Film Opening and CCRs

 2 minute Film Opening 

CCR 1

CCR 2

Final Reflection

    There was truly a mix of emotions over the course of this entire project. Initially, I was very excited to have the opportunity to create a short film and have it be assessed by professionals. But as time went on, I found myself often stressed for numerous different reasons.

    I completely failed to follow the schedule and planning that I had layed out before. This caused me to fall behind. I had wanted to begin animation a long time before I actually did, and as a result, I had to cut out the final part of the film opening, which was very disheartening for me. I think I may have overestimated myself a bit. I can’t say that I was fazed much by the rigorous process of actually animating because I already knew how time consuming it was going to be and my opening did not include many complicated sequences anyway. But I certainly know now that I could use a bit more practice not just with video production, but with large projects such as these in general. It is not enough to simply make a plan; it is crucial to commit to it and follow that schedule as tightly as possible. At the very least, I can’t see myself making this kind of mistake again.

    Even so, something very exciting happened while I was doing this project. I found that I really enjoyed making larger scenes through drawings. I had done small animations and plenty of digital drawings all throughout my life, but this was the first time I had done anything more. Setting the scene for a story with the colors and pictures and visual styles that are at your fingertips from a blank canvas was thrilling and even magical for me. Of course I had always loved the medium of animation, but that surface-level engagement with it caused a bit of a disconnection. But after this, I feel that I’ve discovered a new way to express the narrative ideas that I’ve had sitting in my head for so long, and a new skill to practice. I will definitely be doing more animation just for pure enjoyment and fun going forward.  

CCR Production

    For my CCRs, I ended up doing a podcast and talk show-style interview. For the podcast, I was able to simply record the conversation using the microphone on my phone, and used my iPad to record the interview. My brother and sister helped me, acting as the person asking the questions. Production for this part of the project went quite smoothly, thanks to the in depth research that I had done beforehand. 

CCR Question 4 - Researching

With production wrapping up on our film projects, our final grade for the Cambridge Portfolio Project is drawing closer. But that final grade goes beyond just the blog and the film opening… the CCR (Creative Critical Reflection) makes up a large portion of it. This unique final cap to the project requires that we crate two videos answering questions related to the film opening that we have created, with the “creative” part lying on the kind of video we choose to make. Our answers must be in the form of some kind of interview, podcast, documentary, talk show, or something similar. With such importance placed on this section of the project, we are to dedicate some research to answering these questions. Here, I am going to look at the third question that must be answered:

HOW DID YOU INTEGRATE TECHNOLOGIES - SOFTWARE, HARDWARE, AND ONLINE - IN THIS PROJECT?

    The most important technology that I used was Procreate Dreams (specifically the newer version, Procreate Dreams 2) the animation software that I used to animate the entire project. 

    Procreate Dreams is an all-in-one 2D animation app for the iPad designed to make professional-grade storytelling accessible through an intuitive, touch-first interface. Built by the creators of the original Procreate, it features a next-generation painting engine that supports massive canvases and hundreds of textured brushes, allowing for seamless transitions between drawing and animating. The software introduces innovative tools like Performing, which lets you record motion and effects in real-time by moving elements with your finger or Apple Pencil, and a multi-track timeline that handles everything from frame-by-frame "Flipbook" animation to complex keyframing and video

    Because Procreate Dreams is exclusive to an iPad, that is, of course, the only device that I used to create the entire film opening. Being familiar with Procreate, a digital art software that I have been using for years, definitely helped me while working on the animation and it was my biggest reason for choosing this software. Additionally, most of the editing can and was done in Procreate Dreams while animating (which was incredibly convenient for me), and so there was no need to find a separate software to edit the footage for the film opening. However, I did need to add in the audio, and I chose ClipChamp to do this. I had worked with ClipChamp before in audio specifically and the final product in that software was practically perfect.

