The Screenplay

 This blog post will be about the screenplay for my film's opening. A screenplay or script is the written text of a film, TV show, or other pieces of media. A screenplay will typically include descriptions of the setting, stage directions, dialogue, and character actions, as well as shots and composition. Screenplays tell the story through words and descriptions and provide the framework for the film. They are crucial and a movie cannot be filmed without one. 

That being said, it's my turn to write a script. I have previous experience writing screenplays; I've had to write them for past assignments in my classes, which gives me an advantage. I know the basics like formatting and structuring. I have also done research, as evident in my blog posts, that will help me write my screenplay because I have the details as to what I'm going to write. I have also looked up examples of screenplays that I can reference to make sure mine looks like it's supposed to. I referenced the screenplay for Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, another fantasy film. This script helped me check my screenplay, allowing me to make sure I was doing it properly and that it didn't appear incorrect. 

This is a page of the Lord of the Rings screenplay. 

The link to my screenplay is here! It details what is going to be in the film's opening. I am going to provide a visual representation of my film's opening with my storyboard in a future post.

Source:

Heckmann, C., Walsh                                                                                                                                Chris Heckmann graduated from Emmanuel College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Writing, F., Jackson, P., & Boyens, P. (2022, January 24). Lotr 'fellowship' - free script download & analysis. StudioBinder. Retrieved February 26, 2023, from https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/lord-of-the-rings-script-screenplay-pdf-download/ 

Group Meetings

In today’s class, Mrs. Stoklosa put us in groups to discuss and get constructive criticism about our projects. I was in a group with Selene, Daniel, and Ace. I loved hearing about their projects and the ideas they have. Through these group meetings, we each gave each other feedback and ideas as to how to proceed with our blogs and our projects.

The group! (I’m on the left, Ace is in the back, Selene is on the right, and Daniel is holding the camera)

We each took turns explaining the plot of our film opening and showing our blogs as well as what we have elaborated on so far. When I explained the plot for Lost in the Pages, Daniel said it reminded him of an anime subgenre I had never heard of called isekai. Isekai is when a character is suddenly transported from their world into a new one, which is exactly what my film is about. Some animes that fall into this subgenre are Blood Blockade Battlefront, Overlord, and The Rising of Shield Hero which is the show Daniel mentioned to me. The Rising of Shield Hero is about a boy who is transported into a library book where he is tasked with joining the four cardinal heroes to save the world. He is betrayed and loses everything and has to try and gain it all back. It’s intriguing, however, anime isn’t a genre I particularly enjoy. I may still watch a few episodes or clips to maybe get some inspiration and make sure I don’t replicate its story too closely. Selene also mentioned a children’s book they read that reminded them of Lost in their Pages. The book is called Story Thieves by James Riley and it follows Owen seeing his classmate Bethany come out of a book in the library as she tries to find her father. Owen promises not to tell anyone as long as he can travel into his favorite book, but doing this could expose Bethany’s secret and ruin the book. It is the first book in a five-book series. I think this concept is cute and is targeted to a similar, but a likely younger audience. I didn’t realize the “lost in a fictional world” trope was so popular and I now have new inspirations that could help me develop my project. 

 

While discussing the project, I mentioned that I was struggling to come up with how I wanted to portray the ending in regard to special effects. I heard Selene mention something about leaving the book open at the end and Ace mentioned a bright light/fade-to-white type of transportation which caused me to come up with an idea as to how to end the film’s opening and incorporate the film’s title in a different way. With their ideas, I decided that instead of magic surrounding Delilah as she’s transported, it’s going to be a bright light that’s going to increase and turn the entire screen white. When the white light fades, Delilah is gone, and the book remains open. My original plan had the book closed with the title opening but I decided the title is going to be shown as Delilah grabs the book from her dresser. This is much easier than what I previously envisioned and I like it much better. Ace also suggested I show some of the fictional world at the end, which I may do if time permits.

This group meeting was a success! I got very valuable information and it was awesome to hear my classmates' ideas. It was great bouncing ideas off of my peers and I would like to do this again, later in the project process.

