#17 Watching and Analyzing

    Hey everyone, welcome back to my blog! I'm here with another post, and today we'll be discussing the opening sequences of horror films and examining if I might incorporate any of their techniques into my group's two-minute opening.

    Let's start with the first film I watched, "Get Away: Get Ready for a Killer Holiday" (2024). The opening two minutes establish a dark and eerie mood on the remote Swedish island, Svälta. The Smith family—Richard, Susan, and their children, Sam and Jessie—arrive to encounter hostile locals. The dim lighting, thick fog, and unsettling soundtrack create a creepy atmosphere. Close-ups and quick cuts emphasize the family's discomfort and the locals' strange behavior, suggesting that their vacation will not be as peaceful as they had hoped. This opening effectively grabs the audience's attention and sets the stage for the unfolding horror.

    Next, the first two minutes of "Bloody Axe Wound" (2024) establish a dark and eerie mood. We are introduced to Emily, a young woman reluctantly taking on her father's deadly profession. The dim lighting and shadowy setting create a creepy atmosphere as she prepares for her first night on the job. The locals' suspicious and uneasy behavior adds to the tension. Close-ups and quick cuts emphasize Emily's nervousness and the locals' strange reactions. The unsettling music and the distant howling wind enhance the suspense, hinting at themes of coming-of-age and danger. This opening effectively grabs the audience's attention and sets the stage for the unfolding horror.

    Finally, the first two minutes of "The First Omen" (2024) establish a chilling and ominous mood. The scene opens on a dark, stormy night at a grand old mansion surrounded by an eerie forest. We are introduced to Dr. Emily Warren as she investigates strange occurrences. Dim lighting, flashes of lightning, and unsettling music enhance the suspense. Close-ups and quick cuts highlight her anxiety, while distant thunder adds to the tension, hinting at themes of supernatural horror and foreboding. This opening effectively grabs the audience's attention and sets the stage for the unfolding horror.

*These three films provide valuable insights for my project as they showcase techniques that I can incorporate into my own two-minute extract. Each film effectively utilizes lighting, sound, and cinematography to create suspense and tension, which are crucial elements for a captivating horror opening.

#16 Theories

    Hey everyone, welcome back to my blog! I'm here with another post, and today we'll be discussing theories and how they are utilized in filmmaking to analyze, understand, and interpret media texts and their effects on the audience.

    Theories help us explore how media messages are created, how they communicate meaning, and how they influence or reflect society. Examples include theories on representation, audience reception, narrative structure, and genre conventions. These theories provide frameworks for critically examining various aspects of media, from production to consumption.

Here are three ways an audience might interpret a media text according to Reception Theory:

1. Dominant reading: The audience agrees with the creator's message.

2. Oppositional reading: The audience disagrees and interprets it differently.

3. Negotiated reading: The audience partially agrees but also has their own interpretation.

    According to Agenda Setting Theory, media institutions play a crucial role in shaping public perception by determining which issues are deemed important and how they are portrayed. For example, if the news extensively covers climate change, the public will perceive it as a significant issue.

    All of this information is crucial for any film being made or written, including my project. It's valuable to understand what THEORY is and its purpose in analyzing media texts.

According to Agenda Setting Theory, media institutions play a crucial role in shaping public perception by determining which issues are deemed important and how they are portrayed. For example, if the news extensively covers climate change, the public will perceive it as a significant issue.

#15 CCR Brainstorming (draft)

    Hey everyone, welcome back to my blog! I'm here with another post, and today we'll be discussing my plans for the CCR and providing some information about what a CCR entails.

    A CCR must be exactly seven minutes long; if it is shorter or longer, it will not be accepted or marked. The maximum score for the CCR is 20 points, which I am aiming to achieve. To do this, I plan to create two or even four videos—one for each question, which I have detailed in another blog post that I will link at the end of this one.
    

    For the first video, my idea is to conduct a movie premiere-style Q&A, with my voice asking myself the questions. I believe this is a unique approach that no one else has done, and it aligns well with film work. I will need to film this in a dark room with focused lighting on me, record my voice for the audio, and use a tripod along with some lighting equipment.

