Elizabeth Berrios Final Project Blog

(My cover for my podcast) Currently, in my creative critical reflection, I am planning out how I will go about my interview reflection. Whether I'll have someone interview me or I'll just set up my phone and interview myself. I'm leaning towards having someone interview me, as I think it will look and feel more real too, which, for some reason, makes me more confident in my work. As for the podcast, it's pretty simple; I just need to record the audio and create a cover for the video for my podcast. My idea is for me to answer the first two questions in my interview and the last two in the podcast. This is so both videos don't drag on too long and become potentially boring to the viewers. I plan on filing my interview Wednesday so I have all of Thursday and Friday to edit and finalize. I can’t believe how fast this year has flown by and how much my and my classmate's knowledge has developed. I'm excited to finish and be able to see my full final portfolio!

 Both my opening sequence and Greedy People create suspense right from the start by using dark lighting and an eerie atmosphere. Each scene is carefully framed to build tension, making the audience question what’s happening. Both openings also focus on mystery, using visuals rather than dialogue to hint at the crime and draw viewers in. The pacing is slow and deliberate in both, allowing tension to build naturally. However, Greedy People has a much bigger budget, which makes a huge difference in quality. The cinematography is smoother, the lighting is more professional, and the sound design is much more detailed. My project, on the other hand, relies on practical lighting and simple shots because of time and equipment limitations. Another big difference is how Greedy People moves between different locations, while my sequence takes place in one setting to keep things contained. The film also uses layered sound effects and music to enhance the suspense, whereas my project takes a...

Both my opening sequence and Trap (2024) use dark lighting and eerie music to build suspense right from the start. They create an unsettling atmosphere that draws the audience in and makes them anticipate what will happen next. Both also rely on slow-building tension rather than jumping straight into action, which helps establish mystery. The framing in both openings is carefully thought out, using close-ups and shadows to add to the ominous feel. However, there are clear differences due to budget, time, and resources. Trap has professional cinematography, lighting, and sound design, making it look more polished and cinematic. My project, on the other hand, uses more practical effects and accessible equipment, giving it a raw, indie feel. Trap also benefits from a bigger budget, allowing for high-quality special effects and complex sets, while my sequence takes place in a more contained environment. Another difference is the pacing— Trap builds suspense slowly, while my sequence mo...

 

 Podcast and interview: How do your products use or challenge conventions, and how do they represent social groups or issues? My film primarily sticks to traditional crime conventions, particularly in its plot structure. However, by featuring teenagers as the main characters, it represents certain aspects of teenage social dynamics and feeds into the common fears parents have when their kids go out and what could potentially happen. While it doesn’t tackle major societal issues, it does reflect the ways in which teens interact and navigate their environments. That said, my project has the potential to challenge conventions related to social groups—especially in how teenage victims are portrayed in crime narratives. The podcast serves as an opportunity to expand on these ideas, discussing common stereotypes surrounding teenage kidnappings and how the media often portrays them. In this podcast we can analyze these tropes and explore whether they truly show the reality or feed into mi...

Feedback: “My review: This video, created by Liz, Hailey, Margaret, and Jason made a very good opening. The key thing that stuck out was their brilliant use of sound to convey what was happening in the scene. At the beginning everything is happy and there is a song playing while they are joyfully getting ice cream but then an alarming score and heartbeats begin to start when the killer is close to the girl. It’s dark when they leave which also contributes to it being a horror opening which was a good idea. Another thing that was good was mid shot following the girl through the ally. Your mise en scene and cinematography was well done and it really conveyed that it was a horror movie opening. Finally, the setting was well thought out and the alley played into horror tropes which is smart. There are a couple  negatives but they are very minor and not super detrimental to the quality of the film opening. The first critique is it could be longer. There could be more to the opening and ...

As a filmmaker, I understand that I have a big responsibility when it comes to showing different groups in movies. In my project, I chose to represent teenagers, and I think I did this in a fair way without using stereotypes. I wanted the characters to feel real and relatable instead of exaggerated or unrealistic. My goal was to make the story feel true to real life while still keeping the excitement and mystery of the murder mystery genre. When it comes to the kind of movies I watch, I like both big studio films and independent films. Big studio movies usually have bigger budgets and look more polished, but independent films take more creative risks and tell unique stories. The film I made is more traditional and follows the usual style of murder mystery movies. I used classic elements like suspense, plot twists, and surprises. While I respect movies that try something new, I wanted to stick to a familiar style so that my film would be enjoyable and easy to follow for people who like ...

