Portfolio Project Blog: Research #1

Welcome to my blog! This is where I will be posting all of my research, tribulations, and everything involved with the process of creating my film opening! In this blog, I will be outlining the key elements of some films that I watched that embody the overall theme, plot and creative direction of my film opening. Let's get into it!

First I need to tell you what the genre of my film opening will be. The genre of the opening is definitely going to be thriller/ crime but I'm still debating if I should make a film opening where the group of characters introduced in the opening is bad guys trying to seek revenge on wealthy people in their town that are responsible for the death of their group's leader or good guys trying to avenge victims of wrongdoings. Either way, the characters are going to be avengers (minus the superpowers like in marvel). The film will also have a heavy female presence so all of the cast will be females.

GENRE

Characteristics of the thriller genre: The thriller genre revolves around suspense and anticipation. The whole purpose of thrillers is to keep the audience on the edge of their seat and evoke a certain emotion. Thrillers tend to have a protagonist and an antagonist, the protagonist is trying to prevent the antagonist's evil plans from transpiring.

Characteristics of the crime genre: The crime genre is all about debating between right and wrong, good and evil, and the judgment of one's morality. There is going to be the criminal/ villain and the good guy/ superhero but depending on whose perspective the film is focusing on, the whole story will differ. Obviously, this genre includes elements of lawbreaking and legal issues, hence the name of the genre. the crime(s) committed are usually the center of the narrative and shapes the plot.


Something that I definitely want to implement into the film opening is a voice-over narration by the main protagonist introducing all of the other characters that are important to developing the plot of the opening. I will most likely incorporate flashbacks while the narrator is giving background information on all of the characters in the opening. The closest example of how I want to have this element in my film opening is from the 2016 film "Suicide Squad" directed by David Ayer.

                                              


At the beginning of the film, the viewer is introduced to two characters (Will Smith and Margot Robbie's characters) that are in jail and you see what life is like for them in jail as a fugitive, the dynamics of the relationships they have with the staff at the jail, and how each of them behave behavioral wise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OORTGT36Pw

In the scene following this part of the opening, at around 5 minutes into the movie, the actual introduction of all of these characters occurs. A woman is going through each of the criminal's profiles and narrating their lives, personality traits, the crimes they've committed, etc. during this part. I want to implement this type of narration because I think it does a fantastic job giving the viewer enough information about the characters to satisfy their inquisition while also keeping the mystery alive.

The first film that I will be going into detail about is the 2018 film "Oceans 8" directed by Gary Ross. I chose to research this film because it capitalized on girl power and female empowerment.  Unfortunately, a lot of people, men in particular, are misogynistic and don't think women are capable of certain things,  like being criminal masterminds, because of their gender. Even though the women in the film were all criminals working in a highly complex robbery operation, the movie still managed to make the viewer watching aware of the fact that women should not be underestimated just because they are women and a lot of them are highly intelligent and multitalented enough to pull off things even in the world of crime.

                                      

I wanted to research this film because if I do decide to go with my idea of my film opening being centered around female fugitives that want to avenge the death of their fierce feminist leader, Ocean's 8 is a great film that incorporates the most important element involved in this kind of plot: female criminals.

In Ocean's 8 film opening, Sandra Bullock's character is being released from jail and make the false statement that she's learned her lesson in prison and wants to live a normal life without committing any more crimes. I think since she was the main character of the film this was a great way to start off the film because you're immediately introduced to the main character and what kind of morals and beliefs she has as an individual.

                                               

The second film I researched was the film Charlie's Angels (2019) directed by Elizabeth Banks. I picked this film to research because it does a great job of displaying female empowerment and how strong these females are fighting against men who think so little of them and their abilities due to them being women. Another reason I wanted to use this film as an example is because of the fact that they are female crimefighters that go through a lot of obstacles to prove their worth in a male-dominated world. I loved the lessons that were learned throughout this movie not just lessons about women being capable of all things men are but also lessons like you shouldn't be so trusting of people you think you know well, being self-confident goes a long way, and teamwork definitely makes the dream work.

At the beginning of the film, Kristen Stewart's character is on an undercover mission with a criminal in a hotel room and she's acting like a stereotypical dumb blonde to further sell the idea that men have this mindset that women are easy to manipulate because they can't think for themselves. This film opening was fun to watch and was action-packed which I loved because she was kicking some serious butt. I liked this opening a lot so if I do decide to go this route, I will be using this film to help me compose my film opening.

See you guys in the next blog!

