Filming #2

After filming all morning, Charlee and I met again at 7pm to film the second part of our film opening. This time, we shot the crime scene. 

We met at Peace Mound Park and were very excited to film, especially since we prepared a lot. We had costumes and special props that would make the scene look more realistic, for example, caution tape, a hazmat suit, evidence markers, and more. But when we got to the location, we realized that we had a huge problem... The person who was supposed to play the dead body couldn't make it. 

At first, we asked people on the street if they would like to help us, but understandably, no one agreed... After being left with no other choice, we had Noah, Charlee's younger sister, play the role. 

When we got to the location, we looked for the perfect spot to film our crime scene. We needed 4 obstacles to tie the caution tape on, and a sidewalk. After some brief search, we found a spot that met all the requirements and started setting up the set.

 

It was very hard to make Noa look like a 40 year old man, but we did everything we could to make it look as realistic as possible. 

We followed our storyboard and filmed some extra footage. We stayed in the park for about two hours and filmed most of that time. Here are some unedited videos, BTS clips, and pictures from our time on set:

   

     

Filming #1

Finally, on Sunday Charlee and I met and started filming our opening! I was super excited and I think it's safe to say that it was a successful filming day. We met the first time at 10am and the second time at 7pm. Today I will go over our first part of filming at 10am. 

On Sunday morning, Charlee and I met at her house to film the first scene of the opening. We filmed the scene where Ben is writing the letter to Travers. We started by transforming her dining area to a desk/office room. Everything was moved except for the table which we used as the desk. We added props on the desk such as folders, papers, office equipment, and more. We met at Charlee's house since her dad is the one playing Ben and it was the most comfortable to film at compared to our alternative locations. 

We gave a lot of thought to the props that we put on the table. For example, on one of the folders we wrote "victim 8". We didn't focus on it with the camera, it was on the table while we were filming, foreshadowing Ben's true identity. 

Another prop that we took very seriously is the envelope that Ben gives to Travers. We had four options to choose from. Our first pick was the envelope on the bottom right corner, we thought it looked very cool since it's old and added to the mysterious tone that we are trying to create. But after some more thought, we realized that having an old envelope would make no sense since the letter itself is not old, so our final choice was the yellow envelope. We chose the yellow envelope since it pops out on the screen and draws attrention to itself. This helps us to develop the purpose that something important is written inside of it. 

For some shots, we needed to get a little creative... For example, to get the high shot of Ben writing the letter, I climbed on a chair to film:

In addition to all the filming that we did in the morning, we were planning to film some more at 7pm, so Charlee tried on her costume for the evening to make sure that it fits and that everything is as it should be. After we were all done, we had a little extra time on our schedule so we discussed and planned in more detail what we would be doing in the evening. 

At the end of the day, our first part of filming went really well. We got all the footage we needed and even filmed some extra! My next blog post will talk about our second part of filming, which had some complications...

Choosing a Title

In film, titles hold a lot of power. They can establish the tone, mood, and genre of the story. They can also build excitement for the film impacting its success. After drawing the storyboard, my partners and I realized that we needed to come up with a name for our movie, so we went straight to work and started brainstorming. 

We all agreed that the title should capture the tense tone of the movie based on crime and lies. As we sat in class, we had many ideas. For example: 

• On The Run
• More Than a Witness 
• The Hidden Truth 
• Mendacious

After looking into all of our options, we found that some were already taken by other films, and some didn't feel right. After talking about our ideas and concerns for the title, we finally chose the title Mendacious. The meaning of Mendacious is not telling the truth, lying. We picked that title since it matches the mood of our opening, displays what our film is truly about, and almost foreshadows Ben lying all along. 

All of the films mentioned above, are some of the title ideas that we had but were already taken...

In the end, I'm very happy with the name that we chose for our film. I think it establishes the tone very well and captures the mysterious atmosphere. Can't wait to film our project! 

