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I have learned a lot throughout the production process of the film and what works and does not work when attempting to create a successful independent film. While reviewing the editing of the film as a director, it was a difficult process especially sense their were various voice overs and messy audio clips during the filming process. I learned that many things done during the filming period can be fixed throughout editing. However, there were numerous instances such as the audio quality, over exposure, shaky cameras, etc. that can not be fixed completely but made unnoticeable.

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I have learned a lot throughout the production process of the film and what works and does not work when attempting to create a successful independent film. While reviewing the editing of the film as a director, it was a difficult process especially sense their were various voice overs and messy audio clips during the filming process. I learned that many things done during the filming period can be fixed throughout editing. However, there were numerous instances such as the audio quality, over exposure, shaky cameras, etc. that can not be fixed completely but made unnoticeable.

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Independent Distribution and Marketing Plan- Conflicted 

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Independent Distribution and Marketing Plan- Conflicted 

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1.       If I were to distribute the film independently, the first move I would make would be to rent a movie theater and screen it for others to see. I would invite friends and family to watch it as well as promote it on social media. This method may not be the best but would be a easy first step to get people to watch it. After that, I would attend a film festival with the movie to attempt to grab a distributor that would aid us in gaining mass public attention. The Cambria Film Festival would attract the audience we want sense the festival is known for showing romantic movies. Magnolia Pictures would be a great distributor to obtain as they specialize in indie films as well as romance.

2.       The name of our film is conflicted which I believe fits well with the movie as a whole. The film is directed towards teenage girls who are often going through conflicted moments with boys, grades, parents, and friendships. The title is short and memorable which makes it easy to market as well as easier to gain audiences.

3.       A possible tagline for the movie could be “He seemed right, but nothing seems right anymore” or even “Was he right or was I wrong?” Both of these give a synopsis of the film as well as lead the audience to crave more. This targets the set audience sense it indicates drama and heart break which is craved by young female teens.

4.       The general target audience consists of female teenagers. Taking into consideration that they are in high school, their educational standpoint would be a little bellow average and their hoobies would likely involve shopping, school sports, social media browsing, and Netflix watching. Female teens generally care about their outer appearance and level of popularity. The majority of there social media presence is likely to be on TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram which is where they most likely follow celebrities, musical artists, and actors/actresses. This specific audience hangs out at malls, concerts, beaches, etc. They wear brands such as Hollister, Pacsun, Lululemon, Forever21, and H&M. They would likely watch Netflix, HBOMax, Youtube, or Disney+. Teenage girls often eat fast food as well as shop in strip malls that contain well know brands as they often conform to society.

5.       Regarding advertisement, I would likely aim to partner with Hollister, Target, Nike, and Forever21. These four in person advertisements would be a great choice as they all contain clothing aspects which would be useful by perhaps creating merchandise with each company. Also, these markets would reach the target audience directly as they shop and continuously visit these destinations. However, online sites such as YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, HouseParty, Netflix, and Spotify will be useful as many teenagers nowadays are so focused on there devices. Tapping into platforms such as YouTube and Spotify gives the audience no choice but to view our ad if they want to watch a video or listen to music. Also, Snapchat, Intsagram, HouseParty, and TikTok are well known social media platforms teens often visit to talk with friends which means they are likely to revisit more often then an adult would as adults tend to text. Finally, Netflix is always a great marketing tool as it can view our film as well as recommend it to those who watch similar movies or tv shows.

6.       In order to keep the target audience engaged we may invest in promotion deals throughout the ads that will be advertised. One example could be if an individual would watch our film in a rented theater they would receive a extra ticket for a film of their choice. Another example would be if they viewed our ad on TikTok they would receive a chance to promote their video to  gain more attention of their followers. Offering a free screening for the film may attract people to select the ad as well as repost on their social media accounts in hopes to go with friends rather then go alone.

7.       The poster is meant to attract audience that we would assume love the film as well as push away those who are unlikely to enjoy the film. I would attempt to do this by involving a lot of reds, pinks, as well as undertones of green. These colors alone would make the viewer assume there is romance as well as jealousy. However, the picture of the poster would show more of the story by displaying the face of two teen boys looking over at a teen girl who is in the middle looking forwards. This would show the audience that there is conflict between the three characters and they are likely to fight over her. It will target the audience by attracting those who crave drama and teen romance as it is shown clearly through the visuals of the poster.

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Writer:
(FIRST SCRIPT)
Written by
emmalymc@icloud.com

INT. KITCHEN ROOM

A teenage girl (short, brunette, content) walks into the room with a a backpack on which she places on the shelf. She takes out her things from her backpack (pencil, notebook, bag of pens, binder, and eraser).

Once she has finished unloading her things she stares at the page with a blank expression. She sighs and gets up to pour a glass of water. Close up of her leg bouncing on the floor Close up of her fingers tapping the table.

Close up of her playing with her hair.

Her face is staring at the table with thoughtfulness as she begins to write something down but begins to erase it. She gets up and begins to pace back and forth while fiddling with the pencil and muttering to herself.

She is sitting back down now and still staring at the paper when she begins to scratch the piece of lined paper with the pencil. A slow zoom focuses on the pencil scratching harder until ripping the paper which makes the sound abruptly come to a halt.

The teenage girl then drops the pencil on the ripped paper and sighs. INT. LIVING ROOM

A mother (mid 30s, blonde, well dressed) walks through the door with bags in her hand and locks the door behind her.

MOTHER

(she yells from the other room)

Kaitlyn, I'm home.

INT. KITCHEN ROOM Woman enters kitchen and puts down her bags on the shelf.

MOTHER How was your day sweetie?

KAITLYN

(almost emotionless) Fine. Yours?
2.

MOTHER

Yes it was okay. What's wrong honey? Did something happen at school?

KAITLYN

(She collects her things from the table and begins to get up)

I just have a lot on my mind.

MOTHER

(concerned) Okay, I'm here if you need me.

INT. KAITLYN BEDROOM

She sits down on the bed and gets a text from her boyfriend that reads "Hey, I know I've been distant lately. I've been meaning to talk to you about it."

Cut to Kaitlyn staring at the text blankly trying to process it.

KAITLYN'S THOUGHTS

What the hell does that mean? Talk about what? Is he gonna break up with me? What did I do? What do I say?

Her thoughts begin to overlap as the camera spins around

Kaitlyn who is in distress

(CONT'D)

I want to reply but what if he ends things? Why would he do this? Do I not deserve him? Am I too ugly? To annoying maybe? Did I hurt him? Is there another girl? How long has he been seeing her? Who is she? Is she prettier? SHUT UP!

Her thoughts ended abruptly and the camera ended on her panicked face as she breathes heavily.

She picks up the phone and types "What did you want to talk about?" She throws her phone on the bed in fear after she sees the word delivered under the message.

A chime comes from her phone seconds later that she picks up in a hurry. The notification "Intsagram: Sophia L. liked your post" appears on her phone.

3.

A stressed hugh escapes Kaitlyns lungs when she drops her back on the bed staring at the ceiling.

KAITLYN'S THOUGHTS (CONT'D)

I never thought of myself as an overthinker. I like to think as if I am just cautious with my feelings and actions. I just know that all of the thoughts are helping me in the end. They are preparing me for future hurt. All the "extra thinking" has protected me as well as stress me but isn't it worth it? I tell myself this to ease my own mind when in reality I know I think to much. But is it really a bad thing if I'm always right?

MOTHER  Kaitlyn, someone is here for you.

KAITLYN'S THOUGHTS

Ugh, its probably one of her weird friends.

Kaitlyn sighs and puts away her empty homework that was spread across her bed. She then walks downstairs to see her boyfriend standing at the foot of the stairs.

(FINAL SCRIPT)
Written by
emmalymc@icloud.com

INT. KITCHEN ROOM

A teenage girl (brunet, tired, and matured) sits down in the kitchen with her homework spread on the table. She gets a text from her boyfriend that reads "Hey Kaitlyn" "I know

I've been distant lately." "I've been meaning to talk to you about it."

She stares at the text beginning to type something and then deletes and beginning to type and then deleting again. She soon gives up and places her phone down.

Her face is staring at the table with thoughtfulness as she begins to write something on the paper but then erases it. She starts to mutter to herself convincing herself to focus.

She begins to scratch the paper with a pencil.

KAITLYN'S THOUGHTS

What the hell does that mean? Talk about what? Is he gonna break up with me? What did I do? What do I say?

