Film Opening Project (last blog!)

Here is a link to see my CCR:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KNvtMs1bztjPVf2Hu4TTGzjc48c3pAHY/view?usp=sharing

Thank you guys for reading my blog and keeping up with me these past few months, hope you enjoy my final videos! :D

Film Opening Project (blog 31, Valid)

Here is a link to see my film opening for Valid, I hope you enjoy it! :D

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pvsWg5lhc5PpJAN2IW3zSUH2Qjb0QFEq/view?usp=sharing

Film Opening Project (blog 30, reflection time)

I know I've dabbled in a bit of reflecting in some of my last blog postings, but I feel as if I should make one post dedicated to how I feel about this project and also the final product.

Man, this project has really challenged me a whole lot. I never thought I would learn so much over the course of three months. I learned about new elements of film, challenged my skills on daunting tasks, and learned a lot about working with others.

As you guys know, a huge portion of my effort went into mise-en-scene and writing. Writing was something I was already familiar with, but mise-en-scene is a whole new ball game. I've already mentioned before that I thought that mise-en-scene was not something I was interested in. However, after working on the set design for this project, I actually enjoyed it a lot. It never dawned on me how much you can tell a story just by the background, I guess I kind of took it for granted.

I've also improved on my story-telling. I typically write poetry, so when it came to creating the background and story of Camille, it was a bit out of my comfort zone. However, through the assistance of my teacher and friends, I think I'm getting good at story-telling. That's not to say I'm an expert, but I think I improved quite a bit.

Working in a group has taught me the value of other people's perspectives. I really enjoyed working with Oliver and Austin. Although we do tend to slack and mess around (a LOT) I feel we make a pretty good team. There were a few moments in this project where our spirits were low, especially during the times where we had to redo or reschedule, but we always manage to pull through. We all have certain specialties and together I think we created a really cool film opening.

This whole process has felt so long but before I even knew it we finished it all. I've been looking back at all of the old blogs and it really feels like the end of an era. To be honest, I'm not really sure what I'm going to do now that this whole project is over. I was thinking of maybe trying to film my own short over the summer, we'll see. ;)

Anyways, I guess that means this will be one of my last postings. I think I still might post some other updates on my CCR, but other than that I'm pretty much finished. I'm running out of things to type now. This feels so weird. Well, I guess I'll keep you guys posted, for now :)

Film Opening Project (blog 29)

Thank god for research, am I right or am I right?

I am happy to announce that the research that I did to help my script-writing payed off! It sounds so much better than my first attempt, which soon means I can get to filming! Instead of using Celtx like I did with the other script I wrote, I decided to use Google Docs instead. I found that a lot of the formatting tools within Celtx were unnecessary.

To see the whole script, you can click on the link below and it'll take you right there. :)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qax0V177ugW8LrS42x5qDP4Wcvm9sptyHXtSoCSViU0/edit?usp=sharing

The CCR is due next Friday, which means I should probably get to filming on Monday just so I have the whole week to edit. The last time I had to edit a video it took me forever, so I want to give myself that time so I don't end up stressing about it the day it's due.

Also, I have been having second thoughts about continuing the CCR as an 80's educational video. I was looking at past projects to see if I forgot to mention something in my own CCR, and I quickly realized none of them had a 'theme' like mine. Does this mean I shouldn't do it? Or should I do it instead for originality? I'm not quite sure...

I'm planning to ask my partners and also some of my other friends to see what they think. If they are not really sure or if I'm getting mixed reviews, I'll probably go ask my teacher to see what she says. I guess that means I'll keep you guys posted. :)

Film Opening Project (blog 28)

Our teacher gave us an extension for the projects, HALLELUJAH!

I didn't want to say in the last blog posts, but I was very nervous that I would not have enough time to complete my CCR to the best of my ability because I was working on a time crunch. I mean I know the CCR is easy to film, but writing and editing (AKA my weakness) is the challenging part of this project. Although it only is a few extra days, it is a lot of valuable time that I can use. 

Speaking of writing, today I am working on the script. With my previous schedule I was supposed to be done with the script by now, however, I did not like my script. You would think that with liking English and all this should be easy to me, but I find that I'm struggling. I found that it sounded way too robotic and the way I organized my script was very incoherent; nothing flowed like the way I wanted it to.

This is leaving me to wonder if I should even make a script at all. I know some people sometimes use notes or bullet points to make sure they cover every topic they need to, but at the same time I don't think that I can do that as I tend to stutter a lot (I also say 'like' more often than I care to admit). Because of those two reasons, I'm going to try to write it again.

