Character Development

Week Three: Decisions and Planning

When developing characters for my portfolio project, I thought back to a project I did earlier in the year. My film pitch project. I had two main characters for my horror film genre. I created a mood board and answered a series of questions that gave the characters depth. I think I am going to do the same with Hannah on Tuesday. I would do it on my own, but if she has other ideas or wants to approach the characters differently, we will communicate that in person.

Mood board from the Genre Pitch Project

 I picked around eight pictures that showed the character's job, hobbies, interests, morals, and childhood trauma. 

Series of Questions from the Genre Pitch Project:

1. Where was your character born? How would you describe their childhood? 
2. What environmental factors contribute to your character's personality?
3. What does your character enjoy doing?
4. What defining events have occurred in their life?
5. How would your character spend a free day?
6. With whom does your character surround themself?
7. What archetype does your character most represent?

Once I see Hannah, I promise these will be completed. I think the fact that I am not giving details through dialogue has me emphasizing the character development portion. Realistically speaking, your hobbies and interests and childhood heavily influence how you act and interact with the world; thus, affecting the character's chemistry and decisions. Coming up is the finishing of both the characters and storyboard. Both these things need to be done in person. I am thinking the due dates will be Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, considering this is when I will see Hannah in class. Busy week ahead! Peach out my shoes!

Character Decisions (Sorry, Hannah)

 Week Three: Decisions and Planning

It's character time. What I mean by character time is beginning to brainstorm and create characters. If you have read my prior blog posts, you would know that we only have two teenage girls for our opening. Initially, I thought, "easy!" But now, I am starting to question that "easy" line of reasoning. Because two characters, especially girls, create more room for cliches and the typical two-on-two dynamics. 

Case in Point: Hannah Picking a Generic Dynamic (Sorry, Hannah)

Personally, I feel like sticking to a particular mold of a character limits the uniqueness and unpredictability of adolescence, subsequently hindering the whole point of the coming-of-age genre. I want these two girls to be ordinary people, and I think Hannah is thinking very Euphoria, that Rue and Jules dynamic, which is fantastic but quite confining for an opening. Once again, I am sorry, Hannah. So, I have instead decided to focus on the individual and let those traits develop their dynamic. 

CHARACTER 1: 

.      

THINK! VERY grunge, VERY emotional, and VERY music-oriented. Similar to Rob from High Fidelity's aesthetic and overall aura. 

Small Problem: How do we showcase the above with no dialogue?

Solution(s):

- Band T-Shirts
- Baggy Pants
- Doc Martens
- Converse

- Minimal Makeup

- Pen on Skin (Fake Tattoo?)
- Headphones (?)

- Hair is NOT tame (I.E. Braided, Layered)

CHARACTER 2:

     

THINK! VERY elegant, LOVES to dress up, VERY earthy. Psychologically speaking, we choose friends who are similar to us; thus, two characters will have similar aesthetics and energy.

NOTE: Costume and makeup will be used to emphasize both character one and two's traits.

I need to finalize all these decisions with Miss Hannah and then create a mood board/outline. Stay wild! Also, thinking of a name for my dedicated readers. The Shoes? Goodnight my little shoes. 😊 

Triple Threat: Acting, Blogging, and Directing

 Week Three: Decision's and Planning

We have created a "Portfolio Idea" Google Document. This is mainly for us to brainstorm, but its not going to be our formal scheduling one. Once the dust has settled, we will create that document. 

Portfolio Idea Google Document

What does that document say? Lead actresses? OH YEAH. We are doing auditions for this opening. It is a bit ambitious, but if our actresses don't have chemistry than that defeats the purpose of our opening. The fact that were holding auditions raises a few questions. One being: How are you gonna audition two characters if you don't have a script? Well, yea. Our opening is currently just music, so we are going to find scripts from films and simply test our the character connection. Also, if you look at the list again. Who's name is number one for lead actress? Mine. I do dabble in acting. Consider me a triple threat: an actress, a blogger, and a director. 

Here is me as Maleficent. I wasn't kidding. 

