Below are all the final links to my film opening and CCRs.
Film Opening: Cadence
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WqIZu7cnNcr1J7FlpdJ-ia9DIFh6_MlZ/view?usp=sharing
CCR (Director Commentary Slideshow & Interview Reflection): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1maBX-psbpjmQsd_ITJTJTSWJWjRLwI2_/view?usp=sharing
Creating Cadence has allowed me to explore on how ambition and mental health contrast with athletes. Since sports narratives; especially running, focus on triumph, my opening challenges that by introducing ambition as mentally draining.
QUESTION 1 - REPRESENTATION AND CONVENTIONS
Throughout my researching process, I identified some genre conventions:
- Low key lighting
- Slow pacing
- Diegetic sound
- close ups that convey emotional intensity
While sports narratives often conclude and prioritize winning, I changed this expecatation. Instead of celebrating an achievement, I shown Leo's ambition as destructive to that.
The most important factor in this was representation. Leo is the main character and he is percieved as a young male athlete who experiences the struggle of emotional vulnerability. This concept has challenged stereotypes of masculinity that silences the toil of mental health. By demonstrating the garage breakdown, I prioritized mental health as the essential issue rather than the physical endurance in the running scenes.
QUESTION 2 - AUDIENCE AND DISTRIBUTION
I concluded that my target audience ranges from ages 15-21, who is interested in psychological, character driven themes. Throughout my research process, I found that this type of audience values realism and emotional depth.
Techniques that were used to immerse my audience were:
- enigma codes
- cross cutting to increate suspense and tension
- intimate close ups
- diegetic sound thats rough and emotional
As an beginner filmmaker, distribution methods that seem realsitic to me are:
- Youtube
- Vimeo
- Film festivals hosted by students
These platforms align with my status and are super accessible with independent film distributors.
QUESTION 3 - DEVELOPMENT JOURNEY
At the beginning of my journey, my knowledge about cinematography was limited and basic. Through many hours researching, planning, and storyboarding; I refined my shot composition and lighting.
My sound project I did previously has significantly advanced my understanding and ability to layer diegetic sound which was my weakness. By comparing early drafts to my final draft this will demonstrate clear improvement in my framing, pacing, and emotional construction.
QUESTION 4 - INTEGRATION OF TECHNOLOGY
I used :
- Phone camera
- Tripod for stable framing
- Clipchamp for my editing
- Blogger for documentation
- Canva for graphics
Technology was a huge help and shaped the meaning. Cross cutting, brightness levels, and layering of the audio layering were essential in constructing tension mentally.
Overall, this whole project strengthened my technical, creativity, and analytical skills. I began this idea of simply being about running and developed it into a immersive psychological narrative.
The editing of my CCRs was a major factor in ensuring that my reflections were engaging and not a boring informational video. The app I edited on was Clipchamp that helped me to layer my visuals, transitions, and text in a way that also matched my intensity of Cadence.
In my Director Commentary Slideshow, I:
- Layered voiceover of my visual clips
- Inserted screenshots pulled from my research of relevant moments
- Used smooth fades ins/outs to maintain pacing
- Added overlays of texts when I defined vocab terms
For example, when I was discussing cross cutting, I placed the running sequence and garage breakdown side by side to demonstrate how the tension in these scenes were constructed.
When I was discussing diegetic sound, I had inserted audio clips of Leo's heavy breathing and foley shoe impacts to illustrate the realism.
VISUAL ENGAGEMENT
To avoid a dull format, I made sure:
- My graphics were big enough to be read and simple
- Text remained on the screen long enough to be read and understood
- Clips were trimmed to highlight specific techniques
- Techniques matched tone and theme of film
example:
In the Interview Reflection, I utilized jump cuts to maintain the pace in an intentional way. Also, added subtle, simple background music to prevent the silence and maintain professionalism.
TECHNICAL ADJUSTMENTS
During editing, I had corrected:
- Brightness inconsistencies
- Audio imbalances between the background noise and voiceover
- Clip timing to avoid the explanations being rushed into
heres my lighting for my garage scenes:
This process has improved my knowledge of how editing shapes the whole meaning behind my film. I came to a realization that pacing in a reflection is just as important as pacing in a film opening.
Post production made my CCRS from an informational video to a polished digital media products that expressed my analysis creatively.
heres my editing process so far on my questions 1 and 2 ccr:
For my Creative Critical Reflections, I showed you that I created two digital media products instead of just producing a talking head reflection. I wanted my reflections to show my technical skill, personality, creativity, and my knowledge about media terminolgy while responding thoroughly to all of the four compulsory questions. My main goal in creating this was the make sure the CCRs maintained the intentionality and meaning as my film opening Cadence.
