Audience and Institution Practice Essay

5. In relation to the media area you have studied, discuss the ways audience consumption has changed over time.

The film industry has evolved over the years with new consumption methods. When it comes to movies each new distribution method has only enhanced the total consumption of movies while older methods are still prevalent. These methods further expand the range of people and audiences who will view a film. 

The obvious first start of the movie industry is on the infamous silver screen. From the early 20s into today, films are screened in a theater setting. The culture of a film was created for a movie theater setting back in the beginnings of the film industry. It was a posh event due to that being one of the new and luxurious media platforms of the time. Movies featured intermissions, people dressed up to attend a movie screening, and movie stars were at the top of the social pyramid. According to Guinness World Records, the classic film Gone with the Wind is the highest-grossing film in the box office at an (inflation-adjusted) total of $3.44 billion. This film was a major influencing film of the time at a running time of over 3 hours with full intermission and score. Movies are still classically screened as it is still a major source of revenue. Others just find it nostalgic to sit in a movie theater even though the culture has definitely shifted from a posh affair to a more comfortable and casual scene. 

Movies then were adapted for the square screen on your at-home television (TV). Announcements were made in the newspaper to what movies were going to be screened for that week. IMDB states that Disney aired the “Disney Sunday Movie” from 1986-88. Movies were able to be more easily screened by more people by allowing television stations to purchase the rights to air a movie live on TV. Classic adapted films of this time were Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of OZ. The annual tradition of The Wizard of OZ on tv drew more of an audience towards that film as people would flock to the channel for this special occasion. USA Today states that this tradition just ended with it running for an overall 60 years. Today, we still have many films screened live on TV like Holiday movies, nostalgic films, and back to back marathons of a movie series such as the Harry Potter series. 

  Once movies entered our home we never stopped evolving home consumption of films. People now wanted physical copies of a film so they could watch it whenever they wanted to. Introducing the video home system (VHS) tape. “The South Korean drama, The Young Teacher, was the first film to be released for home VHS consumption. Considering the first VCRs were released in 1976, it makes perfect sense that the first movies would also accompany it in the same year,” states Legendarybox.com. The only problem with VHS tapes was that you had to rewind the tape to the beginning to rewatch the film. This was solved with the invention of the Laserdisc which was circular that allowed the film to play and not be rewinded. The only downside was that they were huge disks that could not store much data. Digital video disk (DVD) was then introduced as a more compact circular model. This allowed people to even double consumption of film where they would watch it when it came out in theaters and then buy the DVD to rewatch later. 

VHS and CD buying then evolved to renting physical copies of a film. Companies such as BlockBuster, Netflix, and Redbox were invented for the people who want to view movies but not commit to a full purchase of the DVD forever. These National companies and some privately owned rental stores would allow people to rent out DVDs for a fee and return them. Blockbuster was a storefront, Netflix was a mailing service, and Redbox was a grocery store kiosk. These rental places dominated the home consumption sector of the movie industry. Business Insider states “At its peak in the late '90s, Blockbuster owned over 9,000 video-rental stores in the United States, employed 84,000 people worldwide, and had 65 million registered customers. Once valued as a $3 billion company, in just one year, Blockbuster earned $800 million in late fees alone.” These types of physical rental places were eventually replaced with the digital era. 

  Lastly, the digital era of film has swept the nation and is till the latest development. It started with the introduction of “On-demand” movies provided by your cable company where you could purchase or rent a movie but all through your TV. On-demand turned into subscription platforms to stream films and TV like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Youtube TV, Apple Tv, and Disney+. A customer will pay a monthly fee to stream unlimited movies. In addition, many of these platforms are making exclusive content for their platform like original Movies that will never see the silver screen. Today movies are consumed within the audience’s home all through the internet. Most recently, the coronavirus has prevented people from going out to theaters to see newly released movies, so some movies had an only digital release directly to On-demand and streaming services due to nationwide stay-at-home orders. Newsweek.com stated, “Movies usually have a seven-month gap between airing in theaters and coming to streaming services, Onward will come to the Disney streaming service just under a month after its original cinema release.”

All things considered, the film industry has evolved over the years to fit our media consumption wants and needs. The unique thing about movies is that the original movie theater screening is still the preferred way to watch a movie by many people as it is still very prevalent today as it was back in the 1920s.

