Portfolio Project: Pre-Production - Costuming

     Costuming is very important in our story as it takes place during a fashion photoshoot. I am very passionate about clothing and that is what I want to focus on in the entertainment industry, so I have begun creating mood boards for our character. It was very important for me to capture the essence of the character while also creating a look that would appear as a part of a casual photoshoot. I made sure to take into account that our model is of a younger generation, thus her wardrobe must reflect that of a younger audience. We also wanted the photoshoot to be more casual which also had to be seen in the clothing choice. As well as the nature of the character as a lighthearted, youthful, up and coming model.

    This mood board depicts one of the possible outfits that could be seen in our 2-minute opening scene. The main color is yellow because I felt like that best fit the idea of a youthful model who is experience one of her first ever photoshoots. The outfit is relatively casual which is what we are going for within our photoshoot. I felt that the bandana match her aesthetic and added something to the outfit that it didn't previously have. I picked gold jewelry because I felt that it was the perfect color to go with white and the yellow. I chose a very simple, natural makeup look to go with the casual outfit so that she looks fresh-faced and young in her photos. A half up half down hairstyles best fit the image that we are trying to create with the 2-minute opening. 

Portfolio Project: Pre-Production - Location Scouting

     My partner and I have been discussing where we could possibly film our project that would fit the setting and message that we are trying to portray. Isabella, as well as her mom, are both photographers thus we have access to back drops and location that fit the scenery for a photoshoot. We want our setting to appear as that of a photoshoot where the model is the only focus. We hope to do this by having a white backdrop with colorful clothing that makes her stand out more. We will also need a vanity setting/dressing room where the model gets the anonymous text message.

    We have discovered a few location options. We could film in the warehouse that we used in order to film our OBSID!AN music video which would be very beneficial for the thriller aspect when the lights go out as it gets very dark when the lights are turned off. Or we could also film at one of our house and that way we will have access to a proper vanity and an abundance of clothes that leads an audience to believe that the character is actually on the set of a photoshoot and not just in a warehouse. When we meet tomorrow we will make final decisions on where we want to shoot and when we are both available to do it.

Portfolio Project: Pre-Production - Writing

My partner and I have not been able to meet at all in the last week due to issues at school that have cause us to be out. However, we have been writing and workshopping the plot to our 2-minute opening. We wanted to keep the elements of a drama genre but adds aspects that turn it into more of a thriller story that leaves people on the edge of their seats until the very end. We came up with this idea because we truly want our project to be engaging and enticing to viewers. 

To do so we are planning to begin with a photo shoot taking place. Our main character is going to be established to be the model. We see her during her first breakout photoshoot. She then goes to change into another outfit to begin the photoshoot again, but receive an anonymous message that puts her on edge. Regardless, she returns to the photoshoot and carries on as expected. This is all halted when the power goes out. We want to end on this note to leave viewers wanting to see more.

Portfolio Project: Pre-Production - Representation

    Women have long been an underrepresented group when it comes to media industries, especially the film industry. Being women ourselves we felt that it was important to have our main characters be women, without male counterparts. We also thought it was important that the conflict was not reliant on a male to push it into action. While many drama films are dependent on a relationship of some kind, we wanted to lean into the thriller aspect of our picked genre and created a conflict that did not take the focus off the female leads that are very important to see in film as it is not yet popular enough in Hollywood to see solo female led movies. 

    Furthermore, having our characters be a minority was also a very important aspect of bringing this story to life. Our main focus is the model. She is a young Latina women who is an up and coming celebrity that has just gotten a very big job in her modeling career. It is important to see women of color not just in film but also represented in the fashion industry. She is represented as a very ambitious girl, this debunks many stereotypes that minorities are faced with on a daily basis. The photographer herself is also a minority, being African American.  African American women are not often depicted as photographers, especially high level photographers, which is why creating this character is so important. Being of minorities ourselves, we think is extremely important to see more people like ourselves in film and depicted as characters that may be out of the ordinary. 

    

Linan, Steve. “How Inclusive Is the Entertainment Industry?” USC News, 22 Feb. 2016, news.usc.edu/92220/how-inclusive-is-the-entertainment-industry.

Kent, Sarah. “Fashion’s Long Road to Inclusivity.” The Business of Fashion, 19 Nov. 2021, www.businessoffashion.com/articles/news-analysis/fashions-long-road-to-inclusivity.

Portfolio Project: Pre-Production - Character Development

     My partner and I have spent a lot of time decided the details of who our characters are going to be and how they are going to effectively fit into the storyline that we are trying to bring to life. We knew that our characters were going to include a photographer and a model as we are centering the story around a photoshoot gone wrong so to speak. We decided that it would work best with the model being our main character. She is a young adult model between the ages of 19-23. She is of Latin heritage which will be further discussed in a future blog post. She is a youthful, happy, ambitious, and outgoing upcoming model who is having her first viral photoshoot. Our photographer is our secondary character who isn't focused on. She is between the ages of 25- 29 and African American. She's very hardworking and creative so she puts her all into her photoshoots. 

                                    

    The model's mood board was created to depict who she is. Inspiration was taken from a very popular Latina actress, named Jenna Ortega. She a younger celebrity who I felt exemplified the characteristics of the character we are going to create. Her role in Scream is an example of the shock factor and mystery that we are trying to employ in our project. The accompanying pictures depict the job of a model and what our character is going to be doing throughout our 2-minute opening. The colors seen in the background are mostly warm, calm yellows that are used to express her personality of being genuinely happy and youthful. She also appears fairly innocent which will make people wonder what she did that cause the ominous text message. The photographer's mood board depicts the job of a photographer, specifically a fashion photographer like those for Vogue. The colors are black and white to create the feel of film that goes with the photography career field. While she is not the main character, she is a important piece of the story. 

Portfolio Project: Pre-Production - Planning

     My project partner created a google doc so that we can begin to organize our ideas for what we want our project to be. It begun as a purely drama film, which we used movies like The Devil Wears Prada and Pretty Woman. Although, as we began talking about what we wanted the storyline to be, we added elements of mystery/thriller that I thought resembled stories like Gone Girl. This dip into thriller makes our story very unique is interesting in my opinion, and has made me very excited to begin blocking out the scenes that we want to film to bring our vision to life through our 2 minute opening.

    This Google Doc has allowed us to share and document our ides for the storyline and what elements and props we will need in order to complete the vision that we have for our story. We began by outlining who our characters were going to be in the film that effectively showcases both photography and fashion which are two very important topics for us that we wanted to include. We do this as a way of putting a little of ourselves into the characters that we will see on screen. We went on to strategically document what questions our opening will inspire in the audience that will encourage their want to keep watching. Having unanswered questions also lends itself to the thriller genre. We also depicted the conflict that we wanted to introduce in our opening that is the basis of what our main character will be facing throughout the duration of the film.  

Portfolio Project: Pre-Production - Research

     Upon discussing what we want our storyline to be, we realized that our genre would also be considered a thriller/mystery as well. We felt that this genre would best fit what we are trying to do and bring in a new wave of audience members that would find our movie interesting. These audience members would likely be young adults who enjoy a psychologically challenging that allows them to guess what is going to take place. This leaves them on the edge of their seats until that very end when the answer is reveled or when a sequel is introduced. We thought that this genre would give our project an interesting twist that may be unique. 

    An example of what we are inspired by, is the book turned movie Gone Girl. This story follows a husband whom his wife goes missing on their anniversary during this annual game of hide and seek. What seemed to be a normal tradition, quickly became a mystery and a search for a missing person. We hope to employ this sense of normalcy before a sharp turn in the events of the story to get the ball rolling into the actual plot of what will be taking place throughout the rest of the story that intrigues both drama and mystery lovers alike. We hoped that adding mystery will make people want to continue watching and see how it pans out in the end.

Portfolio Project: Pre-Production - Research

     My teammate and I have begun researching the target audience for the drama genre to discover what aspects of film making we should focus on in order to engage the target audience of drama films. I found that drama movies are well liked by people who are emotional and enjoy showing emotion. I think it will be very important for us to add elements that people can relate to, which can in turn provoke an emotional response from them. I think we should also incorporate aspects of a thought provoking story, that's also a very important aspect that goes into bringing in the audience of drama lovers. I want to add an important message to the story in order to engage an audience and make them interested with our movie and want to keep watching. 

    One of the many very popular drama movies is Titanic. It uses people's emotions to enrapture them, and engage them in the story that develops between Rose and Jack. Specifically, the ending evoked a strong emotion response in those audience members who were emotionally invested in this budding romance. This movie was such a hit that it came back to be rereleased for it's 25th anniversary and has done pretty well in the box office, with returning audience members from its original release and a new, younger audience that has found an interest in this story as well. I want to employ the use of emotion to create a timeless story that can be showcased in 2 minutes leaving an audience to want to continue watching.