    In addition to this, I also used an Apple Pencil during the majority of my work, in order to draw more efficiently than I could without it. 

CCR Question 3 - Researching

     With production wrapping up on our film projects, our final grade for the Cambridge Portfolio Project is drawing closer. But that final grade goes beyond just the blog and the film opening… the CCR (Creative Critical Reflection) makes up a large portion of it. This unique final cap to the project requires that we crate two videos answering questions related to the film opening that we have created, with the “creative” part lying on the kind of video we choose to make. Our answers must be in the form of some kind of interview, podcast, documentary, talk show, or something similar. With such importance placed on this section of the project, we are to dedicate some research to answering these questions. Here, I am going to look at the third question that must be answered:

HOW DID YOUR PRODUCTION SKILLS DEVELOP THROUGHOUT THIS PROJECT?

    Throughout this project, my production skills developed a lot as I learned how to plan, create, and refine an animated short film. This was actually my first time animating something this big, and I had to become familiar with the basics of animation, including timing, movement, and how small adjustments can affect the overall flow of a scene. Early on, I spent some time figuring out how to portray my idea with animated visuals and exploring the software. This helped me understand how important pre-production steps like planning shots, STORYBOARDS, and organization are to making the production process so much smoother.

    As the project continued, I became more comfortable with the animation process and more confident in my ability to solve problems that came up during production. I learned how to manage my time better, because I was really struggling with that for a while, break the project into smaller steps when making a schedule, and revise parts of the animation to improve the final result, like cutting out or changing certain shots. By the end of the project, I felt that my production skills had improved not only with animation techniques but also in planning, being patient, and attention to detail, which are all important parts of creating a finished film.

CCR Ideas

    When it comes to the content itself for the CCR (Creative Critical Reflection), I will probably keep it short and simple and use an interview video and a podcast to answer the questions. Similar to the examples I saw, I want to record in an interesting location or building that I can move around in so that the video remains engaging and visually interesting. Though I’m not sure where this could be, I am considering the park or the plaza at Indian Trace, as it is very close to my house and I can get there and back quickly if there are any issues. Hopefully I can have my sister and / or my friend to help me record the CCRs.

CCR Question 2 - Researching

    With production wrapping up on our film projects, our final grade for the Cambridge Portfolio Project is drawing closer. But that final grade goes beyond just the blog and the film opening… the CCR (Creative Critical Reflection) makes up a large portion of it. This unique final cap to the project requires that we crate two videos answering questions related to the film opening that we have created, with the “creative” part lying on the kind of video we choose to make. Our answers must be in the form of some kind of interview, podcast, documentary, talk show, or something similar. With such importance placed on this section of the project, we are to dedicate some research to answering these questions. Here, I am going to start with looking at the second question that must be answered:

HOW DOES YOUR PROJECT ENGAGE WITH AUDIENCES AND HOW WOULD IT BE DISTRIBUTED AS A REAL MEDIA TEXT?

    The relationship that a piece of media has with its audience members is crucial, and it engages audiences in many different ways depending on the type and genre. When thinking about how to engage with audiences, it is crucial to ask the following questions: What does the audience want? How can it be provided to them? How is what the audience is given different from what others are offering? And how can the experience of engaging with the medium and content be optimized?

    Audience engagement is the ability to foster interactions between the consumer and the media, and it is the extent to which current and potential audiences interact with the content. This includes any activity that demonstrates active participation rather than passive consumption, such as liking a video or purchasing merchandise. Audience engagement is about making a two-way communication with the audience. 

    The most effective way to engage your audience is by getting to know them. A target audience shares specific characteristics, so it is important to understand and gather information about the audience. Narrow your focus down to specific communities of interest. Digital resources can be used to obtain reliable information about the audience as well as engage with them online and build a more loyal and lasting relationship, tailoring content to audience values and preferences. A best practice is to look at shared traits such as demographics, geography, behaviors, psychographics, buying intent, subcultures, interests, hobbies, and values. This supports the ability to determine what the audience cares about most, and to determine which social media platforms to focus on. It’s better to move your resources to the platforms your audience uses most. 

