What should I do?

Alright, now that I've settled down what story I want to do and have a clear vision of how everything will look, I need to decide other things. First of all, I need to decide the title of my filmo opening. I feel like the title of a film is very crucial, it is able to catch the attention of the audience with just the name. Here are the ideas I have come up with, I am open to other ideas it doesn't have to be these:

The Call- I chose this name because the note that is found on the quote has a phone number in it so later in the film there would've probably been a call involved. This name is short and to the point.

The One That Got Away- This name is a little bit longer and the audience would've had to watch the rest of the film to understand. In the film, the girl that seemed in a hurry and in trouble could possibly be a part of something horrible (maybe something like human trafficking?) and is the one trying to get away by doing things such as leaving that note for anyone to find and hopefully help her.

Vice Versa- This name was a suggestion from a friend. I don't feel like I understand this one as much as the others because I did not make it up. Vice versa means the other way around, therefore it could be seen in two ways. One could be the comparison between the life of the first girl who seems to be crying for help, while the other one is happily shopping because she felt like it and came across the note. The other way to see it is that the movie will be based off in trying to turn the situation "the other way around" for the first girl.

Runaway - This name was the one I had for the other film opening idea but I noticed that it fits well with this plot too. I liked this name a lot ever since I came up with it for the other one. It would fit with this opening too because the first girl is clearly trying to runaway from something: someone, a situation, a lifestyle.

Another decision I have to make is where I will shoot my whole opening film, the set design. I looked up boutiques or clothes stores near me and I found a few:

Isabel Boutique 

Marcella’s Fashion Boutique

Turnstyle

Via Moda

Something Else Boutique 

Eli & Pearl Boutique 

Next week I am going to go to these locations, tell them my situation, show them my schedule and see where they give me permission to do it. I want to have these two things decided by next week so that I can begin filming. We've got this.

LETS DO THIS!

I AM SO HAPPY!!!!!

Alright I finally concluded what I am going to do. After getting feedback from my teacher I feel confident about what I am doing. The second idea, the one with the coat, is the winner. I decided to do that one, however, I am gonna add some twists to it so that it is not as complicated to film and so that it looks AMAZING. I will begin the opening film differently now. It will begin with chaotic, short cuts of a girl with her face not showing. She will have a stressed look on her face as she quickly writes something down on a paper and rushes into putting it in any piece of clothe in the store that the film would be shot in. The scene ends and cuts into the title of the film, which I have to come up with. After the title scene, the scene of another girl begins. This girl is shown trying on different outfits in the changing room. As she is trying on a variety of outfits, she puts on a coat that she really liked. As she is checking herself out, looking and herself in every angle, she puts her hands in the pockets to see how it would look. As she does this she feels what seems to be a piece of paper in the right pocket so she pulls it out. She unfolds the piece of paper to find a phone number written down and the words "please help me." The confused look on her face is shown and that is when the opening film ends.

I decided to change the amount of settings in the film to not complicate things, instead of showing the girl in the changing room, paying for the coat, her drive home, and her trying it on in her room, I will just show her in the store trying on clothes, finding the coat, and finding the note there. As I previously mentioned, I also changed the way the opening film begins, adding a more chaotic scene in the beginning. This will not only catch the viewers attention, but the face of the person leaving the note not being revealed creates suspense. The viewers might ask themselves: Who is that girl? Why does she need help? Why is she in a hurry? Why does she seem scared?

I was also thinking about the problem I previously had with this film, driving 20 minutes to the mall every time I need to shoot and deal with the other customers around me, the extra noises, babies crying, people getting in the way, etc. I think it would be best to shoot in a small shop or boutique that is more calm and near my house. I am going to ask my mom to see if she has any friends that own a store like that one to see if we can shoot there. Well I finally feel like I am doing the right thing and I am so excited jfnsgwjdbdhjxj!!!!

XOXO
-Corina

Final decision made...Almost made

Alright I feel confident about the decisions I am making. After getting feedback from a few friends and thinking about every option with myself, I have come down to two ideas only: runaway and the one of the note in the coat. I thought about making an opening film on teen pregnancy but I decided to let it go since I couldn't expand my idea any longer than that. 

