sophia hajjar AICE MEDIA STUDIES by Sophia Hajjar https://padlet.com/sophiahajjar4423/aicemediablog en-us 2022-08-24 17:34:14 UTC 2024-04-01 07:58:10 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f60d.png First Student Film/Reflection sophiahajjar4423 https://padlet.com/sophiahajjar4423/aicemediablog/wish/2270431557 My name is Sophia and this was my first student film of the year. My group, Lyla, Tessa, and Isabella, we had many different roles. I was the main character in the film and Tessa was the side role, Lyla was our director while Isabella filmed mainly the whole thing. The film was called Where's Bruiser and was based off a young girl who moves to New York with her family dog, yet ends up losing him and going on a long and surprising adventure to find him. After shooting our movie was edited by Lyla and reviewed by the rest of our group.

Overall, I think our movie needed some work. It was very entertaining and kept people engaged. The camera work was not the best, many of the scenes were shaky and the heads of actors were cut off. The sound was very on and off, sometimes it would be loud and clear and in other shots it was quiet and you could barely hear. Lastly, there were many unneeded acting parts and scenes that were just fillers.]]> 2022-08-24 17:58:34 UTC https://padlet.com/sophiahajjar4423/aicemediablog/wish/2270431557 Film Remake and Reflection sophiahajjar4423 https://padlet.com/sophiahajjar4423/aicemediablog/wish/2316367665      This past week I was assigned the original movie, Karma, from my class, and had to rewrite and reshoot the whole thing in our own way with 10 different shots and camera movements. We rewrote our script too, The bully, about a girl who bullied her ex-best friend but eventually got her karma for it. 
      As we were deciding the set-up for the movie we chose to start out with a two-shot and over-the-shoulder shot, explaining why the lead(Sophia) was going to drop her "weird" best friend (Lyla). We used panning and tracking throughout the movie to better tell the story and show what was happening in each scene. We had multiple 3 shots of Sophia and her new best friend Isabella making fun of Lyla. We used Low angle shots on Sophia to make her appear more fearful like a bully and High angle shots on Lyla to make her seem very lonely and weak. We also filled in the movie with different Long, Medium, and Wide shots to enhance the production.
      Overall, I think our product was in improvement from it's original. Our storyline and scenes went well together and did a good job explaining the story. It was entertaining and funny, and much of an improvement from our last film. There were still a lot of things that needed work. The sound wasn't clear at some parts and too loud at others, some of our transtions were also very jerky and not smoothly edited. We also needed some more coverage as options to improve our production overall.
Our first shot was a two shot and an over-the-shoulder shot. We were trying to show the two bullies making fun of Lyla's tiktoks saying they were going to drop her. I think we portrayed it decently, but it was very hard to see the tiktok so we couldved did a close up on the phone. Our backs were also facing the camera so to improve the scene we should've changed the camera to facing our faces. Another shot was a low-angle shot of the two bullies (Isabella and Sophia) walking down the hallway and pushing lyla out of their way. This scene was meant to be a filler to portray lyla getting bullied which was executed well, but to improve the scene, we couldve done a tilt up as the girls walked closer to the camera so they're faces/bodies wouldnt get cut out of the frame. Lastly, another shot was a three shot of the two bullies and Lyla in the classroom. In this scene Lyla was crying in her desk while the bullies were making fun of her. This scene needed improvment because as an audience you couldn't see lyla crying or her emotions. Instead we couldve done a low angle shot from behind lyla so you could see the two bullies faces aswell as lyla crying.]]