Production company logo

Today I will talk about the process of making the production company logo for the portfolio project.

    First, I needed a name. I first thought of picking the letters in my initials and adding an ampersand between the two letters, but I thought it made little sense and I wouldn't want the initial to my last name on here. I thought to repeat the same letter twice but couldn't decide which letter to choose. I landed on H and began to sketch my first drafts. In the picture below you can see me trying to figure out how to even draw an ampersand, getting the logo somewhat where I want it in just two drafts.

    Then I wanted to see it in a different format so I went to Microsoft Paint to sketch it a little more. I drew two more drafts on there and got a better idea of what I want the final draft to look and started to add words to the design. 

    I then, began on Canva to finalize the design of my logo. I created a text box, put the "H&H Productions" inside the the text box, got the font size how I want it, and picked the two fonts to finish the logo. 

    I asked a classmate about the design, and they said I should add more color, but I like the more minimalistic design to it.

Portfolio Audio Planning

 Today I will share what I plan for the audio for the portfolio project.

    Dialouge will not be super important to developing the character, plot, or setting but will still be treated as important as it is in most productions. Right now, I'm thinking of setting up a phone hidden from the camera to record the dialogue. Syncing the audio and video may ne difficult for teh editing portion but I'm unsure of any other way to record the dialogue between the shop owner and the goons. 

    Only recording the dialogue means I may have to create and record my own foley sounds for when the goons beat the shop owner. I was thinking of beating something like a chicken breast but I am still unsure how I will get those sounds.

    The audio from the monologue seems like it would be a lot easier due to the non-diagetic sound, meaning it can be recorded separate from the video. Before, during, or after the monologue, I was thinking about playing classical music. I will likely get this music from a website like Epidemic Sound, Pixabay, or BenSound.

I am still quite unsure of how everything is going to happen but I believe it will come together well.

Portfolio Group Meeting #1

We had our first group meeting this week on tuesday, and I have learned quite a bit about how I should approach these blog posts, as well as the production itself. 

I was not able to show my blog on the first day, tuesday, because the period ended before I could present my blog, and thursday lacked the time necessary for everyone to get into groups. I have not gotten criticism on my project or ideas since I had not posted them on here until this week. As for my groupmates, they had some great ideas with genres from action to comedy, and even psychological horror. I did enjoy hearing about their ideas, and showing them different perspectives and only wish we had the time this week for me to recieve that criticism as well. I can't really state exactly what I had learned from this weeks group meeting, but it defintely showed me how I want my blog and its post to look as well as made me think further about my idea. 

Portfolio Idea and Inspiration

Today I will talk about the ideas and inspiration behind my portfolio project.

Where my thoughts are at right now, I'm thinking of having a mob boss sitting at a desk talking to two of his subordinates, basically ordering them to collect money from a shop owner. The goons and the shop owner discuss for a bit and the shop owner doesn't have the money and gets beaten off-screen. I might include a monologue from either a subordinate or the boss. I think it would be different to have my credits like carved into what is going to look like a brick wall of an alley. This form of credits may be difficult to pull off from due to me needing to pretty much build a wall, make it seem dirty and aged, carving 10+ names and a production logo. I am also concerned about lighting the credits as it can't be too bright that it loses its feeling of a dark city alley, but it can't be too dark as to keep the names legible. Using the bricks/credits as a sort of transition is something I had in mind, but the whole idea seems a bit unrealistic.

The format of the credits as well as what I've been thinking for the opening are open for change, and using the criticism I hear from my classmates during the group meeting might help to guide me along the right path. I don't want to overload myself, working on my own, but want to have my project be unique. 

As for inspiration, The Simpsons played a large role. I started watching The Simpsons 5-6 years ago, and have watched over 20 seasons of the show. In the show, there is a character named Fat Tony that is the mob boss of the mafia found in Springfield. I do believe that the character is based quite heavily on The Godfather, but I cannot verify that. In season 18 episode 1 Homer has to take over Fat Tony's position, pressuring Moe, his friend, to pay what he owes to the mob. Moe, the bartender at the bar Homer goes to, then asks Homer to pay off his tab, Homer pays Moe, Moe then returns the money to Homer for the mob. This scene inspired me for the shopkeeper part, but the part showomg the mob boss is inspired by The Godfather. The costume design for that scene will be somewhat similar to the opening of The Godfather. The monologue that might be in the opening is based on The Goodfellas, at the end of that Film's opening.

Writing this blog as well as researching for other blogs give me a chance to think quite thoroughly about what I want this opening to be, and what I can do with the alloted time and resources. Analyzing the film helped me refine the very rough ideas I started this week with. 

Analyze Film Opening of Portfolio Genre

Today I will be researching and analyzing the openings of three gangster films.

Goodfellas:

The opening begins with a few credits over a black background. An older, 80s-90s Pontiac is seen on a highway at night. The camera pans past the car, and cuts to thr setting, New York, 1970. Three young men in suits appear to be disheveled and tired hear a sort of banging coming from the trunk of the car. The driver pulls over to a dark, forested area and all three get out, pull out a machete and a revolver, while the third opens the trunk. The trunk is opened, revealing a beaten and bloodied man who is barely clinging onto his life. The two armed men repeatedly stab and shoot the man in the trunk, assuring his death. The camera zooms into the driver's face as he closes the trunk. While he does this, a non-diagetic monologue begins, saying the driver had always wanted to be a gangster, as far bak as he could remember. Music begins playing when the trunk closes, the title screen appears and the rest of the opening credits roll on the same black background as the title and earlier credits. This opening establishes the characters have money, expensive car and suits. Its not the first time they've killed, they seem quite unfazed by the situation. They are apart of a gang, likely killing that man because they were ordered to.

The Godfather:

The opening begins with the production company logo, title screen after. The first shot has a close up of a man speaking about how America failed him and his daughter by letting two men that took advantage of her free. A slow zoom out reveals an over the shoulder shot of a man across the desk. The man who was listening to the other one asks why he went to the law instead of him. The first man says he'll do anything for the man, only asking for justice. The second man asks what he wants done and the first man gets up to whisper in his ear. A loose close-up of the second man's face after being told what the first man wants done. He looks disgusted and disapointed. He says he cannot fulfil the first man's request and the first man repeats that he will do anything to have this inaudible request done. A wider shot follows that allows for the rest of the room to be visible, showing the 1940s style decor and two men standing and sitting idley as the two men in the center of the room discuss. An over the shoulder shot of the second man follows, as he speaks to the first about how the first doesn't value the friendship they share and how it is the first time he came to him for counsel. He continues, saying he understands where the first is coming from, but the first lacks the respect requested by the second. He continues saying the first requests justice, but what the first requests isn't just. He continues saying, the first came into his home on the day his daughter is to be married and asked him to murder for money. They agree that what the first requested is not just and the first changes hsi request to wishing them suffer as much as his daughter. The second offers to fulfill his wish at no cost other than the first's friendship. This establishes the second man as being quite fair and just. It also establishes that he holds a lot of power, as to make others suffer as a gift. 

Scarface:

 The opening begins with the production company logo, followed by a crawling prologue explaining that Fidel Castro sent criminals along with regular citizens on American boats to Miami. This is followed by footage of one of Fidel Castro's speeches, showing him and the crowd surrounding him. Opening credits and footage of the American boats arriving in Cuba repeatedly switch for about two and a half minutes. The footage of the boats show the migrants leaving Cuba and entering America. This opening doesn't exactly develop characters or conflict, but it is implied that at least one of the characters came to Florida on the boats. It heavily develops the setting of Miami, Florida, and the historical reasoning of why the setting is what it is.