Thursday, February 29, 2024

Matthew 1:1

 Shot list


Luz

  1. Close up: Luz’s face , eyes closed, wipes off a single tear running down her cheek. Puts her headphones on.
  2. Mid shot: Luz looking down to her phone and playing a song through her headphones, stands up and walks by the camera and leaves the room.
  3. Long shot: Luz opens the door and leaves the room. Door on the right third of the shot.
  4. Mid shot: Shot from behind Luz, she is walking through her house towards the door, notices a letter on the counter.
  5. Tight close up: Shows what the letter is. “Divorce”
  6. Long shot: juxtaposing when she left her room, now the door is on the left side of the shot. She leaves the house and a bright light shines on the neighborhood.
  7. Mid shot: Now she shows a glad, happy face as she dances along with the music she is listening to.
  8. Close up: Luz’s face as she says the line that introduces Joshua.


Joshua

  1. Mid shot: Closed door, opens after 2 seconds and shows Joshua leaving the bathroom after he showers. He walks through the hallway into the kitchen and grabs fruit while he reads something on his phone.
  2. Close up: Joshua’s face shows he is interested in what he is reading and seems happy about it.
  3. OTS: Shows his phone as he reads a devotional by one of his friends. 
  4. Mid shot: Shows him walking towards his room, which is right by the bathroom.
  5. Mid shot: Focused on book that is on the bed and shows him blurred out in the back. The book reads “Holy Bible”, Joshua puts on his shoes in the back of the shot and walks out.
  6. Long shot: Front door of the house from the inside shows him leaving his house.
  7. Mid shot: Shows him walking gladly knowing he’ll meet with luz
  8. Close up: Joshua’s face as he says the line that introduces Luz.

Saturday, February 24, 2024

Jeremiah 29:11

 SCHEDULE

Week Four (2/26-3/3)

- Find locations

- Write score and record

 

Week Five (3/4-3/10)

- Setting up choreography according to score

- Filming (first few shots)

- Start editing and set up LUT

 

Week Six (3/11-3/17)

- Filming (last shots)

- Edit edit edit edit

- Receive feedback

 

Week Seven (3/18-3/24) 

- Finish editing


I want to leave spring break as a time to find out if anything has to be changed and reflect on any decisions that could improve the project.

Friday, February 23, 2024

Luke 15:7

 THE PLOT

Conflicts:

Character vs. Self

  • Insecurities

  • Doubt

  • Guilt


Exposition/Introduction:


The film’s story starts at the beginning of Spring Break with the introduction of Luz, a very enthusiastic and joyful girl who uses music to numb her emotions and the disaster going on in her home and mind. She is shown in her house, a dark, isolated, disorganized place, putting on her headphones and playing the theme track to the film. This brings her peace. She walks out dancing along to the song, and while she walks out, the music calms down and she finds the person who brings her the most joy, Joshua.


Joshua is a calm, loving, and passionate boy. He enjoys music but it is not really his safe space as it is for Luz. He has a very special connection with his parents. He begins his spring break by having a light breakfast with his parents, he talks to them about Luz and about his plans for the week. He leaves the house with a smile on his face and expects to find Luz.


Rising Action:

A couple of days and hangouts into spring break, Joshua notices Luz is kind of unmotivated to have fun, she isn’t as bright as she was before, and her personality is not the fire it was, now it’s just a small spark. He decides to look more into her personal life and be involved, but secretly, to see if he can let her figure out what’s going on and see if she can get to a solution, symbolizing this has probably happened before and he wants her to be more resilient.


Luz is going through a crisis with insecurity and guilt, fueled by her parents’ daily comments and her own mind giving her negative words. Her heart is constantly broken by the terrible view her parents have on her and as she distances more from Joshua, the worse the situation gets, showing how important Joshua is to her. Luz’s situation demands she take some distance from Joshua for some time and think about her current state of mind.


Climax:


Luz cuts communication with Joshua completely, and while this is in between Joshua’s expectations, it scares him. He starts to look for her around the places they normally go to, her house, the park, and even at school, but she’s nowhere to be found. Joshua asks Luz’s parents about where she is but they seem not to care. At this point, Joshua has the police involved.