> 2022-09-27 21:25:36 UTC https://padlet.com/sophiahajjar4423/aicemediablog/wish/2316367665 GENRE AND REPRESENTATION REFLECTION sophiahajjar4423 https://padlet.com/sophiahajjar4423/aicemediablog/wish/2367609305     During this week, we covered all the main movie genres, Thriller, War, Animation, Comedy, Musicals, Mysteries, Superheroes, Romance, Sci-fi, Sports, Drama, Crime, and Adventure. We split our class into groups and each group made a power point covering these topics. In each PowerPoint, we went through what types of conventions(stories, characters and their representations, setting, iconography, values), codes(cinematic elements including camera work, lighting, editing, and special effects), and the audience expectations of each genre. For each PowerPoint, there were three different movies from three different eras of history. Some of the films we watched in class were hybrid films, these are movies that can be classified under 2 or more different genres. 
    At the beginning of the year, my group made a movie that was an Adventure/Drama film, with a little bit of mystery. Our story was based on a girl traveling to New York with her dog, but ends up losing the dog and embarks on a journey across the city to find him, and ends up finding him in the most unexpected place. We shot our film in the school courtyard in mostly sunny weather. To cancel out award silence in the scenes we weren't speaking we added music that related to the plot of the movie. Our goal overall was to keep the audience laughing and also keep them wondering and asking questions like where what when and why. We could've improved this film by getting rid of unnecessary characters and scenes, shooting in more overcast lighting, and editing the transitions in our shots better. Our second film was in the Drama genre. In this film, we improved better with our shots and editing. The storyline was based on a girl getting bullied by her best friend, eventually getting her revenge when her bully became a loner, and she rose to popularity. This film was also shot in the school courtyard but the lighting that day was more overcast than sunny. We used equipment like a microphone, tripod, and a light to improve the editing. We didn't use as many special effects as our first movie, but the shot transitions were cut better. The audience was targeted to feel sad for the girl(Lyla) getting bullied and feel happy when she got her revenge. 
     My own personal favorite genres are horror and musical. If I were to make my own movie I would choose to do a musical. I would call it, "Dear, Me," It would be about a girl who writes a different letter to her future self for each of the biggest moments in her life. The movie would go through various hardships, friendships, love interests, and lots of teenage girl drama. I would set this film in a small town, with shots in the high school, parks, movie theaters, parties, and more places around the town. Each character will have their own background story and bring value to the main girl, Delilahs, life. During all the singing scenes I would edit their voices from the recording studio into the movie to make it sound better. This film will be meant to be relatable to teens, also making people feel happy and excited.]]> 2022-11-03 01:35:50 UTC https://padlet.com/sophiahajjar4423/aicemediablog/wish/2367609305 Editing and Sound- Midterm Film sophiahajjar4423 https://padlet.com/sophiahajjar4423/aicemediablog/wish/2442248706   We have been studying editing, sound, and screenwriting/screenplay formats throughout the past two months of 2022. During class, we would learn film editing concepts and create documents showcasing 20 or more different editing techniques. Our class viewed a documentary about film editing called "The Cutting Edge," as well as another video on the use of color in movies. We saw a movie about cinema sound called "Making Waves" and learned about the fundamentals of sound in several well-known movies. At the end of December, we read the script from "The Incredibles" to learn how a screenplay is written and formatted. For our midterm, we were asked to create our own 2-minute horror film opening scene that begins with a nightmare after learning how to write a script properly.