Script

 The script for our film opening: 

Audio

Audio is very important in film. Whether it's sound effects or background music, it creates a better experience for the audience by establishing atmosphere, conveying emotions, and making the film look more realistic. Today I will be discussing the audio in our film opening from foley to non diegetic sound. 

Foley

Foley is a technique used to create sound effects after filming to make the audio better in movies, TV shows, and other media. In our project, we will record some foley sound to improve the audio quality. Some of the foley sounds that we will record include:

• Chalk
• Footsteps
• Pencil 
• Door 
• Wind 
• Crumbling paper and throwing it in the trash 

Diegetic sounds

Diegetic sounds are any sounds that come from within the film. For example, dialogues, noises from objects, or music playing in the scene. In our film opening, the diegetic sounds will include our foley sounds and the police siren that will be added in the editing process.

Non-diegetic sounds

Non-diegetic sound is audio that comes from outside the film's world and isn't heard by the characters. Examples include voice over narration and background music. In our project, the non-diegetic sound would be the background music in the cross cutting scene. For that scene we had two potential songs that we wanted to use: The first song is These Boots Are Made For Walkin' by Nancy Sinatra. We contacted Nancy, but unfortunately, we got no response... The second song that we had in mind is La petite fille de la mer by Vangelis, but sadly the artist passed away on May 17, 2022. Unfortunately, those two options are not available for us to use in our project, so my group and I collectively decided to research copyright free music and use that instead.  

resourses:

The Importance of Sound

Foley (filmmaking)

Set and Lighting

Set and lighting are crucial in establishing the tone for the scene. For instance, high key lighting can create a pure and angelic atmosphere, while low key lighting develops more mystery and tension. Today I will be discussing the set and lighting choices for all three scenes in our film opening. 

Crime Scene

The crime scene takes place on a street in an avrage neighborhood at night as Ben is on his way home. To make it appear more real, we will use dark, low key lighting combined with a flashing red and blue lights of police cars. This will create a more mysterious stmosphere. 

Writing the Letter

This scene is set in Ben's house during the early morning, the sun just came out. The lighting will be low key to contrast the quiet morning, with Ben rushing to write the letter in fear. We have chosen to film this at Charlee's house, as it fits out vision best. 

A Letter to Travers

For this scene, we want to create an atmosphere of justice and goodness. It takes place in a police station, so we will use high key lighting to emphasize the authority. Finding a location for this scene has been a little tricky... At first, we planned to use the the conference roonm in the local library, but unfortunatly, when we came to film we discoveerd that reservation had to be made two weeks in advance... It was very challenging to think of a new location for this scene because none of us has access to an office in Weston. However, after hours of brainstorming alternative locations, I remembered my little brother's scool! He goes to a small school in Cooper City that matches our vision for the scene! I plan to go there monday with my dad and ask for premission to film. 

Costumes and Props

Costumes and props are extremely important to develop a character. Different costumes can help the audience realize different things about the person. For instance, if a character is wearing a ball gown, the audience can infer that she is going to a fancy event. After some research, today I will be discussing the different costumes and props of different characters in the film opening to establish a better sense of who they truly are and what is their role in the movie. 

Ben

Costume: In the opening, Ben will wear an everyday outfit. He might wear a T-shirt and jeans or a sweatshirt and pants. We want Ben to wear a casual outfit since he's presented as a normal innocent guy. 

Props: Ben's props are pen and paper when writing the letter, and a backpack when he's leaving his house for good. 

Travers 

Costume: Travers will wear a work outfit since Ben approaches to him with the letter while being at work. Our vision is that he will wear beige jeans and a bottoned up, blue and white square long sleeve shirt. 

Props: Travers will have a walkie talkie and a cop badge to clarify that he's a detective and that he's at work. 

Crime scene investigator 

Costume: The crime scene investigator will wear a white hazmat suit, a blue disposable mask and disposable gloves.

Props: The investigator will have a white chalk to outline the body on the floor. 

