Planning ⋆˚࿔

 

    Brand Identity Prism- Social Media

    [Backstory time] At the beginning of this school year, Ms. Stoklosa had us complete a 'brand identity prism' to convey our own personal brand. This was a very self-reflective task- it allowed for each of us to reflect upon what makes us.. well us. The prism entailed the following components: physique, personality, relationship, culture, reflection & self- image. 

This is what a brand identity prism looks like- it is an organized depiction of the components that I detailed below. 

    For the digital portion of the portfolio project (social media page), a brand identity prism will immensely aid my planning process. It will allow me to remain organized and depict an initial image for how my brand will appear and remain cohesive. After completing research on other media texts' social media pages, I have been familiarized with aspects that are conventional and non- conventional to the social media marketing pages for films. I acquainted a sort of dos & don'ts list if you will. I created a blog post detailing this process, you can find that in one of my recent posts, prior to this one. 

Physique:

On the Instagram, there will be a heavy presence of the color pink, specifically a light, pastel pink shade. I intend to make the pastel pink a visual motif within the film in general, so all of the typography will appear in this color. This choice originated from research that I conducted that acquainted me with color theory. Pink is conventionally used as a representation of femininity/ innocence. For the typography, I intend to use a cursive font as it is a reinforcement of these feminine aspects. Below is a depiction of what the profile picture for the Instagram account will look like. This is a draft. I feel that it may not be readable, so further edits will occur (I was thinking maybe increasing the black border, without it conflicting with the light aesthetic that I have going here).

Personality:

Calm, more centered around the aesthetic of the film rather than the actual promotional aspects- I want it to be immersed in the narrative's purpose rather than eye-catching promotional tactics. The main vision is for the social media page to remain in the narrative world. 

Relationship:

Interactions with the audience ential the inclusion of small clips from the film- to tease them if you will- about the release of the film. For this section, I also considered including purchasable merchandise if I can appropriately create that. 

Culture:

Values young girls who are coming of age that deal with body image issues. Assuring them that they are beautiful in their current form and do not need to change anything about their appearance. 

Reflection:

As a psychological drama, the scenes are implicit of disorders regarding young womens' appearances. The messages uncover the parts of media that have low representation. 

Self-Image:

Understanding that the film may be sensitive to some viewers and the concepts addressed are not pleasant, but believes that they are a necessary aspect of the modern world and they should be addressed in the media. 

- Lauren ♡

References

https://nofilmschool.com/color-psychology-in-film

https://digitalsynopsis.com/design/film-movies-color-psychology/

Planning ๋࣭ ⭑

 

    For the initial planning portion of the portfolio project trailers, I compiled a document where I simply emptied my mind- I wrote down everything from color schemes to shot ideas. This process was extremely beneficial to my planning process as I now have a more specific idea of how I would like aspects of mise-en-scene, shots and music to be represented within the trailers. This process also allowed me to compile my filming spots. I want to include my bedroom as a primary filming location, but I also would like to employ a local parks' butterfly garden due to the visual appeal. I visited this garden quite a while ago, but when I visited, it was just so so stunning and it somehow clicked with me during my brainstorming process that the location would be, potentially, a perfect location.  In addition, I was able to produce a title that I feel is so so fitting and perfect for my plot- it is Porcelain. 

    When brainstorming ideas that resonated with/ symbolized perfection, I arrived upon a Smithsonian article that details the symbolism of porcelain dolls as perfection and delicacy. These are aspects that are critical to the development of my plot, making the title of the film very appropriate. 

Here is a link to my planning document

- Lauren ♡

References 

Hart, M. T. (2022, November 1). How porcelain dolls became the ultimate Victorian status symbol. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-porcelain-dolls-became-the-ultimate-status-symbol-180980945/

Group Meeting ۶ৎ

 

    The first group meetings during the span of the portfolio project took place today. The meetings, particularly the one that happened today, are immensely helpful to the development of the portfolio project. They give us a chance to share our projects to a smaller group and offer suggestions/ be offered suggestions. It provides us with insight from a varied outside perspective, which is immensely productive.

