Mise-en-scène Elements (Costume and Props)

What's up blog, tuning in for my second blog of the week. This is going to be a part one to the Mise-en-scene elements blog post. In today's blog we will focus on costume and props and for our next blog we will focus on set and lighting. Hopefully you guys enjoy today's blog, thank you.

Costume Design

To start off, we are going to talk about the costume design of our characters and then go into the props that will be associated with them.

Starting with the doctor we are going to have him in nicer clothes. This represents his sophisticated approach. He is not going to be in his traditional doctor outfit because the film opening is going to take place in a podcast office room. Given he is a doctor he chooses to dress semi-formal when he is out of work, for this particular occasion he will be wearing a collared shirt accompanied with a quarter-zip sweatshirt over. We are still choosing between pants and jeans for his lower body and as far as shoes goes we have yet to decide.

Moving on to the interviewer’s costume, his design will take on a formal and polished approach. He will be wearing a collared dress shirt paired with tailored pants and clean dress shoes, giving him a neat, professional appearance. This choice is intentional because it presents him as composed and respectful, helping the interview feel structured and serious. The interviewer adopts this formal style because the doctor requested his presence and invited him onto the podcast. Accessories will remain minimal, possibly limited to a watch.

And finally, we decided that Maverick will indeed be wearing jeans and a leather jacket. This is not based on a personal choice. There is a message behind it. If you examine protagonists in films that have faced similar challenges, it appears that they tend to favor more rugged attire. The jeans are utilized to help the viewer infer he is on a mission and he means nothing but straight business. This is more akin to Maverick’s character and his on-screen representation. As far as accessories are concerned, it has been decided that Maverick would don a pair of glasses to represent his nerdy personality.

Props

There are going to be little to none props for the majority of the characters, the doctor and interviewer may have a pen and paper to help make sense of a point visually but nothing other than that.

But Maverick's primary props will be his computer.  Funny enough, the computer I am using to type this up will be used as a prop during the film. You will see why soon, I will have a picture attached at the bottom so you can see. The computer will be used to reinforce that nerdish persona Maverick carries. The computer also functions well due to it's stickers, as they go along with Maverick’s style. Another prop Maverick will be shown with is energy drinks; as he will be getting little sleep due to the very tight deadline he is working with.

 

Focusing on Character Development

Hey what's up blog, this is my first blog post of the week, feels good to be back on here and writing for my project. We've made many advancements in our portfolio project. First, we have our official idea for our project set in stone, some of you may have already knew, but yes. For today, you will be learning about the characters in our film. Hope you enjoy, thank you.

Character Development 

The film opening is going to center around three main characters who will all aid in assembling the storyline. Every character is going to bring a different perspective, this allows the audience to slowly make sense of the opening to the film.

First, there is the doctor. The role of the doctor is a very important one, setting the tone for the entire film opening. This character is the one who created the medicine, so he knows a fair amount about what this medicine was intended to do. However, what makes him very interesting is the guilt he feels about the matter. This character knows a good deal about medicine itself but is quite unsure why this medicine is implicating such negative side effects. This makes him seem nervous and a lot of pressure during the interview, this causes the audience to learn something has gone terribly wrong.

Then there’s the interviewer, a middle-aged man who keeps the conversation going. He asks the questions that reveal what is going on with the medicine and its side effects. He kept the conversation under control and went on to ask those very important questions that delve deeper. He speaks calmly, but insistently-not allowing the doctor to dictate the truth. His reactions make the audience continue to feel stressed and worried about what is yet to come for those who took the medicine.

Even though the doctor and interviewer help set up the crisis, the story really starts to focus on Maverick, the guy who actually took the medicine. He’s the one living through the chaos, so he becomes the main character, or also known as the protagonist. Implications lead him to finding out he has 48 hours left, thus entailing Maverick to find a solution; not just for himself but for everyone else who took the medicine. The thing is, he doesn’t know too much about medicine, so he has to rely on his own knowledge from experiments, research, and quick thinking to try and save everyone affected by this crisis before the time runs out.

