AICE Media Studies

Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uj6swywOlPD4pX5BMwJmH1IitJYaDNGJ5Eh3BCDRVhA/edit?usp=sharing Question 1: How does your short film represent social groups or issues?   The thriller short film "Interlinked" that we produced depicts a serial killer who targets victims from different social groups, including race, gender, and sexual orientation. The film aimed to address issues related to discrimination, stereotyping, and prejudice. The serial killer in the film targeted victims from various social groups, highlighting how people are often stereotyped and discriminated against based on their identity (although our killer had no agenda against specific people). The victims included a gay man, a Hispanic woman, and an Arab man, among others. Through these characters, the film explored how individuals from different social groups are often marginalized and subjected to discrimination in society. Furthermore, the film depicted how the media and law enforcement often treat v...

 Website:  https://interlinkedmovie.wixsite.com/interlinked-movie Postcard:  https://www.canva.com/design/DAFezRfj-Xo/L00KSww2EosdiRXUIGiaYw/edit?utm_content=DAFezRfj-Xo&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton IMPORTANT NOTICE!!!: If the video does not load on first try, please exit the blog and reopen it. Also, make sure to wait a few seconds for the video to process. This is our short film Interlinked, We hope you enjoy the ride as much as we did! All our socials are linked in the description of the video.

 For us, the filmmaking process included an essential editing phase. We devoted numerous hours to examining the film, putting the tale together, synchronizing the audio and video, and color grading. Although it took a while, we understood it was vital to produce the desired outcome. Making the choice of which photos to utilize and in what order was one of the obstacles we encountered. We had to make sure the narrative flowed smoothly and that each shot contributed to the whole. Pace, tone, and mood all needed to be considered as well. Finding the ideal soundtrack for the movie was another difficulty. Although we sought to choose music that complemented the tenor and atmosphere of the scenes, we also had to exercise caution for copyright laws. We spent a lot of time looking for music that was free from royalties and suited our goals. We have to keep in close contact with one another throughout the editing process. We needed to confirm that everyone was on the same page and that...

One of the things we had to consider for our project was the costumes. We had a general idea of what was going to happen in the film, but we weren’t sure who was going to wear what. In one of our original concepts, One of us would have played a killer in the film. This means that one of us would have had to wear a killer costume. We found that it was difficult to dress as a convincing killer, so we decided not to use one. Now that we know what the four of us are doing, we need to decide what to wear. Context clues given in the script can help us with what to wear. The characters have distinct roles. Taking this into consideration, we can narrow down our list of possible costumes. Using this, we will dress as regular people, blending with the real  world that we want to portray. Casual clothing, tennis shoes, and hats will all be present. The costume design is obviously subject to change by each person, so this rule will not be strictly followed. For example, Max decided that he wan...

 Today's the first day that we are doing some edits. Out of the whole group, I have the most experience with editing softwares and how to edit. I also own a Macbook so editing will be free and easy for me with iMovie. I could've waited till we finished all the scenes to edit, but we have enough clips to start with something. Firstly, I downloaded the royalty free music that we planned on using and exported it. I then airdropped all the film videos to my laptop. Why Airdrop? Because the quality doesn't worsen when exporting and it sends super fast. Anyways, I put all the videos together and started working on the first edit, which was the most major one too. It was a fade going from the HD quality video of the news video and slowly zooming out to show the video being played on the TV. First thing that I did was gather the information on how many pixels the original video was shot with, and how many it showed up with on the TV. Jibril's TV can show 1080P and the video was...

