Casting Call scheduling

03/24

As my group and I start production, we have decided to have a casting call in order to cast the parts of the lead's parents, both African Americans in their late 40's, a teenager of about 18 years old (ethnicity does not matter), and the 2 police officers (one being Caucasian, and one being African American). We are also looking for extras in order to be the onlooking crowd for when the climax occurs.

Peer Ideas

03/20

Upon speaking with my peers over the possible plot aspects, I was given ideas of making the father of the lead character to be a police officer. This would create irony within the story as the conflict is derived from the racism of a police officer. Another idea was the possibility of making the police officer be partners with a black officer to further elucidate the irony shown in the situation. However, I am having trouble finding how to incorporate these ideas into the production, and develop the metaphors that come with it.

Ideas surrounding symbolism

03/20

As I write the script for the intro, I have started looking into some possible motifs and symbols that can foreshadow the events that will transpire throughout the introduction. For one, I have begun to incorporate substances such as tobacco as a symbol for the risk of death in its presence. For example, given that the conflict begins through the friendship with a boy who is known for being a bad influence, cigarettes are present when the lead character complains about having to deal with his second hand smoke. This then prompts the friend to say something along the lines of "keep hanging out with me and you just might end up dead." This would serve as the first indication of the risk that comes with being his friend, as he ultimately is the reason for the police officers to be involved.

The second symbol I wanted to incorporate was milk. Milk is symbolic of many things, for example it can be connected to innocence, purity, childhood and many other things. However, it also becomes interesting when a villain of sorts is seen drinking milk as it becomes uncomfortable. 

For a further, in depth explanation of this, you can see a video here.

Organization of shots

03/17

Before commencing production, my group and I have found trouble in figuring out ways to organize the sequence of shots to not only be pleasing, but also make sense to the audience. I have found that because we only have 2 minutes, it is perhaps best if I used a short amount of time in creating exposition, and using most of that time to escalate the conflict seen. For this, I am having trouble finding how to establish as much backstory as possible prior to having the climax of the introduction. I have gotten to the conclusion that it is best if the character backstory is dialogue based, to ensure the smallest amount of time is used up, while providing the most of the exposition. My group and I have concluded that it would be best if the lead male character was able to wake up in the morning and speak to his parents, with costume design depicting their occupations, and the dialogue giving insight to the lead characters personality and moral standpoints.

Font selection

03/15

Upon selecting our title, we had to figure out the font for it and how it would be placed in the intro. Although I will be creating an update for it later on, my group and I decided that a handwritten, white font would look best as it can appeal to the grimey, suspenseful feel of the film. For this we looked to YouTube to look for information on how fonts could be made and placed throughout a film. We came upon a video made by Caleb Lancaster and his video on how hand written fonts could be made for music videos (That can be found here). We found it to be best so we wanted to incorporate some of the moving animations into the title to give it a scary feeling. After watching the video we wrote "DON'T MOVE" on a white board twice with some slight differences to allow us to obtain that effect. These can be seen here:

We then decided that the title would look best if the image we choose to present it on was in landscape mode and we placed it on the third left at a slightly higher position on screen to appeal to the eye and embrace the image shown. We took inspiration from the marketing of the film "Moonlight" which is seen here. 

To achieve a white color on the handwritten font, we went in photoshop and inverted the colors to create a contrast. Thus, the title and font for our intro was created.

Title Ideas

03/12

As we started the production process, we have come to think how the intro should be titled and how the title and the font can relate to the message being conveyed. For this topic of police brutality and racial profiling, we came to a few ideas. The first idea was originally called "Tuesday Blues" which was credited to how Tuesday represents the god of war and its main characteristics of honor and justice. In addition to the representation of the day of the week, "blues" was also included to represent the somber attitude of the introduction. This idea was shot down as it feels a bit childish for the topic matter. Our next idea was "Things Falling Apart" a play on the book titled "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe as the novel pertains thematic implications of racial injustices and self love. However we felt that the play on the book would not only confuse those who hadn't read it, but also would confuse those who have, for a film adaptation. Our final, and winning title, we chose the title: "Don't Move." This title was chosen due to its simplicity, but as well as its connection to the theme as its a phrase police officers usually use, in addition to allow us to be able to use it in the film. 

