Portfolio Project Schedule

 

Eight Week Schedule for Portfolio Project 

Week 1:  

• Choose what genre and what it will be about 

• Research movie openings in genre 

• Watch credit scenes and learn  

Week 2: 

• Finalize the genre 

• Work on the script and storyboard 

• Create production schedule 

Week 3: 

• Plan the shots, locations and props needed 

• Order props needed  

• Get all things needed for filming ready 

Week 4:  

• Film main scenes 

• Capture multiple shots and angles 

• Make changes based on footage 

Week 5: 

• Re-film if necessary 

• Fix or improve scenes 

• Organize footage 

• Begin editing 

Week 6: 

• Complete Main editing 

• Add sounds, title, music and etc. 

• Finalize the project 

Week 7:  

• Plan CCR 

• Record videos for CCR 

Week 8: 

• Review work with rubric 

• Make final improvements 

• Submit final products and CCR 

My group members and I will try to stick to this schedule so we can complete our portfolio project in the right time and not have to worry about it later. 

Film Opening credits

 Credit scenes are very important in a movie and it can really have an affect on the audience. I reviewed three credit scenes from action movies. 

The first one was Spectre (James Bond), the credit sequence came after the opening action scene. The action scene was fast and thrilling but the credits were slow and entertaining. The theme song of James Bond is used and a lot of images of skulls. The images and slowness of the credit sequence are all trying to match the theme of the movie which is mystery, action and mostly spy life. The music is dramatic and the credit scene is made to build tension and get the audience attracted to the movie. These types of credit scenes are very common in action movies that are based on spies and secret organizations like MI6. Personally as a big fan of the movie spectre, the credit scene gives a hint of what the movie will be about and how the story will play out. I realized this after watching the movie that the credit scene was trying to give us a hint. 

The second one I reviewed was a similar franchise movie, Mission Impossible Fallout. In this movie the credit scene was also shown after the opening action scene. The opening credits in this one was fast and entertaining, there was the theme song of Mission Impossible, photos of explosions, guns, and characters. The speed of this credit scene keeps the fans entertained and eager to watch the movie, it keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. This sequence also tells you that the movie is an action movie because of all the photos of the weapons and other things. This credit sequence is another great sequence that keeps fans hooked. 

The Dark Knight does not focus too much on the opening credit scene. This movie focuses more on the action in the opening scene which was the Bank Heist scene. The title appears for a short time with a dark blue fire type of effect. This credit scene lets the audience get to what they want to watch fast and they keep the speed of the movie fast as well. The dark colors show that the movie will be action but with crime and criminals. This approach is different because it hooks the audience instantly, usually the credits slow down the movie a bit but this approach keeps them on the edge of their seats. 

Analysis on 3 action movies

 Action Film openings are usually known to be intense and they basically start the movie off with a bang. This is to get the audience excited for the movie and set the tone for the movie. I have reviewed 3 action film openings to see how they start off and see what they have in common.

The first opening scene I watched was from "The Dark Knight" directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger. Christopher Nolan is known to start his action movies in the middle of an action scene. Therefore, in the The Dark Knight he also started with an intense bank robbery scene. This scene shows the Joker towards the end and it shows him to be the enemy in the movie. The movie moves along fast and has fast cuts to stay along with the pace. There is also cross-cutting used and we can see multiple parts of the robbery from a different robbers perspective. There is not really much background music and we can hear the characters talking clearly. The Joker is shown at the end after he killed all of his other partners which shows he is smart and dangerous. This opening is really good because it grabs the attention of the audience right away and gets them excited to see what will happen next.

The second opening scene I watched was from the movie "Spectre" directed by Sam Mendes and starring Daniel Craig. This is a famous James Bond movie and my personal favorite James Bond movie. In the opening scene we can see that James Bond is in Mexico during the Day of the Dead festival and he is looking for someone. The scene turns into an action scene very soon after. James Bond movies are always known to start off with action scenes and so are action movies in general. In the opening we can see tracking shots of Bond, when he is in the streets, hotel and etc. We can see that Bond is very calm in any type of situation and the main thing in this scene was that the background music was a great addition. It gave the scene tension and drama. This opening scene also hooks the audience from the start and gets them excited for the rest of the movie. 

Originally, I am from India, and Bollywood is a very popular film industry as well. All of a sudden I remembered this Bollywood movie scene that really attached me to the movie and got me hooked. The third opening scene I watched was from Uri: The Surgical Strike. This movie is based on real events and it is about a Surgical Strike India conducted to respond to Pakistani terrorist acts. The movie started off with an Indian Army attack on a terrorist base across the border of India and Pakistan. This represents events that actually happened and shows the audience that this is what actually happened. The scene is shown at night, it is very dark and we can see the night vision goggles of the army. We can see close up shots of soldiers and it starts moving fast when they attack the base. The action is planned and filmed in a very military sort of way which shows that the directors are trying to make it look real. This scene also hooks the audience from the start and gets them excited for the rest of the movie. 