Marvelous Music

This blog post is going to detail the music used in my film opening. I hesitate to call it a score because the music in my film's opening is not written by me for the specific use of my project. Whether it's a score or other music, it still has an important use in films. The music in a film can develop the themes and tones and bring a production to life. Without music, a film wouldn't be engaging and would be unsuccessful, not only financially but also in its storytelling. Without music, a film's story, would not be clear. 

In my film opening, I am planning on using one song, however, this post is going to discuss three songs I am considering and have chosen. 

The first song I may use is Passerine by The Oh Hellos. The Oh Hellos are one of my favorite musical groups. They are a brother and sister duo named Tyler and Maggie Heath from Texas. They create folk music. When I first came up with my idea for the project, their music was the first I thought of. They have a whimsical almost magical vibe to their music that I love which fits perfectly with my idea. I listened to some of their songs and the ones that stood out to me were Soap, Eurus, and Passerine. After deliberating and listening to them several times, I settled on Passerine. My next step was to contact them. I direct messaged them on Instagram, and I’m still waiting for a response. I doubt I’ll get one from there but their website has their managements information so it may be beneficial if I can email them directly. I love their music and if I am able to use their music for my project, I will be over the moon happy. 

Passerine by The Oh Hellos

If I am unable to get a response from the Oh Hellos, I wanted something else to fall back on. I racked my brain thinking of small artists whose music I listened to and liked and I thought of Beetlebug. Beetlebug is a small musician who is known for their songs and covers online. I heard of them because they made a fan song for a game that I was really into and they were the opening act for my favorite band’s UK tour. I listened to their songs and it once again came down to three options, those brown eyes, a letter from a notable source, and my dear friends. This one was a little bit trickier to pick out but I went with, a letter from a notable source. Even though the song isn’t as lively as Passerine, I thought the lyrics fit and that the rhythm of the song would enhance the contrast between the two worlds better. Knowing they’re a smaller artist, I realized the only way to contact them is through social media. I messaged them on Twitter because that is the platform they are most active on. If I don’t get a response in a week, I’ll message them on Instagram as well. Their music has a softness to it that would work well with my film opening.

a letter from a notable source by Beetlebug

If all else fails and I can’t get permission from the two artists by the time I’m editing my project, I found a copyright-free, instrumental song that would work. I don’t love it as much as my other two options but I think it’s well suited for my film opening. I researched copyright-free folk music and looked at a couple websites. It took me a few tries of just listening to songs on websites, but I finally found one I was satisfied with. It’s called Thingamajig (the name caught my eye almost immediately) and I found it on Audionauti. It has an upbeat, whimsical vibe and reminds me of something I’d hear at a renaissance festival which is what caused me to choose this particular song. I think this elevates the “vibe” of the opening and provides a fantastical feeling to the opening that would, theoretically, continue throughout the film. I am unable to display the song as a video because it is an mp3 file so I have linked it here, for you to listen to.

I believe the music is one of the most integral parts of a production and can make or break a film. I loved exploring different songs and thinking about the approach they would allow me to take for my film opening.

Sources: 

Steven, Steven. “The Importance of Music on Film & Emotion.” Raindance, 23 Apr. 2022, https://raindance.org/the-importance-of-music-on-film-emotion/. 

The Oh Hellos, http://theohhellos.com/. 

Shaw, Jason. “Free Folk Music.” Audionautix, https://audionautix.com/free-music/folk. 

Toasty. “The Oh Hellos - Passerine (Lyrics).” YouTube, YouTube, 30 Nov. 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra3kbQJQ-B8. 

beetlebug. “A Letter from a Notable Source - Beetlebug.” YouTube, YouTube, 30 Oct. 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ0i1l7JfHQ. 

The Things That Go Unnoticed

 In this blog post, I’m talking about the mise-en-scene elements of my film opening. Mise-en-scene is the production elements of a film, which typically goes unnoticed, as the title of this post suggests. This includes set design, props, costume design, makeup, and lighting. There are other elements of mise-en-scene but these are the ones I’m highlighting in my project and will be focusing on in the post. 

