Title Research: Antebellum

 For our last blogs, we researched the title sequence of the movie Antebellum. We found the titles of the movie on the website “artofthetitle.com”

What titles are displayed during the opening sequences?

During the opening sequence, the titles displayed are the production companies, the producers, the directors, the names of the actors who played the main characters, the casting director, the movie supervisor and the music producers, the costume designer, the film editor, the production designer, the director of photography, the executive producers and the writers. Something we found interesting, was that the producers were mentioned twice, once at the beginning at once at the end. They also included a quote at the very beginning of the title sequence. 

What images are prioritized in the opening sequence? 

The images that are prioritized are those that show a racial divide, and that show this film takes place in the past. For example, you can see a confederate flag being raised by white soldiers, white children playing while african american people are working, they all wear outdated clothes, and in the beginning there is a white horse and a brown horse eating separate from each other. At the beginning of the title sequence there is also a quote that says, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”

What connotations do these images carry? 

These images carry unsettling, negative connotations. Images such as the confederate flag, the soldiers, and the horses eating separately, are all used to show a racial divide, and convey that this film maybe takes place during the civil war, at a place where slavery was still being used. The quote that is included in the beginning, also gives the idea that maybe the film does not take place in the past, it takes place in the present and slavery somehow has come back, which is very unsettling. 

How does the film establish a feeling of the genre from the outset? 

Movies in the thriller genre tend to create feelings of suspense, mystery, and anxiety in the viewers. This title sequence establishes a feeling of the genre from the outset by introducing a topic that creates negative feelings and makes many people uncomfortable, which is slavery. It not only does this, but also brings up the question of what it would be like if this was still happening in the present, which builds suspense and mystery. 

What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?  

This film is a psychological thriller/horror, which means its target audience would be those who enjoy the feeling of fear, suspense, mystery, stress and unsettlement. To make sure it appeals to its target audience, this film introduces a dark topic and uses a lot of eerie, loud, dramatic music. It also builds suspense by creating a contrast from the beginning of the title sequence to the end. The beginning is very happy and cheerful as you can see children playing in a field with a beautiful house in the background, but as the sequence progresses, more and more aspects are shown, which reveals the situation is much darker than it seemed, and ends with a woman screaming as a man is being dragged away. 

How has technology been used effectively?

Technology in this film has been used effectively because the entire title sequence makes the viewer feel as if they were in the movie themselves. Throughout the entire film there were no cuts. It was one steadicam shot of the camera tracking different subjects as it was moving through the establishment. At first, it follows a girl, then the soldiers, then the slaves. and then it follows the soldiers again. It makes it feel as if you were walking through the place and allows you to see the entire setting. This is effective for the film, as making the audience feel like they are part of the film heightens their feelings and responses when certain events during the movie happen.

Title Research: The Reaping

 The name of the film in which this title sequence comes from is The Reaping. We got this title sequence from a website called “watchthetitles.com”

What titles are displayed during the opening sequences? The titles displayed show the director of the movie, who the screenplay and story are by, the producers, executive producers, the director of photography, production designers, editors, who the music is by, the co-producer, visual effects supervisor, the costumes designer, and the main actors within the movie. The production companies, such as Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Pictures, are shown as well.

What images are prioritized in the opening sequence? The images of eyes are shown several times throughout the title sequence. Eyebrows and eyelashes are also displayed a few times throughout the opening sequence, but eyes seem to be what is shown the most throughout the opening sequence. Along with eyes, leaves and splatters of blood, liquid, or other objects are seen as well.

What connotations do these images carry? These images carry a scientific and investigative connotation. It makes it feel as though something related to crime will occur at some point throughout the story that is investigated by the FBI, as various, what look to be random objects are shown throughout the opening sequence. The images of the leaves in particular look as though they might be used as evidence for something, helping to create the investigative feeling attached to the image. The closeup images of eyelashes and splatters of liquid, among other images, also look as though they were taken underneath a microscope, adding to the scientific feel.