Music Blog Post

Rock is a genre of music that developed out of rock'n'roll in the 1960s and 1970s. It is based around amplified instruments, especially the electric guitar and electric bass, and is characterized by a strong bassline and driving rhythms. Rock tends to place a heavy influence on live performances, musicianship, and an ideology of authenticity which is why our band fits well within this genre because they follow the genre conventions of rock while simultaneously modifying the rules that all rock musicians are assumed to follow.

Our group decided to make our band reside in the middle because, for example, all of the songs that our band creates have a message or theme associated with it and they do discuss the darker side of the human experience like most rock groups do through their music. Rock as a genre is known for being aggressive and risky but the Riot of the Roses has a different take on this concept. For example Cage The Elephant is one of the bands we researched in the rock genre and they are a rock band at heart, which appeals to the nostalgic fans but they also discover new fans due to the feelings and tones of their music and that is the goal of Riot of the Roses. They are gentler than the genre is typically seen and adapted this concept as their own brand.

TARGET AUDIENCE: 

Rock is one of the most popular music genres in the United States because according to a study carried out by Deezer in May 2018, 56.8% of respondents said they listen to rock music. The target audience for Riot of the Roses is primarily teens and adults (12- 35 years old) because of how versatile their music is, people of all ages are able to listen to it because it is relatable and raw. Females are 48% more likely to listen to rock music than men are so our band market themselves to appeal to the female demographic. In regards to socioeconomic status, ROTR is not geared towards one class over the other because the music relates to personal struggles, societal issues, and turmoil in general which a lot of people can identify with in some way. It is safe to say that the majority of our listeners are members of lower to mid socioeconomic backgrounds.

WHAT RIOT OF THE ROSES BELIEVES IN

The sole purpose of the ROTR is to raise awareness on controversial societal issues with the hopes of spreading positivity and self-acceptance. Even though this group is a rock band, they are not a hardcore, aggressive group of creators. The messages in their music are deep and meaningful but they serve a purpose which is to reveal all of the things that humans tend to conceal because they feel that they will either be ridiculed, excluded, bullied, etc. for discussing controversial things like mental health for example. Our band wants to give a voice to the voiceless and be advocates for change. 

MARKETING PRODUCTS CREATED: 

The video game “Ring Around The Rosie” was created to implement cross-media convergence into our marketing campaign. In the game, players can select any member of the band and advance to the next level once they complete certain tasks that relate to the band and the music they produce. The bands new single Burning Bright plays during the game as well so that users are interacting with the band both visually and through audio.

The Foo Fighters

When researching the Foo Fighters and how they marketed their band, we discovered that they hosted multiple contests. Since our audience is young contests are a fun and interesting way for fans to be involved with the band by participating. For example, they held a contest in various cities where if you won, the Foo Fighters would perform in your garage during their marketing campaign for their latest album ‘Wasting Light’. The “This video sucks” video contest was created to give fans the opportunity to film and direct their own music videos and submit them for a chance to win.

Contest on The Riot of the Roses Twitter page

Since our band is relatively new, we wanted to hold a contest where fans could post creative videos of them streaming the band's new song for a chance to win VIP tickets to their next show.

IMPORTANT THINGS LEARNED DURING PROJECT:

1. Logos/symbols are crucial to the branding of an artist because it makes it easier for the
artist to connect to their intended audience and fans will be able to identify that artist a lot easier
than if they were to not have a well-developed logo. This is why roses are what we
picked as a symbol to represent the band. It's easy to identify and has a deeper meaning

Examples of famous rock band logos/ symbols

2. Websites are crucial for a band to have because this is where the majority of the fans and others interested in the artist will come and look around to get a sense of who the artist is and what they have to offer them as a consumer. Utilizing social media platforms, in general, is very important when marketing a new artist as well as maintaining the relevance of a well-established artist.

Riot of the Roses website

AUDIENCE INTERACTION 

In our case study of the Foo Fighters, it appeared to be common for the band to do different things for their fans to be involved in and encourage them to get excited about their new upcoming musical projects. Since the band wants their fans to see them as a community or family, fandom names are one of the best ways fans can unite together. Labeling the group of supporters allows fans to bond with the artist and strengthens the idea that they’re not just another fan but they are apart of something much bigger. We considered this fact and decided to name our fans the T.H.O.R.N.S. which stands for “The Home Of Rose Nation” which gives the feeling that their existence as a fan is purposeful. 

This band is a very up close and personal kind of group so they often put on shows and mini-concerts in small intimate settings because they want their fans to enjoy them and their music. This plays a large part in their social platform and their image as musicians. This band's main focus is on the fan's experience and producing quality music for them to listen to. They have a platform that they want to utilize to better the lives of others whether that’s through them listening to their music or being influenced by the band through the deep messages in their songs.

