Potential CCR Ideas

Two potential ideas I had for the CCR are creating a visual podcast, as well as a celebrity sidewalk interview.

The visual podcast would take inspiration from the Joe Rogan Experience and Bad Friends podcasts, incorporating music, advertisements, and additional media into the podcast. Me and JD would likely both end up using this approach but switch between asking and answering questions for our own CCRs.

The quick cuts and shot/countershot technique work to keep the audience engaged and even highlight humorous dialogue and facial expressions, so this is something I can be sure to implement into my project.

The introductions to these podcasts are often thought to be iconic, so I must be sure to find a song that fits and matches the overall aesthetic.

The celebrity sidewalk interview would take inspiration from popular TikTok content, in which people walk up to strangers on the sidewalk and ask what song they're listening to. It takes this premise, and combines it with regular celebrity interviews, in which important questions are asked and answered in a relatively brief, concise way.

This approach to answering 2 CCR questions is a lot more fantastical, in which I'll pretend to be a celebrity renowned filmmaker and play a character. I feel that this will produce fun, engaging content, and when paired with layering on screen visuals that tie into what I am describing, will be all the more engaging.

 

Overall, now that I have my 2 ideas for the CCR and concluded my research for all questions, the production process should be over quite shortly. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

CCR Question #4

 How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?

Hardware

Some of the key examples of hardware technologies I used within this project are an iPhone 13 Pro for filming, and a tripod for stabilization purposes. The iPhone was convenient and sufficient in producing satisfactory quality for footage, and I was already familiar, instead of having to learn how to properly operate a camera. The tripod was necessary in ensuring the instability of certain shots did not grow overbearing.

Software

Some software products that I used were Adobe Premier Pro to edit the footage and create the soundscape, Blackmagic Cam to enable myself with more camera control options on an iPhone, and Ableton Live to elongate the song we used - "Sleepless" by Diffie Bosman. Already having experience with Premier after using it in past projects like the Music Marketing Project, I felt comfortable using it and ran into minimal difficulty. Blackmagic Cam is a free app that was downloaded onto the iPhone, allowing many advanced camera options like frame rate, image quality, and even tint. And the best part? It was free! Finally, after using Ableton Live in the past for recreational music creation purposes, I found it quite easy and convenient to use, as  I discussed on my March 7th post.

Online 

Last but not least, many online tools were used in this project, including Blogger, Google Docs to access the script, and YouTube to access the SFX for editing the soundscape. Numerous online tools were used for a variety of reasons along the way to help bring the film opening to life.

Clearly, a variety of tools in different forms were utilized along the way, and all were crucial in creating the finalized product.

CCR Question #3

How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

My productions skills developed greatly throughout the course of this project. At the start of this school year, I was a complete noob at anything related to film besides sitting down and watching them. I had no idea of the amount of critical thought and intentional choices behind every single frame of a film. After this project, I can confidently say that I have a far better understanding of just how much effort goes into a mere 2 minutes of film.

Working with someone as experienced and motivated as my partner without a doubt played a huge role in bettering my skills as both a director and editor. At the start of this project, I didn't even know where to begin with how to write a script, or direct people. Being able to collaborate and see how someone with so much experience went about doing these things were huge learning experiences for me. Throughout the project, I gained a lot more confidence as a writer and director and I can't wait to use all the knowledge that was shared with me in future projects.

Additionally, through many trials and tribulations, my production skills developed for the better as a result. I learned that planning is key, except when it isn't. Planning elements like scripting and storyboarding are great tools for bringing something to life in my head, but sometimes something can turn out to be impractical, like a certain shot, or a character's delivery. I learned that not all goes according to plan, but this can open new doors that weren't even considered in the first place.

For example, in this blog post, I discussed the process of deciding to incorporate a handheld tracking shot due to the instability of using a phone to record. This is a key example of a learning experience, in which I gained that film directing is not entirely planned out, but rather some of the best ideas come from the heat and excitement of the moment.

Last, I learned that my personal favorite aspect, and what I feel most comfortable doing, is sound design. I was put in charge of this element of post production, and I absolutely loved it. Finding just the right combination of sounds and levels to bring the film opening to life was quite an enjoyable experience. 

Overall, this project only allowed me to grow my production skills in positive directions, and I'm sure that the knowledge I gained will be used to my advantage in the future.

Grail, F. (2024). Cinema Audience Demographics Analysis: Insights & Data. Filmgrail. https://filmgrail.com/blog/cinema-audience-demographics-analysis-insights-and-data/

Thriller film market size, scope, growth, trends and forecast. Verified Market Research. (2024, October 10). https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/product/thriller-film-market/

CCR Question #2

Hello again! Today, let's do some research to help answer the second CCR question:

How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?

First, let's start with a quick breakdown of the target audience for psychological dramas. Being the lovechild of two very different genres, dramas and psychological thrillers, research has shown that in terms of age range, there is quite an overlap. Psychological thrillers tend to reach an age range of those aged 18-35, with a keen interest in substantial narratives, complex characters, and suspense. Dramas at large tend to reach a far broader audience of those aged from 25 up to 50, with the more specific limitations depending on the content within the film. The coming of age elements of They Lay In a Pool of Blood That Is Not Their Own! will make the film more appealing to young adults aged 18-25, so this will be the most definite age range of our target audience. 

