Research on Spectacular Now

 Hi! So I have made a significant change to my plot. Luckily this change will not be affecting my two minute film opening as much. What I decided to do was continue with the two best friends wanting to have a date to prom, but the plot will mainly consist of one boy who has had a crushed on one of the girls, in this case it is Angela. The conflict in the plot is the fact that Angela does not take him seriously because of his personality. This is because he is a guy who is constantly hitting on every girl he sees, and Angela knows this, so one afternoon when he starts hitting on her one afternoon she doesn’t take him too seriously. If the plot were too continue, his goal would be to prove to her that he really likes her. What I know for certain what I want to include in my opening is the conversation of the two girls struggling to get a date. I am not certain that I want to include the boy hitting on Angela yet. It all truly depends on whether I hit the two minute mark when I edit this weekend. Regardless, I have an idea in mind so if I need to add more footage I can get some with plenty of time left.
The reason I included a picture of the movie Spectacular Now (2013) is because it is one of the most recent high school romantic movies that has come out in the last couple of years. In addition, the movie itself represents a very realistic aspect of what a relationship in high school is like. One way in which they accomplish this through the limited use of non-diegetic sound. That factor gives it that rawness to the film that it almost makes you feel uncomfortable just like the characters feel in specific parts of their relationship. What I hope to accomplish in my own film is that realistic factor which can be seen in Floridian high schools of today.

Struggling

  Hi! So since this week I dedicated to filming and I won't be editing until the weekend, I decided to get started on the audio which I want to incorporate into my film. I only want to look for one song for the beginning of my film. If I am being honest here, I have been looking for a song for the past couple of weeks and it has been the biggest struggle. I can't find a single song which matches the idea that I had in my head. My progress thus far has been making a playlist on Spotify and adding music which I might consider to put on my film. But personally, I don't feel like I have found one yet.

  The reason I feel like it has been difficult is because I want a song that is uplifting yet has that Floridian feeling to it. In other words, a song that represents the Floridian lifestyle for teenagers specifically. This includes going to the beach, leaving the house with shorts and a t-shirt due to the weather, and so on. Moreover, I want it to be a song that clearly shows  the exciting Floridian life. The only song that is closest to what I want is Favorite Record by Fall Out Boy. The reason I really enjoy this song for my film is because of the very beginning. It is a song who has a soft introduction and as it continues it gives an extremely optimistic and happy feeling to whoever listens. Which is exactly what I want the representation of Florida to be.

Starting to film! :)

Hi! I am so excited to announce that I recorded the first seconds of my film Sunday morning. My goal was to have many shots that can establish where the setting of the story was going to take place. I took many shots of the cars passing by, people doing exercise, and other individuals doing their everyday activities. Additionally, I got footage of my two main characters talking. Because it did not come out how I wanted it to be, I think I will repeat the scene in a hallway in my school. In a way, I am glad this occurred because doing this it will help the audience have a better insight of Cypress Bay.

   This can easily take the first minute and thirty seconds of my film, including the dialogue. But this greatly depends on how much footage I can get and how much my actresses can speak in a very natural way for such a long period of time. And the reason as to why I only want this to be included in my film opening is because I don't want to overwhelm my audience with so much information in such a short period of time. I believe doing this it will only allow make the footage flow in a way in which can resemble cinema now a days.

Research on Blue Crush 2

  Hi! So tomorrow I am planning to shoot the first couple of seconds of my film. In my point of view, this is extremely important because it will be establishing to the audience the location and the environment of my film. Since Florida can be said to be known for its weather, I wanted to stress this in the first couple of seconds of my film opening. Additionally, I wanted to show how people took use their surrounding to their advantage. Meaning how people would go to the pool and do exercise because of the great weather. This will then make it easier when I introduce my characters when they head to the pool.
  I got this idea by looking at previous films that had weather close to that of Florida. The film that gave me the most guidance for this was Blue Crush 2 (2011). The movie itself takes place in South Africa and California but the first minutes of movie it establishes itself in California. To create that feeling of their being a very active lifestyle in California, the music itself is extremely upbeat and fast. In addition, their is a lot of cutaways to go along with the audio being used, which then stresses that culture even further. Moreover, using a lot of pans and tilts, will aid in reminding the audience how active and alive the Beverly Hills life truly is. Other ways in which they allowed for a full establishment of the film was using many wide shots. Incorporating this was great, because it allows for the individuals watching to see the surroundings of the character and how well he or she fits in. This would automatically create a representation of the character for the audience and create an insight as to who he or she truly is .
  All of these ideas I plan on incorporating into my own film, which hopefully will result in all of the observations I have made in previous films.

