Music Marketing Blog Post #1

    So far, I've felt like our brainstorming portion of this project has actually been going really well. The day we got our song, we immediately started planning out the look and feel that we wanted to create for the band. This was actually pretty difficult because we went with a song by The Teskey Brothers, which has male lead vocalist with a particularly rough, older sounding voice. We really wanted to create a band that was targeted to a younger audience, so it was a little bit of a challenge to fit that image around this voice. We made a Canva presentation and separated each role. I was to research on performances and shows for our band. 

     Using the music research that we had done; we came up with the methods of marketing that would fit the target audience and goals that we set out for the band (Lemon Drops). I specifically researched music festivals in Australia (where the band originated). I thought music festivals would be the best live shows for the band as they are a huge platform for new fans, for people to be introduced to the band, and to make connections. I also tried to find blues/rock festivals since it was the genre that best encapsulated the band. The last festival I went with (All Things Go) is actually a very popular for smaller, independent artists that would be an incredible opportunity for The Lemon Drops, All Things Go is also known for supporting women musicians, and while the lead singer is male, the majority of the band is women, so it felt like fitting festival.

    Once we completed the basic idea for the marketing campaign, me and Veronica began to storyboard while Camila and Violette worked on the social media aspect and internet presence of the project. We decided to go with a storytelling style to fit the lyrics of "So Caught Up". After we finished with the storyboard, we planned out logistics and scheduling for actual shooting. We had to decide which house visually fit the theme of the video best to shoot at, what props to bring (keyboard, guitars), and who would be acting. We met up at Violette's house later after school (a couple hours before I'm writing this), to begin shooting the promo part of the video and do band photoshoots for the social media. While we had originally intended to have limited promo shots for the video, leaving the shoot, I was actually surprised by how much footage we were able to get, and now we are considering changing up the initial idea before our final shooting session on Sunday.

Representation of Mental Illness in the Women of Sharp Objects

    In 2018, HBO released an 8-episode mini-series adaptation of Gillian Flynn's book Sharp Objects. Helmed by Big Little Lies director, Jean Marc-Valle, it followed the story of a journalist, Camille Preaker, who returns to her childhood hometown of Wind Gap, Missouri to write about the murder of two teenage girls. As details of the murders are uncovered and Camille’s stay is lengthened, old childhood traumas resurface, and Camille is forced to confront her past. The show was lauded for its realistic characterization because Sharp Objects’ representation of mentally ill women, particularly women who are broken by the oppressive culture of violence in the South, shows audiences a reality that society doesn’t typically want to confront.

    

    Sharp Objects explores intergenerational trauma and familial relationships through three characters: the matriarch of the house, Adora Crellin; her daughter, Camille; and Camille’s step-sister, Amma Crellin. Camille is the outcast of her family. Immediately after she graduates, she flees the town and gets a journalism job in Chicago. When she returns, it becomes evident that she doesn't longer adhere to what Wind Gap’s expectations of a young women should be. She rejects femininity, choosing not to wear dresses, but rather long, black attire to hide the scars of her self-harm. When confronted about having children, she acts almost repulsed by the idea. Camille suffers from depression and has tried to commit suicide in the past. She cuts words into her body and her entire body is scarred. The story actually starts shortly after she is released from a mental facility. Trauma from her mother and her sexual assault in high school have left her a broken woman.

    Adora and Amma Crellin on the other hand, fit perfectly into the deep South's model of womanhood. Adora has gained respect and given her family a good name in the town. She is a perfect, delicate Southern Belle, who dresses in flowery and feminine dresses. However, as the story develops, audiences learn that Adora is deeply disturbed as a result of the abuse that she endured as a child, and the implied sexual violence that she went through. She uses her fragile personality to manipulate people's perspective of her. Adora's character completely upends previous stereotypes of what her character should be like. Even though she gives off a meek appearance, Adora may actually be the most powerful character in the show. Her abusive childhood led her to grow up with a need for attention, and with this need, she cultivated habits of inflicting her own pain into others and continuing a cycle of abuse to her daughters. While discussing any bit of Adora's mental illness would be revealing a huge spoiler, its actually one of the instances of this disorder being explored in media through a thoughtful lens that examines what could have led someone to develop this dependence.

