Final CCR

 

Here my CCR enjoy! Had so much fun making it!

Final product

I had lots of fun creating this and I hope you guys enjoy it!

Wrapping up

 This Final Task was a lot of fun to complete. It was a huge amount of fun. I was able to spend more time with my friend as a result of it. It also gave me the opportunity to have fun with her and come up with new ideas. It unquestionably drew me closer to her. It was enjoyable, but it was still difficult labor. With our hectic schedule, finding time to work on this was a challenge. Especially considering some scenes took place at night and others during the day. This made it even more difficult. To make time for it, I had to give up a lot of things. But it was still enjoyable. It was fantastic to imagine myself as a professional film director. Our opening scene is something Lily and I are incredibly pleased of. I'm looking forward to seeing our final task in Cambridge. I believe they will enjoy themselves. It's a popular issue that they've certainly encountered before, but I believe ours has a unique twist. I put a lot of effort into this project. It took a lot of time and work to complete. I'm really looking forward to it being graded.

Film Review

I was finally finished with the editing process. I needed a second opinion now. Lily and I had both seen it many times before. We were concerned that our viewing of it would be tainted by the fact that we developed it. As a result, we required the input of a third party. I showed our opening sequence to Lily’s mother, father, and all of her siblings (3 brothers, 2 sisters). On my PC, I started the final task. I wanted her family to watch it on a big screen to get the full sensation. To improve the movie effect, I screen-shared my MacBook to Lily’s large living room television. This could only be seen by her mother, father, and one of her brothers. Because her other siblings do not live with her, She had to email our final task to them so they could examine it. I considered how some of this would be skewed because they were her relatives. I was attempting to come up with ways for everyone to provide me with anonymous comments. Her family is the type of folks who would never intentionally hurt our feelings if they didn't like our projects. They are out number 1 supporters. We came up with a solution to the problem. I made a Google doc to keep track of everything. I told everyone of my "critics" about it. They could all enter their criticisms into the text this way. I wouldn't be able to see the handwriting or who typed it since I wouldn't be able to see it. Our bias issue was resolved as a result of this. It was now time for them to sit down and watch it.We walked out of the room and told my family to keep an eye on it. I gave them the freedom to view it as many times as they wanted. They told me they liked it when I returned. I still wanted their honest feedback on the google doc from them. We gave them, as well as her siblings who were not with us, some time to write in the document. I read them after they were finished. I was taken aback when none of them had any genuine criticisms. The only complaint from the critics was that the music was excessively loud. I was relieved to receive so many constructive criticisms. I went back to iMovie to make the change. I listened to the sound. Throughout the film, the music was played at full volume. I reduced the volume to 70% since it was too loud. That was ideal. I'm ecstatic to have completed an opening sequence that I'm pleased of.

iMovie

 Today was the day I had to get down to business and start editing. I began by studying the storyboard. This is quite beneficial. It aids in the organization of the scenes. I was debating which editing program I should use. I decided to go with the one that I am most familiar with. That's iMovie. I chose this option since I am already familiar with iMovie. It was used to edit a commercial and a music video for me. Those worked out rather nicely. I'm confident in my ability to use iMovie. I started by opening iMovie. Then I went ahead and added all of the clips. I had to double-check that everything was in order. To do so, I sat through each and every one of them. Even when I loaded the clips into iMovie in the correct order, they were all out of order. To arrange them in order, I had to go through them one by one. By studying the storyboard, I was able to do this. It was time to trim and crop the videos after they were all in order.

