Sound & Samples Pt.I

The voice-over I plan to do is going to be the only sound before the use of thematic sound to promote the idea of life and its fragility. This sound will probably be the cutting of the fruit. I expect my sound to be diegetic, filmed along with the footage. If need be I could make foley sound for everything I don’t get when I film. 

Music, similar to ‘Gone Girl,’ comes after the bone-chilling voiceover which adds the perfect blend of eeriness as tight shots are taken of the surrounding landmarks. I want the music to have a building-up feeling to it, almost like a Shepard tone, to make the audience more suspenseful with the pretense of something coming suggested by the music. Now with limited talent and no skill in composing music the best way for me to get this music is through the beloved and hated crutch of the world: the internet. More specifically youtube, where I can easily type in traits of a noncopyrighted music piece to find, listen to, and download. 

Doing just that I typed: “build up copyright free music” into the search bar of youtube. And as a child of the internet only could, within seconds thousands of options had appeared and my search began. The first one I listened to definitely had the build-up I was looking for but the bass throughout the track was so strong and bold. I felt that it might be too much for a thriller like the one I’m teasing; it was akin to a movie about superheroes. Like anything I mention on here, it’s always a possibility but for the aforementioned reasons, I doubt it.

After scrolling a bit under the same string of words I found a teetering option. Teetering, because it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for but I found it to fit the bill of ‘bone-chilling.’ This piece is eerie but calm and doesn’t have as heightened energy as a piece with a Sheperd’s Tone. Oddly enough this is very similar to ‘Gone Girl’ but more sinister; I’m all for it.

I’ll probably continue my search in another post but until another day. Au Revoir!

Brainstorming Genre and Ideas for a Story Pt I

When the Portfolio project was mentioned at the beginning of the course I was enthused to create something with my own story; I still am. Although I have experience with camera techniques and writing stories to create a narrative for my TV class, I rarely get the creative freedom to write my own story; like a cinematic opening. Needless to say, I’m thrilled to create something that lets viewers into my mind.

In a previous post, I shared a case study I did on the thriller genre which talks about the importance of suspense and the capability of a piece being scary but not a horror. Because I have prior knowledge of this genre this is an excellent possibility for this opening; it also allows me to incorporate abstract or horrific elements that don’t turn into horror. Another genre in the running is the science/supernatural fiction; I haven’t done a case study on them yet but I have plenty of resources and time to explore. This can allow the techniques learned in class to create a specific tone that complements a story of adventure and/or mystery. The only exception is the backup idea with a typical teenage coming of age genre; I’m not particularly fond of this idea but I’ll consider it an option.

As soon as the assignment was brought up ideas spring into my head; loud, ambitious, and each on the aforementioned genres. An idea that has recently come about is an opening scene that begins with a bloody battered protagonist fleeing to a tree from an unknown assailant. The protagonist would be on the verge of death-passing out the audience would see an interaction between seemingly the main character and another version of the main character but as the dialogue would continue we’d learn that one of the people talking is another entity with less than innocent intentions. This would probably be a hybrid genre: supernatural-thriller. This idea is inspired by a Japanese animated series where the protagonist, Itadori Yuuji, has a similar confrontation. With a limited budget and equipment, this idea isn’t too costly of course with the quality and quantity of the (fake) blood which would be something to keep in mind when choosing a final idea. The next idea I had would be something with a creepier aesthetic and would have the protagonist mourning over a death they witnessed with an imaginary friend. The opening scene would establish the protagonist’s dependency on this imaginary friend as they attempt to handle the grieving process. This idea can be developed more and the only problem is the location for this type of interaction; the imaginary friend would be a stuffed animal which I have plenty of. Another idea would be a more coming of age opening scene where a teenage protagonist begins to understand themselves, how the world sees them, and how they decide to create their self-image. This idea once again shouldn’t be too costly with a lighter tone and can take an alternative version of themselves speaking their inner feelings; the con to this idea would be to invite another character and in a pandemic finding actors will be tough. 

I plan to dedicate the weekend to conducting actual research on the types of genres I’m interested in as well as the ones I’m not-mostly to gain a wider perspective and offer up the possibility to be inspired to make something else. My research will probably be watching the openings of highly-acclaimed movies of that genre specifically so that I can analyze the techniques that are possible on a budget of $0.

First update on Our Music Marketing Project

 Our music marketing project has begun and the process is gradual. Part of our planning has been to work on the type of character that we're going maintain an image for as a singer. The research was actually really educational; not only was able to identify techniques discussed in class but I also learned about a genre I usually wouldn't even learn about. I doubt the rest of my teammates are but I'm more than enthused to apply what we've learned in this course. 

On this project, we've decided to have our musical artist "Daisey" play with her name and flowers in general. Her name isn't set in stone officially but I think it would be best if we simply decided this and moved on. I hope with the incorporation of a name we can really start to develop her and interact with her fans. 

Over the weekend I plan to detail and outline a distribution plan as well as research more about similar artists not just our mandatory case studies. I specifically want to plan this part because all though I strive for a creative position in filmmaking in the future, I want to improve my planning skills and expand my repertoire in general. 

Some ideas for the distribution process relies on social media almost entirely. I was also brainstorming for "Daisey" to expand herself by having her own blog; not only would this personalize our character but she might also gain more exposure this way. I still need to speak with the rest of my members but the idea of a blog that maybe was about flower language and her own experience with it; reaching a wider audience of gardeners, flower fanatics, and fans of her music. In the planning for the music video, we decided the structure would be similar to the old Taylor Swift song Tear Drops On My Guitar. We've also decided who out of our group would be the face of "Daisey." I look forward to the outcome of this project.

PS: Here’s what some of our planning looks like: