This week we have been finishing off our ‘Who Am I?’ mind maps and our ‘What I’ve learnt so far’ Infographics. We have also started to think about 3 possible ideas that we could do for our Final Major Project.
Mind Map
We were tasked to produce a mind map to show what makes us who we are. This is my mind map featuring things like my inspirations, beliefs and background etc.
What I’ve learnt so far
This is a visual infographic I produced to show what I have learnt so far since finishing Term One/Two. Detailing the key moments I had during the terms and how they have taught and developed my skills further.
Exteneded Project: My three initial ideas
These are my 3 ideas that I want to do for my Final Major Project. These are just initial ideas and the final, chosen one will be developed and researched further.
Idea One:
Title (Not decided): The Last Man’s Words
Theme: Post Apocalyptic / Dystopian
I want to showcase my understanding of lighting and how it can be used to create effect on the viewer. I want the lighting to reveal a silhouette of the character. I would use camera angles that will show the character from various perspectives; high, low and side etc. I want to use minimal colour as possible and keep the character masked in a shadow.
Genre: Horror (I think)
What Am I Considering to Produce:
This idea is about a man, the last man alive who is sitting in a room and waiting to die. The character will begin to talk about the past when everything was good and how it all began to go wrong. He will talk about his life before the world went wrong, how we used to live and how he was happy. He will mention the names of people, possibly his family or maybe the people who caused this. The character is ill and will be coughing throughout the film. The character will talk about what went wrong in the world and how it was triggered. He will also mention what has happened to everyone and how they all died. I wanted to do either a nuclear warfare or a weaponize biochemical that got out of control and started killing people, making them sick and slowly killing of the human race. I want to end it with one of two ways. A cliff hanger with the character saying something that will make the viewer question their fate or, with the character dying as they draw their last breath.
Why I Am Considering Making This:
I am considering this idea because it is always something that I have had a passionate interest about alternate realities and the way things could have played out. And two of the things I am interested in most is loneliness and post apocalyptic settings. I have been inspired by this many times through reading comic books, watching TV and also movies.
I want to show the raw effect that loneliness can have on someone and put that in an apocalyptic environment. The toll it has on them mentally and put that on a dying person, the last man alive. Who is telling his story to the listeners as he slowly passes away into the damnation of their undeniable fate.
My inspiration is drawn from the TV show The Walking Dead, the movie I Am Legend, the video-game The Last Of Us and the comic book titled Hulk: The End.
Why It’s Important To Me:
This is important to me because I am basing my narrative on subjects that I have desires on. I am producing a narrative from subjects that I have great interest in and that I think will be a great experience to exercise for my Final Major Project.
This idea is important to me because I like to feel/see the thoughts and emotions of character’s and I feel that I have create a scenario which will allow me to do that with a deep, rich and colourful narrative plot.
I am constantly reading news articles about possible warfare from different countries and I always think to myself ‘What if this actually happened?’ ‘How would it play out in the end?’. I think that it will be a great opportunity and experience to experiment with a ‘What if?’ scenario and think about what could happen in the aftermath and put it into a production.
The Skills I will Be Using:
For this idea I wanted the setting to be dark with only a little bit of natural lighting coming from a window curtain. I will be applying what I learnt about 3 Point Lighting to show the character from different angle shots but in a dark environment with little light.
I will be using Camera Operating skills when shooting the scenes. I want to use different shots throughout the character’s dialogue to show the ups and downs in their lives which will have an effect on the audience and may change the way the character is interpreting something.
The dialogue would be recorded by itself. I will have to use a shotgun microphone to record the character’s dialogue and such. I will have to tamper with the volume levels to make sure nothing is drowned out or becomes to loud.
I will need to write a lengthy script that will cover the majority of the film.
I will be editing it all together. Using various transitions. I want to possibly add a depth shot with the character’s surrounding being blurred at some points so I will be using my skill of editing to put it all together will an ambient track to set the tone of the story and it’s environment.
My Target Audience:
My target audience doesn’t have a set age. It is for people who’re interested in the unknown and unique views and narratives. I am targeting it towards people who like realism and wonder what could/would happen if something goes wrong, what would happen realistically and not with an unnatural ‘happy ending’. This film would be for people who focus on what they’re watching and taking in all the little details and deciphering possibilities as it goes along.
