Complications

 COMPLICATIONS

One of my biggest complications in this filming process were the wood scenes. My mom and I heard many different frightening noises coming from the woods which spooked us a bit but added a lot to the making of the videos. I wanted to have natural background noises in my shots which I achieved. 

A complication factor was the lighting. Some of the clips I tried to film were blurry since it was very dark outside and I had to redo many of them. This complication was one of the things that took the longest and held me back. Even though my mom and I tried filming with flash, it still turned out a bit blurry and still too dark. In a way I learned how to cope with it and figure it out. I told myself that some of the clips that turned out a bit too dark or blurry added to the spookiness of the opening. None of the shots were too blurry or too dark but I started looking at some horror film openings in the woods and most of them are like that. Still, the darkness was a major problem but I figured it out by going in to the areas that have the most light and holding up the flash while I'm recording.

Overall, I think this project was a fun adventure and many laughs were shared through the process of it. 

FILMING

 FILMING

Today was the first day I filmed which was a struggle. Since I chose to do it at night and in a forest I got bit by bugs many times. The filming part was fun and an adventure, but the getting bit by mosquitos was the not so fun part.

I chose to film in an empty rode near my neighborhood for the car part and then Regional Park for the forest part. My mom helped me film since she was the one recording me and accompanied me while I was driving. A huge part in this process that helped me to stay on track was my storyboard. This really helped me shoot the shots I wanted to achieve and helped me to have proficient videos.

The lighting and sound also played a huge role in my filming process since it establishes a dark, eerie, and suspenseful tone. The lighting was very dark with a light so I could stand out and be the main focus. The lighting was one of my main focuses in this project so it could relate to the genre of horror and mood I was going for for my opening. The noises also play a massive role since there were a lot of background noises which helped develop the sense of spookiness and foresty vibe for this film.

Here some photos of me filming which was an interesting  adventure:

              

PROPS

Monday, February 24, 2025

PROPS FOR FILMING

The props I'm planning on utilizing are a "ID TURN BACK IF IWERE YOU" sign and some fake squirrels. I will be purchasing these items on amazon and I will be adding little extra on them for some enhancement. These two props especially the sign will be the main focus in my project since everything else will either be a car or nature.

THE SIGN

For this sign I am planning on adding "mold" by using cornstarch and a drop of green dye. By doing this I will be able to adjust my mold an shape it into however I want and wherever I want. I will be putting the mold around the corners and for the paint I will carefully get a medal utensil and rub it against the paint to create a more spookier and vintage/ old affect. To have it up on the side of the rode I will be finding a random sign since there are a variety of signs and safely make sure no one is on the rode and then tape it over the original sign. I will put it up and take it off whenever is needed such as for when I film and I will also make sure that there are no cars whenever the sign is attached. 

THE SQUIRREL

Now the squirrel. The squirrel that I needed was just one but then  I came across the photo of the three squirrels which gave me an idea. I could use all three squirrels as one since they all have different positions. I could do replacement and editing to make it seem like its one squirrel moving. By doing this it will effect the look of the squirrel and make it look a bit more realistic than just using one that has the same position. I am planning by making it move by attaching a string to it and then have my brother pulling on it. I am still not 100% sure on this but this is one of my main thoughts for it.

 Saturday, February 22, 2025

AUDIO

This blog will be focused mainly on what kind of audio I will be using for my 2 minute opening. Audio in my opening can make a huge impact on the overall look and feeling from it. It will play a massive roll in my opening which will give it the sense of horror that I'm looking for. So, without further or due lets get right into every detail and sound effect my opening will be containing.

Since my genre is horror and I will be needing a lot of noise and sound effects every second. I came up with the idea to record at night so that there could also be a lot of spooky natural noises coming from the animals in the forest. I am planning on have a lot of branches breaking for every step I take when I'm walking through the forest and to add a sound effect of the wind whistling for certain parts in my video. One of my main focuses is having a lot of animals and insects in the background to create the feeling of spookiness in the forest. Another sound I would like to include is the sound of my heartbeat beating faster and faster every time I see or feel like somethings going to happen in a negative way. I want my heartbeat to be subtle and I want it to create tension in the atmosphere for the scene where she hears something in the bushes but its really just a squirrel. 

For the music, I would like to include a very subtle low sound but very suspenseful type of sound to create tension. I would also want to have occasional noises when she's walking through the forest, and I would like it to get a bit more suspenseful and louder the further and deeper she goes. For the sound of the forest I would include sound of the leaves rustling on and on and owls howling in the back. The most important type of sounds and noises is the natural noise coming from the forest which contains all these following. The sounds coming from the forest is what develops the genre of horror since its a loud silence but not too loud.

