Costume Design

     This might be the easiest part for me. My first idea for an outfit for Alba is whatever is trending right mow. She is a teenager, it’s normal to follow trends. This means oversized hoodie and baggy jeans. It is representative of a teenager now. For the hoodie, I own this light camo one. I’m not joking when i say you see everyone wearing this around school. It is impossible to not see it. I also thought about headphones, you will never catch anyone not wearing headphones nowadays. Those are the three crucial components of the costume for Alba. 

Equipment

     With filming day approaching, it is important to have equipment to better service the film project. I already have some since my sister used to to take a film class in middle school. The item that will come most useful out of this a tripod. The tripod stabilizes the shot, so the film will move smoothly. It also is adjustable so I can low and high angles.

        Another element I'm going to use is Artemis Pro. It is a camera app that mimics a professional camera.  Artemis Pro is a digital director's vision that helps them avoid discomfort in their backs as a professional camera is really heavy. It is perfect for shot planning and lens selection, and it provides a thorough database of cameras and lenses along with real-time simulation of pictures using different lens possibilities.

Lighting Techniques

    Almost time until official filming day, if all goes well it would be this Saturday. This would leave the following week dedicated to editing. It would have to be during the week which makes it more complicated. Next weekend, I'm going north to celebrate my aunt's birthday (it's a surprise). So excited for it, however, it is interfering with my schedule a bit. I'll just have to make more space for the project. Final step for filming is to establish lighting.

    Developing a lighting scheme for filming without professional lights can be difficult but if you use available light sources creatively, it can go smoothly.  According to the Film Camera Course website, one of the key strategies is to use natural light. Positioning your subject near windows during the day can provide soft lighting.  Additionally, using household lamps and adjusting their positions can help control the light's direction and intensity, giving you more control over the scene's mood.

    Another useful approach is to understand the basics of three-point lighting, which includes key light, fill light, and backlight. The key light is the main source of illumination, while the fill light reduces shadows caused by the key light. The backlight helps separate the subject from the background, adding depth to the scene. You can achieve a professional-looking lighting scheme without needing expensive equipment.

3 simple rules for filming without lights (exterior). Through The Lens Film School. (2024, November 15). https://filmcameracourse.wordpress.com/2012/01/11/filming-without-lights/

Hellerman, J. (2023, September 5). 13 film lighting techniques every filmmaker should know. No Film School. https://nofilmschool.com/lighting-techniques-in-film

Audio

     One of the most easiest to plan but diffucult to do is audio. It is easy putting words on a plan matching the scene. Audio is crucial in a film because it sets the mood and enhances the story. It draws the audience in, making scenes more immersive. Good sound design can highlight important moments and convey feelings that visuals alone can't. In short, audio makes a film more engaging and impactful.

Sound plan for film opening 

     The most important way my film is going to utilize audio to capture the story and emotions is through non-digetic sound. One of my biggest worries with this project is that the audience won’t be able to understand the situation Alba is in. Her emotions and mindset play a huge role as to how the story escalates. I don’t want the viewer to believe she doesn’t like her heritage. To find the music I want, I found a website that offers free, non-copyrighted music, https://pixabay.com/music/. I have yet to find the perfect song so wish me good look in this treasure hunt!

Props

      Props are essential in my film opening to show the difference between Venezuelan heritage and American culture. For instance, in her home, we can use props like arepas on the kitchen table, a traditional Venezuelan dish, that could be what she is eating. This will visually represent her cultural background and the warmth of her family gatherings.It also wouldn’t be a problem to make as it is a staple in my house and it’s super easy to make. However, scenes in her room  could feature fast food wrappers or shopping bags from the mall  emphasizing the different world she is trying to blend into.

Arepas

     Additionally, props will help foreshadow the conflict and eventual resolution in the story. For example, the character could have a hidden box under her bed containing cherished items from Venezuela, like a family photo or a baby costume from Carnaval. This box can symbolize her hidden identity and the internal struggle she faces. During the fight with her friends, perhaps an item from this box gets accidentally revealed, sparking the argument. In the film's resolution, she could proudly display these items in her room, showing her acceptance of her heritage.

