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

Summative Production Post

  As was previously stated, we were falling off schedule due to actor inavability. However, this past week, we "locked in" as the kids are saying, and finished filming!!! So to make up for all the production process documentation you've been dying to see, I'll be documenting a lot more today. Grab a bucket of popcorn and enjoy!

FAMILY PHOTOSHOOT

After meeting together at a local park, we worked towards getting some pleasant photos to frame in the house for the main scene and getting our actors to at least pretend to like each other for a few minutes. Here's how it turned out:

JD took the responsibility of editing these photos to give a more vintage aesthetic, and I think they turned out really great!

Finding the best balance between laughs, awkwardness, and hard work, I think these photos came out really well.

CHURCH DAY

Yes, we went back. By a strip of luck, as well as warmth and kindness, we were once again kindly granted permission by a local church called St. Bonaventure to film in their establishment. Me and JD are both incredibly thankful. Despite only needing a few seconds of footage, those few seconds are essential towards establishing context.

We chose to reshoot the match cut, but this time with a different, bigger crucifix in the church that we did not originally have access to. It definitely came out a lot cleaner and will make for a smoother transition.

MAIN SCENE

It's the moment you've all been waiting for. Right now. It's happening. IF YOU SMELLLLLLLLLL

Sorry. Seriously though, it's about time.

Here's a quick display of the table of memorabilia, including the pictures, props, and rosary beads I purchased. After some quick tinkering and furniture arrangement, we were off to the races.

This part took a bit, to say the least. Even with a storyboard and script, there was some improvisation involved in order to carry out me and JD's vision. After a few hours, we ran to Walgreens to pick up some food and uhh remember that pamphlet I was so excited about? Well, I might have forgotten to print it out (oops) but hey, we assaulted two birds in one Walgreens trip!

One difficulty we encountered was the inherent instability of filming with a tripod and a phone alone. However, in some instances we decided to embrace it and use it to our advantage, like in this shot, where it actually adds to the chaotic environment:

WE DID IT! We actually finished filming. I feel like I can do anything. Now, after spending the next few days on editing and sound, we can finally get to work on CCR production. We are so close yet so far.

Erica'sPhotoshoot.jpg

We finished Erica's photoshoot, and got some nice shots to use within the credit sequence as well for Christopher to burn (yikes) at the end of the opening.

Between these two shots, which we decided were the best of the bunch, the top one has more of the look we're going for. The pleasant scenery in the background highlights how vibrant and loving of a person she was, and has more of the vibe of a picture that would be stared at by a mourning husband who misses her deeply.

Through the pleasant scenery of my backyard, JD's phone, our actor's 90's vibe, and being bothered by my dog on occasion, we were able to get some shots that we were really happy with.

The internet is a wonderful place with many video game sites, online communities, and places like Vsauce's YouTube channel. 

More importantly, there a bunch of free resources online to put filters on photos to give them a certain aesthetic. For example, imgonline.tools has plenty of filters, from noise, to vintage, all the way to Polaroid.

Before:

After:

Ultimately, we have completed a very crucial aspect of the production process, despite limited actor availability. Next week, we are taking advantage of our free time and locking in on bringing the production process to an end. See you then!

The Match Cut Ultimatum

 Today, after calling ahead and asking for permission, we stopped by the St. Bonaventure Church in Davie, Florida, to film the match cut of the crucifix in our opening. I'm stuck between two options, so come along and help me decide.

Immediately, the second option is clearly more vibrant and colorful. While it is more visually captivating, I'm not sure it's what we're looking for exactly. Additionally, the cut would be less continuous as the shapes are not obviously similar, and the colors would be juxtaposed.

We are using a crucifix like this as a prop, for reference.

The first option would match this crucifix above a lot better and establish a greater sense of continuity and smoothness within the opening. Despite not necessarily being the most visually jarring or juxtaposing, it will serve it's purpose. It will smoothly link the present to the past, highlighting the opposition between Christopher and Belle regarding how they would like to move on, or stay attached to it.

Out of these two options, I feel as if the first works better, as it would match the mood of the opening better and not provide to stark of a contrast between the cross and the crucifix. While the second is more "cinematic" and vibrant, it's not necessarily what we are going for within our opening. Therefore, I can say with almost certainty that we've found the final footage to use for the match cut in our opening. That was a lot easier than I thought.