Conflicted Between Horror and Drama

Finding a topic to indulge in can be quite a challenge at first. My partner and I are torn between drama and horror. We feel like horror may be basic and not stand out as much as a drama film might.

Almost every horror film develops the main conflict between the character(s) and the element meant to scare the audience. If we were to choose this topic, we would probably revolve the film around either a killer or a psycho. Because of this, we would probably need to look into getting a few more actors since neither Rachel or I are very intimidating for the role of a psycho/killer. A lot more production would probably go into this as well. Such as, costumes, low lighting, higher quality camera to be able to shoot in the low lighting, and a creepy setting. All these elements would have to come into play in order to create the best product and I'm not sure if all of those are accessible to us.

Here is a list of the main things that would be necessary in order to create a great horror film opening.

Drama, on the other hand, is a little different. In this case, I feel like we can play around with this genre a lot more. Unlike horror, not all drama films are developed the same way. For this production, we probably would need only a few more average actors (which are easier to find), a basic setting based on the idea of the film, not as intense costumes, and less DRAMAtic lighting ;). We started leaning more towards drama because of a project we watched from last year which was a lot 'more engaging and unpredictable than the horror ones we watched. Although there's still some decisions to discuss, I feel like we will end up deciding to base our project around the drama genre.

 Keep up to date with my blog to discover where this journey takes us :)

Inspiration For Film Opening

This week we got the opportunity to review past foundation portfolios and it really changed my point on view on the project. Instead of the basic approach to film openings, I discovered new techniques like starting the plot from the end and resulting in the beginning of the story. This technique intrigued me a lot because I recently saw a movie called "The Upside" that used this format and it really caught my attention because the film opening provided what happens at the climax which caused me to try to  put pieces together throughout the film to figure out how they got to that point.

During a TED Talk we watched in class about film openings, I also began to ponder how I would like my film opening to come out and took into consideration some of the points Andrew Stanton was making. Considering the fact that he helped create the legendary film, Finding Nemo, I felt like he knew what he was talking about. He stated that one of the main goals of a film opening is to make the audience think and put the "pieces of the puzzle" together. This is another reason why I'm strongly for using the technique I spoke about earlier in my film opening.

Plan B, and the better technique I would could use if we decide to create a film opening for a hour movie, would model something like Scream. In the Scream film opening, lots of mystery and conflict is developed as well as some character development. These three elements are important for a horror film opening because they build suspense as well as keeping the audience intrigued and wanting more.


Between notes we took in class and my own experiences with film openings, I've developed a pretty good idea of what I want the film opening I create to overall portray. The main elements of my film opening should be character development, mystery, and engagement. Let's see how it all turns out!

Learning How To Blog

This week in class we learned a few things about blogging...and now I'm here to practice what I learned while sharing some of the tips we were taught!

One major aspect of blogging is DETAIL! Think of a topic you want to share and expand on it. For example, it's easy for someone to write about a book they read, but what makes that post more intriguing is how the book affected them and why the reader should give the book a chance. In this case, I'll be sharing every step of my journey until my final destination...the film opening!

Another important aspect of blogging is IMAGES! These are a great way to keep your audience engaged as well as helping them visualize what you're talking about. Don't be fooled though, an image is nothing without a caption explaining it. Captions are just as important as the image you provide. This helps the reader fully understand what your image is trying to portray, so make sure to include those!

LINKS make your post so much better! Links allow your audience to dive deeper into the topic you're writing about, allow you to add more info into your post, and make your post more understandable if you're referring to a specific website or video. The best way to include links into your post is a hyper link, this is a clickable word which is actually the link you want your audience to visit. This can add a lot more content to a concise post.

Lastly, is having an ORGANIZED blog! What's a blog without organization? Confusing! You want your readers to be able to access your posts easily and quickly so that way they can explore more of your content. This will also make your readers want to visit your page more often since its so easily navigable.

Those were just a few tips and tricks that I will be trying to incorporate throughout my posts and maybe they inspired you to possibly create your own blog!

Blog Post #2

Within media, women are often represented as the ones who clean the house and care for the kids
or as sex objects. This has been an everlasting stereotype that has carried on for ages. Whether it’sthrough the eye of a magazine editor, director, the audience themselves, or anyone apart of society,
it is clear that women are“supposed to” fit these standards.