Set design is essentially what the set of the production will look like. It develops the setting and atmosphere in which the story is told. I drew up my set design by tracing an image of the guest room of my house, which is where I’m going to be filming my project. I colored the basics of the room, the aspects that are going to stay the same. This includes the wall color, the bed frame, the dressers, the lamp, the fan, and the TV. From there, I added elements that would give the room life and make it look like a teenage bedroom. Because Delilah is an avid reader, I put a lot of books on her dresser. I also added a record player because I felt like it fit the “vibe” of the overall room. I gave the bed a simple white duvet with white pillows but colorful, fun stuffed animals. The stuffed animals show that the character is still young at heart and they bring color into the room. There are posters on the wall of Harry Potter and Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse. I chose these movies because they inspired my film opening, as shown in previous blog posts, but they are also favorite films of mine. Set design is incredibly important because, without it, there is no setting in which the story could take place.

The guest room (base)

The set design

Props are objects in which characters can interact with. They are typically found throughout the set and add to the plot of the story. Throughout my film opening, Delilah is going to interact with several small props such as a backpack, pencils, a notebook, and headphones. These develop the plot and character but are very basic. The main prop used in the film opening is the magical book. The magical book is the driving force of the story and is very important. To create the prop, I’m decorating an old book with paint and embellishes. I was inspired by old vintage books to create my design. The blue and gold would make the book stand out amongst the rest. The gold detailing and flowers come from the old vintage designs I looked at. I came up with two designs for the cover because I was indecisive and wasn’t sure which one I liked better. With thoughts and opinions from my peers, I decided to choose the cover in the top picture. I liked the detailing I did and I think it adds to the fantastical and magical aspect of the film’s plot. This was the hardest mise-en-scene element for me to complete, just because of how indecisive I was but I’m really happy with the result. 

Costume design is what the characters wear. It often represents their character and can tell a story. The costume design for Delilah, the character shown in the film’s opening is simple and plain. It includes straight jeans, a white shirt, a brown cardigan, and white converse. It is mostly neutral tones. The reason it is plain and neutral is to enhance the contrast between the “real world” and the fictional world’s elements. Delilah’s costume in the fictional world would be much grander and have more bright colors compared to the one pictured. I drew inspiration from the Pinterest board I made about the character (it’s linked in my character post as well as here). I knew the aesthetic I wanted the character to have and Pinterest gave me great inspiration as to how to portray it properly. The hairstyle Delilah wears is two rounded pigtails to give the character a more youthful look.  

Makeup creates the look of an actor or character. Some productions can use different types of makeup to get different effects but for my film opening, the makeup design is simple. The makeup Delilah wears is typical of teenagers her age. I created the design on a blank face sheet, specifically for makeup designs. I didn’t do much to the eyebrows, and I did a basic neutral brown eyeshadow look with a shiny white shadow in the corner of her eye so they can stand out more. I also gave Delilah winged eyeliner, which is very popular in makeup today as well as light blush and freckles. I finished the look with neutral pink lipstick.   Once I finished the design on the face chart, I thought it looked too dramatic, so I did the makeup look on myself to give a better picture of what I envisioned for the character. The reason I kept the makeup simple is because Delilah herself is simple. She doesn’t stand out in any particular way and fits into her age group. 

Lighting is an element that can create the mood for a production. There are many lighting techniques such as high-key and low-key lighting, as well as three-point lighting. I don’t have any specific lightning techniques in mind for my film opening. I think because the lighting in a teenager's room is basic, the lighting in my opening should be as well. I have the light from the fan to illuminate the room as well as a ring light which will allow for shots to come across more clearly on camera. 

The mise-en-scene elements are my favorite part of creating the production. It allows for me to really be creative and show off the character and world through little details. Creating these aspects of the project really makes me excited to bring them to life!

 

The Main Character - Delilah

In my last post, I mentioned I would talk about Delilah's character in a future post. The future is coming sooner than you think because this is that post! I will be talking about Delilah's introduction in Lost in the Pages opening, her traits and motivations, and provide context to what she would look like. 