Her thoughts begin to overlap as the pencil scratches harder and harder against the paper.

(CONT'D)

I want to reply but what if he ends things? Why would he do this? Do I not deserve him? Am I too ugly? Too annoying maybe? Is there another girl? How long has he been seeing her? Who is she? Is she prettier? SHUT UP!

The pencils rips the paper. Kaitlyn then drops the pencil on the ripped paper and sighs. INT. LIVING ROOM

A mother (mid 30s, blonde, well dressed) walks through the door with bags in her hand and locks the door behind her.

MOTHER

(she yells from the other room)

Kaitlyn, I'm home.

INT. KITCHEN ROOM Woman enters kitchen and puts down her bags on the shelf.

MOTHER      How was your day sweetie?

KAITLYN

(almost emotionless) Fine.

MOTHER

What's wrong honey? Did something happen at school?

KAITLYN

I just have a lot on my mind.

MOTHER

(concerned) Okay, I'm here if you need me.

INT. KAITLYN BEDROOM

Kaitlyn gazes at the text once again with frustration and indecisiveness and types "What did you want to talk about?" She throws her phone on the bed in fear after she sees the word delivered under the message.

A chime comes from her phone seconds later that she picks up in a hurry. The notification "Instagram: Sophia L. liked your post" appears on her phone. A stressed sigh escapes Kaitlyn's lungs when she drops her back on the bed staring at the ceiling.

KAITLYN'S THOUGHTS

I never thought of myself as an overthinker. I like to think as if

I am just cautious with my feelings. I just know that my thoughts are preparing me for future hurt so all the "extra thinking" has protected. However, it also brings stress. But isn't it worth it? I tell myself this to ease my own mind.

MOTHER

Kaitlyn, someone is here for you.

KAITLYN'S THOUGHTS

That's weird. I thought I told Liv I didn't want to hang out today.

Kaitlyn puts away her unfinished homework and walks downstairs to see her boyfriend standing at the foot of the stairs.

The original script failed to meet requirements by being too long as it included unnecessary content. It described specific shots which were not important to the script itself. Also, the new script will make the introduction of the movie more appealing dragging the audience in rather then meaningless tension with no background knowledge for the audience. In the rewritten script I moved the text messages of the boyfriend to the beginning in hopes to do something interesting with the credits while also giving information to the viewer. This saves time and makes the film come together more by placing the stress of Kaitlyn after she receives the text message rather than before. My instructor aided me in these changes as it supported the opening more making the viewer appealed and wanting more.

Considerations/concerns:

·       If the credits with the text messages will clash or be to overwhelming rather than them working together.

·       Creating lighting difference between rooms to create emotions

·       Catching the echo or distance of the mom yelling from the other room

·       How the voiceover overlap will come out and if it sounds distorted/unable to understand

Director:

As a director I aim to make the audience feel on edge emotionally allowing them to go through joy, sadness, anger, and suspense throughout the duration of the film. The opening is going to include specific use of close ups and zoom ins to get personal towards the main character Kaitlyn. I want the audience to feel relation to Kaitlyn in a mental sense as they hear her thoughts. The shot competition is meant to entice the viewer to want more of the film so for that effect we must add dutch angles, personalized shots, and camera movement that follows the characters.

When it comes to settings, costumes, make-up, and color it will be very generic regarding that is a dramatic romance. These typical movies have actors displaying day to day clothing and surrounded by reds, blues, and pinks. Some specific editing techniques include how the credits mash into the text messages between Kaitlyn and her boyfriend as well as the voice overs recording Kaitlyn’s thoughts. I want to also add silhouettes, tracking shots, extreme close-ups, push ins/outs, and possibly rack focus. Convention wise, many conventions will be followed as the film lines up with typical dramatic romances. However, conventions will be broken sense usually girls cry during a situation such as this one but the film we are creating is more directed towards what is going on in the teenagers mind. As the initial leader of the group I plan to let the crew see my intentions with the movie by simply explaining what emotion I want the audience to feel rather then just telling them what to do.

