Final Reflection

Overall, the project was great. I loved the freedom it gave me to do what I want with my opening. With the flexibility of the creative process, the time, and the blog, I learned a lot about choosing the right inspirations, managing my time, and developing an understanding of what is worth mentioning. The research segment of the project really helped me learn how to develop a criteria for the right types of resources, and the production segment strengthened my editing and filming skills.

Opening

Process and Creative Critical Reflection

For the Process and Creative Critical Reflection, I decided to use a Prezi with vibrant backgrounds, to continue the theme of bright and saturated colors.

Filming and Editing

For filming, I had to use my iPhone 6 since I really had no access to a better camera. I made the fake blood a couple hours before shooting, and eventually used left overs of that blood to design a pizza box. I began filming at sunset and continued throughout the rest of the night, however, I encountered a problem when I had to film the last shots during the night. My idea for a shot featuring a dead body in car was very difficult to shoot due to the lack of light. I had to use flashlights to light up the scene. I had to use Adobe Premiere Pro for editing. I had a surplus of great shots that unfortunately would not make the cut for the opening due to lack of relevance. 

Comedy through Visuals

Setting a comedic tone for a film that's revolved around a cynical plot and a set of terrifyingly uncomfortable characters is a hard task, especially when still trying to maintain the structure and tone of a horror film. Edgar Wright is an incredible actor, who masters the art of framing and staging. A movie that certainly inspired a shot from my film is Shaun of the Dead (2004), directed by Edgar Wright. There is a shot in my opening that shows the killer walking back to his car. When approaching the car, the inside is concealed by the dark, but when he opens the door, the car lights turn on revealing a dead body covered in blood in the passenger seat. Through the influence of Edgar Wright, I thought of this atypical way of putting the body into the shot. This peculiar framing adds an eccentric and bubbly element to the film, shedding some light on the comical aspect of it.
Analysis of Edgar Wright Movies : https://vimeo.com/96558506

Edgar Wright

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Licensing Request

In order to gain permission to use the intended and almost necessary instrumental to play over my opening, First, I found a privacy inquiry form for UMG. After getting a response from UMG letting me know that they do not own the rights to the song, Kobalt Music Publishing does, I had to look for their email. Then, I emailed Contact.USA@KobaltMusic.com, publishers of the song that inspired my opening, to ask permission to use the song. The content of my email was the following: “Hi, my name is William Murphy. I am making an opening for a film in my AICE Media Studies class. I would like to use ‘The Resurrection of Scott Mescudi’ in the opening. I am requesting permission to use this song in the opening. I am not selling this opening for profit and am only using it for school. Get back to me as soon as you can. Thank you!” They’re response was “Hi Billy, if the use is for educational purpose in the classroom setting only it would be considered fair use. If you would like to license the song for any other media let me know.” Now with their approval, I can finish the editing. 

Color Scheme

Establishing the tone of my film will be very hard, since I have to juggle two very contradicting genres without losing the effect of either one of them. My opening will use a simple complimentary color scheme, switching from red hues and props to blue hues and props. According to color psychology, more specifically https://precisionintermedia.com/color , red represents a confident, noticeable, and heavier element, whereas blue represents tranquility and intelligence. The most tense moments and any action relating to murder or even foreshadowing murder will be glossed in red, and moments of brief tranquility within the main character will be shown with a blue hue. The contrast in color represents the duality between a commonplace appearance due to social norms and an aggressive and dark element hidden behind the appearance.

Blue

Red