  Our midterm final is a one to two-minute film based on the opening of a horror film. It is supposed to be mainly based on a nightmare the main character is having. There must be a minimum of three crosscuts between the actor and their nightmare, no long takes, and no wall-to-wall music. Additionally, the movie must have one close-up, one dutch angle, one high or low angle, one low-key lighting setup or silhouette, one pan, tilt, track, push, or spin around, one zoom or dolly zoom, one subliminal cut, one multi-take, one smash cut, one match cut, one J cut, or one L cut, one use of slow motion or fast motion, one intentional use of color for story or emotion, one intentional use of costume, hair, or makeup, one intentional use of visual
 
  My horror movie is based in a town where there have been several unsolved murders. By using low-key lighting and adding high-pitched sounds when the murderer is being revealed, I incorporated horror conventions into my movie. When the unidentified murderer punches the main character Delilah before stealing her friend, I demonstrated conventions effectively. The nightmare portion of my brief opening can also be categorized as a convention. When the masked murderer is revealed in the nightmare near the end of the movie, there is a sense of tension and shock on the audience's part. Even though I don't think I broke any of the given codes or conventions in my movie, the audience's response might differ depending on the viewer. I made an effort to include the fact that, in today's society, it is frequently women or young girls who are kidnapped.

   I found my storyline in my piece to be generally simple to shoot and put together. I was able to quickly get to the point while keeping the plot simple and uncomplicated. If I had tried harder, I might have obtained higher quality in my shots, as well as a better sound quality. I used the camera on my phone while shooting. I used IMovie to edit my video, and I also used it to alter the sound. Before shooting this, I had no experience with editing, but with friends' assistance, I was able to finish the project and gained a greater understanding of the process. Lastly, I used the website Arc Studio to write my script. 
   

    


]]> 2023-01-12 13:26:37 UTC https://padlet.com/sophiahajjar4423/aicemediablog/wish/2442248706 sophiahajjar4423 https://padlet.com/sophiahajjar4423/aicemediablog/wish/2467989977
1. A one or two sentence description of the first two minutes. What happens?
-The first two minutes started with a establishing shot of a forest with the individual names of people associated with the film popping up. The first scene there was a women climbing up a hill using a rope, and then running throughout the forest. While this is happening the credits are still fading in and out.


2. What is the genre and who is the target audience for this film?
-Thriller/Horror. Target Audience is 13-18 Females 

3. Describe the opening credits and title sequences, including any company logos or idents. When do they appear? What color/font are they using? How does it "align" with the opening of the film? Anything else you notice?
-The opening credits are white and bold across the whole screen. They only include the names of people associated with and in the film. The names appear one by one.

3. Describe it visually -- a shot by shot breakdown that includes type of shot/movement, if any.
-The opening starts out with an establishing shot of the forest. It then tilts down to the forest to show a woman climbing up a hill using a rope. The camera pans to the right as the girl walks to the right and then cuts to tracking in shot of the woman running.

4. Describe the sound -- a "sound by sound" analysis of the entire first two minutes. 
- The whole two minutes remain the same song. At first, it is very low volume and calm, but as soon as the scene picks up it gets louder and more intense.

5. Describe how you felt at the end of the two minutes. Did you want to know more? What was left hanging, if anything? What questions do you still have?
- At the end of the two minutes I was curious as to where she was running to and if someone was going to kidnap her or if shes was being chased.

6. How would you describe the editing style in this clip? Any particular editing techniques you noticed, or the length of shots?  -The only main editing techniques I really noticed were low lighting and a kind of dark feeling to it.

7. How did these first two minutes adhere to conventions?
-The first two minutes adhered to conventions by having lowkey lighting and a high-pitched song in the background adding suspense.

8. How did these first two minutes break with conventions?
-I do no think the first two minutes broke any horror conventions.


9. How did these first two minutes represent social groups or people or issues?  
- Women are the main targets in most kidnappings.

10. Why do you think this film was originally distributed in the way that it was?
-The only place film companies could really distribute their films in the 90s were theatres. Theatres were also very popular during the time which would help this film get more popular during its time.










]]> 2023-02-03 18:55:49 UTC https://padlet.com/sophiahajjar4423/aicemediablog/wish/2467989977 Preproduction Requirements- Producer sophiahajjar4423 https://padlet.com/sophiahajjar4423/aicemediablog/wish/2483969296 Shooting Schedule: February 18-19 and 24-26 
Location: Stonecreek and Lyla Barker's house
Cast list: -sean peachy
               -isabella owens
               -isabella beilfus
               -alex tatum
Prop list: rope, black mask, a book, bike, duck tape, radio, car, hair brush, car keys, wood
Costume/Hair/Makeup: bruise marks on victims, natty hair, innocent looking outfits on the girls
Music/Sound: car screeching, eery title music, dark intense sound on kidnapping scene, door slamming, car unlocking
Special Technicalities: when girl #2 is falling off her bike we will put down a air track the area she is falling.

