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Installation Guide

CineMood AI — Emotion-Based Movie Recommendation System with DeepFace Facial Recognition

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Complete Guide

CineMood AI - Installation & Setup Guide

📋 Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed on your system:

Python 3.10 or higher
pip (Python package installer)
A working webcam
Git (for cloning the repository)
Modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari)

Step 1: Clone the Repository

Open your terminal or command prompt and run the following commands:

Command:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/cinemood.git

cd cinemood

This will download the complete project source code to your local machine and navigate into the project directory.

Step 2: Create Virtual Environment

It's recommended to create a virtual environment to isolate project dependencies:

Command:

python -m venv venv

Activate Virtual Environment

For Windows:

venv\Scripts\activate

For macOS / Linux:

source venv/bin/activate

You should see (venv) prefix in your terminal indicating the virtual environment is active.

Step 3: Install Dependencies

Install all required Python packages using pip:

Command:

pip install django deepface opencv-python numpy tf-keras

⚠️ Important Note: DeepFace will automatically download model weights (approximately 600MB) on first run. Ensure you have a stable internet connection.

Alternative: If a requirements.txt file is provided, you can use:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Step 4: Run Database Migrations

Set up the SQLite database by running Django migrations:

Command:

python manage.py migrate

This creates all necessary database tables for the application.

Step 5: Start Development Server

Launch the Django development server:

Command:

python manage.py runserver

You should see output indicating the server is running, typically at:

Starting development server at http://127.0.0.1:8000/

Step 6: Open in Browser

Navigate to the following URL in your web browser:

http://127.0.0.1:8000/

You should now see the CineMood home page with the animated starfield background.

Step 7: Grant Camera Permissions

When you navigate to the Camera page for the first time:

Click on the "Start Emotion Scan" button
Your browser will request camera access permission
Click "Allow" to grant camera access
The live emotion scanner will activate

💡 Tip: Ensure good lighting on your face for accurate emotion detection.

🔧 Troubleshooting Common Issues

Issue 1: Camera Not Working

Ensure no other application is using the webcam
Check browser camera permissions in settings
Try using HTTPS in production (camera requires secure context)
Restart your browser and try again

Issue 2: Module Not Found Errors

Verify virtual environment is activated
Re-run: pip install -r requirements.txt
Check Python version is 3.10 or higher
Try: pip install --upgrade pip

Issue 3: DeepFace Model Download Fails

Check internet connection stability
Manually download weights from DeepFace GitHub
Place weights in: ~/.deepface/weights/
Clear pip cache: pip cache purge

Issue 4: Database Errors

Delete db.sqlite3 file
Run: python manage.py migrate again
Ensure write permissions in project directory

📁 Project Structure Overview

Understanding the project folder structure:

cinemood/
├── manage.py                          # Django management script
├── db.sqlite3                         # SQLite database file
├── requirements.txt                   # Python dependencies
├── README.md                          # Project documentation
│
├── emotion/                           # Main Django application
│   ├── views.py                       # Core emotion analysis logic
│   ├── urls.py                        # URL routing for emotion app
│   ├── apps.py                        # App configuration
│   ├── models.py                      # Database models
│   └── haarcascade_frontalface_default.xml  # Face detection model
│
├── emotion_is_everything/             # Django project settings
│   ├── settings.py                    # Project configuration
│   ├── urls.py                        # Main URL configuration
│   ├── wsgi.py                        # WSGI application
│   └── asgi.py                        # ASGI application
│
└── templates/                         # HTML template files
    ├── home.html                      # Landing page
    ├── cam.html                       # Camera/emotion scanner page
    ├── moviesList.html                # Movie recommendations page
    ├── about.html                     # About page
    └── contact.html                   # Contact page

🔌 API Endpoints Reference

Method	URL	Description
GET	/	Home page
GET	/cam/	Emotion scanner page
POST	/analyze_frame/	Accepts base64 image, returns emotion data
GET	/movieslist/<emotion>	Movie recommendations for given emotion
GET	/about/	About page
GET	/contact/	Contact page

POST /analyze_frame/ Request Format

{
    "image": "data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQ..."
}

POST /analyze_frame/ Response Format

{
    "emotion": "happy",
    "all_emotions": {
        "angry": 2.1,
        "disgust": 0.3,
        "fear": 1.2,
        "happy": 87.4,
        "neutral": 6.8,
        "sad": 1.5,
        "surprise": 0.7
    }
}

🔒 Privacy & Security Information

No Biometric Storage: Camera frames are processed and immediately discarded
No External Uploads: All analysis runs locally via Django backend
No Account Required: Watchlist stored only in browser localStorage
Camera Auto-Release: Stream stopped immediately after 10 readings complete
Local Processing: No data sent to external servers

✅ Installation Verification Checklist

Confirm successful installation by checking the following:

□ Django server starts without errors
□ Home page loads with animated starfield
□ Camera page accesses webcam successfully
□ Emotion detection shows confidence bars
□ Movie recommendations display correctly
□ Watchlist save/load functionality works
□ All navigation links work properly
□ Contact form submits without errors

📞 Need Help?

If you encounter any issues during installation:

Check the troubleshooting section above
Review the complete README.md documentation
Verify all prerequisites are installed correctly
Clear browser cache and cookies
Try running in a fresh virtual environment

Optional Add-ons Available:

Project Setup Assistance - ₹299
Source Code Explanation Session - ₹199
Professional Project Report - ₹399

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