PLANNING
From the start I always knew I wanted my ideas to mirror the theme and tone of my film. While Cadence focuses more on mental intensity and emotional pain, I formatted my CCRs in structures that would feel more cinematic rather than being boring and casual.
I chose:
- Director Commentary Slideshow for Questions 1 and 2
- Structured Interview Reflection for Questions 3 and 4
I wrote the full script way before recording to avoid general responses that the rubric did not want. This script guided me to incorporate certain media terms such as:
- mise en scene
- cross cutting
- diegetic sound
- enigma codes
- representation
Production of Director Commentary
For this reflection, I recorded a voice over layered over:
- clips from cadence
- screenshots from certain blogs
- genre analysis notes
- definitions of genre conventions
genre analysis notes that i incorporated:
I structured this slideshow to match and mirror with the pacing of my film visually which is, slow transitions, clear shot choices, and clear text.
When I discusses genre conventions, I referenced my research from:
- The Fault in Our Stars
- A Star is Born
- Se7en
These films influenced my idea to utilize close ups, psychological interactions, and emotional realism. When I had mentioned a technique I made sure that the clip that was playing, visually supported my analysis.
Production of Interview Reflection
For my second idea, I had filmed a structured interview, which means I had the questions pre-planned, where I acted as the director and my family member acted as the interviewer. This format has allowed me to express my personality while still having an academic depth to it.
To avoid a still, boring presentation, I incorporated:
- Cutaways to early drafts
- Behind the scenes footage
- Screen recording of my editing on Clipchamp
example of my behind the scenes and other clips i didn't end up putting in:
This evidence has improved my explanation of how my prodcution skills has advanced overtime, shown visually.
Overall, during the production of my reflections, I focused on:
- Clear audio
- Responses from script
- Stable framing of video
- Editing
- Proof of my claims
All of this has ensured that my reflection turned out to be analytical, creative, and strong.
heres me planning my script:
For my Creative Critical Reflection, I plan on just doing two digital media reflection to demonstrate my technical and creative skills. I looked over the rubric and it emphasizes creativity, engagement, and inetgration of research, leading to wanting my CCR to feel analytical and visually immersive rather than static.
#1 - DIRECTOR COMMENTARY STYLE VIDEO ESSAY
My first format will be a director commentary style video essay. I wouldn't want to limit my creativity so I will record a structured voice over and layer it over visuals I'll be showing of my production process rather than filming myself speaking.
The video will be divided into two questions.
Each section will include:
- Clips from Cadence to communicate textual evidence and shows my work
- Screenshots of films I researched
- Screenshots of my blog posts
- Graphics of images that define media terms
- Subtle background music to maintain engagement.
For Question 1, I'll be explaining how the opening follows and challenges genre conventions. When I research the Fault in Our Stars, a Star is Born, and Se7en, I carefully analyzed factors such as close ups, low-key lighting, diegetic sound, and pacing. Since I incorporated these elements in my opening, Cadence, it challenges the narratives about sports by introducing the theme ambition as mentally destructive rather than successful. I'll be focusing on scenes like the garage breakdown, to talk more about the mise-en-scene, cross cutting, and the sound. Also, I'll highlight back on the representation, especially about how a young athlete is portrayed through emotional vulnerability, putting mental health as the main narrative here.
For Question 2, I'll discuss how I figured out my target audience which is ,ages 15-21 thats interested in character-driven films, through research. I'll also be analyzing how long shots, close ups, pacing, representation engage the audience. Through demonstrating marketing strategies, I'll be discussing distribution methods like Youtube, Vimeo and student film festivals.
#2 - INTERVIEW REFLECTION
For my second reflection, it's going to be a structured interview where I act as the director. This can show my personality while also maintaining analytical depth. It will include certain cutaways to footage of my film, screen recordings, and early drafts to visually show my developement on this project.
For Question 3, I'll reflect back on how I evolved significantly from my first week of planning to the final edit. I will speak of how research and the storyboard I made defined my knowledge and understanding of shots, lighting, sound, and editing. I'll be comparing early footage to my actual final video to show that I improved my editing and cinematography. Also, I'll reference on my projects I did in this class before and how it improved my skill to overlay diegetic sound.
For Question 4, I'll be stating on how I incorporated different types of technology softwares into my production. First, hardware examples such as my phone camera and tripod to support framing; second, software that includes ClipChamp, Blogger, and Canva that guided my cross cutting, overlayering on audio, and graphic designs. I'll talk about how these technology tools influenced the meaning instead of just saying how it helped the production.
