Portfolio Project Blog: Research #2

Hello again! Okay so great news, I've finally decided on which concept I want to go with! The main characters in my film opening will be good guys (even though they're all going to be women) trying to avenge those that were victims of wrongdoings! I am so excited that I have reached this conclusion because now I can progress forward in the production process of my film opening. Since I have narrowed it down to one general theme, I have done even more digging and I have discovered another movie to research that is perfect for me to use as an example of a film production that embodies what my film opening's concept truly is.

THE EQUALIZER (2014)

The Equalizer (2014) directed by Antoine Fuqua 

Tada! The Equalizer! There is an Equalizer one and an Equalizer 2 so we will be discussing both because why not! The more research the better! But first, we will be going into depth on the first equalizer movie. Let's get into it.

At the beginning of the equalizer Denzel Washington's character, Robert McCall, is shown living a normal life. He is starting off his morning in a clean, tidy house. He's shaving, making breakfast, getting dressed and going to work like most people do on any given weekday. Nothing screams out of the ordinary with this character and that's the whole point, he's supposed to appear normal.

I like this element of the opening because if you know the plot of the movie you're watching and that it's apart of the action/thriller genre, you would probably be expecting the opening scene to be high energy, action-packed, and fast-paced but the beginning was nothing of a sort. The juxtaposition between what the viewer is most likely expecting from the beginning and what the director chose to do is brilliant in my opinion. 

When we took notes in class on what makes a good film opening and some of the most crucial things we discussed were:

1. Make the audience care enough emotionally, intellectually, and aesthetically enough to watch your film. Make watching your film worth their time.

2. Don't give away all of the answers in the beginning because most viewers want to work for the answer. You have to keep some things about the plot, character, conflict, etc. a mystery and reveal it later on in the film. Give them 2+2, not 4.

3. Use what you know and draw from it. Some of the best stories are created by just being authentic and honest.

This film did a good job of utilizing these key elements because as the viewer I was compelled to stay and watch the rest of the movie because I wanted to know who this seemingly ordinary character was, what made him want to give up being a vigilante and live a normal life, what/ who makes him resort back to the crime-fighting life, and so many other questions that are eventually answered throughout the duration of the movie. Denzel Washington's character is essentially a mystery to the viewer because we are not given much information about him in the exposition besides he keeps his house neat and he works in a warehouse. Since most people are inquisitive, they feel the need to solve the mystery even if they don't realize it cognitively.

THE EQUALIZER 2 (2018)

The Equalizer 2 (2018) Directed by Antoine Fuqua

Now let's talk about the Equalizer 2! Since most film watchers watch movies in chronological order, the director started the movie off differently than he did in the first Equalizer. Fuqua decided that he was going to introduce McCall's character as a continuation of where he left off in the last movie. Instead of showing him living a normal life like the first movie opening, he decided to show McCall doing what he does best, defeating corrupt individuals with corrupt motives.

On a train on its way to Turkey, McCall fights against a man who has kidnapped his daughter with the intention of hurting his ex-wife emotionally. McCall, as always, is calm and collected while confronting this man which makes the scene even more exhilarating because the audience knows what McCall is capable of and what's about to occur while the bad guys are clueless. Dramatic irony is one of my favorite things to experience as a movie watcher because it makes the moment in the scene more personal for me and I feel like the director is purposefully including me in the story.

This film opening is definitely a drastic shift compared to the first Equalizer's opening because of how McCall's character was introduced to the viewer, the pacing of the scene, and this opening served a different purpose than the first one. The first opening had the job of simply introducing us to McCall and his simplistic lifestyle while this opening was supposed to show McCall in action and doing what he's good at.

Some things that I took away from both film openings was that sometimes going in the total opposite direction of what the audience expects is what works the best. Since Fuqua was the director of both films, he knew his target audience well enough that he was able to occupy their attention and have them come back for the sequel. The sequel's opening was filled with anticipation because the viewer knew that McCall was going to defeat this criminal one way or another and he did. Seeing him outsmart them with his wit is such a cool experience because it makes you feel like your there alongside him. Either way, as long as I can create a film opening that is captivating enough to keep the audience engaged, I've done my job!

                                       The Equalizer VS. My film opening

Even though the Equalizer series is exactly the same concept that I want my film opening to be, there are a plethora of differences between my opening and the Equalizer both one and two. 

For instance, I am not going to go the same route the director went in The Equalizer, I will be filming mine in a different style. I want to introduce all of the characters but the way that I am going to do it is by having the leader of the vigilante group narrate the introduction of everyone in the group. I want to go this direction because there are so many creative ways I can introduce these characters through the narration, visuals, and shot types & angles, without revealing too much to the audience. I want the characters to be almost like a puzzle that the viewer has to solve but the only way they can do that is if they finish watching the movie (insert evil genius laugh MUAH-HA HA! okay moving on). 

Something that is going to be an obvious difference between my film opening and this film is the fact that my characters are all going to be women (I'm thinking of having 3 actresses in my opening maybe more, we'll see) and Denzel Washington's character is a man who fights crime solo hence the name "The Equalizer" not "The Equalizers". I want to have at least three actresses in my opening because the film would essentially be all about female empowerment and unity amongst women so having a female crime-fighting group solidifies this concept. This is also why I believed it was imperative for me to research Charlie's Angels and Ocean's 8 as stated in my previous blog entry.

In both The Equalizer and The Equalizer 2, someone in McCall's life had something unjust happen to them and he felt obligated to fight on their behalf. He would seek vengeance on those who hurt the ones he cared for and that is why he decided to return back to his fugitive hunting life. In the first Equalizer, a prostitute named Teri forms a friendly relationship with McCall and after she doesn't show up for her routine late-night dessert stop at the local diner, McCall finds out that she had been severely beaten by the Russian pimp that "owns" her. This is the answer to the big question that most of the audience is wondering, who/what caused McCall to return to his previous life.

Teri and McCall in the first Equalizer 

In the second Equalizer, his close friend and colleague, Susan Plummer, was murdered by thugs and he is determined to eliminate those who killed her. His motivation to avenge victims is what drives him as a vigilante and that's what the audience is shown throughout these films.

McCall in the Equalizer 2 after finding out about the death of his friend

In my film opening, I want the narration to include something along the lines of "We lost our leader because of bad guys and we want to avenge her death by continuing her legacy." When I'm in the scriptwriting process of revision and editing, I will make adjustments to this quote but this is the gist of what the narration will include. This will be the vigilantes in my film opening's motivation for avenging victims.

That is all I have for today's blog! I am so excited to continue updating you guys on the creative process as I am discovering new things through my research and exploring new ideas and concepts. Hopefully, by letting you guys into my mind and explaining my thought process you guys can see the final product and understand how I came up with certain concepts and why I made the creative decisions I did. Until next time, I'll see you in the next blog!

Sources:

Wloszczyna, Susan. “The Equalizer Movie Review & Film Summary (2014): Roger Ebert.” RogerEbert.com, 26 Sept. 2014, www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-equalizer-2014.

“The Equalizer.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 24 Sept. 2014, www.imdb.com/title/tt0455944/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3.

“The Equalizer 2.” IMDb, IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/title/tt3766354/mediaviewer/rm1404716288.

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.