Next Stop: Japan & CCRs

 Film Opening: Next Stop: Japan:

Creative Critical Reflection #1:

Media Studies. (n.d.). Tzvetan Todorov’s narrative theory. Retrieved from https://media-studies.com/todorov/

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Todorov's narrative theory of equilibrium. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todorov%27s_narrative_theory_of_equilibrium

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Uses and gratifications theory. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uses_and_gratifications_theory

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Audience reception. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audience_reception

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Theories of media exposure. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theories_of_media_exposure

Creative Critical Reflection #2:

StudioBinder. (2024). What is mise en scène in film? Definition and examples. https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/mise-en-scene/

No Film School. (2026). What is mise-en-scène? https://nofilmschool.com/mise-en-scene

Matrix Education. (2021). Film techniques: Mise en scène and how to analyse it. https://www.matrix.edu.au/film-techniques-mise-en-scene-how-to-analyse-mise-en-scene/

Wikipedia contributors. (2025). Film editing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_editing

Wikipedia contributors. (2025). Montage (filmmaking). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montage_(filmmaking)

University of Missouri. (n.d.). Introduction to film studies and digital media production. https://catalog.missouri.edu/courseofferings/films_vs/

Final Reflection

 Now that I have fully completed my film opening and my CCRS, I can look back to the entire process and discuss how my project was fully developed. I am satisfied with how my piece turned out, and it closely matches my vision that I had at the start of the production. 

One of my strongest aspects of the project was how I effectively combined suspense and comedy within the opening. I wanted to create something that would stand out from typical comedy films, and I achieved this by beginning with tension and delaying the humor. Using the open door, slow pacing, and diegetic sound helped build suspense effectively, while Joey's introduction allowed me to transition into a more lighthearted tone. This contrast made the opening more engaging and less predictable. I also think my representation of my characters were successful. I was able to make the characters feel more realistic and relatable. The contrast between costumes helped communicate deeper ideas, like escape from routine. 

However, there were also places where I could improve. The main area for improvement was following my schedule more closely. I was running behind already with my project according to the schedule I set for myself, and because of unforeseen events and sickness, I was not able to follow through with my idea of the interview. Instead, I had to do a director commentary as my final CCR. This heavily disappointed me, as I feel my second CCR wasn't able to live up to the expectations I had for it, but I still think it ended out to be a good piece. 

Overall, this project has helped me grow. It showed me how to use my resources to learn. It also helped me learn more skills as a filmmaker and strengthen my skills as a storyteller. 

CCR Post Production

 As I continue working on my CCRs, I've moved into the editing stage of the process. My main focus has been finalizing my CCR and making it submission worthy. 

For my standalone presentation, I am focusing on making the visuals clear and easy to follow. Since this format gives me more creative freedom, I paid attention to the design of each slide, making sure I'm not going too text heavy and using images where appropriate. During editing, I also considered how each slide would appear on screen while I am speaking, making sure that the visuals support the points I am making. 

For the interview, the editing process was centered more on pacing and clarity. Since this is based on dialogue, I need to make sure that the conversation feels smooth and natural. I will review the footage carefully, making sure that the flow of the conversation is perfect while making it engaging. 

The editing process has helped me shape the tone of the final piece. It allows me to share the story behind my actual piece. 

CCR Production

 As I thought about the way I would approach my CCRs, I realized that continuing on with the car interview idea for my CCR would not be sufficiently entertaining, since it would just be me and an interviewer having a conversation in a car and just reflect 2 talking heads. Therefore, I've decided to continue on with my idea of having an interview, but will do my other CCR as a standalone presentation.

By doing this, I give myself flexibility - I allow myself to be able to show exactly what I want to show. I have the ability to decide how I want to decorate the powerpoint and what exactly it is that i want to show. I allow myself to send information in a way that is pleasing to the eye. I'm working now on the design and script for this video. For my second CCR, I am currently working on the script for the interview. I've figured out how I can record it, and will be using that method to achieve completion.