Citations:

Ionescu, I. (2025, December 15). Character development worksheet: An essential writing tool. Iulian Ionescu. https://iulianionescu.com/character-development-worksheet/ 

Script

What's up blog, this is my third blog post of the week. Me, Sam, and Santi made this script during class. We knew what he wanted to do from the jump and after a quick meeting with our instructor we got to work. Although we knew what we wanted to do from the jump, our idea was a little confusing, so the meeting helped us make our idea more comprehensible.We all took turns pitching in ideas to come to a final say on who we wanted to base the film on and how we wanted the dialogue to be ordered. In the beginning we weren't sure if we wanted to make the film centered on the doctor or the people affected by the medicine, but we know what we want now. Anyways I'm going to let you guys read the script, hope you enjoy. Thank you.

Interviewer: Welcome to the Daily Updates Show. I am your host David Litmen and I am thrilled to have the highly distinguished clinician and researcher Doctor Mueller.

(Claps in background)

Mueller: Thank you so much for having me here today. It is an honor to be on the big stage.

Interviewer: Well, let's get started. As many of you know, Dr. Mueller requested to be here today.

Mueller: Yes, I did, and the reason for that is a big announcement regarding my newest medicine released just 3 days ago. All 2 million of you who bought it will likely want to hear this...i know after announcing this many consequences will come that will derail the rest of my life.

Mueller: With that being said...You all have 48 hours to live.

Patient: WHAT?!

Interviewer: Laughs sarcastically* Ok let's get serious now

Mueller: I am being serious... I’m so sorry, I will work endlessly to find a cure ASAP.

Patient: This mother fuu

Interviewer: 5 hours later* I know nobody was expecting me to be back so soon but I must inform everybody doctor Mueller is no longer with us. He took his own life moments after his announcement.

Close up of patients face on the computer

Over the shoulder* of both moms looking up ways to cure this 

 

Project Idea and Major Inspiration

What's up blog checking in for my third blog of the week. It's Saturday and I am happy very happy that I get to sleep in tomorrow, haha. Anyways, lets get right into today's blog. For today, I will be talking to you guys about our project idea and inspiration for the project. Hope you enjoy thank you. 

Major Inspiration

I am very happy to say that the idea that we came up with as a group, is one that we are going to keep and say with. Me, Santi, and Sam spent a little while on FaceTime talking about and tweaking the idea we had in mind, until, bam, we came up with the solidified idea. But before I talk you through our idea let me bring you back to where it all started. On the first day we were assigned the project Sam pitched in about an idea he had that was inspired from the movie Sorry, Wrong Number. We all knew that we wanted to keep the movie sort of a mystery/thriller vibe but we weren't sure about how we were going to execute it. 

Project Idea

We pitched in the idea to our instructor, but after a little meeting, she thought that it would be kind of hard to include a train going through a ladies apartment(our initial intention) and eventually kill her. So this led us to come up with the idea that we wanted to center the film about an interrogation. And that idea stuck with us, partially. And then Santi came up with an idea about including a doctor in the film. That eventually led us to create the idea about interrogating a doctor who had been accused of murdering somebody, although he wasn't even in the room that the person got murdered in. Finally, this led us to our final conclusion, which is where we are now. 

We are deciding to stick with the idea of a doctor who gets put in a super uncomfortable situation. But like I mentioned earlier instead of him being interrogated he's being interviewed. The first scene will begin with the doctor being interviewed on a podcast. The people who will be watching the podcasts live will come to find out that he’s got a big reputation and that a lot of people respect him. Until, this happens....right in the middle of the interview, he is going to admit that a new medicine he produced is actually deadly because of a mistake he committed throughout the production process. He apologizes and tells everyone that whoever took the medicine had only 48 hours to live. At this point the doctor becomes extremely frustrated, we want to key in on this scene because it would play a huge role in the development of opening up the blog, for the eventual film. 

As he tells this news to the person that is interviewing him. We are going to cut to people, specifically women, that took this medicine that are reacting to this horrific news. We are going to have these women look visibly stressed as a result of finding this out through an exchange of intense shots. We will show that the women are now trying to figure out how to relay this information to their loved ones.  

Santi suggested that we create scenes where the medicine is being made. While this would be extremely cool and fun to film and to make, it is going to be hard to fit it in to the actual storyline because we're not sure if time will permit. Even if we were to be able to fit this in to the film's opening. We would need some sort of chemical reaction with water that would be hard to find. 