Media does it’s best to convince people of the way women should be, but time has shown how much
females have evolved from what they once were. Women have proven to be much more than the ones
who stay home and clean the house. Some of the greatest actors, doctors, artists, leaders, etc are in fact,
women. These include Marilyn Monroe, Frida Kahlo, Harriet Tubman, and many more.

As far as being seen as sexual objects, women are shown in magazines as a way to draw men in for
marketing. Although the media may see this to be a perfect marketing technique, this can lead to serious
mental illnesses for other women who feel the need to match these standards. A lot of pressure is put on
women to have the best body and the prettiest face in order for society to accept them.

Although time has changed and the media has improved on their representation of women not being so
prominent, it still is a big issue that affects and angers people all around the world. There may not be a
way to completely destroy these standards but there are definitely plenty of ways to prove them wrong!

1. Genre
1. Comedy
2. Genre Conventions
1. Content
1. “Idiotic” characters often used in contrast with “normal” people
2. Sarcastic tone within the dialogue of the characters
3. An element designed to make the audience laugh
4. Characteristics of characters exaggerated for amusement purposes
3. Genre Conventions
1. Production
1. The setting is almost always bright and in a location that involves a lot of people.
2. Naturalistic camera work is used to show as if the characters are better than everyone.
3. Diegetic sound is necessary so that the audience can hear and is able to laugh
4. Bright or natural lighting is used to make the film seem realistic
5. In some comedies, props that are intended to hurt the characters are used to create humor
4. Film Sample #1
1. Life of the Party https://youtu.be/T1B1CxmAXLk
1. This film embodies the comedy genre in several different ways. The main character is seen as “idiotic” and uses props that are intended to hurt her, like fire. The film is not always shot in a bright light but the majority of it is. Sarcasm is used by the characters for amusement purposes as well.
5. Film Sample #2
1. Night School https://youtu.be/t9QtXGirWf0
1. This film uses different techniques in order to embody the comedy genre. The main character, Kevin Hart, uses sarcasm as a way of being humorous as well as getting injured by props that are intended to do so. The settings and camera work make the film seem realistic which appeals to the audience as well.
6. Other Film Examples
1. Crazy Rich Asians  https://youtu.be/ZQ-YX-5bAs0
2. Incredibles 2  https://youtu.be/i5qOzqD9Rms
3. Tag  https://youtu.be/kjC1zmZo30U
4. Love, Simon https://youtu.be/E0cbWdlQg_8

Hotel Transylvania 3  https://youtu.be/Ku52zNnft8k

Genre Research Activity

1. Genre
1. Horror
2. Genre conventions:
1. Content
1. Element involving death
2. Monster/evil that main characters have to face/defeat
3. Lots of blood present
4. An element designed to frighten/unsettle the audience
5. Cliffhanger ending
3. Genre conventions:
1. Production
1. Props such as a knife, chainsaw, machetes, firearms, etc.
2. Dark colors to portray a sinister feel
3. Low lighting to create a dark atmosphere
4. Masks and dark colors within costumes
4. Institutional conventions:
1. Marketing
1. Mysterious and non-revealing trailers
2. Few characters are shown
3. Audience testimonials broadcasted
5. Film sample #1:
1. https://youtu.be/pzD9zGcUNrw
1. The Nun embodies the horror genre in many aspects.
2. It contains a main element involving death, the nun, which is also designed to frighten/unsettle the audience.
3. As far as production, low lighting is present throughout most of the film as well as dark colors within the costume.
4. The trailer contains a dark atmosphere and the presence of not many characters.
6. Film sample #2:
1. https://youtu.be/aMCLVSlk1Tk
1. In Halloween there is one evil main character present that is used to unsettle the audience in some way.
2. As far as production goes, the costume is revolved around dark colors and involves a mask.
3. Weapons are also used throughout the film.
7. Other horror film examples:
1. A Quiet Place https://youtu.be/rqEnM25BsNQ
2. The First Purge https://youtu.be/UL29y0ah92w
3. The Strangers: Prey at Night https://youtu.be/4_geUW08phI
4. Insidious: The Last Key https://youtu.be/acQyrwQyCOk

v. Unfriended: Dark Web https://youtu.be/4DJAWGXkvq8

Hi! My name is Alexis Laurens, but I usually go by Lexi. I'm 16 years old, born and raised in south Florida by my two parents along with my older brother. I love creative writing and learning about film and what it contains. My purpose for this blog is to post my best work and share my thought process while creating these projects.  I hope to advance my knowledge of film production so that I can create successful short films myself and be able to entertain others with my work. This blog will bring you along that journey with me!