Final Submission

Due to Covid-19, we were unable to do revisions from my last submissions. This was due to the lack of school resources, places closed where we filmed, and not being able to meet with my team to edit. We did most of the edits we would've done last quarter so there wasn't a big amount we needed to change. The main thing we needed to do was cut down on time. We were at 2:30 and we wanted to be a little closer to two minutes. The main way we were going to accomplish this was to take a few seconds off of each character's intro at the beginning and maybe clip some time off in-between clips. Overall I am proud of my group and Is work towards this film. This was something new for all of us and we really worked hard and had fun making our film together.

Creative Critical Reflection

                                         https://prezi.com/view/bjvCNqfroCBZDwpnJzzy/

Incorporate Technology Question 4

Question 4 How did you incorporate technology in the process?

Throughout this film process, many different forms of technology were used. When filming we used an iPhone XS. The video setting was at 1080p HD at 60 fps. By using a phone this made it convenient to move to different locations and carry. After we got all of are film downloaded we used Adobe Premiere Pro to but out film together and make all the edits. This was my first time using Adobe Premiere Pro, so there was a lot to learn. My group was also new at it, so we all helped each other out. I learned first how to crop the parts at the begging and end of each clip that we didn’t want to use when putting it together.  Then I showed my group and we all gave it a try.

Titling was also important when making our film. We needed to add the title and credits at the beginning.  During our first titles we created, we made them red with no special effects, and we realized it looked dull. When the film first opens the title of our movie "Girls Night" appears in a white cursive font that takes the center of the screen. It appears and is emphasized in the middle flashes quick than fades out. Next, we introduce our three main characters, also in a white font. Each character's name appears next to the character on screen and is located at the bottom thirds of each screen. This makes it more visible to the audience. It also fades in and out to add more effects. Overall, the use of special effects it makes the beginning of our movie more unique and more personal for the rest of the film.

Another technology aspect we incorporated through Adobe Premiere Pro was incidental music at the end of our film. At the end, when Lily walks out to her car and she doesn't know the black hood is following her, the dramatic scary music played creates suspense. This makes the viewers on the edge of their seats and increases their attention to the screen because they don't know what happens next. In the first edit of our film we just had atmospheric sound, which was kind of boring. The addition of a sound increases the pace and overall eerie tone. After we found a scary action clip from online we clipped it down to make sure it was the length we wanted and added it to the end scene. By using this sound in the end the audience will want to keep watching and be curious about what happens next.

Additionally, after we got all our filming edits done, we uploaded it onto YouTube. This lets people view are film easily from our blog by opening the link.

Production Skills Question 3

Question 3 How did your production skills develop throughout the process?   

This is my first time using many different production skills to make a short film. With being new at this, I fell I have improved a lot along the way. When we first decided on our film, we had to think of the different actors that could play their part and the set location. My group distributed characters and we got our roles based on our personalities. When deciding on our black hood figure we had to cast a role to a friend and make sure props were handy. A black jacket, with hood, made the character unknown. Also, with filming at different locations, sometimes on different days we had to make sure our outfits matched to make it look like one day. One part that was difficult with all the actors was organizing a schedule, and finding a time that we were all free to film and act. Once this was all done we were ready to film.

When filming we had different shots with not all actors in the frame. This was used to give all of us time working the camera. By learning different angles and shots we incorporated them into filming. I also learned different lighting effects to make sure the characters could be seen and the film wasn't dark. Overall, my production skills increased, and I will now be more aware of all the work behind the screen that goes in to making a movie.

CCR Question #2 Draft

2. How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text.

For question #2, to answer "How will your product engage with audiences". describe the films or magazines you researched for audience engagement. What did they do to engage their audience that you thought was effective? Explain your Marketing Plan.

    Then, for "How will it be distributed as a real media text", describe the traditional distribution model for your product(film or magazine), then explain the films or magazines you researched for their digital distribution models that you thought were effective. Then explain your distribution plan, including traditional distribution and at least one digital distribution option.