The dialogue for the opening currently has approximately 150 words. As far as casting goes, Santi told us that he's thought of the idea of his dad playing the doctor. And have some of our moms play the women in the film. Well, now that our idea is for the most part complete, me and my group look forward to beginning our production process soon. Below is a picture of us on the call btw. See you guys later! 

 

One Media Theory that you wish to integrate into your project

What's up blog, tuning in for my second post of the week. Today at school was a Professional Study Day and it's basically a day where we get released a couple hours earlier then normal time. Well today's blog is going to be about; one media theory that I wish to integrate into my project. I was stuck in between two theories but I came to the conclusion that I would pick this one because it made more sense in accordance to my film.

Todorov's Narrative Theory of Equilibrium

To understand the overall meaning of this theory and how it would link to my project, we first need to break down and understand what the main points mean. Narrative in this context is basically how a story is told rather than what is told in the story and it focuses specifically on the structure and the order of events that cultivate the audiences understanding of the film. Equilibrium is known as a state of balance or normalcy within a narrative, where the characters would live their lives like they do everyday. 

 

So that brings us to what the theory is, Todorov's theory explains that there are five principles that follow a pattern in a narrative story, however in the purpose of our class we will only be focusing on three of the principles. Equilibrium; Disequilibrium; and New Equilibrium. Todorov's knows that a story must begin somewhere. This somewhere is also known as your typical introduction or exposition. This is where he introduces the first part of the theory: Equilibrium. I stated earlier the general meaning of equilibrium, but the equilibrium part takes place in the beginning of the story. After the equilibrium stage is the Disequilibrium, this is basically the initial conflict and its something that disrupts the protagonist's life. The conflict takes place before the climax of the story, the conflict happens in the film so that it can get controlled and cause the turning point of the film. Once the conflict is controlled this is when the new stage starts, this final stage is called the New Equilibrium, and if you put both pieces together it basically means the characters' everyday life after the disequilibrium takes place.

 

Background 

Now that you understand Todorov's theory lets talk a little more about where and how he developed this theory. Todorov used a story from Boccaccio’s “The Decameron” to illustrate this three-part structure. By using an example from a story by Giovanni Boccaccio in his famous book, Todorov was able to show how the presence of patterns that are used in modern day film were present in media even before they were recognized. 

Todorov also created his own vocabulary to explain the different parts of a narrative. He described a story as having a kind of “syntax,” similar to language, where characters act like nouns and their actions act like verbs. This means the characters are the focus, while what they do is what moves the story forward.

He also referred to each key moment in the story as a clause, with clear connections between every event. These connections can show changes in time or place, like moving from one day to the next or switching locations. They can also show cause and effect, whether something positive or negative happens as a result of earlier actions.

 

 Citations:

Media Studies. (n.d.). Todorov’s narrative theory of equilibrium and disruption. https://media-studies.com/todorov/

YouTube. (2017, July 24). Todorov’s narrative theory explained [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7AfnJd55PI

Document102.docx(Personal class document/ click to see image with all media theories)

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Research Post Target Audience Make up for Group Meeting #1

 What's up blog, checking in for my first blog of the week. I was supposed to do the Group Meeting #1 Blog, but I couldn't attend school the day it had to be done. As a makeup, I will be doing a Research Blog of my choice. I will be doing a Target Audience research post for my genre of Mystery/Thriller.

Target Audience for Mystery/Thriller

 

Demographics

To start off what are demographics? Demographics are the statistical characteristics of human populations. So things like age, gender, income, and education are all different ways to classify a population. Today I will be talking about gender and age; and how they are targeted in the Mystery/Thriller genre sphere.

 

There isn't a specific gender that Mystery/thriller films aim for. Some studies say Women enjoy these types of films more then men because Women don't have as much products or activities that appeal to them as much as men do which allows them to  be more emotionally engaged, whilst other studies state that men enjoy these types of movies more because it was shown that they remembered more turning points from the film then women did, which could suggest they were more engaged while watching unlike women. 

 

Age is another demographic, while age may not seem like something that could be used to differentiate populations in a film aspect, they surprisingly do. The age range for mystery/thriller films is definitely more of a mature audience specifically ages 15-40, I say 40 because I've seen multiple studies show that after the ages 40-50 they don't understand the intent of the film or its just to confusing for them, therefore giving the film the genre of mystery.