Whether I get the part or not. I am first and foremost running my portfolio project. Hannah and I have started disagreeing a little bit. We decided yesterday to do strictly music. Right? Right. Hannah mentioned narration. I don't know how to feel. I am not loving that idea. But that's what working with a partner is all about. Agreement and lack there of. Hannah thought it would be more cohesive to add narration through all the friendly shots, but I just think it is cliché. I literally wrote last blog "NO NARRATION!" I thought a compromise would be to break the fourth wall occasionally but not overlap? Hannah thought this idea was too similar to Euphoria, so we are back to square one. Of course Hannah is still hinting at the idea. A message for future me... did Hannah win?

    

It's Complicated (Maybe)

 Week Three: Decisions and Planning

Ladies and gentleman, Hannah is back and the ideas are flowing! If you have been tuning into my recent posts you would know that we decided on our idea. Now we are thinking about the progression of shots and what locations we want to incorporate.

Brainstorming:

Our Scratch Paper of Thoughts

We were thinking of scenes like being on swings, riding bikes, car rides, taking Buzzfeed quizzes, and talking in school. Each scene would build intimacy and hint at "Hey, this is more than a friendship!" But the final scene would be the giveaway of the story that is developing. A close up of them laying on a bed, they turn toward each other, and one of the character's brushes the hair out of the other character's face. Then, the title shows. YEAH. WE HAVE A TITLE (Maybe). COMPLICATED. Because two teenage girls trying to figure themselves out while being in the closet. That's complicated. Keep in mind, Hannah and I are really indecisive, volatile even, and we probably will change our minds about something. 

We've established a story, a location, the flow, the progression. Today was pre-storyboard, hence the scratch paper. 

Coming Soon:
- Character Creation and Mood Board
- Story Board
- Google Doc for Scheduling

Defying Stereotypes

 Week Two - Defying Stereotypes

Over the past few hours, I have compiled research on lesbian women in the media. One thing Hannah and I do not want is to be stereotypical. We spoke with our friend, who is a teenager and is also a lesbian. She chose to stay anonymous for privacy reasons, but she explained that lesbian love is very similar to heterosexual love, except it is more delicate. There isn't necessarily a more substantial "presence" or someone who is "over-dominating," making the dynamic more light and fragile. Obviously, there are no absolutes when it comes to love, but we felt her viewpoint was quite encompassing of the teenage demographic. 

One particular psychological study, "The Frequency of Stereotypical Media Portrayals and Their Effects on the Lesbian Community," stood out to me. "There is a gap in the literature regarding the portrayal of lesbian relationships in media, specifically in the eyes of the lesbian population. Limited research has shown that lesbians portrayed in the media are sexualized and stereotyped, falling into one of the six following categories: the hot lesbian, the out lesbian, the closeted lesbian, the butch lesbian, the feminine lesbian, and the bisexual lesbian." Why is it so stereotypical? Why the need to categorize? Why can't the media extend farther than those boxes? I understand it is a two-minute film opening but the last thing I want is to dress one character in a more masculine costume design and the other character in a more feminine costume design with more makeup. That is simply so heteronormative.

So, the plan:
1. Ask our friend for clarification on topics we are not familiar with. 
2. Break the boxes that the media places LBTQIA+ relationships in.  
3. Make the friendship and relationship passionate, yet delicate.
4. Showcase the struggles of living in a heteronormative society.
5. Showcase what it is like to be closeted and the pressure a teenage girl faces.

"The main issue with all this is that romance and sexuality — whether queer or straight — is not a black-and-white Etch A Sketch. It’s a messy, multi-colored Picasso painting; you can try to make logical sense of it but it’s best to appreciate it for its disjointed, avant-garde beauty."
- From Top to Bottom: Heteronormativity and Queer Relationships

I hadn't really touched on this but Hannah's been out of school because she is sick. It is not THAT limiting since we are in the beginning stages, but my research extended longer because I wanted to wait to work on the storyboard in person. Hannah and I both agreed that the storyboard/planning process will be a lot of trial and error, including rough drafts and such. Next week will be really fun and hectic, as Hannah will be back. As always, stay snazzy! 