Our film is inspired by the movie, The Black Phone, it will give the audience a thrilling and scary feeling. The film is effective in shocking the audience, but the real horror part is the pain that is shown through the trauma after the characters are kidnapped


]]> 2023-02-15 19:01:30 UTC https://padlet.com/sophiahajjar4423/aicemediablog/wish/2483969296 Independent Distribution and Marketing Plan sophiahajjar4423 https://padlet.com/sophiahajjar4423/aicemediablog/wish/2512232870 If I were to distribute my film independently I would try to get an independent distributor to get my film shown in cinemas and major VOD platforms. This would be a good fit for my film because if our targeted audience goes to watch our movie in theaters and likes it, more people will want to watch it as it leaves the theaters. I would try to get IFC Films to distribute my film since they are the most popular and trusted to market my film well. I would choose to have my film at the Edinburgh film festival since it has produced many prize-winning films including "The Walking Dead" which is within the same genre as our film.

The title of our film is The Closet. Our title works because all of the kidnappings end up in one closet that they spend the movie trying to escape from. I think the title can be improved since it doesn't entirely captivate audiences or sound as interesting as it could. We do not have a new title yet but by the final cut, we will have chosen a better title.

The tagline for our movie is "We are coming out of the closet." It is related to the action part of our movie and has a creepy feeling to it.

Our target audience is 13-18 females. These types of women are more feminists and women empowerment. They enjoy watching women work together to solve problems and dislike it when everything is always about men. They are following big feminists like Lizzo and Michaela Coel. They have a diverse choice of clothing and usually are reading books with women figures in them. They usually buy/rent feminist horror movies or movies within that realm.

If I had to self-distribute my film I would virtually place my advertisement on Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, TV commercials, Youtube, and Facebook. I would post teasers and enticing short trailers with our tag lines to reach our audience and make them intrigued. Physically I would post ads in shopping malls, public plazas, movie theater trailers, and different amusement parks. I would do this through the use of big flyers and posters. I think these are the best ways to advertise because these are the most popular places you will find the most teenage females in our target audience.

I will engage with my target audience by adding details about our movie and showing short teasers and trailers to leave my audience wanting more. I will post short clips from our film that leave my target audience asking questions and wanting to know more. I will get them to click on my ads by matching keywords that my target audience is searching for online. I can get my audience to repost or share my ad by adding crazy visuals that make them laugh or wince and make them experience different emotions: sadness, anxiety, and happiness.

People can deduce a film's storyline from their key artwork by looking at the photo and seeing how it relates to the title and tagline altogether. I would design my movie poster with a distorted angle of a closet with lowkey lighting, and an unsettling figure in the distance of the closet with light shining only on their eyes. I would also put hands along the outsit of the closet to emphasize our tagline, "We are coming out of the closet." The main three colors I will use are black, gray, and red. In the Foreground it will just be the outside of the closet with normal lighting and nothing distorted, The inside of the closet with be black with the kidnapper in the distance in an unsettling position. The font on my poster will be messy and appear like it was carved.


]]> 2023-03-10 18:59:31 UTC https://padlet.com/sophiahajjar4423/aicemediablog/wish/2512232870 Production and Editing Reflection sophiahajjar4423 https://padlet.com/sophiahajjar4423/aicemediablog/wish/2529398359 Throughout the production process I learned that not everything you plan will go your way. There are many changes my group had to make with schedules, actors, props, etc. Many of our actors could not show up or be on time to our planned film dates so we were constantly rescheduling, getting new actors and modifying the script to make it more realistic in the  filming process. The scenes we first filmed had lots of sound problems due to the battery's in the mic being low, and the quality of the acting and camera work was not as good as it could be. Our rough cut was missing some scenes that we were not able to film so we tried to finish and edit most of them by our second cut. ]]> 2023-03-23 19:44:01 UTC https://padlet.com/sophiahajjar4423/aicemediablog/wish/2529398359 Critical Reflection sophiahajjar4423 https://padlet.com/sophiahajjar4423/aicemediablog/wish/2557260116 2023-04-17 16:31:43 UTC https://padlet.com/sophiahajjar4423/aicemediablog/wish/2557260116 Final Film -- The Closet sophiahajjar4423 https://padlet.com/sophiahajjar4423/aicemediablog/wish/2557267056 2023-04-17 16:36:50 UTC https://padlet.com/sophiahajjar4423/aicemediablog/wish/2557267056