 

Psychographics

Psychographics are another way to partition Target Audience, psychographics is the study of people according to their attitudes, behaviors and beliefs. 

 

• What is common in many mystery lovers is a love for intellectual stimulation. Another common trait is that they love a problem and solving it (These viewers enjoy trying to figure out what will happen next , who could be lying, and how the story could unfold. They also like to wonder how they would solve the problem and what they would do if they were the ones investigating). Mystery Crime films are very popular amongst these types of movie-watchers.
• A lot of people however watch these movies just because of the suspense and tension that builds from them. They like the feeling of being hooked on and on edge on what will happen later on in to the film.

 

Citations:

BotPenguin. (n.d.). Psychographics. https://botpenguin.com/glossary/psychographics

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Demographic. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demographic

Meegle. (n.d.). Film distribution for mystery films. https://www.meegle.com/en_us/topics/film-distribution/film-distribution-for-mystery-films

Paved. (2023). How to find your target audience. https://www.paved.com/blog/find-your-target-audience/

Prezi. (n.d.). Target audience of mystery genre. https://prezi.com/zo52brfllqiu/target-audience-of-mystery-genre/

Research & Planning of My Schedule

Hey what's up blog, I decided to do a reflection on why I made my schedule the way I did. This will be the last blog for the week, I will not be doing any work tomorrow because I have a rugby game in Tampa. Not sure if you've heard, but this weekend there is a 20% chance of snow in Tampa. Snow in central Florida; that is just unheard of, but anyways I hope you enjoy my reflection. Thank you.

I decided to create my schedule in a calendar format because this is how I prefer to see my work and it is what I'm most comfortable with. I feel this way because being able to see all of my work laid out in front of me will and does help me stay organized and use my time more effectively. Normally I wouldn't refer to a calendar, I'd just pull up Canvas and go to the blog, but I know the project being as rigorous as it is I must say structured. This format is also better for me because it doesn't make me feel confused or overwhelmed.

One of the things that I also like to make sure of in my schedule is that my Sundays are free and that I don't have any work to do. This is important to me because it helps me avoid becoming burnt out. I don't want to have to feel annoyed to be working on the project, I want to have fun with it. By not rushing through my work, I can comeback Monday feeling ready to put some time into my work and not feel burdened. Furthermore, utilizing this schedule is important to me because my project is going to take several weeks to complete.

In addition, I did not want to put all my work into one day, as it would have been stressful and not realistic. For that reason, there are days where I'll start a blog but not finish it, leaving the finishing for the next day. Having my work spread out through the week allows me to stay productive while also helping me make sure I have time to chill. Overall, my schedule is going to help me find equilibrium between my school work and my free time, making it easier for me to stay focused and produce quality work.

Researching, Analyzing, and Discussing three Mystery/Thriller Credit Sequences

 What's up blog, today we are talking about three credit sequences from movies of my genre of Mystery/Thriller. During class today we made some advancements in our plan for the project. Not going to lie, this past week has been a little difficult trying to stay on top of my blogs plus managing my other classes, but I've been able to get them done. Well, I hope you guys enjoy today's blog of credit sequences. Thank you.

In order to present a quality film, there are many subjects that go into it, but this subject is neglected a ton, the "filmmakers", in other words the directors, producers, writers, and cinematographers. The reason the filmmakers are overlooked is because they are never on the screen, when you sit and watch a movie or a show, many often skip the rolling credits, because they may appear boring and to be honest some are, but not all films have boring rolling credits. Today we are going to talk about how and what filmmakers do during the credit sequences.

Credit Sequence #1: Se7en (1995)

To begin my credit sequences I started with Se7en, Se7en is a outstanding movie being ranked in the Top 20 of IMDb Top 250 Movies of all time. Se7en is a mystery/thriller directed by David Fincher and produced by Arnold Kopelson.

To begin, Se7en's credit sequence is amazing. The technique they used was very smart. For the majority of their credits they, would do somewhat of a shot/countershot, they'd show a shot of the setting or of the character doing something and the next shot would be a black screen of credits. While this may seem somewhat boring, they added some minute details to keep it in line with the theme of the film. Many credits were shown in different fonts, or like zoomed in fast and then zoomed out fast. The credits were also moving a lot of the time, this makes it so it is not as boring to watch and a little more intriguing than your traditional black screen with credits not moving and the same font the whole time. 