Character Development

Ben

Ben is the main character of the film, the "hero", according to the character theory. Developing Ben's character is extremely important since the whole movie surrounds him and his actions. Ben is introduced to the audience as an innocent guy who is attempting to clear his name from an unfortunate situation he was accidently tied into. Throughout the movie, Ben is helping detective Travers to solve his case while showing his impressive skills and "natural talent" in murder cases. At the very last scene of the movie, the audiece find out that Ben is in fact not innocent at all, but a serial killer that worked on the case where he was guilty in all along. 

Travers

Travers is the helper of the film. He helps Ben to clear he's name and get him out of danger while having no clue Ben is an extremely dangerous individual. Throughout the movie, the audience realize that Travers is very intellegent, and although sometimes he was slightly suspicious in Ben, he was too trusting to figure out the whole truth. I chose the name Travers based on the author of one of my favorite books as a child, Mary Poppins, written by P.L. Travers. 

Ivan and Mavrick

Ivan and Mavrick are the villans according to the character theory. The film begins after Mavrick gets shot. Although he isn't alive during the movie, his character is very veluable since the movie focuses on solving the case of who shot him. Since the first second of the film until he's behind bars, Ivan is chasing Ben, while at the same time, running away from Travers. Through his actions, the audience can infer that his intelligence is avrage and that Ben and Travers will catch him eventually. I chose the names Ivan and Mavrick by searching through different statistics lists, until i came across thoes two names that simply felt right and fitting to the characters.

Storyboarding

For the next step of the project, I need to make a stoyboard. A storyboard is a sequence of drawings that represent the shots planned for a film. It helps to stay orgenized and gives a good visual. A storyboard can also help you in the production process. When filming, a it can assist you to manage your time better by showing you exactly what shots you should be taking instead wasting precious time. 

Here's the storyboard that I created:

Character Theory

In my project, I wish to integrate the Character Theory. To understand it better, I did some research. 

The basic explanation of Character Theory is that characters can be classified into specific roles. Vladimir Propp was a folklorist and scholar, he was interested in the relationship between characters and narrative, he also analysed the basic elements of Russian folk tales to identify their simplest structural units. He claimed that there's seven types of characters:

Hero

A hero is a person who is admired for their courage, achievements, or noble qualities. Propp described two types of heroes:

• The Seeker Hero - A hero that chooses to help someone else by defeating the villain and solving a problem.
• The Victim Hero - A hero that is being harmed or attacked by the villain and later overcomes his challenge.

In the case of our project, Ben would be classified as the hero, even though at the end of the film, the audience find out that he's not good.

Villain 

The villain causes harm or trouble by doing things like stealing a magical object, destroying crops, kidnapping someone, or even committing murder to benefit themselves. In the case of our project, Ivan and Maverick would be classified as the villain. 

Dispatcher

After the villain causes trouble, the dispatcher calls for help. In many stories, a character offers a reward to the hero who can fix the problem, or a family member asks their children to defeat the evil threatening their home.

Helper

A helper assist the hero in getting what they need to fix the problem. They might guide the hero on the right path or even transport them to their destination. In the case of our project, Mr. Travers would be classified as the helper. 

Donor 

The doner will give the hero an object that will help him succeed. For example, a robber might show the hero a weapon that he can use. 

Princess

Usually, the hero goes into an adventure to rescue a princess. A princess in the Character Theory is a reward or motivation for the hero. For example, a princess can be a victim, a missing person that the hero is close to. In the case of our project, Ben's freedom would be classified as the princess. 

False Hero 

A false hero is a character that may appear good, but is actually working to prevent the hero from succeeding. A specific example would be Hans from Frozen. Hans pretended to love ana only so he can steal the throne of Arendelle.

Although Propps was analysing Russian stories, he believed hes characters types were universal and timeless. In my final project, I would like to illustrate the character theory by the character's expression, posture, clothing,environment, and screen time, since there's no dialogue in the film opening. 

Resources: 

An introduction to Propp's 7 character types and spheres of action in the narrative functions.

