Foundation Portfolio: Final Movie Opening
Foundation Portfolio: Progress
This past week my group and I filmed our project on Tuesday 4/4 at Keyton’s prison. We began the editing process on iMovie on Wednesday and finished Thursday in class. Our rough draft did not include background music that we wish to include in our final opening scene. The font for the credits was also immature so we plan on finding a new, more serious font. We also plan on refilming the scene where the grandfather tells the grandson “I’m fine son let’s continue” since the angles were off. When editing the final movie opening I plan on adding more shots of the prison, especially the clip filmed from the watchtower. Since we filmed great shots, we decided we should let the clips roll longer when the credits pop up, instead of 3 seconds each they can be 4 or 5. The sound also needs to be adjusted since the wind picks up in some of the outside shots with dialogue. This can be accomplished with voice overs (taken from a distance of the speaker).
Foundation Portfolio: Rough Draft
Foundation Portfolio Update
My group and I planned on filming over Spring break on March 22nd, but it rained and my group was busy every other day so we weren’t able to film. We’re planning on filming on Monday, March 27th after school and I will drive my group to Keyton’s prison.
Foundation Portfolio: Film Task-Planning
Movie Pitch:
An elder man revisits a prison from his past where he spent most of his life and reminisces on the times he had there. Our opening will be similar to the Titanic movie, where in his flashback he’ll remember the people he met, lessons he learned, and how he escaped the prison to return to his family.
Outline:
The opening will begin with a prison and a man walking through an old building with a voice over. He walks to his old jail cell, along with a transition to a flashback. The man is sitting in the cell while the guard opens the door to introduce a new cell mate. They start talking about how they got there, their personal life, how he has been there for fifteen years, etc. The men start talking about escaping, at first as a joke, but then seriously. The opening will show a series of attempts at breaking out, with troubles with the guards and other prisoners. They finally make it out of the cell after five years of trying, returning to family in the end. This ends with going back to the current time with the old man.
Camera Techniques: Establishing Shot
Editing: Fade in
Sound: Birds Chirping
Mise en Scene: Shows location
Description of Shot: Shows prison from outside
Explanation of Choices: Helps in introducing setting
Camera Techniques: Wide Shot; Steadicam
Editing: Cut
Sound:
Mise en Scene: Inside Church
Description of Shot: Moving around through church with things all on the floor
Explanation of Choices: Further shows abandoned, adds color with music
Camera Techniques: Tracking
Editing: Cut
Sound:
Mise en Scene: Empty Sells
Description of Shot: Showing abandoned prison
Explanation of Choices: Allows viewer to tell no one is there
Camera Techniques: High angle-pan
Editing: Cut
Sound:
Mise en Scene: Inside 2nd level of cells
Description of Shot: Moving along with shot of cells
Explanation of Choices: Shows the levels/big prison
Camera Techniques: Dolly; Two Shot
Editing: Cut
Sound: Birds still chirping dialogue
Mise en Scene: Buildings ran down, broken side walk
Description of Shot: Following them walking through prison
Explanation of Choices: Allows viewer to see them walking and what they’re doing
Camera Techniques: High Angle/aerial
Editing: Cut
Sound:
Mise en Scene:
Description of Shot: In watch tower to make the prison look big
Explanation of Choices: Allows viewer to see
Camera Techniques: Wide Shot; Slow dolly backwards
Editing:
Sound: “It’s been 20 years since i’ve stepped foot on their prison”
Mise en Scene:
Description of Shot: Taking in 1st time back
Explanation of Choices: Allows to see how it stops him in his tracks to be there
Camera Techniques: Over-the-Shoulder
Editing: Cut
Sound: “You okay Grandpa? We don’t have to keep going” Dialogue
Mise en Scene: Grey hair = Old
Description of Shot: Kid worried if grandpa is capable of returning to past
Explanation of Choices: Shows concern by using over the shoulder
Camera Techniques: Medium
Editing: Cut
Sound:Dialogue “I’m fine son let’s continue”
Mise en Scene:
Description of Shot: Puts hand on shoulder to push kid on, showing it’s okay
Explanation of Choices: Allows viewer to see he wants to do this for his grandson
Camera Techniques: Wide shot
Editing: Cut
Sound: “You see the building over there? That’s where I spent my 20 years
Mise en Scene:
Description of Shot: Shows man pointing in the distance
Explanation of Choices: Building up to eye line match
Camera Techniques: Wide Shot
Editing: Eye line match
Sound:
Mise en Scene: Has title on building
Description of Shot: Further explains shot #10
Explanation of Choices: Shows where he lived
Camera Techniques: Close Up
Editing:
Sound:
Mise en Scene: Warning sign
Description of Shot: Showing sign outside his building
Explanation of Choices: Sets mood in giving the prison a bad feeling
Camera Techniques: Symmetry
Editing:
Sound: Dialogue “I promise we weren’t all that dangerous”
Mise en Scene:
Description of Shot: Reassures kid that he’s okay
Explanation of Choices: Easing kid’s worries from dangerous sign
Camera Techniques: Wide
Editing:
Sound: Dialogue “Grandpa what were you in for?”