In Lost in the Pages, Delilah is introduced to the film as she is coming home from school and doing her homework. She's listening to music and bobbing her head to it as she works. She has a timer set for her to take a break. When she takes her break, she begins reading. All of these elements prove that Delilah is smart and manages her time well. These actions develop Delilah's characterization in the film's opening. 

Delilah is a sixteen-year-old high school student, just like me! She's very studious and cares deeply about her schoolwork. She's also incredibly smart and loves her English classes. As well as being smart, she is kind, loyal, and determined. Her thought process is very meticulous and is always moving three steps ahead. On her quest to go home, she is the voice of reason and always has a plan of action. At home, she has a small, close-knit group of friends but her family is everything. She loves her family, especially her little sister Jade. Jade is four years younger than her and is ultimately the reason Delilah goes back. The people she loves, she treasures, and will do anything for. Delilah is also bisexual and is well-supported by those around her. A character alignment chart, typically used by players of Dungeons and Dragons, is a great way to dictate the personality of a character. It ranges from lawful, neutral, and chaotic good, neutral, and evil. In a character alignment chart, she would be considered lawful good.

This is what I imagine Delilah would look like. The art was created by @cupspoodles on Instagram (check them out, they are really talented!). I saw it and thought it encapsulated Delilah perfectly. I envisioned Delilah having shorter brown hair, and wearing neutral-colored clothes. I feel like the design fits the academia aesthetic of the character well. It also has a cute innocence which is typical of the fantasy genre. I love this design and character and I can't wait to bring it to life in my film opening. 

I also created a Pinterest mood board for the character liked here, as well as a Spotify playlist linked here.

What is My Film About?

 I have mentioned in previous blog posts that my film opening is about a girl who gets transported into a book she’s reading, but I’ve never elaborated beyond that. I created a basic, vague plot diagram on my iPad mentioning the main plot points of the film. I also came up with the title of my film, Lost in the Pages. I came up with the title by knowing what I want to incorporate in it. I wanted it to be related to books in some way. I tried many different titles in my head, finding one that worked. I first thought of Lost Girl, but it was too familiar to Peter Pan. I then tried, The Girl Lost in a Book, but it seemed too basic and literal. I also tried Lost in a Book which I liked but wanted to elevate so I came up with Lost in the Pages. I loved it and decided that was the title. I discovered that it is the name of a mobile game but because it is a different media, and not under copyright laws, I figured it was okay to use. 

In Lost in the Pages, the main character is named Delilah. When Delilah is magically transported into the book, she ends up in a magical forest. In this forest, she meets magical creatures such as a unicorn, gnomes, and fairies. Here, she also meets a satyr, technically a faun, which is a half-woman half-goat, named Nyala. Nayala is Delilah’s guide. Nayala takes Delilah out of the forest and takes her to the nearby village. The nearby village is full of bars, taverns, and shops. Nyala takes Delilah to a clothing shop to get more fitting, appropriate clothes because she still has her regular clothes on. When she changes, they explore the rest of the village and become well-acquainted with everyone. Their last stop of the "tour" is the apothecary at the edge of the village. They go in and Delilah locks eyes with, Theodas, the elf who owns the shop. They are both intrigued by the other's appearance and connected instantly. It was when they met that Delilah realized she couldn’t stay; that this wasn’t her world to live in. She decided during her time there, she would bring her new friends along with her on her journey home so she wouldn't feel alone. On this journey, the three friends have to find a magical crystal that can grant her a wish. They go through many places like an abandoned castle and a dark cave, solving puzzles and riddles that would lead Delilah home. Through these quests, the three friends got closer, especially Delilah and Theodas who Delilah had taken to calling Theo. Theo and Delilah had been flirting with each other back and forth and Nyala was seen as a parental figure to both of them. They find the crystal in a magical maze and their quest comes to an end. They all give a tearful goodbye as Delilah makes her wish and goes home. When she arrives home, Delilah realizes that only a minute had passed and that her clothes were normal again. She sees on her bed, the outfit she wore, which makes her realize it wasn't a dream. She smiles and puts the book back on her bookshelf.

