Multimedia Mise-en-scene project

Hii there, today we had such a fun project to do in class and it would be my pleasure to talk more about it!!

So, for our Multimedia Mise-en-scene project, we had to work in groups to develop a full representation of an assigned character. Within our group, we had to develop the character through physical representations, such as appearance, costume and makeup, setting an important place for the character and audio. To present our project to our class, we had to create a multimedia character station to immerse the audience into our character's world and life. The station was required to include a mood board, a representation of a chosen setting for the character, audio elements and tactile representations, such as objects, to allow visitors from our station to touch and feel something that represented the character. Also, each station had 3 to 4 computers and headphones, allowing visitors experience to be engaging and immersive.

Our group's character was an 82 year-old woman called Nina Carter who was a former jazz singer with a sharp wit and a passion for story telling. She lives in a cozy apartment filled with memories from her life and career and often shares life lessons and gives advice to her younger neighbors.                            

To  illustrate Nina, we created a character description powerpoint presentation embedded with jazz music. The powerpoint included main details about how Nina was a person and singer, as well as how she looked physically. We included as many descriptions as possible to allow visitors to really get to know her. Here is the link to our character description slideshow: https://www.canva.com/design/DAG1-UyJk7Q/YZJr-IyyRa7SZ1k-VDu7RQ/view?utm_content=DAG1 UyJk7Q&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=hef6479f5c1 

We also created a mood board with over 20 different elements that visually represented Nina and her passions. Here is the link to her mood board: https://www.canva.com/design/DAG1yZgt1kw/MhvcYfY-VgA62nOqcp79ag/view?utm_content=DAG1yZgt1kw&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=hceb70ac9bf

To represent a setting that directly related to Nina, we chose to create a 3D representation of her bedroom on a website called "Planner 5d". We chose to use her bedroom as the setting because it was filled with representations from her life and career. We designed it and included elements such as a wall filled with CD records, musical elements like a trumpet and a microphone through the room, as well as a shelf filled with awards won by Nina as a result of her successful career. Here is the link to the setting: https://planner5d.com/v?viewMode=3d&shortlink=y18qn094&key=667c00b6e1dfe3f5b882a736e2acf110&pid=META&source_caller=api

The last element required for the presentation was a tactile object, so we brought a record player because it is a unique musical element that represents Nina and her musical career really well. 

When organizing all elements in our station, we placed the 3 computers in the order that we wanted visitors to look at when getting to know our character. So, our first computer was the one with the character description presentation, since visitors needed to read and explore that presentation to fully understand who we were trying to represent. Then, the second computer was the mood board presentation and lastly the computer representing her 3D bedroom's view. Also, we placed our record player as our last element and right after the setting representation because after visitors had explored Nina's room, they were able to see a record player placed at a desk inside the room, making it appear that the record player they were seeing in person came out of her digital room, turning their experience more realistic. 

When developing Nina, we used ideas from our representation theory lesson to show who she is. For example, the record player not only shows her music career but also suggests her love for jazz and memories from her past. Her apartment with CDs, awards and instruments, helped to tell her story through the mise-en-scene, showing her personality and life without words. We used her appearance, like bold makeup including eyeliner, shiny eye shadow and red lipstick, as well as clothing, like red and black outfits to show her elegance and suggest her age and life experience. We made sure to avoid stereotypes of older women by showing her as lively, witty and independent. The jazz music also added another layer, giving visitors a sense of her character and mood. 

When reflecting our group's process with creating all elements, I would say we did a very good and fair job of dividing our tasks equally, since each member was responsible for doing one specific task. Also, I was really pleased with our outcome and I personally think we did a very good representation of Nina, and I think we achieved our goal of making a descriptive and simple, but yet immersive presentation. Overall, I think it was a very interesting and fun project. 

Genre research

Hi there! Today I will be talking sci-fi movies and the aspects and characteristics of the genre. Hope you enjoy it!

Genre: Science fiction 

Content

Science fiction is one of the most creative genres in filmography, exploring futuristic ideas with imagined elements that don't exist in the real world, such as  space travel, time manipulation and dystopian societies . These films explore potential future scenarios, which create speculations within the audience about the “what if” consequences of the advancements of technology and science for example. Sci-fi pieces involve conflicts between science and technology, human nature and social organization in futuristic settings, making it a unique and beloved genre among viewers.

The  target audience  usually includes teenagers and adults from ages 15 to 45 who are interested in technology, philosophy and adventure. Sci-fi movies can create different and mixed emotions, such as awe and wonder and anxiety. It can make viewers reflect about the uncertainty of the future, but it can also make their imagination flow about distant futures and life beyond our own.

Production Techniques

Science fiction relies very much on  visual effects  and  computer generated imagery to create believable futures.  Sound design  also has an important role because it uses electronic or synthesized music to enhance the sense of the universe and setting being created. 

Cinematography tends to use colder color tones like blue and gray to represent technology, isolation and loneliness.  Lighting  can shift between brightness to represent science and progress, or deeper and darker shadows to represent danger or the unknown. Costumes, makeup and props, such as space suits and helmets, holograms and robots help to bring people closer to these imagined worlds and realities. 

 (color palette example)             

   (costume example)   

  (props example) 

     

 How the Genre Is Marketed

Science fiction films are marketed as  epic visual experiences  that push the imagination.

• Trailers focus on innovative special effects and action.

• Posters  usually include vast landscapes or a character looking or floating in space, symbolizing exploration and isolation. Also, they usually include different and unreal elements such as spaceships or aliens for example to grab more attention. 