CCR Production Ideas

 For my CCR, it is important to be able to answer all 4 questions in an effective way while still showing creativity with techniques. 

My two main ideas for my CCR is an interview with the director. With this, I'm able to discuss exactly how each of my decisions played into each part of my piece. However, I will also need to figure out a way to do this in a way that showcases technique, and not just a floating head.

The second idea is a driving CCR. In this, I will be in a car driving with an interviewer next to me. What this will do is help me come up with answers and allow me to create a similar environment that's like the one from idea #1. I take this inspiration from many marketing tactics used when promoting movies. Looking at this format shows me that I can discuss practically the same information as any other CCR. I took this inspiration from bollyood movies and some methods when filming/promoting movies.

CCR Q4

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

Throughout this project, several forms of technology were used. The most basic was the hardware. The main technology I used was my phone. With the cinematic option on my phone, I was able to film scenes with a lot of movement with stability. I also used a stabilizer to help make sure I wasn't shaking my phone. 

I used editing software (Adobe Premiere Pro) to assemble the final version of the film. Through editing, I was able to trim and cut clips, arrange shots in the correct order, and control the pacing of the scene. Editing helped emphasize the contrast between Victor’s structured life and Joey’s relaxed personality. 

Finally, I integrated online technologies in this project by using resources and platforms to help in my planning and research stages.  I researched examples of film openings and filmmaking techniques online to understand how professional filmmakers introduce characters and establish tone. These examples helped me make my own decisions when selecting camera angles, costumes, and editing processes.

Using different technologies in this process helped me not only impact the effectiveness of my piece but also improve aspects of my projects. These technologies allowed me to make a more polished and effective media product.

CCR Question 3

 How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

Throughout this project, my production skills improved in many areas due to the process of just getting such an experience. I improved in areas like planning, filming techniques, and editing. At the beginning of the project, I didn't have much experience with things like filming or structuring a narrative like this. However, throughout the research and planning stages, I learned how to use different filmmaking techniques in order to better communicate the story.

I also learned that my expectations were set too high for this piece. When planning this piece, I expected to have about 20 seconds of the suspense scene. However, throughout the planning and research, I learned that for my piece to be good and impactful, I need to keep my suspense scenes long and fluid. Rapid cuts shouldn't be present, and therefore the idea of bounding the suspense scene by 20 seconds was just too unrealistic for a decent piece. 

One way my production skills developed was through my understanding of camera composition and shot selection. Early in the process, I focused mostly on basic shots, but as I continued filming, I became more intentional with how each shot contributed to the story. I understood while filming that having the same types of shots repeat would be boring, and started recording the same scenes many different times from different angles. At one point, the number of cuts became almost annoying for the actors (in a funny way) because they would always be mid-conversation when I called out "cut".

An example of this is when I used wider establishing shots of the home to communicate Victor’s success as a result of his job and the dedication he provides to his job. I showcased the size of the property in order to show Victor's richness.

Another area where my skills improved was visual storytelling through mise-en-scene, especially through costumes and props. Victor’s black-and-white corporate outfit reflects his structured, work-focused life, while Joey’s bright yellow beachwear shows his relaxed personality. 

CCR Question 2

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

My target audience is Gen-Z and millennials that feel overworked or just are looking for a little adventure in their lives. 

One of the strategies I use to appeal to this audience is my costume creation. I tap into the image of a "corporate slave" with Victor's formal look and ordinary black-and-white color palette. This allows people that are overworked or tired mentally to be able to relate to him. By establishing this estate as Victor's home, it shows how successful he is, but the pool's still water shows how his schedule and life doesn't permit him to enjoy that pool. In Victor's introduction scene, he is seen picking up a green pool noodle. This, being placed at the front door, shows how he's looking for that moment where he can pick up the pool noodle and rush out to have his fair share of fun.

On the other hand, we see Joey, sleeping by the poolside while looking sharp in beachwear. He's wearing a yellow-colored beach shirt along with shorts and sunglasses, showing his lighthearted nature, with him being fully relaxed. 

