Final Brief

 

Introduction

My media project, The Unfamiliar, is a short psychological film that explores the unsettling experience of losing control over one’s own mind. The concept focuses on confusion, distortion of reality, and the fear of not recognizing what is real versus imagined. Through a simple setting and a single character, I aimed to create an intense and personal atmosphere that draws the audience directly into my character’s mental state.

Concept & Meaning

The main idea behind The Unfamiliar is the concept of mental instability and the fear of “losing your mind.” I wanted to portray how reality can feel distorted and unreliable when someone is overwhelmed psychologically. The title itself reflects this idea: everything once familiar becomes strange, uncomfortable, and untrustworthy.

Rather than telling a clear, linear story, I focused on creating confusion and tension. This allows the audience to feel what the character is experiencing instead of simply watching it. The film suggests that the mind can become its own threat, which is a common theme in psychological media.

Technical Elements

To achieve the psychological tone, I used a range of media techniques in Adobe Premiere Pro:

• Editing: I used quick cuts combined with smoother transitions to reflect moments of tension versus moments of uncertainty. The contrast between these helps emphasize the instability of the character’s mind.
• Lighting: The use of dim lighting enhances the psychological atmosphere, making the setting feel isolated and unsettling.

These techniques work together to create a distorted and immersive experience for the viewer.

 Target Audience

The target audience for this film is primarily teenagers and young adults who are interested in psychological media. Fans of psychological thrillers are more likely to engage with the themes of confusion, identity, and mental instability. My film is designed to make the audience think and question what they are seeing.

Reflection

Overall, I believe The Unfamiliar successfully creates a tense and unsettling atmosphere. The use of editing and minimal dialogue helps communicate the psychological theme effectively. One of the strongest aspects of the project is how the audience is placed inside the character’s perspective.

If I were to improve the project, I would experiment more with sound design, such as adding layered audio effects or subtle distortions to enhance the psychological impact even further. I would also explore more varied camera angles to add depth and visual complexity. I did have a lot of downsides to this project, which I will talk about in another blog.

 Conclusion

In conclusion, The Unfamiliar is a psychological piece that explores the fear of losing control over one’s own mind. By using editing, lighting, and sound, I aimed to create an experience that reflects the character’s internal struggle. The project demonstrates how media techniques can be used to convey emotion and meaning beyond dialogue. In my next blog, I will go over all the struggles I had when planning and making my final result, but for now, my final is below, and enjoy peace out!

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The Whole Plan Part 3

Last but not least, for my final plan, I will create a psychological thriller film opening. I am working on this project by myself, although I may ask friends to help act in some scenes. I chose the psychological thriller genre because I enjoy stories that focus on the human mind and emotions. Psychological thrillers create suspense by making the audience question what is real and what is happening in the character’s mind. This genre allows me to experiment with lighting, camera angles, and sound to create tension.

The target audience for my film opening will likely be teenagers and young adults between the ages of 15 and 25. This audience often enjoys suspenseful and mysterious stories. The film will also be relatable because it will take place in everyday locations like a home or park, which younger audiences are familiar with. In my project, I may also explore social issues related to fear, trust, and mental stress. Psychological thrillers often show characters dealing with confusing or stressful situations, which can represent real emotions people experience in everyday life.

For my production, I plan to use a DJI Osmo Pocket 3 camera to record the scenes, and I will use Adobe Premiere Pro as my editing software to edit the footage together. I will also need to learn more about video editing, sound editing, and creating suspense through pacing so that my final product looks more professional.

My basic plan for the film opening is to introduce a character who seems normal at first, but something strange begins to happen. The audience will not fully understand what is going on, which will create mystery and make them want to keep watching.

Before filming the final version, I also want to practice some camera shots and editing techniques. Practicing these skills will help me improve the quality of my final film opening.

Overall, my goal for this project is to create an opening scene that feels mysterious, suspenseful, and interesting for the audience.