Putting It All Together

 Today was the first day of editing for me. My phone was used to shoot the scenes. So I started by sending them to Lily in an email. She looked through her inbox and located them. I instructed her to save the videos on her computer. We went back over the videos and watched them all again. We did this to ensure that I sent all of the appropriate takes. Because there were so many outtakes, I wanted to ensure I didn't give her one by mistake. We decided to begin by downloading the music we would be using today. We picked music from YouTube that was royalty-free. So, first and foremost, we had to go to YouTube. I looked for the music I needed on the internet. I discovered that I couldn't download music from YouTube to my PC. I needed to locate a site that would enable me to do so. I went to Google and began my search. I was able to identify a webpage very fast. I saved the music to my PC because the website allows you to download it as an MP4 file. Now I'm ready to start editing. I had the music and the video, and now it was time to get to work.

Searching for the One

 I came upon a track that was perfect for our project. Lana Del Rey's "Season of the Witch" was the song. It was a nice fit for the mood I wanted to create. It was gloomy and ominous. This was a song that I really wanted to utilize. Because we were both so busy, neither my partner nor I had time to email the music firm. It was too late for me to comprehend this. I didn't receive a response in time to include the music in the film. I attempted to come up with additional options. I checked the copyright regulations on the internet. I realized there was nothing I could do. I couldn't utilize the music until I got permission. I was in a hurry. I was unhappy, but I was able to come up with a solution. It was ok once I recognized that this song would not make or break our film. I began my search for public domain music. Music in the public domain is music that has no copyright and can be used by anybody. To begin my search, I headed to YouTube. I needed to discover music that was similar to Lana Del Rey's Season of the Witch. I'm still looking for music to utilize, but I have a number of possibilities and am optimistic I'll find something.

Late Night Ride

 Today we filmed the rest of the scenes that we needed to complete our filming process. We began by creating another batch of fake blood. We used up all of the first batch in the first round of filming. So once again we went to the store and created fake blood using the same amount of food coloring to corn syrup ratio. We began by filming the scenes that were in the car first. This is due to the fact that we needed daylight to do it. We used makeup to give me a ”dead” appearance. The filming went very smoothly and easily. But once again we needed the help of our friend Cayden for filming. So once again I called him and he agreed. We all live really close by to each other so we didn't take much time to go pick him up and bring him back to the filming site. By now it was already night time so we began filming scenes that took place in the dark. Cayden began filming Lily driving my car. Then he films me walking down the street. We once again applied the fake blood to ourselves. Then finally he films Lily hitting me with the car. We reshoot a few scenes because we did not like how they turned out. Then we review the shots. Once we all agree that we are satisfied with the shots we end our production. After ending our production I drive Cayden back home and we are done.

Covered in Blood

 The first scene that we were going to film would be my partner pulling into the parking spot. Since I would not be featured in the shot I filmed from a distance. Once the scene was completed we were onto the next. I drove my friends and I are around the park to find the perfect place for filming. It took us about five minutes to find a place but we finally found it. I was looking for a place that was open but had nice scenery around it then looks like it was remote. The place we found had a nice flat area. I smeared the fake blood that we had made all over myself. Once I was satisfied with the way it looked I began to help my partner. We tried to make it look as realistic as possible when it came to the places we were placing blood. For these next shots, my friend Cayden would have to help film us. This is because both Lily and I would need to be in the shot. Lily would pick me up and throw me over her shoulder and lay me down on the ground for the shot as if she were about to bury me. The next shot is a low-angle shot of Lily throwing dirt onto the camera. In the final product, it will appear as if she is throwing dirt onto me. We reviewed the shots we took to make sure what we did match our storyboard and her script. We even went as far as to create extra scenes as a backup. Once that is over Lily and I are covered in corn syrup from head to toe. So I asked my friend Cayden if he could drive us to the bathroom in the park where Lily and I could clean off most of the corn syrup. We were able to clean most of it off. 