Citations and Links:
If you want to read the full study PDF
Annati, Arienne. (2020). The Frequency of Stereotypical Media Portrayals and Their Effects on the Lesbian Community. In BSU Honors Program Theses and Projects. Item 318. Available at: https://vc.bridgew.edu/honors_proj/318
Copyright © 2020 Arienne Annati 

If you want to read the heteronormativity article

R. M., By, -, Raymond MatthewsRaymond Matthews is a fourth-year student from Rocklin, Matthews, R., & Raymond Matthews is a fourth-year student from Rocklin. (2020, May 25). Raymond Matthews. The Bottom Line UCSB. Retrieved February 21, 2022, from https://thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu/2020/05/from-top-to-bottom-heteronormativity-queer-relationships

In Love with Research

Week Two

I do feel as though the more I educate myself on this genre and the LGBTQIA+ community, the better my film opening will turn out. Unfortunately, I could not watch the episode of Modern Love that was recommended to me because I don’t have Amazon Prime. I am very upset about this, but I am trying to find clips on YouTube or borrow someone’s Amazon Prime account. I did watch the movie American Honey (if you haven’t noticed already, I am obsessed with A24’s coming-of-age films) and the teenage “letting go” feeling is SO APPARENT. The inclusion of music on the road was a huge symbol of freedom for the teenagers. Also, the close up shots and the eye movements and the facial expressions of the two love interests developed intimacy SO WELL.

 I STRIVE FOR THAT CHEMISTRY IN MY OPENING. 

Through watching all these coming-of-age movies and writing my blog posts on them, they all have a very similar way of developing a teenage intimate, freedom feeling. I am so ready to create my story board and incorporate these elements. I was researching media with LGBTQIA+ representation and they strongly suggest Blue is the Warmest Color, but there’s a lot of controversy surrounding that film. That’s one thing Hannah and I don’t want. To misrepresent the lesbian community and have a heteronormative lesbian story. Love is love but a homosexual relationship does differ from a heterosexual relationship. There’s a certain level of delicacy found in a woman loving woman relationship, which Hannah and I are working towards developing. 

Next Up?

More research and storyboard. Why am I really excited?

Coming-of-Age, but WHAT?

Week Two - Deciding on a Topic

My Brain Over the Past Hour 

9 AM-10 AM

• Carefree Nature
• Teenage Girl living in Miami
• Music Blasting
• Escapism
• Phone/Technology (Incorporate it without being cliché)
• Social Commentary
• Character Develops (Sexuality?)
• Striving for Representative Simplicity. SO MUCH IS BEING SAID WITH LITTLE TO NO DIALOGUE.
• NO CHEESY WAKE-UP SCENE

If you cannot already tell by this list, we have a problem. We know the mood and tone we are going for, but what is the story? We've decided on a teenage girl in Miami with a very carefree nature, but we need depth. That depth layer scares Hannah and me because we don't want to choose a story and not love it. We want to be immersed in it to engage our audience.

We Finally Decided!

Around 11 AM (ish)
A coming-of-age film that focuses on two closeted lesbian lovers who are forced to suppress their true feelings and attempt to figure out their sexuality. There is not much lesbian representation in the media, especially from a teenage perspective. The opening will still heavily focus on the Miami environment and how teenagers "let loose." I am honestly relieved that we decided on an idea. I will do more research tomorrow and attempt to watch more coming-of-age pieces. Maybe I will find one that discusses sexuality? I know Booksmart and Euphoria discuss being lesbian. The tension will be good to draw from, even though it is not the central theme of the production. 

Currently Assembling a Mood Board

Currently, I am making a mood board. Sometimes words fail me, but images do an excellent job of capturing the "look."

Extreme feelings of comfort and love mixed with a carefree beach/urban aesthetic.

Overall

Now, Around 4 PM

Today was successful! Tomorrow I plan on being productive and researching/watching material. A friend recommended the TV show Modern Love Season 2, Episode 5, which deals with questioning sexuality. We want to make sure the emotions of being closeted are showcased accurately. 

Genre Hopping

Week Two - Currently Researching

Hannah and I were debating heavily on which genre to choose. We were leaning toward the drama genre, but we've shifted toward the coming of age genre. We are teenagers; thus, the locations and topics are easier to manage. We are going with what we know and what we are familiar with. Hannah and I did a research project on A24 earlier in the year, and we really enjoyed their filming style. In fact, our shift toward the coming-of-age genre was heavily influenced by the films: Ladybird, Waves, and The Florida Project.

A clip from the opening scene of The Florida Project. The misc-en-scene elements and costume design are quite child-like and urban. We want our opening to be similar, allowing our audience to pick up on location, a sense of community, and feeling without outwardly saying anything through dialogue. 