Example of first CCR video:

    For my second CCR video, I plan to create an informative video similar to the style of YouTube bloggers. In this format, my face will appear on one side of the screen while the rest of the screen is filled with information. I got this idea from a YouTuber I watch named Dr. Hayley, and I will show you one of her videos at the end. She is very creative, so to earn all the points, I need to be equally creative.

Example of first CCR video:

Now I will be showing you the 4 important questions that must be answered:

1. How does your product use or challenge conventions, and how does it represent social groups or issues?
2. How does your product engage with audiences, and how would it be distributed as a real media text?
3. How did your production skills develop throughout this project?
4. How did you integrate technology- software, hardware & online-in this project?

#14 Research on Moods & Tones

    Hey everyone, welcome back to my blog! I'm here with another post, and today we'll be discussing some research I've conducted on the mood and tone of horror movies, specifically focusing on the opening sequences.

    In the first two minutes of a horror movie, the mood is typically dark, creepy, and tense. Directors use dim lighting, shadowy visuals, and eerie music to set the scene. The setting is usually a spooky place like an abandoned house or a dark forest.

    The tone can vary. For psychological horror, the opening might depict a character's fear and paranoia, with unsettling music and strange visuals to create suspense. In slasher films, it might begin with a sudden, violent event to shock the audience and set the tone for the rest of the film.

    Sound and music are crucial elements. The opening might feature eerie soundtracks, sudden loud noises, or even complete silence to build anticipation. Themes of death, the supernatural, and the unknown are introduced through symbols like blood, shadows, and creepy visuals.

    Overall, the first two minutes are designed to capture the audience's attention and set the stage for the rest of the film, creating a sense of unease and anticipation right from the start.

#13 Team members & Roles

    Hey everyone, welcome back to my blog! I'm here with another post, and today we'll be discussing my team members and their roles in our two-minute movie opening.

    First things first, let's start with who is in my group for our two-minute movie opening. The team consists of me Gabriela Correa, Madison Velazquez, Nicole Gonzalez, and Madison Anglin. This is our entire group, and so far, we have done an excellent job organizing ourselves and keeping each other on track with work and blog posts. For me, working in a group makes things much easier and lighter because everyone contributes their talents and hard work to the project.

    What's better than one great mind? Four great minds! Having more people in a project enhances everything tenfold. While one person focuses on the genre, another can concentrate on camera work, and others can handle editing, making the workload more manageable. Besides making things easier, I may not be as skilled at editing as my other group members, and that's fine because I can learn and get help to improve our group's work. Or maybe I'm great at acting while others are not as much, and that's okay too.

    When everyone shares their talents and it all comes together, it can elevate a good project from excellent to amazing in less than a month's work, which would be challenging to achieve alone. Learning to collaborate with others can be a valuable learning experience and an opportunity to gain new skills from your group members. It's better to have more people and get things done well than to have fewer people and complete the work poorly.

What do you think? Is working in a group better? If not, give me a good reason and explanation for why you may think otherwise.

(Send your answers to): 0500077@students.dadeschools.net 

#12 Unit 6

    Hey guys, welcome back to my blog! I'm back with another post, and today we'll be talking about what I learned in unit 6 and why it's so important. After I'm done breaking down it down, I will be showing a picture of my actual notes taken with pencil and paper. 

Some good steps to planning:

• A production diary
• Contant sheet & Casting sessions
• Recce reports 
• Risk assessments 
• Flat plans for print production
• Storyboards
• Draft copy 

Four main questions for CCR's:

1. How does your product use or challenge conventions, and how does it represent social groups or issues?
2. How does your product engage with audiences, and how would it be distributed as a real media text?
3. How did your production skills develop throughout this project?
4. How did you integrate technology- software, hardware & online-in this project?

    It's a good idea to make two videos for your CCR instead of making one so you could get as much points as you can!

(20 points)

    Both videos need to equal to 7 min at most 

        - my first video I want it to look like a movie premier question type of thing.

    Intro needs to be 2 min minimum & 2min, 10 seconds at most!

Now time to show you mine with my handwriting:

#11 What are we thinking?

    Hey everyone, welcome back to my blog! I'm here with another post, and today we'll be discussing what genre we should pick for our project. What genre would be good? What genre would people enjoy watching?

