The long awaited screenplay update!!!!

Hey guys!!

As you all have been waiting for.... the screenplay for my film opening is finalized!!

This is a screenshot of the first page, but if you guys would like to read the rest you can click here!!!

Next up are some frames from the storyboard, so be on the lookout for that within the next week.

Alexa
(ps. this screenplay took a lot out of me, so I hope it's well-received)

I've figured it out!

I HAVE THE BEST NEWS 

I figured out what I'm going to use to fulfill the detective fiction part of the film opening. Besides introducing my main character, it's also important to introduce the conflict that will be the basis for the rest of the film. 

Lucas will go out with friends, where Melissa will get a call from an officer saying that the vehicle was found abandoned on the side of the road in really bad condition, but there's no sign of Lucas. The film opening will end like that, setting up the idea that the mom will have to figure out where her son is and what happened to him. 

Currently, I am still working on the screenplay and names for the film, but here are a few I was thinking of. 

Man, those names are cliche. Anyone have any better ideas?? Nope? NOW YOU SEE MY STRUGGLE! I'm really trying to be as creative as possible and avoid as many cliche's as possible. So, until a better idea can pop into my head, these titles are here to stay. Screenplay coming soon!!! And this time it'll be done!! 

Until then,
Alexa 

Everyone meet Melissa!!

Character development time!!

Today in class, Mrs. Stoklosa showed us a past film opening as an example of ways to create a good film opening and then I realized something. I NEED TO DEVELOP MY MAIN CHARACTER!!! The more thought I put into the character, the more detail I can put into the film. So, without further ado, it is time to introduce my main character, Melissa.

Background:
Melissa is a Gen X baby, so she will be middle-aged during the time this film is taking place. She was an only child with two busy parents growing up, meaning she learned how to fend for herself. She is a first-generation citizen, coming from Hispanic heritage.  Growing up independent, there were many nights Melissa would cook for herself, clean around the house, and do her own laundry; each skill she learned growing up she taught herself. Melissa is the first person in her family to graduate from college while she also took on a part-time job as a secretary at a local business. She met her ex-husband around the time she graduated from college. When she was younger, she felt her only purpose in life was to become a mother. Around 30, she gave birth to her son, Lucas. During his developmental years, the two were inseparable; but soon after the birth of Lucas, Melissa's husband left as he felt he wasn't ready to be a father. He first would visit from time to time, but as the years went by, he eventually disappeared entirely. From a young age, Melissa and Lucas did everything together. As hormones kicked in, the son started to drift away and the relationship faded. In the present time, their relationship is strained as the son is becoming more independent and falling into the "wrong crowd".

Motivation:
Melissa's motivation has always been her son. Everything she did throughout his entire life was for him. Even though they're not close anymore, the mom would do anything for him and still loves him with all her heart. She would go to any length in order to make sure her son is safe and happy, no matter what. 

Challenging representation:
Melissa will challenge cliché roles women portray in film. Women are already underrepresented in Hollywood, making my character stand out already from other characters. My character also breaks the stereotype of a "stay at home mom" and the "homemaker". Melissa is a working mother who also has to take care of her son; with the father not around, she has to pick up the roles a stereotypical male would. She is a lot more independent and tougher than the way other women in film are portrayed. 

Developing this character was super fun, as I feel that Hollywood should break the stereotype women portray!!! 

Time to go back to the screenplay! Until next time,
Alexa

Writing mode activated

Hey guys!!

Great news! I have developed a start to the screenplay! Here's a picture from it :)

Staying away from clichés is still proving to be a struggle. I feel like as long as I stay away from any of those and challenge the representation of certain characters I will have more to work with. For instance, the main character (right now named Karla), is a single mother who is raising a child on her own. This challenges how moms are normally portrayed in media, as she is more independent and works hard instead of being a stay at home mom that takes care of the house. When developing the other characters, I hope to challenge more of these representation stereotypes. Currently, the father is unnamed (I have found that I lack creativity when it comes to coming up with names). None of the character's names are final, they're just placeholders until further notice. 

I have also been working on how to create my own sound effects to add in post! Currently, I am researching how to create different "whoosh" sound effects to develop suspense and add to a scene and came across Science Filmmaking Tips' video (click here to watch it!!!). The sounds after adding some cool audio effects created exactly the type of sound I want to use as a sound bridge to transition between the old home videos and "current time". 

For now, I'm gonna continue developing the screenplay and hopefully start developing some names for the film. See you guys next time :)

Alexa

Alexa.... play "time management mode"

I HAVE LIKE NO TIME FOR ANYTHING

Like most teenagers, I have absolutely no free time because I am constantly either working, doing homework, or putting time into my television production class (fun fact only one of these is actually fun for me but adulting is kiiiiiinda stressful so I'll continue to make Vanilla Bean fraps and Iced Caramel Macchiatos until further notice). So, I have decided to sit down and plan out a schedule of what I would like to finish by when. 