How does the film establish a feeling of the genre from the outset? The film establishes the feeling of the genre with the mysterious objects used, dark or low-key lighting, and suspenseful or serious fonts. The mysterious objects used hint at the fact that there may be suspense somewhere in the story with the liquid splatters in particular, because they look as though they are blood. This already establishes the genre, because the blood splatters seem as though they may have been caused by a murder or accident, adding suspense as the audience is not sure who would have done such a thing. The low-key lighting is one of the conventions of the thriller genre, already establishing the genre of the movie. The font of the titles are rigid and stoic, not fun and flirty as seen in other movies associated within the genres of romance, for example. The serious fonts added to the seriousness and suspense associated with the thriller genre, establishing the genre from the outset.

What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience? Some strategies that are used to appeal to the film’s target audience are the use of fast-paced graphics and serious/suspenseful music that enhance the title sequence being shown. The graphics are suspenseful and feel almost scary, especially towards the end with the clips of bugs and bug legs being shown. The speed of the images being shown also add to the supenseul feel, and target audience, because they leave the audience focused on the what is being shown, not bored and day-dreaming. The music is also suspenseful, adding to the images being seen, and targeting the audience as those that are watching are most likely looking to enjoy a suspenseful and exciting film. As the film’s target audience is those that are interested in suspenseful, horror films, the fast-paced and scary graphics appeal to the audience with the images and enhancement of those images with the sounds accompanying them.

How has technology been used effectively? You want to consider camera angles, transitions and editing techniques. 

Technology has been used effectively with the use of editing. The dissolving text, for example, shows the effective use of technology by making the text disappear after the name the text is displaying is no longer needed. This editing technique makes it feel as though just as the audience was able to grasp what the text stated, it dissolved. This feeling or movement is associated with suspense in situations involving characters and the real world, and just by the disappearance of the text this was able to be accomplished, establishing the thriller genre. The quick paced transitions establish this feeling as well, demonstrating the effective use of technology.

Title Research: The Number 23

 The name of the film in which this title sequence comes from is The Number 23. We got this title sequence from a website called “watchthetitles.com”

What titles are displayed during the opening sequences? 

The titles that are displayed during the opening sequences are the title of the movie, the producer, the starring actors, the person who did casting, the person who did music, the associate producer, the costume designer, the editor, the production designer, the co-producer, the executive producers, the writer,  and the director.

What images are prioritized in the opening sequence? 

Throughout the whole title sequence, a background of a paper can be seen. In this background, a typewriter font is displayed when showing text. The thing that stands out the most is the repeated use of the number “23”. It is written over and over again in the background of the title sequence. What appears to be blood stains spilling over also appears all through the title sequence.

What connotations do these images carry? 

The overuse of the number “23” accompanied by the blood spills create a sense of disturbance in the audience. While nothing is done to blatantly scare the audience, the feeling that is created around the number “23” makes the audience feel uncomfortable and uneasy.

How does the film establish a feeling of the genre from the outset? 

The feeling of the genre, thriller, often leaves an audience feeling anxious, suspenseful, or leave them with anticipation. This feeling is established in this title sequence through the use of text that can be displayed. Throughout the title sequence, multiple texts are shown which display the correlation of the number “23” through events in history. An example of this is when the title sequence says that Shakespeare both was born and died on April 23rd. The fact that the number “23” can be seen in a pattern throughout history, gives the audience a chilling, suspenseful effect, which is common in the thriller genre.

What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?  

The target audience of this film would be those that enjoy an exciting and suspense filled film. A strategy that this title sequence uses to ensure that it is appealing to this particular target audience to use common conventions found in the thriller genre. Some of these conventions include the mysterious music in the background and the jump-cuts that are displayed throughout the entire title sequence. Both of these add suspense and make the audience feel more anxious, which is exactly what the title sequence is aiming for when targeting fans of the thriller genre.

How has technology been used effectively?

Technology is used effectively in this title sequence in the way that it is edited. Throughout the title sequence, many transitions can be displayed which make the title sequence smoother and flow more easily. In the title sequence, editing effects, such as the random glitching of the number 23, can further accentuate the thriller genre that it is trying to display.