    So how do you get your audience to engage consistently? By using visuals, users respond better to posts that include graphics, videos, and images. But social media is not a one-way street, especially if you want to increase engagement. Being responsive to comments, reviews, and shares online addresses potential issues, builds relationships with consumers, and fosters loyalty. Influencer marketing is another strategy that can reach highly engaged new communities. Partnering with trusted figures helps to gain credibility because influencers have a dedicated following already. Resharing fan-created content makes the audience feel included and seen, providing authentic proof to others. Making interactive elements and incentives can also help, as polls and quizzes prompt easy participation, and running contests or giveaways provides an incentive for social media interaction like hashtags and shares.

    The primary audience of my animated fantasy film is teens and young adults who enjoy fantasy, animation, or cinematic storytelling. There is also fantasy fandoms who enjoy things like cosplay, lore, and world building. Therefore, the best platforms to engage with that audience would be TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, X, and Discord. On these sites, people could find things like character designs, animation progress clips, concept art, and world-building lore posts before the film releases, as well as content like short clips of the film, character introductions, lore stories, and bits of the music. On YouTube specifically, there would be behind-the-scenes videos and trailers. Some very effective audience engagement strategies are launching a Discord server for fans to interact with each other, and holding fan-art contests. Another way of interacting with audiences is by sharing reviews,  reactions, memes, and any other content made by fans.

    Connected to the last topic, the first thing to consider when deciding how my film would be distributed is the target audience. Because of the way the story begins, with a tragedy resulting in implied death, the story would most likely be for more mature audiences, perhaps teens and adults. This beginning is a major tone-setter, so the rest of the film would probably be tonally similar. Secondly, the medium of the film is animation, which affects the look of the distribution plan significantly. With that said, the question to ask is: How are animated fantasy films for mature audiences usually distributed and what would be best for my own film?

    Today, the distribution for movies like this can go in three directions. For mature fantasy animation, the primary place where the media ends up is on streaming platforms. Netflix, for example, now aggressively acquires these kinds of products because they have universal appeal, and are “binge-able” and “rewatch-able,” which is the main goal when it comes to TV on streaming. Other mature fantasies like Arcane and Blue Eye Samurai have found critical success as well on Netflix. And for the audience, streaming services are widely used, especially in the United States, which would make the film easily accessible to audiences.

    Mature animated films often bypass the usual week-long theatrical run in favor of making a big event out of the release. The movie might only play for a month, creating exclusivity that urges the audience to see it, often specifically in IMAX or Dolby Vision. Because of this, people are willing to pay higher prices for a chance to view the film on the big-screen and a through a unique experience. This helps to generate more profit before the movie moves to digital platforms.

    Finally, if my film is an art-house or international mature fantasy, it usually goes through a specialized distributor. These movies typically debut at film festivals like Annecy before the theatrical run. 

    As for my own film, if it were to be distributed like a real media text, I think it would follow a similar release plan. I can imagine it being released in released in select theaters for a certain amount of time, and then brought to streaming platforms after it’s theatrical run to reach a wider audience.

Sprout Social. (2025, November 10). Audience engagement strategies with examples. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/audience-engagement/

Free Press Unlimited. (n.d.). Relationship with audience. KQ - FPU Knowledge & Quality. https://kq.freepressunlimited.org/themes/media-viability/what-can-a-media-outlet-do/relationship-with-audience/

American Press Institute. (2016, May 2). How to engage your audiences in 5 key steps. https://americanpressinstitute.org/5-steps-engagement/

CCR Question 1 - Researching

     With production wrapping up on our film projects, our final grade for the Cambridge Portfolio Project is drawing closer. But that final grade goes beyond just the blog and the film opening… the CCR (Creative Critical Reflection) makes up a large portion of it. This unique final cap to the project requires that we crate two videos answering questions related to the film opening that we have created, with the “creative” part lying on the kind of video we choose to make. Our answers must be in the form of some kind of interview, podcast, documentary, talk show, or something similar. With such importance placed on this section of the project, we are to dedicate some research to answering these questions. Here, I am going to start with looking at the first question that must be answered:

HOW DOES YOUR PROJECT USE OR CHALLENGE CONVENTIONS AND HOW DOES IT REPRESENT SOCIAL GROUPS OR ISSUES?

