Dear those whom are fans of my work,8/21/2021 Unfortunately, this summer there will be no short film release. To be fully transparent this is mostly due to a lack of motivation and effort put in on my part this summer due to being over a year deep into quarantine, and all the mental tolls that has dealt on me. As well, recently in the past month I moved from where I had lived previously and so that brought with it a great deal of stress that strained me even more. I must apologize if I will disappoint those of you who have seen the potential in my work since day one and who have gone on to further support me through it all by giving me an audience of such encouraging people. I must also apologize if I will disappoint those of you who have felt the true meaning of my work and have enjoyed it so thoroughly that you wait with anticipation for my next release. I fear there may not be words I can say that would really illustrate to you all how regretful I am that it had to come to this. However, all is not lost. I plan to return in the future better than ever, since now I can take the time to fully recuperate and come back after almost a two-year hiatus with something that will truly wow you all. My passion for filmmaking has not gone away. I will make sure the long wait shall be worth it. You guys deserve my all, my best work. Best regards,
Daniel R. Monje
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Final Video Project Submission4/28/2021 The changes I have made since my first revision are that I tweaked the film grain effect on the entire video and I added a vignette to give it a more old timey style. As well, I added a single title card with just my name as director into the video. I mainly did this just because I felt like it was the only place where a credit integrated well as it is a fast cutaway that attracts the audience's attention. And really, for any other credits it would be redundant to just put my name over and over again since I am the one who did everything. This was the same shot previously. This is the same shot now. I also did as I planned and added a title card as well as a few mysterious voice lines at the end to hint at the rest of the video continuing on. THE PROCESS The process behind the development of this video was that it had to invoke a feeling of mystery as well as danger like most good noir movies do. And so, I thought about it for a couple months and then just wrote down some interesting scenes that came to mind. Slowly but surely, I decided on which scenes to include, and which wouldn’t fit and so then I built my story off of that. The whole writing process never involved any mood boards or story boards as my vision really only had to be communicated to myself for the production of the video to go accordingly, so everything was just written down as text on my phone with very descriptive language to help me envision what I am trying to go for. Then when it came time for filming, I mainly stuck to the outline I had of the main character waking up on a bench and then running home while being chased with something important in hand to only end up getting caught in the end. Through this most of the other filler shots were spur of the moment and improvised as once I was actually on location, I started to be able to picture and better see which shots would work or fit in or would just look nice; I just let my creativity flow. After filming wrapped, I edited the video together in Adobe Premiere Pro and really since I already had an outline of the entire story, the editing process went quite smoothly as I just combed through the footage and looked at what worked or what didn't, and intuitively I decided on shot length for each clip. Finally, any last minute adjustments I needed to make to really nail the aesthetic of noir that I was going for were made and so then the video opening was done.
Also, as for the unique music choice for the whole video, it mainly came about as once I heard the song, I felt a rush of inspiration and I could almost envision shots of me running so it's really what sparked the whole of the video mainly being a chase scene. And I am aware it is not very genre appropriate or expected but it is what I felt fit the scene better as more of a new and fresh take on noir, which is a genre that can be kind of boring and predictable sometimes when filmmakers stick to conventions too much. Video Project Revision 12/22/2021 Notes: So far I've only filmed up to where I am going to insert the title card. The opening still should continue after this to give some exposition but so far what I've shot should be maybe 40% of the entire thing. The color grading and cuts still need some fine tweaking however. Overall I am still getting a feel for the story and tone I am trying to create.
Text Analysis Question 52/17/2021 The significance the continuing development of digital media technology has for media institutions and audience is massive as it has been causing a major shift in both the institutions themselves as well as how audiences consume media. The continuing development of digital media technology allows anybody no matter how big or small to contribute their own media in what ever form they like. So for big media institutions this means that they paint by numbers strategy they have been successful off of for so long don't apply anymore, since now with such a low barrier to entry there is such a wide array of media being produced that now anybody can find something that is just personally tailored for them. Furthermore this means audiences attention spans are lower since they have to be stretched thinner with the vast number of possible media they could be consuming. And so, media institutions have to keep up with producing content that can be gripping and has a personal touch, since they are in competition with all the other millions of people who can now make media that can occupy the same role as their media once did. This competition can even extend to their own audience at times since now anyone can be a media creator, and so big media institutions are now having to deal with competition from everybody. And the significance of that is that now media institutions are becoming less relevant while media creators as individuals are being more relevant, since media creators can be more free in what they produce where as working inside of a media institution is often a slow and bureaucratic process. Finally, now the pool of a potential audience is far more vast due to the continuing development of digital media technology, since now almost everyone has access to the internet and therefore media.
