. After improving the audio and pacing, I experimented with film editing techniques that can be utilized the improve the mood that can be produced in the psychological thriller genre. I decided to implement the French New Age genre of film making and editing, where some elements include the occasional or subtle breaking of the fourth wall. This term refers to directly addressing the audience viewing some media. The editing is impacted by making breaks to include supplementary pieces of information, or to throw an alteration to how information is presented in the film. For example, my film opening experimented with plain text existing on the screen for brief periods of time to convey a driving voice in a character's mind of the physical void of another character. The general premise of my film opening remained as it was viewed as a workable subject to have in the film opening.

Two Revisions: Sound Film Revisions + Pacing and Stylistic Revisions

There were issues with audio levels throughout the film opening, typically for a single actor. I attempted to alleviate this issue withing editing software to boost the audio. This would avoid the need to utilize a voice over. This is the most optimal method of handling this problem because the actor is now unavailable. A more preferable fix to this issue is to re-shoot the scenes with faulty audio with better equipment suited to determine whether the audio is actually at a good quality. The other adjustments to my film opening are the creative improvements on sound effects and pacing of the scenes. Additionally, there were improvements to the progression of the dialogue throughout the opening. I also started implementing a unique method of editing seen for France's New Age genre of films seen in the 1960s.

Initially, the audio tracks didn't appear to have a coherent and consistent volume. By boosting the audio, which consequently caused more ambient noise to be heard, the audio started becoming more consistent and coherent. With the introduction of additional ambient noise, I tried to balance the entire film opening with artificial noise (like white or brown noise). This ensured more consistency to the opening and it also served to add uncomfortable audio to my film opening that evokes the appropriate mood for psychological thriller audiences. 

The improvements resulted in more peaks within the audio. Ultimately, these improvements elevated the quality of my film opening.

Digital Film Distribution

Digital film distribution involves non-traditional means of providing films to consumers. Instead of exhibitors, or areas like cinemas that utilize ticket sales, there are video or streaming platforms. The most popular streaming platforms are Netflix and Hulu, but there are an abundance of other companies that present high-production video media online. My film would benefit from the use of digital film production because it benefits moderate-quality films. Digital film distribution would attract viewers and thus, profit, whereas other viewers might have not gone to a cinema to view the film. Larger budget, or "tent-pole" films are consistently known to benefit more greatly through exhibitors and cinemas. Larger budget films ultimately require this traditional distribution model to have the greatest return on investment. Video steaming platforms are more commonly known among filmmakers as video-on-demand. More film studios or film distributions develop a Digital Copy after the couple of weeks of highest profitability closes. This is because attendance for a film at cinemas decline over time. Video-on-demand sales projections are known to be unreliable, but there are other techniques that can be used to gauge the success of films that utilize web traffic for their film statistics. An outline for the digital distribution model will include knowing who is the target audience, how large they are, how they can be reached, what the marketing strategy is, and the number of video-on-demand sales that are needed to reach a good return on investment.

Traditional Film Distribution - A Quiet Place

The film, A Quiet Place, grossed $50.2 million on the debuting weekend and it had a budget of around $17 million. It premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival as the festival's opening film on March 9, 2018. Selection to be the opening film was very competitive, thus, it was able to attract critics and overall attention from the premiere viewing. It was first released to the public in theaters during the beginning of April 2018. The digital release of A Quiet Place was a Blu-ray release for July 10, 2018. It was also available on VOD (video-on-demand) platform such as Amazon Video and iTunes on June 26, 2018. This is just a couple of months from the release of the film in theaters to its digital release on VODs. Blu-ray releases oftentimes include some exclusives scenes or bonus creations to attract the attention of buyers and people who have already seen the film. A Quiet Place included behind the scenes footage in its Blu-ray release.

Traditional Film Distribution - Get Out

The target audience for Get Out is similar to what I would expect my film's audience to have. This  target audience would consist of individuals generally in the range of 17-31 years of age as well as individuals of general to higher education and economic status. Get Out encompasses the thriller genre the most. It has some elements of psychological thrillers as well, which focuses on the mental state of the characters. Get Out had a film budget of about $5 million with a worldwide gross of about $255 million. This indicates how profitable this film was and an important factor in its success is due to its distribution. The advertising of Get Out resulted in a slightly concentration of African Americans attending during the weekend when the film was released. Most of the ticket sales at exhibitors, theaters providing the film, were purchased at the theater rather that before the release of the film. Get Out utilized traditional film distribution techniques and achieved an excellent return on it's about $5 million investment. Get Out was released in the U.S. on February 24, 2018. It was premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2017, which contributed to its dispersion to consumer markets.