Instead of diving in and start writing like I did last time, I watched two of these videos on Youtube so I can learn about what to do (and what not to do) within my commentary. Hopefully, this information can help me write a better script.

In terms of using a green screen, I decided that I would not go for it. As you know, I am not the most skilled in editing nor in using film equipment. As I was researching what I would need/know how to do I quickly realized that I do not have the skills to master the art of chroma-key in such a short amount of time. More importantly, I don't have the money to buy the things that I need, so I'm not going to use it.

Well, I guess that means I got to start writing, I'll let you know if the videos helped. I'll keep you guys posted :)

Film Opening Project (blog 27)

I was going over the questions that I still need to cover within my CCR this morning. It seems as if I do not need to do any more research for questions 3 and 4 as they are about my personal experience within this project. However, just for some consistency within my posts, I thought I would briefly answer them here, just so you guys know too :)

In terms of my production skills, I can confidently say my knowledge in mise en scene has definitely expanded. I remember the first time out teacher lectured us on set design, and I thought it was rather boring. However, the more I started to learn about the elements of mise en scene such as color theory, the more I started to appreciate it more. I also really enjoyed the process of getting the set ready for shooting, it was a lot of work but very rewarding at the end.

Another skill I would say improved would be adapting to challenges. You guys probably already know that getting things done on time are not my strength, yet I managed to get a lot done through flexibility and keeping and open mind. This skill was especially helpful in the beginning when we were planning a story and also planning on a day to film.

What I'm planning on doing for my script is to maybe take a few blurbs from my blogposts and incorporate them into the CCR video. However, I am still unsure whether if I should write out a full script or whether if I should have points instead. My gut is telling me that having a few notes will make the dialogue much more natural, but it could also make it awkward. I'm planning on writing the script this weekend so I guess I'll see.

In terms of materials, the only thing I can think of needing is a green screen. I feel that if I overcomplicate my CCR by using props or full blown sets I will be creating a lot of hard work on myself. Plus, since the whole purpose of my video is to go for a 'cheesy' look, green screens would be absolutely perfect. For now, I am planning on doing a bit more research on green screens and I'll see tomorrow if I should order one.

It still blows my mind that I am at the final part of this whole project, I never thought this day would come. Well, I guess I'll keep you guys posted :)

Film Opening Project (blog 26)

In blog 20, I did some research about representation and our target audience for our opening, and the things that I noted are really useful for answering questions one and two. I feel that it's quite obvious that our film opening challenges the conventions of social media, and it represents the issue of perceptions versus reality/the dangers of involving yourself within social media apps (specifically Instagram).

Because our opening is based off the story of Essena O'Neil, I want to source her experience as the reason why we chose to center our story around social media, and to also cite her experience on how our opening represents various social groups. Our opening primarily focused on shedding light on women (either influencers or consumers) who use social media, specifically on Instagram. Going off on a couple of statistics and social media demographics, it is reported that women use social media apps like Instagram more often than men do, thus supporting why we chose to have a female protagonist.

Here is a chart I found on sproutsocial.com

Age is also another thing we considered. Because younger audiences tend to be more engaged in social media more that older audiences, it was important that our character fitted that mold. Obviously, it wouldn't make sense if we chose a senior to play our character of a social media influencer.

Going back on some of shorts that I found on social media such as A Social Life by Kerith Lemon, I feel that the best way to distribute our film would be through Youtube. According to an article that I found on filmshortage.com, Youtube is a better platform in comparison to Vimeo as it can help me reach more audiences. The whole purpose of my film is spread a message, so logically it makes more sense to post it on Youtube (however, if I were hypothetically posting this, I would post my film on both platforms).

As you can see, the information that I'll be collecting is definitely going to pile up quite a bit. Because of this, I decided to make a Google Doc of a Draft I'll be using to help organize information for the script. Hopefully this will help me out write a script in time before filming and everything.

I'm moving along, I can't wait until I get to start writing the script! I'll keep you guys posted :)

https://sproutsocial.com/insights/new-social-media-demographics/
https://www.quicksprout.com/who-is-more-active-on-social-media-men-or-women/
https://filmshortage.com/youtube-vs-vimeo/

Film Opening Project (blog 25)

Alright, this week I am planning on taking my time and making sure I cover everything I need to discuss within my CCR. According to my teacher, it is required that I answer these four questions: 

1) How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?

