Representation of Taekwondo

      As I have stated previously, taekwondo will be the featured sport throughout my film opening. I have chosen this specific martial art because I am confident I can represent it accurately. I am a taekwondo player myself and I have trained as one for more than a decade of my life. As a result, it's safe to say that I do know a thing or two about the community and the culture of taekwondo.

      One of my main goals is to share, teach, and praise the trainings of this martial art in my production. You see, not only do taekwondo students train physically, they also train mentally. Furthermore, this educational style impacts the moral character of these athletes.

 Taekwondo teaches these major principles for the mind: 

-Focus                                              -discipline 

-Self-Control                                   -resilience

-Courtesy                                        -dedication

-Integrity                                      -perseverance 

 World Taekwondo. (n.d.). Poomsae World Championships [Photograph]. World Taekwondo.

     To apply these principles to my film opening, the main character will be a disciplined, focused, and dedicated taekwondo student who is about to attempt a difficult skill. They will try to calm themselves down, showing self-control, and will have the dedication to try dangerous movements. This shows the significance of how practicing this martial art not only comes with physical struggles, but can also be mentally challenging as well.

     I will also represent the friendly and supportive community taekwondo has built for me in my project. In a flashback scene, I will include past pictures of me and my taekwondo friends at competitions and at training. It will clearly emphasize the connections and relationships taekwondo students have made on their journey to become better athletes. By doing this, the audience members who may also participate in a sport can relate to and emotionally connect with the main characters memories, thoughts, and struggles.

     There are three main sections of taekwondo: Kyorugi (Sparring/Fighting), Poomsae (Techniques/Forms), and Demonstration (Board Breaking/Tricking flips & kicks). However in my film opening, the protagonist will be more focused and interested in performing the poomsae and demonstration skills of the martial art.

Kyorugi

International Olympic Committee. (2024). Paris Olympics 2024 combat sports [Photograph]. International Olympic Committee.

Poomsae

World Taekwondo. (2024). Hong Kong world taekwondo championships [Photograph]. World Taekwondo.

Demonstration

Kukkiwon. (n.d.). Kukkiwon demo team USA taekwondo [Photograph]. Kukkiwon.

World Taekwondo. (2024). Hong Kong world taekwondo championships international [Photograph]. World Taekwondo.

Resources

The Oxford Review. (n.d.). Media representation – Definition and explanation. The Oxford Review DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) Dictionary. Retrieved January 28, 2026, from https://oxford-review.com/the-oxford-review-dei-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-dictionary/media-representation-definition-and-explanation/

Taecole Tae Kwon Do & Fitness. (n.d.). The history of world taekwondo: From tradition to global recognition. Retrieved January 28, 2026, from https://taecoletkd.com/blog/152053/The-History-of-World-Taekwondo-From-Tradition-to-Global-Recognition

Researching - Film Credit Sequences

      A film opening isn't a film opening without its credit sequence. Credit sequences and the title displays are not only beneficial for crediting the people who worked on the film, but also crucial for setting the tone of the movie right from the beginning. The pace, the color, the font, and the size of the credits all matter when establishing the aura/vibe of the production. Therefore, I have observed a few credit sequences that I believe will help me choose how I want to include it in my own film opening.

Example 1: "Happy Gilmore"

Credit Sequence: https://youtu.be/3RlQttqJXVM?si=Bo28uDVjx1Rwprff

      Due to the fact that this movie was released in 1996, it has a rather simple credit sequence. The opening starts off with a black screen while slowly fading in and out credits. The font is a very basic white and in all caps. After the title of the movie is presented in the same style, the film begins to show clips from a tiny frame shaped like a old time television and the main character of the story starts to narrate his life story(developing the character). The clips keep playing on the tiny frame to the right of the screen, while credits still fade in and out on the left of the screen. To end the credit sequence, the tiny frame disappears and an abrupt close-up of the protagonist's face is shown getting smooshed into a glass wall of a hockey stadium, representing a snap back to reality/the present. This credit opening takes a more straight forward approach because it wants the audience to focus more on the film visuals and the narration of the main character.