Vladimir Propp

Narrative techniques

Group Meeting #1

Today in class the teacher set us in to groups with the goal to give and recieve helpful feedback about our project ideas. I was put into a group with 5 other girls: Sofia, Anastasia, Miranda, and Sofia. Each one of us explained her group's film opening ideas and provided helpful suggestions when needed. I had a lot of fun discussing with my group, I think that this activity helped all of us a lot.

I was the first one to share, I was feeling nervous but all of my group members made me feel more confident as I was speaking thanks to the pleasent environoment. Most of the questions my group had were about filming. For example, I was asked who will the actors be since the movie is about adults, then I explained that Charliee's, Cami's, and my dad will be the ones appearing in the opening. My group helped me so much, they gave me lots of wonderful suggestions that include: 

• Outline the body with chalk (opening police perpare crime scene)
• Mostly close ups in the crime scene (opening police perpare crime scene)
• Add police emergency lights in the background (opening police perpare crime scene)
• Add police sirens in the background (opening police perpare crime scene)

These ideas helped me a lot and I will try to include them all in the film opening. In addition Sofia was so kind and offered the props from her cop halloween costume to use in our opening. 

When Sofia shared her idea, we found a potential issue. Her group wants to film a car but they dont have the resources to get a shot in action that follows the car. The solution we collectively came up with and offered to Sofia was that she can film a shot of the car passing by, from a still tripod. This way she can still have her car in movement shot, but withouht getting a shaky handheld shot from someone running after the car. 

Overall, I enjoyed working with my group, this activity really helped me to elevate my group's film opening. Having the opportunity to recieve feedback from other student is so helpful in the planning process. 

Project Idea!

As I mentioned in my Film Opening Planing blog post, being introduced to this project I had many different ideas in mind. It was very hard to choose only one since most of them are very exciting. However, after brainstorming with my partners and a talk with the teacher, I'm positive we chose the best idea that will allow us to illustrate the most technique. I'll start with explaining the full plot of the story, then go into more detail about the opening. 

Plot

Ben is heading home late at night when he notices two men, Ivan and Maverick, approaching him on the street. They stop him, making threats and demanding money. They claim that Ben bought drugs from them in the past and that he owes them thousands of dollars. Confused, Ben tries to explain that they got the wrong person. He tells them that he never bought anything from them and suggests he just looks like the person they're looking for. However, Ivan and Maverick don't believe him and attempt to kill him. Maverick grabs Ben from the shoulders while Ivan is pointing a gun at him. Just as the trigger was pulled, in the last milliseconds, Ben makes a small move, causing the bullet to hit Maverick instead. Scared but fast, Ben took advantage of the emotional impact of the death on Ivan and ran away. 

When he gets to his house, Ben realizes he can't stay there for long, sooner or later, Ivan will come for him. Knowing he needs help, he writes a letter explaining everything and hands it to a detective, Mr. Travers, hoping he will help him. Travers agrees to help, and they work together to track down Ivan, put him in jail, and ensure Ben's safety. As they learn more about the case, they uncover scary truths. For example, the person Ivan and Maverick were looking for is actually a dangerous serial killer. After intense chases and thrilling discoveries, they finally catch Ivan and everything's settle. But in the final moments of the movie, the audience discover that Ben was the person Ivan and Maverick were looking for in the first place. 

Opening

The opening is going to start with cross cutting between Ben writing the letter and the police prepering the crime scene for investigation. This will go on for about a minute and 20 seconds, while the cast and crew names apear on screen. After, the title will apear, and the audience will see Ben handing the letter to Travers. The opening will end when the audience see the detective's reaction to the letter. 

Fonts

Fonts are the design of letters and contain their style and details. Different fonts create different tones. For example, 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐟 𝐟𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐬 tend to look more traditional, while 𝓈𝒸𝓇𝒾𝓅𝓉 𝒻𝑜𝓃𝓉𝓈 can create a more elegant tone. In order to give my film opening a good font to set the tone, I decided to go and do some research. 