2) How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?

3) How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

4) How did you integrate technologies - software, hardware and online - in this project?

It is essential that I answer these questions in depth and with detail. You know what that means, research time! I did make a previous blog post about collecting research for my CCR, but it was very-surface level; I was only prepping myself to make sure I start researching on the right foot. For the next few posts, I am going to try to answer each of these questions to the best of my ability, and then once I collected all of the information I need, I will start working on my script! Here is my schedule for how I want to work on my CCR:

3/30-4/3: Do research and answer all necessary questions

4/4-4/7: Complete writing the script and also prepare for any sort of supplies you'll need

4/8: Film day

4/9-4/10: Editing stage/finalizing process

Knowing anything from my last projects, I might need to make time for myself and possibly extend schedule dates. However, I'm trying to discipline myself into making sure I everything done on time without any hiccups. Maybe I can do it (fingers crossed!). I'll keep you guys posted :)

Film Opening Project (blog 24, online school? COVID-19 update part 2)

I don't usually like to bring personal matters within my blogs, but I felt as if I should make some sort of update as to what is going on. I feel as if this situation calls for it.

So a little update to this whole COVID-19 thing, because our country and state is advising us to stay in our homes and practice social distancing, that means that starting tomorrow school is now going to be online. Although I never thought I would say this, I miss going to school. It's a lot more fun to learn things within school than doing it through a screen. However, there is a silver lining to this lockdown, as it does give us more time to complete both our opening and my CCR.

Also, I've been noticing that the virus is starting to affect our own community more. One of my friend's relatives recently was diagnosed, and my other friends in AICE media are struggling with their projects, especially my friends that have not started filming yet. I was supposed to act in an opening for my friend Sara, but now my dad is not letting me go out so I cannot help her.

I'm growing more and more worried each day, not just for myself but for the whole world. I really hope this passes as soon as possible. I guess I'll keep you guys posted.

Film Opening Project (blog 23)

I got so caught up in my blog I forgot to look at more music, ohhhhh shoot.

Austin and Oliver reminded me that I needed to find music this morning, so I spent my afternoon trying to find some songs. I sifted through music for HOURS among Youtube and I found nothing good. I don't know if it is the way I am searching for music or if there's any good options to begin with. Anyways, I got fed up and decided that I would try another website, Purple Planet.

Our AICE Media teacher has always recommended this website for our projects, but if I'm honest I've always been thrown off by the way the site looks. The verdict? Never judge a book by its cover. I only scrolled through a few songs and I already was finding very good options!

The way it looks has always lead me to believe that I would find very basic songs, nothing that would actually be usable

After sifting through songs, I ended up narrowing my options to this one song (you can hear it with the link below). I feel the tone is perfect for our opening, I can almost picture it. Also, since Purple Planet's music is copyright free, we don't have to worry about asking for permission to use the song, saving us a lot of time as stress. I'm planning to show this song to my partners tomorrow, hopefully they will like it as much as I do. I'll keep you guys posted. :)

purple-planet.com/contamination

Film Opening Project (blog 22, CCR part 2)

Who knew dreams could be so useful?

So last night, I had a dream where I was editing an 80's educational video. I was putting every single possible cheesy effect I could think of, and it turned out (just as you would expect) to be super cheesy. When I woke up, I knew I had to make my CCR an 80's educational video. There was no way I wouldn't make one. No. Way.

I feel that if I intersperse this style with me presenting, it'll be a nice tool to keep the video interesting. Of course I can't rely on only this style to make my video fun, I will need to write a good script and everything, but I think this will be a fun project nonetheless! The video below is a good example of the look I would like to have within my CCR, I'm planning on using it as inspiration during the editing process.

In terms of how I'm planning to speak or frame my video, I decided to look at commentary Youtubers as a reference. Commentary Youtube is a certain type of video where a person will comment on a common trend on the internet or social media, usually interspersing jokes, sketches, and a LOT of editing. Some examples of commentary Youtubers are Danny Gonzalez or Kurtis Conner.

A photo of Kurtis Conner's Youtube banner

Kurtis Conner has to be one of my favorite Youtubers within the commentary 'genre'. He incorporates a nostalgic style within his edits, making his videos a good reference point for my own CCR. 

I guess the first step I will need to complete is making a script or some type of plan for my video before I can even think about editing. I also means that I'll need to do more research as well, maybe I'll incorporate more research within my blogs, we'll have to see. I'll keep you guys posted. :)