Charles Meng Li

Plot/costumes of our film For our film called "The Kidnapping," my group members and I have decided on a plot and filming location. We want to start with the main protagonist (me) walking down a dimly lit sidewalk that is very late at night and then a surprise kidnapping occurs. We plan to effectively set a suspenseful and climactic mood with the usage of this lighting since it is going to be frightful for the viewer and interesting to watch. We plan for me to walk down the sidewalk while texting a person and then all of a sudden, I get a cloth put over my face and kidnapped. Matthew and Tyler would then reveal themselves in a garage and I am going to break free and escape valiantly. The props we decided upon were a rope to tie me onto the chair, a cloth for the kidnapping, masks for the kidnappers (Tyler and Matthew), duct tape, and also a wooden chair. Matthew and Tyler would dress as kidnappers accordingly and wear black outfits that would match the vibe and overall mood o...

Basic necessities for our Opening For our film, we have decided upon the name "The Kidnapping." We have also decided on the various items and peripherals needed for us to be able to effectively capture our film as well as the audio. We are going to use iPhones to record the film as we believe they provide efficient camera quality, and we may also decide to use microphones if necessary. Our film is going to consist of the cast list of me, Matthew, and Tyler and I am going to be the main protagonist who enters the conflict between the kidnappers of my two groupmates. We have also decided upon the music that we plan to use which would include suspenseful music that leads up to the climax of a fight and also intense action music used during the scene of the fight.

Moodboard This mood board shows our action film and the aspects the film will contain. The mood board shows the props of a chair, rope, and duct tape since we are doing a fight scene after a kidnapping scene. There is also a dark environment which is where our film starts off and there will also be a dark garage area where the action will take place. The characters will be me, Matthew, or Tyler with a robber mask to hide their faces.

 During winter break, my groupmates and I discussed the general plan for what we were going to do in the film. We talked about the sequence in which the events would occur and who was playing each role. The opening scene would start with me being a victim using my phone to text someone while out for a walk in the middle of the night. It would then suddenly show Matthew and Tyler pretending to be two kidnappers who sneak up on me and use a cloth to knock me out. I will then awaken to find myself tied up with a rope in a room where my captors begin questioning me about who I am associated with. With action-packed music playing in the background, I will gradually begin to slip out of the ropes and start a fight sequence against my captors. To help depict the action in the scene, we'll use editing inspired by action movies and camera methods to help emphasize the suspense meant to be felt. The camera will then pan to a message on one of the kidnappers' phones after I win the battl...

 To get inspiration for the elements needed for our action film, my group members Matthew, Tyler, and I all decided to watch the opening scene of the movie Captain America and the Winter Soldier. We specifically focused on how the action sequence used camera angles, camera movement, and editing to help make the scene more entertaining and meaningful. The scene shows Captain America landing onto a ship and starts fighting these people, and during the scene, we learn how the elements needed for an action film are used. For example, each time he punches one of the villains, the film uses cutting-on-action and continuous editing to keep the flow of the whole sequence moving and allow for the different perspectives to be shown. It made the scene more realistic and our group took note of these styles of editing and camera shots to incorporate into our own film later. Mise-en-scene from the sequence was also important as it was very visible to the audience who the "bad guys" were du...

  In this image that I took, there is a deep meaning to what it is trying to portray. Firstly, the use of the hat to cover my eyes helps show the viewer that this character is powerful and that since his eyes are being covered, it is a mysterious figure. The clothing worn covers the skin and the jacket has a unique style that is worn by a powerful person. The dim lighting in the image helps contribute to the overall feel the image is trying to give off as it is attempting to show a mysterious aura within the character shown. The position the character is sitting in shows that they are powerful and can sit however they like, and the hand gesture shows that they are a very sophisticated and strong person. The use of closed framing gives off the feeling that the viewer is trapped with the character and that this character can be a dangerous person due to the confident position they are sitting in. The placement of the hat allows for the eyes to be covered fully, representing the block...