Lastly, for the speaking part of this opening, I wouldn't necessarily talk a vast amount of times and often, but occasionally I would be making some gasps and small noises for certain scenes. I fell like for this opening talking isn't really needed but more of the occasional small noises that are noticeable throughout the film.

LOCATIONS FOR MY OPENING

Friday, February 21, 2025

LOCATIONS

There are a few different forests near me where I would like to film but I still don't know which one would be best. 

First, we have Enchanted Forest Elaine Gordon Park. 

I enjoy this place a lot, the thing is that the trees aren't very tall and there's not much space inside. The trees are to clumped up and its more of a park then a forest. I would like this forest to film the sign clips but not for the driving and going inside through the tree's shots. This forest was my last option since it has no room to film walking through the forest and also has no space to drive through the forest. I still liked it as an option since it looks pretty interesting, but this would definitely be my last one.

My next option is Sherwood Forest Park which is a lot larger, and the trees are taller which is what I need for my opening.

I like this forest because the trees are taller and there's more rode space which would be perfect for my opening. I like how I will actually be able to walk in the forest through the trees and how I can vision it at night and how perfect it will fit. I feel like I will have the amount of space needed for my project to film and to organize. Another thing I like about this forest is the large branches on the floor which could act as a natural prop and could add so much to the film.

Last forest I would like to include as one of my options is FIU Nature Preserve. 

I like this park because of the trails it has and the mystery it holds. Another thing is the large trees and branches it has which could be perfect for certain scenes. This forest park is my second favorite since it has the requirements to film for the walking part but just not for the driving part. This forest just isn't wide enough and barely has any rode tracks. This forest also has many cool trees and a variety of them which could add a mysterious sense to some scene since it could be viewed as "different".

Mise-En-Scene blog

Thursday, February 20, 2025

MISE-EN-SCENE BLOG

Mise-en-scene is one of the most important things to think of trying to develop your project. In this blog I will be covering over everything that will be in my opening and how it will be used. I think this blog will really help me with setting everything straight and to have everything go as planned. 

LIGHTING-

Firstly, the lighting is going to be very dim and dark since this will be taken place as the sun is going down till it's dark. I'm going to use dark colors such as black, dark blue, and dark red to enhance the nighttime feeling. Next for the setting, the setting will be in the forest with many trees covering with almost no space and view to see afar. The forest will be very dark with almost barley any light to bring the eerie feeling to life which makes it uneasy for the viewers. I was thinking of putting a type of fog through the trees which develops a feeling of mystery and uneasiness. This will add so much to the opening and make it spookier and tense.

PROPS-

Next thing are the props that I will be including into my short film. One prop I would like to add which would be the center of attention in this film is the "Turn Back Now" sigh. I would like this sign to be rusty and to look very old, so it looks spookier and creates a sense that she shouldn't be going there and that somethings going to happen later on. I want this sign to look very old to the point where there's mold growing on it and the paint is slowly fading away because of long it's been there for and what it went through for that long. The sign will be my main focus prop, but I still have other ones I would like to include. I would like to include other props such as branches on the ground to create a more dead looking feeling in the forest. I would also like to include a stuffed animal with string for the part where an animal comes out of the bushes. So, these are my main 3 props I will be adding to my opening. 

COSTUME-

Lastly will be what I'm wearing for this opening. Since I'm on my way to a date, I would like to dress a bit formal and casual. Either a nice dress or a top with jeans and a blog jacket to add to the dark mysterious vibe. For this short film I would want her clothes to slowly start falling off and be left behind. For example, her jacket, this will show that she is on a determined mission or quest and has no time to spare. This will also show her desperation to leave the forest and the amount of confusion she is consuming throughout this opening.

All these different mise-en-scenes things will help me to develop the small details in my project and will enhance and expand my idea on this opening. 

Aice media blog- week 4

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

CHARACTER

My character is someone who questions a lot of things that she doesn't have the answers for. She is a very observant person and suspicious of most things. She notices the smallest details and makes a case for the little things she is not sure of. She is someone who is not scared of things most people would be scared of and she is very confident in herself. She is a very wise person and precise in the decisions she makes.