Infinite Colors

     The closer I get to filming, the more I lose myself to my imagination. It is rather easy to plan once you have your film opening set. The worst decision I have to make is between two elements that coukd contribute the same to the opening. Colors are complex as two colors could represent two different ideas to created a balanced picture but just look off when put together.

      So I’ve finally decided on a coherent color scheme to enhance the themes and emotions in the opening of my film. Since it's a coming-of-age story with both lighthearted and dramatic elements, I want to use a vibrant but contrasting palette. For the scenes where the main character Oriana is trying to fit in with her new friends, I'll use cooler tones like blues and grays to represent her feeling of isolation in her interactions. These scenes will have a more calm, chilling look, reflecting her internal struggle. On the other hand, when she's with her family or embracing her heritage, the colors will shift to warmer tones like reds, oranges, and yellows. These scenes will be lively, symbolizing the warmth and love of her culture and family life.

      In the film's opening, I want to show the audience a visual contrast that hints at the main character's dual life. When the opening scene shows her staring at her family it would be filled with warm, inviting colors and a lively atmosphere, reflecting the joy and connection she has with her heritage. Then a scene of her texting her new friends, the color palette shifts to cooler tones, highlighting the almost emptiness she feels. This visual storytelling will help the audience immediately understand the main conflict of her identity and the emotional journey she's about to go through. .

Example from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011))

Introducing Alba

     Developing the main charcter of my opening was kind of difficult. We both are very similar, both are a Venezuelan teen who migrated to another country. However, our stories are different. The main character is mainly surrounded by people who don’t share the same culture as her. Whereas, more than half of students at my school are Latinos. Not too easy to hide tour heritage if you’re in a capsule of it. but besides this, most teens know how it feels to try to change yourself to fit in (should never happen). 

     Meet Alba then. Alba means “sunrise”, which ciuld be interpreted as growth. She moved to the US a few months ago. She learned that to “survive” high school she had to fit in with the rest. She from then grows as a person to realize you should change who you are. I wanted her to be relatable for not only teens but immigrants too. Many movies showcase this but it’s always the same pretty American girl who takes off her glasses and changes to a completely different person. I wanted to stray from this with Alba. 

Storyboarding

      After figuring out my plot, I just have to visualize how the opening sequence will play out. This is the goal of what it will look like but many things can influence changes made. For example, the credits might not look at pleasing as planned. This would result in a deviation from the storyboard. But this what I have for the storyboard as of now:

Film Story

     I finally figured out what the plot of my film is going to be. I am still following the lighthearted but still dramatic coming-of-age movie. It follows a girl who moved from Venezuela, she has made some friends but at what cost? She hides her identity and heritage from them, trying to fit in with the crowd. They don’t know about arepas, family gatherings to watch a soccer game, or Carnaval. They know fast food, night out to the mall, and fall fairs. This main character (yet to find a fitting name) struggles to keep both sides of her life from interacting. After a big fight with her friends, she is left what seems to be alone. To make matters worse, her family found out about how she has been concealing them for the past few months. She tries to regain her relationships, apologizing to her friends for example but they refuse to listen. When all seems lost, she finally decides to listen to her family and embrace her culture. This leads to new friends who don’t make her want to reduce herself to someone she is not. The film serves as a lesson to many young immigrants out there, don’t be ashamed of yourself. 

    The title of the film is yet to be decided. One of my choices is a term of endearment used by the my family, Chichi. However, there are multiple meanings to this word other than just slang for little one. It could be vulgar to some. So that is still is a work in progress. I am glad that my film opening plot is done, just some details to establish like what is the main character’s name? What kind of fight did she ge tinto with her old friends? Could I foreshadow this in the film opening? 