Comedy Drama Genre

 Comedy Dramas are funny and serious to watch, they consist of the both the moods in a balanced way. Its not fully comedy but it still makes people laugh and it has a lot of emotions involved as well. The genre is more about mixing the story with some comedy in between. My personal favorite Comedy Drama is the show Suits. I believe it is the best show of all time, it keeps you hooked on the screen at all times and keeps you laughing as well. The storyline is also very interesting and keeps getting better. 

 

The main target audience for this genre would be from ages 15-45, which is teenager and adults. They appeal to people who like a show with a storyline, good characters, careers and etc.  Basically they appeal to people who like a storyline mixed with some comedy to keep them entertained. 

Comedy Dramas focus more usually on building the characters. They usually have real settings such as offices, homes, and etc. Suits is also mainly based in courtrooms and an office. Most of the stories made are based on the characters and made around them, they include a lot of sarcasm, funny dialogue, personal dilemmas and work dilemmas as well. Comedy Dramas uses techniques which support both humor and drama.  They use a lot of music which helps to support the mood of the scene, they use duller lighting to show emotional scenes, the pace of the shows are not fast or too slow but right in the middle. These techniques are used to match the genre and keep the audience entertained. 

Overall, Comedy Dramas are great and I would love to also explore this genre. 

Altman, R. (1999). Film/genre. British Film Institute.

Bordwell, D., & Thompson, K. (2020). Film art: An introduction (12th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

King, G. (2002). Film comedy. Wallflower Press.

Neale, S. (2000). Genre and Hollywood. Routledge.

Suits. (2011). USA Network.

The Office. (2005–2013). NBC.

Action Genre

 The action genre is a very entertaining and is super thrilling to watch. I personally love to watch action films, I enjoy the thrill and all adrenaline that I get in my body from it. Some of my favorites are the movies Spectre (James Bond), Olympus has Fallen and Top Gun. These movies are super entertaining to watch and I thoroughly enjoyed all of them. Action is mainly known for it to be fast paced, entertaining and a lot of fights and gunfire. This is what an audience expects from an action movie, they want the thrills and excitement to be there.

The usual target audience for action movies are people from the age of 15-35. These ages are younger and have more energy than other ages. They are known to a group with excitement and loves thrills. It is not only limited to this but many other ages can also like action. It mainly targets people who like superheroes or villains, thrills, adrenaline rushes and overall just the atmosphere of an action movie.

Action movies include many types of content which help to keep the audience interested and at the edge of their seats. Action movies have fist fights, martial arts, car chases, car explosions, running chases like from Mission Impossible, superheroes, villains. Basically it includes everything that would keep a person thoroughly entertained and at the edge of their seats. They also use many techniques but some are very common and almost necessary for an action movie. Action movies are known to move fast and have quick editing cuts, many tracking shots, sounds, lighting and color which sets the mood and many other things. These techniques help to make the action feel real even though it is scripted and choreographed. 

Overall, Action Movies are great and I am super interested in making a film opening based on it. 

Altman, R. (1999). Film/genre. British Film Institute.

(Good for genre conventions, content, and theory)

Bordwell, D., & Thompson, K. (2020). Film art: An introduction (12th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

(Excellent for techniques like editing, cinematography, sound, and narrative)

Neale, S. (2000). Genre and Hollywood. Routledge.

(Useful for institutional conventions and how genres are marketed)

Grant, B. K. (Ed.). (2012). Film genre reader IV. University of Texas Press.

(Academic discussion of genre expectations and audience appeal)

Starting of Cambridge Posts

 Hello Ladies and Gentlemen of Cambridge, the blog posts published from now on will only be about the Cambridge Portfolio Project. All the ones before this have been about the projects that we have done in class and all that we have learned so far. There was a discussion on 1/21/26 about film openings and some tips on how they should be done. We got to see many portfolio projects from the past and some were really good and some were just about ok. I am nervous for how this project will go due to the pressure of it being a part of my AICE exam but at the same time I am also excited to do my best on this and also make a good interesting piece of media. 

Notes we took in class

My initial plans for this project are to first come up with some ideas and get a understanding of what the opening scene should be like for a genre. I want to do an action opening scene but I am also open to discovering other genres and try to make a opening scene for them. I am first going to research about the genre which will help me to develop an understanding of what to do with the opening. I am also going to watch a lot of openings of movies across different film industries such as Bollywood or British Film. This will help me get an idea of how movies openings are around the world. My partner and I will then come up with the storyboard and plan how we are going to film the shots and edit the film. 

My approach to the film will be to create a super entertaining opening and get the audience hooked to it from the start. In what I am planning to do, I dont think context and background will really be important. I will develop the character through the opening also but my main goal is to have the opening be a thrilling experience in which the audience is on the edge of their seats.