"After the Tremendous Success of "Blue Crush", the Surfing Adventures of a Young Surfer Girl Return to the Beaches of South Africa for "Blue Crush 2", a Film Directed by Mike Elliott." "Blue Crush 2" Surfs the Waves of South Africa. Surfing, 7 Mar. 2011. Web. 26 Mar. 2016.

Research on Target Audience

Hi everyone! So today I dedicated a large part of my afternoon to finding information on my target audience. My target audience is teenage girls, between the ages of 13-17. So my research began with the investigation of the top ten most popular movies that teenage girls repeatedly watched. The results were the following:

1.  Easy A (2010)

2. 16 Wishes (2010)

3.  A Walk to Remember (2012)

4.  A Cinderella Story (2004)

5.  A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song (2011)

6.  Abduction (2011)

7.  Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008)

8.  Another Cinderella Story (2008)

9.  Bandslam (2009)

10. Beastly (2011)

This investigation proved that the type of movies that my target audience is most intrigued and interested in is one that has a very cliché plot line. Which is why I then decided to do the same. The only factor that distinguishes each production, is how they are portrayed. For instance, comparing the Cinderella Story from 2004 to that of 2011, one uses the element of music to make the sequence of events unique. Yet there is the same story, which includes the two step-sisters, rude step-mom, and best friend that is in the journey with the protagonist. 

  Moreover, what brought my attention after seeing this list is the fact that the large majority are romantic movies. Which has allowed me to additionally to see that I am in the right track, having to do with my genre and whether it will persuade my audience to watch it. 

Pinho, Daniel. "List of Teen/Girl Movies." IMDb. N.p., 8 Jan. 2012. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.

Research on two other films

So, today I wanted to get information on the different companies which have produced films under the romantic comedy umbrella. Moreover, I wanted to see how successful they have become through the years. This will then give me the opportunity to see in greater detail how the plot line can be modified in a way in which it makes a story distinctive from others in the same genre. For instance, Columbia Pictures is a production company that has made many romantic comedies and has made an eclectic range of other movies coming from different genres. Yet this is one of the few companies that has made the most successful romantic movies.

    One of its most successful was When Harry Met Sally, this movie is about Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) who take a trip from Chicago to New York, and during that time period had an argument about it being possible men and women being friends. Little do they know they encounter each other coincidently ten years later at a bookstore, where the romance begins from there. The movie itself made over $90 millions dollars. 

   Another movie that became well known by Columbia Pictures is Maid in Manhattan featuring Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes. The story is of a woman named Marisa who works as a maid in an extremely luxurious hotel in Manhattan, Christopher Marshall who is a wealthy man that is staying in the hotel falls for Marisa thinking she is someone else. This movie made approximately $154.9 million dollars. 

   These two movies had a very special element, which seemed to be the reason why it did so well. When Harry Met Sally  tackles a question which has been questioned by many. Can a boy and a girl really be friends? In addition to this, each character has internal conflicts which is further developed as the plot continues. This sort of conflicts that each character holds from within, is what allows a story that can be said to be cliché be completely unique from others seen in cinema. On the other hand, Maid in Manhattan tackles a very delicate topic which is the minority seen in the U.S ,in further detail it portrays Latin American women having to work rigorous jobs to maintain their family. Even though the message is indirectly said, it is the pivotal element which makes it different from other productions. 

  This is the type of component that saw repetitively seen in successful romantic comedies which I hope to have in my own two minute opening.

  

The Fault in Our Stars Research

   Hi! Since I did a great amount of research on representation of teenagers in movies. I finally decided that I wanted my film to not have that segregation of people. Meaning not create defined groups like many movies have. These stereotypical groups can be said to be the jocks, nerds and weirdos. The male lead, which is going to played by Gianfranco is going to be a very charismatic and comely. He is going to be the guy which many girls want to date, but little do they know like any human beings, he has baggage of his own which many don't realize. The character that inspired me from previous films, is the character Augustus Waters which is the male lead in The Fault in Our Stars and is played by Ansel Elgort. This character is one that is both intelligent and extremely romantic towards his love interest Hazel Lancaster who is played by Shailene Woodley. His biggest conflict that he has to face is battling cancer, which greatly affects his way of being and personality traits. This is what I greatly want from my character, to have an internal or external conflict that is the reason as to why he is a certain way. In his case, his long battle through cancer has forced him to become a more optimistic individual .