During the search for Luz, Joshua finds a pattern in the places he looks in. Papers with small haikus lead to a final destination for rest, but it seems like Luz is plotting to disappear from those around her. He ends up finding her deep in the wetlands outside their town. She is deep in tears and lost, when she sees Joshua she doesn’t keep running, but at the sight of him, looks at him in awe and runs to hug him. They end up coming back to the town and the authorities start to research the situation


Falling Action:


After a good amount of research, the authorities find out the reasons for Luz's disappearance and come to the conclusion it was all based on her parents’ mental and verbal abuse. The three start some type of family therapy which after a couple of sessions seems to be working.


In terms of Luz and Joshua’s relationship, they come back to their good terms and promise each other to never leave the other alone. They promise commitment and love in any situation, support, and guidance. The ending shows Luz and Joshua in a deep embrace looking at the place where Joshua found Luz.


Inspirations:


Away from the clear love story and musical inspiration from La La Land, unconditional love is inspired by Song of Songs, one of the poetry books in the Bible. The plot of the story is inspired by Luke 15:1-7, Jesus’ parable of the Lost Sheep, and also Luke 15:11-32, Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son. This is a story of redemption and unconditional love, representing Jesus’ love for His love.


Song of Solomon 1 NLT - - Bible Gateway. (n.d.). Www.biblegateway.com. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Song%20of%20Solomon%201&version=NLT

Bible Gateway passage: Luke 15 - New Living Translation. (n.d.). Bible Gateway. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke+15&version=NLT

Thursday, February 22, 2024

2 Samuel 6:14

 
LOOKING INTO INSPIRATIONS

LA LA LAND's Plot

Aspiring actress Mia Dolan unexpectedly meets confident pianist and jazz fanatic Sebastian Wilder during a traffic jam, where they exchange a rather disrespectful interaction. Mia works at a coffee shop in the Warner Bros Studio backlot while Sebastian goes from gig to gig looking for a steady job, holding his dream to open up his own jazz club. Mia and Sebastian have multiple encounters in different, random places, which they see as a sign they are meant to be. They go on unprepared but intimate dates that allow them to develop a relationship. 

Mia and Sebastian move in together and become a couple, they both support each other with their dreams and help each other to achieve their artistic desires. Sebastian encourages Mia to write her own play after she repeatedly fails to gain a role in any production. Sebastian on the other side joins a contemporary jazz band that fuses his passion with modern rhythms. Mia doesn't know much about Sebastian's job but she keeps supporting him. She ends up going to one of his concerts where she realizes he is drifting away from his dream and his original passion. They end up in a discussion that puts their relationship at stake. 

After staying for a while at her parents' house, Mia receives an unexpected visit from Sebastian where he tells her she has an audition for a role. Excited to revive Mia's passion, Sebastian picks her up early in the morning and takes her to the casting call, where she ends up getting the role. This job, though, ends up taking Mia completely away from Sebastian, to the point she builds a life with another man whom she even has a kid with. Sebastian ends up going back to his original dream of opening his jazz club. Mia and her husband go to LA and accidentally end up at such jazz club, where a montage shows what Mia and Sebastian's life would've been like if they ended up together after Mia got the role, resolving at the jazz club, showing the reality is they both went their own way.

WHY LA LA LAND?

La La Land's story is not my focus of inspiration, but the way it is made, the color schemes that are used, and the techniques included. The musical numbers in La La Land really help pave the way for the story, especially using motifs that flow through the movie and create similar feelings in different films. The development of the song 'Mia and Sebastian's Theme' through the movie, as more instruments are introduced and the louder it gets, helps the story to develop along with it. 

How Damien Chazelle played with color is something I definitely want to include in my film opening. While describing my characters in a previous post, color was something essential for both characters, as they help show contrast in their purposes. Mia and Sebastian wear mostly primary colors through the beginning of the film, but then as their relationship develops, their colors start to combine, going from pure yellow and red to purple and dark blue. This is shown more through the characters' costume design, which will definitely be an important factor in my film opening.

