Constanza's Media Studies Blog

Sunday, March 8, 2026

Character Casting

In this blog post I will be introducing everyone who is a part of the film opening

The Female Protagonist (Leading Actress) Valeria:

Gianni Rodriguez

The Target (Minor Role) Bella:

Alejandra Arratia

Caller from Agency (Minor role) Unknown name:

Jazmine Pozo

Camera women/Director:

Connie Di Mare

Reflection:

Before creating our characters and planning their personalities, outfits, and names, I wanted to cast all the people first because I want the person playing the character to fit the name/personality I'm giving them. Writing the script is also a lot easier once I know who is playing each character because I can visualize whos saying it or just get them the read the script and see if it sounds right coming out of their mouths/if it flows properly

Location Planning

For this blog post I am going to be planning where to do my film opening. I have 3 options and I am going to be comparing them and seeing which will fit the vibe im going for the most. I chose to do it at a mall because there are often lots of people there which can make my film look and sound more realistic and there are lots of possible places to film in. For my film a portion of it is going to be in a restaurant so I need to keep that in mind as well.

Pembroke Lakes Mall:

The first option is pembroke lakes mall. This place is pretty busy so it would work with the realism of my film opening. The problem with this location is that it is completely indoors and does not have proper restaurants. For my film opening I want part of it outside and I some scenes have to be in a sit down restaurant but pembroke lakes only has a food court.

Sawgrass Mills Mall:

Another option is Sawgrass Mills. This mall is both indoor and outdoor and is the biggest out of the 3. The problem with this mall is that it might be too busy, there are usually a very large amount of people and sometimes it is even difficult to walk around because of how busy it is. I like that there are many restaurants to choose. Overall I think this option is too busy and the location is a bit far from me so it would be difficult to go there and film

Pembroke Gardens Mall:

The last option is Pembroke Gardens, this mall is basically all outdoors and alternates from stores to restaurants. It is not too busy to the point that you can't walk around and there are some nice places to film in.

In reflection i am choosing to film at pembroke gardens because i feel that it is the perfect amount of busy, has good areas to film in, and has plenty of restaurants to choose from that are a good mix of fancy and casual which is perfect for my film opening.

Project Proposal

Hello, my name is Connie and I will be working on a film opening with two other people (their names are Jazmine and Alejandra). I have been doing a lot research and I have decided to go with a spy thriller as my film opening genre/subgenre.

Target Audience

Our target audience is Gen Z, Gen , and Millennials because the thriller genre has a very wide range of viewers. It is also for both males and females because overall both genders are interested in the genre as well.

Representation

Since I have decided to use a female lead instead of male lead, which is the more common stereotype, it will represent women and go against the norm.

Software/Hardware

Software: I am going to be using the digital program Adobe Premiere Pro to edit my film opening and put it all together.
Hardware: I am going to be using a Canon camera to film all the clips, an SD card to be able to store the clips, a desktop from school in which i'm going to transfer all the clips and do my editing on.

Camera Practice

In this blog post I'm going to be talking about my experience in trying out a camera. I am in my schools yearbook program so I am experienced in using cameras to take pictures but I have never tried to take any videos.

I first picked a camera, I wanted to use one that had a better zoom in lens for things like close up shots. I made sure that I had the SD card for the camera which is where the pictures and videos get recorded and then I got started

I then turned on the camera and I had to ask my teacher about what setting I need to use to be able to take videos instead of pictures. That's when I found out instead on just switching the camera to on I would have to push it up to the video setting.

Another thing I didn't know how to do was start and end a video. After playing around with the camera a little I found out that to start/end the video I needed to press the button that has the red dot next to it

After figuring all of that I started practicing different types of shots with my group.

Establishing shots:

Tracking shot:

High angle shot:

Low angle shot:

Two shot/Mid shot:

Over the shoulder shot:

Close up shot:

Reflection:

In reflection I think I need to work on stabilizing the camera while im taking videos because for my film I want to use static movement but it doesn't seem like it since my hands are a little shaky. I also want to work on focusing the camera more because I struggled with the camera going in and out of focus.

Wednesday, March 4, 2026

More indepth research on spy thrillers

For this blog post im going to be going over production, distribution, and more about specific conventions for the genre.