Overall, my CCR will be using two creative reflections to respond throughly to all of the four questions while showing research, text evidence, and media terminology to demonstrate how meaning was developed throughout my journey of producing this.
In order to prepare for the question #4, I started to examine how technology shaped my process creatively from planning to post production.
I used:
Hardware:
- Iphone Camera
- Tripod
- Natural and garage lighting
Software:
- Clipchamp to edit
- Blogger.com for documentation
- Canva for the graphics
I researched independent filmmaking and found out that strong shots/composition and editing typically matter way more than high end eqipment. This inspired my focus on the type of framing, lighting, and careful shot selection.
Clipchamp guided me to convey meaning through:
- Cross cutting between the past (running scenes) and present (garage breakdown) timelines
- Adding text overlays (ex. MILE 6)
- Layering breathing over music
- Controlling the pacing in garage scenes
Technology also helped me solve problems. For instance, adjusting the brightness levels corrected under exposed shots , while editing the audio prevented clipping and distortion of sound. I learned that post production tools is transformative - it mainly shapes tones, rhythm, and the audience interpretaion.
My prepartaion makes sure that my CCR response will show and clearly demonstrate a understanding of how both hardware and software influenced the outcome of my opening.
How did your production skills develop throughout this project?
For question #3 I am choosing to incorporate a creative format intentionally. I'm striving to present this question with question #4 as a interview reflection, where I respond as the producer and director of the project. I'm sure that this choice allows me to show my personality while still being structure and organized.
To begin this reflection, I'll be explaining my planning stage. At the start of my project my ideas were way less specific and more ideal. After researching different genre conventions and carefully analyzing thriller title sequences I began to focus and learn more about mise-en-scene, shot composition, and pacing. By creating my storyboard and script, it helped me visualize how meaning would be conveyed throughout framing instead of a lack of dialouge.
While producing my opening, I had faced challenges with lighting that was inconsistent and shot variation. Some scenes had relied more heavily on medium shots, which made these shots look similar and visually flat. After reviewing my footage, I realized that I needed more strong visual contrast, so I incorporated more close ups to highlight the emotion and long shots to reinforce isolation. By adjusting this I demonstrated how my understanding of the cinematography was developed throughout the filming process.
This project made me improve my editing skills significantly compared to the start of the school year. My sound project I did previously helped me understand how to layer sounds, which made me already know how to do that when balancing diegetic sound with subtle background atmosphere. Also, I became to be more confident to use pacing conveying tension through cutting techniques.
Toward the end, I noticed a shift in how I approach filming. I shifted from simply just filming scenes to carefully, constructing meaning through media language. My growth would be demonstrated visually in mmy CCR by including early drafts compared to my final product, showing my journey.
How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?
For this question, I plan on answering this and question #1 through a slideshow presentation with a voice over. On the other hand, I don't want it to feel like I'm just reading off bullet points or a script. I'm going to visually and actively show clips from my film opening while explaining how my audience is engaged through media language.
In the beginning I will start to explain how I found out my target audience through my research into types of psychological thriller demographics and by analyzing similar films which I talked about before. I identified my target audience is teens and young adults that range from 15-21, who are driven by diverse character narratives and metal tension instead of fast paced action. I will clearly show images and screenshots of my research sources to prove this was not random and that it shaped my decisions in a creative way.
Then, I will talk about how I broke down parts of my film to analyze how it engages the audience using technical support. For instance, I will reference and thoroughly explain my use of close ups to convey an emotional-intimate tone and encourage audience identification with the character. Also, I will talk about how long shots create isolation and how vague narration creates an media enigma which keeps the audience curious about whats to come next. The slow pacing and use of the diegteic sound like the breathing and footsteps, are intentional to create suspense.
Throughout my process of creating the opening, theaterical distribution would not be essential. Instead of releasing in theaters, I will discuss how software apps like YouTube and Vimeo allows underground, independment creators to share their content without any restrictions. Also, I'll mention local film festivals and social media marketing campaigns such as trailers and digital posters. I am determined to include a mock promotional graphic in my CCR to demonstrate how I would release this to the market to my target audience visually.
Overall, I want my answer to prove that audience engagement isnt on accidental - it is contructed carefully throughout editing, cinematography, and structure.
After producting, I focused on using different types of editing techniques to visually represent Leo's internal battle. My goal was the compare and contrast motion and the stillness of scenes to show determination vs frustration.
PARALLEL STRUCTURE
The film switches between the running and garage scenes. I intentionally cut between these locations to demonstrate two different mental states which is the hope during the run and anger in the garage.