Explaining the plot of the film will help provide more context for the film's opening. It will also allow for a better understanding of Delilah's character, which will be explored further in a future post. The explanation of the plot will also allow for mise-en-scene elements, such as the costume, to make more sense. This plot uses typical elements of the fantasy genre while being fun and entertaining.

The Fantasy Genre (Again)

 I have previously done research about the fantasy genre on my blog (it’s the second post). In that post, I talk about the basics of the genre such as the conventions of the genre, the hero’s journey, production techniques, the target audience, and examples of films in that genre. In this post, I’m going to analyze different film openings in the fantasy genre and work out how they will help me come up with ideas for my film opening.  I will also analyze the subgenre my film is following. 

This is the opening title sequence for the film Back to the Future. The film is directed by Robert Zemeckis and produced by Steven Spielberg. It was released in 1985. Although it is a sci-fi film, I plan to use aspects of its opening for my project. Throughout the opening, the audience gets a look at Doctor Emmett Brown’s garage which establishes some aspects of the plot. The film’s opening also establishes mise-en-scene by showing around the garage and connecting it to the plot by introducing the film’s main character. This is what I plan to do with my opening. In my opening, I want to show across the main character’s room, likely not in one shot like Back to the Future, and then cut to the main character at their desk, working or coming into their room.

This is an opening sequence and introduction to the main character, Miles Morales, in the film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The film was directed by Bob Persichetti and released in 2018. The film begins with an introduction to Spider-man and then cuts to Miles Morales who is singing along to a song that is playing through his headphones. This piece uses diegetic sound which is an idea I'd like to replicate in my film opening. I'd like to do a similar thing in which the main character is doing their homework or coming home from school and they have headphones on, but the audience doesn't realize the sound is diegetic until they see the main character dancing and jamming to the music. Diegetic sound can add depth to a film opening which is what I want to achieve.

This is the film opening for the film, Harry Potter and the Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The film was directed by Alfonso Cuarón and was released in 2004. Although this clip shows the first ten minutes of the film, (in full transparency, this was the best clip I could find) the part I’m focusing on is the first two minutes, or until the doorbell rings. This opening uses magic to introduce the plot which is an aspect I intend to include in my film opening. This opening also uses the magical aspects to lead to the title which is also what I intend to do. In my film opening, the main character gets transported into the book and when the book is laying on the bed by itself, the camera will zoom into the title of the book, which will also double as the title of the film. 

As mentioned in my previous research, there are many subgenres in the fantasy genre. The one I’m exploring in my film opening is magical realism. Magical realism is a genre in which the real world is depicted as having magical or fantastical qualities. Some characteristics of the genre include a realistic setting, elements of magic and a unique plot structure. This genre typically has a target audience of kids and teens but can sometimes expand to young adults. The genre uses similar production techniques to fantasy but also uses the production techniques of other genres like, drama and comedy.  The realistic fiction genre is also commonly found in literature. Realistic fiction is one of my favorite genres which is part of the reason I gravitated towards it for my film opening. 

The previous paragraph mentions how magical realism depicts the real world with magical qualities. These qualities are usually depicted using special/visual effects or CGI. Visual effects can to elevate the film and create things that wouldn’t be depicted in real life. Although I am not using CGI in my opening, I plan to use visual effects to depict the main character be immersed into the book. I am have a good amount of experience using Adobe Premiere Pro and I’m willing to expand my knowledge and use of the program by creating visual effects. It’s going to be difficult and challenging but it is a crucial part of telling the story in my film opening.

These opening scenes have been a great inspiration for my film opening. Back To The Future, Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, and, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban are all favorite movies of mine so it only seems fitting that they inspired my project. Research on the realistic fiction genre will benefit me greatly as I now have a better idea of how to approach my project. 

Sources: 

MovieTitleScreens. “Back to the Future 1985 -- Opening Title Sequence.” YouTube, YouTube, 1 Oct. 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3isQI0nXQRE. 