To the right is the ideal schedule I would like to stick by since it would allow me to take my time with the project. The schedule might be hard to keep up with around the beginning of March since March 4th is my SAT and the 10-15th I will be in Washington DC. 

Go me for organizing this!!

That week I have a television production competition where my team and I will have 8 hours to find, film, and edit an 8-minute news show. I'll also be competing in a category called Video Tip where my partner and I will have to make a minute-long "How to" video regarding cinematography and video tips. Life is definitely a time-consuming factor in getting things I'd like to get done done. An update on the idea!! I've been having trouble deciding what the crime/mystery regarding the child should be!!! I really want to stay away from any cliche's including kidnapping, stalking, or murder. It would have to be something less overdone in Hollywood. I'm really trying to stand out from others and let my creative juices flow!! I did some research and found that (according to secureteen.com) theft, assault, drug and alcohol abuse, disorderly conduct, and curfew violations are the most likely crimes to be committed by teenagers. In order to get a mom involved in a crime-solving process, the crime would have to be either assault or maybe the child could be a victim of drug and alcohol abuse. 

Obviously, this idea is a little out of my comfort area as I am not a mother, but I have a really close connection to my mother who said she would be happy to read over what I create to ensure the actions and plot points are realistic. 

Screenplay writing starts tomorrow!!! Maybe if I get ahead of schedule I can spend more time in the editing process *insert double eye emoji here*. I will update you guys once I make significant progress in the opening. 

See you guys soon!!

Alexa

(p.s. I would much rather be working on this than math homework but sadly... education has been deemed "important" which I find lameeeeee.)

The beginning of an era

Welcome to the beginning of an era!! What's up peeps!!

This is the official start of my documentation for my film opening!! I'm super excited to share the process with you guys, so buckle in and get ready for a wild ride. I'm pretty indecisive so this planning process should be reaaaaaallly fun but I'm hoping to be able to recollect my thoughts and put the maximum amount of effort into this project!

Currently, I'm planning on the genre of my film opening being detective fiction. The plan is kinda shaky right now, but I'm hoping to have my mother act as the main character of the film. The plot will be a mother trying to solve a crime involving her child. Like I had in my research, generating an emotional connection between the audience and the characters are extremely important, so having the main character be a mother would be more relatable for my target audience. My target audience currently is set out to be 18+, appealing mainly to the female population. Around that time in life, women start to gain a motherly instinct which would allow for the main character's thoughts and actions to be better understood. 

Right now I'm working on the screenplay, which is proving to be quite difficult. Writing a story is much harder than it seems, at least for me anyway. I'm hoping that my film making skills will help me out, along with the skills I picked up in this class. 

On a lighter note, I came up with the name for my production company!!! After a quick google search, I've found out that not many things are named "Puddlesky" so that should help me stand out from the rest of these production companies. 

I am hoping that with some extra thought my screenplay will come together soon. Until next time, 

Alexa :)

(ps. I'm thinking of adding Amazon Alexa puns... I gotta have fun with them too ya know)

Similar films!!

Post numero dos!!

I've been doing some research on some films that are "similar" to what I would like to create with my film opening!

The film Kidnap starring Halle Berry follows a mother who is trying to save her kidnapped son by taking matters into her own hands. 

The movie opens by showing the bond between the mother and her son through what seems like a montage of old VHS tapes, drawing a connection between the viewer and the child. Human connection seems to be important in this film, which was most likely used to create bigger emotions within the viewer. These VHS tapes also provide context, as they show the child growing up. After the credits finish, the movie then shows an aerial shot of a large area covered in similar looking trees with a sound bridge of what is presumed to be the mother's heavy breathing. The scene then cuts to black triggered by the sound of a gunshot. This is done to create a contrast between what was seen as the "happy" times in the past and the now "dreadful" current ones, along with introducing a part of the conflict. 


Searching is another movie within the detective fiction drama. It stars a father who is trying to figure out why his 16-year-old daughter disappeared. 

The film opens up on what looks like a windows XP screen, which introduces what the film will be focused around. Diegetic sound is used to show that this is a screen that someone within the movie is using. The movie then reveals that the users are the mother and father are setting up the computer for their daughter Margot.  By showing this family connection, it creates a human connection, similar to the first movie. This movie is also capturing moments in time through calendar events and desktop pictures. This connects the audience to the family, most likely to inflict a more serious reaction when negative events occur within the film. Once the mother, Pam, finds out she has lymphoma, the nondiegetic music follows in the background, going from less upbeat to more somber. But once she adds, "as a family" to her search on how to fight the disease, the music goes back upbeat. This shows the connection between the family members and shows how the bond between them is strong. The family continues to grow strong, as Pam goes into remission. When she goes into relapse, it shows how Pam's health is declining rapidly. The opening focuses on drawing an intense connection to the characters. 