I really like the runaway opening film. It was the first idea I came up with, I automatically visualized what everything would look like; every shot, every angle, the tone, the credits. I know that I would put a darker tone, find the right font for my title and credits, the perfect music for the film and film the teenage girl packing everything with a frustrated, stressed, disappointed look on her face. While this is going on there would be really small, short cuts of her abusive parents, domestic violence issues, etc. I also really loved this idea because I have always liked when films open up with someone getting ready, for example a girl getting ready for a date. I grabbed that idea and tried to add a dramatic twist to it, a teenager running away. This film would lead to a series of events in which the girl experiences being homeless, her parents' reaction to her decision, etc. The only problem with this idea is that I would have to work hard to make it look like a film opening rather than a teaser or a trailer. 

The opening film about the note in the coat could also be great. This film would be of a teenage girl at the mall trying on different clothes in the changing rooms. This scene would have "positive" music as the credits show and change as she is changing the outfits she picked to try on, checking herself out in the mirror. The film would then cut to her paying for a coat that she decided to purchase. After so there is another cut and she is then in her room trying on the coat that she just bought. You know how we sometimes come home from the mall and try on what we just bought? Yes, that's what she is doing. She is checking herself out in every angle and puts her hands in the pockets just to see how it would look and she feels something. She is confused and she pulls out a folded, little piece of paper that has a phone number and the words 'please help me' written on it. It would end there. This one would not have the problem of getting it to not look like a teaser BUT shooting at the mall might not be as easy as I think it is and I would need to think on what the rest of the story would look like.

I was planning on having my mind made up by today but I think I am going to sleep on it today and make up my mind tomorrow. I promised myself I will not make any impulsive decisions anymore. It is really late and I am tired so I will try to dream about them and see which one looks better. 

XOXO

-Corina

Making a plan

The best way to make my opening film the best possible is by planning out everything. I grabbed my go-to agenda and wrote down when I am going to do everything in a balanced way. By February 24th I will have concluded what story I choose to do, including how the costume design, set design, etc will be. By the end of that week, February 28th, I will begin filming. By March 1st I will have all my all by props, layout, script, music, costume design, setting and make-up design done in order to dedicate most of the month into filming. I will film from then and hopefully finish by March 29th so that the next day I can start editing the film. I will finish editing by April 4th so that by the next Monday, April 6th, I can do my CCR and have a week to do it since the project is due April 11th.

I am still debating on what opening film idea I like best. I am leaning more towards the one where the strange note is found on the coat that was recently bought but I want to get feedback from someone that is skilled and has knowledge of media. I have texted a few friends who are into media and film but one of the left me on OPEN :(, the other one said they liked the coat one and the runaway one the best and my other friend gave me an idea but it was way too dark and violent for my liking. I am going to try to text my friend that left me on read last time (rude) because he is very talented in film and that’s what he wants to study in college sooooo I feel like I can trust his critiques. 

I’m not going to lie, I am a little stressed but excited at the same time. I have been working at a restaurant nonstop, my other classes are being a little annoying lately and I am working on my scholarships. I think that because of that time management is crucial for making my film work out the way I want it to. Like I’ve said before I am really excited and a little nervous but I have a good feeling about working on my film for the next 2 months. 

An indecisive person making a decision.

Reality has hit, I need to come up with what I want to do now. I have came up with a few ideas of what my opening film could look like BUT making a final decision is not as easy. The problem is that it is time to start doing my storyboard, filming schedule, outline, etc.....I really need to make up my mind.

Idea #1: Runaway
The first idea I came up with consists of a teenage girl running away from home. The film will have dark tones as the girl is packing a bag with a sad/stressed out look on her face. As she is doing this there would be short clips of flashbacks of her abusive parents treating her in a harmful manner in various situations. The opening scene would end with the girl looking back at her room, closing the door and the title appearing on the screen.
Pros: I feel like this could come out amazing if it’s well done.
Cons: I don’t know if it’s creative enough.

Idea #2: (No title yet)
The other idea I came up with consists of a teenage girl at a party with the credits showing up on the party scene. In the middle of the party she receives a text from her mother telling her to go home right away. By the way that her mother said it she knew something was up so she hurries home. As she comes come, she opens the door and her reaction to what she sees is shown but what she is seeing is not shown.
Pros: It could make the audience want to keep watching to find out what she came home to.
Cons: It is not my favorite and it could be harder to shoot due to the party scene.

