We were asked to practice one of the Papers in our Aice Exam. The question related to Cross Media Convergence and Synergy, two topics discussed in our case study project. I was able to use examples from the specific movie I researched. Using “A Star is Born” in order to answer the questions relating to these marketing techniques was very simple due to the fact I already had most of the information. I used the examples of Cross Convergence as well as the examples of Synergy that were found in “A Star is Born”  and then tied it back to the success of the movie. Although I knew most of the information there were other things that I needed to research more closely.  I knew that there was product placement in the movie but I wasn’t sure what companies exactly were used. Not only this but I wasn’t sure which awards the movie had won. I wanted to know this in order to demonstrate how successful the movie was thanks to its marketing strategies.

As an assignment for our class, our instructor asked us to record 2 of our rooms to present in front of the class. Our class then had to analyze the type of person we were depending on the items and state of our rooms. I recorded my bedroom alongside my bathroom. While looking at others, I realized the importance of background objects when filming. We were able to distinguish the grade level the person was in depending on the type of books around their room or the things they did in their free time. Simple things like that can say a lot about a character. Our group now knows that when filming it is important to keep in mind the setting and the items in which the charace\ter will not only be interacting with but also standing in front off. By doing this we will be able to make the story more realistic and present it with more verisimilitude.

While doing our case study project, my group focused on the company “Warner Brothers”. We found out various details about the company including the CEO, the founder, and their annual revenue. Most importantly we discovered the different marketing techniques that added to the success of the film. These techniques included Cross Media Convergence and Synergy.  Cross Media Convergence is the combining of two or more mediums for promotional purposes. These include TV, computer graphics, film, radio, and web. For our case study project, we focused on the movie entitled “A Star is Born”. This movie included Cross Media Convergence when partnering with Sony Music to release the hit single “Shallow”. Spotify also partnered with the movie to create a “3D Sound” of Shallow. Alongside this, I also learned about Synergy. Synergy is the act simultaneously releasing two or more products or media at once to promote each other. A Star is Born used synergy when Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper performed at the music festival, Coachella. During this project, I gained a lot of valuable information regarding conglomerates, marketing, and success of marketing.

Before we start filming we decided it would be best to have a set list of technical equipment. Out technical director is in charge of researching what websites would be best for buying these objects. The first equipment that comes to mind is the most essential: The camera. Our technical director already has a Cannon T5 that we plan on using. In terms of a microphone, we plan on borrowing one from our instructor. We also want to have lights that we will borrow from our instructor as well. We also luxury equipment items which include the dead cat, a stabilizer, tripod. The dead cat, as mentioned before, is great for filming outside in order to capture as little outside sounds as possible. The stabilizer would be great so that our shots aren’t shaky, especially if we are moving the camera. The tripod is needed to hold the camera which will also help with the stability.

When creating our storyboard we had to decide our angles and distance of framing for every scene. Most of our shots were simple eye levels. We tried to incorporate many over the shoulders with medium shots or medium close-ups due to the fact most of our scenes are conversations and not full of actions. On the other hand in the one scene that is chaotic and contains a fight we decided to do a dutch angle. A Dutch angle shows the tension between the two protagonist during their confrontation. Another different angle that we used was pan-up. When the protagonists arrive at their first day of High School we used a pan up which starts from their shoes to the school name. This is done in order to show what they looked like back then in contrast to now. It also brings attention to the school as it is their first day.

With the start of the New Year, my group member shave decided it is time to begin filming. In order to stay organized we had to decide where, when, and what time of day we would be filming. Considering we are filming a dramatic comedy the best option would be for us to film during the day. Filming at night would add a sense of horror or mystery that is not needed for our film. Not only this but we realized most of our scenes are going to have to be filmed at school. This may be difficult as there are many aspects we will not be able to control such as unwanted noise coming from other students or teachers, bells, and other things. In order to avoid this, we will have to film when school is over. Another thing we can use is a “Deadcat windshield” for our microphone to be able to control outside noises

After turning in our script, our instructor returned it to us in order to correct some of our mistakes. As side from various grammatical issues, our most significant problem was continuity and connections. For example, when we first wrote our script we decided to have a flashback of our two protagonists when they were little children. Our instructor advised us to add something that would help show that those little girls were the two protagonists. In order to help build this connection, we decided to add a beauty mark to both the young version and the older version of that character so that it would be more obvious they were the same person. For the other character, we decided to add glasses to both the young and older version. We have decided that for other scenes we are going to attempt to film them and see if they make sense and if not we will rewrite that particular scene. The process trial and error will help us fix the continuity issues.

After finalizing our script my group decided to put together a prop and costumes list to remain organized.  We started off by listing our preliminary props. These include props that will already be accessible to us due to our setting. Preliminary probs included only a picnic table. We then listed had held props including a soccer ball, cell phones, backpacks, and Dunkin’ Donuts Coffee. Our group is considering using a signifier that may help foreshadow what is to come in our story but we have yet to decide which prop we will add or pick to be the signifier. In terms of costumes, we needed 4 sets of costumes for Alex and Jessica. This is because we have 2 flashback scenes with them. One when they are 6 years old and another when they are a freshman in high school. For the 6-year-old girls, we decided to have soccer uniforms as they are playing soccer in the flashback. During the Freshman scene, we decided to dress them up in graphic tees with a cheesy design or quote as well as jeans. Their hair would be in a ponytail and Jessica would be wearing glasses. When choosing what costumes Alex, Jessica, and Lucas would be wearing during their Senior year we decided to wait and decide it later on.

Once we thought our script was complete we timed it and realized we were under 2 minutes. We then had to brainstorm ideas in order to elongate our script. It was in that moment we realized we didn’t have an establishing thought. We took into consideration that our story mostly takes place at a school setting we decided our establishing shot should be a low angle of our school. We decided to do a low angle because we wanted to give the effect that the school is significant. We also wanted to show how influential High school, can be on friendships. After adding the establishing shot we added a little dialogue. We then realized that the 2 minutes had to include the title and credits as well. With this in mind are timing was perfect.

When it came time to decide a genre, our group members couldn’t come to an agreement. One of us wanted to tackle the “Horror” genre but due to previous attempts that didn’t go as planned we decided to stay away from this genre. Another member preferred “Comedy” but I personally believed that attempting to make someone laugh is more difficult than it seems. It was because of this that our group concluded that our best option would be to do the “Drama” genre with a hint of comedy.  The Drama aspect comes with the betrayal of friends while the Comedy aspect comes with how we narrated the story. While deciding the plot of our film we had a specific representation in mind. We wanted to represent teenagers and how they cope with the high school experience. We wanted to use slang that teenagers are more prone to using while also not making it “cheesy” The audience we have in mind is similar to the group we are representing: young teenagers.