The Whole Plan Part 2

Hey guys, as I continue planning my psychological thriller film opening, I started researching different film techniques that directors use to create suspense and tension. In thriller movies, the way something is filmed is just as important as the story itself. Things like camera angles, lighting, sound, and editing all work together to create a certain mood for the audience.

One important technique I may use is close-up shots. Close-ups focus closely on a character’s face and help show emotions clearly. In psychological thrillers, characters often feel confused, nervous, or scared, so using a close-up can help the audience understand what the character is thinking or feeling. It can also make the moment feel more intense because the audience is focused only on the character’s reaction.

Another technique I researched is camera movement. Slow camera movements can build suspense because they make the audience feel like something is about to happen. For example, a slow pan across a room could make the audience wonder if someone or something is hiding in the scene. This type of movement is commonly used in thrillers to keep viewers feeling nervous or curious.

Lighting will also play a big role in my project. Many psychological thrillers use low lighting and shadows to make scenes feel darker and more mysterious. Bright lighting usually makes scenes feel safe or normal, while darker lighting can make the environment feel uncomfortable or suspicious. I want to experiment with shadows and dim lighting so that the setting feels more tense and dramatic.

Sound is another important part of creating suspense. Many thriller films use slow and eerie background music that gradually gets louder as tension builds. Even simple sounds like footsteps, breathing, or doors opening can make the audience feel uneasy. I will need to research what types of sound effects I can use and how to add them during editing.

While planning my project, I also had to think about actors and filming locations. Originally, I had planned a specific setting, but there were some restrictions about where we could film. Because of this, I might need to change the location to somewhere more accessible, like a park or a home. Even though this changed my original plan, I think these locaations could still work well for a psychological thriller because normal places can become creepy depending on how they are filmed.

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Overall, this research is helping me understand how to create a stronger film opening. By using the right combination of camera angles, lighting, and sound, I hope to create a scene that feels mysterious and suspenseful for the audience.

The Whole Plan Part 1

Hey guys, welcome back to another blog. For my media studies project, I am planning to create a psychological thriller film opening. I chose this genre because psychological thrillers are very interesting and keep the audience thinking. Instead of using a lot of action, they focus on the character’s mind, emotions, and suspense. I enjoy movies that make the viewer feel confused, curious, or nervous about what will happen next, which is why I thought this genre would be a good choice for my project.

During my research, I looked at common conventions used in psychological thrillers. Many films in this genre use dark lighting, slow pacing, suspenseful music, and close-up shots to show emotions. The setting is often normal places like houses, parks, or schools, which makes the story feel more realistic and uncomfortable for the audience. Another important part is creating a mysterious character or situation that slowly gets revealed.

I also researched how film openings work. The first few minutes of a film are important because they introduce the characters, setting, and tone of the story. A good opening should grab the audience’s attention quickly and make them want to keep watching.

For my project, I am thinking about setting the opening scene in a home or possibly a park. These are locations that are easy for me to access, and they can still feel creepy depending on the lighting and camera angles. Right now, my goal is to focus on creating tension and mystery in the beginning of the film so the audience starts asking questions about what is happening.

Over the next few days, I plan to continue researching psychological thrillers and thinking about what kind of story I want to tell in my opening scene.

Storyboarding

Hey guys, welcome back. Today, we will be talking about storyboarding. Storyboarding is an important step in the filmmaking process because it helps me visualize how my film will look before I start filming. A storyboard is a series of drawings or images that represent the different shots in a scene. Even though the drawings do not need to be very detailed, they allow me to plan what the camera will capture and how the story will be shown to the audience. For my project, creating a storyboard helps me organize my ideas and understand how each scene will connect together.

When working on my project, storyboarding allows me to think carefully about the types of shots I want to include. For example, I might plan to use a close-up shot to show a character’s emotions or a wider shot to establish the setting. By planning these shots ahead of time, I can make sure that the visuals help communicate the story clearly. This is especially important because visual storytelling plays a big role in making the audience understand what is happening.

