Characters

Hello again, blog! So, after a not-so-long discussion, my group and I have decided on the names of our characters for our project. Here are the main characters:
- Cris (Female)
- Cris (Male)
- Aria
We decided to use name Cris for two of the main characters because my friend Anya helped give some ideas for this film. There isn't really an explanation for the why we chose to use the name Aria for our other main character, other than the fact that it is a pretty name.
Here's some characteristics for each character:

Cris
- 18-year-old
- Ambivert
- Artistic
- Best friends with Aria

Cris (Male)
- 30-year-old
- Drug dealer
- Stole a bunch of money from the money laundering Dunkin Donuts
- Head of a drug ring

Aria
- 18-year-old
- Outgoing
- Always ready for an adventure
- "Quirky"

Good News!

The title of this post might be a little misleading, cause this is actually mediocre news. My group and I have officially sent a license request form to Universal Music Group to request permission to use the song Holy Moly by Blueface for our film opening! Now, this doesn't mean that we have acquired the rights to use the song yet, but I'm hoping that UMG answers our request soon so that we don't have to find another song to use. Below I have attached some images of the license request form that we sent to UMG to confirm that we did request permission. Happy blogging!

P.S. I crossed out my address because I don't want anyone to stalk me. Also, does anyone know how long it takes to obtain the rights to use a song? 

How do I obtain the rights to a song?

So, my group and I have a somewhat idea of what the plot of our film is going to be, but we have also chosen a song that we want to use for our film opening. We have decided to use the song "Holy Moly" by Blueface since it 1) is catchy 2) it has a specific lyric that goes like "Holy Moly donut shop" and 3) it got super popular on Tik Tok which I think would be very good for marketing to younger audiences; you all know how much younger generations love Tik Tok. Anyways, if we want to use this song for our film opening, we would have to email Blueface's record label as soon as possible since obtaining the rights to a song by a popular artist is a lengthy process. Wish us luck!

Film Idea

Hello blog! So after much thinking and brainstorming, my group and I finally have a somewhat idea of what we are planning on doing for our final project. Here are some of the characteristics of our film:

- Action film
- Money laundering
- Dunkin Donuts

Now, you might be thinking, what the heck do Dunkin Donuts and money laundering have to do with each other? The answer is: absolutely nothing, but in our film, they are very much involved with each other.  Our story revolves around a Dunkin Donuts that is a secret site for money laundering. The main female character Cris and her friend are really in the mood for donuts when they realize that it's free donut day. As they head to Dunkin Donuts, they are unaware that this famous chain is actually a secret site for money laundering. What Cris is also unaware of is that she happens to have the same name as a man who stole a bunch of the laundered money from this particular Dunkin Donuts.

For now, this is all I will be mentioning about the plot of our film as we still need to work out specific details. I hope you guys enjoy our idea so far and I can't wait to show you guys the finished product!

Schedule

UNOFFICIAL SCHEDULE

Hi blog! So after working with my partners Juli and Paola, we have finally created our unofficial schedule for meeting up to work on the project. 

  

Now at first glance this schedule may seem a little hectic, but we do plan on revising this and working around everyone's personal schedules so that it is convenient for all the members of our group. While this schedule looks like we would be meeting up everyday, we plan on cutting it down so that we can meet up at least twice a week. Again, this is just a rough draft so our actual schedule will look a little different and will have the accurate time of when we will be meeting up. The one day we for sure cannot meet up on is Tuesday, as everyone in our group usually is busy with other extracurriculars on this day.

Film Openings

Hi blog! Today I will be posting about some of my favorite action film openings, and how they are representative of this genre. Many film openings in the action genre utilize the same characteristics for their film openings to introduce and help develop the story.

THE DARK KNIGHT 

The opening scene of The Dark Knight introduces just one of the many conflicts created by the villain, The Joker. The villain of this movie, The Joker, is introduced during the opening scene as well as he executes a bank robbery during the opening scene. The opening scene displays traditional characteristics of an action film because it 1) takes place in a location in an urban area, 2) is fast-paced and introduces part of the conflict, and 3) introduces the villain of the movie. 

CASINO ROYALE

Casino Royale's film opening also display traditional characteristics of the action genre. During the opening scene, the hero of the film, James Bond, is introduced. While the opening scene does not make it clear whether or not James Bond in this context is a hero, it does establish conflict between Bond and the man in the scene. The beginning of the film displays the location of the scene as Prague, an urban area. A flashback of a fight between James Bond and an unnamed man is also displayed during this scene. All of these characteristics are representative of the action genre because most action films contain fast-paced fight scenes and take place in urban areas that the hero is meant to protect.