The cross-cutting that I introduce is purposely intended to establish a link between physical strength and emotional stress. Although the events take place at a different time of day, the audience views them connected psychologically.
USE OF MUSIC
The song I chose does not end when changing location but it moves through several scenes. This creates the impression about one sequence that continues and strengthens the though that all is one and the same struggle within.
I also incorported major visual moments in the time with the music beats to make the actions Leo is making feel encouraged not accidental. This makes the sequence feel more deliberate and smooth.
i chose the song this song to convey this:
FINAL MOMENT
When the moment ends, the title comes up once the bat falls to the ground. I also gave a few seconds of silence before the title to enable the emotion to sink in and settle. The absence of the sound is a contrast to the last movement and an indicator of emotional fatigue.
COLOR AND TONE
I used natural colors that were not vivid and overpowering so that the setting appears natural instead of being staged. This makes the story realistic and makes the reactions of Leo believable.
ex. of my foley being incorporated here:
OVERALL EFFECT
The editing decisions make the audience comprehend and understand the mind of Leo without it being told to them. Motion symbolizes ambition and stillness embodies defeat/failure. My opening produces the theme in a more structural manner instead of dialogue by controlling rhythm, sound and transitions.
To plan how I'm going to respond to question #1, I started to research different types of films that examine and explore ambition, emotional struggle, psychological disorders, and identity image. Even though my film opening Cadence is a mental sports drama, I researched both romantic and psychological thrillers intentionally to comprehend how internal conflict is visually produced.
In the Fault in Our Stars and Me Before You, which I talked about in previous blogs, emotional vulnerabilities is often introduced through these factors:
- frequent close ups
- soft, naturalistic lighting
-slow pacing
-diegetic sound like breathing or quiet dialouge
These films reflect more on characters facial expression to position the audience in a emotional sense. This influenced my decision to incorporate close ups on Leo's face, clenched fists, and physical strain to represent internal pressure.
Also I talked about A Star Is Born which presents ambition as destructive but also showing that it can be inspiring. The film uses performances and mise-en-scene elements to mirror the protagnists mental struggles and decline. This influenced me to utilize cross cutting in between the hopeful running scenes and the chaotic garage scenes to represent the definition behind ambition visually.
I analyzed Se7en too for its use of the dark lighting and harsh atmosphere. The dimly lit spaces usually portray the theme I'm trying to convey, psychological decay. This influenced my lighting in my garage scene, where the shadows symbolize Leo's mentality which is chaotic.
In Cadence, I follow these factors but also I'm challenging traditional sports statements. Rather than obsessing over perseverance, I portray ambition as unsettling. The scene in the garage uses quick editing and diegetic sounds of him destructing things to construct meaning around emotional breakdowns instead of success.
In terms of the representation of my opening, I introduce a young male athlete who experiences vulnerability. Many narratives that are male centered highlight emotional restrain. Throughout sound design, editing, shots, I position mental health as the main element to the narrative rather than add ons. This research will guide me to evaluate how my film both satistfies and overthrows genre expectations and I will do this throughout a slideshow presentation w/ a voiceover connected to question #2.
Sources:
Review: In ‘me before you,’ a broken man meets a free spirit (published 2016). (n.d.-d). https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/03/movies/me-before-you-review.html
Today in class we had our second group meeting, and being honest it felt more productive than the last one. The group members were Sebas, Ava, Catalina, Nikki, Rob, and Sonakshi; they all developed very different storylines. Everyone seemed to have everything planned out accordingly, but we all shared our production problems, which made me feel better lol. We didn't just tell our ideas straight up, we communicated on what's actually going wrong.
Sebas was the first to share and his main issue was continuity. He started to rant about when they were filming, it started during the day and gradually started to darken into the night, which created a lighting incosistentnecy in their opening. He also had mentioned that one of the member that was supposed to assist couldnt make it, making their process more stressful. Their opening summary is someone finding a weird bag in a parking lot, opening it, and getting put into a trance. We gave him feedback about his structure and pacing, especially when he said he had 100 clips in a 2-minute film opening. We suggested he tried to build more suspense rather than including everything that they filmed.
Then, Rob discussed their footage with the procrasination and lack of props he ran into. He admitted that him and his group filmed very little recently and missed some shots they planned on doing. However, their story seems to be super entertaining. He mentioned that he doesn't want to rely so much on dialouge, which is similar to what i want to do and let visual storytelling and non-diegetic sound to carry emotion instead.
