AICE Media Studies final project video:

 The link is below! Enjoy!!!!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwwXXzWCOGczOGJBd05JOHBrcDQ/view

Here is the link to my creative critical reflection!!!

http://prezi.com/qpkztmncg8v_/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

     Now that we have almost finished the editing of the actual film, we need to start thinking of song choices. We originally wanted to do "Strangers in the Night" by Frank Sinatra, so we emailed the production company to see if we would be able to get the rights for the song. We realized that we would need a backup plan in case either we wouldn't be able to use the song or if they didn't get in contact with us before the project was due.
    So, we searched for free music on the internet so we could quickly have song ready to go because we wouldn't need permission for it. We found a few websites to use, and my group members and I are going to browse through them and look for possible outlets in case our Frank Sinatra song doesn't work out.

Here are the websites:
http://freemusicarchive.org/
https://www.jamendo.com/search
http://www.jango.com/


"Free Music Online - Internet Radio - Jango." Jango Radio. Web. 05 Apr. 2016. <http://www.jango.com/>.

"Welcome to the Free Music Archive." Free Music Archive. Web. 05 Apr. 2016. <http://freemusicarchive.org/>.

"Search Free Music to Stream and Download." Search Free Music. Web. 05 Apr. 2016. <https://www.jamendo.com/search>.

    Our group members and I finally took the trip out to Markham Park! But then we were quickly shooed away. Apparently there was some rock concert that night so the area we wanted to use was completely blocked off by cop cars :(. It was quite the bummer, but we had a backup plan. We decided to go back to the original spot we decided to use. Since we decided not to do the entire project in the house anymore, the original location turned out to be satisfactory for what we wanted to do. Our new film idea was that we would have a creepy woman walk around the woods and the audience really wouldn't know what she was doing and then they would see the boy tied up to a tree and show that she is torturing the kid. (The lucky subject of being the kid was me by the way). I was tied up to the tree and one of my group members is really good with makeup so she was able to make me look malnourished and pale and just very gross.

     The main woman that was going to be in the video was one of our group member's mom. She also had her makeup done and was made to look waaayyyyy older and creepier in order to have the effect of a scary woman. The makeup looked so amazing, I didn't even recognize myself when looking in a mirror!

Here are the pictures of the end product of what we looked like with the makeup:

We found the spot where we are going to film! Thankkk godddd that process was so annoying. We have been scrambling around looking for spots and we finally found it. We had to switch up the plot just a little bit, but it really isn't that big of a deal. The spot we chose was Markham park, which is a humongous park close to where we live. In the way back of the park is this forest part where really nobody goes. We plan to go there late a night when definitely nobody will be there and we will get everything we need. We are still going to keep our original plan of having the thriller, suspense thing going on. We needed two actors for our film and we found one, we just have to find one more. We decided, if anything, the girl in our group can just be the main character but that is definitely not ideal considering we would like her to be with us looking in on the film to make sure everything is okay.
     Due to time restrictions, I don't think we should really do tryouts for the spot, we should just pick a person who we think would do a good job.

After we found out two places to go, one in Hollywood and one in Weston, and both of them were a huge let down. First, we drove off and went to Hollywood, to find out that it was completely demolished and they were actually building something else in the spot. Then, we went to our hometown of Weston to try to find another spot. The next place we went to was just a big a let down :( The house was still somewhat intact, but it was all burned to the ground and like it was covered by trees and other shrubbery. We have another place to check out today, but it is a little different from the house scene.
     The place we are going to today is at Markham park and there is a section that is abandon so I am looking forward to see what it has in store. Apparently it is like some cages or something? I don't know exactly but I'll take many pictures and keep you posted!

      Getting the ideas and people and scenery and allllll of that is hard enough, but to me the hardest part is editing and putting it all together. Since I'm absolutely awful at all of this editing and the input of sound effects and everything, I really had to research how to do all of the editing and all of that for iMovie, because I think that's what we are going to use.
   
    All I have been doing in order to try to maximize my editing knowledge, I have watched tutorials on a few programs so if none of my other group members really know what they are doing in that area, at least I will!!!

Here are a few of the tools/videos I used to help

https://support.apple.com/kb/PH14677?locale=en_US
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyzN39-QvNs
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-live/movie-maker-trim-video-how-faq

   
     Sooooo getting the prison scene for our project may be a little more complicated then we originally thought. I spoke to my father about how it will all get approved, since he is in law enforcement, and he explained that it is trespassing and we could be arrested for being on this property without a permit. He is going to check and if not we just will find somewhere else.
   
     Another thing we have to do is find an actor/actress that will play the main character. We could either go to the drama club in our school or we could just get one of our friends to do it. I would much rather get somebody from the drama club because they will be a lot more reliable and also obviously a way better actor. I have to discuss with my group, but I think this will be the best idea for us.

    I talked with some students that did a project at this abandon prison last year and they gave me the inside scoop on some things.  It's a lot more protected and secure than I thought it was going to be, so we are going to have to be extremely careful while trying to go on this adventure. We should go during the day since it will be a lot safer, and we will probably get in less trouble if we end up getting caught or anything in that nature. If we do happen to get caught and asked to leave, I have researched and found other places that closely resemble the abandon prison.

