Eleven Bracelets - Film Opening

 Attached is our film opening Eleven Bracelets 

Unlisted YouTube Link: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouK57_p0k7Q 

Creative Critical Reflection - Link

 Attached is my creative critical reflection as an unlisten YouTube link with comments and likes disabled. 

Unlisted link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyKAHc3dpzI 

Techniques of Film Openings

 

Reflection Essay - My Journey Through Media Studies

    I remember not too long ago, sitting back and watching my favorite Star Wars movie read “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...,” and wondering “How?”. How was this created and how did this extraordinary piece of media make its way from paper to television? I wondered how my connection to stories through media came to be and became fascinated in understanding the media language that is film. As I decided to embark on my own journey about learning this language, there was a lot that I did not know, and realized there was a lot I needed to know in order to become fluent. The questions I had about my favorite films and videos, became answers in the form of technical language through production. Before this spot, though, I thought film was a less stressful way of getting a message across to an audience, and boy was I wrong! Shots of movies would pass through the screen and into my brain without even a thought of the hard work and long processes that were used to create them. It wasn’t until I started writing, producing, directing, and cooperating with peers to make a film that I fully started to understand the complex nature and need for attention to detail that came in making a film. My journey from an ignorant nerd to an understanding and educated filmmaker has been one up and down many mountains, but I am glad to say that I have reached my goal of the summit.

    Starting my journey through film and media brought me to my first obstacle: the mountain of representation. Representation in film and media is the way that concepts are presented and broadcast. These concepts are regularly connected through patterns that share similarity to create a certain feeling in the audience. These patterns, known as tropes, cover stories from teenage drama to frightening horror. Representation in the media can present itself as a certain stereotype. For example, the film Don’t Look Up (2021) presents a story that revolves around the modern-day challenges faced by the United States. Using comedic stereotypes, the movie does an amazing job representing positions like the president and positions in the media. Representation in film has changed throughout the years though. Being a concept fully connected to the public perspective, it only makes sense for certain tropes and stereotypes to change as the world does. This can be seen in films like Fantasia (1940) and Hidden Figures (2017). Both represent African Americans in very different manners. Fantasia, although having minor spoken language, represents African Americans in a derogatory and offensive manor while Hidden Figures represents African Americans as powerful and important ‘figures’ in our society.

    As I’ve ended my journey up the mountain of representation, I now ski down the long slope of language. Having a close connection to the concept of representation, language in film and media is how the story meets the audience. What is shown on the screen and how it is shown is a defining principle of media language. This is all made possible through technical elements. For example, if a director wants to show a greater level of power within a character, they might use a low angle when filming the shot; an element that shows the character in a ‘higher’ sense. If the director wants to highlight an important object to the story, they might include an insert shot of the object, which allows the audience to see the object in its full nature without many distractions. Other forms of media language include dialogue, lighting, and other forms of mise-en-scene. These combinations of media language allow film to explore topics that would be unimaginable to a world where film did not exist.

    Moving on from language brings me to a whole new place: the alluring land of audience. Using representation and media language, the audience is who the film is targeted at. Every aspect of a film is hand-crafted to provoke emotion within the audience. The conventions of the genres of film, which are tropes noticed in the film genres, are different aspects of mise-en-scene which provide a vague description of film to an audience. For example, thriller films produce a feeling of mystery and accomplishment, having the audience leave with the question “What will happen next?”. Different types of media also have different audiences. The way that a YouTube video is produced will be different than that of a radio podcast. A good film leaves a lasting impression on its audience, and with a good audience reaction comes a good legacy.

    To close off my vacation through film and media, I stop at the icy continent of industry. In film and media, industry involves the line of production that makes the creation of films possible. From Disney to DC, the film industry is what captivates the audience and allows for a wonderfully produced film. The other ways in which media flows through the film industry is through social platforms. While scrolling through Facebook, you might notice a clip of your favorite movie as either an advertisement or a film clip. This is an example of a film’s production through the film industry. This is where industry, representation, language and audience all meet. You as an audience member have just been targeted by a media franchise producing a film using technical elements as media language to create a sense of emotion and using certain media tropes and conventions as representation to hook you in. You are now interested in the film being shown and the production agency has potentially made money. This flow of media production allows the economic aspect of film and media to thrive.