Catalina is creating a drama film but also ran into complications. She wanted to film earlier but her parents are her actors and they were out of town. Her situation reminded me of how much coordination and timing are essential in producing a film.
Ava is doing a coming-of-age film about a girl running away after she founds out she's pregnant. She's almost done with filming and only has one scene left of the character driving away. She seems to be very organized and structured.
Sonakshi also is creating a coming-of-age film that is centered around procrasination. She has not been able to film yet because one of her actors is away but I think she's very organized with everything else, such as her props representing scheduling and pressure. It shows how mise-en-scene can show mental conflict without using dialouge.
Lastly, Nikki's story is about kids sneaking out due to their emotional struggles. She plans to use heavy breathing, like me, to emphasize anxiety, which is an effective diegetic sound. I found her story interesting since a girl is taking a pill and the color of the scene changed. This color shift symbolizes emotional escape, which is a strong example of how post production can create meaning.
At the end, we also discusses our CCR and are pretty much doing similar ideas. Rob and Nikki are considering doing theirs in a talk show format and interview which I want to do. Overall, this meeting helped me feel better about my production and was less about ideas and more about execution.
Clipchamp was used to edit my film opening. My primary goal during editing was to portray Leo's physical and mental state of being through pacing rather than just relying on the dialouge. Since the narrative mainly follows his exhaustion and pressure that is building over time, the rhythm of the cuts become the most important factor to storytelling.
ex.
SYNCING AUDIO
Because my dialogue was recorded seperate, the first step in editing was syncing the audio to the video. I aligned and mirrored the dialogue by utilizing waveform spikes and matched them to the movement in each single shot.
This allowed for the speech to sense a natural feeling and prevented the audience from noticing on imperfections in my editing lol. After syncing the dialogue, I layered music and the sound from the ambience underneath while lowering the music volume during speaking moments to the dialogue was clear to understand.
PACING AND CUTS
The cuts and type of pacing change throughout the opening the match the mental state that Leo is reflecting.
In the running scences, the cuts started to become faster and faster. This syncs to the pressure that's increasing as he continues to push himself physically. More shorter durations of shots create a tense tone and lead the audience to feel his urgency.
However, the garage scenes use longer shots. This makes the pace feel slower and force the viewer to sit in his solitude rather than escaping it. The slower pacing highlights the weight of this mentality.
MONTAGE CONSTRUCTION
Toward the end, I realized that the shots required more careful shot placement. By making the action escalate in the intensity, I arranged the clips but starting with the smaller movements and ending in larger outburts.
Instead of cutting scenes randomly, each shot was atleast intended to match the rhythm and beat of the music. This created a visual cadence that matches the running cadence previously in the film.
heres an example of me playing with different types of fonts to emphasize "MILE 6":
OVERALL IMPACT
The story strives to communicate emotion visually rather than communicating it verbally through editing. Changes in the pacing allows the viewers to first-hand experience Leo's stress. Therefore, the editing becomes part of the narrative instead of simply imputing footage.
After producting, I came to an realization that even though my dialouge and music are clear, certain movements in my film opening was lacking in impact. Since my story focuses mainly on Leo's physical and emotional struggle, I wanted the viewers to actually feel and sense his exhaustion and frustration - not just see it.
To create realism, I created two key Foley sounds: running footstep and baseball bat drop.
RUNNING FOOTSTEPS
The opening scene focuses only on Leo's long distance running. However, the original audio from my video did not clearly capture the "pressure" of each footstep. The steps blended into the background made the run feel less intense.
To fix this I took the running shoe and reenacted the running by using my hands to match Leo's pacing. More forceful steps were in sync with moments where he appears to struggle physically. In calmer and focused moments the steps became to be more controlled.
In ClipChamp, I tried my best to sync each footstep to the exact moment his shoe makes contact with the ground.
Effect on the audience:
The amplified footsteps make the run feel physically demanding. The audience can feel his exhaustion and determination through increasing the sound, creating immersion.
heres an example:
BASEBALL BAT DROP:
Towards the end of the opening, Leo drops the baseball bat after his emotional breakdown. This moments creates a sense of vulnerability and defeat. However, just like the footsteps, the original audio didn't highlight the impact.
I recreate the sound by recording a solid object dropping onto a firm, tough surface. Then, I layered and synced it very carefully to the frame where the bat hits the ground.
Comparing to the surrounding audio, I increased the volume of the drop slightly so it acts as a dramatic factor to the scene.
Effect on the audience:
This minimal impact reinforces the emotional outburst. The sound indicates that his anger has increased to its peak and he has given up in that moment.