Cut Entertainment. “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018): Miles Morales Intro.” YouTube, YouTube, 8 Mar. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3z1x9VreQ0. 

Warner Bros Entertainment. “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | Full Movie Preview | Warner Bros.. Entertainment.” YouTube, YouTube, 30 Apr. 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watchv=MjoMN9RMKAY. 

“What Is Magical Realism? Definition and Examples of Magical Realism in Literature, plus 7 Magical Realism Novels You Should Read - 2023.” MasterClass, MasterClass, 23 Aug. 2021, https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-magical-realism. 

My Concept and How I’m Approaching It

For my Cambridge project, I am choosing to do a fantasy film opening. In this film opening, the main character is reading and gets immersed into the book, literally. I came up with this idea because I love the fantasy genre and I love books. My love for books is what ultimately led me to choose this concept. Mrs. Stoklosa was showing the class samples of past film openings and I got the idea that I should base my project around a topic I liked. My first thought was music, but I felt that may be overdone and I didn’t have a clear idea of where I wanted to take it. My second thought was of books and the idea came to me. I liked it and checked if it had been the plot of a previous film, and it hadn’t. I decided, this is going to be what my film opening was going to be about. 

With a concept chosen, I now had to decide how I was going to go about creating the project. I had all these ideas floating around in my head but, I had to organize them. I created a schedule planning out what I would do everyday for the project. The schedule is shown at the bottom of this post. The schedule includes what days I blog and what I blog about, when I’m going to film, when I’m going to edit, my process on my CCR and when the entire project should be done by. This schedule is a really great way for me to be know exactly what I need to do and by when it needs to be done. I also accounted for breaks because my mental health is very important and I need to make sure I’m not overworking myself. This schedule is subject to change and likely will, due to the natural unpredictability of life and how much I may or may get done on certain days but this is a good framework on where to begin. I will be following this schedule as diligently as possible so the project can be completed in a timely manner. 

I am very excited to start working on this project and bring my idea to life!

The Start of Something New!

Today, my class and I were introduced to our film opening project and I am really excited for it. The project, for our Cambridge portfolio, requires us to create a two-minute film opening for a new fiction film that we create. I love being creative and I’m happy I can express my creativity through a medium like this.  I know the project is going to be difficult and time-consuming but, if I plan correctly and use my time wisely, I won’t feel rushed and I’ll be able to create a project I am really proud of.

One of the first things to consider when starting this project is what genre is going to be portrayed. There are many options to choose from such as drama, fantasy, thriller, comedy, sci-if, and adventure. Out of all of these genres, fantasy is my favorite, so that is what I am likely going to create. I want to create a project in a genre I really enjoy, which will cause me to have more fun while doing the project. For whatever genre I choose, I have to do research on it to better understand it and be more knowledgeable about the aspects of my project. I will research films in the genre, the target audience, distribution methods, among other aspects.

I also have to consider how I am going to approach the project. I am planning to create a schedule in order to plan what I am going to do and when I am going to do it. This will help me envision a structure for the project and allow me to utilize my time properly. I am also going to use these blog posts as a way to document my thought process for different aspects of the project. I have never had to write down my elaborate thought process and think about everything I do in depth, so this blog will be a great way for me to do that. 

I’m really excited to work on this project more and create something great!

Music Marketing Post #2

 In my last blog post, I mentioned that my group and I were working on a music marketing project, in which we had to create a marketing campaign for a new band that we had created as well as, a music video for their first song. This post is an overview of how that project went.

For our campaign, we received the indie/alternative genre. I was pleased with this because it is one of my favorite genres to listen to and I was excited to learn more about it. We conducted research to learn about the genre and how we could implement other artists' practices to benefit ours. We got inspiration from groups like The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys and artists like Steve Lacy and Owen Pallet. From our research, we concluded that social media was going to be an excellent resource for us to use. These artists used social media as a form of both audience interaction and marketing, and we figured it would be smart to do the same thing. In our research, we also learned that the target audience for the genre is teens and young adults. Because of this, we knew to use social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok, and YouTube. Using these platforms for different functions, like using Twitter for updates about music, and using Tik Tok for promotional uses and dances will create more audience engagement and prevent repetition. The artists also had websites and merchandise. Being that we are a small band, we thought it would be beneficial that instead of having a website, we'd have a linktree, in which all of our platforms could be in one place and it would be easier for our audience to navigate. The merchandise would only be a few items such as a shirt, sticker, and keychain but they would help promote our group and gain a larger audience. The research benefitted us and gave us an idea of how to proceed with the rest of the project.

