Lucas Baden's Blog

 Crime The Crime genre is focused on unlawful acts of people in fiction and non-fiction. It can focus on a Criminal, Detective, or someone involved in the act. Crime has suspense, mystery, investigation, and murder. Common techniques used in this Genre are red herrings, increasing conflicts, foreshadowing, and time running out. The protagonists is usually not likeable or flawed. The antagonist sometimes is revealed early or not made clear till the end. The Great Train Robbery (1903) This was the first crime Genre movie and was a pioneer for film directed by  Georges Méliès   .  They used techniques such as cross cutting, panning, and close ups. It introduced cross cutting to film in general, they also introduced longer films, and increased story telling.  The Musketeers of pig alley (1912) This was the a silent crime film directed by DW Griffith. It is about Snapper kid recognizing someone that had previously robbed him. The one that robbed him was part of a mob...

Sounds   The music that will be incorporated with this film will be diegetic Jazz music over the very start of the scene. The pizza place we choose was playing Jazz music and it fits the mobster genre so we stayed at Solórzano's. Other diegetic sounds are car sounds because we filmed near a road or while we were driving we will try to . Then for non-diegetic sounds we are adding music during the very opening scene when establishing the characters and for the opening credits. Then for dialogue it will all be diegetic and we will amplify voices if they are too quiet. We will try to eliminate any sounds from cars and add non copyright music over it. We are using a RODE GO II microphone to record sound and it produced a very clear sound compared to an I phone.

 Risk management Risk management is very important for keeping everyone safe. It is important to make sure everything is safe especially with what and where we were filming. We learned that filming our opening is very dangerous and needs someone to be watching and keeping us safe.    Scene   Who’s  at risk   How it was handled   Parking lot scene   Ethan filming, me, and Jake acting.   We had Scotty and Joey stand at both ends of the parking lot making sure no one got hit while we were filming.   All bridge scenes   Me and Jake.   We had to pull over on the side of a bridge and get out so to make sure we  didn’t  get hit in the process we had Scotty and Joey tell us when the coast was clear behind the  camera.   In the car scene    Me, Jake, and Ethan. This was dangerous because an actor was driving during the shot. So we strategically choose a slow speed limit road that was well light and filmed t...

 Storyboards

Shot List:   Shots are very important for adding meaning to what is being filmed so we decided to use many shots but primarily over the shoulder, dolly, and tracking shots. These shots will add context to the opening scene and set up what is happening. The characters will have dialogue throughout the over the shoulder shots will have the characters explaining what is going on. Then the dolly shots will follow a character and show where they are going except our dolly shots will be hand held. We have gimbal so the shot will be steady if it is held at the same height.   Close-ups used to emphasize a characters reaction and are very important for the mob genre because it can show the bosses expression. His expression can emphasize the severity of what is happening. We will use tracking shots to follow a character when they are moving showing where they are going. Panning shots will be used when dialogue is occurring and the camera needs to go from one character to another.

  Target audience and common narratives We plan to target an older audience because the mob genre is not suited for younger audiences. The mob genre in general is not supposed to be viewed by people below 15 because of the harsh consequences. In most mob movies they incorporate alcohol, cigarettes', cigars, and sometimes drugs. In these movies they frequently use strong language. Murder, violence, and gun violence are all very common. All these narratives are bad influences for younger teens and  kids. In our opening scene we didn't use these but if we filmed a whole movie most of these narratives would be incorporated.  Since we only show a gun throughout the opening scene and don't use foul language, drugs, alcohol, and kill anyone our movie would be able to be viewed by anyone.

Camera/Technical elements Throughout the film we used a Sony a6400 to film and borrowed it from a friend. The camera was released in 2019 but is still a great camera in 2026. The camera can film in 4k 30 fps or to 1080p 120 fps we used 4k 30fps because once you surpass 30 fps a movie can look unnatural and unrealistic. We used 4k because we wanted the highest quality for clarity. The camera also has 425 phase detection points for great auto focusing. The camera uses a 24.2MP APS-c sensor which is used for low lighting scene and can capture more light than a traditional phone. The 180 degree screen allowed us to film at angles and capture everything in a shot.  We used the DJI RS 4 gimbal for stabilization this helped a lot when we would do dolly shots or tracking shots. The gimbal has a 12 hour battery life so we could comfortably film the opening scene with plenty of time to spare.  The camera had a RODE GO II microphone to record sound and it produced a very clear sound comp...

 Opening Conversation: Joey (Tony Grasso): "The Yankees got a game tonight. I've got a few players making sure they don't play their best. So if you're betting, bet on the underdogs" Jake (Romano De Luca): "How much did you put down?" Joey (Tony Grasso): "Enough. A hundred grand. Not too much. don't want to draw attention. Unlike that last job you two handled." (Pauses) "You get rid of the body yet?" Jake (Romano De Luca): "It's still in my trunk" Joey (Tony Grasso): (Coldly) "Then fix it" Private Conversation: Lucas (Joe Zaccardo): "You ever notice how Tony talks to us? Like we're disposable" Jake (Romano De Luca): "He's the boss. That's how it works" Lucas (Joe Zaccardo): "Doesn't mean it has to" Jake (Romano De Luca): "What are you saying?" Lucas (Joe Zaccardo): "Im saying... what if were the ones calling the shots?" Final Line: Joey (Tony...