Research I will be carrying out:
Test footage, This is something I could do with a camera as the location is only one room. I will experiment with ways to achieve the lighting effect that I want and how to manipulate the lighting on the character’s face.
Watching various movies like I Am Legend and observe the character’s emotional state and how they deal with the loneliness they suffer from everyday. I will watch other similar movies and analyse them. Reading books and taking information which I can apply in production.
I will use the test footage to practise editing and formulate creative ways to which I can use during my Post Production editing.
Idea Two:
Title (undecided): Horror / Thriller Screenplay
Genre: Horror / Thriller
What Am I Considering To Produce:
For this idea I want to write a horror screenplay. I haven’t got an idea for the narrative yet but I want to focus on the horror genre when doing this screenplay. I will start to develop a narrative when conducting research and coming up with new ideas and characters.
Why I Am Considering Making This:
I am considering making this because one of my favourite film genres is Horror. I enjoy horror movies and books and its something that I’ve been interested in since I watched my first horror movie. I want to do a screenplay as writing is one of my passions and I enjoy writing scripts for my productions. Doing this will allow me to express my creativity and create an interesting and thrilling screenplay.
Why It’s Important to Me:
It is important to me because I want to test myself at Screenplay writing as it’s something that I want to be involved in throughout my career.
It’s also important to me because I want to be able to produce my own material from things that I am interested in and by using my own imagination to see what I can produce using the knowledge I have learnt.
Skill I Will Be Using:
The skills I will be using will include Literature. I will have to make sure that everything is documented correctly and in the right order. This involves planning, proof reading, punctuation etc.
I will also be using my skill in script writing.
My Target Audience:
My target audience will be late teens and young adults because this screenplay wouldn’t be suitable for younger audiences as they could get scared and they won’t be able to interpret what is happening as they wouldn’t know how to read and follow a Screenplay correctly.
Research I Will Be Carrying Out:
I will need to research the genre of horror further and produce a more in-depth understanding of it as a whole including its sub genres. I can read articles from popular horror movie directors and learn from what advice/opinions they offer. I will watch and analyse various horror movies to see what each one does and develop new ideas for my Screenplay. Another way to get valuable information is to read the reviews from successful and unsuccessful horror movies to learn what they did effectively and where it went wrong so I can make my Screenplay better and avoid issues that other horror films suffered from. I enjoy reading and listening to horror movies and doing this even more frequently will really help me develop new ideas that I can use in my own Screenplay.
Reading Screenplays for successful movies and TV shows in the horror genre and see what they did good and applying it in my own.
Idea 3:
Title (Undecided): X-Men: The Howlett Legacy
Theme: Tribute / trailer
Genre: Action
What Am I Considering To Produce:
Create a short movie showing the life of the fictional character ‘Wolverine’. Starting off from his beginning in the Weapon X Programme through to when he meets the X-Men and joins them. I will be showing key moments in Logan’s life, both the positive and negatives. Although starting off light with the positives in his life, like joining the X-Men and then gradually entering to the bad parts. Shifting soundtracks throughout to show the transition of positive to negative.
Why I Am Considering Making This:
I am considering making this because it will allow me to show my skill in editing and how I have developed my skill and also be able to use my own creativity in the production and gain more experience in editing.
I am considering making this because the X-Men film franchise has been an all time favourite of mine for over ten years and I feel that I would be able to create an effective production to show how the character has developed throughout the film series.
Why It’s Important To Me:
This is important to me because this opportunity would be allowing me to showcase what I have learnt in editing and how I can apply my knowledge with my creativity. It is also important to me because I am a long time comic book reader and with Wolverine being a favourite from the Fox films it would be a great experience for me as I also know everything there is to know about the character already and feel this could assist me into making a tribute video worth while.
Skills I Will Be Using:
The main and most recurring skill I will be using is editing. I will be using different techniques in my edit including, key framing, transitions, effects and trimming etc.
My Target Audience:
My ideal age range for my audience is between 13+ so they can understand what they’re watching and won’t just interpret it as a superhero movie and instead will take in the story and understand it better than children would. My target audience is for the fans of the franchise and comic book alike.
Research I Will Be Carrying Out:
For this idea I will be watching all of the X-Men movies analysing them and documenting the key moments of Wolverine and will document what film and what part each is from. I will be researching different editing techniques I could use to create the effects I want and watch similar videos online to see how other people had edited theirs which could help influence my production.
