Planning for the film!

 Alright! So, this week has been super hectic for both me and Mariana, so to be very blunt not a lot of actual work got done. We both just closed Mamma Mia at school, which was a blast, and then yesterday I had to attend and review a Cappies show, so I had very little downtime to actually plan and talk with Mariana about what we want to do.

does this not look scrumptious...?

Mariana reached out to me and asked if we could go to Panera to lock in on writing the script and planning other important aspects of the film, which is exactly what I think we need (and I really need a kitchen sink cookie 😋). 

So basically, I think that we have a good rough outline of what we want the film to be about. What I will be doing now is figuring out what I need to get before we start the filming process itself. Here is a list of what we know so far:

• Party supplies
• Lights (Fun ones, fs colorful)
• Cups (Red Solo)
• Other props that can generally be seen in parties.
• Clothing
• Sister: Light colors, pastels, colorful, should dress more reserved and put together
• Brother (MC): Darker colors, black, messy, the type of clothing that is "I pick up what I first see"
• Therapist: Professional clothing (obviously), neutrals, button up, khaki pants maybe

So, at Panera I want us to get a list of links for all of these items, finalize our entire script, and then finalize all filming dates with our cast and crew members. I know this is a pretty short post, but this week was hectic so I'm hoping we can get a lot done next week! 

Kitchen Sink Cookie – Panera Bread. (2021). [JPEG image]. https://www.panerabread.com/content/dam/panerabread/menu-omni/integrated-web/grid/rect/kitchen-sink-cookie.jpg.transform/grid-image/image.20210510.jpeg

First group meeting!

Hi Cambridge! We had our first group meeting in class, and it finally feels like this project is real to me. Getting to talk to my classmates about my project really helped me think of new things to incorporate into the film, and also what to avoid so everything will be cohesive.

I did write down all of my critiques and notes from the other group member's projects, but I think I want to save your minds from trying to figure out what I'm even trying to communicate. Overall, I mostly helped people figure out how to portray certain concepts, like time passing, or how to represent serious events that can't be portrayed on a school project.

My group went around one by one and we explained our projects, and as a person explained we would ask questions and give critiques. This made me a bit nervous since I had thought that me and Mariana hadn't developed our plot enough to properly explain it to the group, but they actually seemed to really like it! One of the suggestions one of the group members made was to include vastly different color schemes and lighting to show the drastic change between the therapist office and the flashbacks to the past. I'm glad they brought this up, since it is very important to include when it comes to distinguishing when each thing is happening in the plot.

The next thing they told me was to decide the different color schemes and vibes of the characters. Here are the notes I wrote down for that specifically: 

• Very diff color palette for Sister, Brother, and Therapist

• Sister in light colors, neutrals, pastels vibes? Very put together

• Brother not put together at all, more throws on whatever he first sees in the closet vibe. Dark colors, graphic tee and black jeans moment

• Therapist all neutrals very white

Then they tried to help me come up with more specific aspects of the characters. We want to clearly make the brother and sister's personalities super different, and they helped me come up with some ideas to define them a bit more.

Overall, I think this meeting went very well and I'm excited to continue this project! I lowkey think that they didn't want to critique me too much because we were all kind of in the same spot, though, because after the meeting I shared what critiques I got with Mariana, and she told me that she got a lot more than me, so I hope that the two of us can figure out how to work around the ones she got.

Social Media Planning!

 Alright! So now that I've researched social medias for other successful short films, it's time to plan my own! I had created the page using a google account made specifically for this project and sent the login to Mariana, so now we both have full access to the account and can begin posting as soon as possible. I had briefly spoken to Mariana about the types of posts we plan on doing, but here's a breakdown of exactly what I want.

First of all, the look for the page. We decided on using an Instagram page, since most short films we researched social media presence was strictly on Instagram, and very occasionally a Facebook. I remembered it being brought to our attention that not every viewer of our page will be through a mobile phone, so we need to make sure the layout and look of the Instagram profile should still look good on a web browser. This would mean any time we want to have a 1x3 banner across our page using multiple posts, we would need to post it at a point on the Instagram where it would still appear this way on both viewing forms. As unexpected as this is, that means there will be a good amount of math involved when it comes to posting.