Title Research: 30 Days of Night

 The name of the film in which this title sequence comes from is 30 Days of Night. We got this title sequence from a website called “watchthetitles.com”

What titles are displayed during the opening sequences? 

The titles that are displayed in this opening sequence are the title of the movie, the director, the person who did the screenplay, what the movie is based on, the producers, the executive producers, the co-producers, the director of photography, the production designer, the editor, the people starring, the person who did music, and the costume designer.

What images are prioritized in the opening sequence? 

The images that are prioritized in the title sequence are images of people in photos. Many of these images appear to be in poor condition, with many being either burned, slashed, or damaged. Accompanied by these photos, are gruesome images that include blood, decaying corpses, weapons, and random body parts. 

What connotations do these images carry? 

These images all create a sense of eeriness in the audience. These images combined create an unsettling atmosphere which makes the audience feel uncomfortable while watching the title sequence. They all carry negative, creepy, and unsettling connotations, due to the angle they were filmed in, the photo editing, and the background music that is included along.

How does the film establish a feeling of the genre from the outset? 

The film establishes the feeling of the genre, thriller, by including music and sound effects that are typically seen in the thriller genre. Along with the eerie music, the visual effects that can be seen throughout the title sequence clue in on the genre of the film. These visual effects include photo editing to make certain shots appear much more creepy, such as the darkening of a shot.

What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience? 

The target audience that the film is trying to appeal to are people who enjoy exciting, scary movies. Some strategies that are used to ensure that the film is getting its target audience are, right from the beginning, using music associated with the conventions of thrillers. Not only this, but the first shots, through the images presented, establish that the film is for those looking for a scare or thrill through the use of low-key lighting and close up shots.

How has technology been used effectively? 

Technology is used effectively throughout the title sequence through the use of editing techniques found. In many photos, special effects are added to emphasize the creepiness of the image. Most of the title sequence is also filmed as a close up. These close up shots give the image being shown an uncanny feeling; it makes the images a more sinister feel. As a result, these close up shots and editing techniques help show the genre of the film, thriller, and therefore aid in demonstrating their effectiveness.

Title Research: Watch the Titles Website

 The next website we decided to view was the Watch the Titles website. This website, similarly to the Art of the Titles website, shows several title sequences from various films. We decided to research this website in order to earn a better idea of what title sequences look like, so that we can include them in our final task. The first thing we did on the website was view several title sequences. After this was done, we researched what went into the production of these films, who produced them, why some of the creative choices were used, and several more facts about the movie/title sequence. All of these features were included on the website, allowing for more functional, easy research. From this website, we were able to learn about the creative choices used in title sequences and how that relates to the story, as well as how the title sequence was made. Even the smallest things such as the lighting of the title sequence made an impact on the title sequence and how it relates to the genre/plot of the film.  This knowledge will allow us to decide on what fonts to put the text over, where to film the title sequence, and even how to film the title sequence. Overall, this website was very useful in allowing us to learn about what goes in to title sequences and how they were made, with pictures and descriptions that allowed for easier understanding of what was being shown.

Genre Research: iBoy

 A movie that fits into the genre we are doing, that genre being thriller, is the movie iBoy. While this movie fits into the sci-fi thriller genre, we thought this would be a good movie to watch because it would take the conventions of a film with a thriller genre while adapting it to fit the sci-fi aspect of it. Even though we will not be incorporating any characteristics of a sci-fi sub-genre film, we thought we could learn from the way they adapted the film to fit this sub-genre, and apply it to our own film. Not only this but we also want to incorporate some of the elements that are used in this film since it is a thriller just like our film. Some of these elements include the suspense filled background music, diegetic sound, tracking shots, cutting between shots, jump cuts, close-up shots, fast paced editing, low key lighting, and hand-held camera movements. 

    These elements combined build up the suspense and tension throughout the film. The heightened music that is strategically placed helps accentuate the tensions on scenes in which the director wants to surprise/shock the audience. The jump cuts, hand-held camera movements, close-up shots, and fast paced editing can also do this, but they can contribute to the building up of the suspense before the action takes place as well. The low-key lighting, that can be seen throughout the film, gives the film a more mysterious feel which is directly related to the genre, thriller. 

