Final Submission

We did not get the chance to make any revisions because of Covid-19 and the restrictions that came with it. School was cancelled and places where we were going to film were closed. We couldn't get together to work on any revisions but we didn't have many revisions that needed to be done. We made most of our edits last quarter so the only thing we would have liked to do is make the film just a little shorter. We already were at 2:30 so we wanted to get closer to 2 minutes by taking off a few seconds of film for each of our intros. It is not a big fix so this doesn't affect our final submission much.We came a long way since the beginning and I think we all worked together great and improved a lot of skills.

Creative Critical Reflection

https://prezi.com/view/DyTCbOclR4jHSFVkOW3M/

CCR Question #4 Draft

How did you incorporate technology in the process?

We used many forms of technology throughout the entire process of the film. Instead of using a professional camera we decided to use the iPhone XS. The video was set at 1080p HD at 60 fps. By using this iPhone it was easier to handle and to bring into the mall to film. It was also more convenient to have all the videos clips in order to upload to the computer. To edit our videos together we decided to use the app called Premiere Pro. None of us had experience using this app so we all had to learn together. First we learned how to clip the videos together and make sure they were in the right order before we started to add titling and any other effects.

After our video was all in order we had to figure out how to add titles and the color and design of them. In our first submission we used a plain white, bold font for our main title and the the same font but in red and smaller for our names that appeared in the beginning of the film. Later on we decided that these were too boring and changed the opening font to a cursive title that popped onto the screen and then slowly dissolved away. It was still white and was now in the middle of the screen unlike our first submission. We then introduce the three characters with a smaller and also white font as they appear on the screen. We put this in the bottom left of the screen to make it easy for the audience to see the title and the character.

We then decided to add incidental music in to the end of the film to make it seem even more like a real horror movie. As Lily walks out to her car to get her bag that she left, you can see the stalker coming closer and closer to her without her even realizing it. To add more suspense to this scene, we decided that atmospheric sound was just not enough. As a group we looked up scary sounds on the internet and found one where the music got louder and more intense the longer it went. We used Adobe Premiere Pro again to add this to our end scene for a more conventional scary movie scene.

CCR Question #3 Draft

How did your production skills develop throughout the process?

In the beginning of this project my whole group and I barely had any experience with working a camera, editing, and acting. We practiced using a camera in class to get used to it since we all would need to work the camera at least once for our movie. We also wrote down our strengths and weaknesses to figure out who would be the best actor, editor, and cameraman. Together we brainstormed ideas on where we would want to film and since the mall is a popular place for teenagers we decided this would be a good starting place for the film. Finding time to meet up at the mall was difficult at first but we eventually found a time where it worked for all of us and got it done. This also fit with our idea of having a stalker in the film. The stalker in the mall was played by another one of our friends in our group who decided to help us out. It took time to get used to being in front of the camera but we all improved our acting skills a ton by the end of the process. We also are now more familiar with filming and the different types of shots that look the best for certain scene. Throughout the whole process we all got turns using the camera and acting. We also did all of our editing together in class to make sure we all agreed on everything that was being done. We also have a better understanding on how to edit videos with Premiere Pro since we decided to use this as our main program to edit on because it was more advanced than imovie.

CCR Question #2 Draft

How will your product engage with audiences?

The film "Bad Moms" appeals to a slightly older age group for its language. Many teens and usually adult women enjoy this movie because of all the humor present in it. Our film is a mystery and comedy that many teenage girls would appeal to since teen girls are the main characters of the film. Our target audiences are similar because teenagers go to comedy movies to laugh with their friends and mystery movies to get a good scare. The comedic element found in "Bad Moms" keeps the audience engaged in the film. This is what we tried to portray in our film "Girls Night" to help keep our audience interested and wanting more. "Bad Moms" used many marketing techniques to get their movie out to the public. Ads were made and put on billboards and posters to help get the movie out there. YouTube released a trailer and different social media platforms promoted it. The actresses starring in the movie played a huge role in promoted the movie through their social media to the public. This sparked the interest in the main target audience and persuaded them to click on the trailer. YouTube also released many videos talking to the actresses about the movie that would grab people’s attention. To market my film, I would use similar techniques. I think having the actors and actresses promote the movie would be the most effective but I would also make trailers to increase interest in the film. "Bad Moms" was released in 2016 so social media would be practically the same as it is right now.