However like I stated earlier, not all the shots included credits in the shot/countershot format. For example, the first shot was one of them, someone flipping a paper along with credits in the small right corner. This is a controversial way to show your credits because while it may seem better than a regular black screen and not as boring, some viewers would rather watch the shot then actually look at the credits. I like the way Se7en's credits were shown because it fits the theme of the film while also being able to keep the viewer watching.

 

Credit Sequence #2: Zodiac (2007)

My next credit sequence analysis is the movie Zodiac directed by none other than David Fincher. Zodiac is Thriller/Crime movie with bits of the mystery genre in it. I've never watched the movie but based off of the credit sequence and film opening it looks like it could be interesting and potentially a good watch.

The movie Zodiac began with an establishing shot from the water of San Francisco, California in the late 1960's, along with the shot were the first credits. I've noticed in both films' credit sequences that the first credits are the company or companies that released the movie. The shots in the credit sequence of Zodiac had minimal editing, meaning a lot of the shots durated longer than average. I like this because it gives you time to be able to read the credits while also being able to see whats going on in the film opening

I noticed that credits were displayed where there was some sort of movement happening or where a main point was. Meaning some credits were shown on the character, this could be because they want the people to notice the credits by placing them close or at times on top of the crux or even a character. The credits in this film were displayed differently than in Se7en, they were all on regular shots; none of them were on a black screen, they could all be seen during the movie, and were very simplistic, almost as if they weren't there. I like this technique because it keeps the movie flowing and not boring. I really like this technique and would like to incorporate this into my film opening.

 

Credit Sequence #3: The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

My third and final credit sequence is The Silence of the Lambs, which was directed by Jonathan Demme. The Silence of the Lambs is a mystery/thriller film, but it also has psychological aspects to it. Even though the film's a little old, its credit sequence was and still is very effective to this day, because it matches the film's tone perfectly. It is a great movie, being listed on IMDb's Top 250 movies, just two spots below Se7en at #22, 

The movie The Silence of the Lambs begins with mostly long shots of Clarice Starling running through the woods during her FBI training. The credits are put on top of these shots instead of cutting back to a traditional black screen. The pace of the editing is slow and steady, allowing the viewer to easily read the credits on screen while also paying attention to what is happening on screen. 

The lighting creates a cold and isolated atmosphere. This helps build tension during the beginning of the film. The credits are simplistic and don't distract the viewer, using a simple font that does not interfere with the background. It was interesting to see how the credits were displayed during moments of movements or action, like when Clarice was running or climbing. It helps to keep the credits interesting and enticing without disrupting the movie's flow.

  

Citations:

IMDb Image References

Note: IMDb media view links don’t list a publication date or author, so they’re treated as online images with a description. If your teacher wants a different format (e.g., film posters), I can adjust.

IMDb. (n.d.). Se7en opening credits still [Image]. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114369/mediaviewer/rm3116368640/?ref_=tt_ov_i

IMDb. (n.d.). Zodiac opening credits still [Image]. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443706/mediaviewer/rm3361097728/?ref_=tt_ov_i

IMDb. (n.d.). The Silence of the Lambs opening credits still [Image]. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102926/mediaviewer/rm3242988544/?ref_=tt_ov_i

Web & Video Sources
IMDb. (n.d.). IMDb top 250 movies list. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/chart/top/?ref_=hm_nv_menu

NASA_OpenChannel. (2014, June 5). Se7en opening credits (original sequence) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwS0XRJRKlE

FilmFanHQ. (2018, April 12). Zodiac (2007) opening credits [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BJkDyCdw0c

ClassicTrailers. (2016, November 2). The Silence of the Lambs (1991) opening credits [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuMu4Hmk_s8

Schedule for Portfolio Project

Researching, Analyzing, and Discussing three Mystery/Thriller Film Openings

 

 Hello Blog, today we are going to be talking about three film openings from me and my group's chosen genre: Mystery/Thriller, I did some research and looked around for good movies under this genre, I found a renowned film director by the name David Fincher, he is responsible for making two movies we will be going over in today's blog. Hope you enjoy my analyses.  