Practice Extract Essay

When viewing this Game of Thrones extract a certain theme comes to mind. With the intense meetings shown I feel the meaning behind this clip was that people come from many different backgrounds to find common ground and compromise on global issues. 

The first scene is when the visiting men are traveling on their boat into the city where the meeting is held. You are greeted with an aerial shot of a boat cutting through the water. This provides the viewer with an omniscient feeling that helps to provide the context of the visitors traveling a long way to this meeting. This can help to emphasize the importance of this discussion with having people travel from far away to talk in person. A score is also playing throughout the entire first scene. It is loud and helps to paint the picture of the setting that these travelers are sailing into. The first scene ends with a pan shot of computer-generated imagery (CGI)  of this fantasy setting as the boat goes between the legs of a large warrior statue. The CGI gives the viewer a sense of this new city and what type of people these travelers are going to be dealing with. The CGI gives the audience a perspective of a larger than life lushness of the city. This may provide context that these people have money when negotiating relations in the future meeting. 

The next scene is the physical meeting between the group of men. It begins with very dramatic lighting with a deep contrast between the bright natural light streaming into the dark corridor. This added drama and seriousness to the overall mood of the scene. It establishes a tone before the meeting even starts. Dialogue is used a lot throughout this scene to provide the context of the plot for the audience to consume while being faced with subliminal messages with other cinematographic effects and mise en scene. It is essentially the bulk of the scene that gives much information in regards to a theme of the extract. In addition, editors liked to use many edited transitions between people in the conversation with a shot-reverse-shot approach. This helps to give the viewer a better understanding of everyone in the meeting’s perspective as someone is talking. They then cut to another person’s reaction or wide shot of the full room to give more information towards a shifting mood within the room as they approach compromise within the discussion. Lastly, the actors cast were mostly all older men with European accents. This helps the audience to connect the character with a powerful diplomatic/regal figure in addition to their fine clothes from the costume designer. This can help to prove that this was a very important meeting where everyone “important” came to the meeting or sent their best men.

Overall, this extract used many techniques to illustrate the importance of this meeting these men had. Camera shots, editing, and thought-out mise en scene helped to convey the message of an important discussion leading to overall compromise. 

Critical Creative Reflection

Final Project: Movie Intro

     We have finally completed our music video, and we were assigned our final project. This film was going to be a title sequence for an original film. Instead of working in groups of two, we combined groups to a group of 4. Our first step was to decide which genre of film we liked and felt would fit the time frame of 2 minutes. After much discussion, we decided on a thriller and go to work on a basic storyboard. The basic plot involves 2 women who seduce and kill men. To hone in on the details we made an elaborate storyboard that showed the progress of the story every 2 seconds. Next, we planned locations and decided on a parking lot and Nyaira's house. Then, we decided on costumes and props to further the story. Filming took place over several days to make sure all the scenes were done. After the filming was complete, the editing began. This time the editing included adding in titles amongst the scenes. Next, we had a peer review and were able to reshoot and re-edit some of the scenes to improve the movie. During this time,  a worldwide pandemic hit which prevented us from getting together. Like in Hollywood, in-person filming and editing had to be suspended. To continue to communicate we were able to use platforms like Facetime and Microsoft teams. Though the pandemic suspended face to face meetings we were able to complete the project. Throughout this project, I learned to preserve with teammates, and through a pandemic.  Overall, I used all my prior experience to help my group make a fantastic movie.

Second Project: Music Video

After completing the commercial, Nyaira and I were assigned to create a music video. The music video was to be of a song and be 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds. Since we had the basics of filming and editing down from the commercial, we wanted to expand to some different shots and edits. This time we wanted a more intricate story that involved reminiscing about the past as well as reuniting in the present. Included in the storyboard was a mirrored dance that reflected that though we've moved on we are still in sync. The storyboard called for grown-up costumes and kid costumes which was a new technique of costume change. In addition, we filmed off of school property at Flippos which had a dance room for the older scenes and slides for the younger scenes. From the commercial, we learned a bit about how to act. We wrote down scenes with camera angles and how the story would look at the forefront. Due to this writing, the acting was better and more natural in the video. We also discussed kinds of mannerisms of smaller children and incorporated these in the kid scenes. We decided on dancing as the best form of expression for the mirrored present we both share. Nyaira and I both love to dance and thought a music video was the perfect opportunity to include out passion. The editing was also taken to a new level to cut together sliding from the top to the bottom of slides. We were also able to use filters to make a black and white scenes to differentiate emotions at throughout. One thing in the commercial that we fixed was transitions. The new transitions included matching images from one cell to the next and fade in and fade-outs. Though the music video was longer, the extra time allowed for more nuances and extra footage to help tell the story. The filming and editing had to tell the whole story since there was no dialogue for this cut. This project helped me grow in writing, filming and editing to to be able to film the final project to the best of my abilities.