Idea #3: (No title yet)
This idea consists of a “happy” beginning as a teenage girl is at a store trying on clothes at the changing rooms. The credits are shown as she tries on various outfits and looks at herself in the mirror to see which one she wants to buy. She purchases a coat that she was very happy with. It then cuts to a scene of the girl at home trying on the coat again in the room because she liked it so much and wanted to try it on with the rest of the outfit. As she puts her hands in her pockets as she is checking herself out in the mirror at home, she feels something. As she reaches in she finds a paper that says please help me along with a phone number.
Pros: It could make the audience care and wonder what the message found in the coat is all about.
Cons: I am not sure how to make the cut from the store to her room look perfect.

Well now what I’m going to do is present my ideas to my peers and get some critiques, think about which idea is more appealing to me, produceable, and which one will the the PERFECT opening film. Let’s see what happens! :)))))

XOXO
-Corina

What films inspire me?

It is now time to brainstorm about what films are inspiring me to choose the drama genre for my opening film. I honestly feel a little bit of pressure coming from me about what I will finally choose to do, I want to feel extremely happy with my work. As I started thinking about what opening scenes from well-known drama movies inspire me, I came up with a few.

Room (2015)

Room is a movie about a mother, Joy, and her five-year-old son, Jack, being held hostage in a one-room shed. She was abducted by a stranger and was kidnapped for over seven years. Even though this movie was extremely inspiring and eventually turns you into an emotional wreck, it begins showing the daily life of Joy and Jack, making the audience want to keep watching to understand how they got there, what they do there, and if they will make it out. 

The Help (2011)

The Help is a movie that tells the story of black maids working in white Southern homes in the early 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi. This is another example of how I approach doing my opening film. This film begins with the maid of a white Southern home doing a voiceover/interview while showing clips of the interview and of some flashbacks. 

Thirteen (2003)

Thirteen is a film about a thirteen-year-old girl that is having problems with her mother as she comes face-to-face with drugs, alcohol, sex and petty crime with the company of a new best friend who  is trouble. This opening scene is another example of what I could do. The film begins with the two teenage girls high on drugs and things go wrong, then the movie goes back in time and shows the sequence of events to show how they ended up there. This makes the audience wonder and care about how two teens ended up in that situation, therefore they’ll keep on watching to know. 

American Beauty (1999)

American Beauty is about how Suburbanite Lester Burnham tells of the last few weeks of his life, after his death sometime in his forty-third year, during which he had no idea of his impending passing. This film’s opening is of a girl ranting about something facing straight towards the camera. This is a way to make the audience question what happened to her and what will happen to her, making them want to keep on watching. 

XOXO,
Corina.

The beginning: Genre

It is finally the time to start working on our AICE Media Studies portfolio project. My mind has been running on what I’m going to do all year long, somehow it’s been so hard to come up with something. To begin deciding what I’m going to do it is best if I start by choosing a genre. It sounds so easy yet it is not. Which one should I do? Horror? Coming of age? Comedy? Romance? Action? 

After sitting down and brainstorming in my room I decided what genre I wanted to do. I finally chose to work with drama. This has been a genre that I’ve always been really appealed towards and I work best with. Drama is an exciting, emotional, or unexpected series of events or set of circumstances. Drama film is a genre in which realistic characters depend on emotional and relational growth. Although they rely heavily on this type of development, dramatic themes often play a significant role in the story. These themes are often drawn from serious, real-life problems. Either heroes or heroines face an external conflict within themselves. Drama films aim to tell a truthful story of human struggles. Usually women aged 17-50 are the main audience for drama. However, because of the material drama genres cover and its range of characters and various plotlines, it has a broader target audience than some genres such as teen movies. 

Films examples: 

-Lady Bird (2017)

-Moonlight (2016)

-Roma (2018)

-A Star is Born (2018)

-Schindler's List (1993)

-Pulp Fiction (1994)

-The Godfather (1972)

-The Help (2011)

I am really excited to begin this journey, it means so much more than just a grade to me. I want it to be something I will be proud of and show to all my friends and family with confidence. I hope this opening film won’t only be a success but an opportunity to grow my love for media EVEN more. 

XOXO

-Corina