Example 2: "Bend It Like Beckham"

Credit Sequence: https://youtu.be/NysSdbN02co?si=TcqAMbvqvXW3UDBa

     This credit sequence is somewhat similar to the "Happy Gilmore" credit sequence. In the beginning, a black background is displayed and credits fade in and out. However, these credits have a more stylistic appearance to them because of their orange font. Diegetic sound of a sports commentator and cheering can be heard, letting the audience interpret the setting with their own imagination. Additionally, because this movie is about soccer, the transition from the credit scene to the visuals connected to the audio, is created by a soccer ball panning from right to left across the screen. After a scene with the main character's mother, another soccer ball is used to transition the film to the title display. The title sets a sporty tone for the movie as the letters are bold and a soccer cleat is seen hanging off the letter "C" in "Beckham". This opening creates a more personalized approach, as the credits are more themed to the story.

Example 3: "Miracle"

Credit Sequence: https://youtu.be/TTO8M9Bx6_s?si=MYHpA3ep2S3zOOQi

     The opening credit scene for "Miracle" utilizes a creative style choice, as the film is sectioned in various colors, filtering the visuals as well as the text credits. The opening includes montages of what was happening in the world at the time, setting the intense and emotional tone for the movie. The credits fade in and out on top of the visuals being displayed. There is a cool editing effect that the editors incorporated when a color filter was covering the text. The part of the text inside the color filter would become a different color. This created a unique style choice that enhanced the production. A bold, capital blue title is then formed at the end, with an ice background to represent ice hockey. This perfectly symbolizes the theme and personality of the film.

Overview

    After conducting my research, I want to produce a credit sequence that is more similar to the film "Bend it Like Beckham". This is because I do not want a distracting credit scene, that will overstimulate my audience. Although I like the credits for "Miracle", I think that style will be too much on the eyes for the viewers because I want all the attention to be on mostly close-ups and establishing shots. In general, that tone just doesn't fit with the style I am going for. Sometimes the simpler the better.

My Schedule

   The portfolio project is a 7 week long project, meaning I need to organize every week accordingly. The worst thing that could happen is not having enough time to properly execute this project. Due to the fact that I don't want to leave everything for last minute, I created a structured schedule for each of the 7 weeks, planning when I will brainstorm, research, plan, film, and edit.

Week 1 (1/18-1/24)

-Research and choose genre

-Brainstorm film opening ideas

Week 2 (1/25-1/31)

-Come up with storyline (characters, setting, conflict)

-Plan where to film

-Find people to help film

-Figure out mise-en-scene (costumes, props, settings)

Week 3 (2/1-2/7)

-Begin filming the setting (close-ups and establishing shots to give representation to setting)

-Gather and record videos for a flashback scene

-Record scenes with main character 

-Start looking for background music

Week 4 (2/8-2/14)

-Choose the most fitting background music

-Record foley sounds

-Record voice over if needed

Week 5 (2/15-2/21)

-Start the editing process

Week 6 (2/22-2/28)

-Review the film opening and edit final details

-Research ways to create the reflection

Week 7 (3/1-3/7)

-Film the reflection

-Edit the reflection

After these seven weeks, I will have a few more days to make any changes, edits, and revisions needed for my film opening and my CCR.

(The final project is due 3/17)

Researching - Film Openings

   Before starting to come up with a film opening, it is reasonable to see some sample film openings that are in my chosen genre. This way I can have an idea of what approach my film opening should be.

Example 1: "The Karate Kid"

Film Opening: https://youtu.be/FwHq6hM3ILk?si=M1bL6fRKvlCR_k2T

     This filming opening is approached by establishing the setting. It follows a car, which may hold the main character, as it travels across the canyons. Due to the representations of the town in the beginning and the journey through the canyons, you can infer that the characters inside the car seem to be moving away to another place. This approach leans more into the coming-of-age genre as the main character is going to try to fit in with their new home. Many establishing shots are used to let the audience know where the car is going.