 

Film Opening #1:  Gone Girl (2014)

Gone Girl's film opening durated just about 2 minutes. It begins with calming music and a close up shot of a woman laying her head on top of her husband's stomach. We can infer this is her husband because of the monologue used. He begins by talking about thinking of his wife and how he pictures "cracking her lovely skull", straight off the bat I am already unsettled, I'm thinking in my head "Whats gonna happen next?", "is she gonna die..." he continues by saying he wants unspool her brains. By this point we are still seeing the same shot of the woman, but she then decides to look up at her "husband". The monologue continues as he questions how and what you feel, and what you have done with each other. He talks with a second person point-of-view this further constitutes that unsettling vibe we got earlier. The following shots establish setting, we see the establishing shot with the title of the movie, the credits roll during these shots. These shots show the city/town they are living in, shots of buildings are shown, shots of houses. Then a medium shot of a man standing in front of a house, then you can infer its his house as he enters the house. The music stays playing all through out, after he enters the house, a shots cuts to him in a car, he then parks the car and enters a bar, the music stops and it marks the end to the film opening.

 

 

 Film Opening #2: Shutter Island (2010)

 The opening scene for Shutter Island begins with a black screen of credits and then the title of the movie. Ominous music plays in the background. The music cuts and we now hear the moving of water and we see a wide shot of a boat on ocean waters covered by a lot of fog, the setting is the Boston Harbor Islands in 1954. We then see a man on the boat by the name of Teddy, vomiting into the toilet from sea sickness, from a over the shoulder shot we see him talking into the mirror telling him to pull himself to pull it together. This scene right here is a bit edgy because he's talking to himself in a mirror, the movie being a psychological thriller symbolizes a character's inner self versus the psychological battle he faces. After an exchange of close and medium shots, he makes his way to the deck of the boat where his partner was. The colors outside have cool hues to them, these cool hues symbolize cold and unsettling emotions, which is what reflects the mind of the protagonist Teddy.

 

 

Film Opening #3: Knives Out (2019) 

 The opening scene for Knives Out begins with a black screen of credits and then the title of the movie. The first shot is a establishing shot of a mansion from a lower angle. There are two dogs playing outside the house. The atmosphere is very cold, the fog around the house, the cool hues, this establishing shot has a very cold vibe to it. The music that is played throughout the shot is non-diegetic, sounds playful which is ironic because the vibe the house gives off isn't. The following shot is a close-up shot of a coffee mug and food, the shot is focused on the mug everything else is blurred. The shots following this shot, all reflect mise-en-scene elements, almost all the shots are pieces of artwork or the set design, the artwork that is used is kind of unsettling, the faces made are kind of creepy, this further reinforces that mysterious vibe and suspenseful feeling of what's yet to come. The next shots are of a lady bringing up breakfast, to what seems to who could be the owner of the house. She enters a room and she greets him but hes not inside, a panoramic shot shifts to his bed and we don't see him. This seemed routine given the fact she greeted him even before entering the door. Because he's not in the room you can already presume something bad might happen. The next shots show her approaching another she thought he'd be in. The next shot is inside the room facing the door zooming out, she opens the door, and a zoom in into her face shows she's uneasy, the next shot is wide shot that zooms in to the killing of the man she was bringing the food too. This is the end of the film opening.

 Citations:

Butler, D. L., Mattingley, J. B., Cunnington, R., & Suddendorf, T. (2012). Mirror, mirror on the wall, how does my brain recognize my image at all? PLoS ONE, 7(2), e31452. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4219253/ (PLOS)

Cherry, K. (2024, February 20). The color blue: Meaning and color psychology. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/the-color-psychology-of-blue-2795815 (Verywell Mind)

IMDb. (n.d.-a). Shutter Island (tt1130884). IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1130884/

IMDb. (n.d.-b). Knives Out (tt8946378). IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8946378/

[Uploader]. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khzdkne_fPc&t=72s

[Uploader]. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYZkEmKUAzo

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Portfolio Project Genre #2

GENRE:

I’ve thought a lot about the second genre I want to explore. My project partners both decided to research about Dramas, some Dramas can be touching but I'm not the type of person to sit and watch a movie about someone or something be sad. Like I stated in my past blogs Action and Mystery films have their appeal, however Comedy movies have my heart. I always enjoy a laugh, rewatching some of my favorite comedy films. Comedy films have a unique way of pulling you and keeping you hooked on like a fish. Comedy is such versatile genre as well because it offers so many styles from romantic comedies to parodies. 