Other ways in which I have been inspired through him is his wardrobe. His wardrobe is simple and classy in many different aspects. He uses the same leather jacket in many different occasions, which is what makes him simple. Yet he uses button down shirts with sweaters. In addition, he uses many sports jerseys which reflects his personality. So I want my character's clothes to reflect his interest to an extent, yet not giving too much a way. So giving him a sense of mystery to his character will then attract the audience to want to know more about him. This could then be revealed towards the end of the movie, which will almost force the audience to finish the entire production.

  Fatehpuria, Shruti. "12 Reasons Why Augustus Waters From TFIOS Makes The Best Book Boyfriend." New Love Times. N.p., 23 Jan. 2016. Web. 19 Mar. 2016.                         

  Heldman, Breanne L. "Shailene Woodley Fights for Infinity in 'The Fault in Our Stars'" Yahoo. N.p., 21 Mar. 2014. Web. 19 Mar. 2016.                        

Research on Cypress Bay

  So today I am wanting to dedicate a great amount of time to research done in the place in which I will be filming most of my film. Where will i will be shooting most of my film is in Cypress Bay High School. Cypress Bay is a very diverse school which is located in Weston, Florida that has over 4,400 students. Having so many students, allows theres to be a lot of room for diversity in the actual film. Being that thus far I haven't chosen the background information for each student, doing it in an area that has a large variety gives me room to do these changes.

This is some of the information which I found of the school that will benefit me for my film.
     - National Ranking #206
     - Total Minority Enrollment (% of total) 62%American Indian/Alaskan Native Enrollment (% of total) 0.5%Asian Enrollment (% of total) 4%Black Enrollment (% of total) 3%Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander (% of total) 0.02%Hispanic Enrollment (% of total) 53%White Enrollment (% of total) 38%Two or More Races Enrollment (% of total) 2%
    - Male 51%
    - Female 49%
    - Grades Served     9-12th grade






"Cypress Bay High School Overview." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 6 Sept. 2015. Web. 17 Mar. 2016. <http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/florida/districts/broward-county-public-schools/cypress-bay-high-school-4760>.

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/florida/districts/broward-county-public-schools/cypress-bay-high-school-4760

The Breakfast Club

   Hello :)  it's the second week in the making of the film opening and personally I will be dedicating this entire week to strict research on different areas which are important in the making of my characters. Many areas in which I would like to touch in the first two minutes of my film is the idea of having very profound characters, rather than having the stereotypical characters seen in many high school movies today. So I decided to analyze The Breakfast Club (1985). This was a production which played greatly with the usual cliché individuals seen in high school, so I wanted to be informed on how the director achieved on creating those personalities and yet make it in a way which fit a large target audience.
  Personally, I have seen the entire movie but because the film opening is only two minutes long I decided to watch a scene which shows the different personalities that were put into the detention room one afternoon. The characters then showed their personalities through the dialogue, costume design, and facial expressions. So, what I decided to do was create a document on google which will elaborate in further detail each character. But the basic information that I acquired was specific features that stood out in my eyes, which as a spectator made me realize those were the elements that allowed me to put together the distinctive characteristics that made up each individual. For instance, the character of Claire Standish who is played by Molly Ringwald is said to be the princess. Meaning that she is the spoiled rich girl out of the group, this is what seems to be implied due to the different eclectic elements that one can see. One way in which a person can reach this conclusion, is through her wardrobe. She shows up to detention in a very light pink blouse and diamond ring on her left hand. These components are what make others believe the stereotypical character that she truly is, but because the script was so well written the dialogue completely changed that thought process. Once she then speaks about her life to her pupils, you then realize that she has many troubles at home. She has parents that are close to getting a divorce and she is caught in the middle of everything.
  So the knowledge that I wanted to get out by watching that particular scene may times, was how the director got to create those characters to being so profound and different yet their appearance implying a different message.

Let the Research Begin!