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In the first two minutes of the film He's All That, the audiences is introduced to a teenage girl who wakes up and continues to get ready. However, she gets back in bed and turns on her live on social media pretending as if she had just woke up and speaks to her fans about her excessive morning routine habits. This film is a teen romantic comedy. In the first two minutes of the movie their are no credits but there are company logos at the very beginning before the scene of the characters are even set. The company logo consists of black with light blue lettering that makes it stand out and not fit into the film very well. The first shot was a pan around the characters room which then focused on the character themselves. This then was brought to a montage of the girl getting ready and then multiple clips of her speaking to her fans on the live recommending beauty products. The first in the opening begins as the company logos are being produced which then gets quiet once the camera pans the girls room and then stops when the alarm clock goes off. A motivated tune then starts playing as the short montage of the girl getting ready to go live is going on. A light fun song then plays directly after the busy song. This switch is caused by the girl going back into bed and turning on her live to be fake and bubbly to her audience. There was not much of a cliff hanger going on after the two minutes it was mainly just her speaking to her fans. This left me with no questions because it seemed very bland and boring. During the montage there were many short cuts and close up shots. However the before and after of the montage included longer takes. There was the messages of the fans replying on the side of the screen which made it easy to watch the character as well as read the feed back. These first two minutes strongly adhere to conventions as the stereotypical teenage girl has a pink room with many make up products and also the popular girl being pretty and fake to her admirers. These first two minutes did not seem to break conventions besides perhaps her getting ready before posting herself on social media which is usually not shown in other films, but later introduced in the movie. The first two minutes expressed social issues considering how fake the character is to her fans by lying about how she looks when she wakes up. The false impression of someone on social media is a growing issue and is used in toxic ways which was shown in this clip. I believe that this film was produced on Netflix because most people have access to it which gives the main actor, who is unexperienced, better views and feedback.

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In November and December of 2022, I learned the logistics of editing, sound, and screenwriting/screenplay. I also studied many concepts regarding film editing and made documents featuring more than 20 kinds of editing techniques. As a class we watched a documentary titled “The Cutting Edge” which explains film editing, and we also watched a video on use of color. I studied sound basics and viewed a documentary on cinema sound “Making Waves”. We also read the screenplay for “The Incredibles” where we learned how to format screenplays using special software and wrote a two minute horror film opening about someone having a nightmare as the basis for my midterm project.

My midterm must be a one or two minute horror or horror hybrid opening that has minimal dialogue. There must not be wall-to-wall music or long takes. I must start in black with company ident and/or logo and title and (optional) credits before straight cut or dissolve to first image. There also must be minimum of three crosscuts between actor and nightmare and edited/shot/uploaded by student; accompanying blog post. The film must also include one  close up; one dutch angle; one high or low angle; one low key light set up or one silhouette; one pan or tilt or track/push or spinaround; one zoom or dolly zoom;  one subliminal cut or multitake or smash cut; one match cut; one  J cut or L cut; one use of slow or fast motion; one intentional use of color for story/emotion; one instance of intentional use of costume/hair/makeup; one instance of visual complexity in setting choice (color, texture, depth, lines, shapes, etc.); three sound effects; one piece of incidental music or one sound motif repeated three times.  Extra credit to include: quick cuts; montage; wide establishing shot; split screen; POV shot; reflection shot; intentional break of the fourth wall; intentional break of the rule of thirds; rack focus or pull focus shot; intentional use of handheld camera work; use of color filters to create a dream like quality; fisheye lens or fisheye effect; company logo with high quality graphic.

In my opening film project, I inflicted many horror conventions including various unsettling angles and dark lighting which gave it the horror effect. I also used jumpscares, and dark surroundings to make it even more mystical which the audience would look for in the horror genre. However I broke many codes and conventions by implementing a female as the threat. Usually when a women is getting kidnapped it is by a man however, in this film I tried to swerve away from that to bring a different perspective to the film. The audiences expectations for the horror genre was broken by various moments where there could have been a jump scare but wasn’t until the very end. The audience expected a frightened clip when the women turned around however there wasn’t until she turned up right. I represented the social issue of kidnapping and how careful you have to be. Kidnapping is a real problem in society today and I feel as if many horror movies are not paying attention to that fear enough. I was attempting to stress the importance of how  women can be criminals just as well as men can because that stereotype for men is often wrong. Women can do brutal things as well as men so, with that belief, I decided to speak on it.