As for the actual posts, I definitely want a combination of reels and images, along with stories and highlight reels to accompany this. I also want us to be super specific about what gets posted in what form. For example, if I am making a post that will not always be relevant when it comes to our film, we would include it on the stories and possibly include it on our highlights, but it is it something that will always be relevant or an important date then it should be an actual post. A good example of this would be if the film goes to a film festival that only lasts a few days, then that would be a story post, whereas the film's release date announcement would be an actual post onto the profile.

I also really want a good amount of behind-the-scenes content. While researching the social media of Two Distant Strangers, I noticed a lot of content featuring the camera crew, the set, or even the actors outside of recording. I liked how it presents the film as a large-scale passion project rather than just a piece of slop entertainment that people are so used to viewing nowadays. Behind the scenes content would let the viewer in on all aspects of work put into the film and can even help a viewer grow an attachment or more personal connection to the film and its production process, as they feel they are in on the special content that is usually only seen by people directly involved.

Another good thing to include onto our social media would be quotes. Including quotes of influential figures is great for grabbing the attention of desired audiences. For example, I noticed that Two Distant Strangers' Instagram included quotes from highly influential African Americans. The purpose of the film was to spread awareness of police brutality towards African American individual, so including quotes from those people helped get the target audience to the short film.

Instagram Logo PNG White. (2022). [PNG image]. https://freelogopng.com/image/697

Square profile‑style photo of a woman. (n.d.). [Image]. https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th/id/OIP.eKoeQ1pnvVYiN6WZ2XXiyAHaHa?rs=1&pid=ImgDetMain&o=7&rm=3

Social Media Research!

I would like to apologize for lying in my last post, because the research is never over, so I will now clarify that I meant genre research was done. Today, I am researching the different social medias of short films to see what me and Mariana could do for the digital aspect of our project, and what to avoid while creating our social media presence.

In order to get a wider understanding of what we will be doing, we are each researching three different social medias. We both think that having an Instagram best fits our film idea, so we made sure all six of the short films we would be looking at had Instagram pages, or at least a form of official promotion through Instagram. The short films I will be researching are Two Distant Strangers, The Resemblance, and An Irish Goodbye

Media text: Two Distant Strangers

Social media tool: Instagram

Description of types of posts: Combination of Reels, Images, and Text. No highlights were used to allow viewing of past story posts. Posting was consistent from production process to Oscar Award (2021). Many pictures of production process, both the actors on set and camera crew working. After film's release, they continued posting until the one-year anniversary of winning an Oscar.

Description of how branding is developed (or not): Color scheme and overall graphics used is VERY consistent throughout entire page. Profile picture is the short film's poster. Short film's credits and website is linked in bio, along with where to find the film. Included quotes from well-known figures in the industry that praise the film for its production or relatability such as Harry Belafonte, Jesse Williams, Dean Parisot, etc. Also included praise from established film critics and magazines (Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter; Tim Molloy, MovieMaker Magazine; Matt Grobar, Deadline).

Analysis of how you will use this to develop your own social media presence: One important thing I took from this social media page was the consistent theme throughout the entire page, regardless of what was being posted. They kept a consistent color scheme that correlated directly to their poster (Black, Yellow, and Navy). Another thing that I plan on including is how they made it very easy to find where you can access this film (Netflix).

Media text: The Resemblance

Social media tool: Instagram (Only posted through the Director's account)

Description of types of posts: Very few actual posts of/from the film, but many highlights on the profile of the director. Posts were mostly single images promoting the film and major people involved. Highlights included where to find the film, festivals and theatres you can watch it, and reposts from cast members involved. After release the highlights transitioned to celebrating awards it had won and more festival viewings that could be attended.

Description of how branding is developed (or not): The overall branding developed was not that good, as it was not the main focus of the social media page. Along with this, it was also hard to find where the film could be accessed, as it mostly brought up festivals and not permanent sites that it could be found on. The page was a bit all over the place since it was the Instagram of the director, rather than just the film, so it wasn't clear when the branding was being developed or if it was a personal post.