Another reason storyboarding is useful for my project is that it helps me see how the scenes will flow. When I place the shots in order, I can look at the sequence and decide if the pacing makes sense or if something needs to change. If a scene feels confusing or unnecessary, I can adjust it before filming begins. This helps me improve my ideas early in the production process.

Storyboarding also helps me stay organized when it is time to film. Instead of deciding every shot in the moment, I already have a plan to follow. This can save time and make filming smoother, especially if I am working with limited time or locations.

Overall, storyboarding helps me turn my ideas into a clear visual plan for my project. As learned in my AICE Media Studies class, we learned from our teacher, Mrs. Acosta, that by sketching out my shots and thinking about how each scene will look, I can prepare more effectively for filming and make sure my story is presented in a way that is engaging for the audience. Alright, guys, till next time, I can't wait to show you guys the production, and I can't wait till everything comes out. Peace out!

Location

Hey guys, welcome back. We have had a rollercoaster making this portfolio come to life, and now we are taking on the new steps. Let's focus on location. It is a very important element when creating any type of film because it helps establish the mood and atmosphere for the audience. The setting can influence how viewers interpret a scene and how they can connect with the characters. When planning this project, choosing the right location can make a big difference in how effective my final product is.

For example, psychological thrillers often take place in everyday environments such as homes, parks, or quiet streets. These normal locations can make my story feel more realistic and unsettling because the audience can imagine the events happening in real life. When a familiar place is used in a mysterious or tense way, it can create a stronger emotional reaction from viewers.

Another factor to consider is practicality. When selecting a location, filmmakers must think about accessibility, lighting, and whether filming there is allowed. Sometimes, certain locations cannot be used because of restrictions, which means I will have to adapt and find alternative places that still fit the story.

Lighting is also influenced by location. Indoor locations may allow more control over lighting, while outdoor locations depend on natural light and weather conditions. Because of this, planning when to film is just as important as choosing where to film.

Overall, the location plays a major role in how a film is presented and how the audience experiences the story. By thinking carefully about where my scenes take place, I can enhance the mood and make my project more engaging. This is what I have come across when doing my research, and I thought to share it with you guys. I am going to update you on what I will continue with in my new steps. Peace out!

The Good and The Bad

Hey guys, so kind of bad news and kind of good news. I ended up losing my original actors, which honestly made everything really messy for a bit. It definitely wasn’t part of my plan, especially because my psychological thriller was built around very specific performances and being recorded within a home setting. However, I did manage to find two new actors, which is perfect because I originally only needed two. So in that sense, things worked out.

The main issue right now is restrictions. Because of my parents not allowing certain locations, I’m very limited on where I can film. Originally, my setting was going to be inside a house, which would have allowed me to control lighting, framing, and create a more claustrophobic atmosphere, something that is very important in a psychological thriller. The home setting would have strengthened the sense of isolation and tension through mise-en-scène, such as dim lighting, confined spaces, and symbolic props. This would create a movie start feeling.

Now, I might have to shift the setting to a park. While this changes my original vision, it also opens up new creative opportunities. Instead of relying on interior spaces to create psychological feeling, I may have to focus more on cinematography and sound design. For example, I could use wide shots to show emotional isolation even in an open space, or use natural ambient sounds in an unsettling way to build suspense. This forces me to think more creatively about how to communicate psychological tension without depending on a specific location.

Although changing the storyline feels frustrating, this experience has taught me something important: production flexibility is key, just keep on swimming at this point. In real media production, directors and producers constantly adapt to unexpected issues, whether it’s losing actors, location restrictions, or scheduling conflicts. This situation has helped me develop problem-solving skills and think more critically about how narrative and setting can interact.

At the end of the day, I’ve learned that setbacks don’t mean failure. They just mean adjustment. So for now, I’m choosing to “keep on swimming” and use this challenge as an opportunity to make my project even stronger. Well, guys, I will keep updates with you updated and let you know how filming and my crew has been going. Peace out!