When doing research on audience engagement, I looked at a couple different films.

One film I was interested in researching was "Bird Box". This film is classified as a mystery film jut like ours. Many of the target audiences are similar because this was popular among teens and young adults

"Bird Box" was first revealed on Netflix and created lots of talk among people. This was due to all the memes being made about it; which appeared all over different social media platforms. There were many different feelings and reviews both good and bad. This is what prompted many people to want to watch it for themselves. In just the first week on Netflix, there were over 45 million streams. Memes are defiantly a new marketing strategy transforming how their brand is released to the public. In this movie and others, memes have helped it increase brand recognition and audience engagement. This movie also used basic marketing strategies including billboards and commercials. Also to create buzz many celebrities like Kim Kardashian tweeted about watching this movie. Besides the use of Twitter and memes, "The Bird Box Challenge was formed". Fans began blindfolding themselves just like the main characters in the movie. Then they would record themselves doing various tasks and share them on social media. Bird Box was created with less than 20 million and considered a modest budget for a great outcome.

With great success on Netflix, I think making our film be available on an online streaming device would increase the rating. Also using different advertising techniques like billboards and commercials would be a good idea. Also to market my film, I would put a movie trailer in movies with the same genre and target audience to capture the attention of the viewers to make them more inclined to go see the movie.

Another movie I looked at was the movie "kidnap. It used many marketing strategies to engage their audience. For starters, there was a lot of hype for Oscar-winning Halle Berry as the star in it. Lots of social media pages were created for the fans, which also targeted the younger audience. This lets fans share and tweet the movie to others. Halle and the cast also had many interviews and trailers as they showed a sneak peek of the preview. Besides the use of trailers and commercials billboards were also displayed to get the word out. By the use of billboards on major roads let drivers view it quickly and maybe search more about it at a later time.

With many similarities between this and our film, I enjoyed doing research on it. I think the use of social media to help advertise will also be beneficial in our movie as well.  We could use various social media outlets such as YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram to promote my film with the use of hashtags and fan pages. This will also help target the younger audience. I think the use of a billboard and an intriguing image will make the driver want to know more about it when they pass it.  Lastly, I liked how they conducted interviews with the casts and directors. By doing this we could answer the audience questions about the movie to make them excited to go watch it when it premieres

"Bridesmaid" and our film "Girls Night" both include a female group as their main characters. This is especially due to the comedy and dialogue between characters. Just like this and our movie, it can be related to girls' real-life issues. "Bridesmaids" used comedy, different scenes, and props to engage the audience.

Social media played a big role in marketing this movie. This lets a wide range of people reach different social media platforms at once; in some cases even by accident. Through this social media success, many fans created different character accounts. To create more ticket sales Universal created a buzz before the movie was even out. A week before the release they created 'an opening weekend launch package', this gave the target audience hype before it even came out. This was created through the use of Twitter, online articles, Tumblr, videos and text. Facebook also came out with a contest for participants to preview the movie before it came out. The Facebook competitors had to send pictures of themselves in their worst bridesmaid dresses. Universal Pictures International campaign for "Bridesmaids" led them to win the inaugural Movie Marketer of the Year award at the Australian International Movie Convention. This accounted for ad space in both print and digital publications worth up to $250,000. Overall many ranked "bridesmaids" to be the best movie campaign of 2011.

After seeing how "bridesmaids" marketed their film I saw many marketing techniques that could be useful. I feel with lots of teenagers involved in social media now this would be a good way to market our film. I also liked how they released information about the movie a week before to get the hype going. Lastly, by having the trailer appear on similar genre platforms at the movies or on YouTube would make the audience have an interest in seeing it.

My Marketing Plan

After doing research on how films market their movie, I was surprised by the new marketing techniques used. Many movies used social media and ads for their main marketing. This creates curious fans to go want to see it when it premieres. Also, the use of interviews with famous celebrities helps promote it.