When it comes to the topic of distribution, the most important thing that I'm keeping in mind is that I am an introductory level filmmaker. My plan to distribute my piece as a real media text is to post it on YouTube. If possible, I could try to get my film featured at local or short film festivals.

Editing Part 2

 As I moved into the second half of my editing, my focus shifted from building suspense to making the piece reflect the comedy. The second half needs to feel lighter and character driven. I therefore adjusted the pacing and the shot selection to reflect the shift of tone. 

I increased my editing pace compared to the suspense scene. In this section, since it's a conversation, I plan to increase the editing pace in order to show more movement, therefore making it so that the piece isn't so boring. This way, the cuts feel more fluid and allow the dialogue and rhythm to guide each other throughout. I incorporated both two-shots and over the shoulder shots as well as medium and long shots. Using this variation, I am able to establish the friendship dynamic and make the chemistry feel authentic. 

I am also experimenting with color, and trying to make the suspense scenes darker while making the conversation lighter. However, I'm unsure about how this will turn out, and will only implement this if I know that it'll work.

I am slightly behind my timeline, but splitting my editing process was easy to keep me focused on the scene at hand and make sure that each scene was edited properly. 

All that remains now is perfecting the final cut, implementing my title, and the color grading. Once this is done, my piece will be ready for the big screens.

Editing Part 1

Today I wrapped up my filming completely. I recorded for about 3 hours, getting a wide range of footage.  I've split my editing process into two halves - the first half being the portion in which Victor (owner of home) finding Joey (intruder), and the second part is when Victor and Joey have the conversation about a trip to Japan. 

I'm using Premiere Pro to edit this all together. I've worked on importing all of the film clips. I first went through all the footage and chose the scenes that would be best for the piece. Next, I arranged them within my project so that it can follow a clear progression track. I've started editing the suspense scene already, arranging everything into a nice, clear, and proper manner. I've created discomfort and anticipation, and avoided making too many fast cuts but still showing a variation in technique in order for the piece to retain the audience's attention. 

Within this phase, I have not implemented sound design. I want to finish my entire scene first, and then put in the different sounds that I would end up needing to add to the completeness of the scene. By the end of this first editing stage, I had a rough cut that clearly established the first half of my opening. Although I'm behind where I expected to be, my piece is shaping up to be what I expected it to be, and I am excited to see how it turns out.

Researching CCR Question 1

 As a part of my AICE submission, I need to work on creative critical reflections that help me reflect upon my project.

The first question I'm answering is "How does your product use/challenge conventions & how does it represent social groups and issues?"

Comedy and adventure films typically start with everyday scenarios that has a disruption which helps drive the narrative forward. That's why my idea of using this conversation between friends is an example of me properly using these conventions and applying them. 

As per tradition, comedy films establish humor through dialogue through exaggerated situations. This is where my piece sets itself apart. I start off with something that builds tension. By using the instance of the intrusion, I feel that my piece challenges the audience's expectations, and helps surprise them. 

As far as representation goes, my film is focused on a group of friends. Rather than exaggerating their portrayal through stereotypes, I'm presenting them all as realistic and relatable individuals. By showing one friend as a corporate worker, I set an image of responsibility for people that may relate to the character.

I also have a theme of friendships. In modern society, friendships are limited to the bounds of reels and blue and gray bubbles. I challenge this by showing such a friendship that barely needs any form of social media. It highlights comfort. 

Overall, my film both uses and challenges such conventions. It follows similar structures but adds it's own small twists to it to keep my film seeming like a new experience.

Group Meeting #2

Today was our second group meeting. Here are my notes:

Addison talked about her idea, focusing on a boyfriend who lost his girlfriend in a hit-and-run, resulting in him losing his life internally. We discussed her aspects like mise-en-scene, and filming techniques that she will use to film this project.