Shooting Schedules

03/09

     As we prepare to begin the production of the intro, my group and I have set up a timeline of when we shall begin the production and shooting of this movie. We have decided to have all story boards and scripts completed by March 16th, with the week of March 19th being set to begin shooting. We are aiming to end shooting in 4 days, using most of the week of the 26th to finish the editing, color grading, and having enough time to reshoot any scenes or correct any mistakes. So far, I am having trouble finding a way to organize the intro's scenes and presenting the characters in a way that not only complies with the 2 minute time limit, but also creates a bond with the audience as the intro leads into the culmination of the act of police brutality taking place.

Color Inspirations

03/08

As we begin to storyboard, a topic which has come up within the discussions, is how the images will be presented in a way that is both pleasant to the eye, as well as reinforces the message. For this reason we have looked at several movies and tv shows as inspiration for how color can affect the meaning.

Here I have provided a link to explain how the color gradings are used in the industry to achieve a clean looking shot. For this reason, I have considered using a blue hint throughout the movie to achieve the melancholic tone of the intro, as it pairs well with the message. 

For this purpose, I looked at clips from the movies: Get Out, and Moonlight. These movies had clips in which the color grading had a significant impact in the mood of the scene which is seen here:

Here, the scene shifts a bit color wise as it goes on from the child being held, to eventually having fun.

Get Out also has a pivotal scene in which the colors are important to determining the mood set.

Creation of the lead character

03/06

     After speaking with my group members, we concluded that the plot was not going to solely revolve around the police brutality, but also on the effects it has on the community and those living within it. After careful consideration, I thought best that before a plot is set up, the proper characters have to be created in order to appeal to the audience and maximize the bond felt with the characters.

     For this reason, I will begin to develop the backgrounds of the characters that will appear in this intro. An update will be made at a later date for tweaks and improvements.

•      Lead male character, black, high school age of about 17-19, known for being studious, kind hearted, a bit nerdy, sort of out of place but liked by everyone. 

     As inspiration for this character, I took inspiration from some famous people for the unique ways in which they produce their art, and the unique audiences they cater to. My first thought of inspiration was Donald Glover (or his stage name Childish Gambino) as he has been called the renaissance man of this generation. His work in all art forms has made him one of the most successful people in the business, which have led to him winning a Grammy, Emmy, and an NAACP award. He has been heavily involved in music (Rap/ R&B/ Funk), stand up comedy specials, acting in big movies such as Star Wars and The Martian, and writing and directing his own tv show on FX titled "Atlanta." His fan base has been notably fond of Glover throughout his career after embracing his nerdy side on web shows such as derrickcomedy, writing for 30 Rock, and his well known role as Troy Barnes on The Community. He has also largely considered himself a "nerd" or "geek" in his music career as well. Throughout his career he has also matured into a more emotional artist as he has grown to speak on topics that are important such as self image and mental health. Donald Glover has become one of the nations most important figures as millions of people around the world look up to him as inspiration, some being for his talent, and others for him being a minority and coming from an urban area in Atlanta, and coming to success and fame throughout it all. For example, up and coming artist Kevin Abstract even spoke on his influence as it has helped kids live through hardships, and continuing to embrace the weird, creative side. His essay can be found here.

     As a source of more inspiration, I looked at Kevin Abstract. Aside from being an up and coming rapper and member of boyband Brockhampton, Abstract has also been heavily involved in film and short movies. Being homosexual and black has presented him with several problems which he has spoken about in his music as well as his self made short film titled "Helmet Boy." He, similar to Donald Glover, has also begun to be a source of inspiration for many minorities as well as the LGBT community. He has created one solo album as well as worked on 3 Brockhampton albums with his bandmates. Abstract has created a huge following along with his band that has recently begun to spur his fame as they are now being featured on MTV and even beat N.E.R.D's album streams in the same week of release.