    

    

    The youngest daughter of the show, Amma, shows a final perspective (and arguably the most impactful) into female mental illness. Amma embraces her femininity and burgeoning sexuality and she uses her body to get the attention of older boys. Like Adora, she deeply craves attention, which she was receives plenty of from her mother. Although she is barely fourteen, the show's costume designer dresses her in mature and revealing clothes and she is seen doing drugs at parties. It can be argued that Amma shows sociopathic tendencies, and she has learned how to pass the abuse she has received from her mother to others, 

    Sharp Objects' representation is discussed and analyzed so often because mental illness and trauma, especially in women is not often explored in this fashion. Rather than portraying Camille as a monster, or crazy, or a danger to society, Sharp Objects is incredibly empathetic to her illness. This type of representation is so incredibly important to take away social stigmas against depressed and suicidal people. And while Amma and Adora aren't depicted in a particularly positive way, their characters still highlight the dangers of abuse and how much it can impact a person's development and perspectives on life.

 What Makes Horror Horror?

Horror films take an audience’s worst fears and bring them to life. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes horror as, “painful and intense fear, dread, and dismay”. Despite the nightmare-inducing stories, the horror genre remains one of the most popular both among audiences and filmmakers. 

A Little History

The horror genre of film arises from old folklore and mythology. Georges Méliès’ short film, The Haunted Castle (1896), which featured floating ghosts and skeletons, shocked audiences at the time, and is now considered to be the first piece of horror put to film. German Expressionist films of the 1920s, which focused more on the filmmaker’s aesthetic expression rather than realism and relied heavily on production design, paved the way for what was known as the “Golden Age of Horror” in Hollywood. The 1930s saw a surge of horror films (a lot of which were creature features produced by Universal Pictures).  Early Hollywood horror cinema was highly influenced by classic nineteenth-century Gothic fiction literature. Audiences flocked to see movies such as Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931). With the 1940s and 50s came a wave of psychological thrillers, a prominent name of that time being Alfred Hitchcock. The 60s and 70s introduced supernatural aspects to the genre, and became much bloodier. Finally, slasher films in the 80s and 90s ushered in a new subgenre of satirical horror. Present day horror, especially with the rise of studios like A24, has seen more and more original and reflective stories from visionaries such as Jordan Peele, Julia Ducournau, and Ari Aster. 

Content

    It's hard to pinpoint specific content that makes up the horror genre because it's so incredibly diverse. There are dozens of subgenres that make up the horror umbrella: supernatural, psychological, creature/monster, folk, giallo, slasher, gore, found footage, just to name a few. Although there are so many genres, horror films typically feature some sort of paranormal or supernatural aspect, like ghosts, many are set in haunted houses (the film 1408, however, is set in a haunted hotel), and the main character is in some sort of danger. They are characterized by extreme violence, not shying away from showing some blood. Main antagonists are also found in most horror movies, which the heroic protagonist has to defeat. Another common stereotype of the horror genre is the "final girl". This woman is usually the only one to survive the string of killings, although she suffers a great deal by that point. Older slashers are now criticized by people who claim that the "final girl" stereotype is rooted in misogyny and were used by male directors as an excuse to torture women.

Laurie from Halloween is one of the most famous final girls.

    To scare audiences, horror films rely on suspense. A good horror film builds up suspense through foreshadowing. Filmmakers use cues and symbols that audiences recognize to foreshadow what is to come. For example, objects disappearing or mysteriously moving is used in almost every paranormal film. Without the proper environment and build-up, scares can feel cheap.

Production Techniques

Horror films use specific techniques to elicit emotional fear responses from the audience. We scream and cover our eyes while watching horror films because we as viewers have been conditioned to react based on these techniques. 

Sound

The simple usage of sound can be used to create a suspenseful environment or to carry out an effective jumpscare. Horror movie soundtracks typically use dissonant chords to (subconsciously) have the audience at the edge of their seat. Many composers create leitmotifs to represent characters, these sound motifs let viewers know that danger is imminent. John Williams’ Main Title Theme from Jaws (1975) is one of the most popular examples of this. Filmmakers also often depend on stings for jumpscares, which shock an unsuspecting audience. In fact, once the volume of horror films is muted, it loses most of its shock factor. Lastly, certain subgenres of film, such as body horror and gore/splatter films, rely heavily on foley and SFX to nauseate audiences. This scene from Luca Guadagnino’s 2018 Suspiria remake is a great example of how sound can be used to disgust viewers. 

