Project Links

 Here are the links to my film opening and CCRs.

I hope you like them!

https://youtu.be/vG9HDU67FS8 CCR #2

youtu.be CCR #1

youtu.be Film opening

Final Reflection

 So... It's over. I've completed the project.

I have mixed feelings right now. I don't know if I should be happy or sad that it's over.

But, now that I think about it, the whole project was full of mixed feelings. Ever since the beginning, I've had a hard time doing so much work, especially considering how other classes added to my workload. But, I would always be happy to do it, as I knew I was excited for the finished product. Like I've said in one of my first blog posts, I've had an idea ever since the beginning. Ever since my teacher introduced the product to us, I had a vision of what I wanted to do. This vision helped motivate me throughout the project, especially during harder times, such as production and editing. I'm glad I was able to finish the project and bring my idea to life.

I've grown a lot during the project. Like I've discussed in my CCR, my knowledge, understanding, and my project have evolved over time. For example, at the beginning, my vision was one specific idea, but as time moved on, I added new parts/ideas to it in order to make it better.

Can't believe it's over already... It went by so fast! I hope my future projects for other classes are as enjoyable as this one was...

CCR Post-production Post

 I'm in the final stretch now! I just finished editing my CCRs and I think they came out great. Almost finished with the project! I have a mixture of happiness and sadness right now.

Similarly to my film opening, I edited using Adobe Premiere Pro. This software really facilitated my editing process, as I'm familiar with it and know how to utilize it well.

So, now that everything else is finished, I need to move on to the last obstacle. Like I said, I am in the final stretch. All I need to do is do a final reflection, and I will be FINISHED!!!!

CCR Production Post

 So, I finally finished recording the CCRs! I had a lot of fun with these, especially the rap video I made. I made it with friends and it was over very funny. 

Here are some bloopers!

Anyways, I used my Iphone 13's camera to record both of my CCRs. One obstacle I had to overcome was thinking of ideas for my CCRs, but with the help of many, I figured it out and had a great time producing them. I think they came out pretty good!!

Group Meeting #2

 Hello everyone! This week we had our second group meeting! It was really fun so let me describe it for you.

This time, we were showcasing our progress to our classmates and providing constructive criticism. Here are the notes I took:

So, while presenting, I got three important pieces of advice.

Title Idea- Elusive. I really like this name. I might use it.

CCR idea- Nerf guns shootout. This makes a lot of sense since my movie features guns and is an action movie.

CCR idea- Karaoke Night- this one is very funny and I might use this as it is also quite creative.

VIDEOS TAKE LONG TO DOWNLOAD!

I have to be careful with this, especially when considering that I have so many shots. 

Research for CCR Question #4

 For the last CCR question, I must discuss technologies used during the project. The technologies were very important because without any of them, the completion of this project would be impossible.

Hardware

For the camera, me and my friend used the Iphone 16's camera. Here is a cool video I watched that describes why the Iphone 16 camera is great for recording: 

Also, we utilized my friend's handheld stabilizer to help record my film opening.

Software

During the project, many forms of software were used. I used blogger.com A LOT. This allowed me to create a blog, which was a key factor to my project. It helped me in many ways, such as being able to organize ideas, communicate those ideas, plan, and share my ideas and thoughts. I also used the editing software, Adobe Premiere, to edit my film. Our teacher introduced us to this amazing tool earlier in the year, and it was very helpful for my editing process.

Research for CCR Question #3

 For the third CCR question, I have to reflect on the evolution of the project over time. Along with that, I must discuss how I researched and planned for it.  After that, I must talk about my approach to production and changes/ adaptations I had to make. Then, I must make a final reflection that considers where I started and where I am after the end of the project.

Project's Evolution

Ever since the beginning, I've had an idea of what I wanted to do. As time went on, I added and removed stuff, all in order to help make my film as good as possible. Help and tips from my friends, classmates, and teacher helped my project evolve and maximize it's potential.

Research and Planning

Research and planning was a key detail that helped improve my project. For example, when I made a story board to help plan for production, it really helped me when I was actually recording the scenes and shots. 

There are many examples of me researching and planning for my project. An example of my research was posted here on my blog. This is when I researched a media theory in order to help improve my film.

https://gabrimblog1014.blogspot.com/2025/02/media-theory-research.html

An example of me planning was when I posted a schedule I made for myself to help organize my ideas and time.

https://gabrimblog1014.blogspot.com/2025/02/project-schedule.html

Approach to Production

I've never been the best at recording. Knowing this flaw, I asked a great friend of mine to help me record. His help went a long way, as it gave more quality to the shots and also gave me the chance to be able to focus on what's going on in the shot, rather than recording the shot itself. However, we've had some obstacles. For example, we don't have the same schedule, making it hard for us to find times to record. But, we adjusted our schedules on select days and were able to record my film opening.