Afterwards, Gustavo and Bella showed their overall progress. They discussed their idea and how they're going to record their project today at a restaurant. They showed their production design logo and showed how and where the inspiration from it stemmed from.

Then it was my turn. I discussed my idea with my new group and then talked about my choice of props, costume design, and foley sounds, and then told them some of the ideas that I had for my filming. I then took suggestions about filming, and got specific ideas like recording from inside the film, and keeping wide/medium/close-up shows of the characters during their conversation.

Next was Oliver, who talked about his idea of a drug deal leading to a kidnapping. He showed us some clips that he recorded as well as some stills. We then provided him feedback on what he already filmed as well as more locations to film at.

Finally, Isabella told us about her idea of how she wants to show a forced arranged marriage slowly turning into a love marriage. She talked about having characters develop awkwardness towards each other. We discussed her props and what the opening would look like on the screen. 

This concluded our meeting for today.

Costume Creation

 For my film opening, I also need to plan and create the costumes for my characters. This needs to be something that reflects my characters' personalities and support the tones of the scene. My film focuses on an ordinary group of friends - one who is returning home from work (the responsible one) and one who's pitching the idea of the trip. The important aspect is that the costumes feel normal.

My primary character is the one returning from work. To show this, I will make him wear standard business semi-formal clothing. Therefore, my primary character will wear a white button up with black trousers. 

My secondary character is the one pitching the idea for the trip. Since this is a more chill and relaxed character, I'm going to have him wear more colorful and casual clothes. Therefore, he will be wearing beach clothing. 

Overall, the costume creation process was very important in supporting character development in my opening. By carefully selecting clothing, I am able to communicate personality and the dynamic between my characters in a more visual manner.

Foley Sound Creation

I've started the practical production for my film opening. Today I worked on foley sound to enhance my piece by adding a more realistic feel. My film opening is most reliant on the diegetic sound, and so including foley sound will support the film. 

The first step in this process is identifying the sounds that I need to create with foley. This list included the footsteps, creaking of doors, and the sound of the umbrella swinging. I don't expect these sounds to be recorded clearly during filming, so that's why I recreated them.

For footsteps, I walked across the floor with my phone recording. For the creaky door, I used my room door, and opened & closed it many times in order to get the clip I needed. 

After all of this was done, I reviewed all of the voice memos I recorded and then selected the clearest sound clips. 

Overall, creating Foley sound allows me to have greater control over the audio quality and realistic-ness of the scene. This process is essential in achieving my goal of using diegetic sound to support realism in my film opening.

Lighting in Comedy

 Lighting must be carefully used in order to help align and support the tone and narrative. Since my film is a comedy thats centered around some friend, the lighting needs to work to maintain the lighthearted and humorous tone. 

My opening will take place outside and at home, so i will be using bright lighting to create a welcoming atmosphere. Keeping light evenly distributed will create a clean appearance which helps reinforce the lighthearted tone and keep a humorous tone.

However, for the suspense scene at the beginning, I will implement some lighting trends seen in thriller films. This scene will be dark especially inside the house. This will limit the light in certain areas which also makes the audience wonder what's coming, adding to the suspense in the scene. I'll use some open blinds to let in some light and make the scene seem realistic. 

This lighting scheme ensures that my comedy film opening visually reinforces the humorous & thrilling tone, highlights character reactions, and maintains a realistic environment.

My Production Company Logo

 For my film opening, I developed a production logo to use in the beginning of my opening. My production company is called ID Digital. I selected a clean font to represent simplicity. My logo also contains a folded look in order to create a sense of happiness/playfulness. 

I intentionally used a minimalistic design instead of something complex. This is something I've seen brands do in order to help with their brand recognition. 

To create the ID Digital logo, I used Canva. Along with that, I utilized embedded apps like TypeCraft in order to fully finish my logo.