 Lucas(Joe Zaccardo)(Me): I was an actor but I helped with filming and editing. My role was to be one of Tony Grasso's (Boss) henchmen but Joe is sick of his ways. So Joe wants to overthrow him and become the next boss. Joe and Romano towards the end of the opening scene establish that they might work together to over take Tony. Scotty(Beppe Torta): Scotty was just an actor and is not a part of the group after the filming process. Beppe was Tony's right hand man and he is sent to go find out what Joe is doing. Joey(Tony Grasso): Joey was just an actor and is not a part of the group after the filming process. Tony was his role and he is the Boss of the gang that gives orders. He isn't a great leader and that is causing his own men to turn on him. Jake(Romano De Luca): Jake is a member of the group and helped with shooting scenes and editing. Romano is another henchmen to Tony and is working with Joe through the opening scene. Romano thinks that he is miss treated by Tony. Et...

 Solórzano's was our first location choice because we knew someone that worked there and they gave us consent to film there. It was also an older pizza place so it fit the genre of mafia of mob boss. They played Jazz music in the background and we ordered food and drinks to add to the mise en scene. Solórzano's also was good because their sign was a bright light outside the front of the building so it looked more aesthetic. Than for Colonial Oaks it was functional because we needed a place to throw a body and there is a bridge there. Than we also needed a road to drive on and choose a road nearby Colonial Oaks because the speed limit was very slow. It also had bright street lights so you can see the road through the camera (the camera was having a hard time capturing things in the dark).

 Mood Board  The mood we are targeting is an older gang that is falling apart. We want a boss that is cold and direct. Then a member that wants to turn on him to follow most plots in the mobster genre. This would follow the path of the main character or boss losing their power and possibly death. We wanted our movies mood to be around sunset when everyone is together because the sun is light and safer making the viewer think everything is alright. Once the gang splits up it the sun sets, it becomes dark and unsafe for the boss.

 Equipment list: Equipment is very important because without it filming is impossible or the film will not look up to standard. The equipment we will be using consists of a Sony A6400 filmed on a gimbal and a microphone. Having a high quality camera will be good for clarity and the ability to adjust the focus. With the Gimbal, dolly shots will be easier to complete because it will stay level throughout the shot. The gimbal has a tracking mode so tracking shots will be a lot better than a standard hand held shot. We also are going to have airsoft guns for scenes where intimidation is needed and for scenes involving conflict. Guns will also be needed for scenes where guns will be visible on the actors. We will use 2 Submachine guns and 2 Pistols. Then we also are using a car to drive from different scenes and for added scenes with dialogue. 

 Following Vladimir Propp's theory there are 7 main character types that consist of the hero, villain, dispatcher, helper, donor, princess, and false hero. In the crime genre people usually fit these character types. In the movie Se7en there is the hero David Mills he is the detective determined to stop the killer, the villain John Doe he is a serial killer committing murders, and the helper William Somerset is the detective that helps David Mills. The princess in this movie is justice or saving the people and the false hero is John Doe because he is trying to justify all of his murders. With these character types it creates similar characters throughout movies but for the crime genre it is almost guaranteed to fit into one of the character types.

 Wardrobe Wardrobe choice is very important especially for the mobster crime genre. In the Crime genre crime bosses usually wear a suit and tie. If not that then they wear a button up long sleeve and dress pants.  Everyone needs to be wearing relatively the same thing. A button up and dress pants are ideal to fit the genre. Dress shoes are also very common in the mob genre as well as a gun in their waistband. Airsoft guns will be provided to the group and the mob boss will wear sunglasses and a nicer outfit than the rest of the group to make his status higher than all of his workers. The mob boss will also grease his hair to look more proper and to stick with the mob genre. The rest of the group can look scrappy as they are workers that work out on the streets. One of the workers should look more proper than the rest because he is next in line to become boss and is the one that give orders to the rest of the group.   

 The Crime genre has many different plot lines that are reoccurring throughout many movies and shows. Most crime movies have an established problem that is a ticking time bomb and the stakes are constantly raising for the main conflict. There are also lots of red herrings and the main character's usually puts themselves in danger. Then the final resolution where balance in the story is restored and the conflict is solved.  In the Mobster Genre there are 4 main storylines that are followed like the rise and fall of power which is the most common. The Mob boss starts from a poor lifestyle then becomes wealthy then falls to the bottom through self demise or betrayal. Then the American Dream inversion where the main character chooses an illegal fast path to success. The third is Loyalty vs. Betrayal when someone close to the main character betrays them and leads to the end of the main characters power. The last storyline is Rivalry when there are 2 groups fighting constantly ...

 We decided to Film on March 2 so we have enough time to plan but also enough time to film and do a film review. We choose multiple locations because we need an outside atmosphere and an indoor area to film. For our outdoor area we choose colonial oaks because it is open has a large parking lot and a bridge. The bridge is useful because we need a place to throw a fake body. We are also using a pizza place to create an establishing shot for the group. The pizza place is where everyone is established to be in a gang. This is where most of the dialogue occurs. We also plan on using a car for more dialogue to make it more ominous.     Schedule for March 2nd   What are we doing  Time Starting at Solarozonos pizza place and film (we forgot a SD card so it took extra long and actors could not keep it together) 5:00-6:30 Review the footage before leaving to see if any shots need to be re-shot 6:30-6:45 Drive to Colonial Oaks park and film   6:45-7:45 Review th...