Producers:

Spy thrillers are usually produced by a mix of big Hollywood studios and some smaller more specialized production companies. Here are some example of production companies big in the Spy Thriller genre:

Eon productions: This is the most known for this genre and was the primary producer of the James Bond series which is one pf the most iconic series in this genre.

Universal Pictures: Universal is dominant when it comes to more of a modern spy type of film. They made the James Bourne franchise and co-distributed Mission Impossible with Paramount Pictures which is another studio that is well versed in spy thrillers.

Working Title Films: They are known for having a more British approach to the genre.

Distribution Practices:

Since spy movies use a lot of international locations they often have a lot of audiences in other countries so they often use a global releases where the films release in the same weekend/day everywhere so they can get the most money out of it and prevent the films from being released on any other websites.
Spy films are famous for their brand distribution. Producers sometimes try and make up for distribution and marketing costs through partnerships with luxury car brands, watchmakers, and technology companies.All these companies go well with the genre and these partnerships often run their own global ad campaigns that are released at the same time of the film.
Major spy films usually release in theaters first and then go to streaming but lately there has been a shift in which they are going straight to streaming. Netflix and Amazon have been pushing this and trying to push subscription platforms over normal box office revenue.
Smaller or international spy thrillers may secure distribution through film festivals, sales agents, or regional distributors who sell rights by territory An example is The Spy (a European spy film) lists regional distributors like Nordisk Film for Scandinavia and others for overseas markets

Narrative:

In spy thrillers the narrative is usually one person or a group having to complete something while being put up against an enemy.
The films always show the danger that the protagonist is facing and there is always going to be danger or threats in a thriller.
Sometimes the narrative cover up important information to keep the secrecy and suspense building up
Sometimes use flashback to create some confusion in the audience or give audience more information about character to help understand them more

Sound:

Sound is important in this genre because it helps set the mood and build up suspense
Often start slow and then become more fast paced to add to the dramatics of a scene
For example long and fast paced non diegetic sound plays in the background which can build adrenaline and tension, while sometimes thrillers will use silence in scenes before something bad happens
A good example is the James Bond theme song, it is used in some action scenes and you can hear how it starts off slow and the volume increases and decreases as well of the pace building up and release some tension depending on what's happening during the scene

Lighting/Editing:

Lowkey lighting is used a lot in this genre, it creates a mysterious and tense atmosphere and also makes it so that the audience isn't completely aware of the surroundings
The lowkey lighting also helps create shadows which can hide people expressions and add more tension
That's a picture from The Gray Man and the shadow is strongly casted over half his face reflects how he's thinking and represents how he in not good nor bad
Back lighting is also used to show the more dominant character in a scene or even create a silhouette
There is a lot of fast cuts to show the fast pace of the action happening, the quick cuts also make the audience feel that something else is coming
Sometimes slowmos and reaction shots are also used in this genre

Camera:

Tracking shots are used a lot in this genre because it gives the film a pace to follow along with.
Close-ups are also very common they show key facial expressions. The image above is a good example of this as well. You can see his face as he goes through the emotions
Montages are often used in fight scenes or training

High angle shots are used to make a character feel weak/vulnerable
Dutch angle can be used to show something is happening/going to change

In reflection when doing my film opening something I might want to practice is lighting, now that I know more about it I want to figure out how to make bold shadows and to make sure they are captured properly. I also noticed that distribution can depend on how mainstream a film is, the bigger films with popular actors often go to theaters, while the smaller ones might not.

Citations:

Grundy, Amber. Spy Thriller Genre Research. SlideShare, https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/spy-thriller-genre-research/41104735

Lannom, SC. “What Is a Dutch Angle — Creative Camera Shots Explained.” StudioBinder, 15 Aug. 2024, https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/dutch-angle-shot-camera-movement/

Spy Thriller Film Opening Observations

Hello! I am watching the first few minutes of two spy thriller films, The Gray Man and Heart of Stone

Heart of Stone: Film starts with establishing shot and zoom in to the top of a mountain. We then start tracking a women wearing fancy clothes. There's diegetic sound of a helicopter and dialogue in which the woman is talking about a target telling us she is a spy. It then cuts back and forward from a fancy party and a car on the side of the mountain introducing new characters. In the car there is a man engaging in dialogue, the camera then slides to reveal another women. There are a lot of props used, theres computers trying to hack into a system anda tablet connected to the security cameras showing us the footage. There is also non digetic music playing in the background. It gives us a suspenseful vine signaling something is about to happen. We get POV shot from the cameras showing that the people walking in are the ones being watched and the targets. We continue to truck and track the characters showing all the movement to get be able to do their plan. The music escalates and becomes louder as a suspense is built up and then evens back out when everything is back to normal. As the first few minutes end we are left wondering how the rest of the mission is going to play out.