Snyder Park

 Today was our first day of filming. I decided that it would be best if we filmed the ending of the film first. This is because Snyder Park is the furthest location that we have to film, and we wanted to complete it first. These scenes are also supposed to be done in the daylight. So we took advantage of the beautiful day we were having and decided to film. I quickly realized that my partner and I would not be able to do this on our own. Our film consisted of many scenes where it required us both to be included in a scene. For this reason, I called a friend of mine to help us film. His name is Cayden McTighe. He agreed to help my partner and I film. Now we had to retrieve the ingredients for the fake blood. Once we obtained them I drove my friends and myself to Snyder Park. Once we arrived we started to make our blood. We mixed our entire bottle of corn syrup with an entire tube of red food coloring. But it still did not look right. Our blood was too opaque. We needed to deepen the color if we wanted to get the result we wanted. So we added a few drops of blue to the mixture. This helped immensely in making the color match that of blood. Not to mention, corn syrup is naturally a very thick substance, giving it the appearance of blood.

Out of Stock

 Today is our second day of setting up for our filming. We have put together our costumes. We are using old clothing that can get dirty with fake blood. My parents own a shovel that we will be able to use for our film. We both own phones that we will be able to use.  We also both own a car. So we decided that my car would be an ideal fit for filming. And as for the fake blood, I was not able to find a retailer that sold it. I called multiple stores such as Walmart, Target, and Party City. They all had the same response. They explained to me that since we are no longer around the holiday Halloween. They have taken fake blood off their shelves. So my partner and I had to devise a different plan. We decided it would be best if we ordered it online. We selected overnight shipping so we could get it as soon as possible so we could begin. In the meantime, we decided it would be best if we created our own fake blood to use while we wait for the order. Just so we could get a head start on our project. We will make our homemade fake blood by combining red food dye and corn syrup. We will buy all these ingredients at our local grocery store, Winn-Dixie. And then we are ready to begin our filming.

Prep for filming

 My partner and I have not yet begun the filming process. This is due to our busy schedules. We both have jobs, and my partner does play after-school sports. Such as softball and soccer. In the time that we have spent not being able to film, I have been working out other elements of the filming process such as.

• calling the locations
• getting rights to use a song
• gathering and selecting props

Until we could figure out a set date to begin filming, I called Birtch State park to confirm that filming on their premise is allowed. I spoke to an employee and they said that it is owned by the state of Florida. This means that we are allowed to film there. I encharged lily to get the rights to the songs we would use. I brainstormed some ideas for props that we would use, these include.

• Fake blood
• Throughout most of the scenes, I will be dead. Since I was hit by a car we are using fake blood to add to the thrill factor.
• Phone
• In several scenes, We use a phone for different things. We showcase a title on it at the beginning and the end.
• Car
• We need to use a car to "transport the dead body" around for our movie.
• Shovel
• Towards the end of the 2 minutes, Lily is shown "burying" me. By throwing dirt onto the camera with a shovel.
  
  
  

Storyboard

For the first page of our storyboard, we have our main character set out on a late-night drive around the neighborhood. The scenery is shown to set the tone for the movie. Roads are empty in this neighborhood and its night time. 

On page 2 we have our main character clearly distracted while driving then it cuts to the antagonist walking peacefully on the street until she gets struck by a car.

The main character is obviously distraught at the thought of having accidentally killed someone. So she hides the body at her house until the morning. In the morning she recovers the body and places it in the trunk of her car.

As the main character is driving the dead body to the new location some strange things happen in the backseat of the car. A worried friend tries to reach out to the main character but gets quickly shut down. The main character soon arrives at the destination and dumps the body and begins to bury it.

After burying the dead body the main character returns to her car and begins to drive. Once again strange things begin to occur. She thinks the noises she is hearing are all in her head and turns up the music, that is until she gets a strange text message.

 

Title Design

The opening credits of our film will appear in a wispy, thin, quiet font that appears to be typed as you are watching.

Some credits will be embedded in the setting. For example, credits will be written in the footsteps of a running character, or on the back of their shirt, or where the house numbers are on a house. 

Working Title: The title of this film is likely to be “Lurking”

It will be a small, thin font to imply a quiet presence, unlike bold would look. Something like this.

Titles will all be typed onto the screen. They will come on looking like they are being typed in real-time and disappear with a fade. 