• Taglines  highlight the unknown or human emotions to grab attention and make people feel interested and intrigued by this new concept of the world being featured. 
  Large studios and companies like  Warner Bros, 20th Century Studios and Paramount  typically invest a lot of money on merchandising, video games and streaming spinoffs marketing campaigns.

  
  
          

  
  

Film Sample #1 –  Blade Runner 2049  (2017, by Denis Villeneuve)

This film is a great example of scientific fiction with its cyberpunk world, where humans coexist in conflict with artificial beings that are known as replicants. The story follows Officer K (Ryan Gosling), who begins to question his own existence and purpose.

Visually, the movie uses neon lights, heavy shadows and mist to build a futuristic look of Los Angeles. The pace is slow and reflective, with more focus on philosophical questions than action. The marketing and promotion for the film emphasized mystery and amazing visuals that were appealing to both fans of the original  Blade Runner  (1982) and more recent sci-fi audiences.

Film Sample #2 –  Interstellar  (2014, by Christopher Nolan)

Interstellar  is also another great example of a sci-fi peace. It's an astronautical space exploration movie that balances scientific realism and a drama tied to an emotional narrative that involves familiar themes and storytelling. The film follows a group of astronauts searching for a new habitable planet for humanity.

The production used a combination of  practical effects ,  IMAX cameras  and  real scientific consultation  with astrophysicist Kip Thorne to create accurate depictions of space aspects, such as black holes. The score by Hans Zimmer adds an emotional depth that reinforces the film's central message about love and time. The marketing made on these emotional themes turned the film appealing not only to science fiction fans but also to general audiences looking for an inspiring film with a deeper emotional meaning. 

Other Scientific Fiction Films Examples

1 - Inception (2010) 

2- The Matrix (1999) 

3- Arrival (2016) 

4- Star Wars: A new hope (1977) 

5- 2001: A space odyssey (1968)

Sound Projects

Hey there!

During our sound lesson, I learned how sound is an essential element in a production and how it can change the emotional impact of a scene. The assigned videos helped me understand the way each sound element gives dimension to the scene, complement visuals and assist the audience's perceptions. I also learned about different types of sounds, such as synchronous, asynchronous, diegetic, and how each one of them is important for the development of a story. 

For our first sound project, we had to work in pairs to tell a story using sound effects only, meaning there was no video allowed. The scene needed to be between 1 to 2 minutes long and it should have been comprised of actions that would have occurred in that literal timespan. We could use online sound effects databases, everyday items, up to 7 spoken words and at least 4 foley stage recordings using random objects to convey the story of the scene.  

When completing the project, My partner and I tried to approach a story that would be engaging and easy to understand and produce at the same time. We decided to create the story of a young woman who was exploring the woods alone when suddenly she heard noises of bear footsteps. She then started running from the bear in order to save her life, creating the climax of the story. To combine the sounds to develop the story, we took background sound effects of a forest, such as wind, rainfall, nocturnal animal noises and insects from a database called “Pixabay”. We also created human footsteps, bear footsteps and heartbeat sounds through foley to add realism and tension to the scene. 

During brainstorming, my partner and I divided the story into 5 different scenes and within each scene, we included a variety of sounds that could easily represent what was happening at that specific scene. We also did a sound outline sheet where we included 10 primary sounds that represented the most prominent actions within the plot, and 10 secondary sounds that helped to build context. This outline helped us understand which sounds we needed to record or find, making it easier to picture the scenes in our heads and develop the story more accurately. For this project, the editing resource we used was “Clipchamp”.

When looking back at our project, I think we did a good job conveying the story to the listeners. Our sound choices made it easy to understand the setting, plot and characters, which helped the audience to follow the narrative. For the next project, I would like to improve our creativity by making the story more dynamic and unpredictable. Some parts of the story were a little repetitive, so using other sound layers or changing the story's pace could make it more engaging next time. 

Here is the link for our Sound project #1:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M6m67KW8CWLKSPx5LQ07FgW2yrNp9ns9/view?usp=sharing

For our second sound project, we had to add necessary sound elements to our One Word Film project that would normally be present in the context of our film. For this project, we had to work with our OWF partner to develop brainstorming, but we had to work by ourselves to create our own soundscape. 

When completing our project, my OWF partner and I looked back at our film and thought about specific sound effects that would match specific scenes. We also took the setting and time of our film in consideration and added sounds like birds singing in the school courtyard to represent them. We also added music layered to other background sounds to represent and convey a specific tone. For example, in the beginning of our film, one of our characters looked sad, so we used a melancholic music to represent her emotion and bring the audience closer to her feelings. 

During brainstorming, we thought about which sounds would occur at the same time, how should they be layered in time accordingly to each scene and what sounds would be present, but normally ignored. Our story’s setting is at a school courtyard, so we thought about which sounds would we normally hear at a usual day at school. Our sound outline helped us to break down the story into 4 different scenes and include specific sounds at those specific scenes. The outline was also really helpful because it helped us understand which sounds we were looking for, making it pretty straightforward. For this project, the editing source we utilized was also “Clipchamp”. 

When reviewing our project, I think I did a great job when portraying the character’s emotions by adding musics that clearly represented the tones of different scenes. For the next time, I would like to focus on adding a greater variety of background and environmental sounds, since there were a few moments of silence that could have been filled to make the story feel more continuous.

Here is the link for our Sound project #2:

OWFSound_Santos.mp4