 (Both pictures from the "The Karate Kid" film opening)

Example 2: "Hoosiers"

Film Opening: https://youtu.be/r74qegjbF28?si=PawFdTFGCikGeogG

   This opening also is approached by establishing the setting. You can see a car, driving through empty roads. Long shots of the car are displayed, some of them slightly shaky to resemble the bumpiness of the road. We see an old man that could be assumed to be the main character driving the car. They also develop the character of the man as we see him to be drinking a cup of coffee, glancing at two kids playing sports, and arriving to a building with many sports medals and trophies inside. The audience can infer that he could be a coach for a sports team.

                                           (Both pictures from the "Hoosiers" film opening)

Example 3: "Kung Fu Panda" (I chose this example simply for the martial arts aesthetic)

Film Opening: https://youtu.be/6lT6PgFnNWE?si=CJZ4bLjNJqgX4TQq

    This film opening has a slightly different approach than the other two examples, as it establishes a comedic and vibrant tone through the funny dialogue and and the pop of red and yellow colors. The opening was also used to develop the character of the panda. The dialogue was the main way the audience could interpret the character. The visuals included montages of battles and mysterious places that the panda had encountered. Other side characters are also developed throughout these scenes, including "The Furious Five". This opening also uses many diegetic sound effects to emphasize certain movements, such as foot steps and fighting.

                                       (Both pictures from the "Kung Fu Panda" film opening)

Overview

     I noticed how all these film openings included nondiegetic, instrumental music, in the background. I would like to include something like that in my film opening as well. I can find a non copywrite, calming, and maybe Asian style song to fit the martial art aesthetic. I want to create my opening more like the "Hoosiers", however I do not want to include a driving sequence. What I liked about this specific opening was that towards the end, the main character is observing trophies and medals. A scene like that would be great to develop my character. However, like the "Kung fu Panda" opening, I would like to add more action scenes to establish the sport and the skill of the main character. Additionally, I would like to incorporate diegetic sound effects to emphasize certain movements. For example, a kick or punch would sound stronger if a sound effect is included.

Transitioning into the Portfolio Project

     After researching two genres for the film opening that interested me (adventure, sports coming-of-age), I had decided to produce a coming-of-age sports film opening for my Portfolio Project. I want to create something that is significant to my life and a representation of  myself. As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I am a taekwondo athlete/competitor and I find this genre in films enjoyable and entertaining to watch.

    During class, my peers and I were taught the various types of ways to present a film opening. Specifically, we talked about how the beginning of movies play an important role in establishing the tone, genre, purpose, and introduce the characters and/or the setting.

Notes from class

     To approach my project, I want to introduce the character by establishing the background and context. Ways I can do this is incorporating a narration or voiceover to help the audience get to know the backstory and history of the main character. I would also like to develop the film by establishing the setting. I can utilize iconic and symbolic representations of a sport so viewers can easily understand what sport will be shown and what the movie will possess. To illustrate, if I were to represent tennis, I would include close-up shots and angles of tennis rackets, tennis balls, nets, and perhaps an establishing shot of a tennis court.

     The sport I wish to highlight in my film opening is taekwondo. Taekwondo is martial art that was originated from Korea. This type of combat style is learned through discipline, self control, courtesy, respect, integrity, and unbreakable spirit. As the main protagonist does taekwondo, it is a way of developing their character, their personality, and their desired goals.

Resources

Guest User. (2024, August 30). The role of narration in film: Enhancing storytelling through voice. Buddisystems. https://www.buddisystems.com/blog/the-role-of-narration-in-film-enhancing-storytelling-through-voice

Sport & Motion. (2023, April 3). 7 techniques to use in your sports production. https://sportandmotion.com/7-techniques-to-use-in-your-sports-production/

United Tae Kwon Do, Inc. (2025). The Five Tenets of Taekwondo. https://utkd.org/for-students/five-tenets

Portfolio Project Genre Option #2 - Coming-of-Age Sports film

    Coming-of-Age Sports films typically have themes of self-discovery, determination, and struggle. They are heartfelt stories that heavily focus on only one main protagonist. The main target audience for these productions are usually teenagers ranging from 12 to 18, however they can be enjoyed by anyone. Teens tend to enjoy these types of films because they relate to the conflicts of the characters and find comfort in connection. Sports players are also a main target audience, as it is entertaining for them to see how their specific sport is represented in a certain media. They will most likely understand and relate to it better than the viewers who know nothing about the sport that the main character plays or does. An good example of this is "The Karate Kid (1984)". In this film, the main protagonist learns Karate to defend himself from bullies and gains confidence and discipline in the process.

    The most common content conventions for these sports movies include an underdog protagonist, a skilled mentor, trainings towards a big game or competition, and overcoming personal obstacles. In my example of "The Karate Kid", Daniel LaRusso is the rookie, Mr. Miyagi is the mentor, the "All Valley Karate Championship" was what Daniel was training for, and he overcame obstacles of doubt, bullying, and social life.

      There are other types of tropes for coming-of-age sports films, such as the protagonist who was an athlete in the past and shows up one more time to prove something, and the stubborn and overconfident athlete who learns to become a team player and humbleness. An example of the cocky and stubborn athlete trope is the Disney movie "Cars". Lightning McQueen, the main character, starts off as a naturally talented and boastful car, but learns to understand the importance of being humble, kind, and a good friend.

    In addition, some of the repeated editing technique conventions for sports productions include fast cuts, many angles of the same shot, action scenes, energetic music, and slow motion editing. Making a scene in slow motion can build tension, suspense, emotion, and leaves the audience wanting to know what happens next. Energetic music is also a major part in the immersion of the audience when watching the film. It increases the viewer's emotion, mood, and attention to the story.

Take a look at this example in "The Karate Kid" of the use of a variety of angles, action scenes, and the use of non diegetic uplifting music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjepgHGEqPk

    Sound effects are definitely a huge part of sports movies. They can act as a way to improve and impact the audience's understanding of what is happening in the production. For instance, punching, kicking, cheering, and other diegetic sound effects that appear to be coming from the story world.

Sound effect examples:

Cheering at a sporting event: https://youtu.be/dyqpdqGk8EM?si=2KxdJjrssemulJGE

Fighting (punching/kicking): https://youtu.be/KZcC1oK291I?si=vreq_gdgKPyaKyEM

  The institutional conventions for coming-of-age sports films may include motivational speeches (coach giving pep-talk to athlete), an underdog achieving the impossible, or making a team with untrained rookies who end up learning how to work together. These productions can also follow the hero's journey, as I explained in my last blog post. To recap, the hero's journey includes stages such as the call to action, finding mentors, allies, and enemies, the final battle, and the resolution of the character's personal life. All these narrative images help the audience have a sense of empathy and emotional connection to the main character. Viewers relate to and see the character's personal conflicts as well as their physical conflicts.

    Overall, I believe this is the genre I would like to create my film opening. This is because I relate to this sort of category myself. I am a teen taekwondo player who competes and I know what it is like to have physical and emotional struggles with my sport. (Ex: struggling with countless injuries and not being able to compete). I want to relate to and personalize my film opening so I can produce the best possible result.

Hardacre, O. (n.d.). Target audience research [Prezi presentation]. Prezi. https://prezi.com/u-mzr7kqffc7/target-audience-research/

Rose, H. (2024, June 22). The Karate Kid (1984) is a simple yet spectacular sports movie classic. CBR. https://www.cbr.com/the-karate-kid-1984-review/

Quintanilla, E. (2021, March 7). What is a coming-of-age movie? Medium. https://medium.com/coming-of-age-with-film/what-is-a-coming-of-age-movie-7ebf1121ca1c/

Hellerman, J. (2024, March 12). Breaking down the best sports movies. No Film School. https://nofilmschool.com/sports-movie/

Metcalfe, B. (2025, October 18). Why sports movies continue to captivate audiences across generations. Stage and Cinema. https://stageandcinema.com/2025/10/18/sports-movies-captivate-generations/

Miyamoto, K. (2018, March 3). 5 key strategies to writing better sports movies. ScreenCraft. https://screencraft.org/blog/five-key-strategies-to-writing-better-sports-movies/

Universal Production Music. (2026). Looking back at the best sports movie soundtracks of all time. Universal Production Music. https://www.universalproductionmusic.com/en-us/news/looking-back-at-the-best-sports-movie-soundtracks-of-all-time/