   Some of the elements from this movie that we liked were the use of jump cuts that are incorporated along with the background music. In many scenes, the music would build up as the scene got more and more intense only for the music to suddenly stop as the film jumped into a completely different shot. This made the suspense build up even more because it was like the audience was left hanging, which felt like a play on emotions. This is something we would like to incorporate into our film since we would like to build up the suspense that is felt while our protagonist goes on their “quest”.

   Some of the elements of this genre that the movie had that did not appeal to us was the excessive use of animations that the film used in order to build up the action. Many times the film would incorporate these animations in times where the suspense would build up, or there was a lot of action taking place. The reason this did not appeal to us and we would not incorporate into our film is due to the fact that we simply don't have the editing programs that would be needed to incorporate this into our own film. Not only this but we feel as if animations would drift away from the path we want our storyline to take. In the film iBoy, the use of animations made sense based on the plot that they had and it didn’t take away from the serious yet thrilling tone of the film. However, we felt that animations would not go with our intended plot and would take away from the tone we are trying to set. Overall, the film was nice to watch, and exemplified the thriller genre.

Title Research: Art of the Title Website

 The site we are looking at is called Art of the Title. This website shows the title sequences of different movies and TV shows. We are looking at this site in order to learn more about these title sequences, so that we can include elements from these title sequences in the title sequence of our final task. We began by viewing the home page, which included suggested title sequences we should view. We then clicked on a suggested list of title sequences we should view and looked at the title sequence, first, and then the background information next, which was underneath the video of the title sequence. The background information beneath each video helped clarify the title sequence and allowed us to understand how the title sequence was made as well as a little bit about what is included. A few things we learned was the complexity of titles and how they relate to the genre of the movie. The title sequences for thriller films, for example, included elements within the titles that made it seem more scary, whereas romance or rom-coms had flirty and fun title sequences. The website includes various titles from an array of genres, and just from the title sequence it was clear what genre the movie would be in. As a result, we were able to gain a basic understanding of what some of the conventions of each genre is for title sequences.

Genre Research: Birdbox

 To do more research on the Thriller genre, we watched the movie Birdbox. Birdbox is a horror, post-apocalyptic thriller that follows a woman as she struggles to find refuge for herself and her children away from an unknown entity who kills people when they look at it. Overall, the film was good with a compelling storyline that made you want to keep watching. The film used many elements usually found in the thriller genre, like for example, close-up shots. The movie used many close-up shots to display the character’s emotions and create a dramatic effect. The characters also all wore clothing with very dark and muted colors, and a large part of the film had low-key lighting to create shadows and build suspense. Many shots were over-the-shoulder shots to maintain a close up as the characters were talking, and many high angles to make the characters seem small and helpless against the entity. There were also a lot of track, pan and tilt camera movements to drag out the revealing of certain characters or objects and keep the viewer on edge. Something we found interesting as we were watching the movie, was that you could not see the antagonist. While doing research on thriller genre conventions, we found that the antagonist of the movie usually wears dark clothing that covers up a certain part of their body or just them as a whole to build suspense. This movie did that in a way, but instead of clothing concealing the antagonist, the antagonist was invisible. This was one of the things we liked about the movie, as it is a creative way to keep the audience engaged and create fear. We also liked that the movie had two storylines happening at the same time. One storyline was told from the perspective of the group of survivors 5 years in the past, and the other storyline was told from the perspective of Mallory and her children in the present. It kept you on edge as it made you wonder what happened in those 5 years that led them to that point. An aspect we didn't like about Bird Box was how gory it was. We found that there weren't many action scenes, but in the times when there was, you could see people dying in very violent ways. We feel the movie could've left out some of those details and it still would've been equally as frightening. Overall, the movie was enjoyable to watch, and we feel it was a good example of the thriller genre. The use of the closeup shots and over-the-shoulder shots, for example, exemplified the characteristics of the thriller genre and added to our enjoyment of the film.

Genre Research: Premonition

 One movie within the thriller genre is Premonition. This movie had a very interesting plot and was a nice movie to watch overall. A few elements of the thriller genre that can be seen within this movie are the closeup shot, muted colored clothing, natural makeup and hair, low and high angles, dramatic, eerie music, zoom, panning, cross-cutting, over-the-shoulder shots, tracking, and the hand-held camera movement. All of these elements were used to create suspense within the movie. The closeup shot was used, specifically, to clearly show the emotions being displayed on the actor's face. There were many moments within the film where the main character was finding a discovery or something odd was happening to them, that used the closeup shot. This choice in shot allowed the audience to clearly see what the main character’s reaction was to those events, how the other characters may have reacted to the main character’s reaction, and vice versa. The high angle used, in particular, showed the actor’s insignificance within the film, which was especially important with the plot in mind. The hand-held movement was used as well during action packed scenes to make them seem more intense. Some elements of the genre that we did enjoy were the closeups, natural hair, and high angles. Like we stated before, the closeups allowed us to see the emotions on the actor’s faces, demonstrating their reactions to the events occurring in such an upside down world, as displayed in the movie. This may have been due to this movie in particular, but the closeups used really enhanced the film. We also enjoyed the high angles in the movie because they developed the plot and added a nice touch to the film that we thought was, “cool.” Even though the hair may have been bland and natural, we enjoyed the hairstyles because they looked very nice on the actor and gave inspiration for our own hair. This may not have been the intention of the hairstylist/director, but nevertheless, we received inspiration for our hair. Elements of the genre we did not like were the fast suspense and crosscutting and the dramatic, eerie music. Overall, we enjoyed these elements, but there was a bit too much crosscutting/suspense or too loud music in segments of the movie. During some parts of the film, for example, it seemed a bit too chaotic and hard to follow along with the fast crosscutting. This may have been the goal, but we, personally, did not enjoy this feature. The suspense during the last part of the film was a bit too much as well, and kept us on the edge of our seats. Again, this was most likely the intention of the director, but we did not like this feature very much as it caused too much anxiety for our liking. In some parts of the film, the dramatic, eerie music was slightly loud and overpowered what was occurring within the scenes. Although the use of this music as a whole was nice, parts of the music were too loud for our liking.

Genre Research: Thriller and Drama

 Thriller 

Common CAMS in the genre- High angles, Close-up shots, Tracking, Panning, Zooms, Tilted shots, Over-the-shoulder, low angles, hand-held camera movement. 

Common CLAMPS in the genre- Characters are typically in dark, muted clothes. The clothes usually cover a large part of a certain character to make them seem mysterious and build suspense. Low-key lighting is also used to produce shadows and create a sense of eeriness and make the audience feel unsettled. Hair and make-up are muted and realistic, and makeup is usually used to create the appearance of wounds. 

Common Editing in your genre- Many jump cuts are included and crosscutting is essential to build suspense. 

Example films of your genres- A Quiet Place, The Nun, Bird Box, Doctor Sleep 

Common sound in your genre- Dramatic, eerie music to build suspense and tension. 

What elements of the genre that you like? - We like how this genre is able to make you feel certain emotions as you are watching it. We also like how it keeps you engaged by keeping you guessing, since you never know what is going to happen next. 

What elements of the genre do not appeal to you?-  An element of this genre that does not appeal to us is that some movies in this genre tend to be extreme and can get very disturbing and frightening. 

Drama 

Common CAMS in the genre- High, low, and aerial angles. Over-the-shoulder and Point-of-view shots. . Natural lighting since films in the genre tend to focus on creating drama through the storyline rather than lighting. Also uses pan, dolly, and tilt camera movements. 

Common CLAMPS in the genre- Depends on the movie, but costumes tend to be just normal, everyday clothes. Makeup is natural, and not a lot of special effects makeup is used, unless it's for a wound. 

Common Editing in your genre- Shot/Reverse shot to show both sides of a conversation, eyeline match, fade-in/fade-out, and long takes. 

Example films of your genres- Clouds, Me before you, A Star is Born, Anne, The hate you give, Titanic. 

Common sound in your genre-  Diegetic sound and Nondiegetic sound, ambient sound, voiceovers and dialogue. 

What elements of the genre that you like?- We like that Dramas tend to display real life scenarios rather than made up ones, so they are more relatable. 

What elements of the genre do not appeal to you? - Some elements that do not appeal to us are that since they are exaggerated real life situations, they can create unrealistic expectations.

Genre Decision: Thriller

 We began our decision of the type of genre our final task would be in by looking at a list of the types of genres there are in film. After researching each genre, we then eliminated the genres that our film couldn’t be, or what we didn’t want it to be. The possible genres we decided on were drama, thriller, and horror. Once those possible genres were selected, we brainstormed and explored what the plot of our movie would be within those genres. We tried to visualize how our project would turn out, depending on the genre we picked, and how much we would like the idea of our plot within the specific genre. If our final task was within the drama genre, we thought that our movie could include love or the main character growing closer to a family member/friend. We quickly decided that we did not want our final task to take this turn and, instead, focused on the horror and thriller genres. Although we had already created blogs on both genres, we decided to delve deeper into what the genres were, and needed a refresher on what both were. Afterwards, similarly to the drama genre, we thought of what the plot of our final task would be within each genre, respectively. We quickly decided that the plot of our final task would be very similar within both genres. With this conclusion on the overall plot settled, we decided on whether our final task would include more gore, aligning with the horror genre, or mystery, aligning with the thriller genre. If we did decide on the horror genre, we realized that the movie would stray from our original intentions on what we wanted for our final task. Because of this, we decided on the thriller genre. This genre would be more attainable and more interesting to produce. We also thought that we would enjoy making our project more if it aligned with the conventions of the thriller genre. We had a clearer plan of how we would produce an opening sequence within the thriller genre as well, as opposed to the horror genre. Within the horror genre, we were not sure how to incorporate the frightening elements commonly seen, whereas with the thriller genre we had an idea of how to create suspense within the opening sequence. Overall, our enjoyment while making the project and the attainability of producing the final task played key factors within our decision. Since we are going to be working on this task for several months, we all decided that we did not want to create a project where we would not enjoy the process. With the thriller genre, we would not have to worry about this factor, aiding in our decision to create an opening sequence within this genre.

Genre Research: Horror

 This PowerPoint describes the horror genre and the conventions that can be found within it. Common CLAMPS, sound, camera movements, angles, and elements are all found within this document. The PowerPoint begins with a title slide that includes a song, which is played throughout the PowerPoint, and several pictures of characters from horror movies. The song is a clip that was found on YouTube. We used it because we thought it sounded just like a song or sting that would be used in horror movies. The PowerPoint then goes on to the common lighting within the genre. In order to find this, we used background information from previous movies that we have watched. From those movies, we were able to identify which types of lighting coincided with the lighting we normally saw in horror movies. We looked online at different websites as well in order to figure out the types of lighting there were in movies. There are pictures used as well, to show examples of lighting, and a description underneath each picture. Each description describes the effect of the type of lighting, or convention, as the descriptions are used throughout the PowerPoint. This process of researching, using background information, and commenting on what was being presented was used for each type of convention within the PowerPoint. We used transitions to go from one slide to the next throughout the PowerPoint. We tried finding transitions that coincided with what was being presented on each slide. This can be seen on the lighting slides, where we used a flash transition. In these transitions a lot of light is included on screen. The light then goes away and the previous slide is replaced with the next slide. After the common lighting in horror movie is shown, the PowerPoint then goes on to common camera angles. The process of finding the angles was the same as lighting. Next, common camera movement in horror movies is shown. Unlike the previous slides, these slides include videos. In order to find the videos, we looked online at different horror movie clips. When we found one that used the movement being talked about, we included it in the PowerPoint. Mis-en-scene is shown next, with photos of common makeup, costumes, and acting used. This slide had the same process of research as the angle and lighting slides. After the mis-en-scene slides, elements of the genre are shown. We researched common elements online and used that information to create that slide. After this was done, we looked at movies within the horror genre and added the movie posters to the "examples of horror films" slide. Next, to find common sound in horror movies, we looked online at horror movie clips, similarly to the process of finding the videos for the common camera movements. After finding the appropriate scenes, we added them to the PowerPoint and commented on the impact and significance of the sound within horror movies. The last thing we did was state what elements of horror movies appeal and don't appeal to us. We used our experiences with horror movies to comment what we liked, the costumes, and what we did not like, the music.

Our Pitch

For the final task, after much consideration, we decided on two pitches. The first pitch would be of a girl that finds a journal, while going through her dead mother’s belongings, that sends her on a quest to learn about her mother’s past. For our second pitch we decided to incorporate more of a paranormal type of idea. This story follows a girl who moves into an apartment only to find a haunted light that turns on every time a spirit is present. The girl soon discovers she is in contact with her deceased mother’s spirit through the light.

The first pitch, of the girl that goes on a quest as a result of her mother’s journal, has many reasons that could contribute to its production for our final task, such as the ease of production. The other pitch that we chose would be difficult to make, as there would most likely be quite a few special effects that would go into producing it. This pitch’s idea would be much more easy to convey, compared to the difficulties we would face in our second pitch. However, there are several cons for this pitch as well. This idea is not very original, and it feels as though it has been done before, even though we haven’t seen anyone else execute this idea. 

There are many pros and cons that could occur while producing our second pitch. To begin, expressing the idea that the light is haunted and turns on only when spirits are around to the audience could prove quite difficult. We thought that the movie would start off with a person dying in the apartment, in which the main character later moves into, and the light would turn on to signal that the spirit is now present, since the person died. However, we fear that not many people in the audience would catch on to the idea we are trying to convey. Despite this dilemma, there would be a pro to this idea: its originality. The idea of this pitch is unique and not something that has been done before, so this would be most likely to capture and engage the audience’s attention. 

After careful reflection, we decided on the first pitch, where the girl goes on a quest to find out more about her mother’s past, as a result of a journal. We thought that this pitch would be easier to make than the second pitch and that the placement of the titles would be easier to decide on. Despite the unoriginality of the first pitch, the ease of production ultimately led to us choosing this idea for the final task. In addition, we liked the idea of this pitch better than the other pitch as well.

Starting the Final Task

My name is Harlow Kramer-Dew. I attend Fort Lauderdale High School and am in the tenth grade. I enrolled in media studies because I wanted to learn about the production of movies, and other forms of media, and thought that the class might be interesting. One of my hobbies is reading books. Some of my favorites include the Harry Potter series and Scythe, which fall in to my favorite genres of dystopian fiction and fantasy. I also enjoying playing the flute, and have been doing so for the past 5 years. I participate in both the concert band and marching band at my school. However, I have not attended marching band recently due to the pandemic. Both of those programs are very enjoyable, but different, as marching band involves more physical work and is made to excite the audience with loud, catchy songs. Concert band is based more on dynamics and we normally play gentle, pretty songs. Of the two, I prefer marching band because of the bonds I have formed with the other band members.

For the final task, I plan on working in a group with my friends Jessica G. and Juanita G. I decided to work in a group because I thought that completing the project by myself would be quite a bit of work for one person. I had also worked alone on previous projects, as opposed to working with others. Throughout those projects, I had regretted not working with another person because there was a large amount of work to be done by myself. With another person, the process of creating the project would have taken a considerable amount of work off of my shoulders. Of course, working by yourself is do-able for the final task, but I thought that working with others would make the process more fun in addition to lessening the work-load. I decided to work with Juanita G. and Jessica G. in particular because I have known them for a long time, making it easy to communicate with them. I also know that they will help with completing the project and not leave me to do all of the work by myself. Ultimately, the fact that they are both good students and that I have already known Juanita G. and Jessica G. for a long time lead to the decision of working with them.