    These were all questions my group asked each other, and it took us some time to decide on a genre that would answer all these questions and more. Initially, I wanted to pick a coming-of-age film because it offers a compelling story and can go in various directions. For example, it could be about a girl facing high school bullies, losing someone while dealing with high school, or even being bullied in high school. There are so many possibilities in a young adult's life, providing endless options to explore.

    So, why did I change my mind, you might ask? Well, my entire group decided on horror, and I liked the idea too, so I never mentioned my initial idea. I felt that a coming-of-age film was somewhat basic and something everyone would do, so I went with horror as well. That's how we ended up choosing horror over a coming-of-age film. Horror films offer many possibilities too. For instance, a young teen exploring a deserted island only to discover zombies or spirits that haunt them until their death. There's just so much potential in the horror genre.

    My group and I are still working on discussing the story we want to create, but I believe it will be great because we have very creative minds. Horror is fascinating, and I'm making an effort to watch scary movies with my group that have different outcomes and stories behind them. This allows us to research these films and come to a consensus on what our two-minute horror opening will be about.

    By doing this, we can figure out what needs to be done to create an engaging opening that draws people in and makes them want to watch more than just the opening. It's important to know what the audience wants to see and what we would like to see in horror films and openings.

#10 Calendar To Perfection

    Hey everyone, welcome back to my blog! I'm here with another post, and today we'll be discussing the calendar my group created in class to help us stay on track and submit our two-minute movie opening on time without feeling rushed.

    My group and I designed a calendar that works for all of us, and we plan to stick to it to complete our project for our Media Studies Cambridge class in time. I'll be showing you what we'll be doing each month and how our calendar looks. We created the calendar using Canva, which made it easy to design while looking neat, cute, and professional all at once. Hopefully, this gives you an idea of how you can be more organized and submit projects or assignments on time.

    First, for January, we are starting off slowly by conducting research, brainstorming, and making the final decision on our genre. We ensured that we included some of the important tasks we must complete to maintain a good flow throughout the process. If we don't have a well-structured schedule, then nothing would get done, so it is very important, believe it or not.

    Next, for February, we've moved on to meeting updates to discuss filming dates, ensuring we have ample time to shoot and prepare everything for editing. We made sure to allocate sufficient time for reshoots in case any shots were filmed poorly, didn't turn out as expected, or experienced a malfunction. This approach allows us to maintain a smooth and efficient schedule without any last-minute rushes. 

    Lastly, for March, we will focus on starting and completing the editing process, which is crucial for several reasons. The primary reason for dedicating an entire month to editing is that it is essential for any film or video. Allocating this much time allows us to ensure that everything is perfect and that any necessary changes can be made. This way, we can guarantee that our final product is of the highest quality and meets all our expectations.

#9 Practice: Planning, Recording, and Finalizing

 

    Hey everyone, welcome back to my blog! I'm here with another post, and today we'll be discussing planning, recording, and finalizing.

    Okay, let's catch up. Mrs. Ortiz enrolled our entire media studies class in this huge worldwide contest. Cool, right? We had to create a news report about mental health, physical health, and, honestly, I forgot the third option. My group chose physical health, focusing on the negative effects of drinking. We produced a pretty cool news report that you can watch at the end of this blog.

    Now, I know you're thinking, "Gaby, what does this have to do with Cambridge?" Well, I'll tell you. If any of my classmates, including me, win this contest, we get more equipment for our class. We could receive GoPros, Fandango gift cards, and Peacock Premium vouchers for our outstanding video news reports on physical, mental, or financial well-being. This will help with the two-minute videos we need to submit for Cambridge. Better quality makes a significant difference, believe it or not, and every point is highly valued and appreciated.

    This assignment turned out to be a great opportunity for me. It gave me a chance to practice my editing skills and camera work. I used a tripod for the first time, set it up by myself, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Creating this news report gave me a real feel for what I'll be doing with my two-minute movie opening and taught me some valuable skills. I have a lot to learn, but this was a great start and was much needed.

    At the end, I will provide my video for you to see my work and the progress I've made. I came into my media studies class not knowing anything about editing or camera work. I remember being very nervous about this class and what it entailed, but I've learned so much. I feel like by the time my test is here, I will be able to relax and take it with confidence.

My News Report: