Mise-en-scene Project

My goal for this project was to create a character who felt real and could be relatable through, visuals, sound and storytelling. I wanted to show how character traits, small details in appearance, and sound create a real character. This activity helped me understand how different elements of the media go with one another in a way that builds personality and emotion in the story.


The character is Tod White, a 24 year old bank employee and dog owner living alone with his dog, Churros. Tod is diligent and outgoing, but he often enjoys being alone at home. His daily routine consists on walking Churros, watching tv shows after work, and having small parties on the weekends. All of these things show a caring personality, and his balance with work and fun.


To show Tod's existence, I designed slides to demonstrate his interests, home landscape, and social connections. I included images of a cozy home, a golden retriever, gym equipment, and a party to suggest his way of life. For sound, I integrated background house music for his parties. Everything was arranged to depict his calm, yet sociable spirit. His home landscape shows a clean space that feels nice to be in.


To develop Tod I utilized these representation concepts, including setting, props, and sound, to show Tod’s personality. The setting represents Tod being chill, the dog represents his companionship, and the music demonstrates the emotional moments throughout each scene. Overall, my project was a successful representation of how mise-en-scene can show life into a character.

Mise-en-scene project

What makes action movies so exciting?

One of the most popular genres in the film industry is action. Even now, directors such as Christopher Nolan continue to make films with amazing stories and heroic characters that attract a large audience.


The reason this genre is so popular is because it appeals to a large target audience. Action films usually guided towards teens to middle aged viewers, about ages 15 to 40, and attract both male and female audiences. An example of a modern action film that grossed over $1.5 billion is Avengers: Endgame, which combines superheroes, large battles, and fast paced sequences to appeal to its audience.

The aspects that come into these productions are not as obvious as one might think. Action films have a protagonist that goes against challenges. Overcoming villains, surviving situations, or saving others is usually how the story tends to go. Die Hard gives us a good example, John McClane needs to protect hostages in a skyscraper during explosions, guns firing, and chases. The conflict in a action film keeps the viewers engaged and invested in the story.

The plot in action films can range from superhero adventures to war, or dystopian futures. No matter the plot, these stories can create tension and excitement through believable reactions from the characters. Even in films with unreal actions and setting, such as Mad Max: Fury Road, the danger is treated seriously by the characters, which shows the action in a way audiences can relate to.

Productions in this genre also rely on certain techniques to improve the thrill. Techniques such as Fast paced editing, dynamic camera movements, and practical or visual effects to create intense fight and chase sequences. The sound design and musical selection are crucial to show explosions, gunfire, or stunts. Lighting and color grading are used to express the mood. So, darker tones for suspense, and brighter tones for action scenes.


Marketing plays a major role when promoting action films. Trailers focus on thrilling sequences and the hero’s journey to get the audience hooked. While posters normally feature the protagonist in the center, surrounded by explosions or enemies.


Die Hard is an action film that the protagonist goes fights terrorists in a skyscraper. The story shows heroism, suspense, and problem solving. Production techniques, like fast cuts during fights and stunts, tension, while the poster prominently features the protagonist with a gun, surrounded by fire, which shows both danger and bravery.


The Dark Knight, in the film Batman faces the Joker in Gotham City. The movie has realistic settings, dramatic fight scenes, and significant tensions. Marketing highlights explosive action, dilemmas, and iconic hero and villain dynamic, which shows an adrenaline packed and suspenseful entertainment.

Here are 5 other actions movies

1. John Wick

2.Terminator 2: Judgement Day

3.The Avengers

4.Gladiator

5.The Matrix

Sound Projects

During our lessons and videos, I learned how important different types of audio are. For example, background audio sets the mood, the main audio gives the plot for the story, and the extra sounds can change the emotion. So, the right mix of sounds can help the audience understand what is happening.


For the first sound project, we had to brainstorm a short scene that was 1 to 2 minutes in which could be understood using only audio and a few words. Also, we had to be creative because we could not use a simple idea like a robbery for example.


When brainstorming, we imagined how the scene would happen, and what sounds we could use to match the story we made. Also thought about what background noises would make the scene sound realistic and what sounds would tell the audience what is going on.


After that, we created an outline to organize all of the sounds. The outline made it a lot easier to plan and later edit the project since I already knew which sounds belonged where. When I started editing, I used Premiere Pro, I am certified and comfortable using it, so it helped me layer and adjust the audio smoothly.


I also recorded four sounds myself on a using random objects to create realistic effects. That part was fun, I got to experiment and see how small sounds could make a big difference.


I think I did a good job finding the right sound effects and making the story clear while only using audio. But, next time I’d like to add background music to create more emotion.

First Sound Project 





The second project was connected to our One Word Film, where we focused on sound design to strengthen the message behind our assigned word. My partner and I reviewed the film and made a list of all the sounds that would naturally occur in the scenes. We also had to edit this project separately from each other.


We then built an outline similar to the first project to stay organized. This helped a lot when editing because we already knew what to record or find online. Then I found environmental sounds, background noise, and some extra effects to build the right mood for the film.


Again, I used Premiere Pro for editing. I think I did well making everything blend naturally, especially with the ambient sounds. If I were to improve something, I’d probably spend more time experimenting with timing and volume levels to make the emotions hit harder, also using short “stings” to grab attention.

Second Sound Project



Both projects helped me realize how much sound can tell a story on its own. Whether it is the background audio that sets the mood or the effects in which I made myself that make the film feel real, every layer matters. These projects taught me to pay closer attention to audio in films and videos.