CHOOSING A NAME

The name I decided to go with for this character in my film is "Clarice". I did some digging and searched up some names for girls and when I saw the name Clarice it instantly clicked with me. I honestly think this name is just such a classic when it comes to horror films and I feel like her name and her character would match perfectly in my opening. Another reason I picked this name is cause for some reason when I see a name I think of what films that name could be used and the genre of the film. The name "Clarice" screams the genre of horror to me and I see it instantly being used in my plot of the opening and I also see it fit in the setting of the place which is in he forest. 

DEVELOPMENT

The development for my character will be pretty simple and nothing extravagating. Clarise's personality is very unique since she is a very observant and intelligent person. She's in her car heading a way she has never gone before since she is going to go on a date and there's traffic. It will be very vivid that she's going on a date sine she will be dressed up and have a purse on her. 

Something I would like to put out there and show a variety of times is her fear of the dark by showing the sun setting and her turning on all the lights while it gets darker. By showing her fear of the dark it acknowledges how weak and powerless she is when she's in the dark and has no light with her. This makes her look powerless and fearful since she's supposed to be this frightened less person. I want to show her fear of the dark and make it very noticeable to show that people could be hiding behind a mask most of the time and everyone has their fears even if people think their this confident and fearless.

 STORY BOARD

The following step is to storyboard my visual ideals for this project. This storyboard really helped me to have a detailed plan for each shot and angle in this opening. They serve to save as much time possible by having a straightforward and transparent plan which makes it a lot easier to film with time to spare and improvement. Overall, they have a huge impact on filmmakers by providing a broken down scene with detailed shots

The following is my storyboard-

storyboard

                
  

 Thursday, February 13, 2025

PROJECT IDEA

Hey blog, for this post I will be accumulating all my ideas on what i would like to do for my project. I have decided on my main idea and how I would like to put this idea together to create a suspenseful plot. So, without further or due lets jump into it!!

 My idea for my project is first going to have a genre of horror with suspense and danger. What I would like to do for my two minute opening is to have a girl (me) in the woods driving around in a narrow empty street at night to create a sense of  danger. I would like to have her driving around the woods but she keeps coming back to the same spot which develops a sense of confusion and mystery to the whole opening. After when she realizes that somethings wrong in this empty, off vibe looking forest she decides to get out of the car and and start walking into the vacant woods by herself.

 I would like to add a lot of noise and sound effects and have that as my main focus so that every branch that breaks when she takes a step adds danger to the whole video. I would want to include bugs in the background and the wind whistling to add suspense and anxiety. This 2 minute opening will all be based on the girl and her journey through the woods and night alone to add on to the suspenseful tension. 

                                                   (Noise I would like to include)

The camera angles and shots are everything in my opening. The camera movements are the second most important step and focus in my opening since the part of her walking through the woods will be hand held and different POV angles so it seems like someone's there looking at her every move without her knowing. Once she's walking in the woods she will hear something in the bushes and freak out to the point where she's ready to fight. Afterall, it will be a squirrel or a random animal that comes out and she will take a big breath to show relief. 

Then finally, once she turns back around a mystery person will grab her arm and pull her out of the frame while the camera drops to the ground and shows a black screen. The final shot will be a shot of the ground (black screen) and of her screaming and it will end off there to add a little cliffhanger and a "to be continued...". I chose for this setting to be in the woods and at dawn since it puts the idea of the horror genre together and will make it more terrifying which will lead to the audience and viewers wanting more.

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

MEDIA THEORY

This blog post is based on what media theory I would be interested in including in my opening. I feel like this blog post will help me on determining  my overall idea and goal for my opening project and see how the genre I chose can correlate to what will happen and the small details that will be used in my opening. The media theory I would like to integrate in my project would be suspense theory. So lets gets to it and let me explain the what's and whys I chose this theory.

This theory would create suspense throughout the whole opening and would create a sense of danger which would add to it. This theory would create anxiety but also with some excitement to keep the viewers on their feet. The suspense theory would create uncertainty and fustrational suspense which would go very well with my opening. It creates anticipation and a lot of tension which would also fit with my idea for my opening. To add on, this theory holds onto emotional engagement with the audience and also adds to the character development and seeing her actions throughout the mystery of what will happen.

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/paradox-suspense/#ParSus

This theory could be used in my film in ways such as the setting taking place at night and a dark area in the woods to create a more frightened and suspenseful feeling since dark environments or dim lighting are usually where all horror movie  take place and it creates a sense of danger to the character. The angles I would use for this theory to create more suspense is shaky hand held shots and angles of POV to show that someone's watching her and that she's in danger. Another way is the sound. For the sound I could include a lot of background sound of every step and branch she steps on on her journey through the woods. I would also include sound of the wind whispering and bugs in the back making unsettling noise. Another way this theory could be used in my opening is by making everything happen slow and delaying the result. By doing this I could create suspense in my shots and keep it more intense and nerve-racking. 

https://academic.oup.com/jaac/article-abstract/66/3/281/5979625?redirectedFrom=PDF

I feel like this theory could really help me with my 2 minute opening and help in developing the plot and idea of what I would like to include in it. I'm still not set on what I would be interested in doing completely for my opening but this has really helped me and made it a lot easier in how to create suspense in my horror opening and make it more realistic.