Detective films seem to mostly include some sort of backstory that will draw a connection between the viewer and the characters. By making them feel bad for the characters within the film, it causes people to want to see what will happen next; this will be perfect for drawing the type of suspense I want to draw in my film opening. From watching these film openings, I've realized that pulling an "Up" and making people feel heavy emotions during the first 5-10 minutes of the film is an effective use in detective films. I also learned that montages are useful in this case, and are an easy way to show time passing, allowing the viewer to feel like they are experiencing some sort of process, like growing up, along with the characters. 

This information could be super helpful in developing a backstory for my film opening!! Big things coming soon :)

The Detective Fiction Genre

Hey guys!!

This is the start of the blogging process for my film opening project!! I'm super excited to share this process with you guys! I've decided that my film opening would follow the genre of detective fiction so here's some research I did so I can be fully knowledgeable about it. 

The detective fiction genre is a subgenre of crime/suspense films that focuses on the crime and the central character seen as the hero of the film.  The majority of the time, the crime is more serious like murder. Detectives normally will try to find the identity of the villain through the puzzle-like narrative of the story to solve the mystery and end the "effects of villainy". Films within this genre date back to the times of silent films in 1914. The detective genre splits into a few categories, inverted detective, police procedural, historical mystery, cozy mysteries, serial killer mystery, hard-boiled, or locked-room mystery. 

Hardboiled follows an "everyman" detective like Sherlock Holmes. These films normally deal with crime in an urban environment. The detective is mainly written as a man, is considered the "modern" mystery movie. 

Inverted detective is also known as a "howcatchem" opposed to a "whodunnit". Instead, the narrator is recalling the events that happened and shows the identity of the killer at the beginning of the movie. Whodunnits focus on a climax, leaving this information until the end for a "twist" ending. 

Police procedural has the police officers that work multiple cases at the same time the main characters. In these films, the criminal is often well known and it is just up to the police to gather enough evidence. 

The historical mystery genre is when the plot mainly focuses on a story that takes place in what is considered a "historical time period" from the time when the author wrote the story. 

Cozy mysteries are less violent and are considered humorous and thematic. The setting is almost always a closed community and features female amateur detectives. 

Serial killer mysteries is when a large portion of the police force tries to capture the villain. Films within this genre are almost always more violent and suspenseful than other mystery films. 

Locked room mystery is when a crime is committed under conditions where the crime would be impossible to commit and evade detection. The crime scene is almost always shown with no indication of how the intruder got in or out. The audience is given clues and encouraged to solve the mystery before the climax. 

Films within this genre have to face keeping the secrets from being too obvious, testing the limits of coincidence, and the extent of technology. 

The target audience includes both males and females from ages 15-40. 

“Detective Fiction.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Feb. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detective_fiction#Inverted_detective.

Detective-Mystery Films, www.filmsite.org/mysteryfilms.html.

Summerfield, Dana. “Target Audience for a Crime Thriller.” LinkedIn SlideShare, 1 Jan. 2013, www.slideshare.net/DanaSummerfield/target-audience-for-a-crime-thriller.

“Detective Fiction.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Feb. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detective_fiction#Inverted_detective.

Detective-Mystery Films, www.filmsite.org/mysteryfilms.html.

Summerfield, Dana. “Target Audience for a Crime Thriller.” LinkedIn SlideShare, 1 Jan. 2013, www.slideshare.net/DanaSummerfield/target-audience-for-a-crime-thriller.

Music Blog Post

Hip-Hop/Funk

a. Artists within this genre use social media to promote their content and connect with fans. Normally, they follow internet trends in order to gain more popularity. BROCKHAMPTON is seeing success through Tik Tok through their song "sugar". Lil Nas X became popular during the "yee yee" meme's peak. By following these internet trends, the artist is more likely to go viral. 

c.  The brand of our artist fits the song. Since there weren't many words, we wanted to go with an artistic approach. The song shows a lot of anger, so we wanted to portray our artist as edgy and heart ached. We also wanted to have our artist coincide with the internet personas of Lil Nas, Tyler the Creator, and Tierra Whack. 

d.  We created merchandise for our artist which includes shirts, phone cases, and vinyl records (as they are growing in popularity once again).

e.  Through the production, we learned how you can display a message or feeling in other ways besides storytelling or explicitly stating it. We also learned how to do cool tricks through transitions and unique editing ways. Through the development of a marketing campaign, we learned how hard it is to help an artist gain exposure. Most of the time, the rise to fame is entierly by chance meaning it is harder to become famous. We also learned how much thought needs to go into something as little as song titles, album titles, or even the artist's name. Everything needs to be supported by reason and backed by thought.