Before we conducted the research, we decided we were going to do 'The Man' by The Killers (linked here!) for our music video. We all really liked the vibe of the song and had little ideas here and there for what to do but it wasn't until Ace had the idea to create a band based on the idea of the seven deadly sins that we knew exactly what we were doing. We called our band the Seven Sevens and based our song and the album that was to come, on the sin pride. Pride is being vain and narcissistic and we thought spinning the idea of an uplifting song to one about being proud and conceited would be fun. I created the logo for the band that would be an integral part of the band's image while everyone concentrated on what to do for the music video and creating the storyboard.

Once we had the plans for the music video done, it was time to create it. We decided to do a mostly promotional video with a little bit of storytelling, on the idea of Ace's character being conceited and almost like the greek figure Narcissus, who falls in love with himself. We all went to Ace's house after school where we filmed the parts of the video that showed Ace's character promoting pride. We filmed the first shot of the music video which is Ale and I running down the street, trying to get away from Ace using Luisa's car. Luisa drove slowly, while Ace filmed and Ale and I ran like our lives depended on it. We also filmed shots like Ace kissing the polaroid of himself and the phone call with himself on that day too. The next day, we filmed at a park at sunset to shoot the promotional aspect of the video where the band is playing behind the lead singer. We filmed just the band playing once, and then we filmed the band playing with the singer second. We also got a lot of videos of the band members lip-synching, dancing, and posing which, as well as being used for the video, were used as promotional footage for the social media accounts. 

After the video was shot, it was time to edit it. We agreed Luisa was the best person to do it, considering she had the most experience and had a good vision for the video. While she edited, the rest of us worked on the campaign presentation. I focused mostly on the social media aspects of the PowerPoint, creating the social media accounts and posting content to them. I also created the merchandise and figured out what venues would suit the band when they go on a small tour to promote their music. Ace worked on putting the research into the PowerPoint, while Ale worked on the campaign, distribution, and marketing of the music video. 

We then finally had to present everything. We weren't able to rehearse prior due to time constraints, which made me nervous but we discussed what each person was going to present and what they were going to say before we presented. This made me feel a bit better but I was still very nervous about presenting. While presenting, I definitely tripped over a few words due to nerves but otherwise, I thought we did really well. We all presented what was necessary, and said exactly what we needed to, to emphasize our points. Luckily, there weren't any technical difficulties and everyone spoke clearly and concisely. We knew our information well. Overall, the presentation went well and was much better than I expected.

I loved working on this project. It was stressful at times but was very fun. Filming the music video was some of the most fun I've had working on a project in a long time. Not only was it fun, but working on the project has taught me some things. It taught me that communication is key and to not get so nervous over the little things. I believe our project went so well because we communicated with each other, pretty much the entire time. We didn't heavily rely on someone too much or too little, we did everything equally and we worked together. We all agreed with what we were doing which in turn, made for a better project. I was really nervous to present the project. I knew exactly what I was going to say but just the general anxiety of presenting to a class got to me however, our presentation was still great. We all did well and I was nervous for nothing. The project will help me develop my Cambridge portfolio by allowing me to do better research and manage my time wisely. Because this project forced us to do background research on the genre and music, I felt very comfortable about the topic and knew what to do. Doing research for my Cambridge portfolio will allow me to feel the same way. When we started the project, we were moving a bit slowly and by the end, we had to do a lot in a short amount of time. For my Cambridge portfolio, I know I need to organize my time better so I'm not doing a lot quicker and I'm working constantly. 

Our band's logo

A promotional image of the band

Examples of the band's social media

An example of a piece of the band's merchandise