When I first searched for crime fonts, I came across a few that I certainly do not want to includ in my opening. In my opinion, this style of fonts might make it look cheesy and unprofessional. 

After some more searching, I realized that my project should includ a bold, straightforward font to achieve that serious and mysterious tone.

I really like the font style that I chose, and plan to discuss with my partners about including it in our project. 

Resources:

The Basics: What Are Fonts And How Do I Use Them

How can typography set the tone for your design?

Establishing a Timeline

As I work towards completing my Cambridge Final Project, it's crucial to break down my timeline to make sure I'm not falling behind. In this post, I’ll be sharing the steps I’m taking to stay on track and meet my goals.

First, I'm going to breakdown the main components of this project to make sure I know exactly what to do in every step. 

Breakdown

- Researching examples of film openings within my chosen genre.

- Researching and analyzing movie plot examples within my chosen genre. 

- Coming up with a movie plot. 

- Writing the script. 

- Find music. 

- Create story board. 

- Find actors.

- Choose filming days and locations.

- Film scenes.

- Record foley (if needed).

- Record VO (if needed).

- Editing the scenes together.

- Adding title and credits. 

- Review and make changes (if needed).

- Research infrormation for CCR. 

- Answer all CCR questions. 

- Review CCR. 

Now, I will create the timeline that I will be following all throughout the project making process. 

Timeline

Week 1 (2/3-2/9)

- Research

- Start planning the movie plot

Week 2 (2/10-2/16)

- Group meeting, finish planning

- Storyboard

- Find actors

- Find locations 

- Set filming days

-  Possibly start filming

Week 3 (2/17-2/23)

- Finish filming

- Record VO (if needed)

- Start recording foley (if needed)

- Possibly start editing

Week 4 (2/24-3/2)

- Finish editing

- Edit in a different style

- Choose the better version

Week 5 (3/3-3/9)

- Research for CCR

- Answer CCR questions

Week 6 (3/10-3/16)

- Answer CCR questions

- Complete all remaining blog posts

Week 7 (3/17-3/25)

- Complete all remaining assignment in case there are any delays.

Im going to try to stick to this schedule to the best of my abilities or even complete stuff ahead of time since I know the importance of this project and submitting it on time. Making this schedule, I took into account that unexpected roadblocks may occur and that I should still be able to hand everything on time. 

Credit Scenes

In my last post, I explored opening scenes in crime films. Today, I’ll be analyzing three credit scenes from the same genre.

Credit scenes can be done in many different ways. Some films keep them simple so they don’t distract from the movie, while others use creative visuals to add to the story or theme. No matter the style, the main purpose of a credit scene is to recognize the key people behind the film, such as the director, main actors, producer, writer, cinematographer, editor, etc...

The Bling Ring (2013) 

The opening credit scene of The Bling Ring sets the tone of the movie by showing both the luxury and the crime. As the names of the cast and crew appear, the background shows expensive jewelry, designer bags, and fancy items inside celebrity homes. At the same time, we see moments of the characters stealing these things, creating a feeling of excitement and danger. The items filmed reflect on how much the characters want to live like celebrities. 

click here to view credit scene

A Simple Favor (2018)

The opening credits of A Simple Favor immediately set the film’s mysterious tone. Displaying the cast and crew names against a black background with images of items like brownies, shoes, bags, and a knife, that are shown with bright colorful filters. These visuals hint at both the elegance and the darker themes of the story.

The French music adds a classy vibe, balancing the stylish yet odd atmosphere. The combination the music, intriguing visuals, and the cast and crew names introduces the film’s mystery, luxry, and suspense, getting the audience’s attention right from the start.

click here to view credit scene

Red Notice (2021) 

The opening credits of Red Notice start with dramatic clips of ancient Egyptian art, with a suspenseful music and a voiceover explaining the story of Cleopatra and her three eggs. The voiceover sets the stage for the film’s main mystery. As the story develops, we see someone faking the third egg. Throughout this sequence, the cast and crew names appear in red. This blend of history, mystery, and suspenseful music sets the tone for the adventure ahead.

click here to view credit scene

After researching, I discovered that credit scenes in crime films are an important tool to set the tone and atmosphere while recognizing the key people behind the movie. I was particularly drawn to the credit scene in The Bling Ring and plan to discuss with my partners, Camila and Charlee, about creating a similar style in our film opening.

