Creative Critical Reflection for A-level Project

This is my CCR for my film promotion package for my movie ESCAPE.

A-Level Project

My two trailers:


Trailer #1

Trailer #2

My Website: www.escapefilm.weebly.com

And my poster:

Hi! So these are the four components of my project. At the top are the first two trailers, and the link underneath is my website and below that is my poster. I really hope that you enjoy watching it as much as I did making it!

Almost there..

Hi guys! So I wanted to give you guys an update on everything. I am almost done with my trailers and websites, now it's a matter of putting the finishing touches on that aspect of the project. Now the two parts of the project that I have to focus on for the next couple of days will be the CCR and poster. I am very excited for you guys to finally see the finishing project. It has definitely been a rough couple of weeks putting everything together but overall I am very happy over the learning outcome this project has brought. I can honestly say this is one of the few projects that have truly helped me in educating myself in the world of film and hopefully my finishing project is a reflection of this. So my next posts will be of my final project...  can't wait. :)

Poster idea

Hi guys! So the other day when I was finishing my editing for the day, I was looking at the Girl on the Train  poster, and I got an idea to do something similar for my poster. When I saw it, I loved the mysterious element it evoked and the little information it gave away towards what the movie was about. This gave a need for the individual who was seeing the poster to look up the trailer to know more about the plot of the movie and who was a part of it. Additionally, I really liked the attention to detail within the poster that is reminiscent towards what one will see in the film. For instance, the quote that can be seen in the poster, "What you see can hurt your", is symbolic towards the idea that in the film there are scenes that can potentially hurt the protagonist. Another aspect that I really like is the train track that is seen in the left side of the poster. This is giving significance to the train, which is being emphasized in two aspects, within the title and the poster.

Slowly finishing

Hey guys! So I started editing today and it has gone great. The trailers seem to have the potential to work well together to promote this movie. Additionally, it doesn't give too much away but does give enough information that will hopefully leave my audience wanting more. As of now, my biggest concern in the non-diegetic music that I will be implementing within my trailer. Thus far, I haven't found anything, but with all honestly, I haven't looked as much as I should. But hopefully sometime this week when I start looking at more websites I will find music that will connect really well with my scenes. I also wanted to let you guys know that I finally decided what I wanted to name my movie. The name of the film will be called Escape. I think that it is a short name that is powerful and summarizes the purpose of the story, which will aid people who in the future see the poster and haven't seen the trailer have an idea of what it's about.

DONE!!...well not quite

Hi guys! So I am so excited to announce that I am done shooting! I was shooting the entire morning on Saturday and it went great. I brought a paper with very specific instructions towards what I wanted to shoot which made the process that much more efficient. Additionally, my friend, Angela Mujica,  was recording Tomas (the male protagonist) and I throughout most of the shooting process. This was helpful because she gave feedback towards how specific scenes were being portrayed which gave me a better insight towards technical problems that might occur in the future. Personally, I think that everything went amazing because everything looked better than what I envisioned in my head, which made me extremely happy!
  In this post, I also want to give a big thanks to Tomas Vilas for being an incredible actor and being so patient throughout the entire process. I would also like to thank Angela Mujica and Paula Marchan for shooting the scenes in the different locations throughout the week and for constantly giving me feedback towards what I should improve within my project.

Website Information

Hi guys! Throughout the afternoon I have been investigating the different ways one can promote the film using a website. I decided to look at movies that have similar target audiences to mine such as Girl on the Train (2016) and Gone Girl (2014). To give an inspiration towards what to present in my website and how to do it as well. One component that surprised me was that there wasn't a moment where I felt overwhelmed with the information they were giving to me about the movie. Other patterns that I noticed in many of the websites were that you always saw the social media icons, regardless of the screen which you were in. This makes sense because it is easier for someone to receive information on application they are constantly on versus on a website. This leads me to another element, there is always a way to update yourself through text or emails. With this one can see the theaters that are nearest to you that are premiering the movie. Additionally, when you first enter the website one of the first components on sees are two official trailers. Some movies also have pictures of different scenes after one sees the trailers, but that was generally towards movies whose trailers didn't capture the audience as much. And lastly, all the information about the movie is in one scroll, and the tabs only took the individual to a specific part of the information within the scroll. This created a sense of tranquility towards the individual seeing the website, because it never felt as if the movie was being promoted too much by giving a way too much information. So having all of this information, it will definitely help me towards what I would like to do for my website. :)

Reflection of filming process

  Hi guys! So I started filming this weekend and it went great! I filmed some of the romantic scenes from the trailers and it went great. In the beginning I thought I was going to be filming throughout the entire process but because of a problem the we encountered I ended up playing the lead role as the female. At the moment I was a bit upset that I had to play the lead but as the filming process began that afternoon I was very happy that it ended up being this way. That way I knew exactly the way I had to act in order to portray the character the way I wanted to in my film. Thus far, I haven't made any changes to the project, but if changes were to happen they would be minor.

  So for this week I plan on shooting the bigger scenes which include me being kidnapped and me trying to escape. The only problem I have thus far is the location. I haven't been able to find a location that is similar to what I'm imaging in my head. But hopefully by the end of this week I will get that resolved. And as I promised you guys, here is a video that gives a glance of what we did during the first day of filming. Hope you guys enjoy :)

The Day Has Come

Hi! So I am so excited to say that today is my first day shooting! Start a bit early will help me get a full understanding of what direction the process is heading and it will let me determine whether it is envisioning what I was picturing. The scenes that I plan on shooting are the more romantic elements of the trailer. These parts include the parts that show more in depth the relationship. I am hoping that I create a good representation of each of the characters and foreshadow the events that will come without giving too much away. For instance, I would like to hint that the male protagonist is very controlling and obsessive to give a more of an understanding when he kidnaps her. Other parts that I would like to film is when he convinces her to take her to dinner so he can drug her and take her away. So I will update you guys as soon as I got footage :)

Research on action sequence

Hi guys! So as I told you in my last post, I posting on the information that I gathered on the different tips and methods one should use when doing an action sequence. So I wanted to share with you guys what I have gathered. One of the important tips that was reoccurring in many articles was the importance of contrast. The author of one of the articles compared an action sequence with no contrast like seeing a comedy without jokes. Having this present within the scene will give an edgier look to the storyline itself and it will make the scenes that much more intense. Another important component is having tight shots within the scene. This visual effect will have a more personal effect on the audience and create a feeling of intensity towards the character that will be clearly projected towards the audience. Having this said, it would be made easier if the area which I was filming for these scenes be in a small perimeter. This will make it easier for the editing process so it flows easier. And lastly fast editing and strong nondiegetic music will help with the intensity.

What you have been waiting for

Hi! So I am so excited to share my map that I have created that will guide me in my creation of my two trailers. My handwriting is a bit messy, so if you don't understand it, don't worry I'm going to type it soon. But I made it so that it will help me in both the filming and editing process. The biggest difference between the two is that the trailer focusing on character extends the more romantic aspect and it is more heavy on conversation. This will help the audience get to know the characters and create a perspective on them. This is contrasting the second trailer that focuses more on the girl's mission, to escape where she is being held captive. This will have more action packed scenes with her running and screaming. This will target a broader group of individuals to see the movie. What worries me the most at this point is how to capture those action scenes in an engaging manner. And my plan next before I start shooting this week is research on how to achieve this. Stay tuned :)

Update :)

Hi everyone! So during weekend I have been working really hard on my vision for the trailers! I don't think it's appropriate to post it now so I will do so when it is perfect. I have decided for this week I will not be posting a schedule but instead focus on the map that I'm creating with the shots and angles, dialogue and so on. Additionally I want to start looking and investigating at the end of this week the different ways I want to promote this movie in my poster and website. But thus far, this is all I got. I'm a bit nervous for the filming process because I don't know if what I envision will be what comes out on camera, but hopefully it will work to my benefit. So I soon I have my map ready  I will show you guys :)

More information

Hi! So I know that I said in my last post  I have a lot of information on genre, I still decided to delve into to find a bit information on genre within trailers. And in addition to that I am also posting information on a movie whose trailer has the couple as the focus. So this is the information which I found.
For genre I chose Inception (2010) analyzing their official trailer:
- The voiceovers of Leonardo Dicaprio's character give a very mysterious element to the trailer from the very beginning. This is done by using phrases that are open-ended. That way it leaves the audience with a certain imagination to think what they want about what is happening. This is set from the very beginning of the trailer.
- Additionally, the voiceover seems to play a key element in the trailer itself. It is the one that truly narrates the story and puts together the pieces of what you see on screen. This leaves room for the editor to put in pieces of scenes that are action pack to fill the adrenaline rush that the movie has.
- This is also combined with intense nondiegetic music and other voiceovers from other different scenes to create an almost overwhelming feeling at the end. This leaves the audience thinking that there is more to see that hasn't been left unveiled.
- In every scene that is shown within this trailer, their is always at least one question that could be asked that cannot be answered. This makes the trailer that much more intriguing to the audience.