Mise-en-scene is also essential in La La Land, shown in many scenes but mainly in the ones where dancing and singing happen. Usually when musical numbers that only include Mia and Sebastian happen. The 'Dancing in the Stars' scene is a great example of this. How it all foreshadows 'City of Stars', a song that strengthens their bond, and shows their relationship revealed in their intimate dancing. Another scene that stands out is the scene on the hill, where they look over LA and have their first dance together.

I want mise-en-scene elements in my film opening to help develop more context and tone than the setting. I want the background of my shots to show the emotions the character might be feeling and use it to combine the two characters' personalities. Using elements such as props, costume design, lighting, and location.

The dances, except for the opening number, are a big inspiration for my film opening's choreography. Having 2 main characters that are involved in a romantic relationship allows partner dances to occur. The techniques used in shooting these dances are some I also want to use in my film opening. Take as an example 'A Lovely Night' which is the scene on the hill with the view over LA. It's a long master shot that follows the two characters around as they dance, sometimes the camera stays still but the shot remains interesting due to the ongoing movement from the dancing. This is a technique I want to include in my film, to make the dancing the emphasis of the shot by letting that create movement.

There is a very quick scene in this movie that is a signature Damien Chazelle technique. The Whip Pan Shot. I want to try and include this in my film opening, maybe even try and make that the first thing that is seen in it. It's aggressive and quick, but satisfying, especially if it syncs with the music. The shot creates a sense of coherence and relationship between the two characters being shown, and I want to convey that same feeling in my film opening, developing context and a relationship between the two main characters.

After rewatching this film, I realized how much it works as an inspiration for my film opening. From its genre to its mise-en-scene elements, the shot and movement techniques used, and even the sound of the music. Damien Chazelle has an amazing style, Whiplash is another film that I love and also works as a secondary inspiration for my film opening. 

Chazelle, D., Chazelle, D., Gosling, R., Stone, E., DeWitt, R., & Simmons, J. K. (2016, December 7). La La Land. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3783958/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Saturday, February 17, 2024

Revelation 22:21

THE PEOPLE

In terms of characters, this film is very simple. The main characters are the 2 members of the couple, of course secondary characters would be essential to develop their story, but the 2 in-loves are the ones whose personality has to be shown.

Luz

Luz is a Hispanic 17-year-old girl who moved to the U.S. when she was 14. Her name is the Spanish for light, and it serves as a reference to Matthew 5:14, where Jesus calls the church the light of the world. She is a very bright person in terms of personality, she loves spending time with people and suppresses her emotions to please others and have a good time. But while doing so, she also battles an internal discourse with self-hatred and doubts about her purpose in life. A character that really inspired Luz's personality (Not the events that surround her) is Daisy from The Great Gatsby, she may seem dramatic, but does her best to please those that appreciate her. The colors that follow her are usually pastel, warm colors such as light yellow or lemon, light orange or faint orange, and a subtle addition of light green or chinoise. 

Joshua

Joshua is a 17-year-old boy born in South Florida. His name is inspired by the Biblical character Joshua who led the Israelites to their promised land, foreshadowing that he is a good influence on Luz and will lead her on the right path. He is a very calm person, that always seeks to see the good in every situation. He is an optimist and a very loving person with everyone that comes along. His love for Luz is represented by his support for her and how he holds her hand in every difficult situation they face. The colors that follow Joshua are royal purple, tufts blue, and falu red. These colors serve as complementary colors for the color scheme that Luz represents, conveying they are made for each other and foreshadowing an unbreakable union.

Fitzgerald, F. S. (1925). The Great Gatsby. Scribner. (Original work published 1925)

Friday, February 16, 2024

2 Kings 3:15

 MUSICAL

Away from Romantic drama, I want my film to be a Musical. While Musicals are mainly seen in theatre, quality musical films can be found anywhere. In this genre, sound is essential, specifically the music of the film. This music, along with choreography and dialogue tells a story. Evoking emotions the characters are feeling and somehow conveying a spontaneous feeling to their dancing and (sometimes) singing, immersing the viewer into the story with captivating compositions and routines. With Musicals, what you see is not the most important factor, but what is heard affects the experience, balancing both audio and visual elements in harmony.