Final Reflection

At the beginning, I just had ideas. But, if I'm honest, I had to clue how to communicate them and transfer them into my project. And although at this point I am not 100% DONE with my project, I have changed A LOT. A lot of planning, research, and help from my teacher and peers helped me be able to accomplish my goals; to create the best film opening possible. Now, I am confident I can produce another film opening, or even a short film.

Research for CCR Question #2

 For the second CCR question, I must state the target audience. Then, I will discuss production choices and content in my film opening that work to engage the target audience. After that, I will provide a realistic distribution plan for my film.

Target Audience

After conducting some research, it is safe to say that the target audience for action films, with mine included, are young males (primarily 16-25). This is because action movies satisfy that group's typical interests by having fast-paced and action packed scenes. Jake Ambrose on "prezi.com" confirms this by stating that "For most action films the primary target audience is young males aged around 16-25 years old. This is because most action films have large amount of fast paced scenes, violence, and sexual content which would be gratifications this audience will look for".

Engaging with target audience

First off, I made the choice to show violent details, such as dead bodies and gun action in order to engage the audience. I knew these shots would spark interest and engagement among my target audience. I also created a sense of chaos at the end, which further appealed to my target audience, who are interested in action filled scenes. Furthermore, I created a very likeable character who would appeal to many in my target audience. 

Distribution Plan

Realistically, I am not a well known producer. Because of this, I will need to come up with ways of getting my film noticed. According to "entertainment.howstuffworks.com", "Independent filmmakers often use film festivals as an opportunity to get the attention of distributors. Once a distributor is interested in a film, the two parties arrive at a distribution agreement". I think this would be a very suitable path for me to take. So, my plan is to try to get noticed by distributors by utilizing film festivals. Once that happens, I will open talks with the distributors and make agreements about distribution and profits of my film. I also plan on distributing my film to YouTube, as that could also bring attention to it.

^A film festival in New York

Research for CCR Question #1

So...It is time for the CCR! In total, there are 4 questions. In today's post, I will conduct some research to help me answer the first question.

For the first question, I must reflect on how I decided to use or ignore typical conventions for my chosen genre. Also, I need to discuss how my film represents social groups or issues.

First off, action movies usually contain these character roles.



For my film opening, I introduced the hero and the villain, with the rest being introduced later in the film.

Action movies also include escape scenes and police, both of which I included in my film. On the other hand, I did not use fast-paced cuts, which are usually included in action films. This is because I wanted to add more suspense to the opening, something that would've been hindered by using so many fast paced cuts.

Costumes

 Hello everyone, and welcome back to my blog! Today I wanted to share my plans for my film opening's costumes!

Before I do that, I have a quick update about the music. Yesterday, I sent the creator of the music I plan on using for my project a message confirming I had permission to use his work on my project. He responded and gave me permission! Can't wait to use it.

So. Costumes. I have an idea of what I am going to try to do. Since there will only be two characters shown in my film opening, I only need two costume designs.

Hero

For my main character, the assassin, I wanted to go with a design that's heavily inspired by military uniform.  I was thinking of something like this:

Of course, it wouldn't have so many equipment and details as seen in the picture, mainly because my character isn't in the military. Quite the opposite, he is actually a fugitive. 

To achieve this look, I would need to find some black clothes that cover my whole body and a black ski mask. I could also find some boots to complete the look. I think this is very do-able.

Villain

For my villain, I am thinking of going down a different path. Since the villain will not be completely shown and will be seen using a computer in a dark room, I was thinking of basing this costume on a "hacker". Hackers are usually shown in a dark room wearing a hoodie covering their head. That's how I want to depict my villain. Something like this:                                                                                            

This can be easily be done by using a hoodie and filming in a dark room.

 

In conclusion, these are the two costume designs I want to use for my film. Can't wait to create and use them! If anything changes, I will update you all!

Audio

 Hello all! Welcome back to my blog! Today I am going to plan audio elements of my film opening.

Non-diegetic

For my non-diegetic sound, I wanted to use a menacing and slow music. This will help build even more tension and mystery. 

This is the music I plan on using:

Although this is copy-right free, I messaged the creator asking for permission just in case.

Diegetic

For diegetic sound, I want to use various sound effects, such as thuds, gunshots, and loud footsteps. I will use various sound effect databases for this, and I will also follow Sofia's (my classmate) tip, and use Youtube Audio Library for sound effects. I plan on making the film very quiet (excluding the non-diegetic music) so that every sound effect will stand out as much as possible. 

I also plan on making many foley sounds! I learned how to make foley sounds this year, and I will definitely be utilizing foley sounds for this film project.

Mise-en-scene: Props

 Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog! Today I want to discuss another mise-en-scene element; Props.

