Portfolio Project: Group Meeting 1

Today was a nice change of pace in my Media Studies class.

Instead of researching, blogging or working on our project, we were split into groups of about 8 people and we had to present the current state of our project to the group. 

I went first and explained my team's progress. We have our script already figured out, we have our actors set for filming, we have the necessary equipment (my Sony camera, briefcases, a tripod, gimbal, and costumes for example) and we are close to finding our filming locations. I'll divulge into all of that information in future blogs. 

After the meeting, my team and I discussed and brought together all of the recommendations we received in our separate groups. Our 3 major takeaways were:

1: Watch NAKED GUN

Someone in my group likened our Spy/Comedy idea to the plot of Naked Gun. He said a lot of the comedy and situational humor was similar and that if I want to level up my project, I should watch and study the original Naked Gun film.

2: The Earpiece

One of my team members reported back with an idea that, when we first introduce our main protagonist, they should have an interaction with an earpiece they have to show the audience that he is a secret agent from the very beginning. While I do like this idea and enjoy some possible shot ideas I could include in the film, a part of me wants to keep the fact that this character is a secret agent a secret until the very end where they run out with the suitcase and disappear. That would have the audience's first impression of the character be that he is just a clumsy unsuspecting cog in the machine until they figure out that there is something different about him at the same time as the antagonist. This is something we will have to discuss as a team, but it is a very good recommendation that could possibly make our opening better.

3: Filming Location

My other team member returned with a suggestion that we film at another restaurant than the one we previously had in mind that may have a better indoor aesthetic and potentially a place to film outside. We have connections with the owners of our first option and it would be easier to get permission to film there as I know we have filmed before, but the outdoor scenery does not really mesh well with the script so we were going to go to another location to film the outdoor sequence. But, this second place may have better indoor and outdoor scenery which would fit with our script. The only obstacle would be getting permission to film there. If we overcome that issue, we might have an even better setting for our intro.

The group that I was placed with had some great ideas that reflected the creativity of the students in this class. The ideas ranged from a coming of age film similar to Ladybird or Juno to a car-centric comedy film to one similar to the "Hangover" and a rock band drama thriller that was likened to "Uncut Gems" somehow. I'm excited to see how my fellow students develop their projects into full fledged film openings.