To market our movie we plan on creating social media pages. This includes Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. These pages would include information about the actors, movie releases and different trailers. By promoting the movie before it comes out and giving clues and sneak peeks into the movie creates a buzz for the audience to be involved in. Also, social media attracts a younger population so it will match our target audience.

Instagram- We first decided to create an Instagram. Instagram is one of the most popular social media accounts with over 1 billion active users. We decided to make it public so anyone can view it. First, we added when we would be releasing our trailer and interview dates. We also added images of the setting and some screenshots from the video to give our social media audience a preview.

Another marketing strategy we decided to do was a billboard ad. By creating a billboard that shows suspense and an unknown movie will create talk. As people drive by and see it, they will be unfamiliar with it. This will promote those viewers to search it up on their phones and maybe become more interested.

Traditional Distribution Model

Film distribution is the process of making the movie available to be seen by the public. Many movies have a good distribution platform from the engaging when they are signed with major distribution companies like Universal. Many independent movies start out at a film festival. This is how big companies can find you and your work. To get the movie out it is the job of the sales agents or distributors. This is the company of the larger conglomerate that gets these rights to help promote and distribute it. Besides just publishing the film they also control the marketing of the film. The theatrical distribution of a film consists of licensing and booking theaters, marketing through advertising and commercials, releasing prints and distributing them to the theaters. Films run in theaters as long as demand and marketing strategies are still presented. After movies appear in theaters it will then be distributed to other online services and on-demand for other viewers to watch. Overall, film distribution has overall seen a change with all the new advancing streaming services.

To distribute our movie I think we will first start out showing our film at a film festival. We will find the right location and target audience to get the movie out with the right crowd. This can lead to sales agents or distributors interested. Once we get a manager or rep, they will help us finish the film and direct us to the right distributor. This will hopefully get us in theaters and other advertising offers.

Digital Distribution Research

''Divergent" audience consisted of over 50% females who were under the age of 25. This is perfect for our movie because we targeted to teenage girls. Also, "Divergent" has lots of action and suspense, similar to ours. Before "Divergent aired in theaters it started as a book series. In only one day it ended up on the best-sellers list. This is where it created its fame and eventually turned into a movie. The development of "Divergent" was in March 2011, when Summit Entertainment picked up the film rights to the novel. With this movie picking up a big company they had an 85 million dollar budget. "Divergent was the starting tent-pole, and after followed other series. "Divergent" wasn't then released till March of 2014. During opening weekend the film reached the number spot in the box office. Overall, it would earn $288 million. It eventually got released to Blue Ray on August of 2014. The next series came out the next year in 2015. By creating a sequel it kept the movie-going and the profits coming in. This was a smart distribution strategy and maybe down the road, we could create a series.



The next film that I looked at was the distribution process in "Murder Mystery". "Murder Mystery" is a new film that came out in 2019. This film is similar to ours by using comedy and suspense to create a murder scene/ scary scene. Its target audience is also a younger 20s and it is pg-13. One thing different about how it came out was that it appeared right in Netflix for its viewers. Meaning, it didn't come first through the theaters. A trailer was released in April 2019 and came out in June. A week after it was released over 30 million households have watched the film in the first 3 days. Netflix had Adam Sandler a famous comedian to help increase the views; making it his most successful film. By using well-known actors they were able to promote it on their social media and other platforms, which helped create buzz. I will incorporate the use of a trailer a few months before it is released and social media accounts.

The Next film I decided to look into was "Game Night". This movie is similar to our genre; it is classified as a dark comedy. In this movie, they are also having a game night and all hanging out until someone gets kidnapped. The target audience might be a little older then ours because it is rated R. This movie was directed with Warner Bros a big filming company. "Game Night" made a total of 117 million worldwide against only a 37 million dollar budget. It first appeared in theaters on February 23rd, 2018. Movies usually appear in theaters for 90 days and makeover 90% of its budget in its first three days. On May 4th it was available for purchase on online streams, such as Amazon Video and iTunes. Two weeks later "Game Night" appeared on DVD and Blue-ray release. For our film, we are going to start with a trailer and traditional distribution. This is where it will appear in theater for 90 days, then it will be available for purchase on DVD, Amazon Prime, and Netflix. These methods will allow us to target our main audience which is teenagers because they will be able to watch the film at home.