Both "Hush" and our film "Girls Night" have female roles. They are also both classified under horror/mystery and have similar target audiences of teenagers. Teens typically enjoy horror movies and movies with a strong female lead. In our movie the main characters are teenage girls and in Hush the main character is a young woman. Hush has a thriller/horror genre that is similar to our horror/mystery genre. The goal of both films is to keep the audience on the edge of their seat and fully engaged in the movie. Hush premiered at the 30th annual SXSW Music, Film and Interactive Conferences and Festivals to become better known. Hush was a fairly small movie with not much of a budget. The movie only started to get lots of attention once Netflix snatched up the property not long after its premiere. Once it was available on Netflix many more people had access to the film and it received much more attention. A site called IMDb was very helpful in promoting the movie. It gave rating and reviews of Hush as soon as it came out to let people know that it was a good movie and was worth watching. Also before the release of the movie YouTube released trailers of Hush. This grabbed the attention of many people who enjoy watching horror movies and left them wanting more once the trailer was over. To market my film I would also make an engaging trailer with a suspenseful ending leaving the audience wanting more. I also would try to market more on well-known social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. This would reach my target audience the best.

The film "The Cabin in the Woods" appeals to mostly teenagers because of the teenage characters in it. This is very similar to our film since we also have the main roles played by teenagers. Also, our movie has a horror and mystery element that this film also has. These aspects keep the audience engaged until the very end of the movie which is what our goal is for our film. The Cabin in the Woods has very intense and action packed scenes that help keep the audience on their toes. Anything could happen in a given moment and that is what makes it such a good movie. The marketing for this film was mainly through the actors and their social media. Since all of them have a fan base, it was easy to market the film out to people using them. One of the actors Chris Hemsworth has been seen in many previous movies which helped draw attention to The Cabin in the Woods. The actors and actresses also promoted the movie by releasing the YouTube trailer of the movie to their fan base. The trailer was also very popular since it left the audience wanting more. To market my film I would use very similar techniques. I would have the actors and actresses promote the trailers and the movie once it is released so that a bigger audience could be reached. This would bring in more people from the target audience and the movie would be more successful.

"Us" is a mystery/thriller movie from 2019. This horror movie can be targeted to teens like my movie even though it is rated R. My movie is targeted at teens too since they are the main characters and the audience can relate to them. This is similar to the film "Us" because it features a family featuring teenagers. "Us" was released in theaters March 22, 2019 in the United States and United Kingdom. Less than three months late it became available on DVD and Blu-ray. It had it world premiere at South By Southwest on March 8th, which is a film festival that takes place every year in early March. Two weeks later "Us" was released to the public by Universal Pictures. To attract attention before the release, an official trailer came out on Christmas Day 2018 which showed how dark the movie was. A second trailer was then released on Superbowl Sunday which revealed more about the movie and kept people interested about the upcoming release date. Also, the actors and actresses in the movie would continuously post on their social media about the movie to reach out to many more people in the target audience.

My Marketing Plan

While researching movies, I found lots of different techniques for marketing. One of the most popular techniques I found was billboards. Almost all the movies advertised used billboards to get the word out about their new movie. They also used a variety of social media websites and interviews to help promote it.

To market our movie we plan on making a variety of social media pages such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. By using social media we can easily reach out to our target audience of teenagers. These pages will include information about the movie, the actors; official release dates for the film and trailers to leave them wanting more. This helps promote the movie and get more people interested in it. We also will have interviews with the actors from the movie and the director that people can watch and become more interested in the upcoming movie.

Instagram- We first decided to make an Instagram account. Instagram has a huge following base so we thought we could reach out to our main target audience of teenagers. On our Instagram, we added when our trailer was releasing and pictures and videos from the film.

