AICE Media Studies

1 How does your product use or challenge conventions AND how does it represent social groups or issues? My music video product both uses conventions, and represents social groups within these adhesions to the status quo. The main social group I highlighted within this product was the elderly population. The video centers on the mostly sedentary life of an old man, and how his memories coalesce within it. I utilize a convention used often in films that reflect on the lives of the elderly. Specifically, this can be seen within the start of the movie UP.  Mainly, the story itself is very closely tied to mainstream conventions of neglected elderly people. It tells stories of loneliness, regret, and desperate wants for return to the past. One way I challenge common conventions is within the music paired with the actual film. I use a song from Twenty-One pilots, a band usually associated with youth and punk. This songs name is stressed out, which connects back to the stresses of old age ...

 Hello all! Here is my groups finished music video project!! So much planning and effort culminated into something I can be very proud of. The filmmaking process remains one of the most beautiful ones.

 Welcome to my 6th, and final production blog for the music video project. I will be discussing my editing process over the initial footage of the music video. Music videos and associated media are some of the most heavily edited pieces out there. For our project, editing was needed to add an air of magic to the story. Flashbacks had to take place, and the only way to achieve that is through editing. All we had as our base was a simple camera zoom into a photograph. This would not serve our purpose. What we wanted to create was a dreamlike effect on the viewer, peering into distant memories. This will aid the emotional aspect we want to tap into. Another way we can tap into this is through audio editing. With the addition of music, a scene can change entirely. The core mood of a scene is essentially translated into the music accompanying it. Some scenes can feel flat beforehand, but are changed completely after. The effect is fascinating. Another effect I want to add is a wispy, dr...

 Welcome to my fifth production blog. This blog will be discussing how the filming process took place during our music video. The actual filming day is in my opinion the pinnacle and the most exciting part of the production. All the ideas we have pitched come together and become a reality. We finally see what concepts work in the actual video and those that don't apply as successfully. It is a real test for what is workable. The house filming location is perfect, full of Christmas "set-dressing" that enhances the seasonal feeling of the video. Our filming equipment is very standard for student films, we used basic iPhone cameras. It is essentially all we need. My behind-the-camera position returned, and I captured the scenes we needed at the angles required. This movie required some new and different camera motions.  We had a solid behind the back walking shot, which really ingrained the viewers within the scene.  Filming inside of a house can be a challenging but rewardi...

 Welcome to my fourth production blog. This blog will run through our quick and efficient scheduling process. Making sure everyone is available is one of the most important aspects of team work, and it usually generates the most problems. People all have their individual lives, so balancing out all our activities with each other is quite the difficult endeavor. Team work is a game of concessions and understanding, so it can be hard for those who lack empathy. Luckily, everyone in our group is pretty understanding. That is a an absolute need when working with others. Another major headache when working with multiple people is that some members do not attend to their responsibilities in an appropriate fashion. However, we have the opposite of this problem. Our group's members are in what seems like a constant competition of diligence. Everything is planned, and we execute on our plans accordingly. No one flakes in the slightest. Essentially, we are always available. Our filming day w...

 Welcome to my third production blog. Costumes anchor an actor into the world of a story. The final layer of reality is added, making the media believable. Making our main actor feel believable, may take much more effort than the average costume job. We are transforming a high school junior into an elderly man.  We are moving from one end of the age spectrum to the other, changing his appearance drastically. First, we will have to decide on clothes that an older, out of fashion, man would wear. Then, we move on to the facial aspect. One immediate visible tell for age is wrinkles, and this feature may take makeup to replicate. Another tell is grey hair, so a wig is probably in order. All in all, the old man costume will take some creativity and grit. The next costumes we need are for the children within our flashback sequences. We this, we also plan to use people who are not the actual age that we are acting like they are. To achieve the illusion of fake youth, we will have act...

 Welcome to my second production blog! More and more progress is being made in the realization of our music video within reality. The setting of a film is one of its most important components. This gives character and realism to the media as a whole. Specifically, we are looking for a home that would feel that a fittingly old man lives there. A house that gives the feeling of former glory of childhood memories. While at the same time, conveying that there are passed, and will permanently be passed. A bittersweet feeling in its entirety. Speaking for myself, my house does not posses any furnishings or décor that gives the feeling of someone passed their prime. Many of it is modern-esque, not giving the correct vibe in total. We need a house that can pass as one from period from much earlier before. This can be a challenge. Additionally, we need to find locations in which the memories take place. These places need to pass like they actually could exist in the past. Areas where childr...

One of the most important elements as it relates to the plot of our film are props. These are used as the main storytelling vessel, so getting the perfect props is integral. Our story is a tale of memories, in which we center on objects as the focus of them. We are all assigned certain objects to get specifically, all within our means. The hardest one to obtain is the photo album. This isn't just a simple everyday object. We need photos within it too, which is a very difficult element. We need photos across life itself. We will have to scour through family pictures, or even make custom ones. Making custom ones is a whole entire element of the filmmaking process. Custom prop creation is whole new facet of filmmaking for our group. For our first film, we only used premade/non-custom props. This made item use very simple and one-sided. Prop creation will call for much more creative thinking and nuance. Additionally, we are planning to build a cardboard rocket ship. This will be the bi...