9 Frame Film Analysis2/10/2021 What are the conventions found in these film openings?
The conventions found in this film opening are that it opens with a narration that gives exposition to set up the world the movie is taking place in. As well, the narration is omniscient and isn’t coming from an actual character in the story speaking. Also, as the narration is taking place the convention of the past being shown in black and white is present as for the entirety of the narration scene all the events shown are in black and white whereas the actual events of the movie, in the present, are in color. The exposition also follows the convention of giving us our 2 rival sides that the whole conflict of the movie will revolves around; that being The Sect and The Wolf Brigade. It does also paint the conventional picture of the militaristic police force being evil while the rebellious force is good and righteous. Although importantly it strays from convention in how it leads the audience to believe that it is only the militaristic police force that is being brutal and is attacking and suppressing the people without harm; even though in frames 6 and 7 of the collage it is very clearly shown that the protestors are the only ones fighting and hurting the government forces, whereas government forces are merely bystanders that are upholding the peace and defending themselves with shields. Most importantly of all they not fighting back or brutally assaulting the protestors like we were led to believe they would be very capable of doing back in the black and white narration. What do the elements in the opening represent? For starters the first frame in the collage of 9 frames, represents the catalyst for how the story comes into being as the nuclear bombing of Japan is the first event in a chain of event that led to the alternate history setting the movie takes place in. Also, more figuratively, the first image of the mushroom cloud produced by the atomic bomb dropped over Nagasaki could represent the capacity for violence that humanity has and how ultimately destructive we are to each other as we are always in some kind of conflict. Then in frame 2 of the collage that image of the people standing there with guns presents the resistance toward the totalitarian oppression that the Japanese government is acting out through The Wolf Brigade. And in frame 3 the element of people being shot dead on the street while The Wolf Brigade is in the background furthers the image of absolute power and brutality that the government acts out through their new elite paramilitary group. This imagine of The Wolf Brigade as being something the government uses to instill fear and crush resistance within the people is further compounded in frame 4 where it is from the point of view of a photographer who was just taking pictures of The Wolf Brigade executing an unarmed civilian, and then he takes one final picture at a dutch angle as he has been spotted and is now running away. The shaky and slanted angle of the frame along with the glowing eyes from The Wolf Brigade member’s helmet is really used to just further the image that these are the bad guys in the story, and they are just scary and should be feared. Frame 5 is one of my personal favorites as it really drives home the symbolism between The Wolf Brigade, that the main character is a part of, and actual wolves; since it is very reminiscent to the image of a wolf howling at the moon on top of a hill or cliff that many of us can imagine in our heads. Plus, it serves as foreshadowing for who the main character of the story will be as up until now that really hasn’t been established and if anything, the audience would not expect one of the members of the evil force that kills civilians, established in the narration, could actually be the main character, since typically main characters are established as morally correct and heroic in the story. Then from there frame 9 in the collage is the last one I picked that represents something in the story as it is where the actual main personal conflict of the story is put into motion. It is also where one of the main symbolic references in made in the story as the man is handing a satchel bomb to a girl in a red coat. And when he does this he says,” Package for grannie.”, this subtly establishes that the girl is little red riding hood, since she is wearing red. And overall, the myth of little red riding hood is actually a central part of the theme of the movie, as the main character is a part of The Wolf Brigade and so obviously could be thought of as the wolf, so when he sees this little red riding hood girl detonate the satchel bomb before his very eyes, it is where the movie begins the main journey of the main character. How is the credits part integrated with moving images? The credits part is integrated somewhat haphazardly with moving images as it’s nothing really special. In frame 8 you can see how it is just white text being slapped onto a part of the image that isn’t directly overlapping with what should be the focus of the audience in a shot. It’s unintrusive but is not integrated into the world of the movie itself or even the motion in the shows themselves. Who is the audience for this film opening? The audience for this film is quite mature as it first opens with just a whole lot of talking and exposition in black and white about political goings on, but then it cuts to immediate destructive and realistic violence which less mature audiences may not be able to handle. As well, the audience could be considered people who don’t mind slow pacing and mystery, as through the transitions in the lengthy opening scene from the protestors to then an aerial helicopter view to then girl in the red coat, there is not much explanation and things aren’t being immediately revealed to you. What genre is the film in? How is this shown? The genre the film is in is of course first and foremost