We also decided to create a billboard that would show our film. This would attract even more people and then would lead them to looking up our movie. They then could watch our trailer and even find our Instagram to keep up with the latest updates.

How will it be distributed as a real media text?

Film distribution is how a film is made available to the public. Now a days, distribution of a film is careful and long thought out process. Many films need the help from a good sales agent who will represent your film in film festivals and markets. They would also introduce your film to distributors and try and sell the film to different places such as airlines and hotel chains. Other movies are sometimes sold in bundles with movies that are of the same genre or are about the same thing. Sales agents are the link between the filmmaker and the distribution company which is why they try to sell the films they represent to distributors which then distribute them to TV networks, cinemas, and other places and platforms. Even once the films are sold to distributors, the films are not always distributed. They can decide against it if they think it will cost too much especially since traditional distribution can cost a lot of money. Distribution also includes making an eye catching trailer that grabs peoples attention and makes them interested in seeing your film.

To distribute my film I would use a variety of traditional distribution techniques. I would start by finding a good and successful sales agent to represent my film in festivals. I would also find distributors to try and sell my film to different places and make a trailer that interests my target audience. The trailer would create suspense and leave off on a cliff hanger so the people watching are left wanting more.



Example of Traditional Distribution




My Distribution Plan

By researching different movies I found lots of different ways to distribute films. I would of course start out with the traditional ways of distribution such as finding a successful sales agent to represent my film in festivals. I would also make at least two trailers of the movie to attract attention and to keep the audience updated and more excited about the upcoming release date. After the release of my film, I would try and get it on major streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu. By doing this,  I would need to refine my pitch of the film before even finding a distributor. I would the find a distributor or an aggregator and they would then pitch it to Netflix or turn my film away. After hopefully getting pitched to Netflix, I would then wait for a response and hope to get accepted by them. By successfully making it on to Netflix, I can reach out to a broader audience and this attracts even more attention to the film.

CCR Question #1 Draft

How does your product use or challenge conventions?


Our film is classified as a horror/ mystery drama. In horror films, short takes are used to create a fast paced scene that’s hectic and intensifies the mood. This allows the audience to feel how the characters are feeling. While researching, one film I found that used lots of short takes was "The Cabin in the Woods." This made scenes fast paced and more interesting and action filled. We used short take towards the end of our film to build suspense and to make the audience scared for what was about to happen next.

Throughout the entire film we used many over the shoulder shots to create suspense and foreshadow the danger coming. They let the viewer know what was happening, but the characters are still clueless. In the film "IT" I noticed there were over the shoulder shots used a lot when the "bad guy" We used over the shoulder shot many times. In the beginning of the film, over the shoulder shots were used when the hooded figure was following the girls around the mall. The girls had no idea he was behind them so this raised suspense. We also used this shot in the last scene of the movie when the man finally reveals himself to one of the girls. The audience still does not know who the hooded figure is but the girl does.

Another convention we used was the way we portrayed the "bad guy" , or the hooded figure. When we researched horror genres we found that there was a lot of ways to portray him. In the movie "Hush", the bad guy wears all black with a black beanie on his head and a mask. We decided to try and make our bad guy look similar to this. In our film he wore black pants with a black hoodie with the hood over their head. This hid his face from the audience and made the scenes more suspenseful by not knowing who the man was and what he looked like.

Another film I researched was called "Us". This film uses lots of incidental music to raise tension and to make scenes in the movie even more terrifying to the audience. By using incidental music we created a gloomy mood and to create a sense of unknown for the audience. In many horror movie, suspenseful music plays right before a jump scare or before a big scene happens. We included incidental music into our film at the end when the hooded figure walks up to Lily at her car. It created a dramatic scene that kept the audience on the edge of their seat.



How does it represent social groups or issues?

The social groups presented consist of teenage girls who think they don’t need protection. They are independent and  are not very aware of their surroundings when they are all together. The issue presented is that they did not stick together and when one girl was alone, the stalker attacked. To prevent this the teenage girls should stay together no matter what even when the task is simple and seems safe.