This is my final logo, followed by the steps of my design process:

Logo Design Stages: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1P6w4IKOoTJZzvFw3aeE8cJAC9mMjEGVt/view?usp=sharing

Costume

 The second mise-en-scene element I'm focusing on is costume. I find costume important since it can help communicate the character's personality and lifestyle. Since my opening is focused upon the busy life and adventure-loving aspects of the two friends, I want my opening to reflect that as well.

The main character (returning from work) will be wearing clothes matching his office's dress code: a white button up with black trousers. This outfit represents his life as a corporate slave and shows that he is just as normal as the rest of the audience. The character is seen as realistic and believable. This also helps to establish the sense of normality and set the equilibrium at the beginning.

The friend (intruder) will be wearing casual clothing to represent his more laidback and fun loving attitude. This friend will be looking out a window, sipping a drink, and wearing beach clothes. This reflects how he's more playful, and it helps foreshadow what the conversation between the friends would be about.

Overall, costume usage in my film is important in order to strengthen the feeling of authenticity and to develop the characters. By using natural and ordinary clothing, the audiences can relate to the characters and can help them connect with the characters. This is important for the audience to enjoy the opening.

Props

 Within my piece, I'll be using props as one of my key elements of mise-en-scene throughout my piece. The most important prop in my piece is the umbrella, which is what the main character will use when investigating who's in his house. 

This umbrella showcases mainly the main character's fear and uncertainty, while also being a highlighter of his bravery. This is because the character chooses what's closest to him, but doesn't go for an actual weapon. 

The umbrella also helps create the shift in tone from suspense to comedy. As the friend is discovered, the friend instinctively responds with the umbrella, which creates the first comedic scene in the opening. This transforms the umbrella's hidden meaning from a symbol of fear to a source of comedy. It also allows the tension created within the scene to become relaxed.

I'll also use the backpack of the main character as a prop. This will contribute to the main character's personality, hinting at the everyday routine and establishing the initial equilibrium. 

All in all, I'm going to carefully place these props within this scene in order to support the development of my characters. I look forward to using the props to create a realistic environment while adding to the suspense and comedy of the scene.

Planning my Audio

 When working on my piece, I will include mainly dialogue. At the very beginning, I plan to include non-diegetic audio to gently establish the beginning and unease as the character is at work and comes home. I'm also going to incorporate a bit of foley sounds in the piece. These sounds will be used to model things like: creaking of door and floorboards, footsteps on the floor, & the sound of the umbrella opening. 

While the main character is walking through the house, I will be having suspenseful music in the scene. This helps me play my trick on the audience, and make them think that this a thriller rather than a lighthearted comedy. Once the character discovers the intruder, the music in the scene will switch to a score with a more lighthearted sense, and then close when the dialogue starts. 

My dialogue will create a dynamic which mirrors the friendship that my actors already have. This will help the scene feel much more natural. I'll incorporate things like laughter to add to the tone I'm trying to create. 

Overall, I want to make the audience become immersed into the experiences and the life of the character. I'll be sure to use my non-diegetic audio cautiously so it makes the scene seem more genuine rather than reduce the authenticity. 

Character Development

 In the opening of my film, I want to make sure the audience can immediately understand who the two characters are so that they can understand the message behind this piece. 

I introduce the protagonist as a regular corporate "slave". He arrives home to what appears to be the normal environment. This moment of calm allows the audience to see him as an ordinary and relatable person before the suspense starts. However, when he notices the door is open, his reaction immediately shows the brave aspects of his personality. Instead of running away, he investigates the house while holding an umbrella for protection. This shows that although he is nervous, he is also curious and brave.

The intruder scene plays a major role in shaping the tone of the film to comedy. When the friend jumps out, the audience experiences relief and humor, but this moment also establishes the dynamic between the two characters. Their interaction suggests a comfortable and playful friendship, suggesting that relationships will be important for the film.

My goal with this opening is to present characters that feel authentic and relatable so that audiences become invested early on. By mixing the moment of suspense with humor and friendship, I will be able to introduce key personality traits of the character. This ensures that the audience completely understands the purpose of my opening.