Postproduction is going pretty smoothly; we are pretty much done. We need to fix a couple title scenes and change the font. One thing we do need to fix/add is the audio to the entire video. Other than that, editing is all done. Finishing touches are being added in. I think the video has come out pretty well, and we have completed it in a timely manner, if not early. I hope the final product is up to standards, if not above standards! My team has been working hard to get this done while balancing our lives.

Doing an interview is the easiest and cheapest. I could use a family member, friend, or teacher to ask me these questions and set up my phone to record. I would publish on platforms that have lots of consumers but are affordable, if not free. For those who want to put themselves out there. Interview also wouldn't take so much time, so I wouldn't have to set up something very far in advance. If I had to choose between the two of the options, I would prefer an interview. My film mostly sticks to typical murder mystery conventions in the plot, but using teenagers as actors can represent a little bit of social groups, but it doesn’t really dive into deeper issues. It represents the way teens interact, but not necessarily any major social problems. I engage with my audience by making the film feel like the viewer is there in the storyline with the actors but also is able to see the predicted future. This makes it more suspenseful and interactive. If this were a real media product, i...

With creating a podcast, I would need microphones and a camera to create this. I wouldn't even need someone to interview me for this; I could just talk with the rest of my group members answering these questions and post it on Spotify or YouTube. I think it would just be expensive due to the cost of equipment such as microphones.  My film mostly sticks to typical murder mystery conventions in the plot, but using teenagers as actors can represent a little bit of social groups, but it doesn’t really dive into deeper issues. It represents the way teens interact, but not necessarily any major social problems. I engage with my audience by making the film feel like the viewer is there in the storyline with the actors but also is able to see the predicted future. This makes it more suspenseful and interactive. If this were a real media product, it could be shared on platforms like YouTube, where people regularly consume content. Throughout the project, my production skills improved a lot....

  1. Currently in production we have filmed our entire storyline. The issue we are running into is we didn't take enough shots of the antagonist/criminal. In turn the storyline doesn't flow as well ask we'd like it to. We'd like antagonist to be known throughout the storyline and not just to appear in the film. Other than that the film is coming together pretty smoothly. We might go back to the filming location to take some extra shots just incase. It's always better to have extra film to use. Overall we are ready for postproduction other than that small mishap. 2. 

 Film: Goodfellas Analysis: The openeing sequence of this film is just a display of words passing by in a swipe effect. This is to give the idea that the words are like cars driving by, we can infer this by the sound used in the background of cars passing by. We are told the story is based off a true story which is put as a label on some crime show series or documentaries. The film then transitions to a black Cadillac driving in the dark there is no music or talking only the sound of the car driving on the road. This adds a sense of mystery and a question of "what are these people doing out this late?" It cuts to a clip saying it takes place in New York, 1970 we are then shown the inside of the car and its three men that seem to be tired as the one driving is rubbing his eyes and the one in the passenger seat is asleep. It is implied these men are in a mafia by the design used with their clothing, hair, makeup, and body language being very serious. We finally hear their voice...

 Film: Knives out Analysis: Sound wise while there is minimal talking in this short opening sequence, the main focus of sound here is the intense violin music played throughout this clip. Its very dramatic and follows the flow of the shots as the house is being shown and the music heightens in mystery to add to the overall mise en ène. In a way, the music matches the house, with it being filled with this abstract, antique-looking art. The editing and cinematography in this sequence is very well played out to convey to the reader the kind of vibe this film is giving right off the bat in the first shot. We are started off with a ground-level full shot of this dark, mysterious estate, with smoke coming from the sides to cover the home, giving it a very foggy, dark autumn aura. What seem to be two dobermans are shown running past the camera from the estate in slow motion, which kind of foreshadows the following events that maybe something bad has happened, adding to the overall look an...

 Film: The Prisoner Analysis: The mise en scene of this opening sequence is very fast paced, cooky, and abstract. In the opening sequence we are given a storyline of this buisness man in London that drives a wacky car, resigns from his job and goes back home to pack his bags when he has been followed home and someone fills his house with this sleeping powder. He passes out and wakes up in this foreign castle-like place where he trys to run away on the beach but realizes hes trapped. We also see another point-of-view of what we can guess is of the man who kidnapped him, in this view we see the buisness man being watched in this headquarter-supervillan style office. As for the cinematography, the clips in this opening sequence they are very choppy and fast paced. The cutting on action clips is to depict how fast paced the car is going and to show he's in a rush to his workplace. We get a wide, high angle, and close up shots of his feet to view him walking down this dark hallway only ...