CCR For Someone Follows!
Hi guys, welcome back to the "final" final blog of the year. Today, I will be presenting you with my CCR for my movie opener. We have reached the finish line!
Transcript:
Hi, my name is Santiago Giraldo and my candidate code is 8024. Today I'll be presenting you my creative critical reflection based on my movie, Someone Follows. Okay, let's get started. How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues? My product is a horror film opening and it both follows and challenges key horror conventions.
Through researching films like The Conjuring and Halloween, I learned that horror openings usually use dark lighting, isolated settings, suspenseful non-diegetic sound, slow pacing, and enigma codes to create tension. I applied these conventions by using low lighting to create shadows and limit what the audience can see. I also use slow pacing and layered background sound to build suspense gradually instead of rushing into action. The use of restricted information means the audience doesn't fully understand what is happening, which keeps them engaged and slightly uncomfortable. However, I also challenged conventions.
Instead of clearly showing the antagonist in stereotypical dark clothing, I kept them mostly unseen. This shifts the fear from physical violence to psychological tension. I also avoided relying on jump scares and instead focused on atmosphere and sound to create meaning. In terms of representation, my opening shows a young character experiencing isolation and fear. Rather than portraying them as weak, I present them as realistic and emotionally aware.
This avoids common horror stereotypes and instead reflects broader issues like anxiety and vulnerability. Meaning in my film is created through lighting, pacing, and sound, not through obvious violence, which makes the fear feel more realistic and relatable. How does your product engage your audiences, and how would it be distributed as a real media text? My product engages audiences by creating mystery from the beginning. I use enigma codes so the audience constantly asks questions like, "What is happening?" "Who is there?" "Is the threat real?" By not giving away too much information, I encourage active viewing.
The slow buildup of sound and tension makes viewers stay because they expect something to happen. Instead of shocking the audience immediately, I build suspense step by step, which creates stronger emotional impact. If this were a real media product, it would target teenagers and young adults who enjoy psychological horror. It could fit with a production company similar to Blumhouse Productions, which focuses on lower-budget horror films that rely on tension and strong ideas rather than expensive special effects. It would likely be marketed through social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok using short teaser clips to build curiosity.
Releasing it around Halloween would also increase audience interest. Overall, my opening is structured to feel convincing as the beginning of a longer horror film because it clearly establishes genre, tone, and narrative tension. How did your production skills develop throughout this project? Throughout this project, my production skills developed both technically and creatively. At the start, I mainly thought horror was about dark lighting and loud music, but through research and practice, I learned that pacing and sound control are just as important.
I improved my ability to import and organize footage properly, which made editing more efficient. Using CapCut, I learned how to trim clips precisely, layer non-diegetic sound, adjust brightness and saturation to create a darker tone, and sync sound effects carefully with on-screen movement. One key development was understanding how silence can be just as powerful as music. In an earlier draft, I used louder sound effects that felt predictable. After reviewing it, I reduced the volume and allowed pauses in sound, which created more tension.
I also improved my ability to export in higher resolution and make sure the final product looked polished. Overall, I developed stronger control over how technical decisions influence audience emotion. I now understand that every editing choice shapes meaning. How did you integrate technologies like software, hardware, and online in this project? Technology was essential throughout my project.
In terms of hardware, I used a camera and tripod to create stable shots and carefully framed scenes to limit what the audience could see. I used lighting intentionally to create shadows and reinforce the horror atmosphere. These were not random choices. They were based on research into professional horror openings. For software, I used CapCut to edit my footage.
I cut and arranged clips to control pacing, layered sound effects to build tension, adjusted color settings to create a colder and darker tone, and added titles that match the horror genre. I also experimented with transitions and timing to make the opening feel smooth and professional. Online tools were also important. I used blogging to document my research and planning, which helped me apply genre conventions accurately. I sourced copyright-free sound effects responsibly and integrated them into my timeline.
By combining hardware, editing software, and online research, I was able to create a finished product that is technically polished and clearly targeted at a specific audience. Well, that is the end of my creative critical reflection. Thank you a lot for watching and have a good night.
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