First Project: Commercial Video

To show progression, I've decided to include my previous two projects. I thought this would show the overall development of our skills improving over the course of the year. Our first project was to make a 30-second commercial. Nyaira and I decided to do our commercial on Dunkin Donuts. We took inspiration from their other commercials so we could capture the same style and mood as the real brand. We wanted to especially advertise their fall products and make it a seasonal twist on their generic commercials. This project was much more basic than the others as we had to film on the school campus, take basic shots, and had to do it within school hours. We decided to tell a simple story of how new Autumn coffee is an exciting part of everyone's morning routine. Our shock element for this project was our "Cinderella transformation" from morning look to enchanting fall beauty just with Dunkin Donuts coffee. We also tried to do the detailed food manipulation shots that are in every modern food commercial now. This proved to be a bit difficult without a crew and only being on school property. We had to keep replenishing coffee, donuts, and beans with every shot we took. We learned this as we took each take because when we looked back at the footage a half-empty cup of coffee did not look as appetizing as a full one. With this project, we learned basic workings of the camera and simple shots. Editing was difficult at first with the initial learning curve but then it became easier as we ensured smooth transitions and added music and transparent graphics. We struggled with the timing and supplies needed for this shoot with an unideal location. We felt it might have gone smoother if we could easily set up shop somewhere instead. We made it work though with our supply bag and easy costume switches. The coffee used may not have been the most appetizing or cold but, in the real film industry we learned that most food used is not even food. Overall, we learned a lot of our introductory skills with this first project.

Final Editing

The coronavirus outbreak has truly put a damper in our film production quality. We are unable to film and edit like we want to due to social distancing and recommended quarantines. Our first step to solve the problem is to do a google search for free editing software. The first one we found was eazyphotoeditor.com. The advantage is that it will do video. The disadvantage was that sound could not be added to the video.  The next software was iskysoft.us. This program was great if we wanted to add a lot of effects. It wasn't so great because it was a free trial with a credit card guarantee. One member of our group suggested using iMovie editor on our apple phones. The technology is super easy to use and to manipulate clips. The problem was that once edited we had to screen record on our phones. We could then export the video as an MP4. Though a workable option we decided to go with an adobe editor that came with a computer. This program had contrast and lighting control. We were able to lighten some of the interior car scenes with this program. After they were lightened we were able to edit those scenes into the film. Our group has had to use email to pass around the file since we can not use airdrop or other technology.  After reviewing the emailed movies our groups thinks we have a solid product. The final cut included the titles we were missing, The movie is ready to turn into Cambridge.

Production postponed and Plans changed

     My group has kept up production after some obvious initial edits since our peer review. We refilmed our car crash scene with additional footage. Then that scene was re-edited it into our film. After, we wanted to watch it again and assess what else should be done.
     My group decided we would try to refilm some of the interior car scenes and improve the lighting. We were planning to re-film them late last week but then the COVID-19 outbreak stopped our plans. The coronavirus has canceled school unexpectedly for us. We are unable to borrow equipment from the school like our camera, tripod, and SD card reader. The laptops with our editing software are also stuck at school. This has been quite stressful for our group because we need to address this problem and change our schedule. We had a group video chat to discuss this issue. Nothing much was solved as all of the details regarding this outbreak and the school haven't been released quite yet. At this time the state of Florida is recommending staying at home. Also, there is a curfew at 9, and the scene in question needs to be filmed at night. At this moment we don't have enough time to meet, film, and get home by the state-mandated curfew. We do not know if Cambridge will postpone or change anything regarding this component in the exam but, we are acting as if the original due date still applies.
     Our group has noticed the global halt in film production. Most of the world can not gather in large groups. Large crews are required on set each day to produce, film, and execute a professional production. The film industry as a whole is feeling the negative effects of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Re-filming: Car Accident