The gloomy and unsettling environment close to Nick's home was ideal for our video project. As a student, Alec, Jibril and I worked together to make a short movie for our class project. The region close to Nick's house was the ideal choice because it matched the menacing atmosphere of our scenario. Tall trees and bushes encircled the scene, lending it an eerie and ominous atmosphere. Nick's home itself was outdated and dilapidated, with boarded-up windows and deteriorating wall paint. As it was private land and we didn't want to disturb the neighbors, we were aware that we had to exercise caution when filming there. In order to set up our equipment and prepare our photographs, we arrived early in the morning. The area's natural lighting was ideal for creating the ominous and dismal feeling we were striving for. To improve the ambience of the scene, we also brought along some artificial lighting and smoke machines. It was occasionally difficult to film in the area ar...

  one of the key decisions we had to make was what costumes to use. We knew that the costumes would be critical to creating a sense of fear and dread in the audience. We started by brainstorming different ideas and concepts for the costumes. We knew that we wanted to use something that would be instantly recognizable as horror, but we also wanted to make sure that the costumes were unique and memorable. After much discussion, we decided to go with a classic horror trope - the dark apparition. We felt that this would be a great choice because it would allow us to create a sense of mystery and ambiguity, while also being immediately recognizable as something terrifying. Next, we began researching different types of dark costumes. We looked at everything from traditional Victorian-era cloaks to more modern interpretations of cloaked figures. We eventually settled on a costume that was both eerie and unique. The costume consisted of a long dark clothes, with tattered edges and a ghostl...

 In the past two years of this class, we have talked about filming techniques. This is because there is a large emphasis being put on them. Because of the emphasis that I have been taught, I want to put a lot of thought into how I film this project. The first thing I need to do is make sure that I have the right camera angles. In the classroom, we watched many film examples. I have chosen a handful of filming techniques that I want to use based on these film extracts. They might not be put in the final film, but they are the ones that I felt might be beneficial to add. The first is the eye-level shot. There is nothing fancy about it, but it is very common in films and because of that, I want to add it to ours. It is almost exclusively a close-up or medium close-up shot, meaning that it is taken from a relatively close distance, and leaves most of the emphasis on the actor. Because it is a relatively close shot, I want to use it in our shot focusing on the victim. The next is an ove...

Right now. we are finished up with filming and are in the process of editing our short-film. With time being "wasted" I decided to talk to you about sound.  The role of sound in the short-film is significant as it brings a sense of authenticity to the film and assists the audience in understanding the plot. Firstly, the location and sound settings contribute to the realism of the movie. For instance, the sounds of the beach or forest establish the scene and context. Secondly, the sound adds to the credibility of the movie. For example, including the sound of cutlery when characters are eating creates a realistic environment. The sound of water glasses clinking on the table is also essential. Lastly, sound is used to provide clues to the audience about the plot. Creepy music can create tension, and the sound of footsteps can indicate the killer's location. Overall, sound is a crucial tool in advancing the film. Background sounds make the scene more realistic, practical sou...

 Today might be our last day of filming. I know this sounds crazy, but we already filmed all the scenes needed, with just the ending being left. I know that we might need to film again in case of some emergency, but so far we're good. I got a rough estimate of how much film time we have remaining when I added the other clips together on iMovie. This was by far the coolest scene. We had set up a ring-light on the floor of Jibril's dining room (protagonists work area) and had it point towards behind the protagonist so that the camera could catch the killer behind him. The music we used had an amazing heavy metal transition of the guitar riff being played once the camera panned behind the killer. Everything we had set up was being for this scene. We were really proud of ourselves and our teamwork in the process. Once we finished filming, Jibril's mom let us have a sleep over since we could just go to school together the next day. After school the next day, I focused on some ed...

 I'm aware that learning how to utilize iMovie will take some time and effort. I utilized a different piece of software and a different version of iMovie the last time I created a film project for school. But, regardless of the program I choose, the fundamentals of video editing remain applicable. I need to get comfortable with iMovie's user interface. Learning how to import media files, such as music and video clips, is part of this. I need to learn how to use a variety of tools, including the splitter, timeline, and trimmer. Using effects and transitions effectively can improve my project's aesthetic appeal. I also need to learn how to apply filters and change audio levels. Thank goodness, iMovie has a ton of features that can assist me in producing a project that looks polished. To learn the software, I first started with some simple internet lessons. My experimentation with various features and effects has been aided by my practice with sample film. I've com...