Portfolio Project Genre Option #1 - Adventure

     Adventure productions are action packed, exciting, diverse, suspenseful, and mission-driven. These films are usually created for all ages, however the majority of the audience are young adults from the ages 18 to 24. The reason being is that they enjoy the thrill and inspiration of relatable characters journeying into the unknown. This escape from reality creates a sense of comfort for this age group.  this genre features exploration, impressive stunts, and keeps you on the edge of your seat. In fact, adventure stories were popular even before the creation of movie making. These stories were read through books and comics. For instance, the Indiana Jones series was based off of the "Raiders of the Lost Ark" novel by Campbell Black from 1981.

       In addition, the main genre conventions in content usually includes a hero, a quest, a team of friends who help the hero on their journey, a dangerous villain or setting, funny dialogue to create comedic relief, and finally, the discovery of treasure or victory in the end. The characters undergo a set of challenges that test their ability to succeed through their journey. Mysterious worlds or lands are also discovered, which can create difficulties for the protagonist.

        Many Disney films fall under the adventure category. The Disney movie "Moana", for example, is an adventure film. Moana is the hero, her quest is to restore the heart of Te Fiti, the dangerous villain is the lava monster Te Ka, and at the end of the movie, Moana successfully restores Te Fiti's heart and saves her island.

       Furthermore, some of the conventions with techniques and editing may include dramatic non-diegetic sound, close up shots and insert shots, eye-line matching, and high key lighting. Parallel editing is countlessly used, especially during action sequences where we can see what different characters are doing all at the same time.

Check out this example of parallel editing used in "Inception": https://youtu.be/KmptU7vEkNU?si=rjfy6WmHkZ9beF5W

       It is impactful when editors use suspenseful or dramatic non-diegetic music because it increases the state of the emotion and the immersion of the production for the audience. Some of these auditory techniques include the use of a violin bow to emphasize that danger is near.

      Typically, these movies require a high budget, especially for the sets and locations they need to film at. Other factors include mise-en-scene such as special costuming, detailed props, and makeup. This is because most of these productions contain fictional characters and worlds that do not exist. That being so, the editing process takes extremely long because they need to add in CGI and special effects to create an alternate universe that looks believable.

Check out this Behind the Scenes of the Special Effects for the production Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4P8FuQJIdM

      The Jumanji movie and the Percy Jackson tv show series are great examples of adventure productions. These creations both follow a hero's journey plot structure, which is an abundantly popular institutional convention in this genre. The hero's journey includes a chronological structure of a call to adventure, the introduction to mentors, enemies, and allies, challenges along the way, the final battle, victory, and finally, the return to their homeland. This narrative image is very often used because it evokes the audience to connect with the emotional conflicts and the character development of the protagonist. The viewers can relate their own lives and experiences as well through themes of failure, growth, self-discovery, and identity.

   After reviewing my research, making an adventure themed film opening would look amazing if done well. However, due to the fact that these types of productions require lots of mise-en-scene elements (costumes, cool locations, makeup, props) and tons of characters, it would definitely be difficult to produce. I will have to pass this genre as I don't have the funds for all the elements I would need to incorporate to make the product look well done.

Resources:

Indiana Jones. (2026, January 4). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_Jones

Gellard, H., Borger, R., & Dicker, N. (n.d.). Themes and motifs. Children’s Adventure Genre Guide. https://childrensadventuregenreguide.wordpress.com/themes-and-motifs/

Paolo. (2023, December 21). Cinematic consumers: A study of movie audience demographics. Gruvi.tv. https://gruvi.tv/post/movie-audience-demographics/

AutoCrit. (n.d.). 8 iconic action-adventure tropes that help shape the genre. AutoCrit Online Editing. https://www.autocrit.com/action-adventure-tropes/

Webb, L. (2012). Editing action adventure [PDF]. Scribd. https://www.scribd.com/doc/96961649/Editing-Action-Adventure/

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Hero’s journey. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 22, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero%27s_journey

Hellerman, J. (2023, September 18). Unraveling the concept of the Hero’s Journey in filmmaking. No Film School. https://nofilmschool.com/the-heros-journey