Hello again! So it's officially the end of the first week, and so far I feel extremely confident about my progress in the project itself. I made myself an extremely strict schedule to follow, and if I follow it I believe it will lead to a great product. The first couple of weeks I will be dedicating to investigate in true detail my genre, target audience, and other films that have done a very similar plotline. This will allow me to see the different elements which was inputted in the first couple of minutes of the movie to define very structurally the plot line and characters. This can be seen through the shots and angles, mise-en-scene, audio techniques, and editing.
  The only movie so far that I have looked into great detail has been the Other Woman (2014). This romantic comedy was directed by Nick Cassavetes and it follows the story about Carly Whitten who is played by Cameron Diaz who is a lawyer who has established extremely strict rules when it comes to her love life. This all changes when she meets Mark King, which is played by Nicolaj Coster-Waldau who is a very handsome business man that Carly falls head over heels for. As the story progresses, Carly has the idea of surprising him in his home in Connecticut. As she arrives, she finds out that he was cheating on her with his devoted housewife Kate who is played by Leslie Mann the entire period of time Mark was with her. As Kate and Carly both find out what he has been doing, they direct their frustration and anger in planning a very intricate revenge plan to get back at him for everything he has done. In the process of them making this unique scheme, they find out there is an additional girl in his large web of lies. They then join forces in trying to make his life as miserable as possible in many different ways.
  I then dedicated an entire day in trying to analyze the film in many different parts. For instance, I would notice repeating patterns such as in the audio techniques. One was how whenever a character was going to say something comical and there was non-diegetic music playing in the background, it would stop temporarily. This unexpected pause would then highlight a feeling of sudden suspense, which would lead to a reaction from the audience. Those certain segments of the movie I typed into a google document, so that when I started sketching exactly what I was planning to shoot next week, I would have a lot of information to look down upon. So far I have only done one movie but by the end of next week I would have done at least two. This also can inspire me to make my production close to that of a well produced movie.

Storyline

   I am very pleased to announce that I have my storyline for my film! :) I want the story to be based off of two best friends that are entering their senior year of high school. The beginning of the film will take place in a beach in Florida. This will allow for great footage of the environment in which the film will be taking place. This will be clearly depicted from the palm trees, the wardrobe in which people are wearing, and the eclectic ethnicities that will be there. Since Miami can now be clearly seen as a very multi-cultural area due to the large amount of immigration in the state itself, I wanted to incorporate that idea into my film. During these series of scenes, the two best friends will be discussing how they need to find a date to prom in order to make it a memorable night which will never be forgotten.
  The story then continues in Cypress Bay, where the girls will be heading to the first day of school. As the day goes on, one of the two will find a comely guy in her chemistry class. They then will have a brief conversation and as the girl leaves her class she will feel as if she has fallen head over heals for the guy. Later on, the second girl will go to the library during her lunch period and will end up finding a very kind, attractive guy  that ends up helping her with a math problem that she was having difficulty in solving. This girl will then start having feelings for him because of his kind gesture.  Little do the two girls know that it ends up being the same guy. Towards the end of the day progresses, the two best friends will meet up ecstatic to tell each other about their day until they end up realizing that they both met the same guy. And as the conversation is taking place, they both see before their very eyes the guy with his girlfriend. The two best friends then decide to go up to his girlfriend and explain exactly what happened. Thinking that the girlfriend was going to respond negatively towards the series of actions, the girlfriend comes to a very intelligent conclusion. She proposes instead of becoming upset over everything, they should embrace it and see it as a way to get revenge.
 So from my point of view, that should cover the first two minutes of the film. In fact, it seems so far that I have put in too much information, so I might have to cut some parts. But that all truly depends on the progression of the film itself once I start filming.
 Lastly, the best part about all of this is I already know exactly who will be playing what part. My two best friends Angela Mujica and Stephanie Tamayo will be playing the two best friends, Gianfranco will be playing the male part and I will be playing his girlfriend. So having this all in mind I will just have to have in more specific detail on the camera angles, mise-en-scene, editing, and audio techniques I would like to incorporate.

Introduction

Hi! My name is Isabella Gimón and I am more than happy and excited to welcome you to my blog. In my eyes this is my journal that I am sharing with everyone to show my entire process in making my two minute opening. In my point of view, this has to be the funnest project that I have ever done. This is because of the unlimited amount of possibilities that I can do, and yet still be qualified to get a good grade as long as it is engaging to my target audience. In addition, it allows me to input all the information that I have acquired throughout the course and put it into a big screen. And the best part, it allows me to create an entirely new and creative piece that nobody has ever seen.And since its on a topic that I will choose it will only make me want to work harder so I can accomplish my goal. Which is to finish this project knowing that I did everything in my power to make its best 

     The only issue I am truly having is figuring out a specific genre. Unlike other people, I am lucky enough to have thought of movie ideas since December so I do have many in mind. Most of my ideas are based on a romantic genre, so at least I know I will probably be going that route after I investigate more about. But so far that is truly what I have so far. Hopefully by the end of this week I get inspired and get a much more detailed and structured storyline. This will then benefit me by allowing me to start choosing the different shots and angles and locations in which I would like to film.