Since they are a new band, smaller shows allow them to:

• Practice performing in front of an audience 
• Be comfortable on stage
• Become familiar to the community and local businesses
• Create networking opportunities 
• Build their brand

We know that first impressions are crucial so to introduce our band to the world we would have them:

• Make appearances at different functions and events that involve the community
• Host charity/ volunteer events
• collaborate with local businesses to book regular shows
• Post QR codes in public areas like libraries, businesses, offices, etc. so the public can scan them and automatically direct them to the band's website
• Go on podcasts and radio interviews 
• Television interviews

DISTRIBUTION METHODS 

A marketing strategy that the Foo Fighters utilize is putting out a single or two a month before the official album release to give fans a sneak peek of the new album and create excitement

Example: They released the singles “Run”, “The Sky is a neighborhood”, and “The line” all before dropping Concrete and Gold. This allows time for fans to generate buzz amongst each other about the upcoming album. We decided to distribute Riot of the Roses music through the traditional streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud, Pandora, Youtube Music, etc. because we felt that if our fans want to listen to our music they should be able to do so freely and radio play seems too forced and we want the audience to have a genuine liking towards the band.

According to Forbes, Vinyl accounted for an estimated 9.7 million album sales in 2018 and we wanted to take advantage of the successfulness of vinyl so we have vinyl as an option in addition to the streaming services available for fans that are wanting to listen to music the vintage way.

Official Album Cover

SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE

Tidbits and sneak peeks of what the artist is working on are posted through social media and this anticipation leading up to the release of the project are what fans look forward to. Teasers and other behind the scenes moments that are posted on an artist's social media definitely increase the interest of the audience. We know that 44% of 18–24-year-olds use Twitter and since this is part of our main demographic we want to use twitter to our advantage. My group wanted our artists to be known for being heavily involved with their fans so we implemented two hashtags with the intention of engaging our targeted audience with our band.

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The #FINDRIOT is a hashtag that the band uses to post photos on Twitter as clues to let fans know where their next secret show is going to be located. We again want the fans to be on edge constantly wondering where the bad is going to be next and what they’re next move is going to be in regards to music.

#THORNTHURSDAY is another hashtag created by the band. This hashtag is meant to encourage their fans to spread more positivity and love. Every Thursday fans can post pictures or videos of them giving back to their community, spending quality time with family and friends, creating art, etc. As long as the post includes the hashtag and something of an uplifting nature, it’s acceptable!

My group discovered that when an artist doesn’t reveal a lot of information about themselves they become more mysterious and to their audience becomes more curious about who they are and what they are about. This is why we decided to use social media platforms as a way to create a genuine bond with their fans by connecting with them through these platforms. The band uses social media to post updates on music, Q&A’s, and live performances are all shown through live streams on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook live. In the one case study we researched, Cage The Elephant used their Instagram account to preview all the songs in their new album. Aesthetics are also very important on social media and having a theme contributes to the overall brand of an artist. Cage the Elephant's social media page has an old school look in music videos, songs, and content posted to their social media.

When fans can tell that they support an artist that is genuinely interested in them as individuals, they want to form a connection with them and support them in any way they can. Fan loyalty is of utmost importance to the band because, without fans, the uplifting messages they wish to share through their music would not reach the number of people needed to make an impact.

MERCHANDISE

Merchandise is a common way for artists to advertise themselves through their fans. This marketing tool is not only profitable to the artist but it’s essentially free advertising. The design can attract curious individuals and encourage them to research the artist potentially becoming fans. Selling merchandise is free advertisement because all the artist has to do is sell the items and their fans can represent them everywhere they go when they wear it in public. Impulse buying is another strategy utilized when selling merchandise because retail experts report that over 40 percent of consumers spend more money than they had planned in stores, while 25 percent reported online impulse shopping. This is why we plan on making our bands merchandise affordable and have frequent sales available on our website to encourage the visitors of our site to make a purchase.

Merchandise is also another way for fans to feel represented and unified when they wear our “I AM T.H.O.R.N.” merchandise or when they show their support while utilizing other “Riot of the Roses” merchandise.

Customers can pick any color they wish to buy their merchandise in because colors have meaning and symbolize many things. These are a few examples of what colors symbolize relating to roses 

Yellow: Friendship and Optimism

Red: Passion

Pink: Gratitude and Admiration

Orange: Enthusiasm and Desire

Purple: Enchantment

White: Innocence and Purity

MUSIC VIDEO

When sketching the storyboard for the music video we wanted to come up with a concept that would be relatable in a way to the viewer but also highlight some of the hardships that people encounter every day. The audience is supposed to feel the bleakness and emptiness of the main character while also sympathizing with her as she carries out her revengeful plan against her tormentor. The video is meant to display the rawness of reality while putting emphasis on the band's overall message that it's okay to not be okay and the world can be a little dark sometimes but perseverance and positivity are what will get you through them.