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

 GROUP MEETING

Today in class my teacher put us into groups of 5 or 6. My group was a group of 5 and we all shared our ideas and each gave each other feedback on our projects or developing ones. The people in my group are Matias, Peyton, Dani, and Lee. This group activity helped me out a lot on my idea for my film opening and I feel like now I almost have a set idea on what my opening is going to include and what its going to be about. 

The first person to share their idea was Peyton, which was a coming of age opening. She was working together with another person and she needed more ideas on what she should include in her opening. Her coming of age opening idea was a girl feeling very insecure but never showed it around her friends. She was going to film some parts at school and some parts out of school so that it made it more of a realistic teenage girl life. The first one to give a suggestion was Lee, she suggested to include a wall in the beginning and a bell ringing in the background which would then lead to her and her emotions which would show through her facial expressions. I then suggested that she should include a clip of her in the bathroom looking at herself in the mirror with an insecure looking face. Dani then added on to it and stated that her friends should be in there with her and that once they leave that's when she would look at herself in the mirror insecurely. I felt like our group gave her a lot of input on what she should include in her opening which made her feel more confident about it.  https://cheergirlpey.blogspot.com/ - Peyton

The next group member to share their project was Dani, she was going for a horror opening and she almost had a set idea on what she was going to do. Her idea for her opening was to start off with clumped pictures on a wall and red strings attached to almost each photo. I could tell by then she was going for a more mysterious and suspenseful horror opening which was a great idea. She wanted to have a lot going on such as, a hand cutting out each photo and pinning it onto the wall and red string scattered all over which would then lead back to a photo of a girl. She wanted the photo of the girl to be the main focus and darted at with a pin which would then happen to be that girls boyfriend pinning her as his target. Then later on she wanted to show the last clip which would be that same guy (her boyfriend) to pick her up in his car and end it off there. We all very much liked the idea and suggested a couple of things to include. We all agreed that she should include a very artistic credit scene that relates to the opening since its a very creative and inventive idea. I then added on and suggested that she should end it off with a shot of the guys face with a smirk to make it more intense and leave it with a cliffhanger.  https://intomediastudies.blogspot.com/ - Dani

The next person to share their idea was Lee, she was going for a coming of age film which would be about a girl with her jealous boyfriend and overtime when she would talk to guys he would grab her arm and tell her "were leaving". My group members and I very much liked this idea because we think it could be a very unique and creative opening left with tension. She wanted the credit scenes to be very unique and original since that's the idea she had in mind for the whole opening. Something I suggested she should do is to have the boyfriend as her neighbor or someone who lives close to her so that its a more realistic idea on why and how he will never leave her alone. I suggested this because I figured it would add more of a jealous affect on the boyfriend and why she's never left alone since he's always with her.   https://leesentertainment.blogspot.com/ - Lee

Then, Matias shared his idea about a horror theme genre that's about an antagonist showing his weapons through different angled close up shots. He wanted the main focus to be on different parts of the weapons and wanted to create a mysterious feeling through the screen. My group and I enjoyed the idea of the variety of weapons being shown to express that somethings going to happen later and we gave him suggestions of things he should include in his project. What we suggested is that there should be extreme close ups on his hand and weapons to show what he's doing with the weapons to kind of create a vision of what he will be using them for and what he's prepared to do with them in the future.  https://leesentertainment.blogspot.com/ - Matias

Lastly, I shared my idea which was not very put together and still not figured out completely. I wanted to do a setting in the woods with a girl but I didn't have much information on it until my group members helped me figure it out. My group members suggested that I should do it on a girl that's lost in the empty and quiet woods and she's stuck in a loop no matter what ways she goes. They suggested that she would get lost in the woods driving and would then have to go barefoot, but no matter how far she goes she keeps coming back to the same spot. I then added on to the thought of that and came up with an idea that at the end of the opening she could be walking inside the woods alone and someone would snatch her by her arm and she would let out a big scream while the camera drops to the ground and shows a black screen. My group members liked that idea and overall helped me so much with my opening idea.