Theories

     A theory I am interested in implementing into my film is Todorov’s theory of equilibrium. It allows for an easy to follow strucutre for the audience. It also makes it more engaging and enjoyable.

    In Todorov's theory of equilibrium, first, everything is normal and calm, which is called equilibrium. Then, something happens that messes things up, creating a problem (disequilibrium). The characters work to fix this problem through a series of events. Eventually, they solve the problem, and things return to a new normal, new equilibrium. Todorov's theory can be seen in many movies and books. When the disruption happens, it can be anything from a sudden event, like a disaster, to a new character entering the story. This disruption creates tension and pushes  the plot forward. By the end, they've usually learned something new or changed in some way, leading to a new equilibrium. 

     In my film, this teenage girl can go through either a big fight with her family or friends and realize she doesn’t have to change herself to fit in. At the start of the film, everything could be working well, living this double life. When the disequilibrium occurs, she struggles to fix everything. Eventually coming to the realization that she can be herself even if it means losing people. That would be her lesson and the start of the new equilibrium.

Media Studies. (2024, March 1). Todorov’s narrative theory of equilibrium and disruption. https://media-studies.com/todorov/

Group Meeting #1

    Hello! Today we were put into groups with other people working on the project to discuss our progress. My group consisted of six members: Juliana, Dylan, Rachel, Santi, Mia, and I. Everyone had such different ideas for their projects, it was really fun to listen to everyone. We were told to give advice or ask questions to each person as they presented their projects. Everyone seemed to greatly improve off of this discussion.

 

    The first person to present was Rachel. Her project is about a woman who is stuck in a time loop. She is in a therapy session when she starts to realize it's a time loop as she tried to get out. That is the plot of the story, her trying to get out of the time loop. This is a really interesting film idea. The big question out of this we all asked was "How will you make sure the audience understands the time loop?" We recommended similar shots of the same composition so it would be easy to visualize the time loop. Overall she had a good base of her film opening and I can't wait to see the finished product.

    Next was myself who was having a hard time figuring out the film idea. I had character in mind, a young immigrant teen. The group advised to explore how trying to fit in to her environment affects relationships with her family and friends. I thought this was a good idea as I was planning for the film to be a coming-of-age one. It fits perfectly with the genre and it wouldn’t require much of a scenery change to fit the plan. Mia recommended a film to watch that had the same vibe as this potential film, Real Women Have Curves.  I will get to watching it soon. I really am grateful for this meeting as it helped me a lot to fully brainstorm my film.

    Dylan was the next to present his idea. His film is based on illegal street racing. Already sounds like a tricky idea to execute. He cleared up that he works with cars so it wouldn’t be a problem gathering a lot of cars. He had the film opening idea down but not the whole film. It fell flat since we really didn’t know what was coming. We gave him the idea of the main character having a motivation, why did he start street racing? I also gave the idea of making him a beginner. The film would show his journey as he becomes a more experienced racer. 

      Juliana had the most fun idea out of the group. Her film follows a vampire who is reliant on blood to keep her beauty. The opening would be her main character on a date that leads to her date finding out and getting eaten (or drank out of). A cool aspect of her group was that her partner knows how to do SFX makeup. This meant it wasn’t a problem showcasing the main character as ugly when she is lacking blood. 

      Santi was the group member who had the most done and settled. His group’s film opening shows a girl leaving a grocery store, however, there is a big planet coming to Earth. She is calm contrasting the chaotic environment she is in. This would actually be a movie that I would watch. There were some questions on the logistics of the plot. Like what planet is it? Is it a known plant like Mars or is it a planet from another galaxy? This would clear up any confusion the audience may have. 

      Mia missed a class so she wasn’t able to fully listen to her group’s film. But what she knows is that they will be filming at a restaurant and it would be empty. This was a big issue since it would be impossible to find a empty restaurant. She thought the same and was going to consult her group about it. 

     Overall, the group metting helped everyone in clearing up issues and it was needed. Next time I will have myidea fully prepared. 