Analysis of how you will use this to develop your own social media presence: This actually helps me know what to not do in my social media page. I want a clear development of branding through our social media, whether we only post about the film itself or other aspects of the process, I believe it should be clear when even taking a quick glance at the page. That being said, I did actually really like how the one-time events were posted on the stories rather than getting an actual post, so viewers don't get confused while viewing posts, as it would only appear when it is relevant to the poster.

Media text: An Irish Goodbye

Social media tool: Instagram

Description of types of posts: MOSTLY images to promote film, in the form of banners (3 posts across the page to appear as one when only viewing profile). Some reels, but very few, mostly are trailers or teasers of the film. Highlight story reel of positive reviews and critiques.

Description of how branding is developed (or not): Cohesive color scheme, all posts seem to be images from production or awards the production has one. No behind the scenes content, only finished products. Film name and references to it are included throughout posts (Irish Premiere, etc.) Bio includes all awards won by short film. Profile lists that it is a movie. Website included in bio.

Analysis of how you will use this to develop your own social media presence: Again, I really liked that where to find the film was clearly displayed on the profile (the top middle post). I also think that their large inclusion of images that matched the film's overall aesthetic and images from the film was great, especially since it avoided spoiling major plot points, but still gave an overall vibe to what the film would be.

(n.d.). Two Distant Strangers poster [Image]. https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.249639c2e2fdd08a6508c685bb341622?rik=AHNv41mjAyRruw&riu=http%3a%2f%2fwww.impawards.com%2fshorts%2f2020%2fposters%2ftwo_distant_strangers.jpg&ehk=VgniuakSxxZ%2bK%2b%2b%2b6IBsIFT7NYLglu3KH0uLOZMlizQ%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw&r=0

(n.d.). An Irish Goodbye poster [Image]. https://epicchq.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/MV5BZjRkMDEwNWMtNjA2OS00Njk1LWIzMWItZDk3ODc0MTcwYTQ5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI0OTgwMTUw.V1.jpg

(n.d.). The Resemblance poster [Image]. https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMzY3YzRiYWQtYmY2YS00MDA3LThhMTAtZjg0NDY2OGMyNGMxXkEyXkFqcGc

Still researching...but now I'm finished!

 I know, you're definitely sick of all of this genre research too, but it is genuinely very helpful in getting me to figure out what to include and exclude in the plot of the film. The final two films I will be researching on my blog are Whiplash and 500 Days of Summer.

Let's start off with Whiplash. In short, Whiplash is the story of a drummer who is put through extreme psychological pressure by his instructor.

Looking at what me and Mariana could include from Whiplash, I think an important part is that 'psychological pressure.' Our main character falls into an unhealthy lifestyle due to issues at home, but I think we can further develop those issues with the idea of the psychological pressure.

Obviously, we won't have J.K. Simmons to play an abusive music instructor, and I really don't think we will have any part of our film go to the extremes they had him portray in his character. I think the important thing to take away from this film is how Andrew (the drummer) succumbs to this pressure and how it affected him as a person. While describing genuine issues such as this, it is important to properly showcase how it affects that person, and I think we can get inspiration from Whiplash while developing our character a little more.

Now finally my last one, 500 Days of Summer. An important part of this film is Tom's self-reflection and his thought process throughout all of this. This is very important to focus on if we are having our film be told through therapy sessions with our main character. 

Therapy is full of self-reflection, so we could definitely take notes on how this could be portrayed and what struggle our main character can go through while confronting his own emotions.

I think this story is told in a way that me and Mariana can honestly take loads of inspiration from, and I think while finalizing our script we should definitely rewatch this film to further investigate what the film does to showcase Tom's emotional journey throughout his self-reflection process, just like we will have our main character do in our own film.

(n.d.). Whiplash poster [Image]. https://wallpapercave.com/wp/wp1952004.jpg

(n.d.). 500 Days of Summer poster [Image]. https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th/id/OIP.RdXQBvPOevHMB7UWfH4PDgHaKj?rs=1&pid=ImgDetMain&o=7&rm=3

More drama!

 Using the help of Letterboxd, I had to find quite a few more drama films. In this post I will be focusing on the following: La La Land & Fight Club.