According to studiobinder.com (2025), "A prop is any inanimate object that an actor interacts with in a film". Props are used to "move a story forward, define a character, or become a symbol in and of itself". 

Additionally, I think props are important so that scenes can actually take place. For example, for my film, I will use a toy gun as a prop so I don't have to use a real one. (I also don't have a real one).

                                  

                                   PROP                                          REAL

Along with this prop, I will also use a cellphone. This prop will be used when the character is talking on the phone. Also, I was thinking of integrating a scene where the villain is "kind of" shown. In this scene, there would also be a cellphone, along with a computer (monitoring our character).

So far, these are the props I will use, but this can be subject to change. How many props will actually be used? Only time can tell!

Mise-en-scene: Lighting

Hello!!! Welcome back to my blog! Today I want to discuss lighting. I'm excited to talk about this because ever since the beginning I've had an idea of ​​how I would like it to be!

My film is gonna take place at night. So, naturally, the lighting is gonna be dark. But, I want to take this to the next level. By this, I mean that I want there to be a reason for the dark lighting, not just because of the time.

I was thinking something similar to this:

Of course, my film would mostly be inside, but I think this is a good representation of how I want the lighting in my film opening to be like.

backstage.com (2025) states that "  low-key lighting creates a muted image that complements the tense drama created through the plot and characters of the film." This definition shows why I want to use low-key lighting. I want to build as much suspense as possible in order to convey a menacing/suspenseful mood.

Okay, but how will I achieve low-key lighting? 

This video really helped me understand HOW to achieve low-key lighting.

You should definitely expect low-key lighting when watching my film opening! I can't wait to start filming and editing to implement this!

Character development

Hello everyone! In today's post, I wanted to discuss character development. According to study.com (2025) , character development is "the collective observable changes in an individual's defining characteristics over the course of a narrative".

Here is a video I watched that helped me further understand character development:

So, in order to have character development in my film opening, I must indicate how my character will change throughout the film

The first thing I could do is to try to show his feelings in order to develop his character and personality. For example, when the police storm in, I could try to focus on my character's expression/reaction. This can convey how the character reacts to certain things, which can also show a glimpse of the character's personality.

Also, I can use interaction between characters to indicate character development throughout the film. This will be quite tricky, as I have a very limited amount of time, but a good amount of planning will help me make this possible.

Story Board

Hello everyone! Today I am going to share something that I think is one of the most important parts of planning for my film opening...

The Story Board!!!                                     

Here is my storyboard:

The story board is gonna be crucial in helping me create my film opening. It helps organize my ideas and illustrate my thoughts. I'm gonna use this a lot when doing my project. Can't wait!

 

Summary of my idea

 So... I have finally finalized the idea for my project. I am going to summarize it for you all.

Summary

My film will start off with a dark screen with some text showing the date, time, and location. Perhaps even the title of the film. Then, an establishing shot of a house will be shown, which will be followed by a low angle tracking shot that goes through the most of the house. It will go through a long dark hallway, like this one:

Throughout this shot, credits will appear and broken items and unconscious soldiers/agents will be shown to indicate a fight of some sort went down. At the end of the hallway, aa character will be in a room. He will receive a phone call, and in this phone call will realize he has been set up and that cops are coming to arrest him. As he hangs up, police enters the house and he must think fast to escape. I will finish off with an eyeline match to the window and a zoom in to indicate he escaped through the window. After the zoom in, the screen will go black and the scene will end. I could also put the title at this moment.

This is a basic summary of my idea. I will also make a storyboard to help illustrate this idea. I can't wait to see what it looks like when I finish!

Media Theory Research

 Hello everyone! Welcome back to my blog! Today, I wanted to share some research I did with you all. I researched a media theory, Vladimir Propp's "Character Theory", because I heard that integrating media theories into my project would make it even better.

According to a handout given to me by my AICE Media teacher, an oversimplified version of this theory is that characters can be classified into different roles. According to Propp, there are 7 different roles:

1. Hero- protagonist
2. Villain- antagonist
3. Dispatcher- character who sends protagonist on their journey
4. Helper- character who aids protagonist
5. Donor- character who provides the protagonist with something that will help them succeed.
6. Princess- reward or motivation for protagonist
7. False Hero- character who may not be initially set up as the villain, but works to prevent protagonist from succeeding.

Although a movie doesn't need all of these, these are the roles characters can take.

For my film opening, I think I can assign some of these roles to my character. I believe my main character could fit into the hero category, while I could include another character who would be the villain.

Hero

According to Media-Studies.com (2025), Propp defined two types of heroes. The one I was thinking of using is the "victim" who "directly suffers from the action of the villain at the start of the story". This action could be a betrayal or turning my hero in to someone, such as the police.

Villain

My other character would be the Villain. According to Media-Studies.com (2025), "the villain causes some “form of misfortune, damage or harm”...Their evil action will, of course, lead to a fight or another form of struggle with the hero". Like I said before, this action could be a betrayal or the turning in of my protagonist.

Retrieved 2025 from https://media-studies.com/signs/.

Group Meeting #1

 Welcome back, everyone! Today was group meeting day in class and I'm going to share the experience with you all.

My groupmates had some great ideas. We set up our tables in a neat circular way so that we could all talk with each other. It felt like a mini Socratic seminar! 

                                                                      

Group Mates

Brynn, Sofia, David, Santiago

Brynn wants to make a romantic comedy. Her idea was great, and she already has a lot of stuff planned, such as setting, camera shots, and most of the story. She made a comment about how she will use music to affect her film opening, and I realized I should do the same. A good music choice will help set the mood for my film.

Next, Sofia pitched her ideas. She wants to do a mystery comedy. At first, I had a hard time imagining
what this would look like, but then she compared it to the movie "Knives Out", and I understood it better.

Sofia gave me a great tip: to use YouTube Audio Library for sounds. I will probably use this, as many sound effect websites were lacking the sounds I needed for my Sound project I did in December.

In continuation, David told us his ideas. He does not know exactly what he is doing yet, but it is most likely a noir black and white film opening. He made a very important point, which is that similar to sound, color also affects the mood. I will look into how I can use colors to affect my film opening.

Then, I pitched my idea to the group. They liked it and gave me some great ideas. Brynn gave me an idea of ​​cutting to another character and also of showing security film footage of my character. Sofia gave me a good idea for the title. She said it should start with "Mission", then end with something interesting. I will probably implement these ideas to my project. 

Lastly, Santiago went. His group is working on a thriller film. There was not a lot else discussed, other than that it might include shots of them running away from something. 

The group meeting was fun and productive. I loved hearing my classmates' ideas and feedback. I will definitely keep those tips in mind!

These are the notes I took:

Project Schedule

 Hello everyone, and welcome back to my blog! Today, I will share something that will be very helpful for me in order to complete and manage my project. I made a schedule in order to help me be organized, and I wanted to share it with you all.

2/10-2/16

On Tuesday, we will have a group meeting. We are gonna get into groups and discuss our projects and progress. I plan on posting here about the meeting on the day it happened. I hope I get a lot of good feedback and tips! After that, I want to conduct more research, specifically on media theories, so I can integrate one of them into my project. I will share with you all the results of my research as soon as I finish it. I also plan on finalizing my project idea this week. I will post a summary of my final idea once I finish it. Finally, I also want make my storyboard. That way, I will have my scenes for the film on paper. I will post it here when I finish.

2/17-2/23

Initially, I will look into character development. I will plan how the character(s) in my film develop and present themselves throughout the film opening. After that, I will take some time to focus on planning mise-en-scene elements. Since many elements will need to be planned, I will separate my mise-en-scene planning into two posts so I can share each element and discuss them in depth with you all. After I finish with that, I will look into audio. I will analyze/discuss how it can affect my film opening. I will plan how I will use certain sounds to make my project as good as possible. I will update you all with all of my planning processes.

2/24-3/2

Before I start my production, I will take a small amount of time to finalize my planning. After that, production will finally start. I will keep all of you updated. Because production will be such a long process, I will separate it into 4 posts, one of which will only be posted the following week.

3/3-3/9

I will finish up my production and my production posts, then transition to a post-production reflection. I will separate this topic into two posts so I can describe everything more thoroughly. After this, I will transition to research for CCR questions. Although I am not sure what this is yet, I will soon find out and it should fit my schedule. I will research question #1.

3/10-3/16

Now that I have transitioned into the CCR, most of this week will be research for it's questions. Since I will already have researched question #1, I will only need to research for #2, #3, and #4 this week. After this, I will share some production ideas for my CCR on here.

3/17-3/25

For the last few days of this project, I will finish production of my CCR, and I will also talk about the post-production of the CCR. Then, I will make a post with a final reflection of the WHOLE project. In the end, I will make a post with links to my CCR and my film opening.

 Hey everyone, welcome back to the Blog!

Today I will be analyzing 3 different opening credits from action movies.

All of the opening credit sequences were watched on Art of the Title. Check it out for yourself!

Smokin' Aces

I like how this sequence slightly introduces the characters. Also, The music is perfect for setting the tone of the rest of the film. I think I should learn from this movie in order to properly utilize music in my credit sequence.

                                                     MacGruber

This sequence introduces the main character by showing his characteristics and what he is doing. This introduces him as a big strong man. I think I can also use this, by showing my characters qualities/characteristics.

                                               DeadPool

I like how this scene uses 3D figures in the background during the credits. Also, it shows the character in various situations, which could have been done to introduce the character. One thing I took from this is that I could utilize 3D figures in the background