Today, we reshot our car accident scene. When our group first screened our two-minute title sequence we realized something was off. In the scene where Sabrina and Bridget are talking until Bridget veers off into an unlikely car crash, the acting did not fit the suspense and music. The initial footage featured us talking but, not reacting to the impact of the crash with the added screeching sound effects. We planned to film this today so I brought the same outfit as to match the conditions of the previous footage. We met up after school and went to the same location as the previous shooting day. Nyaira and I got changed into our costumes and reviewed what we thought should change in this scene. We filmed some takes but then realized even though the reaction is better, it is obvious that the car isn’t moving. To fix this problem we decided to move to an empty dark parking lot. Our first hurdle was finding a dashboard camera mount. Finally, we decided on a suction cup holder so the camera would be stable during the crash.  With the camera set up on the dashboard, filming our talking scenes while going 5-10 mph where I would press the brake and use that to show our jerk back from the accident. With the small jerk caused by the braking, we would overdramatize the reaction for a better reaction shot. We discussed whether to add in the sound effects during the filming or during editing. After the discussion, we decided on the sound effects during the editing process. Next, we looked for some free sound effects on the internet. We attempted to match the sound effects and the action in the film. In addition, we looked for some dramatic music to put in the background while the characters are talking.
None of the copyright free music fit the action so we decided on non-diegetic sounds in the background to heighten the drama. Overall, the critique from the peer review led to the improvement and reshooting of the car crash scene.

Re-editing: Initial Assessment

     Last class's peer editing truly helped our group gain perspective on our film. The critiques we received back were that some of the shots from the car were a little dark. So we can improve some of those shots with the interior lights on possibly.  Also, we can try some below the face lightening so it still appears dark. Additionally, we didn't realize the sound effects of the car crash action did not coordinate. Our group decided to reshoot the scene by making the reaction to the ¨car crash¨ more realistic. We will shoot at night and use the same outfits to have a seamless look. We want to include a larger jerk so it is more obvious that the crash happened. We also did not feature all ten of our titles in the original cut. We plan to add the rest of them in the correct order. We decided to evenly space the rest of the titles throughout the movie and not group them in the fewer action spots. There were a few spelling errors that can be corrected. We are debating on whether to change the color of any of the fonts. A neutral color that is light was chosen so the color is consistent. The other group also suggested using voice over when featuring dialogue in a scene. My group deliberated and decided we would attempt to try to silence unneeded background noise to improve dialogue audio. The voice-over is challenging to sync with the mouth movements and direct dialogue will be better. The timing was good so the changes will need to fit in the existing movie.  The ¨your next sign on the seat is a bit out of focus. This could be reshot and zoomed in to better read it. Overall, our movie needs a few slight changes but not major work.

Peer Review

Today in class, we were assigned another group’s video to peer review. We switched flash drives and initially watched their film. We got a review sheet to aid us when watching and critiquing their video.  We began deconstructing the plot and story behind the film. The group’s film after initially watching it was a bit confusing. We then went to see if any technical sound, lighting, or camera issues were presented. Overall, all lighting was good where there were no significant shadows blocking actors' reactions or plot points. The audio was good quality for the score and added sounds in the film. There isn’t much dialogue that helps the audio quality as you don’t have to perfect the tone and volume of actors' speech. Camera angles were diverse and helped the plot flow smoothly. Angles add dimension and suspense to the story. The team did a good job of not filming microphones or the tripod. Editing overall did not allow the plot to flow. A few cut shots added to the movie to help explain transitions would be good. Also, a few more types of shots would add variety to the filming. Overall the titles were in the correct order. They were also spaced nicely throughout the title sequence. However, there were slight problems with editing. All titles fit the theme but, I feel the green lettering on the grass is a little hard to read. Overall, editing was not choppy and it conveyed the message intended. The length of the film was within the parameters. An additional 9 seconds to explain the essence of the plot could be added and still be in the AICE specifications.