    So here is what went down:

        Nikita 7606- Nikita has the majority of his short film already planned. His film centers around a character who has a mundane life and attempts to 'fix' it by resorting to drinking and drugs to numb his boring life. The ending was an overdose that ends in his death. So yeah. Prrrretty depressing. His plan is clear though as far as costuming goes, he plans to use typical, everyday clothing, he mentioned a misfitted suit. The color scheme is well established- using grays/ mundane/ muted tones pre- drug use and a shift to brighter colors during the period of drug use. 

        Nico 4888- Nico has a general idea of his short film. His film's central character will break the fourth wall. He described the character as egotistical, similar to Ferris Bueller. The conflict arises when another character (antagonist) tries to steal the 4th walls' attention I guess you could say. I love this idea- the entire time he was explaining it, I just imagined Ferris. He doesn't have much of the specific details like costuming/ filming locations all that good stuff, but he says he will get all of that sorted out this weekend. Promisingggg. No he will, just jokes. 

        Andrew 7558- Andrew talks about a possessed person who ends up killing their sister within his short film. The plot seemed pretty developed, but similar to Nikita's, this one is interesting. It is very dark. Well, I guess it's supposed to be. The genre is dark comedy. He mentioned that the comedy portions are being written by Joaquin, so I know this boutta be pretty good. It's a very bold idea, but with proper execution, it will be great.

        Lauren (ha! thats me!)- I was suggested to create a metaphor for the internal struggles of my central character. When I addressed my prior research of the text Black Swan, a few of the group members suggested that the internal struggle be portrayed in a similar fashion as this film. Since my mise-en-scene elements are the most developed portions of my project in this current planning phase that I am in, I detailed all of that jazz. I think this was definitely a good suggestion to develop a metaphor as it will draw a closer audience connection to what is actually occuring. 

        Audrey 7396- Audrey has a very well- developed idea for her short film. She details that the film will be introduced by a therapy session that takes place a year post-events that she will depict while the therapy session occurs. A voice over will serve as the narration to the visuals that depict the events. The costuming that she mentioned is developed well with the therapist in typical professional clothes and the central character in unplanned clothing. The coloring of the therapist's office will be mundane, neutral colors, which is a really good decision. I really really liked the idea, I think it will turn out well. 

        David 4840- David. The idea for his comedy short film is so so cool. He plans to revolve the narrative around a central character that is kind hearted. He likes to perform good deeds. A penny is what decides his fate and teleports him to different countries. David is going out of town -to Spain and England I believe- over spring break, so he plans on filming the central character being teleported to these different countries. Honestly, I admire his dedication to the project, being on vacation and all and still filming.

        Kenna 4440- Kenna is producing a coming-of-age film revolving around a technique rather than a plot. At least at this moment. She plans on employing a still shot from the perspective of a seed (that eventually grows into a plant) that a young woman is gifted. She goes through many traumatic experiences, breakups and all that, but she finally realizes at the end that she was still growing (as communicated through the plant's growth). I love love this idea- I feel that its super innovative and- if executed well, which I do not doubt- it will turn out really sweet!

Here's the group!

- Lauren ♡

Social Media Research .☘︎ ݁˖

    The digital portion of the portfolio project entails the development of a social media page for the production. To ensure my success in this portion, I researched the Instagram pages of prior theatrical release films to acquaint myself with conventional aspects of the pages. 