Representation Analysis

Tide Ad

In the very beginning of the ad, the mom makes it abundantly clear that she has tried to change her daughter’s style when she said: “We’ve tried the whole pink thing.” That comment insinuates that girls are supposed to gravitate more towards pink because it is a feminine color. This mother is reinforcing the gender labels that society has distributed through color to her young daughter and she’s even wearing a pink cardigan while doing it. They looked to be a middle to higher class family which someone watching this ad can interpret it as people of a higher class looking down on those who dress differently. Her mom was obviously not comfortable with her daughter dressing more like a tomboy than a girly girl and the message this video is giving can be offensive to women who choose to dress more masculine than feminine. People choose to dress the way they do because they like it and feel confident with their style and sometimes individuals want to wear something that was designed with the opposite gender in mind. No one should feel pigeonholed or trapped in fashion because fashion is supposed to be personal and customized to all individuals. There are a lot of people in the LGBTQ+ community that crossdress and this is showing them that in order to make others feel more comfortable they need to change their outer appearance to look more like society's idea of normal. They are subliminally being told that they are outcasts and are not accepted because of their styling choices. The little girl is playing with wooden building blocks while the mom is talking to the viewer and at the end she asks her daughter if she’s building another car garage. The question alone makes it known that her daughter has been building these for a while. Having the mom question her daughters choice to build blocks instead of playing with dolls for example is another way she is trying to make her daughter conform to society’s gender standards. The mother in the ad is basically saying that her daughter shouldn’t be an architect or an engineer because she doesn’t have the qualifications due to her gender. Little girls watching this who dream of having careers in male dominated industries may feel like they shouldn’t go after that profession because it’s not common for women to have jobs in those fields. Women have historically been suppressed and bullied into not acquiring main industry careers, high paying positions, or jobs that require any major political, intellectual, or physical challenges. There was a time where being anything but a stay at home mom and taking care of your family was taboo and unheard of. Over the years society has gotten better with treating women with enough respect to give them the opportunity to be industry executives, receive equal pay and work jobs that were typically seen as too manly or strenuous for women to handle. 

Axe spray 

This ad oversexualized women to the point where I couldn’t comprehend how it was approved to be aired and viewed by the general public. The women in the ad were dressed in very revealing bikinis and were running through the woods towards the man spraying the axe like wild animals which is pretty dehumanizing in my opinion. One thing that I noticed was that all of the women in the ad were young, skinny, and white. There weren’t any curvy or plus sized women in this ad, no one looked older than 30 years old and I think I saw one African American female in that entire video that contained at least 100 or more women. There was a major lack of race, body size, and positive gender representation in this ad and those who watch it may be under the impression that only skinny white girls are desirable by men. If I saw this ad on tv I would definitely be disgusted with how the women were being portrayed as mindless animals that should be seen for their bodies and what they can give men. The ending line even says “spray more get more” which is really suggestive. Just by having a fully clothed woman smell a man's cologne and give him a compliment or something along those lines, this ad easily could have been subtle. But the creators of this ad knew who their target audience was, men. If they could appeal to them visually and feed their egos by showing an average joe having a flock of girls running after him after using this product, they would make a huge profit off of it. Advertisers count on the insinuation of the ad, more women, to sell their product to the intended audience, men.

Genre Research: Musicals

Genre Conventions: Content

Musicals are known for their show-stopping components but what characterizes film musicals as a genre is the utilization of music scores, songs, and dance choreography to help the plot of the film progress faster and more effectively than if the only form of communication between the audience and the characters was dialogue. Dialogue is still used in musicals but the saying "music speaks when words can not" is definitely a concept that musicals have adapted. In musical films there is usually a main character that is going through turmoil or is trying to discover their purpose in life/ waiting to have their purpose revealed to them at the beginning of the musical and by the end of the film, the audience has witnessed their issue be resolved after numerous songs and over the top dance numbers.

Example: Annie. Annie is a mistreated orphan that wishes she had parents and by the end of the film she is adopted and is given a family.

Most musical films incorporate a song about the dreams and wishes of a character within the film and this song pretty much lets us know that the entire musical is based around that wish or dream the character has. Musicals obviously incorporate a large amount of music and singing in their productions but there's usually a song from that musical that is easily recognizable by people who haven't even watched the film. The music associated with that musical can be so popular that you don't even have to see the film to know that it comes from that specific musical.