COMPOSING MY FILM

While films are composed, I want to use my musical knowledge to compose music for my film opening. In Musicals, the music that plays is essential to captivate the viewer and convey what the film will express. Music will be non-diegetic, as it won't be introduced as an element in the narrative word, but the dialogue and the choreography will work directly with the music that is playing, almost as if it were diegetic.

In terms of how the music will sound, I want to go for a more Latin and tropical sound. Following conventional elements of Salsa and Bolero, with a Jazz-inspired melodic composition. One of my main inspirations for composing the music for this film opening is Willie Colón and Ruben Blade's 'Siembra'. 

Siembra - Ruben Blades, Willie Colón

My dad grew up with this record and one of its songs, 'Pedro Navaja' became a bonding point for us. After listening through the whole project, I knew I wanted to work on something similar, especially with pieces such as 'Plástico' and 'María Lionza'.

I will use Musescore, an app for writing sheet music to compose the sections for the music. While I want to use key modulations heavily, I want to keep the basis of the song simple, mostly percussion driven than melodic. 

My project in Musescore

I want to involve friends of mine who are musicians to record this music. I know many that would be of great help. 

Other albums that inspire me for this are Hector Lavoe's 'Comedia', Abe Mendoza's 'Melodías - EP', and Joe Bataan 'SalSoul'.

In terms of elements of musicals I am including in my film, there will be music and choreographies that will work to tell a story, but there will be no singing (for the most part). The dialogue will be a constant poem, that, alongside the music and dancing, mise-en-scene elements and colors will tell the intended story and will allow context to develop.

SIEMBRA 

Released September 7, 1978, 'Siembra' is a salsa album by Panamanian songwriter Ruben Blades and Puerto Rican trombonist and singer Willie Colón. Combining soft Latin tones with jazzy New York melodies and even disco rhythms, 'Siembra' digs deep into society's issues in materialism and attention seeking, plus the insignificance of life in a world full of money and riches.

'Siembra' uses typical salsa percussive elements and rhythms, following common grooves and using common instruments for this genre.

SALSA GROOVE

I want to focus on 2 songs from this album that inspire my brainstorming for my film opening's score, one through its rhythm and the other through its melodic elements.

María Lionza is the 4th song on the album, it holds an andante tempo throughout, building up the composition by adding new percussive elements as the song progresses. The beginning of the song is what I want to focus on, a simple, yet effective groove that grabs your attention instantly.

This is my attempt at transcribing the percussion from the intro of 'María Lionza'. Even though this is just a simplified version of a full salsa groove, what makes it sound better is the way it is played. Almost like dragging, there's a certain swing that comes to it, especially with the cowbell. Jimmy Delgado, Adalberto Santiago, and Eddie Montalvo are the 3 responsible for this killer groove. By dragging the hits just a few milliseconds, they create a successful dragging salsa groove, then juxtaposed with the grand trombones and trumpets. I want to try and recreate something similar for the score inspired by this song, not the same groove but the same feeling that the song carries.

Buscando Guayaba is the 2nd song from 'Siembra', it is written in C major, a key with a commonly positive connotation. The song follows an I-V-V7-I-I-V-V7-I-I7-IV-iv-I-vi-ii-V-I chord progression, which might seem very complicated but it is actually not as difficult. This chord progression leaves a lot of space for dialogue and singing, which is why I want to use it as an inspiration to write a chord progression in the same key with a similar energy.

'BUSCANDO GUAYABA' PIANO

Hellerman, J. (2023, August 25). Defining the Musical Genre in Film and TV. Nofilmschool.com. https://nofilmschool.com/musical-genre

Thursday, February 8, 2024

John 1:1

A NEW BEGINNING.