I will also do research on the other characters from the franchise and their relationship with Wolverine so I can show how Logan developed relationships with numerous people throughout the franchise. From the ones which were long-lasting and those which led to betrayal.
Browsing online for suitable soundtracks that will fit the moments within my piece.
Mission Statement
I watched a speech from TED by Simon Sinek. He talks about leadership and how it can inspire action. These are the question I was asked to think about and formulate answers for.
What 3 things does Simon Sinek identify as the ‘Golden Circle’?
Simon’s Golden Circle consists of; Why, How and What. The ‘Why’ part of the circle is when a company know why they do what they do and not just doing it for the profit. Simon talks about how when a company really knows why they do what they do that they stand out from the others. He says that consumers buy ‘why‘ they do it and not what they make. He talks about Apple and why they are better than the other computer tech companies because they’re selling their ‘why‘ and not just flashy products.
The How part of the Golden Circle is when he talks about how all the companies/businesses around the world know how they do what they do. Finally, the What part of the circle is where a company, its owners and employers do/must know what they’re doing at all times.
What is the Hierarchy?
The Hierarchy is the system in a company which ranks the positions of importance from low to high. Simon said that the most important person in the Hierarchy is the leaders. The leader is responsible for representing the ‘Why‘ of their company and visions. The next in importance are the senior executives who are influenced by the leader. They know how and what to do to make their leader’s vision a reality.
Why does he claim this is the case?
Simon Sinek believes in his system because he has evidence of its results and the different experiences from observing numerous organisations from Dell to Apple and comparing their results from how they do things differently such as their marketing approaches. He acknowledges how Apple gets better results than other computer tech companies because of how they do what they do and why they do it. He also believes that hiring people who believe in what you believe in will make them work their blood, sweat and tears for you.
Mission Statement
I have been researching what a ‘Mission Statement’ is and the purpose for having them. A Mission Statement is a short paragraph or sentence produced by a company to tell the reader their intentions, goals, possible achievements and their cause; why they do what they do. Mission Statements are mostly for possible buyers but are also used for the purpose of the employees to keep them striving and focused on their cause in the company and make them want to achieve.
Questions:
What do you notice about each of these mission statements?
I have read the Missions Statements from 4 individual companies and this is what I noticed about each Mission Statement.
Nike
Nike’s Mission Statement is telling the reader that their purpose is to inspire all the athletes in the world. They then go onto say that ‘If you have a body, you are an athlete’. Meaning, that everyone is really an athlete and their purpose is to inspire everybody and innovate them.
The focus of Nike’s Mission Statement is on their ‘why’ they are explaining why they do what they do and their goal they want to achieve.
Life Is Good
Life is Good start off their Mission Statement with a memorable slogan which ends in their company name. (This is done to make their name rememberable). The statement starts of questioning the reader on how they’re spending their lives. They then go on to talk about what people are doing instead, leading onto their purpose/mission which is ‘to spread the power of optimism.
Life is Good’s Mission Statement focuses on what they do.
Twitter’s Mission Statement explains their goal to supply everyone the power to share their ideas globally, instantly and without barriers.
Their Mission Statement focus is on their why, their purpose of supplying instant communication internationally.
InVision
Invision’s Mission Statement explains what they do, and what they have to offer possible consumers.
Invisions’s Mission Statement focuses on their ‘What’. They speak only about what they do and what they have to offer without mentioning why they do what they do or the purpose(s) behind it.
My Mission Statement
I pursue my passion to make movies, I believe that doing and witnessing the things of our dreams is what keeps us alive and thriving towards the impossible. I am learning about editing and movie production so that one day I will be able to create movies with breath-taking visuals and keeping a sense of realism.
REFERENCE:
festisite (No date) Nike Logo Available at: https://www.festisite.com/logo/nike/ (Accessed: 2/4/17)
Nike (2017) Nike Homepage Available at: http://about.nike.com/ (Accessed: 2/4/17)
Life is Good (2016) Purpose Available at: http://content.lifeisgood.com/purpose/ (Accessed: 2/4/17)
Twitter (2017) It’s Whats Happening Available at: https://about.twitter.com/company (Accessed: 2/4/17)
Kyle Alford 
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