"Forgotten Florida: 6 Amazing but Abandoned Places in the Sunshine State."Florida Blog RSS. Web. 24 Mar. 2016. <http://www.directvillasflorida.com/florida-blog/index.php/forgotten-florida/>.

     So, our plan for the film opening goes as follows: we want to have a women, middle aged but looks worn down, participating in normal activity at the prison such as taking a walk or reading. Towards the end of the film opening we plan to have our big twist. I'm not sure exactly what it's going to be yet, but whatever it is we want to make it very creepy.
     I decided to research what aspects of a scary film make it the most creepy. I assumed it would be the music and way the characters are presented and after further research I was proven to be wrong. Very wrong. Making a horror/thriller film is so much more than making a guy with a scary face kill people or talk in a deeper voice. It's a science. There's creating tension, making it relevant to modern day society and making it relatable to the audience. Drawing them in and keeping their attention is so hard, but needs to be perfected in order to make a quality film.
    Now that we know all of the psychological standpoints of the art of making this kind of film, we have to do further research in order to properly connect with the audience.


http://filmmakeriq.com/lessons/the-psychology-of-scary-movies/

The project is going smoothly so far. We have our storyboard underway and we have most of our ideas generated. I still have to check if going to that abandon prison is even legal. My Dad is a police officer so I am going to check with him and if anything he can come with us to the prison to make sure everything is okay and he can stay with us while we film.
     We have to do the filming over spring break because all of my group will be down here and it's the easiest time because we don't have any school or work or anything. I'm so excited to film this project idea is really good and it's going to turn out great.
     During the film opening, we wanted to play a song that was nice, but eerie due to the situations going on in the scene. We decided on the song "Strangers in the Night" by Frank Sinatra. The lyrics also match up well with the concept of our film so it's perfect.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlSbSKNk9f0

   

     The abandon prison it is! As scary as it seems, my group members and I have decided to do a film opening taking place in the abandon Broward Correctional Facility, in Broward County.  Am I ready to pee my pants? Not just yet. We have a lot of work to do before we engage on this epic encounter. We need to even see if it's legal to go here! I kind of hope it isn't, not because I am scared or anything :). Also, we have to sketch a storyboard, think of our shots, get our actors, etc. I was thinking that we could so something like the movie Cloverfield. If you haven't seen the mediocre 2008 film by Mark Reeves, it was a movie made entirely from a hand held camera. It was meant to be more of a documentary of sorts, but it turns into a thriller/horror film because of some monster that wrecks havoc blah blah blah. Oh well. But yeah I thought it would be really cool to make it seem like it would be like a routine trip just a few kids messing around, and then they stumble upon something they didn't want to. It doesn't have to be exactly that, but I would like it to be around that premise.

     After looking further into the thriller/horror film industry, my group members and I have decided that this seems like the best idea for all of us to do. Although I will further continue my research to see if other topics may be a better fit, I feel the best genre for us is thriller.

     I feel like the best way to ensure that we won't be stressed or overwhelmed is to not only make an elaborate schedule of the entire project, but before each week we need to break it down day by day. This way we will know exactly what to accomplish and it will be very easy to stay on task.

     Now the hard part. Any average Joe can wake up one morning and think "hey I want to make a thriller film opening", but not every person can go out and make a good one. We want to make and produce something so thrilling that it will even keep us on the edge of our seats while making it. We have a few ideas on what we want to do for the film opening, but nothing is really set in stone yet. The front-runner for the film opening topic, in my own mind, is the idea of visiting an abandon prison. There is some prison near where we live that hasn't been used in forever. Forrreeeevvverr.(Any Sandlot fans out there?) Anyway, throughout the rest of this week I will be looking into the details of that topic, but I think it would be so cool if we could visit that at night and make some haunted thriller type thing. Sounds professional right?

     So, between now and my next post I am going to look into that as well as broaden my horizons on other ideas relating to the thriller topic, in case this ideas falls through. Also, I plan to play around with sound effects and other noises, even though I am getting ahead of myself. Oh well.

Annnnnnnnnd it begins. My name is Dylan Pulitano and the month long process of creating the best two minute film anybody has ever seen. Even brainstorming for this process has made me stressed and I'm a second semester senior, shouldn't my only problem be worrying if I can go to the beach? Seems not, but I'm up for the challenge. While thinking about what/how I want to produce this film has been a lot more than I have originally expected. We have to think of genre, camera angles, songs, etc., and we somehow have to put all that together to make one great piece. I researched what films have been the most popular over the past few years and the results were predictable. Comedy at number one, adventure at number two and action at number three. However, I don't really want to do any of those genres. My group members and I have discussed it and we have the idea of making something more on the thriller genre. Considering I have a fear of bridges and I get scared when I hear a noise when I am home alone, this will definitely be an experience I will never forget.
 
      Hopefully by the end of this project you will not think I am a giant pansy, but I will honestly describe my feelings and thoughts throughout this process. I feel like this will be sort of a diary, but it's more manly in my mind if I call it a blog.

"Movie Genres by Box Office Revenue in North America 2016 | Statistic."Statista. Web. 09 Mar. 2016. <http://www.statista.com/statistics/188658/movie-genres-in-north-america-by-box-office-revenue-since-1995/>.