Filming Blog: Footage Review

     Today, in class my group reviewed our initial footage. It was our first time viewing the footage since filming. We were going to sort stuff out and download/process the good clips. We first started by putting our SD card in the reader so we can get it onto a computer in class. We then watched the footage and eliminated some of the truly terrible cuts with bad lighting, extra background noise, or mess-ups from the actors. Then we reordered them chronologically for how they should be added into our film. We hoped this would make the editing process a little less of a hassle. Then we trimmed some video with false starts and extending endings because we felt it was easier on our phones than in the editing software.
     We also planned for a short but productive 2nd filming day for the remaining scenes. We would prepare our props and safety equipment the previous day. Nyaira and I would travel to our location and set up and film some of the individual scenes. These would be extreme close-ups and reaction shots. The boys would then arrive to help us with some of the two shots and action sequences. They could help us be more efficient when filming because they could see and complete test shots. We plan to review footage from that shoot later that day. We will then try to add it to a google drive folder so it can be accessible to each member of the group. We will then begin the editing process for our film's first draft. We will then access our video and receive some peer-reviewed feedback. For now, we need to focus on finishing filming all of our shots for editing.

Filming Blog: Initial Shoot

     Today, my group finally got together and began to film. We left after school and drove to Nyaira's house. We were planning to film the two date scenes and some car scenes. We all prepared the night before with packing out outfits and props required. Nyaira was already at her house waiting while the rest of us made our way over there. It was difficult to find the address which deducted some of our ample filming time.
     We went inside the house and had a brief meeting regarding the timing and goals for today. We also reviewed the storyboard for shot references. Us girls began with changing into our appropriate costumes. The boys then set up all tech equipment and adjusted lighting and background.
     The first scene that we taped was a scene between Preace and Nyaira. They began with a wide shot where Preace picks up Nyaira from her house to go on a date. Angles were hard to position in this scene in order to fit everyone into a shot. After much trial and error, we got a couple usable shots. We were thinking we could edit between multiple angles/shots so the story looks consistent. Next, we filmed Anjun and I's date scene. Overall we filmed a good chunk of our movie. We attempted to film all the scenes that need daytime lighting. We will need to meet up again in the future to film the remaining scenes at nighttime. We will try to begin editing once we transfer some of the footage from SD card to computer.

Filming Blog: Bad Weather

     Our group planned to film last Saturday. We cleared our schedules and were ready to begin shooting. Unfortunately, it was raining in the afternoon to evening when we were scheduled to film. We thought we could still get together and film but, voted against it when most scenes are outside or need specific lightening from the outside. We felt it would be hard to replicate conditions from certain inside shots to the following outside shot without filming those scenes continuously on one day. We decided to reschedule for the following Sunday.

      In the meantime, we will work out every planning detail for the shoot. We proceeded to create a supply list for the group. We each contributed suggestions for the the list. This included props, special effect supplies, and outfit changes. We then put our names next to the items that we would personally bring to the shoot. Us girls also thought of how to change looks with minimal makeup and outfit changes. We planned for that in our personal packing lists.
     This weather was a setback for a prompt start in our movie shooting. We hope to make a large advancement in progress this weekend. We also feel it could be helpful to edit along the way of filming. So, each scene we filmed we could finish editing. Then each chunk could be added together to the following scene. I feel this could be a great strategy for time saving when editing. In addition, we could easily re-shoot and re-edit certain chunks then add it back to the complete film.

Planning Blog: Story board

For our final A.I.C.E task it was essential for our group to complete a storyboard. This storyboard would show all visuals actions that are happening within our film but, written out. The storyboard would be advantageous to our film because everyone's opinions are condensed within those 10 pages. By drawing out the film, we decided where titles would be introduced and how the plot would play out. These drawn-out squares would help prepare our camera crew for setting up angeled shots and other hard to shoot shots. Props can also be prepped and bought while seeing them drawn out. Nyaira and I can better edit and act according to the plan to attain the desired result. This process was a bit stressful to truly stretch out 2 minutes into each shot. It also proved difficult to replicate pictures that remain consistent between squares. Overall, constructing the storyboard was a challenge but, will result in much ease of planning.

Planning Blog: Location, Participants, Health, and Schedule

Our teachers encouraged us in class to complete a presentation for our logistics. This would be a general written account for our future planning. This presentation would illustrate the different locations we will film. In addition, it will also highlight our schedule for the next coming weeks to stay on task for timely submission. Lastly, this would also serve as a written agreement between my partners to ensure a safe environment when filming. This guide will also give a list of places to film so we could better plan gas, time of day, and free availability within the group. This can be found as difficult because when deliberating we sometimes come to a compromise. Our director and cameraperson will use this presentation as a guideline into formatting the final film and keeping participants safe. The hardest part of creating this presentation was trying to agree and compromise on scheduled dates. Overall, this presentation provided comfort during the planning and later for the shooting aspects of this project.

Planning Blog: Title Design

Our teachers advised us in class to complete a presentation for our featured titles. This would be comprised of all general visual design ideas and transitions of titles. This presentation would illustrate the different fonts, colors, special effects, and spacing for titles. This presentation will not only show a visual representation of our title plans but, will provide a guide when editing our titles into the film. This guide will also give a list of titles and names to finalize and order. This can be found as difficult because when filing we can not visibly see the title as it is just the plain footage. It would be great if we could create an ideal background for our titles to rest on. Our editor will use this presentation as a guideline into formatting the final film. The hardest part of creating this presentation was trying to make purposeful changes to words and their design to convey a message but also be seen. Overall, this presentation was a great opportunity to save time in the editing process way ahead of time.

Planning Blog: Sound Script

Our teachers also instructed us in class to complete a presentation for the sounds in our script. This is very similar to our shooting script, however, it doesn't include any movements or actions with the camera. This presentation would focus solely on the score, dialogue, special effect sounds, and other sounds per scene. This presentation will not only show a visual representation of our sound plans but, will provide a guide when creating the sounds for the film. This guide will also give a list of non-diegetic sounds to find/create for certain scenes. Sounds can be more difficult than filming because some of the sounds are created uring the filming process and others are added when editing. Both our director and editor will use this presentation as an essential tool for success. The hardest part of creating this presentation was trying to remember diegetic sounds that would need to be emphasized for the sake of our film. (For example: footsteps) Overall, this presentation will help my group save a lot of time and frustration.

Planning Blog: Shooting Script

In class, we were instructed to complete a presentation regarding our film shooting plans. This would be helpful for us in the future so, we can be more efficient with our filming schedule. Usually, it takes a while to figure out how to take shots and layer them for the intended project. I conversed with my group and we created a general storyboard plan. We then created a presentation where each slide contained the specific plot lines, shots, angles, and movements for that scene. In addition, for some of the slides, we added a reference picture as the background to kind of get the tone for the scene. We also found it useful to group many of the blocks on the storyboard together for a scene. Many of the movements are grouped together in a slide to make the editing and cohesiveness make sense for the viewer. Overall, I feel this was an essential step for making our title sequence. It will be a true asset when in the filming process.

Title Research: Se7en

1. There are 27 title sequences in this movie.
2. Images shown in this opening scene are of dead bodies, police reports, scattered newspaper articles and a razor blade.
3. The images give the impression that this movie is going to be a bleak, psychological thriller that probably focuses on a murderer as evidenced by the police reports, classified dossiers, and pictures of corpses flashed around the title sequence.   
4. This genre of thriller, especially a murder msytery thriller, the notion that the serial killer is multiple steps ahead and always elluding the authorites is a common motif in these type of movies. It seems that every image that flashed before the screen has a symbolic meaning to it. The sequence where a person seems to be weaving a bunch of papers together with a needle, seems to be a calling card of the murderer.
5. To show the narrative of this movie, the title sequence sprinkles in clues and evidence from the supposide murder case. In doing so, just the opening sequence tells a story, the background to what’s going to happen in the movie.
6. Presumably, those who watch this movie are fans of thriller/mystery movies. To catch the audience’s attention, the title sequence depicts gruesome murders, interwoven between shots of someone cutting out newspapers and conducting research on the murders. This aesthetic of a grimy, ambiguous setting for the movie, intrigues the audience into watching. 
7. The editing in this title sequence consists of purposefully choppy edits; almost like a T.V losing signal effect in its transitions. The names of producers, actors, and staff are shown in creepy lettering and flashed before to the screen as to invoke an uneasiness. The whole sequence as a whole emotes the feeling of fright.