The Gray Man: The film starts off with diegetic dialogue, we at first hear them talking but dont see any faces. They use a wide shot to show they are in an interrogation room, one character is in handcuffs and a prison uniform and the other is in a nice suit. We then have quick editing and mid shots as they continue conversation. The quick editing helps show the conversation flow. We get close ups showing their faces in conversations. We also get high angles of them sitting adding to some tension. The dialogue continues as the man in handcuffs get recruited to the CIA. The conversation continues and we get another wide shot that then transitions into the films title. This opening leaves us wondering if the man will accept the offer or stay in jail keeping us with questions and making us want to watch some more.

In reflection the two films had a very different approach to their film opening, Heart of Stone started with a quick pace already introducing some suspense and getting straight into action and spy activity. While the gray man started of more slowing giving more background on the characters. Thought they both started differently they both leave you asking questions after watch the first few minutes. I personally prefer the more straight to the point opening and that is more of the direction I want to go with for my film opening.

Spy Thriller Character Types

Common character types:

Men vs Women:

Men are usually portrayed as independent, strong, muscular, brave and smart. Often the protagonist or antagonist. They are also usually young and white. While women are represented as more emotional, weaker, and pretty. They are often shown being saved by the male protagonist/captured by the male antagonist. For my film opening I want to go against this stereotype because I don't exactly like it, it feels it is more for the male gaze. That is why I am going to look into more of a femme fatale character type that can also be seen in this genre.

The main character/protagonist for this genre is usually very smart, observant, can be cold, morally complex, and are very skilled in combat. A great example of a spy thriller protagonist is James Bond. The protagonist can often be seen wearing tailored suits, all black outfits for missions, practical clothing, and they wear lots of props as well. The often have accessories like watches, earpieces, and weapons.

James Bond is the protagonist of his franchise and he portrays the typical spy very well. He is usually seen in his suits, is quite serious, and carries around the weapons for his mission.

The double agent look like any other character, the thing that truly stands out about them is personality, theres is usually very charismatic, secretive, manipulative, and driven by revenge. But their costume can sometimes reflect how they are hiding their true identity so they where neutral professional clothing that lets them blend in.

The main antagonist can be very smart, usually one step ahead of the protagonist, dangerous looking, and usually motivated by something like power or revenge. They are often seen in costumes of suits, luxury brands, very put together look, sometimes they use specific colors like dark coats to symbolize their personality.

Le Chiffre is the antagonist from Casino Royale and he is wearing dark colors, a nice suit, clean hair cut. He overall looks very put together but also gives off a dangerous vibe, especially with the makeup done on his right eye.

The hacker (tech savvy) character is a little often socially awkward, very analytical, loyal to the protagonist, and is usually not in fight scenes, they support from wherever the base is. Often use lots of props like glasses, headsets, laptops, and more tech things.

Q from James bond is the computer expert in the film and you can see that he is a little bit scrawny, wearing glasses, and carrying around equipment. His look shows the typical techy character in this genre.

The femme fatale in this genre are often see and seductive, dangerous, very skilled in combat, and usually more rare. The female leads in spy movies are becoming a lot more common now but were not see a lot before. Their costumes usually are made to show strong silhouettes.

Evelyn Salt is the female lead, you can see that she's wearing dark clothes somewhat cinched at the waist making it more feminine and she is also carrying her weapon making her look more dangerous. She goes against the common stereotype. Her makeup is bold with heavy eyeliner and her cheekbones being very accentuated.

Reflection: In this genre it is very common to see characters who are very smart and most of them are great at combat. They are I also noticed that the costumes use a lot of formal clothes and lots of props. The makeup used is usually only after combat to see the effect of their fighting unless it is a woman.