Today's the day of the major pool scene. Me and my friends got together at school and went to my car. We stopped by dominoes to pick up some pizza because we were absolutely starving. Afterwards, we went by Jibril's place to pick up his cop costume. Honestly its just a blue trench coat and a police badge we got from the dollar store, but we gotta stay economic. We went to my place and absolutely devoured the pizza. Oh and i forgot to mention, my Amazon package containing fake blood and fake cyanide pills came. We could use the cyanide for the scene we were going to film. Now, it was time to record. We filmed the scene of me entering the house for the first time with the murder scene being crystal clear. We then recorded the scene of me tackling officer Lussac into the pool and dragging him out. This was one of the most fun scenes i've filmed in my life. The fake cyanide looked really cool when Lussac broke it into his mouth. It looked like he was having a real seizure. We e...

 Alright, todays the day we start really filming. We wanted to get the first scene out of the way, so we picked up our friend Naiara to play as the girl in the scene. After picking her up, we went back to Jibril's place. We realized that the scene we needed was a night-time one, so we used Naya to our advantage. You guessed it, our filmer! We filmed the scenes of me, (the protagonist), driving down to the detectives office. We actually did a good amount of filming in that office. We got the scene with the friends meeting up. We also finished building the evidence board so we got that scene down too. We wanted to continue filming of how the protagonist goes down to the first victims house. However, we realized that my house would be used for that scene and a later one where we tackle officer Lussack into the pool. So, we held off the filming to kill two birds with one stone on another day. We got back to Jibril's place and watched some T.V. until night-time came. Once the sun ha...

Right now this blog is being written as me and my group members are leaving an airsoft field celebrating my birthday party. After the party, we got together back to my place to make some arrangements for our filming schedule. Lots of events in our life came up so we worked up a newer schedule on the days that we film and edit. First off we scouted Jibril's house to make sure it was all set up for filming. We talked to his parents and they said we have full permission, which is perfect. I talked to his little brother Yusef and he agreed to be in some scenes with us. Afterwards, we saw we had some extra time to film so we started on our first intro type scene. We dressed in business attire and acted as newscasters reporting a mass murderer. The scene will of course be finished with some editing on those news headers on the top and bottom, but we were really proud of our work. Afterwards, Jibril's mom gave us some lemonade and we chilled over at his place. When leaving, I dropped ...

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Today's the day we reveal the plan for our Short Film (name is still in the making). We are going to include everything from schedules and dates to health and safety issues. Schedule: going back into the past, we chose our pitch and solidified the basic plan for what we wanted our short film to be looking like. In December, we made the final decision on what genre we wanted (it was really a war between thriller and horror), and we started writing the screenplay. Finishing the screenplay in early January, we are currently writing this planning blog. Next, we will finish our storyboards and film our short film. Lastly, we are hoping to finish all of our editing in March. Location: our story revolves around the house of the protagonist (can't give too much away), so we have decided to use Jibril's residence. The house fits the plan perfectly, with all the rooms and locations of interior and exterior matching up with our screenplay. We all live in the same area so Max (since he...

  Script   Short-Film Script:   Non-Diegetic Sound: Serious-ominous song plays throughout the scenes   Lighting: Darkness of the night/moonlight   News Station (Voiceover ) : A manhunt is underway for a dangerous fugitive wanted in connection with a string of violent crimes. The suspect is believed to be armed and extremely dangerous. Police are asking members of the public to call 911 immediately if they spot the suspect. He is described as around 6 feet tall and wearing all black clothing. No facial features have been identified. Authorities advise people not to approach the suspect if they see him, and to remain vigilant in their immediate area. The suspect is believed to be traveling on foot and may still be in the local area. We urge anyone with information on the suspect's whereabouts to contact them as soon as possible.     The news station screen pans over from the tv to a woman and a child who have just finished watching the station. Seconds...