Copyright ©️ The Atlantic

    In my fantasy film opening, a village is shown burning down after an attack by a fire-breathing dragon, and the sole surviving man sets out to hunt and slay the creature out of revenge, as his family was killed in the fire.

    In the study of film genre, conventions represent the set of ways or underlying processes of a particular action that are generally accepted. Conventions may include acceptable ways of understanding or presenting something. These generally accepted “norms” are deeply rooted in our culture and society, with different behaviors or ideas being conventional in different cultures. There are multiple different types of conventions that are followed by the specific type of media text. A genre convention is any element, including character, plot point, setting, and any other device that defines the category. Technical and formal conventions relate to how the film is put together, and ensure that the story is cohesive. Some of these conventions include cinematography and framing techniques like the Rule of Thirds, high and low angles making a character look weak or powerful, and using shot-reverse-shot during a conversation scene. Then there’s narrative conventions, which are the structural elements of the story itself. For example, the Three Act Structure and character archetypes.

    Firstly, my film opening mostly uses and conforms to conventions rather than challenging them. It follows a narrative convention by having an “Inciting Incident” which serves as the catalyst for the entire story: the village burning down. In fantasies, the film rarely starts with the protagonist already on their journey; it starts with a disruption that causes them to set out on their quest. Dragons are also a very prominent trope or character archetype in fantasy stories, and can be found in almost every piece of fantasy fiction. They usually fall into two kinds of characters: a malicious villain (an intelligent antagonist who often speaks and acts human), or a force of nature (a more animalistic beast). In my film opening, by having it burn a village and then fly away, the dragon is more of a natural calamity. This sets up a sort of “Man vs. Nature” conflict, which is common in low fantasy.

    However, my film opening does subvert conventions in one way. Usually, the hero’s quest involves the protagonist being called to adventure by a task that they must complete, and may be sent on their journey by another character. The hero is usually scared to go. But in my story, the protagonist’s motivation in purely personal, and he sets out by his own choice. Rather than saving the world, he wants revenge for himself.

    I was initially confused as to how my film opening could possibly represent any real-world social groups or issues, not in a world where magic and mythical creatures would exist. But following the research I conducted, I was able to see some of the hidden meanings and implications behind the contents and characters of the story. 

    Fantasy typically portrays messages about the real world through metaphors, symbols, and allegories, as a way to simplify complex situations and ideas with magical characters and otherworldly beings. Because these things don’t exist in our world, it allows the audience to view the story with a clear and open mind, free of bias or prejudice, and draw connections between the film and the real world. It allows the reader to take a step back from the real world, which may help to diffuse the instinctual habit of separating themself from the problem, and think about the concepts of inequality and injustice in a less personally challenging way. For example, magical creatures are often used as symbolic representations of marginalized groups - especially if there is some kind of injustice in the story - such as racial minorities, LGBTQ+ community, religious groups, disabled individuals, people with mental health conditions, or immigrants / foreigners. It pushes you to think about the tough issues that exist in our reality while still engaging in some escapism. Many people see the fantasy genre as escapist. But really, it is a genre that lets us both escape reality and return to it. A great thing about fantasy is that you can take one of the world’s biggest problems, and by putting it in a different, unrealistic environment, analyze and critique the issues in a whole new way. Many stories deal with oppression, unjust systems, violence, and power imbalances. Frederic Jameson proposed the concept of “Radical Fantasy,” a hypothetical sub-genre where mainstream, positivist, empiricist views are challenged, and characters are forced to rise up against an unfair power. This is often paired with themes of class struggle and inequality. By separating those hardships from our own world, those lived experiences become cathartic. Looking at fantasy films through a cultural lens viewers can gain a deeper understanding of how the genre reflects and even reinforces society’s prejudices. Fantasy continues to comment on social injustice and injustice well into the future.