anime, as it is an animated movie with a realistic style but that was made in Japan and is voiced completely in Japanese. Besides the obvious however, it establishes itself as an action political drama thriller by first showing a great amount of violence through the protests immediately as the movie transitions from the title card. But also, in the black and white narration there is a lot of focus on how political movements, and such, changed and influenced how the government in the movie reacted. As well, with the character of the girl in the red coat and just focusing on her walking while being inter cut with more scenes of violence from the protest, it establishes a certain level of importance to this certain character and all subsequent interactions she has. So, with such a focus on character driven plot it is only natural that It can be placed into the drama category. And finally, with the fact that things start out in immediate conflict in the movie and the fact that we don’t know where things will go or turn out can establish this as a thriller, since the audience is kept on the edge of their seats in wanting to know what’s going on and where it will end up. What features of the film opening will you use/not use in your own? The features of the film opening I will use is a strong title card with powerful music playing over it. I will also use how the audience is being dropped into a story in the middle of the action in my film opening. That sense of thriller and mystery as to what is really going on will also be used in my film opening. However, I won’t be using credits in my film opening as I feel they are better put at the end of a film since it can really draw you out of those crucial few minutes of being immersed in watching a new film. As well, given how many people are actually involved in my films and the fact that I take up a majority of the roles it’s honestly unnecessary since it would just be my name credited over and over again. Finally, the opening narration is not something I will use in my film opening as I feel the scope of my stories never really needs a moment of just raw exposition explaining how the world or characters got to where they are now, instead I’d prefer to relay that information to the audience naturally but non-chronologically throughout the course of the story so that way they can piece together the background on their own. Critical Reflection: Question 21/22/2021 Video:
My product engages with the audience my fully immersing them in the story of the main character. And while the audience may not always be sympathetic towards the main character they can at least be engaged in seeing how somebody doing the wrong thing gets punished. My product also engages with the audience by being presented in a way that flows from scene to scene and almost appears life like and realistic while still cutting from camera angle to camera angle. The engagement of the audience in the product is also dependent on if it just flat out is nice to look at and my product certainly delivers by being color graded with contrast that is pleasing to the eye, while still being dark and gritty as the genre would entail. My product would be distributed first on the online video platform YouTube through posting it to my YouTube channel. Then it would most likely be submitted to a variety of small short film festivals that take student work and have a free entry fee. As well depending on how well reception to my product is I may consider personally making a few DVD copies of it just to share around to anybody who cares or perhaps just one for me to put in my physical media collection. Finally my product will be distributed on my various social media platforms in the form of either my product itself or an advertisement to go watch my product on YouTube. Critical Reflection: Question 11/22/2021 Video:
My product uses conventions to craft a narrative that isn't plain or boring, but is instead new and engaging to watch. It uses conventions to its advantage by using some to provide emphasis in certain scenes like with a close up. However it begins to challenge conventions with a narrative that drops the audience into something as it's still unfolding. Almost coming into the middle of the story as opposed to the beginning where things are still normal for the main character. My product does however necessarily lean more into conventions as a way of grounding itself in the classic detective and noir genres that has been so thoroughly built off of conventions for decades. So the product uses conventions as a way of giving familiarity to an otherwise unseen story. My product does not represent social groups but it does tackle the typical narrative issues of a noir. That of treading the line between what is right and what is wrong to get what you want. As well it represents the issues of regret and knowing that you've gone in too deep to something but not knowing how to get out of it. It also to an extent represents the issue of dealing with fate and the hand you've been given in life, and how what you do with it is really more what shapes you. Death and the use of violence against another person for personal gain is also an issue that is represented in my product. How does what we experience change us? Perhaps seeing a certain film can leave you awestruck at how immersive it was and how deep it resonated with you at a personal level. Perhaps you can leave an experience, whether that be reading a book or listening to a piece of music, changed completely from the person you were just a few minutes ago. But ultimately how you feel is completely up to you right? It’s your choice and yours alone how you are left to felt after experiencing a certain piece of media. When analyzing media ownership and funding however, in a contemporary sense, you may not be the only one gets to choose what you think when you experience a particular piece of media.