Our film would engage with the target audience due to the implementation of key characteristics discussed in all three genres. This includes complex characters who undergo great development throughout the story, heavy, substantial narratives that tackle real-world issues, and an unapologetically frank approach to the discussion of these issues. Films like Skinamarink (2022) and American History X (1998) tackle real world issues such as racism and child endangerment in a bleak, unfluffed way, and our film does the same. Both Christopher and Belle undergo great development throughout the film, and their complexity makes it difficult to even understand the motivations behind their actions at times. Our film tackles the topic of religion, as I previously discussed, and the solemn, bleak tone throughout adds to the realistic approach to tackling this topic.

Our film would be distributed on YouTube initially, and after gaining enough traction would be submitted to local film festivals such as the Miami Film Festival and Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. Films like Tangerine (2015) have gone this route, being released on YouTube initially, eventually making it to one of America's biggest film festivals, the Sundance Film Festival, and then receiving widespread acclaim from critics and audiences. 

CCR Question 1 Research

 How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?

The main genre present within They Lay in a Pool of Blood That is Not Their Own! is coming of age, while there are some conventions relating to the drama and psychological drama world as well.

Coming-of-age films are universally known for revolving around a teenage protagonist and cherishing the beauty of growing up, including the hardships that come with it, as they eventually lead to the main character being a more mature, wholistic person. 

We are essentially on the road to following this aspect, then popping a complete U-ey (making a U-turn), as we essentially leave the opposite message. At the end of the film, Belle is lost. She has developed a fueling resentment towards Christianity and anything associated with it, her father, and anyone she has ever known. She feels lost and betrayed as she feels her dad forced her into a life of being bullied and oppressed by her peers, and she associates all of her anger back to the religion she now feels she was forced into. As a result of maturing, Belle's life has worsened, and her reality has been destroyed to the point where she can't be a functioning member of society and decides to burn down the village her father moved them to.

(I didn't know what to put)

Some conventions we have followed, however, are within the psychological drama world, as some key conventions are the occurrence of a traumatic event early into the film, setting the tone for what's to come, and themes of isolation and descent into madness. Christopher burning the picture of his wife is deeply traumatic towards Belle, as it serves as a turning point where she truly realizes how alone she is in trying to remain attached to her deceased mom, reflecting themes of isolation.

Additionally, a further convention of dramas at large is the crucial role of the soundtrack. In our opening, Diffie Bosman's "Sleepless" will be heard throughout, and will be crucial in furthering our solemn, bleak tone.

Our film tackles the social issue of Christianity, as well as the ethical issues it brings about. The Christian "getaway" is a representation of the dedication select groups have towards the religion that is prioritized above all else.

The Christian community is represented in a variety of ways in our film, as to Belle, it is eventually resented, as we have discussed. In this way, the film may even be understood as a means of othering Christians as immoral and detached from ethical standards.

However, to Christopher, it is the only way he saw possible of escaping the darkness he was trapped in after losing his beloved wife. Christianity was quite literally his escape. Without it, it is impossible to know where he would have ended up. In this way, Christianity is cherished as a means of escaping the horrors of everyday life, and to Christians, it brings them closer to their God as well. Clearly, Christianity is represented in a dualistic way that is heavily open to the interpretation of our audience.

PLEASE understand that in no way, shape, or form is this film an attack on Christianity. AT ALL. In fact, neither me nor JD consider ourselves to be religious to any extent. It is simply an extrapolation of observations we have made and ideas of ours. An assessment and exploration of the lengths those who follow God will go to stay as close to him as they perceive to be possible, even if it means abandoning the memories of those they love.

Foleyoley

 So me and JD have decided that in terms of post-production, we would go 50-50 and he would handle the footage side of things, and I would handle the sound side of things. As I sit around, waiting impatiently for the edited footage to create the soundscape to, I can't help but get started on some foley sound design, and what better place to go than YouTube?

I had previously found some copyright-free SFX to use in post-production in past YouTube excursions, so today I'll show you what they look like over the big climax: the picture burning.

Here's the original video with original sound:

And below are some pre-recorded foley SFX I had planned on using from YouTube:

When editing, I felt that the soundscape was a little too dull. While the overall tone of the opening is rather solemn and dull, the soundscape was a little too monotonous. So, I decided to add two new sounds: breathing and a very subtle heartbeat. The heartbeat would make the scene a little more suspenseful without being too obvious. It's more felt than it is heard. The breathing gives the impression that the shot is almost a POV shot of Christian, placing the viewer in his perspective and forcing one to attempt to reason and sympathize with his cruel, inconceivable actions.

And here's the final footage:

It's quite possible I might make some subtle tweaks in the future, as I'm attempting to work around not having completely edited footage yet. However, as I continue to set the foundation for the sound design for individual shots, moving the sound designs over will be seamless.

Choppin' Up

 I've always considered myself more of a guitarist than a DJ, but here I've found myself needing to act as one for the sake of my film opening. Remember this song?

Well, as it turns out, after only 15 seconds of music, the drums come in. Yikes. Don't get me wrong, I love some good drums, but this would really ruin the tone we were aiming for in our opening. We're aiming for something more on the chill/ambient side. So, I'll try my very best to edit this into something a little longer that we can work with using Ableton Live.

After many trials and tribulations, I managed to near perfectly loop just the first 10 opening seconds and extend it to about 2 minutes. We don't necessarily need all this time, but it would be great to have more to play with as we continue along the post-production process. 

I also elected to add some additional channels for delay and reverb as well to create a bigger, warmer sound than the original, as well as to make it less monotonous. Overall, now that the dull tone-establishing foundation has been completed, I can't wait to see how this track and the footage complement each other.

Royalty Free Music: https://www.bensound.com

License code: 55FTSLLQWL3ZWB5M