    So how does the story in my own fantasy film contain hidden representations of social issues and groups? It is a seemingly simple narrative, but in fantasy stories, the “dragon” is rarely just a big monster. It usually represents a massive unstoppable force that ruins and disrupts the lives of smaller, weaker people. This directly parallels a very real scenario in our world. The dragon could represent a state or a force that inflicts violence on civilian populations, such as war, plague, natural disasters, or even corporate or political powers.

    The protagonist is the lone survivor of this tragedy whose life has been broken and destroyed by it, which often represents the marginalized person crushed by a force that they cannot control. This can represent victims of natural disasters, wars, or economic collapse. The dragon is an act of God, or a systemic disaster that leaves a person with nothing, and forces them to live in a world that has suddenly become more difficult and dangerous than ever. 

    The theme of revenge present at the end of the opening is a classic example of how trauma can shape social behavior. When damage is inflicted on a civilian at the hands of a more powerful, corrupt entity, that civilian often obtains the desire to overpower that force. This story explores the cost of vengeance, and raises the debate about retributive justice, or punishment to the severity of the crime based on the idea that wrongdoers deserve to suffer a punishment equal to the harm they cause (the protagonist’s desire to kill the dragon that wiped out his village), vs restorative justice, or holding the offender accountable without harshly punishing them and repairing the harm that they have caused while focusing on healing the victims. It asks the question of whether the protagonist becomes a hero or becomes just as destructive as the dragon in his pursuit to kill it. 

    The story also touches on the ideas of grief and masculinity through the protagonist. Oftentimes, society expects men to process grief through action and violence (hunting the dragon) rather than slow emotional healing. The protagonist gives into that expectation, and his journey is a manifestation of his grief and refusal to accept his situation as it is. He cannot bring his family back, so he tries to heal himself by killing the source.The dragon is also a representation of the protagonist’s violent mindset in a time of grief, hence why it is portrayed as dangerous and “evil.” Vengeance and brutality are not a good way to conquer trauma. 

    In the opening itself, I subconsciously chose to draw the village as a small, rural community, where the houses are very simple in structure. Aside from the medieval architecture, this visually implies that the village is a lower working class area - they were completely defenseless against this large, disruptive force. This represents the fragility of lower class or rural communities.

Overall, I found that my film opening uses conventions to

represents victims of tragic events, and addresses social issues such as working class fragility and expectations of men in grief, while also addressing the moral debate over justice. 

Sources:

Beverly Boy Productions. (2025, May 16). What are codes and conventions in film?https://beverlyboy.com/filmmaking/what-are-codes-and-conventions-in-film/

Chase, J. (n.d.). Genre conventions: How to satisfy suspense readers by meeting expectations. The Write Practice. https://thewritepractice.com/genre-conventions/

Falls, L. (2021, October 9). Representation in fantasy: Until there are no others. Bookish Brews. https://bookishbrews.com/representation-in-fantasy-a-discussion-with-author-lea-falls/

Vuava. (2020, November 28). Social commentary in science fiction and fantasy film and television. Eclectic Assemblage. https://eclecticassemblage.com/2020/11/28/social-commentary-in-science-fiction-and-fantasy-film-and-television/

Hoover, L. (2020, June 29). Exploring social justice through sci-fi & fantasy. Intellectual Freedom Blog. https://www.oif.ala.org/exploring-social-justice-through-sci-fi-fantasy/