    As I sit in my chair writing this reflection, I realize that I have been affected by these aspects of media production first handed. The journey I have taken on the AICE Media Studies course has transformed my knowledge for the better as a meaning maker. Creating meaning in my perspective is simply telling a story. My teacher, from day one, always said that film and media is a way to tell a story in a creative and individualistic way, and I think those wise words really do define this industry. I will continue my path of being a media consumer in the future and will also continue my journey of knowledge of media production. Although my journey through Media Studies is almost over, a new and everlasting one is just beginning, and I am more than ready to sit back and enjoy the ride. 

First Draft of the Screenplay

Analysing Film Openings

 

Analysing Film Openings

Nicholas Gonzales

 

During class, we were asked to choose a film pertaining to our specific genre that was chosen, and to analyse the opening of that film. Here is the opening to the film I chose and the analysation.

 

Film: Interstellar (2014) 

• Genres: Drama, Science-Fiction, Adventure, Mystery

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5NPGC0jlRc

Who’s the main character?

-          The main character is seen to be a man. It can be inferred that the man is a pilot, considering he is maneuvering a vehicle in the air. A woman and child can also be seen in the beginning.

If there is none defined, what’s the hook? Even if there is a main character, what hooked you?

-          The hook I noticed in the movie was part of the story. When the woman that opened the movie started speaking, she spoke about her father. The man (her father) is then shown as a pilot, setting up the storyline.

What do you notice about camera framing and mise-en-scene?

-          The camera framing involves a lot of single shots. This shows a lot about the individual character and might let the audience predict what is about to happen to the character by showing the specific emotions each character feels related to the single shot frame.

If there are opening credits, what does the font style tell you about the tone of the film?

-          In the very first frame of the movie, the title “I N T E R S T E L L A R” is flashed across the screen. In a slow fade, the title is shown, with space in between each letter, which could be used to symbolise the science fiction aspect of the movie and its “space” theme. In addition, the background during this shot is completely visible, foreshadowing a scene that will be played during the movie and a signifying object (the spaceship). This, in addition to the lack of sound, sets the tone to be ominous with a bit of possible emotional sadness.

 

Creative Development Through Genre

Creative Development - Genre Research

Nicholas Gonzales

Throughout the course of the first semester, I have been researching specific genres of focus for the making of a short film. These are the genres I have researched and the genre I have chosen is drama.  

Genre: Science Fiction (Sci-Fi)

Conventions:

·         Setting

o   Outer space

o   Other worlds

o   Alternative versions of Earth

·         Narrative elements

o   New Technology

o   New scientific principles (time travel, etc.)

o   New political systems (Dystopian, etc.)

·         Film technique

o   Special effects

·         Symbolism

o   Futuristic props

o   Representative costume / setting

Directors:

·         Steven Spielberg

·         George Lucas

Actors:

·         Sigourney Weaver

·         Carrie Fisher

Films:

·         Avatar (2009)

·         Tomorrowland (2015)

·         Interstellar (2014)

 

 

Genre: Thriller

Conventions:

·         Lives depend on protagonist defeating the antagonist

·         Antagonist cannot be reasoned with

·         The protagonist is often the final victim

·         Hero must prevail in some way

·         Villain must be smart and powerful

Directors:

·         Bong Joon-Ho

·         Denis Villeneuve

Actors:

·         Chloë Grace Moretz

·         Jennifer Lawrence

Films:

·         Greta (2018)

·         Run (2020)

 

 

Genre: Drama

Conventions:

·         Real life situations with realistic characters

·         Characters develop throughout film

·         Intense social interaction between characters

·         Characters are relatable to audiences

        Redemption

Directors:

·         James Cameron

·         Quentin Tarantino

Actors:

·         Tom Hanks

·         Robin Williams

Films:

·         The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

·         Hidden Figures (2017)

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