For couple based trailer I chose The Boy Next Door (2015):
- From the beginning the conversation that the protagonist has is strictly about the relationship that she had with her ex-husband. This leaves room for a great introduction to what this new relationship be holds and the direction it is meant to go.
- Between the scenes where the audience sees the relationship the two protagonist have. There is inserted other conversations with other characters that give a more detailed insight towards the history of each of the characters. This allows the audience to get a better understanding of the motives of the protagonist and how it could effect the relationship in anyway.
- The nondiegetic music is used as a tool to foreshadow the type of relationship the two will have. From the beginning the music had an element of romance embedded but it was always accompanied with a mysterious sound. Helping to portray the difficulties this relationship has and the problems they will face in the future.
- The way they are portraying the male protagonist as scary and creepy is focusing on the effect that it is having on the female. This reinforces the idea, making it difficult for the audience to escape this truth.

Weekly Schedule

Hi! So today I'm posting my weekly schedule. The two main topics that I want my two trailers to revolve around is one on genre and the second is the two main characters and their relationship. And I think throughout last week I gathered plenty of information on genre which led me to have a clear image of what I want to do for one of the trailers. But I'm lacking information towards the two protagonists, which is why I want that to be one of the two main topics I want to accomplish this week. This is gather information from other movies and trailers and notice specific techniques which they utilize to create the sense of the characters but not give too much away. The second task I would like to get done is have a good sketch of the trailer that deals with genre. I would like the sketch to include shot angles, dialogue, and idea of the nondiegetic music throughout the piece. This will aid in seeing what I should include and extract as the information of characterization starts coming in throughout the week.

Official Storyline

Hi! So I have decided my official storyline. I want to narrate a story of a boy and a girl who are in a relationship that is close to coming to an end. The female protagonist breaks up with her boyfriend but he doesn't take the break up well. He becomes obsessed with the idea that they are not together and decides to do everything to get her back. But the actions he takes rapidly go from romantic to creepy.  The actions reach an extreme when he decides to kidnap her and from then on the girl's purpose is to escape. This movie brings a culmination of different elements including romance and thriller. This will aid to expand my target audience and make the movie that much more interesting and intriguing.
 What I have still left to figure out is where she will be kidnapped. I am looking for an area that is creepy and isolated to show the difficulty in her getting out. This will leave room for intricate shots and plot twists towards what she has to do to get out.

Research on Target Audience

Hi! So I decided that I want my target audience to be generation z for the film. Knowing this I find that it is extremely important to research the different characteristics that make up this group so my trailer is curated towards what they want to see.
Huffington Post posted this article that explains in detail the difference between this generation and the generation that comes before it. I find that it's extremely important to distinguish the two because by doing this it will give me a clear understanding towards how I should present my plot line through my trailers. One characteristic that stood out was that Generation Z constantly wants to be updated with information. That is what they primarily seek within apparatuses. Another characteristic that was important is that Generation Z is very conscious of what is happening globally.
Knowing this, it is important that my film leaves my target audience with constant information of the process of the film to have them engage and wanting more. This could be done through my website with insight of behind the scene videos or exclusive interviews and so on. Another element that I wanted to incorporate into my film was breaking the idea that women normally play the submissive character within the film. And because generation z is a greater promoter of equality and breaking these stereotypes this film will bring that attention.





Work Cited: Beall, George. 8 Key Differences Between Gen Z and Millenials. Huffington Post, 05 Nov. 2016, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/george-beall/8-key-differences-between_b_12814200.html. Accessed 9 March 2017.