OVERALL IMPACT:
By adjusting just two intentional Foley sounds, I wanted the scene to become more emotionally driven and immersive. The footsteps emphasize effort and determination while the bat drop highlights defeat and frustration.
Throughout this process, it demonstrated how even subtle sound design can strengthen the storytelling.
One of the most important moments to develop in my film opening Cadence was the garage breakdown scene. It represents Leo's mental struggles visually after pushing himself physically.
While filming, my main goal to focus on was showing emotion through his body language instead of showing that through dialouge. I tested and experimented with different movements, like Leo gripping the baseball bat, him pacing back and forth, throwing his running shoes, and knocking things over. These actions were chosen to demonstrate the fear and pressure he feels about not being able to reach his long distance goals.
Also, I experimented with different angles I can utilize to make the space feel more cramped. I wanted the shots to be different so I mainly incorporated medium and long shots during the running scenes and then used close up shots that captured Leo's hands, posture, and tense facial expressions. This helped convey a sense of how isolated, alone, and overwhelmed he feels in that moment.
Another essential part in developing the scene was the pacing. I had filmed longer shots of Leo standing still and looking at the bat right before he begins to act out of control. The suspension of a build-up creates tension and makes the breakdown feel more realistic rather than random or sudden.
during filming breakdown lol:
The comparison between the calm, determined Leo while he's running and the chaotic tone of the garage scene was made intentional. This contrast helps to communicate that while Leo can appear strong physcially, but inside he is struggling with the pressure he places on himself.
set-up:
Developing this scene guided me to portray the psychic impact of chasing an aspiring goal visually, making it a key factor that reveals the deeper meaning behind Cadence.
During the filming and producing of my opening Cadence, I dealt with several challenges and obstacles while filming the running and garage scenes. Filming in real locations made me realize that adjustments were important, even though I had the planning sheet beforehand.
One of the biggest obstacles I faced was filming the running scenes on the trail under the highway, at the New River Greenway. Since my character, Leo, is moving constantly, some of the footage had came out shaky and messy when I was trying to follow his movement. In order to fix this, I changed the way I was going to approach this and filmed more controlled shots, like close-ups of his shoes hitting the ground, his hands clenching, and medium-side shots of him running past the camera instead of following him.
Another issue was the lighting. The running scenes were planned to be filmed with natural lighting, yet the brightness and shadows depended on the weather that day and the time we were filming. Some of the early scenes looked way brighter compared to the ones I filmed later. To maintain a consistent light, I refilmed specific shots at a similar time of the day to it remained more structured.
The garage scenes also produced some challenges. The space was darker than I had anticipated, making it difficult to clearly catch Leo's facial and physical expressions. I opened the garage slightly to allow natural light in while still maintaining a dull, dim setting, instead of adding strong lighting. This aided to convey the moody tone while advancing in the visibility of the camera.
In addition, consistency and continuity was another essential issue. By the garage scenes being separately filmed from the running scenes, I had to make sure Leo wore the same outfit and appeared in the same amount of sweat and exhaustion so the viewers would acknowledge the connection between the events.
These obstacles led me to learn that filming can have a different outcome in the way you expect it to. By readjusting camera shots/angles, filming shots a couple of times, and learning to work with the setting I was in, I was able to maintain the emotional tone that I intended to convey while improving the overall quality of the footage.
While planning for my film opening Cadence, I designed a production company logo that can visually reflect themes of endurance, mental struggle, and determination that are essential to the narrative I'm conveying. I named my company Resolve Productions, due to the word "resolve" representing persistence and the power to continue despite the difficulty you can be experiencing.
These ideas primarily connect with Leo's journey and development as a runner who's physcially exhausted but mentally driven.
This logo utilizes a modern and simple design to match with the seriousness and realistic tone of the film. The main word, Resolve, is written in bold, uppercase lettering, which gives off strength and discipline in a way. I decided to choose this font as it displays the mindset thats required for long distance running, where consistency and mental health are important.
A key design feauture of the logo is the subtle break and upward line thats shown into the letter "V." This detail symbolizes both struggle and progress. Also, the color scheme which is intentionally black, white, and gray, create a cinematic sense while mixing with the darker emotional themes of Cadence. The absense of unique colors emphasizes realism and mental intensity rather than excitement.
The word "PRODUCTIONS" is placed underneath the company name in a smaller, and light font with horizontal lines of each side. This adds balance to the composition and shapes a professional film industry vibe I'm trying to go with. I started to research some of the popular film company logos such as Pixar, Dreamworks Pictures, and Universal, which are all in black and white.