How is media created? That is often one of the most overlook steps when consuming media because all you see is the finished product. And often that is the intended result, for an audience not to be burdened with thinking about all the nitty gritty aspects of the production of that piece of media, and to instead leave them with the intended polished experience the creator of the media wanted them to have. If you constantly thought about how many years it took and how people had their hands in a production, then it could maybe pull you out of whatever the intended experience the creator of that piece of media wanted you to have. But the actual way in which media is created is important to analyzing media ownership and funding, so the answer would be a conglomerate for the majority of all the media we experience. Conglomerates are the biggest driving factor for the exceptional quality of media we have today. For example, with the recent Avengers movies, the production studio for the movie was Marvel, but then Marvel is owned by Disney. So, in reality the movie wasn’t just the product of the work of Marvel, but instead it was the product of the collaboration between different companies under the Disney umbrella working with Marvel to make the Avengers movies. Since due to Marvel being under the Disney umbrella, they have access to the resources of other companies who are also under the Disney umbrella, such as ILM which contributed to the special effects of the Avengers movies. This sharing of resources under a conglomerate like Disney is the synergy that drives the big movie industry as well as other big-time industries such as television and newspapers. And of course, another very important aspect of proliferation and making of media is marketing. And when marketing is analyzed using the Disney and Marvel example it shows how with Disney having so much money, they can afford massive advertisement campaigns to promote the Avengers movies, thereby making them more successful. This example also applies to other conglomerates using their immense resources to invest heavily in marketing for whatever piece of media they create. While conglomerates do seem like they should really only prove beneficial for everybody on paper, since the sharing of a large pool resources is what makes better and better media, in reality the implications of it have major consequences on our society. For one those at the very top of conglomerates call all the shots. This is to say whatever they want goes and if you don’t like it then there isn’t anything you can do about it since they hold so much wealth and power over their massive number of workers. So with that those at the top can force whatever messages or opinions they want to see out there in the world into all of media they create, since they are a conglomerate. This has specifically bad implications with news media, which is all run by conglomerates and can really only be sustained with the quality as it stands today by the immense funding of conglomerates. If the opinions the owners of conglomerates want out there are the only ones out there to be pushed in the news, then they can effectively control and shift the stories people hear about and what they interpret from those stories. And with that much power over society they can change how we view certain groups of people or events, and they can literally create stereotypes for the society as a whole to believe in. For an example of the bias of the news directly effecting what people believe, I’ve personally seen firsthand how the news media those in family consume directly influence their own political beliefs. So, it’s as if they are being spoon fed what to think and not thinking for themselves, which is disastrous for a society that runs on democracy. The saving grace of this however comes back to where we started with people’s own interpretations of media. While it can’t be said for certain that the experience you take away from a certain piece of media is entirely up to you, and devoid of any influence from the creator of that piece of media, it can be said that you at least still have a choice. And while conglomerates may try their hardest to shove their beliefs into the films, music, video games, and news we consume and convince you to believe them as the truth, they can never totally control our interpretation and there will always be those out there who reject the messages being fed to them and instead truly think for themselves. Movie Poster Mockup10/22/2020 In my poster the main character of the short film is hunched over his old timey camera and has an almost shocked expression, as if a deer in headlights, looking into the camera. It is also framed in a window almost as to make the camera for voyeuristic and looking in at the character and what he is doing. The titling on the poster was mostly chosen because I thought it would look nice and fit the sort of noir style of the short film. As well, the photo of the character is in black and white and he is holding an old 1930's Ciné-Kodak Model K, both of these elements were used to ground the short film in a more historical setting and to let whoever sees the poster know it will be a movie set in an older time period. Finally, the pose and expression of the character was chosen to match the title, it's almost as if the character himself is looking into the camera and saying, "Don't Look!", in a panic and as if you spooked him. This can illustrate that whatever he is doing with the camera is something he wants to very much keep secret. So overall I would say the poster effectively is communicating some of the basic elements of the story in the short film without giving too much away and leaving certain things up to the viewers own curiosity, as a way of motivating them to actually go and see the short film.
AuthorDaniel R. Monje Camacho |