Idea slowly arising

  Hi! So today I met with a group of my classmates to talk about the progress of our projects and the direction in which we are headed. As I was talking about mine, one of my classmates gave me the idea to do the two trailers on each of the point of view of the two protagonists. This sparked an idea to make one trailer using the female protagonist where it is more thriller and romantically based while the second trailer using the male protagonist be more horror like. This will aid in reaching a large group of people that have different taste in movies to appeal to my storyline.
  Additionally, this week I will be posting on different films that I will be watching during the course of this week to get more inspiration and a more clear perspective towards what I am going to do and how I will be executing it. Many of these movies that I want to watch have specific elements that are found within the movie that hopefully will give me a clear understanding of how to portray this towards my target audience. So hopefully I take a lot of important information so I can truly do the best that I possibly can with this project. :)

Patters seen within trailers

Hi! On Friday I decided to look at a lot of trailers that really resonate in captivating the audience. So what I did was write specific points that I felt would be useful to include within my trailer that can aid in capturing my target audience.

1. First conversation introduces characters. The conversation is usually short but gives a true insight towards the motive of the protagonist. It is usually his or her voice accompanied with other pictures to establish the setting of the story better.
2. Usually includes one entire scene of the movie, which is normally the twist given to the movie. For instance, in The Hunger Games, they include almost the entire scene of the reaping when they choose Katniss's sister. Using this method allows the audience to fully capture what is happening to not have any doubts.
3. The conversation that follows usually includes the purpose of twist. Maybe an opinion from one of the characters towards what is happening.
4. The rest are mostly pieces of what is to come but it leads the audience with doubt and wonder.
5. Includes conversation of what characters believe in and their values. To give them each a sense of identity.
6. Usually other trailers of the same movie use the exact same scenes. The only difference is their tonality and voiceovers are different. They use different music and different timing where they might include a conversation or two that was not seen in the previous trailer.
7. Another take on trailers like in Jackie is just using a voiceover and its accompanies with dramatic music and different scenes.
8. Some scenes that are difficult to shoot can be represented with a black screen and the noise. For instance, a gunshot and a scream to represent a shooting.

Beginning of Research

Fifty Shades Darker (2017)-

So I decided to begin my research with one of the most recent movies that have just come out, Fifty Shades Darker. Since there are very similar elements between my film and theirs, I thought it would be smart to see the transition that the story has within the trailer, moving from a romantic atmosphere to a more mysterious one.

   Official trailer #1- The beginning of the trailer is focused on this idea of glamour that Mr. Grey brings to Anastasia. This could be seen by the variety of shots that are taken  , additionally, the music gives this sense of adventure which helps in coming to that conclusion. And a lot of the same shots are used from the previous trailer the only difference is the narration is different. This is what truly changes the target audience and opens up for a broader group of people to want to see the movie.Additionally, there is very little dialogue and more suspenseful music to emphasize the mysterious element even further. An example of this is when Anastasia is stuck in an office where a male character is not letting leave out of. And like the previous trailer, it is left with a cliff hanger.

   Official trailer #2- The beginning of the trailer is focusing on his voice. The trailer uses a conversation he is having with Anastasia but uses pictures from other scenes as he is speaking. And because the focus was his voice, there was a black screen in between each picture to give more importance to his voice and for the character to be more intriguing to the audience. They do the same for her as well, using pictures and videos of what she is talking about to narrate the scene and for others to understand it better. Then the trailer changes its dynamic and its pace is fastened. You can see and hear this, the audience can then assume that this is where the climax of the movie is. This continues on until the trailer ends with a cliff hanger of Anastasia in danger.

Beggining of the Journey

   Hi! I am so happy to finally come back and embark on this new journey on creating my film package. I will be posting constantly throughout the entire time to report on my process and what I'm currently doing. I began by creating a schedule for myself of what I want to accomplish so I can have clear where I want to head. I will make a new schedule the beginning of every week and I will be posting on my blog for everyone to see. Additionally, I was taught many lessons from the last portfolio project regarding time management and different techniques that I want to incorporate into this new project. Since this project, like the last, needs a lot of research, the next couple of posts will be on many characteristics seen within trailers that I will be taking note and posting so I can have very clear on what I should and shouldn't do.
  I have an idea of what I want my storyline to be but it may or may not change dependent as the research progresses. I would like to do a romantic piece between a boy and a girl but I would like to incorporate a twist that would normally would not be seen. Thus far, I want it to be that he becomes obsessed with her and it drifts into a more horror like piece. Which I think would be interesting to incorporate both those elements into the trailer and hopefully be that much more intriguing for others to want to watch.

  Schedule Week #1