A clip from the opening scene of Lady Bird. A shot that illustrates intimacy via a close-up and framing. We want our film opening to incorporate similar elements. Again, our stylistic choices would reveal more about the characters and setting than dialogue. 

The opening scene of Waves has an exceptionally carefree nature, with the camera movement being somewhat shaky. We want our opening to do the same, encapsulating our generation: the pressures placed on us, our daily lives, and ways we escape. 

Overall, researching A24's coming-of-age did an excellent job of guiding Hannah and me. We are set on the genre but not set on the topic, but given that we are focusing on adolescence, there is a lot we can pull from. We so severely want artistic misc-en-scene elements, whether that be showcasing Florida, the angst of teenagers, or the glory of being young. We want it to be represented through our stylistic choices and not explicitly stated, and that was the big takeaway from our research. Next up... what in the world will our topic be? Stay tuned!

Moving On: Week One

 Starting My Portfolio Project

This week marked the beginning of the Cambridge Portfolio Project! Am I nervous? A tad bit. Is it going to be an easy journey? Probably not. Am I going to enjoy doing it? Most definitely!
When first gifted this project, it overwhelmed me, so I broke it down into digestible pieces:

• Research and Decision-making
• Storyboard and Planning
• Editing and Post-Production
• Blogging (Of Course)
• Creative Critical Reflection

If I utilize my class time wisely, it won't add too much to my plate. Hoorah! I decided to work with a partner, so I don't go entirely insane. Hannah's creative juices fuel mine. We are leaning heavily toward a drama movie opening with an indirect moral embedded into it. Do we know what that underlying meaning will be? Not quite. We want to pick a topic we know and completely immerse ourselves in, so we are still brainstorming. I watched a few drama film openers, and it's refreshing to know that there are many approaches to take. Hannah and I decided to solidify our ideas by Wednesday (February 16th) to ensure we don't go off track too early. I am nervous but ready to embrace this project!

The Music Marketing Journey PART 2

 Music Marketing Blog Post #2

Researching and Brainstorming

Research is a crucial initial step before any planning can be done. My group researched four heavy metal bands that have released music in the last five years. Through our research, we compiled tactics that we could utilize for our own marketing and make our campaign a force to be reckoned with.

Our research was not only limited to information found on a particular website but content directly sourced from the bands:

• Social Media Platforms
• Websites
• Merchandise
• Distribution Applications
• Demographic Data
  
  

Our group soon realized that our target audience need not be limited to a single demographic but remain loyal to the primary audience, middle-aged adult males while appealing to the younger generation of teenagers and young adults.

In order to attract the middle-aged adult male demographic, we stuck to typical characteristics of a heavy metal band: hardcore music, grunge name, and rock logo.

In order to attract the teenage and young adult demographic, we decided for our band to have a youthful and inclusive "look," a young trio containing two girls and one boy, all with spunky personalities. Additionally, we promoted our band on several social media platforms and made the music accessible on multiple applications. This will be addressed later. 

Planning

Once we decided on our band's "look,"  we needed to figure out how to approach marketing them. We created an outline of our marketing and distribution plan:

1. Create Social Media Accounts
2. Create a Website
3. Release First Single on Major Platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud, etc.)
   
4. Create Merchandise
5. Decide on a Guerilla Marketing Tactic
6. Release First Single Music Video
7. Create More Music
8. Gain Publicity and Go On Tour
   
   

We broke up our marketing plan into digestible steps and established different branches within our group. (A Social Media Component, A Merchandise Component, A Website Component, A Music Video Component, and A Brainstorm Component) We did this so each group member didn't feel overwhelmed with too many tasks.  

A screenshot of our schedule and member responsibility breakdown.

Production

For our band to encapsulate the heavy metal genre, we decided on the band name Moral Bargain with a logo that contained a skull and would be visually appealing on merchandise. In juxtaposition with the logo, we decided on the song name "Cost of Life."
Regarding our music video, we decided to make it a storytelling and promotional video. We wanted to represent our band members as "grunge-rock" looking and portray a fast-paced story on anger issues, which is fitting for the genre and is fast enough to keep the attention of our viewers. We made our filming time also a photoshoot. We took individual pictures as well as the album cover and group photos. Again, we dressed each member in grunge-looking clothing.