TARGET AUDIENCE:

Target audiences vary within the comedy genre. For example, when you are watching a children's comedy the ages can be between five years of age to early teens, but when you look at a Rom-com the target audience may change slightly. Typically females between the teenager age to the early 30's are more of the center audience for romantic comedies. Target audiences depend on the type of comedy, but from a broader perspective the comedy genre ranges from ages 15-35.

CONVENTIONS WITH CONTENT:

Production companies and movie producers all have different goals in mind when making their comedy films. However all comedy sub-genres share one goal, make the viewer laugh or smile, even if it is in their head they want to humor the audience. Another intent is to highlight the funny, crazy, preposterous aspects of what we call life. The intention shows different perspectives as well, enlightening their audience while they watch. This may be controversial, but what makes a comedy film good is the personality of the characters and how it changes throughout the film. This isn't observed as much as it should and I don't know why, many people don't quite seem to realize the importance of a climax and it affects the moral of a film.

CONVENTIONS WITH TECHNIQUES:

Comedy films use specific film techniques to focus on the theme of the film. Timing is very important in comedy films. Timing is so crucial because you never know when a joke is coming and its best that you don't. The best comedy films try to get straight to the point and avoid and filler time because it's all about how engaged a viewer is. One camera technique that is seen a lot in comedy films is close-up shots, close-up shots are used often to show reaction to a joke though facial expressions, zoom is another technique that is utilized because it can tense a situation making it funnier. Sound effects and music selection is another impactful part of a film. Sound in comedy films is very important as well the dialogue between two characters can be what makes an audience laugh.

INSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS:

Comedy movies rely on great acting. When you are scrolling through social media and you see a trailer with an actor like Will Ferrel or Steve Carrel, you're going to wait and watch a little bit before you scroll to the next video. This is because of their narrative image, these two actors are known for being funny, dumb, dorky which is just about all that you look for in a comedy film. When promoting comedy you'll see funny looking movie posters, or stupid funny ads to help give it the humorous approach the marketers want.

 

 

Here are two very popular comedy films that I've watched and recommend.

YouTube. (2008, March 14). Step Brothers (2008) Official Trailer [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CewglxElBK0 (YouTube)

Classic Trailers. (2014, February 18). Dumb & Dumber (1994) Official Trailer [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l13yPhimE3o (youtube.com)

 

CITATIONS:

Fiveable Content Team. (2025, September). Visual approaches to comedy and action [Study guide]. Fiveable. https://fiveable.me/cinematography/unit-12/visual-approaches-comedy-action/study-guide/Coi7x1GCgWeqQe4O?utm (Fiveable)

Finchley Creative Productions Ltd. (2024, November 6). The art of timing in comedy video production. https://www.finchley.co.uk/finchley-learning/the-art-of-timing-in-comedy-video-production?utm (Finchley Studios)

IMDB. (n.d.). Top comedy movies list. https://www.imdb.com/list/ls007041954/

IMDB. (n.d.). Media viewer for Forrest Gump (still image) [Photograph]. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109686/mediaviewer/rm1722947584/?ref_=tt_ov_i

IMDB. (n.d.). Media viewer for The Office (still image) [Photograph]. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0838283/mediaviewer/rm3433645824/?ref_=tt_ov_i

Misned Al Misned. (2020, April 11). Audiences for different genres. https://mesnedalmisned.com/2020/04/11/audiences-for-different-genres/ (mesnedalmisned.com)

Robin Catling. (2023, April 10). Conventions of the comedy genre. https://robincatling.com/conventions-of-the-comedy-genre (robincatling.com)

Portfolio Project Genre #1

GENRE:

I've thought a lot about what genre I wanted to, a lot of my favorite movies are Action movies and Comedy movies, however as of this last year I've began to dibble and dabble in Mystery movies. Mystery movies can create that suspenseful and not-knowing vibe that keeps you enticed to keep watching. It can also make you want to solve the problem while you watch it. Mystery movies in my opinion are very versatile — meaning there are so many different ways you can go about it, whether you want a Noir type of film or even a Thriller.