Formatting Credit

     Now that I have an idea of how I am going to present my credits, I just have to research about the order they go in. I am expecting it to be a similar order for every film but I also feel like there are some that are very different. The title might be the part of the credit scene that is most interchangeable. I have seen titles shown in the start, middle, or end. It also has to be based on how well it fits into the opening.

Notes on everything I have to include in the credits

    To format an opening credit sequence, it is typical to follow the order of starting with major roles like the director and main cast, followed by technical roles such as producers and crew members. Like mentioned in the previous blog post, the sequence should be visually engaging and setting the film's tone. It can also use elements that hint at the film’s plot. The credits can either be minimal or expansive, depending on the style of the film and genre. 

    I've decided to format it the most common way as that is what is usually found in coming-of-age movies:

1. Director
2. Major Actors
3. Producer
4. Writer
5. Cinematographer
6. Editor
7. Music By (If applicable)

    The title is still undecided until I figure out the whole plot of the opening. Also the shots and mise-en-scene as the title has to fit nicely with the vibe of the project.

StudioBinder. (n.d.). Where credit is due: Film credits order hierarchy (with free film credits template). StudioBinder. Retrieved February 9, 2025, from https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/where-credit-is-due-film-credits-order-hierarchy-with-free-film-credits-template/

StudioBinder. (n.d.). Movie opening credits: How to make a great title sequence. StudioBinder. Retrieved February 9, 2025, from https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/movie-opening-credits/

Giving Credits

   My first idea of my potential credit scene is to have the credits but part of the world. For example, the "Directed By" be on a sticky note or a calculator saying the main actor's name. It would add more to the light-hearted feel of the beginning of the film I might want to go for. However, I still wanted to research different and creative credit openings.

Napoleon Dynamite 

    The opening credits of Napoleon Dynamite are an example of how simple can still be super effective. Like my idea, the credits show up on everyday stuff like plates of food, school supplies, and other random objects. The shots give off a homemade feel to the opening. Meanwhile, the song, We’re Going to Be Friends by The White Stripes, plays in the background, adding a nostalgic and light-hearted touch. Right from the start, the movie gives you a taste of its quirkiness before the story even kicks off. This is the type of credit opening I would like to go for but more natural. For instance, the main character moving notebooks aside revealing a credit, not just simple shots like Napoleon Dynamite. 

Baby Driver

    This is an example of a semi-normal credit sequence with the text being on the street while Baby walks through. It is all one shot, which would be hard to do in my circumstances, but it is still one of the most fun credit scenes out there. The entire sequence moves in with the song making it a lot more satisfying than most credit sequences. The main takeaway from this is how music can affect how engaging a credit scene could be. So for my film opening, it is really important to find the right song to match the tone of the movie.

Fahrenheit 451

    While researching I came across Fahrenheit 451, I am currently reading the book for one of my classes so I decided to watch. The opening credits of this movie stands out by completely removing text from the screen. Instead of written credits, a narrator reads the names of the cast and crew over images of television antennas. The lack of visual text feels unsettling, pulling viewers into a world where knowledge is controlled. The film sets a serious tone throughout the story. There isn't much that would inspire my film opening but it is an amazing way to make your audience focus.

Conclusion

    After researching, I've learned that music significantly impacts the engagement of a credit scene in a film. The right song should match the movie's tone, allowing the audience to experience the tone of the film from the start. For sure, my credit sequence will be natural and not text on the screen as it is more pleasing to the eye.

Opening the Film

     I have decided to go through with a coming of age film. There is a variety of iconic movies from this genre. One of my personal favorites The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a great movie and a well known coming of age film. I also wanted to see a film opening that was related to what the plot of my film opening could be. I choose Didi, a movie about a young immigrant boy who has to go through the problems of every teenage boy.  