Mise en Scene: A door
Description of Shot: About to enter, kid becoming curious after seeing sign
Explanation of Choices: Shows kid may be worried/scared
Camera Techniques: Slow dolly back
Editing: Cut
Sound: Dialogue “Oh wow” Add score
Mise en Scene: Inside cells
Description of Shot: Inside showing he’s lost for words
Explanation of Choices: By not answering the question, it shows his reaction better
Camera Techniques: Eye-Level on ground
Editing: Short take/ Framing
Sound: Score; echoing foot steps
Mise en Scene: Just of feet
Description of Shot: Feet walking past cells
Explanation of Choices: Adds emphasis on echoes/ showing slow steps = amazed
Camera Techniques: Dolly forward
Editing: Slow zoom
Sound: Dialogue : “There it is”
Mise en Scene: At his cell
Description of Shot: Introducing where he lived
Explanation of Choices: Important for beginning flash back
Camera Techniques:
Editing: Slow zoom into cell
Sound: Dialogue: “Here right here. This is where it all began.”
Mise en Scene:
Description of Shot: Moving into cell
Explanation of Choices: Preparing for flashback
Meaning:
My group’s project aims to portray an ex-convict coming back to the old days in his prison. In our film we aim to express how the man has changed since his days in prison and how he has turned his life around. After being in a prison, he has changed the way he treats his family and dedicates more time and love to all of the members of family.
Work Timeline:
We plan on filming our opening scene the week before spring break, editing will begin the week we come back from spring break, and it’s hard for us to fit any time to film throughout spring break with our busy schedules. We’ll film most of our shots at the prison, along with flashback shots at either Keyton’s house or Max and Lexi’s house.
Roles:
Cole Smith will play the grandfather and Max Lopez will portray the grandson
Plans for Location/Mise en Scene:
The abandoned prison in Belle Glade and one house for the flashbacks. Cole will need makeup and old men’s clothing to pull off his character and Max needs to appear even shorter than he is now. The warning sign, painted names on building, prison cells, etc.
FOUNDATION PORTFOLIO-FILM TASK: Conventions Researched
FOUNDATION PORTFOLIO-FILM TASK: RESEARCH PART 1 SLIDESHOW
Foundation Portfolio-Film Task: Research Part 1
Shawshank Redemption
Audience
i. 25-30 year old men; The music is rated R and it involves violence, prison, and it’s rating.
ii. In the opening scene it introduces the characters and shows all of the men in the prison and you get a hint that there will be violence.
Distribution Approach
i. Shawshank Redemption was first released in September of 1994 in Canada, then released in the U.S. in October of 1994
a. The movie was released in select theaters in September and in October in over 900 theaters.
ii. The film was released in February of 1995. It was rereleased right before awards season.
iii. The movie was a 2D standard because that was the only format available at the time.
a. The movie was created with a 35mm film and 3907 meters of film
Marketing Campaign
i. Three trailers were released to campaign
a. All of the trailers are currently on Youtube, but were first shown on TV
ii. Promotional – The film was promoted through trailers on TV
a. There were no products made to increase revenue in the movie.
Green Mile
Audience
i. Adult Males
ii. First screenings took place in various theatres nationwide
Distribution Approach
i. Released in U.S. theaters on December 10th, 1999. DVD release date in the U.S. was June 13th, 2000
ii. The film was released in December because Oscar season is soon after that and people will remember the film if it was more recent
a. Movies released the week of December 10th, 1999 : Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, The Cider House Rules, Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmas
iii. Green Mile was in the film format, along with a 2D format
Marketing Campaign
i. The film was promoted through three trailers/ teasers and one dvd promotion video
a. These clips were released during commercials on tv and right before films came on in the movie theatre.
ii. Promotional
a. They promoted the film through trailers on television
b.There were no products made to increase revenue in the movie
Escape Plan
Audience
i. Adult Males
ii. First screening was at Comic Con, which is dominantly male. Also used actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone,which are actors liked by males.
Distribution Approach
i. Released October 9th 2013 in the Phillipines and U.S. premire war in New York City October 15th. It was officially released in the U.S. on October 18th, 2013. The U.S. sold DvDs at Target for $10 (a 66% discount) and can be purchased for $19.99 in HD. July 18th, 2013. Screening July 18th , 2013 at San Diego Comic Con.
ii. Had a lower budget; therefore showed at a time when no other big films were showing.
iii. Filmed on digital, but transferred to film after to be accomadating to theaters. Done in 2D.
Marketing Campaign
i. June 27th, 2013 a debut trailer of Escape Plan was released through the gaming website IGN
ii. Promoted the film through conferences at The Ependables 2
Alexandra Lopez 5265 aice Media studies blog 