The "Cost of Life" by Moral Bargain Single Cover

The filming process was highly entertaining. We filmed on a Saturday night in an outdoor shopping area. We felt that the darker, fluorescent-lit atmosphere was best for our video's theme. We had to ask permission to use certain restaurants, so we did this filming earlier in the night and then filmed the band. 

A Shot from the Restaraunt

When we took shots of the band, we faced a significant problem! Lack of instruments! In order to improvise, we had our band jump around and look funky and appealing, maintaining a promotional style by promoting the aesthetic and feel of the band even without instruments. I had to hype up my group members in order to "let loose." And they did just that.

Motivating the Band Members

Post-Production

The motivation did work because the band shots and story shots came out beautifully. Our outstanding group member, Zoey, edited the video, and I told her what seemed to work and what did not. The video came out great: fast-paced, well balanced, and genre-encompassing. We even edited a music video teaser that we posted on social media platforms. 

The Editing Process:

Glimpses of the Final Result:

Presentation

A pitch or a presentation designed to introduce our group to the public must be created in all great marketing campaigns. We decided to create a PowerPoint of all the marketing strategies and ideas to make our group different from the norm. 

• Introducing Moral Bargain
  
  
  
  Each band member is an appeal to the younger demographic. Ricky, the lead vocalist, is the face behind the band. Ren and Lilian, the drummer and bassist, respectively, appeal to young adult women who dream of pursuing music, especially amongst a male-dominated genre.
  
  
  
  
• Our Target Audience
  
  
  
  Our target audience was clear and direct. The music entices the loyal, middle-aged male demographic. The "grunge-look," merchandise, and social media pages attract a younger audience to the music.
  
  
  
  
• Social Media Presence 
  
  
  
  Our team intentionally created multiple social media pages. Each social media platform typically has a specific age demographic (Twitter - Young Adult; Facebook - Adults; Instagram - Young Adults and Teenagers; YouTube - Varies). If we are active on various platforms, we are reaching more and more potential fans of multiple ages; thus, building a loyal fanbase.
  
  
• Merchandise
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  We created a wide array of merchandise to appeal to the many desires of our fanbase.
  NOTE: Each design has a hoodie, beer jacket, or hat that goes with it.
  
  
  
• Marketing and Distribution Trends
  
  
  
  Our team noted that our band's music must be accessible. If we were to heavily market Moral Bargain's music but there was nowhere to stream, that would be counterproductive; therefore, we placed Moral Bargain's music on a wide variety of platforms. Additionally, our research of the bands Deftones and Trivium emphasized the importance of interviews, live performances, streaming services, and websites as factors of a great marketing and distribution plan; thus, we included them in ours. 
  
  
• The Website
  
  
  
  Because of technological convergence, a website is vital. Our website contains EVERYTHING: Merchandise, Tour Information, Contact Information, Social Media Information, Frequently Asked Questions, and Song Information. Our website is user-friendly and provides the link to all that is Moral Bargain.
  
  
  
• The Bargaining Tour
  
  
  

To gain attention publically and through word-of-mouth, we intend to go on tour after our band has released an album. Each location varies in popularity and size. Additionally, we created a tour logo, a skull with a gas mask.

• Guerilla Marketing
  
  Placing old junkyard motorcycles around popular locations. The motorcycle would contain the name Moral Bargain on it, and people would be encouraged to sign their name. Guerilla marketing is a cheap way to gain publicity: the quirky display interests people enough to search up who or what "Moral Bargain" is. 

• Why Us?

Our final PowerPoint slide intended to highlight what makes our band unique. Our final promoter. Our band is unique. Moral Bargain keeps its music consistent but defies typical heavy metal genre characteristics by making its band members young and primarily female. Each team member presented their portion of the presentation based on their assigned component. Overall, the presentation flowed, and the audience's critiques were minor, but positive feedback nonetheless. 

Reflection

I was given a group of people I didn't quite know and a genre that I do not normally listen to. To say this project pushed me is an understatement. I learned the importance of time managing and hearing other people's perspectives on creativity. There is no one way to approach a project, everyone has to make decisions collectively. The music marketing project was considerably long but we were given sufficient class time to complete it, as long as we utilized it properly. When approaching the upcoming Cambridge Portfolio Project I intend to make use of the class time I have been given, make a schedule like I did with this project, and don't go off track. The music marketing project seemed like a giant before I started it, but once I broke it down into digestible parts, it was a lot easier to approach.