And so it begins!

Alright lads, time to get serious. From here on out, this blog will document the progress on my 2022 AICE Media AS portfolio project. They say "senioritis" should've kicked in by now, but honestly, I really care about how this turns out.

I’m extremely excited for this project, as it really is the culmination of everything we’ve learned so far. In the broadest sense, that’s my approach: considering, at every step of the way, whether I’m putting all the lessons on shots/angles/composition, mise-en-scene, genre characteristics (how/when to demonstrate/deviate), etc. to good use. If the storyboard sketches look like I’ve forgotten what the point of a long shot is, I’ll have failed; if my camera movement looks like I never analyzed that clip from Pyscho, then it was for nothing; if my costume design looks haphazard or unthoughtful, it’ll be like I never wrote an essay on why it matters that Ted’s mom was dressed the way she was in the pilot of Pushing Daisies.

As I write this, I’ve yet to land on a genre, but I’ve already got vague ideas for character in mind (I have every intention of using Pinterest for every pixel it’s worth). Honestly, with the goal of putting a year’s worth of lessons to good use, I’ll likely choose something in the realm of realism (drama, rom-com, maybe a coming-of-age plot for seasoning) to focus on the technical/artistic elements. I'd likely get lost in the production of sci-fi, arthouse, horror, noir, etc., and I don’t want to sacrifice the meat and potatoes for bells and whistles.

So, first step: land on a genre, as that’s what informs conflict/character/tone/the myriad other things I’ll be researching in the coming weeks.

This is going to be very interesting.

P.S. I might kick myself for this later, but I’d like to set up an edict to prevent elementary storytelling. Mark my words: I will not allow myself to use narration, no epistolary voice, no on-screen text other than the credits. It should make sense on mute (although the sound should add dimension/tone/fun technical challenges). Alright. Let's do this.