My Distribution Plan

To distribute our movie I think we will first start out showing our film at a film festival. We will find the right location and target audience to get the movie out with the right crowd. This can lead to sales agents or distributors interested. Once we get a manager or rep, they will help us finish the film and direct us to the right distributor. Social media will also be important to spread the world and get the movie out. This will hopefully get us in theaters and other advertising offers. When our film reaches theaters we will distribute it the traditional way. This would include 90 days in theaters, then make its way to the streaming world. Online video streaming services would include Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and on-demand.

CCR Question #1 Draft

How does your product use or challenge conventions?

With our film being classified as a horror/mystery and drama film, many conventions were used to showcase it. It was also helpful to research various films to get some ideas. 

Our group decided on using an over the shoulder shot of the stalker when he was following the girls the of the mall. This shot created suspense and lets the viewer know what was happening and not the actor. When researching different films this was used a lot to portray the bad guy. This shot appears in lots of horror films, including the movie Kidnap.

Next, we used a close-up shot of me at the end of the film when the stalker approaches by my car. By zooming in on my face you could see my scared and shocked expression to the unknown black hood, who also was our antagonist. Close up shots are used in almost every film when the characters have a shocked or scary encounter. This gives the viewers a first-hand reaction to what is happening. Some of my favorite close-up shots appear in the movie Home Alone. I love it when we get a close up on either Kevin or the bad guys and see their reaction first-handed.

One movie I looked at was Split, which is considered a horror and thriller film. Throughout this movie lots of incidental sounds are added to create suspense and an eerie feeling. To mimic this feeling and create a gloomy mood we used incidental music. This also helped create a sense of the unknown for the audience. In the end, when Lily walks out to her car and she doesn't know the black hood is following her, the dramatic scary music played creates suspense. This makes the viewers on the edge of their seats and increases their attention to the screen because they don't know what happens next. 

When doing distribution research on Divergent I notice to make their scenes move fast and create action they used a lot of short quick takes. So I deiced to use short takes to intensify the feeling of both the characters and viewers. This was used at the end of our film when Lily is walking to her car and the stalker is moving towards her. This face-paced movement between scenes made it feel like you were there and more drawn into what was happening.

How does it represent social groups or issues?

Our social groups consist of teenage girls. The main characters are having a fun day at the mall and unaware of their surroundings. Throughout the film, the girls are clueless about what is going on around them. When out at night girls should always stick together in a group and never walk alone. When one character went outside alone the stalker appeared and attacked. By staying together they have a chance of fighting off the bad guy. Teenage girls are presented throughout the movie, so I would consider teenagers our target audience.

Many movies we researched had a similar target audience. "Bridesmaid" and our film "Girls Night" both include a female group as their main characters. This is especially due to the comedy and dialogue between characters. Just like this and our movie, it can be related to girls' real-life issues.
Also, Our film and "Kidnap" are both similar because they both have a genre of mystery, thriller, and drama. Our target audience aims towards teenagers and young adults. In our film, the main character gets kidnapped at the end so both films have a lot in common. Also, both films have girls as the main actors.

3rd Quarter Submission

For our third quarter submission, we made lots of edits on Adobe Premier Pro. This enhanced the overall mood and quality of the video. The first edit we made was a location reshot. By having more available actors in the reshot made it easier to better portray the stalker at the beginning following the group of girls.  This helped foreshadow our overall ending and scary mood it created. Next, we decided on editing our titles. We added effects and different transitions of the titles to flow throughout the beginning of the film smoothly. Lastly, to increase the pace of the ending we added incidental music. This created drama for the film and creates a rush. 

All these revisions we made were successful in adding suspense and thriller to our film. With making these edits, I feel I have a better handle on PremierePro for future edits.