Cinematography and Production Design

Horror films are known for being dark, and not just in their subject matter. Since most horror films are set during the night, the color palette is usually dark.

Color pallet of 2016's The Witch

This darker color and lighting obscures a lot of the camera's view, creating a foreboding feeling. The use of shadows and silhouettes are also a very common way for horror films to draw out suspense, a technique that got popularized primarily by Hitchcock’s films. Horror films use unconventional camera angles and composition. In fact, many horror directors utilize something known as negative space. Negative space is usually the empty space of a shot that surrounds the subject. Horror films use this technique to play with the audience’s imagination (examples: Psycho and Insidious). Director Mike Flanagan is known for using the negative space of his shots to hide ghosts or other figures in the background. Tracking shots and pans are used to create a sense of dread and anticipation (and many times end with a jumpscare).

Marketing

Because the target age of horror films ranges from late teens to young adults, the marketing steers towards a more mature depiction of the film. Trailers, usually underscored by dramatic covers of popular songs to attract viewers, include the most shocking scene of the films. Most horror posters feature the main villain’s face or mask as the cover. Body parts are also really popular on horror posters. The posters are typically dark and bloody with disturbing images. Because of the Halloween season, most horror films are released in an October date; however, horror films also perform very well during summer release date (while not as big a summer blockbusters released this year like Barbie, Talk to Me, made on a budget of just $4.5 million, ended grossing way over ten times its budget).

   Screenshot of the Blair Witch Project website made by the directors.

    A particularly groundbreaking marketing case in the horror genre was the Blair Witch Project (1999). Because of its genius marketing strategy, an indie found footage film (a genre that was practically new in the 90s), made on a budget of just $35,000, became one of the highest grossing horror films of its time. Because this was so early in the internet’s history, many consider Blair Witch to have been the first film to mass market through the internet. The directors of the film, Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick, created a fictional legend, The Curse of the Blair Witch, and kept a website that discussed this curse. The entire marketing relied on the audience believing that it was a true story. The internet reported the actors of the film as missing or dead, and their missing posters were found on the website, which also included fake police reports and interviews. This strategy was so believable, that the parents of the actors received cards from multiple fans of the film who believed that their children were actually dead.

Samples

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

    Released in 1920, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is now widely considered to be the first full length horror film. Made in Germany during the Expressionistic movement, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is known for its eccentric production design, characterized by abstract sets and harsh makeup. While Caligari's horror style would be unconventional compared to today's films, it was highly influential visually and content-wise for what the horror genre would become in the following decade. 
    The film begins with a man named Francis telling another man the story of an ordeal that he and his wife recently encountered. The film flashes back to this memory, set in a small town in Germany. Francis and his friend, Alan, attend the town fair. There, they see a doctor performing his somnambulist show. The Doctor awakens the somnambulist, Cesare, and Alan asks him when he will die. Cesare replies that he will die at dawn, that night, Alan is stabbed to death. Francis becomes suspicious that Cesare was involved as a string of crimes occur. 

    Although Dr. Caligari was made so early in the history of horror films, it still includes many conventional factors of a traditional horror film. Twists and turns are all over the plot. The movie features violent murders, often only showing the knife and screams. Suspense is built up and foreshadowing is used to clue in viewers to what the ending will be. The film also deals with obsession and insanity, popular even in today's horror films.

Rosemary's Baby (1966)

    Husband and wife Guy and Rosemary move into a New York apartment building despite being warned by friends and witnessing the previous tenant's peculiar behavior. Rosemary befriends a recovering drug addict named Terry who has been taken in by Rosemary's neighbors, Minnie and Roman; however, a couple days later, Terry commits suicide. Not too long after, Rosemary becomes pregnant. That night, Rosemary eats some food made by Minnie and begins to hallucinate and experience weird dreams. Rosemary begins to question why her neighbors are so interested in her baby.

    Although Rosemary's Baby is an older film, a lot of its horror still holds up today. This is because the movie relies, not on cheap jumpscares and special effects, but rather on creating an uncomfortable environment. The film is deeply rooted in fleshing out Rosemary's paranoia and growing distrust in the people around her. The film's scariest scene, for example, relies on implies the violence rather than explicitly showing it, making the scene so much more disorienting and terrifying. Tight shots are used to represent Rosemary being trapped in her situation. Rosemary's Baby's most effective technique, however, is its subversion of stereotypes. Typically, trustworthy characters like the doctor, elderly neighbors, and her own husband, are the hidden antagonists of the film. These subversions are why Rosemary's Baby is now considered one of the greatest psychological horrors of all time.