Heres what inspired me:
Overall, the creation of Resolve Productions and the logo supports the theme and tone of Cadence. Through it's minimalist design, restrained color, basic font, the logo visually shares the themes of perseverance and ambition before the narrative begins.
Sources:
40 famous film company logos. DesignCrowd. (n.d.). https://blog.designcrowd.com/article/1760/40-famous-film-company-logos
27 of the Best Production Company and movie studio logos ever. (n.d.-a). https://fabrikbrands.com/branding-matters/logofile/best-production-company-and-movie-studio-logos/
I started to consider who my target audience would be very early on and how the themes I'm trying to portray would appear and connect to them. My target audience is teens and young adults, especially students and athletes who relate and actually experience the pressure that comes with goals, performance, and expectations.
The audience is relevant in my opening due to acknowledging that many people deal with this physical and mental stress, even if it's from sports, work, school, or just personal ambitions. Leo, the main character, is introduced pushing himself to reach the major goal of making it to the Boston Marathon, reflecting the type of pressure many people deal with when trying to reach milestones in their own livelihood. By reason of, the audience in this age group could relate to his fear of failing and his frustration.
In addition, my film should also appeal towards runners mainly or individuals who are into fitness. These type of viewers can percieve the physical exhaustion that's shown through close up shots of Leo's sweat, heavy breathing, and repetitive movement. This kind of realism helps the narrative become more believable and engaging.
Also, I plan on encountering a secondary audience of adults who have experienced dealing with high expectations or burnout in their own personal lives and careers. Becoming ambitious can lead to be mentally overwhelming, which is the main theme of the opening, is universal and allows for the film to associate with viewers beyond just teens.
Overall, I constructed Cadence to become appealing to an audience that understand the struggle that comes with chasing goals. This opening aims to create a emotional sense and connection with the viewers who have went through self-doubt, fear of not being enough, by focusing on both the physcial and neurological challenges of running.
Garcia, S. (2023, October 31). A high school student’s guide to running in college. Fleet Feet. https://www.fleetfeet.com/blog/a-high-school-students-guide-to-running-in-college?srsltid=AfmBOoqrzW_RYeGByWdXxEa8UKss-cO9Vv3SyaatSDdgdrKlEeYD96YW
While I'm planning for the opening, audio was one of the most important factor and element into introducing Leo's mental struggle. Since most of my opening is relying on his physical action and vague dialogue, sound aids to express his state mentally in ways visuals alone can't do. I'm going to be focusing on combining diegetic and non-diegetic music to display the pros and cons of long distance running.
For the non-diegtic sound choice, an significant audio choice could be the song, "It's Raining Again" by Supertramp; however, I remembered about the copyright. So what I did was go on Epidemic Sound and found some music that is similar. I found the song, "I Can't Wait No More." This music is going to be playing while the running scenes are being shown and continues across multiple locations, reinforcing Leo's routine and creating a sense of progression. Because the song leans more toward an upbeat motif, the lyrics are melancholic, mirroring Leo's mindset. On the outside, he appears to be an motivated and disciplined runner, but internally he struggles with self-doubt and exhaustion. I specifically chose this song because it contrasts perfectly with sound and emotion, showing how runner's push themselves despite their mental health and fatigue.
As well as the music, diegetic sound plays a huge role into placing the opening to convey realism. His heavy breathing, the running shoes bouncing off the pavement, and subtle outside noises help present the physical toll of running. While the run is progressing, I plan on lowering the volume of the song and bring the sound of Leo's breathing more higher and forward in the mix. I believe this choice makes the audience sense and feel his discomfort, immersing them in his head instead of observing from a distance. Also, I want to incorporate foley into the shoes hitting the pavement.
Foley:
The garage scenes are going to portray a different audio approach. Instead of having music play in the background, I want these scenes to communicate silence and isolated sounds. Such as echos of footsteps, objects being thrown, and the sound of the baseball bat hitting something. I'm intentionally removing the music as it makes the scene feel awkward and uncomfortable. By lacking background noise, it forces the audience to focus more on the emotional breakdown and shows the contrast between his past endurance during the run and unstoppable rage afterwards.
Overall, the planning process of audio elements tend to focus on divergence, realism, and empathy. By balancing music precisely, incorporating diegetic sound and silence, my goal is to show how Leo's running slowly turns into an struggle which sets the tone for the rest of the film.
