Film Project Research: Point Break

Point Break (1991) is an American-produced crime/thriller film starring Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves. The film begins with a close-up shot of the ocean. The opening credits overlap with footage of a man surfing a wave and then another man shooting a gun at targets. There is a clear connection between the man wielding the gun and the surfers but little else is able to be interpreted from the opening scene creating an air of mystery. Although little is elaborated upon in the first two minutes of the film, it is an effective opening to draw in the reader due to the curiosity it presents to the audience. A non-continuity editing technique is used in this scene in order to connect two items that would normally not be seen together; in this case, the surfers and the man wielding the gun. The opening jumps from one scene to the next rather rapidly. The director was extremely meticulous with the design of the opening credits. He used a variety of editing techniques to make the text fade in and out as well as slide across the screen. Incidental music is combined with dim lighting and colors to create an air of mystery and suspense, as if something is building. Upon release, the film made 83.5 million in the box office, the film itself costing only 24 million to produce.

Film Project Research: Fast and Furious 5 (Fast Five)

The Fast and the Furious is an American action series. It revolves around illegal street racing as well as heists. The first film of the franchise was released in 2001. In total, the series is composed of 8 movies as well as two short films. The ninth sequel is in construction currently and is planned to be released in 2020. The movie from this series my group chose to research was Fast Five. This film opens with clips of street racing. Three cars are involved as well as a prison bus. The three drivers of the cars are speeding in an attempt to catch up with the prisoners on the bus. The road is very long and winding and seems to stretch on for miles. The cars are maneuvering the bus as an attempt to make it crash. The bus driver must swerve to avoid the cars, causing it to flip over. This film creates an effective opening by establishing a clear conflict and series of events that can be built on.  The street racers evidently have a negative involvement with the law and are attempting to set free prisoners. Without any dialogue present, the focus of the scene is still clear and the audience is able to formulate the basis of the movie's plot. The movie incorporated various filming techniques and camera shots to emphasize mood, setting, and atmosphere. For example, the movie begins with several shots of the area in which the opening scene is taking place. The scene was shot on location which appeared to be a vast, desert. The setting is rather rustic and shows the span of the long road on which the street racing will take place. The scene goes on to provide shots of the characters involved in the opening scene. This includes the car drivers as well as the prisoners and prison bus driver. This provides the audience with a more personal representation of the movie's cast. The main focus of the scene is on the cars' movements. To capture this element in the most invigorating way possible, the director had the filming crew use camera shots in front of as well as behind the vehicles. The sounds of the cars are amplified and combined with intense, incidental music to create a fast, exciting pace similar to the emotions the drivers themselves are going through as adrenaline pumps through their bodies. The film was highly successful upon release in the box office. The film made a gross profit of 626.1 million dollars and also won a Teen Choice Award for best action/adventure film.

Adjustment in Project

I have decided to switch my project from a magazine to a film. After communicating with two other individuals (Josh and Cierra) that are in my AICE Media Studies class I have decided to join their group and contribute to their development of a short film. Our group consists of four members, Josh, Cierra, Trey, and myself. We have planned to make a short film with a main focus on cars, particularly street racing. We are using movies such as the popular series,  The Fast and the Furious as inspiration. With all of us collaborating and providing our individual talents, I believe we will be able to come up with an interesting and creative final product. After watching a variety of films and TV shows in my media studies class, I have come to understand many elements of film production. I have learned about the various methods of lighting, camera angles, implementation of music, editing, sound techniques, and more. All of these aspects will be very useful when carrying out filming and editing for our project. Josh will help by instructing and managing the group as the group leader. I will contribute by brainstorming ideas. Cierra will help with editing and acting in the film. Trey will also be an actor in the film. With the work load evenly distributed I believe that we can complete the project quickly and efficiently.

Project Selection - My Decision

I have decided to choose the magazine project based on my own personal interest and background knowledge on the areas of film and print. I work best independently because I like to have complete control over what I am working on. I believe I focus most efficiently on my own without distractions which would allow for me to create the best final product. A magazine is a much simpler task to complete on your own compared to a film project which requires a variety of team members to carry out various tasks such as acting, filming, and editing. I intend to implement a large amount of photography into my magazine to draw in the reader and provide an eye-catching, visually appealing, presentation. I am not positive of what type of genre my magazine will fall under, but at the moment I am leaning towards a fashion spread. I find magazines like Vogue enticing and hope to replicate something along the lines of their editions. I plan on interviewing a few, select individuals that have been involved with the fashion industry throughout their lives. I plan on taking vibrant, artistic pictures that express the power of fashion within a single, frozen image.

Project Selection - Film

Over the past few months, I have spent time viewing a variety of films in my AICE Media Studies class. The purpose of watching these films was to explore the vast techniques used in developing and producing a memorable film. We watched critically acclaimed movies including Ferris Bueller's Day Off and All the President's Men. These films gave me a better understanding of just how much goes into the production of a film. I learned about the different types of lighting to create different moods, the use of incidental music to impose feelings on the audience, various camera angles to get all sorts of shots such as wide-depth or short-depth, the use of sound overlaps, and many more filming techniques. Watching behind the scenes clips allowed me to explore the production team itself, including cast members, directors, and editors. A film is a joint effort, involving a variety of people. It requires coordination and cooperation to be developed.

Project Selection - Magazine

Based off of personal interest and what I have studied so far in AICE Media Studies, I believe the magazine project is the better option for me. I find journalism fascinating. After viewing the Newsroom in class, I was able to receive more insight into the production process of articles. The show demonstrated the importance of entertainment, relevance, performance, and appearance when it comes to filming and printing forms of media. In order for magazines to appeal to a specific audience, they must be visually appealing, creative, and interesting enough to draw in a large viewing audience. The first thing I notice about a magazine is the cover. The cover emphasizes the drastic effect photography can have on a target audience. I have always loved photography and admired the capability a powerful image possesses when it comes to drawing in a reader. A successful cover will not only attract buyers, but it should also efficiently represent all of the content that the magazine has to offer behind the cover. I work best alone because I prefer to have full responsibility over the final product of what I am trying to accomplish. A film project requires more of a group effort, therefore I believe the magazine would be a better option when working independently.