Finally, the project that persuaded me to take Media Studies. The one topic that captivated my decision. The one assignment I awaited since day one. Our PORTFOLIO PROJECT. I'm excited to finally develop my film opening. The many things I've been told about this class mostly surround this project. Everyone who told me about it speaks about it with passion and with the underlying intention to recommend the class just to work on it. I've enjoyed the class and the many assignments we've worked on, I feel like they've built my creative and technical thinking process, but this one project has been my hope throughout the entire year.

ESTABLISHING TONE.

I want to approach a certain tone with my film opening. I'm thinking about working with color schemes, contrasting darker and light colors to juxtapose two emotions and situations that are parallel to each other. I want to also establish the tone through the lighting of the shots. Going hand in hand with the colors, the lighting will relate to the color schemes and allow the implied tone to be shown.

DEVELOP CHARACTERS.

Through mise-en-scene and dialogue, I want to develop the main character and introduce their purpose. My desired purpose with the story for the film demands the main character to be developed. The way they're dressed, their actions and their words will convey their purpose and background. Who they are, what they do and what they will do, foreshadowing the rest of the film.  

Friday, February 2, 2024

Bryce Henderson - Music Marketing Blog Post #2

 To begin this project we separated the research equally between all the members so we could be efficient and we could all collect information about our assigned genre. This helped us to work quick on our case study chart and have a basis for what we had to research for our marketing campaign. With a genre like country, trends are set. There is a certain target audience that has to be hit, but it serves as a minimum. In terms of target audiences, a limit is difficult to set, so noticing the trends in country music we decided to follow those standards and also push limits and look towards reaching a more diverse audience in terms of age range and interests. In terms of marketing techniques, cross-media convergence is essential in country music. Almost all major country artists have a website that gives direct access to subscriptions, merchandise, tours, music, etc. 

Zac Brown's website

Almost all major country artists are active on social media sharing their personal lives, upcoming music and performances. The easy thing about researching country is that it's mostly the same strategies. The difficult thing about researching country is that there is a unique selling point for every artist.

While brainstorming, we based our ideas mainly on the song, 'Cold', which gave us a leeway to work with aesthetic and opaque colors. Brainstorming for the music video was simple, for the storytelling part, we made up a fictional story where a woman leaves her man to cheat on him and divided it on multiple shots. We thought of different settings for the promotional section of the video and recorded full-song clips in them, leaving a lot of creative space to modify them and pick and choose sections. In our storyboard, we reflected our ideas so we could have a basis for what the music video would come to be, many scenes were repeated so the music video wouldn't feel like it was dragging. Then we started brainstorming our marketing campaign which felt considerably easy due to the very strict trends that most country artists follow. We decided to follow examples such as Zac Brown, Blake Shelton and Chris Stapleton whose marketing campaigns are based around social media and websites, also offering merchandise that serves as a technique to have the audience market the artist. 

Our Bryce Henderson Hat concept

Recording our music video had its difficulties, as expected, but it was a fun experience. We were able to get creative with the shots we had planned and innovate with what we had. Being able to invite a friend to act in it and working as a team with my teammates was a satisfying experience, recording this music video had more fun than hardships. In terms of editing the video, Emma took charge of that and she did an amazing job, she asked us for notes on it so we could all somehow contribute to the final product. 

'Cold' Music video

Working on our presentation was difficult. To be completely honest, we rushed. That really limited our content and provided a not-so successful result, but we're glad we got to finish it with content we did discuss and had in mind since the beginning of brainstorming. Once again we separated the content, one group member wasn't as helpful as expected but for understandable reasons. The rest of us we were able to be efficient and work on our presentation. I edited the final video for the presentation with the audios and we ended in success.

This project could've been way more enjoyable if we organized our time right and we prioritized it. Most of the things we worked on were rushed and it created a lot of tension within the team. This is a very big example of learning from your mistakes, if we weren't given the extra time, this project would not have been what it is now. Managing time is essential to work on a successful project, setting strict deadlines for what is to be done and achieving results in due time. Setting leadership is also essential to work on an efficient project. I am definitely taking most of these factors with me to the portfolio project so they work as tips to succeed and not stress as much while working on it.

  Hello! I'm Martin, This blog is for AICE Media Studies to record background information and content about the exciting projects I...