Now obviously I couldn't choose two more different films for one post, but I believe the idea still stands that regardless of the plot, I'm researching the conventions of drama in these films and tying them back to what I can include in me & Mariana's film.

Starting off with La La Land, another one of my favorite films. This film is exactly what I want in regard to keeping a consistent theme throughout the entire film. La La Land does a great job of showcasing the two main character's individual issues, and how they come together to ultimately form a relationship that doesn't end up working for them.

What I like about this film is that they don't work out, even though they could and they both want to. I think that this is displayed very well in this film and I could take notes on keeping a consistent theme throughout the film. I also really liked how they story told in this film, especially since it is hard to take musicals seriously in some senses, but the way that this film is written nails it. 

Overall, La La Land is a great example of how I want to represent characters in our short film and how we can keep consistent theme and tone throughout the entire film.

Now moving on to Fight Club, this film also explores individuality and how that can affect oneself, and others around them.

The aspect of this film that I want to take inspiration from is the self-confrontational bits. In our film, we have a character who is going to therapy for an event that he blames himself for, but we didn't really establish why exactly he blames himself for this event. I think if we use these self-confrontational bits, then we can establish how and why this character finds himself to blame in this situation.

Although Fight Club isn't totally centered around this idea, it's still important to use it as an example of how to portray the concept and make it work, and obviously is won't be what our entire film is centered around, but this example from Fight Club is helping us fill in some plot holes that would have otherwise confused the film.

(n.d.). La La Land poster [Image]. https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/6ibTJwSpzFT43rqtoy51PF54A9r.jpg

IMDb. (n.d.). La La Land (2016) [Film page]. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3783958/

(n.d.). Fight Club image [Image]. https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.5fc197c149c913301c9468373ad027ac?rik=fM%2bqgS70Kkk24g&pid=ImgRaw&r=0

Now to get more specific....

Now in order to even further grasp the drama genre, I need to research films that exhibit that genre. The first two films I will be discussing are the ones I previously mentioned, Good Will Hunting and Dead Poets Society (look at that, common theme of Robin Williams!). I know, it's kind of cheating because I researched Dead Poets Society for genre last year, but looking back at that previous blog post I think I did a terrible job actually researching it, since I knew it wasn't really the direction I wanted to go in.

Starting off with Good Will Hunting, even though this film isn't completely similar to what we plan to do, it is still very useful to research general films in the genre we will be doing, since we might notice some conventions that we want to include, or completely avoid.

Good Will Hunting follows the story of Will Hunting (Matt Damon) who is a genius but works as a janitor at MIT. He struggles with the trauma of abuse from his childhood. 

This actually somewhat coincides with what my film would be aiming to produce. We want a character to have some sort of trauma and be able to properly display that through the script and acting for this character. This film does a good job of displaying what you can do to showcase that trauma through characters without being offensive or downplaying the trauma these characters have experiences.

Now to look at Dead Poets Society. As I had mentioned last year, this truly is one of my favorite films. I think one of the things I will need to take from this film is how trauma affects others around the person experiencing it.

Dead Poets Society is about an English teacher, John Keating (Robin Williams), who teaches his students at a strict all boys school to embrace their individuality and "seize the day." He tells the boys about his time at their school, and hints towards the Dead Poets Society, a group of boys that would defy the standard school rules and meet regularly off campus to just embrace themselves. This ultimately leads to some tragic events that effect the boys at the school.

What I want to use from this is a lot of aspects from the ending, how the boys deal with their trauma, and also what they do to try to overcome it. I also believe this film does a great job of showing how others can influence the behavior of an individual, and I want to showcase that in our film as well.

IMDb. (n.d.). Good Will Hunting (1997) [Film profile]. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119217/

(n.d.). Good Will Hunting promotional still [Photograph]. https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNDdjZGQ5YzEtNTc2My00Mjc0LWFlMTctYzkwMzZlNzdiZWYzXkEyXkFqcGc

IMDb. (n.d.). Dead Poets Society (1989): Full cast & crew [Webpage]. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097165/fullcredits/

(n.d.). Dead Poets Society poster [Image]. https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/uGa3NexFBtk12KT9vAoweVmN4k6.jpg