Making Timeline

Making Timeline

 Establishing a timeline in this class has become a thing I've needed to do after our first ever project. If there is not a backbone to my planning, I will be stressing to complete things the night before or even having to make last minute adjustments. This project is over a course of 7 weeks, and I know for a fact I will be stressing without a timeline.

Breakdown of timeline:

Research

•   Research some movie film openings related to the genre I choose and get inspiration from these film openings.
•  Research ways to develop a story and idea throughout the film opening. 
•  Research resources possibly needed to film the opening.

 Planning of timeline:

• Come up with idea after inspiration 

• Sound effects/Soundtrack 

•  Storyboard 

• Choose location and date flexible for filming 

• Decide whether we need outside actors 

•  Put all film together and edit project

 Production

• Film scenes  

•  Film and record foley/sound

Editing

• Apply and edit all footage together 
•  Add credits and producers' names

Critical Creative Reflection

• Research necessary info
• Put it all together 

•  Finalize it
• Publish it 

Portfolio Project Genre #2

 The Genre of Action:

Target Audience

The typical target audience of the action genre is usually 15-35 years old or teen to young adults. It appeals more to a male audience as well because of the fast-paced camera shots, action happening, and typical strong protagonists.

Genre Conventions with Content:

Conventions with content typically include high stakes and man vs man conflict that are centered around a main heroic protagonist who faces many obstacles, a clear antagonist that represent threats, themes that typically include justice, revenge, and sacrifice, and finally intense sets that often include fight scenes, car chases, and even huge explosion seen in movies like The Dark Knight. Sub-genres typically included are things likes superhero's, military, and action thrillers. All of these sub-genres typically include protagonists who have moral responsibility.

The Dark Knight

Genre Conventions with Techniques:

Action films typically rely on techniques to really give the movie that thriller and excitement feeling. Techniques typically included are rapid editing to develop intensity, tracking shots and handheld shots for ultra realism, close ups and extreme close ups to emphasize pain and expressions, and non-diegetic music for tension. This appeals to me for my project because I feel I can edit well enough to build excitement and develop a full theme within 2 minutes using all these various techniques.

Institutional Conventions:

Action films often associate themselves with high budget productions from major studios, structured by a straightforward narrative with a climax and resolution, built around a star actor, and usually developed into big name franchises. Conventions include trailers emphasizing stunts, posters with the protagonist, cross media synergy, and global marketing.

John Wick

Portfolio Project Genre #1

 The Genre of Horror.

A sub-genre of horror may possibly consider would be found footage horror or psychological horror. Although Mrs. Stoklosa advised us to stay away from the horror genre; I may want to try to create a masterpiece of an opening that may scale away from other more boring openings seen in the past.  

-REC
Foreman, A. (2025, October 9). The 25 best found footage movies ever made. IndieWire. https://www.indiewire.com/gallery/best-found-footage-movies/

Target Audience, Conventions Associated with Content and Techniques

The genre of horror typically attracts audiences that are younger towards their 25's and under and some middle age older people but the majority of young people. People who are attracted to suspense and psychological exploitation. The opening will most likely, but not definitely, feature a suspenseful scene that never reaches its climax or a cruel a brutal opening featuring the main antagonist. Conventions used with this content are typically low-key lighting, major mis-es-scene and props, and more non-diegetic dialogue and less soundtrack. Actors I will possibly need will be people who can give genuine reactions while acting that make it seem like ultra realism creating that shock and unsettling feeling. According to Moments Cameras, there a plethora of budget cameras that can achieve the found footage quality I will be looking for. Disturbing found footage tapes I may be inspired by are some like V/H/S, REC, as above so below, The Blair Witch Project, and even a short horror film named No Through Road made in 2009 published on YouTube. Found footage horror only uses handheld POV shots that illustrate the people around the Filmer typically. 

Institutional Conventions

Institutional conventions typically associated with the horror genre are things like imagery on posters that stand out from others and trailers that emphasize the poster but also display the films intensity. Typical CGI effects are mainly utilized in the preview and low to mid budget openings. Horror is a predominantly October special and companies utilize that by posting trailers during the festive spirit. Expectations are also a no brainer in horror usually expecting a main and clear threat of an antagonist, build up of danger, confrontation of danger, and overcoming the fear of danger. 

Gonjiam Haunted Asylum

RedditorUsername. (2025, January). Beat boxing possessed girl in Gonjiam [Online forum post]. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/foundfootage/comments/1ix0b75/beat_boxing_possessed_girl_in_gonjia/

Transitioning to Portfolio Project

 Hello Camidge, film openings are critical to helping establish the tone of a movie. In many instances, movies will most likely open with certain mis-en-scene or various colors to establish the mood trying to be set. The main goal is to illustrate the genre, if the audience doesn't know what genre they are watching within the first 2-3 minutes of the film, the opening has failed to develop. Dialogue is also crucial to establishing characters and it develops background. Without dialogue, you would have to infer most of what you're watching such as conflicts. 

I plan to develop my idea of a film opening by researching every genre that I'm interested in, and I will take the top ones on my list and dive deeper and research sub-genres that fall under the genres I'm interested in and in the end, I will make an adaptation of ideas I create in storyboards etc. I will approach this project as if I were trying to find the right people to act in the film opening and I will have open arms from friends or peers to have feedback on ideas. Although Mrs. Stoklosa has advised against the horror genre, I feel that I have a very creative mind, and I think I have the capabilities to impress her and Cambridge in ways they never thought of. I know it will be hard but I'm willing to put countless hours' time trying to achieve this. I feel I'm more likely to establish a character vs. character conflict although my film opening will most like include multiple people against one.