TARGET AUDIENCE:

 Mystery movies' target audience is usually a more mature audience; often ages 15-50 and I say 50 because older audiences tend to not be as active and engaged in attempting to solve a mystery themselves. Many sources also state that problem-solvers and people with logical thinking skills tend to like mystery movies because it challenges their intellectual limits.

CONVENTIONS WITH CONTENT:

Mystery movies can obviously have many different plots, however they can often be centralized as crime/whodunit films they can also be suspense films that don't necessarily have a crime its more about uncovering the truth of something. Just because these are the main types of mystery conventions doesn't mean that there aren't other types of mystery movies like locked-room mysteries or even historical mysteries. Heretic a movie that came out in late 2024 is an example of a locked-room mystery that uses psychological approaches to leave the audience reflecting.

 

A24. (2024, September 19). Heretic | Official Trailer HD | A24 [Video]. YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9i2vmFhSSY 

 

CONVENTIONS WITH TECHNIQUES: 

Different genres of movies use different thematic elements. For example, a Romantic Comedy film is going to include a failed relationship, or in a Superhero film an event occurs that alters the superhero's life, like a family member dying or something along those lines. Mystery movies like to include shocking turning points, viewers like these films because they like to be surprised. One method that is used in many movies is a time limit, because it's known to keep viewers scared and on their toes. Another tactic, that is used is the fear of not knowing. When you watch a slasher film you know when the killer is behind the character but you're in a first or third-person view of the character, suspense builds because you don't know what's going to happen next. 

INSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS:

The narrative image and marketing of mystery films is just how you would probably imagine. Mystery films love to market low-key lighting because it builds off the "Mystery" theme. Another technique you see a lot when mystery films are marketed is throughout trailers or posters, they like to use minimal words because they want to keep the viewer curious and unsettled. 

A movie that I'd recommend is Knives Out (2019). It is almost like a remake of the movie Clue from (1985). 

IMDb. (n.d.). Title: tt8946378. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8946378/?ref_=fn_t_1

Citations:

A24. (2024, September 19). Heretic | Official Trailer HD | A24 [Video]. YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9i2vmFhSSY 

  

George Davison Studios. (n.d.). The keys to a mystery-thriller film. https://georgedavisonstudios.com/blog/the-keys-to-a-mystery-thriller-film/

Haros, D. (2023, October 14). Creating the right techniques for a good mystery. Medium. https://medium.com/@desireeharos/creating-the-right-techniques-for-a-good-mystery-87f776791d8c

Inkitt. (n.d.). What is the mystery-suspense genre? https://inkitt.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/28175118060946--What-Is-the-Mystery-Suspense-Genre

Robinson, J. (2025, September 23). Demystifying the mystery genre in film and TV. Mandy Magazine. https://www.mandy.com/magazine/article/mystery-genre-in-film-and-tv-79307/

Webnovel. (n.d.). Question about mystery genre. https://www.webnovel.com/ask/q334012597335069

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Transitioning into the Cambridge Portfolio Project

🐊  So last week in class we learned about film openings for our upcoming Final Project(the portfolio project). From now to March 17th, I will be documenting my journey of completing my portfolio project.  To be honest, part of me is not too happy that we are starting this project because this project is gonna require a lot of time and effort for it to come out successful, but I am ready for the challenge and I will find a way to balance all my other work out to make sure this gets done. While I watched and jotted down notes about the different types of film openings, I learned that there are many different types of film openings. For example, a common film opening that is used is preparing to go somewhere, or getting out bed. This approach is called character development and its basically just as it sounds, you develop and introduce your character during the opening scene of a film. The movie Stranger Than Fiction (2006), is an example of how this film opening was used. 

Art of the Title. (n.d.). Stranger than Fiction (2006). https://www.artofthetitle.com/title/stranger-than-fiction/

  Here are some of the notes I took while I was doing the Nearpod about film openings.

     

I have some sort of an idea of what I want to do, I initially wanted to do a comedy opening scene, but I heard it was going to be very hard to execute well, so I'm now thinking about shifting into another genre that I'm not knowing of yet. I want to have fun making the project, I don't want to have to cram all of it in a couple of days like I've done in the past. The main thing I want to be on top of is my time management and my organization, because I don't want to forget that I have a Blog that's due on a specific day.

This is the end of today's blog, I hope you enjoyed. Thank you.