     

     My last source of inspiration for the male lead character is Frank Ocean. Also being a member of the LGBT community, Ocean has been seen to be a huge supporter of the movement as he is homosexual himself. Ocean has 3 released projects, which have gained him a Grammy award. He has also previously written songs for famous artists such as Beyonce, and even was a part of Los Angeles based rap collective "ODD FUTURE" with bandmates Earl Sweatshirt and Tyler the Creator. Ocean decided to also produce other forms of media to demonstrate his artistic vision, that being a visual album to pair with the release of Blonde, as well as a magazine named "Boys Don't Cry."

What these artists have in common, is how they are able to emotionally connect with their audiences through several means. Them being able to speak on such real topics, and go against the trends in order to create new trends has had a profound impact on their careers that has led to success in their fields. With that being said, I chose for these characters to be the guidelines in how the lead character (who will be named at a later date along with the other characters in the intro) will be depicted to audiences.

Inspirations for Film

03/03

     As I had previously mentioned, I had begun watching productions that were closely linked to our film opening idea. Of all that I had watched, I became fond of Detroit and Fruitvale Station. Detroit and Fruitvale Station have the closest similarity in which they both deal with police brutality as they are an example of biographical dramas, as they are based on real events of police brutality that resulted in the death of minorities. What appealed to me, was how both pieces were given the proper exposition, creating a bond between the audience and the characters, creating empathy and distaste for the actions of the police officers.

     After analyzing this clip, it is evident the effects of using a two shot at a close up to depict the relationship between a father and his daughter. This becomes important as it not only grows the audiences affection with the character, but adds to the empathetic feelings of the audience as the police brutality commences.

     Detroit employs a similar technique to allow the audience to feel empathetic towards the characters and their misfortune even before the police brutality is introduced, as it allows them to get a bigger reaction out of it. In Detroit however, exposition is given in the point of view of several characters as it not only created a bond with each one of them, but as well as further elucidating the idea of police brutality being even more malevolent and disturbing than imagined.

     This clip from Detroit works to add a personal feel to the character. It allows the audience to see his hopes and dreams being so close, just to be taken away from him. This scene is important as it demonstrates how the environment controls the character and his actions as well. This technique could prove useful as it can be a way to shape the character to not only capture the hearts of the audience quickly, as it is only 2 minutes long, but as well as being able to accurately appeal to the target audience.

Genre Research

03/02

     As I had mentioned in my previous post, my group and I had decided that creating a drama based on a fictional death of an African American man at the hands of a police officer would greatly work to capture the attention of our intended audience. For this reason, I have looked into the types of dramas and how we can use specific trends to appeal to the audience. I have found that crime dramas and biographical dramas are mostly used when referring to this type of story. These types of dramas largely appeal to the elements of the law enforcement, corruption, and the suspense or tragic death of a character. This also aids in reinforcing the severity of the topic and allows the themes of the film to become deeper intertwined with the tone. I have also attached an article that describes how to write a dramatic production, including everything from dialogue techniques and its effect on mood. This article can be found here.

Introduction of Topic and Intended Audience

02/28   
   
      Hello, my name is Andres Padilla, and I will be creating a film intro where my group and I have chosen to create a two-minute film opening where we will be focusing on the idiosyncrasies of police force in the United States, and how brutality is exerted on a group of individuals for said reason. This being said, we have begun viewing many pieces with similar topics and themes that we have believed to be the best choices in appealing to the intended audience. For this movie, we have chosen to market this film towards minority groups from the ages of 15-38 as the topic manner is highly graphic and intense for younger generations. The choice of appealing to minority groups has been decided due to the direct importance to said minorities and the protests that have been rampant as a result of unjust killings of unarmed minorities at the hand of police forces.