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

    The opening of The Perks of Being a Wallflower uses closeups and a soft background to create an emotional connection with the audience. I could use these techniques into my own film opening to focus on the facial expressions, which would allow the audience to empathize with their emotions from the start. In my own film opening, I might go for natural lighting to go into realism, helping the audience feel part of the main character’s world.

    Drawing inspiration from The Perks of Being a Wallflower, with sound and editing, I could use music that reflects the character’s inner conflict. The song could show the tone, setting the emotion of the opening. The pacing of the editing would also be important in my film opening. I could use subtle cuts between shots to focus on important emotional moments without it being too much..

Didi

    In the opening of Didi, the setting is full of bright props that show the mix of Didi’s past and present. The room is colorful, with items that reflect his culture and new life. The camera often shows close-up shots of Didi’s face, letting us see his feelings of both comfort and confusion. The editing is slow, giving us time to connect with Didi’s emotions. The background sounds of everyday life and soft music highlight his feelings of adjustment and change.

    For my own film opening, I could use a similar approach by putting my character in a space that tells their story. I would fill the room with items that reflect who they are and where they come from. Using close-up shots would help show the character’s emotions clearly, and long clips with some editing would let the audience feel what they’re going through.

Organizing the Schedule

     It is impossible to continue this project and research without a schedule. With such a big project, it is important to have one. This would prevent me from procrastinating a simple thing that can lead to a huge setback. I decided to finish at least one week before its due, so instead of March 25th, March 18th would be my due date. I want to leave a week just in case anything goes wrong I have time to fix it. I'm breaking up the project into researching, planning, and production into six weeks of work, wow.

    Even after planning it out in a document, I decided to put it into a calendar so I can stay on top of dates.

Horizon of Genres

      The first step of planning the film opening is figuring out what genre it should be. There is a wide variety of them from comedy to drama. The two that I am most interested in are coming-of-age and mystery. Two very different genres but they are the most enjoyable and entertaining to me. 

Coming-of-age

      Coming-of-age films often show themes of personal growth and identity. For instance, close-ups capture emotional moments, helping the audience connect with the protagonist's internal struggles. Whereas, wide shots emphasize isolation or the character's relationship with the world.

The Perks Of Being a Wallflower (2012)

      POV shots engage the audience in the protagonist’s perspective during important life changes. Furthermore, low/high angles are utilized for power or vulnerability. In terms of lighting, soft lighting is shown for nostalgia, while harsh lighting highlights internal conflict. With editing, montages are used to show the passage of time and character development.

Mystery

      In mystery films, various techniques are used to build suspense and engage the audience. Close-up shots are utilized to convey the characters' emotions, allowing viewers to connect with their experiences. The use of high and low angles changes the perception of characters, contributing to the tension.

Knives Out (2019)

      Low-key lighting creates shadows that demonstrates the tone of mystery. Sound is also important. Fast-paced music heightens excitement, while changes/ beat drops in sound can indicate plot developments. Editing styles, such as rapid cuts, serve to maintain audience engagement and create a suspenseful tone

The Beginning

       From now on, my blog will focus on the Cambridge Porfolio Project. I’ve been waiting for this time to come but also dreading it. I know it’s going take a lot of work to produce my best work but I can’t wait to see my end product. The class has prepared me a lot for this. In our last lesson, we learned about film openings and the techniques used in them. 

       After learning about various techniques, I wanted to research further about them to decide which one I find most engaging for the film opening. The two most intriguing techniques were developing tone and characters. Developing tone provides the purpose of the film. This would be useful to enagage audiences by setting up the film. If I use this method, I could focus on visuals which was my original idea. However, audiences can get lost easily but not connecting with the characters, screencraft.org takes note of this, tone should be correctly established or else “it allows the filmmakers to get as absurd as they want to without losing the audience” (Long T.) My other choice would be to develop characters. This would be tricker as they have to be likeable for engagement. 

Long, T. (2017, January 4). 5 essential types of powerful opening scenes. ScreenCraft. https://screencraft.org/blog/5-essential-types-powerful-opening-scenes/