Example: Frozen. The song "Let It Go" has become one of the most easily identifiable songs from a musical film.

Dance choreography is another important element of the production of a musical. Dance numbers in musicals visually tell a story while the characters are singing.  The movement of the characters on screen and the choreography that they are doing directly correlates with the song being sung and the message, tone, or story that is trying to be expressed at that specific moment.

Example: Newsies. A group of homeless orphan newspaper boys in New York City sing and dance about going on strike after the newspaper companies raise the prices and they can't make any profit.


Production Techniques

Musicals are classified as an escapist genre that ranges from realistic to dreamlike so all age groups are able to enjoy musicals. The musical aspect of this genre is something that institutions promoting musicals count on to help sell box office tickets and make a profit off of these films. The music soundtrack also helps the directors pique the interest of the age group or other demographic they are trying to appeal to through ads and commercials and keep them coming back. Mise-en-scene is probably the most important aspect of a musical besides the actual music. Production designers have the responsibility of making the film come to life and be believable enough to the viewer.

Time period and character development are factors of musical films that need to be taken into consideration when it involves costuming. With the right costume, costume designers will be able to encapsulate a character's social status, role in the film, etc. without having to verbally reveal it.

Color and lighting are extremely important in the production of musical films because the feeling that the scene is trying to evoke from the audience can not be achieved with only a song being sung or a massive dance number. The emotion at that moment on screen has to match cohesively with the visuals being presented in order for the audience to fully comprehend the intention of the actions being done. A lot of time is put into the positioning, movement, and the amount of lighting a specific scene or number in the film will display.

Example: Chicago. While the main characters are explaining how they murdered their husbands to their fellow prisoners through the song "Cell Block Tango", the manipulation of the lighting to create shadows and spotlights creates a very mysterious and edgy vibe as well as the contrast of the vibrant red that is used to represent the blood of their victims.

Set design and location are important to the realisticness of the film. Set designers are extremely meticulous about how they will build the sets, which props are utilized in scenes and any effects that need to be incorporated to make the film believable.

Example: Aladdin. The production of this film depended on intricate set designs to make the audience believe Will Smith’s character “the genie” was real through CGI, feel like they were on a magic flying carpet ride and like they were in Agrabah (the setting of the movie)

The Greatest Showman (2017) made a bold statement by making the opening scene an over the top musical number without using any dialogue to introduce the main characters or the plot of the film to the viewer. The time period of this movie is set in the 1800s and is following the main character P.T. Barnum through his early life and his adult life where his career takes off as the leader of a circus. He was poor as a child and had big dreams that he followed intently and throughout the duration of the movie you can see through costume design how his character developed from a low-class man to a well-established businessman. Many of the other main characters like the bearded lady and the “smallest man on earth” had drastic costume changes in this film and that was done to make the audience aware of the character's new social status. He brought together a large group of outcasts and helped them celebrate their uniqueness and be unapologetic about who they were through the acts they were apart of in the circus. The singing and dancing throughout encouraged the characters and the viewers to be themselves and keep believing even if others think you’re crazy for doing so.

 Into the woods (2014) relies heavily on music to help the movie progress. The director decided to introduce the main characters and what each of them desired most through a 15-minute score prologue written and composed by Stephen Sondheim. This film also merges the stories of multiple fairy tales while still keeping the story line straightforward. The blueish coloring of the woods creates a gloomy and bleak atmosphere created by one of the main antagonists, the witch. The lighter shading of the scenes when the characters are out of the woods gives a more hopeful and lively feeling. The integration of reality and fantasy in this film had to be done in a very careful way so that one wasn't overpowering the other. Scenes were filmed in actual woods to make it look more realistic to the audience but there was also a massive sound stage created in Shepperton Studios in England in order to control the filming environment. The woods were a critical part of the story because the woods represented a scary path that people may need to take some time in their lives. The wood was also a common setting for the characters to meet and interact with each other.

Other musical films:

HAIRSPRAY (2007)

SHANKMAN

THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)
WISE

THE LION KING (2019)
FAVREAU

GUYS AND DOLLS (1955)
 MANKIEWICZ

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (2004)
SCHUMACHER

LES MISERABLES (2012)

HOOPER

Sources:
https://variety.com/2015/film/news/into-the-woods-how-the-forest-came-to-life-exclusive-featurette-1201391261/
http://www.alchemybuzz.com/Importance-of-Light-in-Theatre
https://greatkate89.wordpress.com/film-genre-analysis-musicals/
https://ourpastimes.com/characteristics-of-the-musical-theater-genre-12527496.html