Resources: Nikhil. “The Target Audience for Drama Films: Who Loves Drama?” AMPLIFY XL, 21 Aug. 2022, https://amplifyxl.com/target-audience-for-drama-films/?utm_content=anc-true

 

Portfolio Project: Pre-Production - Brainstorming

     My partner and I have been discussing what type of movie we want to create and have decided to focus on the drama genre. I am looking into and taking inspiration from older drama movies like The Devil Wears Prada and Pretty Women. Based on the type of story we are trying to tell, I believe that these movies will provide us with the most helpful information and quality inspiration while we continue to brainstorm what we want to be included in our 2-minute opening. 

    We also began discussing what function we our 2-minute opening to have and came up with introducing a character and the conflict. In doing this, we hope to draw in an audience by showcasing what they can expect within the rest of the movie. We hope that our character will be likeable and relatable because we ultimately want the audience to be rooting for them to overcome the challenges they will face and reach the goal that they have been hoping for throughout the movie.

 

Portfolio Project: Pre-Production - Spitballing

     My friend, Isabella, and I have decided that we would like to team up to complete this project as we have thoroughly enjoyed working with one another on previous projects throughout the year and have grown into collaborators that work off each other and compliment the others skillsets.

    We have discussed the elements of the story in characters that are really important for us to incorporate, like an emphasis on photography, which is very important to Isabella who wants to become a photographer, and fashion, which is what I would like to focus on in the future. Understanding the important parts of the story that are a must has allowed us to easily steer our story in the right direction, having decided on drama as our genre. 

    The inspiration that first came to mind when we began thinking of what we want our story to be was The Devil Wears Prada, this movie stood out to us because it too focuses on the elements of fashion and the media, like photography, that surrounds it. We are beginning to brainstorm who our character will be and what conflicts they will face within the 2 minutes other our opening, as well as determining how it will end so we can better create the opening sequences. I am very excited to begin the project and hope to be able to create something that my partner and I are proud of.   

Music Marketing Reflection

 My group and I began this project with our in-depth research on the rock genre. We focused on the record companies of RCA Records and Lava Records. Amongst the artists signed to these labels, we became inspired mostly by Maneskin's movement of bringing the rock genre back to a younger audience after it became more of a genre for the older generation who grew up with it. Ultimately, through our research we decided on a younger artist whom we modeled after Ross Lynch from the band Driver Era. We felt that he matched the image we were trying to create for our artist. 

    After determining what we were aiming for based on the information we gather about the rock genre, we began to brainstorm within a shared google doc what the specific aspects of this brand would encompass. We decided on the name OBSID!AN as just a stage name to fit theme of our song that was called "Many Shades of Black". However, we also wanted to create his real name as we felt it would be important to know who this person is during a potential business pitch. We felt that a mysterious image would suit our brand best as to bring a new aesthetic to a genre that is heavily influenced by promo videos and eccentric, outgoing artists. We did feel; however, that he would go viral via TikTok which is becoming the launching platform for many of the newer artists of today. 

    From there we began to create our presentation while simultaneously planning out the ideas we wanted to put into our music video. For the presentation, we wanted to ensure that we created something that fit the essence of OBSID!AN and what he stands for. To each of the slides we added a ripped piece of paper to depict the writing process that our artist went through in creating the song we were using for the music video. As for the music video, we knew from the beginning that we did not want our artist to star in it as we wanted to maintain the more mysterious side of his persona. We felt that he would lean more towards a storytelling video with elements of abstract imagery. We recognized that a story was being told throughout the song and we wanted to match our shots with what was taking place in the lyrics. We played with fun filters in order to shows his more artistic mind. 

    We prepared for our presentation by practicing and creating notecards with important talking points that may not have appeared directly on the slide but were important to elaborate on. Following our presentation, we went home and talked through the critiques we received from classmates and discussed what we could have improved on whether that we within the presentation itself or with how we presented it. It was an important step for us to take so that we will be able to implement what we learned not just from doing the project but also from what we did not do so that we can improve on our next task and add the elements that this one was lacking.

    This project was very fun to complete, and I thoroughly enjoyed what my group was able to create in the end having started off with a genre that we were not confident in. This project has helped me learn what the true elements of a brand presentation are and what I can do to improve my presentation skills whether that be with the making of the physical presentation or how I interact with the audience that I am presenting to. I was able to really work together with my group and improve upon building ideas off one another to create an idea that not only works for everyone, but also includes complex features that can only come from the input of others. Many of the skills that I have learned through this project will help me as I move onto working on my Cambridge portfolio project, like how to take constructive criticism and use it improve my final project as well as how to work with others and go above and beyond what you originally believed you could accomplish.