Crime Film Openings

After researching two potential genres for my film opening, I found myself the right one. Although I love the rom-com atmosphere, I chose that the crime genre would be the one illustrated in my Camebridge Final Project. To better understand the genre, I'll be exploring the openings of three crime films.

Enola Holmes

Enola Holmes is a crime-mystery film about Sherlock Holmes younger sister, Enola. When her mother disappears, Enola escapes her brothers control to find her. Along the way, she helps a runaway lord and uncovers a dangerous plot. Smart and brave, she proves she can solve mysteries just like her famous brother.

The opening scene of Enola Holmes introduces us to Enola and her world. She speaks directly to the audience, making us feel connected to her right away. Through her words and actions, we learn that she's smart, independent, and different from other girls in her time. The scene also highlights her close bond with her mother, who taught her to think for herself and be strong. However, The use of past tense hints that something is wrong. This foreshadowing, paired with her independence and curiosity, sets the stage for the larger mystery of her mother's disappearance.This creates mystery and makes us want to keep watching. The scene helps us understand Enola’s personality and background before the story begins.

link to opening scene: https://youtu.be/MLYqCFLXkNQ

The Bling Ring

The Bling Ring is a crime drama based on true events. It follows a group of teenagers in Los Angeles who break into celebrity homes to steal expensive clothes, jewelry, and money. At first, they enjoy the thrill and fame, but their crimes soon catch up with them. The film shows how they become obsessed with fame, social media, and expensive things. Their love for a glamorous life eventually leads to their downfall.

The opening scene of The Bling Ring immediately throws us into the action. We see the group sneaking into a celebrity’s home at night, moving quickly and quietly. The dark lighting and handheld camera make it feel real, almost like we’re part of the crime. There’s no talking, just their movements and whispers, which builds tension and emphasizes the thrill of the crime. After the break-in, the teens post pictures on Facebook, showing off stolen items like designer bags and jewelry. We also see the real celebrities they robbed, like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan. This shows their obsession with fame and attention, setting the tone for the film. It’s clear they enjoy the thrill, but we sense it won’t end well.

link to opening scene: https://youtu.be/eelseaF0ib0

Murder Mystery 2

Murder Mystery 2 is a comedy-crime-mystery film about Nick and Audrey Spitz. They start their own detective agency but get into trouble when their friend gets kidnapped at his wedding. The couple travels around the world to find him, facing funny and tricky situations along the way. They meet many suspects and uncover big secrets while trying to solve the crime. The film mixes humor, action, and mystery as they try to save their friend.

The opening uses a voiceover to quickly recap the first movie and explain how Nick and Audrey became private detectives, establishing background. The clips from the first film connect the two movies and remind us of their accidental success. The flashbacks, blending humor with action, offer a playful take on the crime genre. Their failed investigation into a cheating husband shows their mistakes and adds humor, with their confident attitude compared to their wrong conclusions. The upbeat music keeps the tone light, infering that this film will balance crime-solving with comedy. This mix makes the opening fresh and engaging, and it signals that the film will offer a fun twist on the genre’s typical conventions.

link to opening scene: https://youtu.be/R6WEYl2BVDk

In conclusion, these three film openings each bring something unique to the crime genre. Enola Holmes focuses mainly on character development, drawing us into Enola’s world and setting up the story. The Bling Ring creates tension right away, showing the danger and crime. Murder Mystery 2 takes a lighter approach, using humor to show that crime films doesn’t always have to be serious. Together, these openings show the different ways crime films can capture attention and set the tone for an exciting story. They’ve all helped me understand the different directions I can take with my own film project.