CCR: Drafted Script

 Question 1:

Q: How does my product use or challenge conventions, and how do they represent social groups or issues?

A: Throughout the production of Blank Shell I both utilized conventions commonplace in the film-noir genre and challenged them in different ways. To discuss how Blank Shell utilized film noir conventions first, the more prominent and visible conventions concern my use of mise-en-scene. One of these factors include the black and white color correction, and whilst artificial, conveys the typical high-contrast lighting seen in noir films. I also fit into the convention of having the main protagonist be an investigator-type character, which encompasses the majority of noir films. Another convention I used in Blank Shell, the wide shots of a dark room and frequent close-ups of the character's face convey the darker and "flawed protagonist" tones and style that are typical in noir films. Finally, the last significant convention I used in Blank Shell pertains to the sound design choice of having a narration underneath all of the visual elements. This style of monologuing from the main character is commonplace in the noir genre to both develop the main character, and build out the world of the film. I challenged popular noir genre conventions by having the film be set in a modern world, with more advanced tech then what we see in the classical noir films of the 40s and 50s. This gave me more creative freedom in the themes I could confront and admittedly made much of the production process an easier and more convenient time to record. I subverted the typical expectations of musical scores in noir films as well, rather then have a jazz or big-band track serve as background music, I opted for a more modern, somber electronic music track to give the film a more fresh take on the genre. As for how I represented social groups and issues, I chose to confront social issues such as missing persons, crime, and even human trafficking to an extent, which all things considered, are typical of the noir genre. Choosing to have myself play the main character means that we're representing the social class of a middle-class white male, who in this role is meant to represent a grizzled, disenfranchised detective. Having the missing person be a male is also a considerable choice in social representation, as in noir films, the "damsel in distress" stereotype is often used, and as such women roles are cast for the victims of the plot. 

Question 2:

Q: How does my product engage with audience and how would they be distributed as real media products?

A: Looking into how Blank Shell engages with the audience, we see a build-up of tension, and a cliffhanger at the end to effectively hook the viewer. Whilst the project is made as a film opening, and not a promotional trailer, this cliffhanger-style ending would be an extremely effective marketing technique if it were a real product. Using short clips from the opening, an actual promotional trailer could've been created and something like that would be effecting in the advertisement of my product. As for how it would be distributed, the smaller-scale size of this project would lead me to distribute it as a full film through independent video sites like YouTube. I would likely not be selling this product for profit due to the nature of its independent and zero-cost production process. Overall, distributing this product if it were a real, polished film would prioritize wide accessibility, and the enjoyment of the viewer over making a net profit. 

Question 3:

Q: How did my production skills develop throughout this project?

A: Throughout the production of my individual film opening Blank Shell, I developed my production and editing skills even further than what we saw in my group's music video project, and editing project. I found myself getting very familiar with navigating the UI and getting into a consistent workflow using CapCut, my editing software of choice. This time around, I learned considerably more about what goes into color correction, as whilst the black and white filter seems simple enough, there's actually a great depth of different effects you can create with it. I also realized the value of feedback in the production phase, as clear issues with the light balancing of my project was noticed after I had peers review the footage, and was then promptly fixed. Filming in a dark environment for the first time also posed its own unique caveats which I was able to overcome through tweaking the exposure settings on the iPhone 13 I was filming on. The editing process went very well, and adding the unsettling figure in the hallucination scene was the only real hurdle due to the lack of any green screen, making it look natural took a lot of setting tweaks. 

Question 4:

Q: How did I integrate technologies in this project?

A: Technology used in this project, whilst simple and household, made the production process much smoother, and a joy to create. For my camera, I kept it simple and used my iPhone 13's onboard camera, using the 4K, 60FPS setting to my advantage in creating a quality production. I was using my personal desktop computer for all of the editing, and for the creation of some of the elements of the story such as the fake missing persons poster and emails. It was also used as a sort of fill light, as in the dark space the computer monitor acted as a nice, bright light source that silhouetted my figure and allowed the elements of the film opening to be well-seen, whilst preserving that darker mood I wanted to create. Stabilizing my camera was easy, as I had a tripod laying around that I was able to attach the phone to and keep it stable in all of my shots, though some hand-held shaking was visible in the panning shots of the computer screen. In a less conventional sense, my personal car was also a piece of technology I integrated into the film opening using it to convey the act of getting ready to go to a location, and effectively close out the clip. I edited the entire film opening using CapCut, a free editing software that proved to be very capable of making a quality product. I sourced my background music, and one sound effect from the internet, downloading them in mp3 format to put into CapCut, arranging them and balancing the audio accordingly.