AICE Media Studies

  One of the things we had to consider for our project was the costumes. We had a general idea of what was going to happen in the film, but we weren’t sure who was going to wear what. In one of our original concepts, One of us would have played a killer in the film. This means that one of us would have had to wear a killer costume. We found that it was difficult to dress as a convincing killer, so we decided not to use one. Now that we know what the four of us are doing, we need to decide what to wear. Context clues given in the script can help us with what to wear. The characters have distinct roles. Taking this into consideration, we can narrow down our list of possible costumes. Using this, we will dress as regular people, blending with the real  world that we want to portray. Casual clothing, tennis shoes, and hats will all be present. The costume design is obviously subject to change by each person, so this rule will not be strictly followed. For example, Jibril decided t...

  The gloomy and unsettling environment close to Maxs home was ideal for our video project. As a student, Jibril and I worked together to make a short movie for our class project. The region close to Max's house was the ideal choice because it matched the menacing atmosphere of our scenario. Tall trees and bushes encircled the scene, lending it an eerie and ominous atmosphere. Max's home itself was outdated and dilapidated, with boarded-up windows and deteriorating wall paint. As it was private land and we didn't want to disturb the neighbors, we were aware that we had to exercise caution when filming there. In order to set up our equipment and prepare our photographs, we arrived early in the morning. The area's natural lighting was ideal for creating the ominous and dismal feeling we were striving for. To improve the ambience of the scene, we also brought along some artificial lighting and smoke machines. It was occasionally difficult to film in the area around Max...

    one of the key decisions we had to make was what costumes to use. We knew that the costumes would be critical to creating a sense of fear and dread in the audience. We started by brainstorming different ideas and concepts for the costumes. We knew that we wanted to use something that would be instantly recognizable as horror, but we also wanted to make sure that the costumes were unique and memorable. After much discussion, we decided to go with a classic horror trope - the dark apparition. We felt that this would be a great choice because it would allow us to create a sense of mystery and ambiguity, while also being immediately recognizable as something terrifying. Next, we began researching different types of dark costumes. We looked at everything from traditional Victorian-era cloaks to more modern interpretations of cloaked figures. We eventually settled on a costume that was both eerie and unique. The costume consisted of a long dark clothes, with tattered edges and a...

   In the past two years of this class, we have talked about filming techniques. This is because there is a large emphasis being put on them. Because of the emphasis that I have been taught, I want to put a lot of thought into how I film this project. The first thing I need to do is make sure that I have the right camera angles. In the classroom, we watched many film examples. I have chosen a handful of filming techniques that I want to use based on these film extracts. They might not be put in the final film, but they are the ones that I felt might be beneficial to add. The first is the eye-level shot. There is nothing fancy about it, but it is very common in films and because of that, I want to add it to ours. It is almost exclusively a close-up or medium close-up shot, meaning that it is taken from a relatively close distance, and leaves most of the emphasis on the actor. Because it is a relatively close shot, I want to use it in our shot focusing on the victim. The next is...

  Right now. we are finished up with filming and are in the process of editing our short-film. With time being "wasted" I decided to talk to you about sound.  The role of sound in the short-film is significant as it brings a sense of authenticity to the film and assists the audience in understanding the plot. Firstly, the location and sound settings contribute to the realism of the movie. For instance, the sounds of the beach or forest establish the scene and context. Secondly, the sound adds to the credibility of the movie. For example, including the sound of cutlery when characters are eating creates a realistic environment. The sound of water glasses clinking on the table is also essential. Lastly, sound is used to provide clues to the audience about the plot. Creepy music can create tension, and the sound of footsteps can indicate the killer's location. Overall, sound is a crucial tool in advancing the film. Background sounds make the scene more realistic, practical s...

   Today might be our last day of filming. I know this sounds crazy, but we already filmed all the scenes needed, with just the ending being left. the introduction of the new teammates really helps us guide through it. I know that we might need to film again in case of some emergency, but so far we're good. I got a rough estimate of how much film time we have remaining when I added the other clips together on iMovie. This was by far the coolest scene. We had set up a ring-light on the floor of Jibril's dining room (protagonists work area) and had it point towards behind the protagonist so that the camera could catch the killer behind him. The music we used had an amazing heavy metal transition of the guitar riff being played once the camera panned behind the killer. Everything we had set up was being for this scene. We were really proud of ourselves and our teamwork in the process. Once we finished filming, Jibril's mom let us have a sleep over since we could just go to sch...

 I'm aware that learning how to utilize iMovie will take some time and effort. I utilized a different piece of software and a different version of iMovie the last time I created a film project for school. But, regardless of the program I choose, the fundamentals of video editing remain applicable. I need to get comfortable with iMovie's user interface. Learning how to import media files, such as music and video clips, is part of this. I need to learn how to use a variety of tools, including the splitter, timeline, and trimmer. Using effects and transitions effectively can improve my project's aesthetic appeal. I also need to learn how to apply filters and change audio levels. Thank goodness, iMovie has a ton of features that can assist me in producing a project that looks polished. To learn the software, I first started with some simple internet lessons. My experimentation with various features and effects has been aided by my practice with sample film. I've com...

