Portfolio Project: Pre-Production - CCR Brainstorming

    My partner and I have begun brainstorming ideas of what we can do for our creative critical reflections. She came up with the idea of an interview style video, for example, a WIRED Autocomplete Interview. We didn't want to have the exact same ideas so I began thinking of something along the same lines that connects our projects but shows each of our personalities. I came up with the idea of doing something like Hot Ones or Buzzfeed puppy interviews. However, something else that intrigues me is making a video like Vogue's wardrobe or closet tours. 

    These videos would be used to answer some of the questions about our project that influence the choices that we made while also being able to showcase our personalities in the process. My second medium that I would like to used is a PowerPoint with a voiceover. I have found that I quite enjoy making creative presentations especially through using Canva and I feel that I would be to create something very visually appealing while also getting my point across about what I will be discussing, which is very important. 

Portfolio Project: Pre-Production - Prop Design

     My partner and I want to decorate our set as a designated spot for fashion photoshoots which the premise behind what our story is going to be about. We want the walls to be covered in posters that represent fashion and other prominent photoshoots. To accomplish this, we want aesthetic posters from Vogue, InStyle, etc. to line the walls in order to show that this photoshoot is very important and the main character is a serious model. This also helps depict an environment that most viewers would not expect to become the setting for something creepy like a power outage or the screams that follow. Although, we have run into minor setbacks when it comes to actually getting these props.

                            

                                            

        While we were able to find posters that resembled the ones that we would like to display, they were quite expensive on Amazon and thought that it would be better if we just created them ourselves. In order to do so, we will be either designing to find designs that we feel would look good for our set and we will be using cheap services at Walgreens, CVS, or Office Depot in order to get them printed on poster sized paper. We felt that this would ultimately be more rewarding, and we could keep them as decorations for our own homes after we conclude the filming of the project. This allows us also to get more personalized designs that we love rather than just the ones that come with the sets that we have seen online. 

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.