Titles will disappear after 2 or 3 seconds.

Depending on the color scheme of the scene we will be alternating colors. These colors include White, Black, and Red font colors. It will look something like this: 

• Directed by: KAYA ZEELER & LILY O'NEIL
• Directed by: KAYA ZEELER & LILY O'NEIL
• Directed by: KAYA ZEELER & LILY O'NEIL

The first and last name of the person who holds the job that presents itself on the screen will be emphasized. We will do this by making it boldfaced and significantly larger. For example, 

• Directed by: KAYA ZEELER & LILY O'NEIL
• Directed by: KAYA ZEELER & LILY O'NEIL
• Directed by: KAYA ZEELER & LILY O'NEIL

Other Information

Schedule:

• 3/4/2022- 3/6/2022

• Filming will begin. I will film all the scenes that include actors outside of my group. This is so the actors do not need to come back to film a second time. 

• 3/11/2022- 3/13/2022

• I will continue filming and try to finish filming all the scenes by the 13th. I will film the scenes that only include me or my partner. If there are any scenes including an outside actor that did not get filmed, we will film it during these dates.

• 3/18/2022- 3/20/2022

• This will be the leftover day for any last and final scenes that need to be shot. If there are scenes that need to be re-shot, it will be done at this time. After all the filming is finished, this is when I will also start editing. I am currently looking for a more advanced editing platform other than iMovie, but if I do not find one, my backup plan is iMovie. 

• 3/25/2022- 3/27/2022

• These will be the final editing stages. Last call for anything that needs to be reshot, re-edited, etc. 

Location:

I will be filming at Lily's house, my house, the car, Snyder park, and public places/stores around our city. 

Participants: 

Actors:

•             Kaya Zeeler
•             Lily O'Neil

Filming:

                        Lily O'Neil

Kaya Zeeler

Editing:             Lily O'Neil

                         Kaya Zeeler

Directing:            Lily O'Neil

                         Kaya Zeeler

Health and Safety:

My parents will be watching every time we film and they will be ready to step in at any moment in

case anything goes wrong. They will have a first aid kit, other medical supplies, and a phone ready

to dial 911. I have had a serious, thorough conversation with them to ensure they know what they

are supposed to be doing and how important it is. In this film, there will be multiple instances where

the actor is running. To ensure that the path is safe, I will walk through it first to make sure that the

actor knows the path well and does not get injured. In the scene where the actor gets “hit by a car”,

this will not actually happen. I will use editing to create this illusion. 

 

Script for Opening Sequence

 Script:

Scene 1: 

• Lighting: dark, being filmed at night.

• Non-diegetic sound: Season of the Witch by Lana Del Ray begins playing

• Cali walks to her car, gets in, and starts it. 

• Cali pulls out of the driveway and starts driving down the street.

Scene 2:

• Diegetic sound: (ding) Cali’s phone gets a notification and she looks at it while driving.

• Cali: (while laughing) “Why would she send me this?”

• Olivia is walking across the street listening to music loud in her headphones.

• Olivia is not paying attention and looks at her phone.

• Diegetic sound: tires screeching and car accident noises.

• Lighting: dark, being filmed at night.

Scene 3:

• Cali gets out of the car and is panicking.

• Cali picks Olivia up and brings Olivia to Cali’s backyard. 

• Cali: (sighing) “I’ll deal with this tomorrow.”

Scene 4:

Lighting: Daytime

• Cali picks Olivia’s body up and puts her in the trunk,

• Cali starts driving to the place where she will dump Olivia’s body

• Cali’s phone starts ringing

• Friend: “Hey, are you okay? We haven’t seen you recently.”

• Cali: “Yeah, I’m fine. I have to go, I’ll call you later.”

• Friend: “Why do you sound so out of breath?”

• Cali: “Gotta go, bye.” 

Scene 5:

• Cali arrives at the park where she will dump Olivia’s body. 

