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.

Film Opening Planing - Choosing Genre

Earlier this week, we started talking in class about Cambridge Porfolio Project and the film opening that we need to create. Sitting in class hearing about this for the first time, my head was already full of ideas. The top two genres that came up to mind were drama and romantic comedies, so today I will be looking into these genres with the goal to decide which one of them my film opening is going to be. 

Drama

Drama is a serious narrative genre that typically surrounds emotions, life challenges, relatability, and character development. Drama has many subgenres but the one that I'm most interested is crime.

I chose that subgenre because I enjoy the challenge of figuring out the story, who did it and why. The characters might face moral dilemmas, like whether to break the law to catch a criminal. Some films have detectives or anti-heroes who aren't always perfect but still work to uncover the truth. These kinds of stories are exciting because you never know what will happen next, and they make you think about right and wrong. 

Crime drama is a genre focused on criminal activity, investigation, and justice. They are often characterized by suspense, mystery, and exploration. Examples of crime dramas: Hit Man, Glass Onion, The Ring Bling, A Simple Favor, The Nice Guys, etc...

     

Romantic Comedies

Rom-com is a subgenre of comedy and romance, it typically has a fun lighthearted plot centered on love, often portraying how love can overcome obstacles.

These movies are great for relaxing and escaping into a feel-good story. All rom-coms follow the same basic plot: Two people meet, have a conflict in their way, and reunite to live happily ever after. Romantic comedies often use fun tropes like the "meet-cute," where two characters meet in a funny or unexpected way, or the "enemies-to-lovers" theme, where two characters start off disliking each other but eventually fall in love. 

Romcoms are especially popular among teenage girls and couples. The humor mixed with romance makes it easy to connect with the characters, and they usually bring a smile to your face. Examples of romantic comedies: The Princess Diaries, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Crazy Stupid Love, 27 Dresses, 10 Thing I Hate About You, etc...

            

While both genres have their appeal, I’m still deciding which direction to take. I like crime dramas because they’re complex, but rom-coms give me a chance to tell a fun, relatable story. I’ll continue exploring both genres before making my final decision. 

Transitioning into the Cambridge Portfolio Project

Hello Cambridge, I'm exited to announce that from now on, my blog posts will document the development of my Canbridge Final Project! In my previous blog posts I learned about important topics that will help me improve my film opening. With that in mind, to start the project, my class and I learned about the film openings and how important it is to create a clear purpose using a spesific approach: 

From these approaches, I would like to go deeper into character development and introducing the main characters. I like this approach especially with the rom-com genre. Developing a character involves interactions with other characters, actions and behavior, showing their room or personal space, costume design, and more... In my opinion developing a character in a rom-com film opening by showing their bedroom/house/objects that represent them, etc is super cute and fits the atmosphere. In addition, it can foreshadow future events that will happen in the film. 

Another approach that i'd like to use in my film opening is establishing background and creating mystery. Since we need to create the first two minutes of the film, establishing the background would come natural and help develop the plot. In addition, creating mystery would be ideal in the case of the crime drama genre to hook the audience and defined the genre. 

Music Marketing #2

Link to the video

Music Marketing #1

 The music marketing project that my group and I are creating is about a singer named Bella Moon. Bella loves the alternative genre, promotes herself mainly online, and is about to release her first music video. 

To create the brand 'Bella Moon' we had to do some research on the alternarive genre. We created a chart detailing two production companys and two artists/bands that are signed to the label. Each member of the group was researcing a different alrernative artist/band, mine was Coldplay. When I researched on Coldplay I found so many new things. For information I went to sources like wikipedia, Coldplay's official website, and other people's blogs and reviews on Coldplay's music and concerts. In the research I included about the band's history, identity, target audience, and digital and non-digital marketing. Writing all of this information, I learned a lot about marketing in the alternative genre which helped my group and I prepare for the next part of the project. 

In the planning process for the music marketing project we took the information and knowledge that we gain during the research and applied it to our brand. We learned that a good way to promote content and connect with fans is throgh social media, so we will be opening Bella Moon Instagram and TikTok account, in addition to her own professional website. My group and I planned to meet 3 times this week to film Bella's music video and work on her socials. 

I enjoyed researching about Coldplay since they're one of my favorite bands, and I am very exited to finish and present the rest of the project as we worked very hard on it.