Today's the big day for our major running scene. My friends and I gathered at school and piled into my car. We made a pit stop at Domino's to grab some pizza because hunger was gnawing at us. Back at my place, we demolished the pizza. With our stomachs full and props in hand, it was time to shoot. We started with the scene of me starting the run, setting up the intensity and urgency. Then came the thrilling part where I ran. There were times where I saw the villain and had to run. We did it pretty well though. It didnt take as many attempts as i thought. We were thinking of adding obstacles but went against it. We wanted to make it more authentic. Filming was a blast, especially the bloopers of my friends tripping me up even after I changed into fresh running gear. After wrapping up the running scenes, we headed over to Jibril's to film the evidence board scene. We discovered a handy website that simulated real police records, uploading a picture of our "pursuer,"...

Alright, today’s the day we start really filming. We wanted to get the first scene out of the way, so we picked up our friend Max to play in the scene. After picking him up, we went back to Jibril's place. We realized that the scene we needed was a night-time one, so we used Max to our advantage. You guessed it, our filmer! We filmed the scenes of me, (the protagonist), driving down to the detectives office. we also got friends we used all throughout the process we didn’t think would happen. Naiara, and alec. they helped with other actors we were going to reuse as on of us. this will make the film go way smoother. We actually did a good amount of filming in that office. We got the scene with the friends meeting up. We also finished building the evidence board so we got that scene down too. We wanted to continue filming of how the protagonist goes down to the first victims house. However, we realized that my house would be used for that scene and a later one where we tackle officer ...

  Right now this blog is being written as me and Jibril leaving an airsoft field celebrating my birthday party. After the party, we got together back to my place to make some arrangements for our filming schedule. Lots of events in our life came up so we worked up a newer schedule on the days that we film and edit. First off we scouted Jibril's house to make sure it was all set up for filming. We talked to his parents and they said we have full permission, which is perfect. I talked to his little brother Yusef and he agreed to be in some scenes with us. Afterwards, we saw we had some extra time to film so we started on our first intro type scene. We dressed in business attire and acted as newscasters reporting a mass murderer. The scene will of course be finished with some editing on those news headers on the top and bottom, but we were really proud of our work. Afterwards, Jibril's mom gave us some lemonade and we chilled over at his place. When leaving, I dropped a friend off...

  After looking over each genre, we decided that, in order for our pitch to be correctly formatted, that the thriller genre would fit. We came to this reason because the thriller genre is almost exactly how we want the opening sequence for our pitch to be like, scenes full of suspense and avid movements. The reason why horror genre wouldn’t work for our pitch was due to the plot having no horror sense at all. The plot of our pitch is greatly action-related and a horror genre wouldn't fit to all the scenes having more movement. Our opening sequence is based on a rivalry, not some upper entity who controls all of the environment around the protagonist, which is why horror genre would also not be a good fit. The action genre was another candidate but had felt as if it were the same type of energy as a horror film rather than an thriller. Throughout each and every action film I had researched on, there were lots of action and movement throughout scenes, however, most were spook-related...

   The common camera angles in action:  Long shot: Artificially shortens the distance between two characters, tricking the viewer into thinking that the characters actually punch each other but the angle just makes it look like that. Wide shot: Used to establish the main characters in the movie but not the area surrounding them.  Low angle: Used to show how intimidating the villain is and how they are above all.  High angle: Used to show when the main hero is in a tough situation and losing, usually fights or big battles.  Establishing shot: Used to show the main area where the heroes/hero battles it out.  Common Costumes, Props, Setting, and Make-up:  Costume: The costumes in action films are what truly establish the character, some people don't even know the characters face but as soon as they see the suit/costume they immediately recognize them.  Props: Props are important in action films, whether it range from Thor's Hammer to Batman's Ba...

   Common Camera Angles: High Angle: These shots are used in thriller films to give the effect that whatever is being looked down on appears to look powerless and vulnerable.  Tracking/panning: Used to make it look like one of the characters is being followed or being watched. It also helps the audience to have a full view of the scene and what is happening.  Tilting Angle: These add dramatic tension to the scene, and sometimes signify a supernatural being pushing or moving the camera.  Low Angle: These are often used in thrillers to emphasize how powerful and intimidating a villain is. This can also make the audience feel weak and insignificant. Zoom: This gives a dramatic effect and helps to create suspense and fear of not knowing what's going to happen next. Its mostly used in these types of films see something you would have missed before zooming in.  Common Mis-En-Scene:  Setting: Dark areas to present a freaked-out feeling to the viewer. They als...