• Cali takes Olivia’s body out of the car and takes her to the spot where she will bury her.

• Cali starts digging.

• Cali finishes digging. 

• Cali goes back to the car and starts driving. 

Scene 6:

• Cali hears a voice behind her

• Olivia: (whispering) “Why would you do this?”

• Olivia: (whispering) “You’re gonna pay for this.”

• Olivia: (whispering) “I’m gonna get you.”

• Cali is worried, but quickly thinks nothing of it.

• Cali turns up the radio and starts singing the song.

• Cali’s phone chimes (ding), and a text from an unknown number appears that reads

            I’m gonna get you, along with another text that reads the directors' names. 

• Cali gasps.

​​

Title Design Research: Bird Box

1. How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film? Which ones?

During the opening scene, two titles are displayed: the first is "Netflix presents," while the second is the title of the film in all capitals.

2. What connotations do the images carry? 

The graphic showing the movie's title has an empty/scary vibe about it.

3. How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset? 

The genre is emphasized in the opening title scene, which features haunting noise/music playing over the lake, and the title is shown in all capitals. This exemplifies the genre by making the spectator both fascinated and fearful of what may happen next.

4. What conventions are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience? 

Conventions are utilized to guarantee that the film appeals to the target audience by immediately establishing the thriller part of the picture. This is accomplished mostly through the use of music and camera angles. This keeps the audience on alert and wanting to see more.

Title Design Research: Antebellum

 1.    How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences of the film? Which ones?

In the opening sequence of the film, there are 2 different titles that appear. It begins with the studio the movie is presented by, then a black screen with red letters that says “ANTEBELLUM”. Then, the next screen is a quote by William Faulkner “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”

2. What connotations do the images carry? 

The title images carry a dark, scary, mysterious, chilling connotation.

3. How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset? 

The genre is reinforced through the title by using red, bold letters to emphasize the thrilling feel. The ominous music playing in the background also adds to the genre being reinforced. 

4. What conventions are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?

Conventions used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience include the opening clips. The eeriness/thrill is portrayed in the opening scenes through the choice of camera angles, the setting, the acting, and the ominous music. 

Title Design Research: She Dies Tomorrow

 1.    How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film? Which ones?

1 title is displayed during the opening scene. It is the title of the movie “She Dies Tomorrow” on a black screen. The letters are an abstract pattern, mostly including red. 

2. What connotations do the images carry? 

The image carries a mysterious connotation due to not really being able to figure out what is behind the letters.

3. How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset? 

The genre is reinforced by adding very ominous music along with what sounds like a woman humming very eerily. The slow fade of the title along with this music creates a long, stretched-out feeling of nervousness because you don’t know what is going to happen next. 

4. What conventions are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?

Multiple conventions are used. Music and editing are the main ones. The music definitely targets an audience of people who like thriller movies, and the editing goes hand in hand with the music. 

Title Design Research: Code 8

1. How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences of the film?

It lists studios that worked on the film as colony pictures, The Fyzz Facility, Ontario creates, lane e productions, XYZ Films, and blue ice pictures. Telefilm Canada is included as a producer on the list. The key actors and actresses in the film are then listed. Following that is a list of who cast the actors and actresses. Then there's the visual effects supervisor and the composer. The costume designer, editor, color designer, production designer, and director of photography are all listed after that. Finally, it identifies the co-producer, associate producer, executive producer, and head producer. The writer and person in charge of the script are then listed. Finally, the director and the movie's title screen are shown.

2. What connotations do the image carry?

The visuals make you feel frightened and suspicious. They are dimly lit and change often.

3. How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?

The title sequence follows the norms of the thriller genre. They employed low lighting, suspense, and a setting of eerieness.

4. What conventions are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?

The opening sequence gives a brief description of a creepy storyline. It leaves the audience on the edge of their seat, this is due to the suspense the creators have created.