Sources:
YouTube. (n.d.). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZUE4_PtOk0
YouTube. (n.d.-a). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBDU3pJaU6c
For the second mise-en-scene post, I decided to talk about how the atmosphere combined with lighting and color can shape the mood and outcome of my film opening. This is one of the most important factors due to how it can help engage the audience and lead them through Leo's emotional journey while highlight the difference between discipline and fatigue. Instead of explaining of he's feeling through dialogue, I wanted the visuals to show the shift in his mindset throughout the opening.
The running scenes will be filmed using natural lighting with silent, desaturated colors. Even though I'm filming this location outdoors, the long trails, highways overhead, and secluded paths create a sense of solitude, repetition, and isolation. This considers the scheme of running, while being associated with freedom and clarity, become exhausting and mentally challenging for Leo. The lighting is going to be consistent during these scenes which promotes the idea of his routine and discipline, placing us to recognize his expectations that are trapped.
To fulfill this, I'm planning on shooting this during an early morning when the lighting feels softer and less saturated to avoid the extreme, bright sunlight in the afternoon. The location was inspired by running routes that feel like it never ends, where there are a few people and minimal distractions visually.
Park running trail insp.:
I'm going to be contrasting the natural, high key lighting with the garage scenes that will be much darker and use lowkey lighting with heavy shadows. The claustraphobic space will create a enclosed feeling that reflects his emotional state again. The lack of the natural light draws attention toward his frustration and remoteness, making the garage scene feel like he's manifesting something physcially through his mind. By switching from an open outdoor space to a isolated, close and shadowed environment, the mise-en-scene is heavily needed to communicate his emotional breakdown and sets up an dramatic collage throughout the end of my opening.
For the garage scenes, I want to incorporate only one main light source, like a distinct light-bulb or a side light, to create unsymmetrical shadows across Leo's face. I decided with the garage location because it's a familiar and cramped space that links perfectly with the openness of the trail. This was inspired by similar ideas in psychological dramas where the actors resort to tight spaces as their emotions increase. The shadows and darkness show Leo out of control and releasing his emotion that were held back during his flashback of the run.
Garage lighting insp.:
Amerlux. (2018, September 21). How dim parking garage lights increase liability. Amerlux Blog. https://blog.amerlux.com/how-dim-parking-garage-lights-increase-liability/
Markham Park: Lakeside Trail, Florida - 183 reviews, map | alltrails. (n.d.-d). https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/florida/markham-park-lakeside-trail
When planning, I focused more on how costume design and props could help communicate my character, Leo, and his mental states without depending mostly on dialogue. Since having only one actor is limited, the mise-en-scene elements are essential in showing his inner conflict he's dealing with. Also, this decision made the process of my planning way easier, since I had to think more about what props I already have access to and where I would realistically be able to film my opening at. In addition, I started to view short films and running videos to give me an idea on how these other creators used simple visuals to convey meaning.
Costume Attire:
His costume design includes simple, runner attire: headphones, plain athletic shirt, running shorts, and running shoes. The reason I decided the choose this is evidently obvious since it makes Leo lean toward realism and authenticity instead of being overly dressed. As the run is happening, his clothes become visually drenched with sweat, representing the strain of long distance running while also showcasing the pressure he places on himself. I came to a decision for the same costume to be incorporated in both the running and garage scenes since it helps guide the two timelines and strengthens the plot that his mental breakdown is the result of the run.
In order to do this, I planned on using actual athletic clothing rather than making and costuming something myself, either from my brothers closest or a sports store. Moreover, I was thinking about the weather and the time of day so the sweat and musk on the clothes conveys a natural tone rather than a forced one.
This is what I'm thinking on purchasing:
Props:
The props also play a huge role into reinforcing his mindset. I wanted to suggest that the running shoes show his pain and sacrifice but moreover his ambition and routine. The baseball bat that he's going to use in the garage contrasts this by depicting built-up anger and loss of control. His grip on the baseball bat with his hands having a tremor shows his internal struggle and lack of ability to meet his expectations. Altogether, the costume and props aid the viewers acknowledge Leo's character through visual storytelling rather than using description.
These are worn-out baseball bats I'm influenced on utilizing:
I wanted to avoid messy scenes and more so keep the focus on some repeated props, so I'm pushing toward keeping the props minimal but impactful. Overall, these immensely specific costume design and props were planned carefully to make sure that Leo's mental health is disclosed through his action, movement, quality, letting the audience to understand his breakdown more thoroughly.
Sources:
Nike men DRI-Fit RLGD Reset Shirts Black Athletic jersey tee shirt DX0990-010. eBay. (n.d.). https://www.ebay.com/itm/285238392360
Is my bat dead or defective? let’s find out. www.justbats.com. (n.d.). https://www.justbats.com/blog/post/is-my-bat-dead/