BABY DRIVER

In the opening scene of Baby Driver, the hero of the film, Baby, is introduced. The villains of the movie are also introduced. The opening scene introduces Baby as a getaway driver during a bank robbery which is being executed by the villains of the movie. The bank is located in an urban area which is common with most action movies. This opening scene also contains fast-paced editing and camera movements to match the pace of what is going on during the scene. This represents the action genre as most of these characteristics are present in most action films. The contents of this scene are similar to the other films I discussed in this post, which shows how the action genre uses many of the same characteristics.


RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK

The opening scene for Raiders of the Lost Ark is a bit different from some of the other action films I have listed. Nonetheless, it still displays traditional characteristics of the action genre. The opening scene introduces the hero of the film Indiana Jones and the quest that the hero is embarking on. This is typical of action films, as the hero of the film typically has some type of quest or goal that they are trying to achieve. While this scene does not take place in an urban area, there is still conflict being introduced which is very typical for this genre. 

Action Genre

INTRODUCTION

Hello, welcome back to my blog! Today starts what will be a very long and complex process of making my very first film opening. Although I won't be working alone, this process won't be easy for the both of us. For this particular project I wanted to stray away from the genres that I have researched in the past such as the indie genre and the drama/thriller genre. This film opening will be the opening for an action film. I don't have all the details worked out yet, but I will for sure keep all my readers updated with the production process and the details for our film opening. Happy blogging!

ACTION CHARACTERISTICS/CONVENTIONS

The action genre is unique as many of its characteristics differ from other film genres. Films within this genre are fast-paced, have high energy throughout the film, and spectacular events that are meant to leave viewers either on the edge of their seat or mesmerized. Action films typically have a clearly defined hero, villain, and victim.  Since these films have clearly defined characters, all of these characters all interact throughout the film. The hero fights the villain and saves the victim from whatever chaos they are putting the victim through. The hero also has to take down the villain in order to prevent them from causing anymore harm. Some subgenres within the genre of action as a whole include:

- Action-Adventure; Person vs. Nature

- Action-Duel; Person vs. Person

- Action-Epic; Person vs. Large Organization

- Action-Clock; Person vs. Time

Villains in this genre are not limited to people: they can be environmental factors or a larger group of people. Action films usually take place in urban areas or cities where there is usually a lot of action. This is done in order to keep up with the sense of speed and danger that is portrayed throughout these types of films. More specific locations include skyscrapers, banks, casinos, powerplants, etc. The target audience for this genre is males aged 16-25. Action appeals to this demographic because it contains the content that they enjoy: fast-paced scenes, violence, and sexual content.

Music Blog Post

G E N R E

The genre my group researched is electronic rock.

M A R K E T I N G  T R E N D S

Many younger artists within the electronic rock genre have a tendency to make music with similar themes. Artists such as Twenty One Pilots focus their music on personal issues such as mental health. While the members of the band Muse are a bit older compared to Twenty One Pilots, both artists have a similar age range and both have songs with similar themes such as love and failed romance. Since their target audience is younger generations aged 16-25, these artists have a active social media presence as this is the best way to reach out to younger audiences. These artists are not the only artists who do this as most famous artists in today's society have an active social media presence since this is the best way to advertise and reach out to all audiences.

D E V E L O P I N G  O U R  B R A N D

My group decided to develop our artist Killer Venus based off of what we believed was missing in terms of representation in this genre. While some well known artists in this genre such as Grimes and Le Tigre are famous female artists, a lot of their songs do not focus on themes such as female empowerment like our artist does. Our artist is based off of the roman goddess Venus, the goddess of sex, love, and beauty.


M A R K E T I N G

The creation of a website for our artist is one way we plan on marketing our artist. We also plan on having an active social media/streaming service presence to keep her fans/followers up-to-date with what she is doing. Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat are some of the most popular social media services used among Killer Venus' target audience age group. Killer Venus is also present on the most active streaming services; Spotify, Apple Music, and Soundcloud. All of these strategies are utilized to make sure that we can maximize the amount of exposure for our artist. The website we created for Killer Venus contains information about our artist and a section where merchandise can be purchased. Information about upcoming tour dates is also listed on the website to easily allow fans to get information for the tour.

W H A T  I  L E A R N E D

After producing this music video, I have realized how difficult it is to make a video of this sort despite it looking like it takes little effort to create it. If you are going to make a music video, make sure you know exactly what you are going to do and that you have the resources to execute the music video properly.