Media text: 

Priscilla (2023)

Social media tool: 

Instagram 

(@priscillamovie)

^^Above are the first few posts displayed on the Instagram page

Description of types of posts: 

• Still images from film with soft lighting
• Clips from the trailer and teaser (teaser is the first post pinned)
• Full trailer (the second post pinned)
• Interviews with Sofia Coppola (director)
• Close ups of Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla)
• Behind the scenes photographs
• Magazine articles regarding the movie/ prominent actors/actresses (Jacob Elordi & Cailee Spaeny)
• Award nominations/ awards won

Description of how branding is developed (or not):

• Consistent soft/ muted pastel color scheme 
• Soft, cursive 60s- inspired font across all posts with text (with a Tiffany Blue-ish color)
• Feminine/ intimate visuals (corresponds to romance genre)
• Focuses on creating a consistent soft tone
• Careful curation of aesthetic to brand the film- less like a tool for promotion (subtly promotes film)
• Captions are intentional- effective in stylization as they are emotionally driven 

Analysis of how you will use this to develop your own social media presence:

• Creating consistency in text is a key aspect of the branding- I like the fact that there is a motif in the coloring of the text as well (the Tiffany Blue-ish color) 
• Rather than overcrowding my page with excessive text/ graphics, I will maintain a minimal Instagram page, intentionally curating every post 
• Ensuring consistency in color grading/ lighting across posts to accelerate the development in branding 
• Captioning will be intentional and minimal-- this will help refrain from giving too much away regarding plot details/ other details of the film-- I feel that this adds to audience engagement 

^^Above are the first few posts displayed on the Instagram page

Media text:

Little Women (2019)

Social media tool:

Instagram

(@littlewomenmovie)

Description of types of posts:

• Promotion-heavy posts (Big Night In, Film & Food Series, & Movies Anywhere)
• Film quotes layered over stills
• Clips from film
• Awards/ award nominations
• Features (ex: comedian Taylor Tomlinson sponsoring film) 
• Costume depictions (sketches and images)
• Then vs. Now- costumes as it is a period piece
• Magazine covers of prominent actresses/ actors 

Description of how branding is developed (or not):

• The page attempts to use a warm, vintage inspired brand (is more effective in the posts published near the date of the release)
• Typography is fairly consistent in posts created by the film producers, not promotional features
• Some posts reflect the period setting through costume/ muted, pastel color scheme
• Page is not fully visually consistent as it features promotions that do not match the vintage look/ typography is inconsistent in some areas 

Analysis of how you will use this to develop your own social media presence:

• Ensuring my Instagram page remains visually cohesive, even during promotional posts
• Awards/ announcement postings will correspond to my established color scheme/ font choices
• Prioritize maintaining the 'world' of my film rather than switching into promotion heavy (staying intentional with every post)
• Emphasizing the brand development does not alter with time (Little Women has consistency in earlier posts, strays from that in later posts)

Media text:

La La Land (2016)

Social media tool:

Instagram 

(@lalaland)

again, ^^Above are the first few posts displayed on the Instagram page

Description of types of posts:

• High-resolution stills of iconic musical scenes
• Short performance clips (dance numbers, piano sequences)
• Anniversary celebration posts (ex: 9 years of La La Land)
• Cast centered posts (Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling)- mostly because of their prominence as actors/ actresses
• Soundtrack promotion posts (jazz music references)
• Fan reposts (the mood board is one of my favorites its so so pretty)
• Merchandise advertising for film (t-shirts & mugs)

Description of how branding is developed (or not):

• Strong consistency in saturated/ pastel color palette (deep blues, purples, sunset pinks) that corresponds to that of the actual film
• Intentional captions that depict the film's drama genre 
• City lines- a prominent motif in the film (Los Angeles skyline, observatory scenes) reinforces setting in the film
• Musical brand identity is developed through visuals of performances/ instruments
• Overall aesthetic is cohesive and instantly recognizable as La La Land

Analysis of how you will use this to develop your own social media presence:

• Ensuring that the Instagram page correctly reflects the genre of the film
• Similar to La La Land, I will repeat key visual motifs (for example: a specific prop, color, or location) to reinforce brand consistency 
• Captions will be intentional to develop themes in the film-- creating a consistent tone in the brand and intentional conveyance of tone

 - Lauren ♡