The project has many strengths as well as many weaknesses which made me reflect on many things that I can improve for my next film. Some things that I would like to change next time is getting more camera time of actor expressions, use of lighting, and lower angles to give the film more effect. On the other hand, there are many strong suits including cutting on movement, use of music, and actors dress in color. The music I used brought it a darker and more horror feeling. Cutting on movement made it seem natural as well as dressing in color which impacts the audience on a subconscious level. While creating this film I used the editing software CapCut and Arc Studios for the script as well as a digital editor website to make the production label and design. I learned a lot through this film process sense I have never edited anything before this project. Downloading a editing software and educating myself on how to edit was interesting an had me gain a lot of knowledge.

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In class we covered many genres such as biographies, documentaries, thrillers, comedy, adventure, horror, romance, musicals, crime, dramas, family, YA, Shakespeare, film noir, indie, historical, fantasy, science fiction, superhero, sports, war, western, B movies, and animation. As reviewing these genres, I learned the conventions and what there is to expect when viewing each genre. Cinematography elements such as lighting, camera work, settings, etc. are essential for giving the audience specific feelings that make up the genre. From each genre, there were 3 movies being covered which all came from different periods in time to get a broad idea of each genre and its characteristics. Some of the movies listed were hybrid movies which is when a film incorporates many different genres.

In our first and second film that we created as a group I believe that it was a YA as well as a drama. The high key lighting and bright colors make in appealing to the young adult audience as well as the setting being in a school. The drama elements shine thro when the close ups come into play and also when the heartbreak in the story line took place. The characters showed loads of emotion in both films which portray a dramatic yet youthful feeling to the audience.  Each film was similar to each other in the sense that it followed natural codes and conventions that the audience expected.

My favorite genre is mystery which follows a dramatic yet suspicious storyline. A potential plot for a mystery movie could be a wealthy businessman killing another man. As the story unravels many of the agents are attempting to figure out who killed the man as the wealthy business man is not a suspect because of his social status among others. The first two minutes of a mystery film should incorporate many dark colors and perhaps a strong opening scene to lure the audience. The credits and logo in a mystery movie usually have dark colors and ominous music playing while showing. Cinematography elements may include silhouettes, dark colors, underexposed lighting, high angle shots, low angle shots etc. These elements help the audience feel suspicious about each character while watching. Many conventions following mystery movies include plot twists, which add drama and unexpected feelings towards certain characters, as well as the ongoing protagonist that is usually attempting to scavenge the suspect which gives the viewer someone to root for when watching.

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In this assignment our group is given another groups film to remake in a more professional manner. The film is meant to have a few different aspects as well as at least 10 various compositions of shots and camera movement. The movie was based on a girl who gets bullied however, the bully ends up having problems at home which then causes the bully to confront the bully about it so they can talk about it together as friends. The thing we changed about this story is that we took away the girl that is getting bullied friend and added that actress to the bully's friend group to appeal to the audience that she is more popular. Also the story originally included the bully having family problems when here we have the bully getting in fights with her boyfriend and eventually ending in him breaking up with her.
This film incorporated a total of 10 types of shots and camera movement including close ups, depth, high angle shot, over the shoulder shot, panning left and right, a POV shot, three shot, track out, two shot, and a wide shot. In the short film I shot a good amount of the scenes as well as acting as the bully's friend in the three shot of all of us walking in the hall.
The overall movie was a significant improvement from the first one we created. Our acting, use of depth, and lighting was highly more developed. The three shot with tracking out as the actresses walked was well done as it had depth and was surprisingly steady considering it was a hand held shot. However, there were many weaknesses including breaking the 180 rule in the first scene as well as the POV shot which could have been cut better. the POV shot was unclear and a little off putting which created a confused feeling for the audience. As a whole, the group was attempting to create a heart warming story with loads of dialogue and difficult decisions for the charecters.

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Jamie, Bella, Hanna, and Kadence joined me for our first project in AICE Media. The film was a story about a girl who get bullied by her ex-bestfriend. As time progressed she feels in her heart that what she was doing was wrong which resulted in the four friends becoming closer than ever.  My role in the movie was one of the bullies who peer pressures the girl to bully her bestfriend.

While the film had a delightful story line the filming was edited in a way that did not allow the movie to flow. The factual expressions were accurate but we kept breaking the acting towards the end of each clip. The sound was hearable at most parts even though we were very concerned. I wish that we added sound effects or transitions to make it more interesting and possibly had better camera angles that create a more appealing look.