More Filming!

     Hey guys! I've been in Italy for a few days now and the scenery here is perfect for my film opening. As you know, I am basing my short film on the life of a young adult. She is ready to go out into the world and explore, but also having that sense of never growing up, or never maturing. 

    This for me is a very captivating project to film because I've always loved movies that have to do with young adults finding their way through life. I will insert some shots of the airport scenes I've shot by now, and I'll update you on the rest. It's obviously been pretty hectic as I've had no service and the time change is affecting me, obviously, but I do what I can. 

Experience

     Hey guys, I am now in Portugal and I have shot some scenes and montages that I think would be incredible for the film opening. Additionally, I have the song I want to use, in mind. 

    It's currently 1 AM in Lisbon, Portugal, and I'm amazed with the city and excited to see how my film opening will turn out with these shots. I've shot airport scenes, beach scenes here in Cascais, and now I'm going to Italy first thing in the morning tomorrow, where I will definitely get lots of shots. 

I'll keep updating you on my work! See you soon!

                                                                    - K

Pre-Production

    Hey guys, 

    It is now one of the most important weeks of the project, I am starting my production process. 

    I will be using my spring break trip to my advantage and it will very closely relate to my genre, for this reason, I am super excited to start filming. I'm going to be traveling to Portugal and Italy this week, and I am going to make sure that I get in all of my shots so that when I get back, I am ready to start editing my shots together.

   This is the idea that I've been thinking about pursuing for the film opening:

Introduction:

Packing, trying on clothes, mirror shots, making her seem in a hurry and indecisive about her choices.

Or

Already being at the airport and starting off the dream.

I will then inform you more about the opening shots, but for now, I have to pack, too. LOL. See you soon!

                                                                    

Final Decision

     Hey guys. I'm back pretty quickly. I've made my decision.

Drum roll please... 

    I want to create a film opening about a Coming of Age Romantic Comedy.

I feel like this genre has been a passion of mine for years now and I truly enjoy watching films in this genre. I've watched too many RomComs, from the cringe and cheesy ones, to the emotional and artistic ones. 

    I think that one of the main Coming of Age movies that impacted my taste in genre was Angus; Thongs and Perfect Snogging. 

    Because I watched this in the 5th grade, it was an eye opener. In this movie we see the transition of Georgia from being a girl to a young adult.

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    Now that I've made my decision, I am fully ready to start planning my production process. I already have some ideas in mind that I'll be sharing with you. See you soon!

                                                                    - K

Comedy/Coming-of-Age Cont.

     Hey guys. I'm back today to add onto the research for the coming-of-age film.

Coming of age movies can cover many topics that are presently affecting teens and young adults in the real world. One example of this could be the film Real Women Have Curves.

    

    I first watched this movie in my AP Spanish Language class, and I found it to be extremely interesting. It is based on a teenager, Ana, who belongs to a Mexican-American family who are very stereotypical and degrading towards her in a very hypocritical way. She clashes with them in many instances, but mainly in following her education dreams as she wants to pursue a career, but her family's cultural traditions do not allow for this. In most Hispanic households, the young woman will go to school for a while, sometimes they won't even graduate high school, and the they will go one to being housewives. Ana did not want this lifestyle though, so she goes through many obstacles to realize what she wants.

Some techniques I found to write a coming-of-age script are:

• Catching the "Lingo"
• using teenagers' mannerisms and lingo is highly important if you are creating a coming-of-age movie because the target audience is mainly teenagers, and having them watch and realize the way that they are in real life is captivating to them, in most cases.

• Characters
• Something that truly sticks with this genre is the characters. There are always stereotypical characters, and it is not seen as repetitive in the industry just because they are necessary. 
• Some examples are "the popular jock", "the weird STEM kid", "the popular mean girl", "the pretty-but-weird girl", etc.
• These stereotypes are not necessary, but they make a huge contribution to the development of the plot and the meaning behind the genre. 

    I've made my decision regarding my project, and I'll be posting it today. See you soon!

                                                                    - K

References:

https://raindance.org/coming-of-age-genre/

https://www.purewow.com/entertainment/best-coming-of-age-movies

https://industrialscripts.com/coming-of-age-movie/

Comedy/Coming-of-Age

    Hey guys! I'm back and presenting to you the other topic that I had already promised. 

    A coming of age comedy.

    I believe that one of the most ICONIC coming of age movies is Clueless. It has so many realistic situations, while also pushing reality and creating a sort of criticism mixed with satire.

    Amy Heckerling's film Clueless is relevant, relatable, and entertaining even in society today. 

    Here are some techniques frequently used in coming of age films:

• Character Growth: 
• a character realizing their future, which makes them pass on from being innocent, to an adult.
• Dialogue: 
• interior lives of the character are focused on, and dramatic actions or events will not help to develop the character's emotions or personality.
• Social Commentary: 
• addressing issues that teens face today
• examples:
• coming out: Moonlight (2016)
• teen pregnancy: Juno (2007)
• race and violence: Boyz n the Hood (1991)

Another important coming of age movie is The Breakfast Club (1985)

References:

https://www.alltherightmovies.com/feature/utterly-clueless-the-making-of-a-coming-of-age-teen-classic/ 

https://crookedmarquee.com/how-clueless-flipped-the-script-on-the-teen-coming-of-age-movie/

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/coming-of-age-movies#3-characteristics-of-comingofage-movies

More About Thriller!

     As I left off before, today I'll be going more in depth on the Thriller genre and important techniques used in the film industry.

    Even though I am not a fan of watching thrillers, I am really interested in how it creates certain effects on its audience and I want to put into practice all of the techniques and ideas that I've learned throughout the school year.

    One really popular Thriller producer is Alfred Hitchcock, and these are some techniques he used in his films:

1. Hitchcock's Leading Ladies
• His leading ladies were used as a technique to create suspense. This is because they were mostly blonde, and they went against most of the female stereotypes that were popular in the 1940s throughout the 1960s. During these years lead characters were mainly men, and Hitchcock "broke" this stereotype and began to make females his lead characters 
• Like most female leads, they are sexy in a subtle, but fetishistic, way. By doing this, Hitchcock allowed for the females to easily mesmerize the opposite gender.
• Ex. Vertigo
2. Information To Create Suspense
• Hitchcock believed that information and suspense went hand in hand. He believed that revealing to his audience information that the character didn't know heightened the feeling of suspense. 
• Additionally, he uses a technique regarding camera movement to create suspicion. For example, he has the camera roam around the room, as if it were looking for something, or someone. This allows the character to feel one step ahead from the character. 
3. Montage
• Series of close-ups shown in succession (basic technique is cinematography). 
• Subtle approach, not random. This allows him to portray an event without showing the audience too much, leaving them more intrigued.
4. Keeping The Story Simple
• Hitchcock's simple storylines allow for his audience to have to think about the confusing plot, less. He believes that abstract stories tend to bore people, that is why he usually incorporates people constantly running from something, or someone. 

Here is a video that was on a website I used. Watch it completely! It is definitely worth your time.

These are some important techniques that one of the best producers of all time, Alfred Hitchcock, used in his famous films. I'll be back sooner than you think to finish informing you guys on the two genre options I have for my project. See you soon!

                                                                    - K

Resources:

https://indiefilmhustle.com/hitchcock-create-suspense/