Other great horror films:

Black Swan (2010)

Let the Right One In (2008)

Silence of the Lambs (1991)

The Wailing (2016)

Saint Maud (2019)

Possession (1981)

Sources

Defining the Horror Genre – The Acronym | IMSA's Official Student Newspaper

What is Horror? Definition and Examples in Film (studiobinder.com)

The Evolution of Horror Films: A Look a Horror Movies from the 19th to 21st Century – Media Services News (american.edu)

The First Horror Movie & The History of the Horror Genre - NYFA

Why The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Remains Horror's Most Influential Film (cbr.com)

Soundscape Project Process

Final project: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Xj8OJWpGN_4i1liRG4J32v81UYnkKt7W/view?usp=sharing  

Outline: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NT-PnnhxKzNTsJmRAIj9mqq3VAZtdkd2jlve3ATxiTg/edit?usp=sharing

For this project assignment, we were to create a narrative soundscape. Using no video or visual components, our job was to collect a variety of sounds and make our own foley sounds to tell a story. 

Process 

I was assigned to work with Cody for this project. We started off just with brainstorming a general idea and environment for our soundscapes. Our original idea was to set the project in a New Year's celebration, but we worried it would be too basic, so I joked that an alien invasion wouldn't be basic, and we shaped our idea around that.

After developing the general story (someone investigates strange noises coming from outside), we began to brainstorm the noises we would use to tell our story. We separated each scene onto a google doc (screenshot above) and then came up with as many sounds to create a realistic environment. During the next class period, we each worked on collecting as many sounds as possible from sound effect databases and chose which sounds we would do with foley.  

The rest of the project we worked on separately. Since we had already chose the sounds and planned out basically everything, working on it individually wasn't too hard. I worked on some of the foley sounds like the footsteps and plant rustling, meanwhile Cody edited the project on Premere Pro and recorded any of the sounds that we were missing.

Reflection

Honestly, I actually really liked how our project turned out. I think that the planning stage really helped us bring the story to life. To improve, I would have included maybe less sounds at times. For example, when he's running outside, it's a little hard to hear over the sounds of the rain and wind. I also think that we could have made it slightly longer and more suspenseful.

Camera Shots and Angles Process

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/11AXqVwY63TtAb4WwwX7t5eM0r_LD1bXx3TE3-9D_rlA/edit?usp=sharing

For this assignment, we were to tell a story using only inanimate objects and camera shots/angles. Our story was to be told through a series of 15 carefully chosen and organized shots to convey our narrative. 

Process 

For this quiz, we were assigned to work with a partner, mine was Alexandra. Our first step was to decide what our subject would be. This was, in my opinion, the most difficult part of the assignment. Since we were to only use an inanimate object as our subject, we were limited to the materials that we had in the classroom or our backpacks. Eventually, we settled on usings Alexandra’s Black Panther Figure/keychain. Then we began to brainstorm on story ideas. Our final story was of a figurine trying to escape the constraints of a backpack. Before shooting, we put together the story through our series of shots and angles. We first came up with each scene and then connected which shot and angle would best fit the tone or feeling that we were trying to get across. One of the major problems we had while shooting was that the figurine was quite small, making it hard to get certain shots. We utilized a lot of high angles and close angles to, 1) get the tone across and 2) show the figurine's expressions. These shots were particularly difficult to get because of the keychains size, we had to resort to creatively including books and other materials out of frame to be able to use the shots to their proper effect. Eventually, we got all the shots and arranged them into a Google Doc with a description under each one.

Reflection

Overall, I'm quite proud with how the project ended up coming out. I think we chose our shots well for the story we were trying to tell. To improve, I would have gone with more creative angles. While the shots we chose fulfilled their purpose, I think we could have done a better and more intriguing project if we had utilized more imaginative framing and shots. One other thing that I would have changed was to not use as many repetitive shots to keep the story flowing better.

Introduction

Hello, my name is Daniela, welcome to my blog! On here I'll be documenting my progress as I work toward finalizing my AICE Media Studies portfolio project. As an avid consumer of media (I mean who isn't?), I'm ecstatic to leave my own little piece of media behind here. Thank you for stopping by!